The Stolen Daughter of the Pack

Ava

My bones started cracking in different places all at once for what felt like an eternity. I whaled and squirmed in pain. My skin stretched and tore, and I felt trapped in my own body. It was pure agony.

"Ava, breathe," Nikolai stated as he held me down, his grip firm but gentle.

The pain ebbed and flowed like a tide, and I was caught in its grip. My muscles twisted, and my bones rearranged themselves. It was like being reborn in fire. And when the agony finally faded, I lay there, trembling and confused.

"What just happened?" I managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Nikolai's brows furrowed. "I wish I knew how to explain it. You were bitten, but this… this is something else."

"What do you mean?"

"It seems that the bite made you turn into your wolf form several times, but that wasn't supposed to happen to someone like you," he vaguely explained, causing me more turmoil.

"Can't you just get straight to the point?" I demanded.

"You're not just human, Ava. You are half werewolf and half vampire. What it means is getting bitten isn't supposed to make you turn without your control."

His words hung in the air, heavy and unsettling. Half-werewolf? Half-vampire? It felt like a story I would have read in one of my books, not something that applied to me. I scoffed. "That's insane! You expect me to believe I'm some kind of monster?" My words came out sharper than I intended.

Anger bubbled up within me, fueled by disbelief. The words felt like a punch. I shook my head, trying to process it. I could feel my heart racing, a sense of panic creeping in. I needed to get away, so before I could think, I turned and ran.

"Ava!" Nikolai yelled after me, but I kept running.

I couldn't believe what he had told me. A werewolf? Half-vampire? It felt like a bad joke and I felt betrayed because it seemed that Nikolai knew something about me, so his intentions were confusing.

As I broke through the underbrush, I nearly stumbled into Liam. He stood there, his eyes wide, concern etched on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stepping closer.

I shook my head, breathless. "I need to get out of here," I gasped.

He hesitated, then nodded. "I can help you."

I agreed, desperate to leave what had transpired behind. We moved quickly, but my mind raced. What was I going to do now? I couldn’t think straight. My blood felt hot, the air thick around me.

Suddenly, everything went dark. One moment, I was running with Liam and the next, I was falling into a void. I lost consciousness. When I woke, I was lying on a bed. Liam was crouched beside me.

"What happened? Where's Nikolai?" I asked, my voice shaky.

"You're in my room. He's not here. You're safe with me," Liam replied, his tone steady.

However, the calmness in his voice made me a bit suspicious because, just like Nikolai, I had only met Liam at school. We were never friends, so it was odd that he was looking out for my safety.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood, wobbling slightly suddenly, having the urge to leave as I realized that this couldn't be Liam's real dorm room since it was way too dark and too small.

"Where do you think you're going?" Liam questioned as he stood next to me.

"I'm going back to my dorm," I answered.

I took a step toward the door, but Liam immediately blocked my path.

"You can't leave yet," he said. "We still have something to talk about."

My instincts suddenly kicked in, so I tried to push past him, but he grabbed my arm with so much force, making me wince.

"Let me go!" I shouted, but he didn't release me.

Instead, he pulled something from his pocket—a vial filled with dark red liquid. My breath caught in my throat, thinking that he was about to poison me.

"What is that?" I asked, fear creeping in.

He didn't answer. Instead, he stepped closer and, before I could react, forced the vial to my lips.

"Drink!" he fiercely commanded.

I struggled to break free, but he was too strong. Just then, the thick metallic taste flooded my mouth. He was forcing me to drink blood. I gagged, trying to spit it out, but it was too late. My body reacted violently.

I convulsed, feeling the heat, and then cold washed over me. Just as quickly as it began, the convulsions stopped. I lay on the floor, gasping to breathe. My vision was clearing and blurring all at once. What had he done?