I collapsed onto my bed with a groan, my arms falling amongst the sheets. Everything hurt except my mind which had fallen into a numbness I have had many times before. Eve tried to coax me out of my dress to shower, claiming it would help my muscles but I had refused.

"What's wrong Ailia?"

She had been trying for the past thirty minutes to soothe me and as much as I appreciated her efforts, my mind had shut down. But I knew I would have to indulge her in a minor part of my mind; she had been kind enough to help me.

"I can't handle this." I murmured, staring up at the blank ceiling.

"Which part? The pain?" She asked, sitting by my head.

I shook my head, an effortless laugh escaping my lips. "I can handle the pain. I have endured enough of that."

She paused, and I felt the featherlight touch of her fingers along my jaw. I turned my head to look at her and she gave me a slight smile.

"Then what is it?" She wondered, pulling a strand of my hair that had become stuck in my earring.

It surprised me I still had those in, to be honest... The small diamonds that Darius gave me for the Spring Festival seemed like a lifetime ago. Even the heaviness of his engagement ring had slipped my mind, but I came to find I had lost it since the moment I woke up.

"The whole thing." I shrugged. "I thought I was going to die out there, and I happily would accept it. My life wasn't the best, and in the end, perhaps going into death was easier. But I wake to this new world, where I'm living amongst the... nightmares we are told about as children and I'm meant to accept it? My mind is mush and the sight of all of you brings back the fear I believed as a child."

Eve remained silent, a frown on her face as she thought about my words.

"I'm sorry you don't like it here, but I know you will-

"Eve," I interrupted softly. "I am out of place here. I am human and against all of you, I stand no chance of surviving. Just one look at those beasts you call men and I'm hit with a multitude of emotions. Most of them are fear based."

She exhaled a loud breath, nodding her head gently. "I understand. Although I have never been in your situation, I can see how strange it must be."

"Thank you," I mumbled.

"What would you like to do? What would you like from me?" She wondered.

I grasped her hand in mine. "For now? Can I just have some painkillers and alone time?"

"Of course," She nodded, pulling herself from my bed.

Five minutes later, I was lying in bed in peace. The curtains were wide open and revealed the sunny afternoon I could enjoy from outside. But I was content indoors, safe from the monsters outside. It was funny how I used to want to be outside away from my monster, but ended up the other way around in this new life.

Thrown into the deep end, I wasn't sure if I could swim to the shore.

+++

Voices outside my bedroom door woke me from a nap. Another day had passed of being cooped up in my room, and I knew I wouldn't be able to stay in here much longer. Eve gave me food and had been overly cautious with me. It had me on edge, waiting for her to drag me from the room.

I sat upright in my bed when the voices didn't disappear and I knew whoever it was, was just standing behind my door. I recognised Eve's voice easily, but she was talking in hushed whispers to someone quieter.

Gritting my teeth, I rose from the bed and hobbled my way towards the door. Using the wall as a support, I opened it in one swift motion. I had a glare in place ready to confront her, but the appearance of a practical stranger had my stern demeanour vanish.

"Ailia! I was just about to come inside to see you." Eve's voice rose an octave.

Swallowing nervously, I dropped my eyes from the grey-eyed man to give her a small smile. "I heard your voice and wondered what you were doing."

She glanced between the two of us, the male in question raising an eyebrow. Wringing her fingers together, I watched and waited for her to come up with a response.

"Since you're not going anywhere with this, I'm taking over." The man huffed. "I'm Rio. I am the Beta of the Cardinal pack and it's my pleasure to welcome you."

I eyed him nervously. I had met him once before, of course, when I first arrived at this so-called packhouse. This time he was dressed in a t-shirt and some shorts, his skin tanned and muscles defined even through the fabric. He was attractive; I that, but a strange sense of unease ran through my veins at the sight of him.

"Ailia, I thought I would introduce you properly to Rio. He is a Beta wolf, which means second in command, and I just wanted you to realise that we aren't scary." Eve murmured, coming forward to take my hands.

I glanced at the male in question, noticing the way his jaw ticked as my gaze ran along his appearance. He seemed to puff up his chest more, squaring his shoulders as I examined him. It reminded me of my sister and was almost like he was looking for my approval.

"Okay," I murmured.

Eve struggled to hide her grin. "Yeah?"

I nodded, a shy smile on my lips. Eve grinned, taking both mine and Rio's hands and pulling us into the bedroom. She dragged me to the edge of the bed, frowning when she realised there was only one chair in the room.

"You can sit on the bed." I shrugged, sitting down.

A sudden tension grew, and they shared a glance. Eve let out a nervous chuckle that had me overthink what I said. Was it wrong? Was it not a normal thing?

"That's very kind of you, Ailia. But our customs do rarely allow a male into a female's bedroom, let alone sit on their bed." Rio smiled nervously, running a hand down the back of his neck.

"Oh," I frowned. "I didn't know..."

He shrugged, a lazy smile taking over. "It's alright. It's just a gender respect thing. We are both unmated, so it would be wrong for me to sit on your bed. I'll just sit by your window."

So they couldn't bed share? Not even sit?

Unusual but... I rather like it. If they cannot come into my room uninvited or onto my bed, then I would be safer in here. Even more reason to stay in my room.

Rio settled into the chair by the window, Eve sitting at the edge of my bed beside me. The only sound was the shuffling of clothes, followed by a gentle hum from Rio's throat. I looked at him cautiously, his larger form taking up twice as much of the seat as I did.

