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Time:
The healer
And the
Killer.

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Cassandra:

"Little Cassandra, I will count till ten. If you don't come out that door before I say ten, I will get you out myself and it won't be nice."  

"ONE", his voice boomed.

I began looking around for towels to cover myself better. I fumbled with the cabinet handle and checked inside...

"TWO"

 ...only to find conditioners, shampoos, some fragrant washes, and scented candles. 

"THREE"

I threw another cabinet open only to find it empty.

"FOUR"

I looked up to find a cabinet out of my reach.

"FIVE"

I looked around to find any stools.

"SIX"

I found none. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

"SEVEN"

My heart raced as I looked up at that cabinet, my mind going blank for a moment. 

"EIGHT!" 

Is it safe for me to walk back out? I thought as I eyed the door. 

"NINE!"

I didn't think so. I just ran into the glass shower compartment and shut it quickly.

"TEN! Time's up, little one," I could hear a smirk.

It went really quiet for a while. But, it suspiciously looked like the calm before a storm.

I quickly realized my suspicions were right. With a very loud bang, the door broke into pieces. I just tightly cupped my ears.  

It felt exactly like something I had felt before. But this time, my Mom isn't around to protect me... 

I looked to check if he stuck a bomb to the door. But I saw no smoke. Instead, I saw a bloody fist. He broke down the door to bits with just one blow. I couldn't help but quiver like a fluttering leaf.

He just strode confidently towards the sink and washed his fist slowly. It looked almost healed. I just pressed myself to the wall hoping it would swallow me in. 

He placed his emerald eyes on me which sent shivers down my spine. They glowed dangerously bright. I held his gaze cautiously.

He strode slowly towards me and slid open the glass door of the shower compartment. I tried so hard to slow down my heart rate. But, I was scared out of my wits.

He placed both his arms around me caging me in place. His dark chocolate brown hair tickled my cheek as he bent down and sniffed my neck deeply. I felt my heart skip a beat.  His manly scent almost lulled me to a drowsy state making me want to wrap my arms around him tightly and not let go.

"So little one, what made you think that that flimsy door could protect you from me? I'm going to mate with you soon and all you have to do is obey and submit to me and give birth to the next Alpha generation. I can give you the best life a human can get in our empire," He spoke huskily twirling a strand of my hair, his captivating eyes not leaving mine.

I frowned. I'm too young to have children. My body may be ready, but mentally, I'm still a teenager. And lastly,...

"I'm definitely not gonna be some breeding machine. I need to go home. I'm only a teenager by heart. I turned eighteen just a couple of weeks back! You're insane if you think I'd give you kids right now. I'm a lot more than a womb and a vagina!" I stated with a scowl, my fear temporarily replaced with irritation and disregard for their primeval practice.

"Darling, you have no say in this. You're stuck here with me no matter what. I want my wolves to accept you as their Luna. I am the strongest wolf in the entire country. Wolves have challenged me for this position. No one could bring me down. What could a fragile human like you do against me? I will make you do my bidding whether you like it or not... even if I have to punish you to make you submit," He spoke, his eyes glowing bright emerald green. He traced his thumb over my lower lip. 

All my fears returned in full force. I just realized what I got myself into. I missed my mom more than anything at this moment. I remembered how she always stood like a shield protecting me. I wanted to cry.

☆*: .｡.  Flashback .｡.*☆

"Little Sandra, you don't know how beautiful you really are... Do you? " He looked at me with a glint. 

"Where's mom?" my voice shook as I eyed around the hall for Mom. I got back home from school hoping to find mom only to realize that she was still out.

"You're turning thirteen tomorrow. Do you want your birthday gift today? Although, Clara would never allow me to give it to you," He approached me. I backed up against the door only to duck his arms and run to my room.

I bolted it and heard a huge bang on the door. "Open the door, little Sandra, or I may have to punish you..." 

"What do you get out of beating us up?" I yelled back sobbing.

He just laughed. "Oh! You're so naive. Open the door now and I will be gentle. I promise." I heard a smirk.

"Go Away! Please," I sobbed.

"Cass? Brian, get away from her! Or I will call the cops." I heard my mum's voice.

That night, I just curled at the foot of my bed shutting my ears tightly after my mom ordered me to stay inside and bolted it from the outside. I wept while my mom took all the blows. That was the worst birthday ever. 

