Fenris woke up feeling a bit uneasy. He slowly opened his eyes, expecting to be in a forest or a place with wooden floors and a window for quick escape routes. But instead, he found himself in a bed too large for just one person, surrounded by stone walls, floors, and ceilings, with a chandelier containing numerous gems.


    "Where am I? I don''t remember getting here. The last thing I remember was getting hit by that whip. Was I captured by the hunters and taken to this... majestic prison?" Fenris thought.


    It seemed unlikely. He had heard tales of werewolves who were captured but not killed, and none of the stories ever mentioned being woken up in a room fit for a prince.


    It didn''t matter how he got here—he had to escape. He got up from the bed, bare-chested, only wearing trousers. Not a problem for him, but he did notice a white shirt laid out on the bed. Were the people who brought him here expecting him to wear it? It didn’t matter anyway, not with the shirt’s color.


    "White? Ah, why even bother?" Fenris thought. It was easier to get blood stains on white clothes, so he had never cared much for them.


    He looked for a window and found a rose-colored one. Looking through it, he saw he was about 30 feet high. Below, he noticed about ten guards. "I could make that jump, but the guards are a problem. I could take them out, but I have no idea if there are others. I''d like to get out of here without causing a scene. The people who brought me here may not know I''m awake," Fenris thought.


    He exited the room and found himself in a decorated hallway. Closing his eyes, he used his ears and nose to figure out where people were, so he could avoid running into them.


    He heard heartbeats above him and decided not to go that way. Instead, he chose to go below. Anytime he heard a heartbeat or smelled someone near, he would hide or take a different route. Then, suddenly, he smelled some scents that were somewhat familiar to him.


    "Werewolves here? Are they prisoners? Maybe this really is a prison. If it is, I can only save myself," Fenris thought.


    Searching for the stairs and avoiding as many people as possible, Fenris eventually found a door. He entered and discovered a room that seemed to be a workshop. Weapons, armor, and papers with writings were scattered around.


    Fenris looked at the papers and noticed they were covered in runes. He also found these runes inscribed on the armor and swords. "This must be a mage''s workshop—quite unorganized, though. Luna was always so neat and tidy with her things," Fenris thought.


    Suddenly, he heard a heartbeat behind the door. This startled Fenris because he had expected to hear footsteps first, not just a heartbeat. There was nowhere to hide except...


    A woman walked into the room. She had short, messy hair, was brunette, and had baggy eyes. "Did someone touch my stuff? I keep everything in a perfect system."


    "It was probably Buck. I swear, no one gets under my skin the way he does," the woman muttered as she headed to a table.


    Fenris, who had been hiding behind the door, grabbed her neck from behind. "Don''t scream. You''re going to tell me everything I want to know—where am I, how many guards are here, and how can I escape?" Fenris whispered into her ear.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    The woman used one of her hands to touch his face, and suddenly, his entire body was electrified, causing him to let go of her neck. She started to cough, then sent out a telekinetic wave that threw Fenris into the hallway, crashing into the wall. "Ah, what is it with people throwing me around like a ragdoll lately?" Fenris thought.


    He unsheathed his claws, and the sound of them hitting the wall was so loud that it would surely grab attention. It looked like he was going to have to fight after all.


    "Fenris, you''re finally awake," a voice called out. Turning around, Fenris saw Buck coming out from another path, accompanied by two others. From their scent, Fenris could tell they were also werewolves.


    "Buck, you escaped. Any idea how to get out of here?" Fenris asked.


    "Escaped? Fenris, buddy, this isn’t a prison," Buck said.


    Fenris wasn’t exactly stunned. He wasn’t a fool—this didn’t look like a typical prison. But he was still jumpy, as he had no idea how he ended up here.


    "The wolfsbane I drank at the tavern... it should''ve left my system in a few hours, but it''s a different time of the day here, meaning I''ve been out for more than a day. What happened?" Fenris asked.


    "Oh, about that. I may have given you a little more wolfsbane—tiny droplets, just to keep you asleep," Buck said.


    "YOU DID WHAT?! You could''ve killed me, you imbecile!" Fenris yelled. He was justified in his anger—wolfsbane wasn’t a sleep sedative; it was poison to all werewolves. If they were fed or inhaled it in gaseous form, they would die a painful death.


    "He almost did. I had to burn it off from your system," a voice said.


    Fenris turned around to see the woman who had thrown him into the hallway.


    "You must be the most ungrateful patient I''ve ever had," she said, hands on her hips. "I heal you, and this is how you repay me?"


    Fenris didn’t reply; he just turned back to Buck, giving him an uncomfortable glare.


    "You say this place isn’t a prison? Good, because I’m leaving," Fenris said, turning to leave.


    He tried to find the stairs, but the building was like a maze. "Fenris, wait," Buck called after him.


    "I only did what I did because I knew you wouldn’t have come with me otherwise. At least meet the pack leader. If you don’t, you’re going to regret it," Buck said, following Fenris.


    "Doubt it. I’m pretty sure I’ll regret it if I stay. You know what happens when werewolves come together," Fenris replied, still searching for the stairs, walking through hallways and doors. Somehow, he found himself back at the spot where the woman and the other werewolves were.


    "Couldn’t find the stairs, could you?" she asked with a smile.


    Feeling embarrassed, Fenris turned away and walked off again.


    "Fenris, seriously, hold up," Buck said, grabbing his arm. Fenris turned back, showing his yellow glowing eyes and growling. Buck quickly let go of him.


    "Look, even if you leave, what then? You’ll just go back to hiding and being on the constant move. That’s no way to live, my friend," Buck said.


    "If I stay with the rest of you, it’s only a matter of time before the hunters come here. And I’d rather be far away when that happens," Fenris said.


    "The hunters still found you when you were alone. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be dead by now," Buck said.


    "The hunters only found me when you arrived. Proving my point, I’m leaving. And don’t even think about trying to stop me," Fenris said.


    "If the hunters are what you’re afraid of, you don’t have to worry about that. I can assure you they won’t find any of us here," a voice said.


    Fenris turned around once more to see a tall, muscular man with long blonde hair that reached below his neck and green eyes. He walked slowly toward the group.


    "Lycan, you’re back!" Buck said with glee in his voice. The others all had smiles on their faces. They were genuinely happy to see him.


    "I''m guessing this is the pack leader Buck wanted me to meet," Fenris thought.