“How do I get my wolf?” Aila aimed her question at her mum, the person who spellbound her.

“Well, technically, she is already nearly free,” Her mum replied sheepishly; Aila tilted her head, her brows creasing while she waited for her to continue.

“The glowing eyes, nails turning into claws.. they are traits from the wolf,” Finn intercepted, his attention briefly in Aila’s direction before he turned his head back, watching Alpha Damon.

“Being able to command Finn as well, and other werewolves for that matter,” Ajax added. Aila looked at his face; she was surprised by how serious he appeared. She was unaccustomed to Ajax being nothing other than fun and loving. Then his words hit her like a ton of bricks, fluttering her eyelashes, she looked away.

“I don’t mean to.. I don’t know how to control that..” She trailed off while she looked down at her hands.

“I will teach you how to control it,” Alpha Damon’s deep voice brought her attention back to his handsome face. She nodded once, grateful to him, before turning her head back to her mother’s direction.

“How is she nearly free? What needs to be done?” Aila asked, her eyes searching her mums, who looked at her pained.

“The only way to break the spell is to have enough wolfsbane in your system.”

Aila’s stomach dropped as her lips parted in stunned silence. The silence immediately filled with the men’s voices talking all at once.

“Wolfsbane!?” Alpha Damon roared angrily above the rest; Aila’s eyes settled on him to see his chest heaving alongside Finn, rage radiating off them both.

“Why, wolfsbane?” Ajax queried, crossing his legs casually, his demeanour a lot calmer than the werewolves in the room.

“It proved to be useful. No one suspected Aila of being a werewolf, and the herb is not exactly public knowledge to the humans. So, it was never going to be in her system, meaning her wolf would be safely hidden away. That was until recently..” Mandy explained herself quietly to the people in the room. Andy put his arm around her protectively from the glares she received from Finn and Damon.

“How much are we talking about here?” Finn piped up, his nostrils flaring while he looked to be containing his temper, “You know it will cause excruciating pain for her. Is there no other way..”

Aila leaned back into the sofa, closing her eyes as she raised her hand to the bridge of her nose, pinching it at the thought of the poison burning through her body again. Her hand then glided up to the side of her temple as she leant her elbow on her knee, staring into space as the noise of the others arguing and talking drowned out into the background.

Without taking notice of where the conversation steered to, she spoke up, her voice low but holding a depth of strength behind it that brought attention from the others in the room, “I’ll do it.”

“Aila, we don’t know how much is needed-”

“I said,” Her eyes began to glow as her voice grew stronger, interrupting Finn, “I will do it. No matter what. I was lucky last night. If the pack didn’t turn up when they did, I would be dead right now.” Finn’s eyes widened in shock as the tension in the room became palpable, “I refuse to be in that position again. I will not be weak any longer! Those bastards are out there. They know about me now, that I exist, what I look like.. I need to be the big bad wolf they are expecting.” Her eyes looked at each person in the room, holding their gazes, lastly, lingering on Alpha Damon; she saw his lips twitch into some semblance of a smile.

“Do you have wolfsbane?” Ajax questioned Alpha Damon, breaking the silence that fell upon the group.

He scoffed, “Of course, we use it to interrogate werewolves.”

Aila looked up, flabbergasted by the Alpha’s statement, but it was evident that this was a regular occurrence as she looked around. She was new to the world of creatures, so she did not speak up on the questions that formed in her mind. Yet, she wondered what werewolves he was referring to; wolfsbane was no joke; it felt like burning acid shooting through the body. So, they must have done something wrong to be tortured with it.

Putting her questions to the back of her mind, she jumped up from the couch, causing everyone to look at her confused.

“Come on then. Let me go get tortured. Again.”

“Oh boy,” Ajax whistled, earning a glare from Aila.

“Right now, honey?” Her dad asked apprehensively. He stood up and came forwards, holding her by the arms as he looked into her eyes, intently, “You still need to recover..”

“Will wolfsbane kill me?” She asked, her tone of voice light as though she wondered about the weather.

“No..” He trailed off; his brows furrowed together at his own acknowledgement and how he helped her prove her point.

“Then I’ll be fine,” She squeezed her father’s arms reassuringly before looking in Alpha Damon’s direction, “Where to?”

“The dungeon,” He deadpanned.

