Four Years Ago

The dining room's interior was suffocating, filled with the overpowering scent of old wood and musty upholstery. Dark furniture adorned the room and wall lights emitted a yellow light, casting a muted glow over the tense scene.

I struggled to control my breathing as I sat at the dining room table with the rest of Sebastian's pack. The silence in the room was awkward as everyone waited for Sebastian to finish his phone call. My eyes continued to flick nervously towards Sebastian, who was sitting next to me.

The afternoon seemed to drag, already hinting that this evening was going to be long. But I wouldn't let my nerves get the best of me. Tonight was my only chance of escape, and I wasn't about to let it slip through my fingers.

John, sitting next to me, was a bundle of nerves, his arms shaking uncontrollably, as he squeezed his sister's hand so tightly it had turned blue. No wonder Lizzie looked so dazed; she probably couldn't feel her hand anymore.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart, and glanced again at Sebastian, preparing myself for what lay ahead. Tonight had to be the night.

"Stop shaking," I seethed at John in a hushed whisper.

Our eyes darted towards Sebastian, whose attention was still focused on his phone call.

"I can't," John whispered back, his voice shaking. "What if something goes wrong?"

"We have to keep it together," I hissed, my grip on his arm tightening. "This is our only chance."

John took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, and nodded slightly. The fear in his eyes mirrored my own, but we both knew there was no turning back.

"But–"

"Nothing will go wrong as long as we stick to the plan." I looked at him sharply.

"But," John wavered. "I have a bad feeling."

"Nothing is going to happen," I said in a low, domineering growl, the sound rumbling from deep within my chest.

John immediately shut up, his eyes wide with a mix of respect and fear. It was nice to know I had a dominant side other wolves respected.

"WHAT?" Sebastian shouted into his cellphone, his sudden outburst making everyone in the room jump. "What do you mean, the Novak Heir is with them?"

A garbled mumbling came from the other end of the line, incomprehensible but clearly agitated.

"Make sure the scouts on patrol are following his every move and keep me informed," Sebastian ordered. "Understood?"

He threw his phone across the room, and it smacked Ms. Lang in the face. She took it in her stride, not even flinching from the impact.

"You dropped your phone, sir." She picked up the phone that had fallen to the floor and handed it back to Sebastian with a stoic expression.

I snorted, a nervous laugh escaping before I could stop it.

"Shut up!" John hissed, kicking me under the table.

My laughter dissolved into a mischievous grin spread across my face, and a surge of delight coursed through me. But my smile went just as quickly as it came when John's worried eyes met mine, and he pinched his sister's hand until she squealed.

"Ow! Johnny, that hurt!"

"Lizzie!" Sebastian barked, his voice a whip that made her shrink back into her seat, cowering behind John's shoulder. "If either of you cause trouble tonight, I will have you locked up in the basement for an entire week without food!"

John's face turned ghostly white.

Then, Sebastian looked over in my direction, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. He leaned forward and picked up his whiskey glass, his gaze shifting between John and me.

"What have you two been whispering about?" he asked, his question cutting through the tense silence, directed more at me than John.

"Nothing," I lied.

My nerves sparked throughout my body like little shocks of static energy that made my skin bristle as I struggled to breathe.

"I hope you're not planning anything behind my back. I would hate for anything to happen to you."

Sebastian's gaze lingered on me, his expression unreadable. I forced a smile, hiding the turmoil inside.

"I'm not planning anything. I'm yours, remember?"

"Hmm," Sebastian grunted, unconvinced, and looked away.

Shaking with nerves, I grabbed my tin of nightmoss and flipped it open. My hands trembled as I pinched a small amount of the herb, not even bothering to light it. I placed it under my tongue, and the bitter taste spread quickly and I soon relaxed.

I sighed in relief as the calming effects took hold, then shot John a look. That was way too close for my liking. We'd almost given away our plan to escape.

"I was just on the phone with our scouts." Sebastian turned away from me and continued the meeting with the rest of the pack. "He's located the Novaks' base and has informed me that the Novak heir is with them tonight."

The pack mumbled, their faces etched with shock and concern.

"You can't expect us to fight against the Novaks with their strongest wolf being there. We'll be torn to pieces." The pack argued.

My heart pounded in my chest as I listened to Sebastian converse with the pack. My eyes darted from face to face, trying to familiarize myself with the different wolves in Sebastian's close circle. I've never made myself acquainted with any of them since my time staying here, but I recognized a few faces.

Sebastian leaned forward, his face pulled back in deep thought, as he steepled his fingers against his lips.

He then lifted his finger, instantly silencing the pack with his commanding presence.

"The Novaks plan on targeting the pack house." Sebastian's voice was low as his dark obsidian eyes landed on mine. "My scouts inform me that the Novak Heir plans to come after Nate."

My body flinched, my heart pounding, as a sudden wave of terror washed over me. Just like Sebastian, the Novaks were a royal pack, which meant they were immortal. He could only want two things from me, to use my power to awaken the Wolf King like Sebastian, or kill me to prevent my powers from being used to awaken the Wolf King. Either way, I didn't like the outcome.

My eyes lock onto the maps spread out across the table. I could see the marks where they'd charted out the Novak's current location and territory, and the places where Sebastian's scouts had tracked them. I memorized which places to avoid, hoping it would help me later when I made my escape.

Ms. Lang tapped her fingers on the table. "What if the Novak Heir gets through? What if he comes for Nate directly?"

Sebastian's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening in a way that sent a shiver down my spine.

