Cold hands quivered on colder stone.
Their latest experiment was by far their most painful yet.I screamed and thrashed on the floor. -I was dying.

White foam dribbled from the corner of my lip, down my chin onto my neck and chest.

My body shook violently, a cold sweat began to gather on my skin. "What's happening to me?!" I cried, staring at the white coat with wide, fearful eyes.

The white coat only smirked, holding his clipboard close to his chest. "You're going through the pain of a Lycanthrope shift."

No. It was too early, I was only fourteen. Shifts usually happened around eighteen years of age, earlier shifts were unheard of.

I tried to speak but no words came out, only screams. I clutched at my throat as I felt it close up. I gasped and choked as I struggled to suck in air.

It sounded as though the very air cracked as the first of my bones shattered, reforming to that of a monster.

I tried to beg the white coat for help, instead he turned his back and left. This experiment obviously wasn't interesting enough for him.

I experienced my fist shift alone that night. I was so scared, I wondered if I would die... At some points I wished I would.

***

"Astoria!" I cried as I ran up the wooden steps and flung open the cabin door. "Astoria! I have so much to tell you!"

She only shot me her usual bored stare as the continued to sip crimson liquid from her glass. "What." She drawled.

I quickly sat at the old wooden table in the centre of the cabin. "Well I was chasing this fat buck when a bear jumped in front of us and started chasing us!" I threw my hands in the air, trying to prove to her just how large this bear was. "She was so fast but we were faster! And afterwards I met Flick and she shook my hand!" I felt like a child, but I couldn't help it my wolf hadn't felt freedom in such a long time.

Astorias glare suddenly turned ice cold. "You did what!" She growled. "I told you not to show your skin, let alone go and shake the fucking Luna's hand!"

"Oh.." Was all I could say.
I hadn't spared a second to thought about the promise I had made Astoria. I was selfish.

"You're going to get us both fucking killed if she tells him." She hissed. "He'll kill us both you realise!"

"If she tells who?" Worry etched it's way into the pit of my stomach, clenching it like a vice until a sickening feeling rose in my throat.

"Theos."

My legs felt as though they would give way. My knees grew weak and my body threatened to plummet to the floor. What was wrong with me?
I didn't dare ask more, and Astoria didn't push it. Her face softened slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She grunted, turning her back to me as she begun to add herbs to her latest potion. Thick grey smoke spiralled to the ceiling as she stirred the mixture. A chill began to crawl down my spine, I told myself it was only due to the bitter bite of the wind. I was inside, there was no wind. My body was on edge, every muscle and every thought standing to attention. I was ready, for what I did not know, but something was coming and that something was bad.

"It's just..." She froze. Her whole body grew ridged and her eyes wide. A gust of wind blew down the chimney, bringing with it a cloud of ash and fallen smoke. I coughed, waving my arms to clear the smoke.

"What? What's wrong?" I stood up and began walking towards her as she quickly spun around, putting a finger to her lips. She began to shove me in the direction of the closet that held nothing but cleaning supplies.
"Hide! Quickly! Now!" She whispered, I could've sworn I had seen fear in her eyes.

She shoved me into the closet and slammed the door in my face. I stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, surveying the brooms and tools that lined the walls. My eyes lingered on a dagger with a serrated silver blade, something possessed me to pick it up, maybe it was the way the light reflected off the pale blade. I quickly set it back down on the shelf. I didn't need it, what would Astoria think if she opened the door to me wielding a dagger at her.

All of a sudden my legs threatened to collapse again and my heart began to thunder in my chest. A weight dropped into the pit of my stomach as I heard the cabin door open.

"Theos.." I heard Astorias catlike purr. She sounded calm, but I knew otherwise. A strange feeling bubbled up within me, I fought to push it down, it was a bitter feeling that was a vile shade of green.

The scent of raw dominance invaded the cabin, it hung heavy in the air and my body clung to it as though it were the only thing keeping me alive.

There was a creaking if floor boards before I heard him speak.

"You know why I came, Astoria."

An involuntary gasp left my lips, my hands flew over my mouth. His voice was the very epitome of male, the sound alone was enough to leave me on my knees and begging for more. I struggled to control my rapid breathing, so in the end I just held my breath.

"Is someone else here?" He growled, and I could feel the anger radiating off him in waves that crashed over me. I was drowning in the thought of him, and I loved every second it.