Not that any following birthdays were good. He always tried approaching me telling me he wanted to give me a 'gift'. I was sure he wanted to beat me up to satisfy his sadistic pleasure. Every time, Mom took the blows. 

'You are still young and shouldn't be scarred', she always said no matter how broken she was.  But, that experience did scar me. I was always scared and she was too scared to call the cops. It took a lot in me to train, build, and finally fight him.

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At this point, I just took a deep breath and reminded myself whose daughter I was. I just straightened my crown and spoke with a fire in my heart.

"Alpha Anton Arnoux, strength is not what you think it is. There will come a day when all your pride will crumble down. That will be the day when you feel you've lost everything although you still have it all. Karma's a bitch and she's watching. She will make you step down from that high and mighty, power-drunk throne of yours." I looked at him and added, "And yes, there is no way I'd be submitting to you."  I shrugged and folded my arms across my chest.

He let out a loud, animalistic growl and drove his fist into the tiles beside my head. It broke and fell to the ground with a huge clang. I shut my ears as an instinct and shuddered involuntarily.

He grabbed me and pushed me harshly against the wall, his eyes pulsing with emerald green. I just stared back challengingly. I could see his sharp canines. He looked like he was going to change into his wolf.

But, he paused. He looked like he was 'mind-linking', a term that Olive rudely told me about early in the morning when I pestered her enough. 

He grabbed my hair and pulled me until I was almost embracing him and sniffed my neck deeply again as if trying to calm down. Then, he let go of me and turned around to leave.

He walked over to the wooden debris and then paused making my heart rate hike up again.

He turned around and placed his eyes on me. He swiftly walked towards me and smashed his lips to mine. I had never been kissed before and he just stole my first one.  

"I will be gone for two weeks. Remember that you're mine. When I get back, I will mate with you whether you like it or not, even if I have to do it with you either kicking and screaming or pleading and crying." He said huskily, his eyes darkening. 

He grabbed my chin and gave me a last peck before walking out of the room. I just slid down the tiles and wrapped my arms around my knees. I didn't want to cry. I felt sick about it. I have to find a way out of here... in two weeks, I thought. Fourteen Days. So, today would be day-1.

Day-1:

I got dressed up quickly not willing to give space for more drama. As long as he's around, there is no way I could escape. These two weeks were my only chance. It was a "Do or Die Situation." I won't go down without a fight if I didn't succeed in escaping.

I just settled myself into the bed and waited for breakfast. It's not like they would drug me because they don't need to. I have no way to escape.

Someone knocked and entered the room with a tray of food. It was a woman with dark hair, pale skin, and brown eyes in her early twenties. She looked human as she was built small.

She placed the tray filled with a plate of toast and eggs and a glass of orange juice in front of me. 

"What's your name?" I asked her.

She looked at me and gave me a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. She looked physically and mentally tired.

"Hannah. Hannah Blooms," she replied.

"Where are you from?" I asked her.

"Luna, you should eat your breakfast," she spoke ignoring my question.

I picked up the spoon and shoved a spoonful of eggs into my mouth. I chewed keeping my eyes on Hannah and washed it down with some orange juice. I cannot refuse food. I lived on granola bars and cup noodles for five whole days in the woods. Oh yes! And deer.

"Where are you from? How did you get stuck here?" I asked again as I grabbed the buttered toast. 

"I came here for a vacation. There are these cottages around the safer parts of the woods where we stayed. I wandered off and got lost. I was found by one of the packs. They kept me there to work for them. After a while, I was shifted here. It's been three years now." 

I choked on the juice. After a coughing fit and regaining my breath, I exclaimed, "Three Years?!" 

She rubbed my back and gave me some water. "Yeah... It isn't too bad once you get used to it. Some are even kind. They never abuse us. They may overwork us sometimes. I'm glad that the rouges didn't find me. I would've been through hell," she told me with a tired smile.

After she left, there was another knock on the door. I just hoped that the Alpha left to wherever he was off to. 

In came two well-built and handsome men. One had short cropped up metallic, greyish blue hair with dark blue eyes. He might have been an inch or two shorter than Mathew. How did people have such beautiful hair in this pack? He was bulky, but he could've been a softy on the inside.

