Here's to a Lil' Munchkin @aandyP :) Thank you for reading, voting and commenting ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

"Well, how would I know?" She said, chuckling. "I can't feel the mate bond. Only you would know that".

I sighed in frustration. Even so, why the hell was Mikhail going to perform this permanent ceremony on me then? Wouldn't that ruin his future with his real mate or was he that much of a Sociopath that he didn't care?

"I don't feel this kind of 'bond' to Mikhail. Why is he performing the mating ceremony with me then?!"

"That's a question you need to ask the Alpha", she said. "But, I advise you not to question him too much. For your own safety", she added.

We sat in silence, as I stared out of the window and she stared at me. There were a few people - should I even call them that? - walking around uniformly, each seeming busy. The area really was secluded. From the small little view I got, all I could see were trees.

"You know", I said as I rested my chin on my hand. "I used to work as a Clinical Psychologist before I was kidnapped". She gazed at me quietly, waiting for me to continue. "I studied for eight years, slaving away, studying for exams, ruining my social life all because of my career choice. People often wondered why I would choose to do something so unnecessarily long when there were much easier options, but I just felt a connection to Clinical Psychology like nothing else. But, if what you said is true, then how do I know my passion is even real? What if it was just 'fate' and I needed to go down this path just to be somebody's mate?"

I sat quietly, feeling the burden lift off my chest. For the first time, I had spilt my innermost worries to someone I didn't even know. I normally kept my feelings under lock and key but for some reason, I was releasing all my secrets to this woman.

"Dear me, I think you're overthinking things a little bit", she said, grasping one of my hands gently and rubbing it. Even with physical contact, I was more reserved but for some peculiar reason, with her, I didn't mind it. She just seemed to put me at ease. "Do you enjoy what you do? Exactly, that is a good enough reason to keep on going".

"But, what's the point?" I whispered. "At the end of this week, I am being forced into this permanent ceremony with a deranged 'werewolf'. I don't get a choice in the matter. I'm just being used as a pawn in this game he is playing to get revenge. Then what? We're in the middle of nowhere".

She squeezed my hand and looked deeply into my eyes. "Are we though?"

I stared at her, my heart beating loudly. Was she trying to help me? She gave me a little wink and I was just about to ask her more when the door slammed open and the same black-haired guard stormed into the room. He pulled my chair out roughly and tipped me out of the seat without warning.

"You speak too much", he growled at Amara. "The Alpha would not approve of this".

"Pfft, he approves of little", Amara calmly said, ignoring the angry man. "It will not kill you to lighten up a little bit Jacob. That frown may become irreversible and your future mate will run away in fear. Poor thing".

I picked myself up from the floor, fuming. He was acting like some sort of brute, pushing and pulling me around everywhere.

"Let's go", he hissed at me, ushering me forward, not wanting to touch me.

"Bye, Amara", I said, quickly. "I hope we can speak again soon".

My view of her was suddenly cut off by Jacobs's large frame as he gestured for me to keep on walking. He led me along a corridor that I recognised would lead me to the room I was staying.

"Someone will serve dinner to you. You do not leave this room for anything", he growled. "If you try anything, I will know".

I was pushed in and then the door was slammed shut and locked in one fluid motion. Did he hate all humans or was I a special case? Whatever the answer was, he clearly was not going to make my stay an easy one.

It was nearing dusk and I realised how little I had to do. This time normally, I would be heading home from work and feeding KK. I groaned to myself as I paced the room anxiously.

Are they really going to keep me locked up with little to do?

I glanced at the locked door. Apparently, they were. Looking around the room, I noticed a large wooden desk pushed in the corner with drawers. As I rifled through them, I noticed papers, stationery and some books. At least they weren't completely cruel but I couldn't imagine Mikhail being this thoughtful.

I stared listlessly at the room, unsure of myself. It was too early to sleep but I felt too awake. The only thing I could think of was exercising. Nothing too hard-core - I didn't want the whole building to hear me with their hypersensitive hearing - but something that should bring up my fitness a little. I had tried to do it every day at home but it was no fun without a sparring partner. I stretched and pulled on my sore muscles and sighed in contentment. There was nothing like the adrenaline of exercise to clear your mind. After running through some reps, I hit the shower, the hot water a blessing to my body.

I eyed the floral body wash. Mikhail was planning on taking that away from me, my only line of defence. I emptied the soap bottle and poured some of the floral body wash in it so if it was taken, at least I would still have some left. Heck, I would resort to anything just to keep his hands off me.

Washed and tired, wearing the most modest clothing I could find, I fell asleep underneath the covers.

- Six days till the mating ceremony -

I woke with a start, feeling someone's eyes burning a hole in my back. The guard - Jacob - stood in the entrance of my room watching me with the disgust clear on his face.

"Wash and clean up. Food is on your desk", he grunted. "You have half an hour. The Alpha said you could go outside if you like".

My ears perked up at the word 'outside'. "Really?" I asked in a fake, saccharine voice. "Thank you, Jacob. You're too sweet".