Her face dropped at his statement. He burst out laughing, his hearty voice echoing around the room, the depth of it rumbling through his chest. Aila lit up immediately at the sound of his laugh. She suddenly felt light and warm as she looked at the dazzling smile on his face, making him look younger. He walked past her and spoke over his shoulder,

“Just kidding, we don’t have a dungeon. This isn’t a castle. Come, let’s go to the basement.”

“I’m not sure that’s any better,” Ajax said sarcastically while he jumped up to follow Aila and Alpha Damon. She looked over her shoulder, her eyes filled with amusement by his comment.

Aila quickly looked ahead, startled after Alpha Damon put his hand on the lower part of her back to lead the way. Her body felt electrified by the touch of his hand. Heat radiated from the lower part of her back, his fingertips sending shockwaves directly to her core. Her eyes widened by how raw she felt under his touch; she peeked up through her lashes at him to see a smug smile on his face.

He knew what he was doing to her!

She glanced away, pretending to take note of her surroundings; although she knew the mansion quite well, it was only the décor that had changed. Alpha Damon led them to the other end of the mansion. His hand never left her back until they made it to a door that opened up to the stairs that led them to the basement.

Her back felt cold without his touch, and she internally pouted at the loss of contact. He flicked the light switch and continued to descend the stairs while the lights flickered on.

“I think I have PTSD. Déjà vu. Claustrophobia.. Hands are sweaty-” Ajax rambled on from behind her.

“Stop being dramatic,” Finn sighed, exasperated. Aila turned her head after she heard a slight slap and bit her lip, stifling a giggle when she saw Ajax rubbing the back of his head.

Once Aila made it to the bottom of the stairs, she stopped for a moment as she took in the sight before her. It was very similar to where they came from the day before. Silver cells lined up against one side of the room; each cell had chains bolted to the wall. Aila subconsciously gulped and quickened her steps to catch up to Alpha Damon’s long strides.

“Why do you have a basement that looks like it should be in a horror movie?” She looked up at the ‘Greek-god’ beside her, “Should I be worried?” She whispered.

His eyes glinted with amusement as he looked down at her, his lips twitched before he replied,

“Werewolves still need to be punished for the crimes they commit. Whether that is pack law or human. Some packs still don’t abide by our rules or accept the royals as being in charge—they rebel and cause havoc. There are also the rogues. They tend to stay clear from us, but they also cause us problems, nearly exposing us to the humans. Our existence from humans is vital in staying a secret. You’ve met the hunters.. Imagine if the world knew about us. Not just us but all creatures. We won’t take any chances. ”

“I see your point..” Aila trailed off as she watched the Alpha go towards some cupboards opposite the cells, opening the doors and bringing a giant, plastic toolbox out, placing it on top of the surface with a loud thud. He unclasped the side of it, opening it up to reveal jars full of clear liquid and syringes.

Aila brushed her hand across one of the jars while Alpha Damon stuck the syringe in one, pulling the lever back to fill the syringe up with the liquid.

“Are you sure about this?” He held the syringe in one hand while his eyes flickered between hers. She gazed back, almost feeling lost to the depths of his eyes, yet, she snapped out of it and replied softly, “Of course.”

Get a grip, Aila!

He gazed at her; a flicker of admiration swept across his eyes before a mask of composure fell over him once again. Nodding his head, he closed the toolbox.

“How will I know if my wolf comes through?” She asked, eying the syringe in his hand.

A small smile played on his lips, his eyes gleaming with amusement, “Oh, you will know.”

His cryptic response made her brows furrow in confusion.

“She’s not staying in here,” Finn came forward while he eyed the syringe in Alpha Damon’s hand.

“Of course not,” Alpha Damon snapped. Looking at Finn irritably, unimpressed by his statement. Finn lowered his head slightly, his gaze to the floor, a sign of submission and respect to the Alpha.

All four of them made their way back up the stairs and met Mandy and Andy, who waited in the reception. They were whispering to each other and stopped when they noticed the group approach. Aila eyed the pair suspiciously. She hardly ever saw her parents arguing; if they did, it was over something silly. But from the way they kept glancing at her nervously, told her that they were arguing about her.

More secrets?

The news of being a royal werewolf was already extraordinarily out there, let alone anything else they could possibly be holding back from her.