I then took the time to look at the other man. He had caramel hair, a color which was a couple of shades darker than Mathew's hair. He had dark brown eyes that had a mischievous glint. He had a lean muscle and was built to be agile and fast. 

They were young, probably just as old as Anton. But, none of these men could have the effect that Anton had on me. He is so handsome that it makes my heart beat like crazy. I would've fallen head over heels for him if he hadn't been a jerk. I had no doubt at all that it was the mate bond working its magic. But, it cannot make him treat me any better or stop looking at me like a toy.

"Yeah Miss, if you're done eye raping us, I'm guessing you wouldn't want another episode like this one?" Caramel spoke as he looked at the wooden remains of the bathroom door like it was a masterpiece. "We pass on a word to Anton, maybe we'd be lucky to watch this time," he smirked. 

I folded my arms across my chest and looked at him clearly unimpressed. He noted my expression with a chuckle and spoke, " I am Gamma Walter, the third-in-command, the pack's tech expert. I monitor anything pertaining to technology. I'm a genius and I train the pack fighters. I'm a strong fighter. And you are? " 

I looked at the blue-man who examined the debris and 'mind-linked' someone. 

I looked at Caramel and replied, "Hello Caramel, it's nice to meet you. I'm Cassandra." 

He scrunched up his face, "Don't call me that." He pointed a finger at me.

I smirked for the first time in my life. "Caramel," I emphasized.

"Okay, Grey! You can shove your name up to your ass. I can come up with better names," He snapped and sassed. 

"Was that the best you could come up with? Grey?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

He opened his mouth to reply.  The blue man interrupted, "Walter, shut up. Act like a man for once!"

"But, she just called me Caramel. Tell her not to call me that or I'll call her soot," he complained like a kid. I just rolled my eyes.

Blue just sighed and shook his head, "Hello, Cassandra. I'm Beta Bernard, the second-in-command. I organize the packs, keep the peace between them, and follow the Alpha's orders in splitting or combining packs. I receive news and updates from the pack generals and inform the Alpha, undertake actions under his command, and so on. I head the pack in the absence of the Alpha."

I nodded in understanding. "It's nice to meet you, Bernard. You have really nice hair."

He smiled warmly, "Thank you, Cass."  I smiled back. 

They told me that I could ask anything I wanted and left. Walter (aka Caramel) kept grumbling about the various names that he'd call me. It felt nice meeting them.

But, the euphoria wore off soon. I began thinking about Mom and home. My fears began resurfacing. I was worried about her safety again. The only comfort I got was from the fact that Linda would take care of Mom. 

I looked out of the window to watch the border patrol. That was where I was found. That was where I was dragged from all the way to this building called the packhouse. 

I was worried that the scenario in the morning with Anton was a worse version of how Brian treated my mother. He always got drunk and beat her up. But, every time she protected me. She shut me inside my room. 

If I fail to escape, I would be treated as a breeding machine by Alpha  Anton. That would be even worse than Brian. I can't say that I'm not scared. The encounter in the morning opened up some old wounds that I worked so hard to bury deep. It is not easy to stay strong after so much trauma. It takes a lot for one to lead a normal life after such an experience. It took a lot in me to be normal. 

I spent the rest of the day watching the border patrol. I mentally noted their shifts and the breaks and the interval of time when they switch guards which wasn't much. 

After dinner, I got comfortable in the huge comfy bed and let sleep take me into its abyss. 

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Alpha Anton:

I eyed the door of the cottage with so much ambiguity in my decision. I looked at my watch which said 5:00 p.m.  After a long meeting at the Moonstone Pack, I decided to visit the witch that the Claw Pack housed and protected. But, I had been standing here for almost twelve minutes wondering if this was a mistake.

She is the only witch in my empire. But, she is a very big crockpot and I am sure it wasn't because of her age. She always puts my wolf in an irritable mood. But, this was necessary. A human Luna was unheard of. My incisors are sharper than a normal wolf. As much as I want to mark her, I wouldn't want her to bleed to death now, would I?

As I rose my fist to knock on the door, it swung open. I looked down to find the familiar five-foot woman with white braided hair so long that it fell till her knees. She looked so serene and calm that it was almost deceiving. But then, she smirked. I groaned realizing this was a very big mistake.