"You can see a lot from this window." He commented, staring out beyond the trees. "I hope you are not afraid of heights."

He turned to me with a sly grin that had me blush and shake my head. Eve snorted from beside me, nudging my ribs with her elbow.

"Ailia's stronger than that. Heights are puny compared to her."

"I wouldn't say that." I muttered.

"Don't doubt yourself. You've taken this change so well."

"Being mauled by two wolves isn't the Sunday dinner you're used to either." Rio commented.

"Rio!" Eve hushed him. "Let's not talk about the bad stuff! We are here to tell you about our pack."

"Of course," Rio snorted, turning to face me. "As Beta of this pack, I am second in command. I run the training and act as a... vice president to the Alpha and this pack only with more paperwork. I only report to my Alpha and everyone else is below me."

I frowned, my eyebrows creasing. "That's rather harsh."

He shrugged. "We are animals, Ailia. Alpha Asra is the top dog and we all have to submit to him. It is our nature, it is normal. We would crumble without a leader."

"Are there other... titles?"

"Well, of course, there's Gamma, Delta and... Luna." He nodded, sharing a look with Eve. "Gamma wolves are third in command who tend to oversee the patrol like a general... war strategies etcetera. They are like the guard leader and make sure everything is running right. Delta wolves are fourth in command, and they are usually teachers and oversee pack training with the Gamma. Delta are not as popular in some packs, especially the smaller sized ones. They tend to be a rank in larger packs since there is such a vast number of members."

I nodded with concentration, absorbing his words. I needed to learn the ranks so I can find out where I belong and, if possible, how to get out of here.

"And a Luna? Doesn't Luna mean moon?" I wondered. "I was told that originally you turned during a full moon."

"Those are old tales from when we were in hiding. Your kind made them, I suppose, to not terrify the children." He chuckled. "But yes, in a way. Our goddess is of the moon. We are stronger at night but the strongest during a full and new moon for different reasons. We can shift at will, but our first shift is during a new moon when we are at puberty age."

"When did you... shift?" I asked.

"I was about twelve. Higher blooded wolves shift earlier."

"And you don't thirst for human blood and flesh?"

He laughed loudly, causing me to shrink into myself. Darius often laughed at me, so I knew I should've kept my mouth shut. Asking all these questions... being so comfortable around the enemy was risky territory.

Rio noticed my shift of mood and sobered his laughter. "No, we don't."

I remained silent, nodding my head as I played with the hem of my shirt. The room was silent before Eve sighed, placing her hand on my back.

"The annual hunt allows our wolf instinct one day to have freedom. We are one with the beast, our every thought, movement and decision is made as one. But at the end of the day, we are animals, and most of us thrive on the hunt." She tried to explain.

Feeling bolder with Eve, I scowled at her. "So because you feel like it, you kill humans for no reason?"

"It's not like that. We don't all kill. The hunt was a way for us to take back our land and our rights as top animals. It is our instinct we let run wild once a year as celebration of our independence. We don't have to live in the shadows or at night anymore." She tried, but I remained stoic. "Only the wolves with thirst for revenge or the hunt go. Not a lot of them hurt humans, just scare them off."

"It is also a way most of us find our mates." Rio interrupted.

I looked at him with a curious brow, studying his calm demeanor. "Is that what you were doing? I was watching you and you didn't hurt me or that other woman."

His eyes softened slightly, his eyes running along my face. "Yes. I go to look for her. A wolf is most at peace when they find their mate, and we can only do that by scouring the land. We live for a very long time, so for some of us it takes a very long time and even some generations."

My nose crinkled at the thought of an old man being tied to a young girl. "And how old are you?"

He grinned, flashing his clean teeth. "I am sixty-four."

I slowly blinked, but he didn't laugh at the joke. "Sixty... four?"

"Yes." He mused. "We stop aging at around twenty-five, which is when most humans weather."

"So, you were out looking for your soulmate, and you still have not found her?"

"Nope."

"So the wolves who tore my leg to pieces, they were doing the same?"

He hesitated, shifting his weight to the other hip. "Not exactly."

"Not exactly?" I scoffed.

His eyes lit up with amusement at my slip up, and I clamped my lips together. "You were right, Eve. She is very inquisitive."

I scowled, and Eve laughed nervously at my scowl. "You didn't answer my question."

He sighed, nodding at my firmness. "Okay, so some wolves go on the hunt to quench their instinct to find prey. It's no secret wolves work in a pack, so they teamed up once they found you; their prey. During the hunt... we can smell if certain species have... potential and those that hunt often kill those with the potential to lessen the threat."

"Why would we? Why would I have potential?" I scowled. "That makes little sense. I am human."

They shared a look again, and I grumbled with annoyance. "Can you stop with the silent gestures?"

"Sorry, we often forget that you cannot hear."

"Hear what?" I exasperatedly threw my hands in the air.

"We can mind-link." Rio shrugged. "Wolf perk is we can send each other messages."

The room fell silent as I processed the information. Wolves were a lot more complicated than I thought.

"That is unusual." I commented.

He laughed again, his shoulders shaking. "You are going to be fine here, Ailia."

"With my unusual potential?" I mused.

"Yes." He grinned. "That potential is the reason you are alive."

****
Wc:2323

Question of the Day:
Ailia struggled adapting to the new world, but is slowly meeting more people.
What is something that you find difficult to do/overcome?