He swore quietly and slammed the door behind him. I collapsed on the bed and thought about my game plan. Amara mentioned that we might not be in the middle of nowhere. Judging by at the greenery and the quality of the air, we must be up North, further up then Colsens. If I could make it to a motorway, I could find an emergency phone and call for help.

I got up and rifled through the closet and groaned in frustration. All the clothes were white or some shade of white. He was definitely obsessed with the colour whereas I prefered darker colours. I dressed in the plainest outfit I could, wolfing down my breakfast. Just as I opened the door, I saw Jacob waiting impatiently, his scowl seeming to be forever fixed on his face.

"Hurry up", he growled, leading me forward. The house truly was massive and well-made. There were multiple corridors and doors, the carpet lush beneath my feet. Everywhere I looked, all I could see were shades of white from the walls to the floor. On our way out, we passed several people who gave me funny looks and whispered amongst themselves as if I couldn't hear them. I rolled my eyes. Yes, I was 'human' but, our hearing wasn't that bad.

"You better behave", Jacob warned as he opened the door. I hesitantly took a step outside and mentally swore as everyone's head snapped up to look at me. Some looked with curiosity whilst others looked with hatred.

I sighed. It's not like I wanted to be here, either. I looked at Jacob expectantly.

"You can walk freely", he grunted. "The Alpha said to pass on that message to you".

He glared at me until I got the hint to walk off. Was I really being allowed to explore unsupervised? As I walked around, I noticed why. The people maintained a wide breadth away from me, almost parting if I came near them. Turning around, I saw that the woods really did enclose this whole property. There were many other houses and large buildings uniformly placed but apart from that, it was pretty much isolated. There was one small break in the greenery because of the paved pathway leading from the garage to God's know where. From an onlooker's perspective, this place was gorgeous. Hell, I would have liked it in different circumstances.

I needed to talk to someone if I wanted to find something, anything. I glanced at the people again and sighed. No one was going to talk to me. Mikhail probably ordered them not too. I wondered if they were fed some propaganda labelling all humans as bad which would also explain why they were so wary of me.

I heard children's voices and laughter echoing from behind me and I turned to see a bunch of young boys laughing and running to the edge of the woods. They pulled off their shirts as they ran and I averted my eyes in horror as one tugged his trousers down as well.

What the hell. Did they practise open nudity here?

Suddenly, I heard cracking noises and I looked up in alarm. The boys, no longer laughing, were bare and hunched on the ground as tremors shook through their bodies. This... 'Shift' was mesmerising but looked painful to watch. I couldn't tear my eyes away. It was fast but I watched in fascination as fur sprouted across their bodies, their faces elongating and becoming feral. Within seconds, the group of boys were replaced by a group of wolves who began to play fight amongst each other.

I stared on in shock. Never had I witnessed something so surreal before. How did the biology even work? Where did all the fur come from? How did their bones re-shape and their organs restructure themselves every time they shifted?

I almost wanted to grab one and look at it under a microscope. I never saw Malik's shift in the video Caleb took. It was almost beautiful how seamlessly they transitioned from a human to a wolf.

"You were supposed to wait for me", a woman exclaimed, rushing to the forest. "Cheeky little pups". I turned around to see who the voice belonged too when the woman bumped into me roughly, sending me stumbling back. She stared at me in shock at first, her skin paling and then her face hardened. From the corner of my eyes, I saw her fists clenched tightly, so tight that the veins protruded angrily.

"I'm sorry", I said, apologetically. "I didn't see you there".

She looked at me with barely concealed anger and then her head tipped forward slightly so that her locks tumbled across her face, hiding her expression. She took a deep breath, her chest heaving up and then stalked off, leaving me standing there in surprise. No matter what Mikhail said to them, how could she hate me so much? This hate seemed different - almost personal...

I felt daggers in my back and I turned to see Jacob scowling at me from a distance. I stared at him then back at the woman. Were they related? They both had the same thick black hair, strong nose and hazel eyes. I looked at Jacobs's tense posture again. He looked angrier than usual, was he scared that I was going to do something to her?

I scoffed and watched as the woman walked inside the woods, the wolves barking at her feet. I didn't want to be here as much as they didn't want me to be here. I tilted my face upwards to the sky, feeling the warmth hit my face. Judging by its position, I could tell which way was East and West, but I was clueless as to which was South - the direction I needed to go in to get out of here.

A movement nearby caught my eye and I realised there was a figure standing at the window in the large building where I had come from.

It was Mikhail. He clearly saw that altercation between me and that woman. He stared down at me darkly and then a sinister smile slowly crossed his face, sending shivers down my spine.

Hewo.

Any thoughts?

I'm really hungry right now T-T

As you can tell from the double update, we got a kitten! If I feel super generous, I might do to updates next week as well ;)

(The 50+ vote challenge still stands btw hehe)

Question:

What's a superpower you would like to have?

The next few chapters are going to be based on Mikhail and the countdown till the mating ritual as this is the arc before... I can't spill too much (but Malik might make a comeback *wink wink*)

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