"Please do come in Alpha. It's been a while. So, what brought you here?" She spoke as she ushered me into her living room.

"Gerta, I found my mate. She is human. I need you to tell me if I can mark her." I brought out the kitchen knife with which my mate attacked the guards.

She took it in her fingers and examined it.

Gerta Andronika(Witch):

As I stroked my fingers across the clear blade, images began flashing in my mind. I saw her life story. It wiped out the smile on my face. Her past is crude. She herself doesn't realize certain truths.  She is strong, very strong. But, not in terms of physical strength. But as Cassandra herself  said, "Strength is not what you think it is..." 

She may be human. But, she is going to cause a revolution. I smirked. She is going to be Anton's game-changer. 

He looked at me concerned. I just smirked again. Oh! This is going to be so much fun. I love playing with his mind. His reactions are very entertaining.

"Well, what are you looking at? She is a beautiful one. She had the attention of all the boys in her batch. Who knows? She might get away before you get home and there will be male humans waiting to grab her."  

His face turned comically red. I just laughed. 

Alpha Anton: 

Don't speak a word. Don't say anything. Your reaction will give her satisfaction. But, I couldn't help the jealousy rising inside of me. She's mine. I would never let her visit the town after learning this.

"You know, you aren't really her favorite at the moment. She checked out Bernard and Walter when she met them. But, she preferred running away when she met you. She must really be disgusted." 

 I want her to only look at me. No other man must look appealing to her. My wolf was getting restless. He wanted to go back to her immediately. I wondered why I can't just snap the witch's neck right now and walk out. 

"Just answer my question. I don't need your criticism," I growled lowly warning her.

She laughed. "Oh Anton, Well, you have sharp canines because of being an Alpha. You also have faster healing properties in your saliva. She'll be fine. I guess," She smirked.

I frowned. She read the future. But, I prefer not to ask her. She'll mess up my mind more than she already has.

"Thank You," I just growled. 

"And Anton?"

I looked at her.

"Don't ever take her threats lightly," She said with a creepy glint on her face.

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As I walked out, my phone rang in my pocket. Bernard was face timing. I just answered it. I saw Walter in the background stuffing a huge plate of muffins into his mouth. I frowned. Should I reconsider his Gamma position? He is supposed to be an idol for his pupils and is supposed to teach them about healthy food. If it wasn't for his fast metabolism, I'd have to send him for obesity campaigns. 

"Hey Alpha! So, how was your meeting with the old bitch?" 

"Well, She made me feel like beating the living daylights out of both of you. Did you meet Cassandra today?" 

"Yeah... We did. We were curious. She's a nice girl. She said she likes my hair," He smiled sheepishly.

Why am I not surprised? I thought. But, they were my friends. I trust them with my life.

"Heyy, Bro! Well, you should know. Your mate was eye-raping us," Walter piped into our conversation swallowing the load in his mouth. Bernard gave him a hard smack on his head.

My blood boiled hearing that. She never looked at me that way. I'm going to spank her when I get back.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow and you can give me updates on the pack on your side and I'll give mine," I told them.

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Cassandra:

I sat awake sweating profusely. It was a nightmare.

 But, this time instead of getting locked away in my room, Anton entered inside. While I heard my mom screams and cries outside my room, Anton approached me saying he'd mate with me and there was nothing I could do about it. I woke to cold sweat before anything could happen.

I sighed and ran my hands over my face. I looked at the missing door of the bathroom. I knew that the encounter with Anton had opened up wounds that were deeply buried. I looked at the clock which said 1:00 a.m., in the morning.

I walked over to the bathroom sink and washed my face. I looked out the window to find the border patrol leaving. I waited for five minutes to find them another set of guards replacing them.

With this state of mind, I couldn't help but feel that Anton is no different from Brian. Even Jason had used me for his benefit. Maybe, all men were the same. They only thought about their advantage. But, my real dad wasn't like that. My Mom was very happy with him. If not for the car crash, everything would've been normal. But, there is no going back now. I have to live in the present and fight for it.

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A/N: 

(3737 Words)

Thank You for being patient... I'm taking one step at a time, one chapter at a time. :) 

Love you all.

Stay Strong.

Stay Safe.

~Jahnavi.