"No.. Just us." Astoria assured him. "You're here because of your dreams, right?"

"Yes." He uttered. "I can't stop seeing her."

His tone was lighter, almost melancholy to the point that my heart ached. I leaned closer, pushing my ear against the door to try to hear him better. My body hungered for the thought of him, and not just a slight need. It was an animalistic part of me that called out to the male.

"I can't sleep at nights without seeing her, and Flick is beginning to notice."

This wasn't the first time I had heard someone reference her. I had a thousand questions running through my mind but no one to answer them.

"Has it gotten worse recently?" Astoria almost sounded sympathetic, but I knew better.

My lungs screamed for air, a horrid burning singed my throat and my head began to swim.

"Ever since the night of the Blood moon." He hissed. "Something happened that night, something people are hiding from me..."

I couldn't hold my breath any longer, I gasped in a thick lung full of air, I couldn't stop myself.

"What was that." The Alpha spat, footsteps thundered through the cabin.

Shit.

"Theos! Calm down, there's no one else here-"

"Don't fucking lie to me Astoria!" He roared, "I can smell her!" An almighty crash made my ears ring and my head spin.

I felt sick, fear gripped my heart. Clutching the vile organ until it was twisted and fears as all that ran thick and black through my shivering veins.

"Where is she!" The closet door flew open.

I fell to the floor, my legs finally gave up. I stared up into his dark eyes with all the words I couldn't bear to speak.

"Please-"
I didn't know exactly what I expected to see when I looking into his eyes, but it certainly wasn't this. I didn't expect to see such shock, such hurt, such hatred. Such malice.
I didn't have time to think let alone breathe before he picked me up by the neck. His thick fingers wrapped around my throat as he threw me into the stone cold wall.

"Who are you?!" He roared. "Is this some kind of sick fucking joke!"

He was the darkness, the blackness that came from within him was now began to dot the edges of my vision. I spluttered and choked, clawing at his hands in desperation. I tried to kick him away, but my legs just flailed pathetically in the air.

My lungs burned and my head spun violently. His grip didn't once falter. I saw Astorias lips moving but I couldn't hear anything, the world seemed to move in slow motion and it sounded as though I were underwater again.

I was drowning again.

My head held under the water by a white coat, chemicals burned my eyes, nose and throat as I struggled to break free.

I thrashed then, became almost animalistic in my desperation to breathe. But now something was different, I don't know what it was but something within me couldn't bear the thought of fighting him off, either that or part of me saw the pointlessness in it all. I would never be able to fight him off, so what was the point in trying. I dug my nails into his skin, trying my best to hurt him but nothing I did seemed to have the slightest effect on him.

His dark, brooding eyes glowed black with rage.
I couldn't speak, I tried to call out, to say I was sorry for whatever I had done. Maybe I would've begged for him to spare me.
His muscled chest heaved with every ragged breath he took, his eyes didn't once leave mine, full lips released a shaky breathe that fanned against my cheek.

The world was turning black, the hands of darkness pulling me into the abyss. I could see Astoria screaming at the Alpha, she grabbed his arm but he easily threw her to the floor with one hand.

My fingers reached out toward the dagger. I stretched as far as I could, I felt the tips of my fingers ghost the edge of hilt.

My head felt as though it was filled with grey static, it was all I could hear. It was all I could taste. -And it was beginning to be all I could see.

I don't know why he let go. I don't what part of him decided I should live. But whatever small part of him decided otherwise was enough to make him release his hold on me.

I fell to the floor, barely conscious and sucking in thick lung fulls of air. I crawled onto my hands and knees, coughing and spluttering, I looked in horror as I saw the Alpha throw Astoria into the table.

"What the fuck have you done to her!" He roared.

Astoria however seemed unfazed, she got straight back up, wiping the blood from her nose with the back of her hand and threw a vicious punch into the Alphas face. He took the hit unfazed.

"I did what had to be done!"

The waves of anger had turned into a tsunami, destroying everything in its wake and I was no exception.

His chest heaved with rage, and I scolded myself for the way my eyes lingered on his taught muscles.

"You're lucky your mate was my friend!" He grunted, he didn't need to shout, somehow this was far more terrifying. The silence before the storm.  "I should've killed you a thousand times over by now."

"Fuck you too." Astoria hissed, a grin that was fuelled by insanity spread over her face. "Oh wait, I already did."