"He's desperate, his mind clouded by Nate, so he won't be thinking clearly. That's his weakness. I'll exploit it, like I have from the beginning."

From the beginning? What the hell was he talking about? What wasn't Sebastian telling me about the Novak Heir?

"But what if he breaks our lines and gets into the pack house? Then what's your plan?" Ms. Lang leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms.

"You're not getting it." Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "I intend for him to separate from his pack and break through the lines, make him believe he's won his prize, and just when he's about to reach Nate," Sebastian grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "I will kill him!"

My blood turned to ice. I was going to be used as bait.

Instantly, my eyes flared in John's direction. Our plan to escape revolved around the pack leaving the mansion. But with Sebastian's new plan, he intended to stay. 

I hissed at Sebastian, flaring my teeth, and shook my head out of his hold. "I'm not your pawn."

"You have no idea what you are to me." Sebastian merely smirked.

"I know you want revenge, but are you sure it's a good idea to kill the Novak Heir?" Ms. Lang asked. "We could start a war."

"Then so be it. This centuries-old stalemate has gone on for long enough." Sebastian rose in his chair. "It's time someone took the crown."

The pack cheered in unison. But I wasn't in a cheerful mood. Instead, I cast my eyes down to my lap, hiding the fear on my face. I felt helpless. I didn't even know who the Novak Heir was or why he so desperately wanted me. But I didn't like this feeling of not knowing.

I shared another look at John. A defeated look crossed his face, and he shook his head, indicating that the plan was a failure. My heart sank to my stomach, but I couldn't help but agree with him. It was too dangerous trying to escape when the pack house would be heavily guarded by Sebastian's wolves as they prepared for war against the Novaks.

***

I felt the familiar sensation of being watched by Ms. Lang as I sat within the dining room as bait for Sebastian's plan. Hours had passed and the rest of the pack had long since gone to prepare for their fight.

John and Lizzie had been escorted out too, and I didn't know where they'd taken them. So our plan of escaping had truly gone out the window. I leaned my head into my hand, sighing out of boredom, but also feeling nervous.

If Sebastian's plan worked, then I would come face to face with the Novak Heir. And he would kill me, or Sebastian would kill him. Both outcomes left a sinking feeling of dread inside of me. Because, despite everything, in my heart, I knew that being killed by the Novak Heir was my best outcome.

The thought had me in tears, and I turned to face away from Ms. Lang and wiped my face as I looked out the window. Night had fallen and the full moon was slowly rising to its zenith when the Novaks were expected to attack.

Suddenly, screaming came from outside, and I jolted out of my seat. Ms. Lang perked up, her face pulling together into a deep frown. Both of us looked confused. The Novaks weren't supposed to attack yet; it was too early.

"Stay here." She ordered me, and went to leave.

"What's going on?" I asked.

She slammed the door without saying a word.

"Screw that." I stood up and marched out of the dining room. I would not stay here and be bait.

My heart raced with fear as I stepped out into the open hallway, and immediately I pressed myself against the wall when I saw Sebastian at the end of the corridor. He was shouting orders at his pack to find out what the screaming was about.

With Sebastian blocking my path, I had no choice but to go up. I gazed up the stairs.

I raced upstairs, my head darting, trying to find somewhere to hide as I ran along the corridor.

I stopped and back tracked as I stared at the entrance to Sebastian's study. Nobody, not even Sebastian, would think to look for me here. I parted open the door and gazed through the gap. The room, to my luck, was empty, and I quickly slipped inside, pressing myself against the door as I clicked it shut.

I exhaled a deep sigh of relief, but I still wasn't safe. I needed a plan to get out of here. I looked around the room in search of anything that could help me.

The walls were lined with shelves covered in books and ancient European artifacts. To my right, a 1920s drinks cabinet stood in one corner next to a desk piled high with paperwork. The entire room was a mix of dark furniture, paintings and trinkets from different decades and centuries. I guess when you're immortal; you collect a lot of objects.

The thought of Sebastian being so old did not sit well with me when he looked about twenty-five. I was still coming to terms with him being immortal, and the role he once played as the Wolf King's right-hand man. I couldn't believe he'd lived that long. I thought only vampires were immortal. But it frightened me even more that my ability to heal was the key to awakening the Wolf King.

Did that mean other key players from the war were still alive, like the General Wolf? There was a possibility, but nowhere in the book did it say he was a royal wolf. But I couldn't trust the book I'd read about the Wolf King. It was, after all, written from the biased point of view of the Novaks, and they could be just as worse than Sebastian.

After searching around for some time and finding nothing that could help me escape, I sighed in defeat and left to find another way out.

But before I left, a silver glint caught my eye. I turned to find a glass cabinet standing in the middle of the room.

"Nathaniel," an ethereal voice called out to me.

I glanced back at the glass cabinet. I could have sworn I heard the voice coming from the center of the room, but the room was empty. As I inched closer to the glass cabinet, I saw inside that there was a red velvet cushion. Inside lay a moonstone necklace. Its ethereal glow lit the dark room with its brilliance, drawing me in like a moth to a flame.

As I approached, a strange sensation washed over me. I stopped, transfixed by the moonstone's gentle pulse. It was as if it was a living creature with a heartbeat. It called out to me, whispering my name in a seductive, honeyed voice.

"Nathaniel."

Desire surged through me, twisting and knotting inside my stomach until I felt sick with greed. I wanted this necklace. My fingers trembled with anticipation as my hand reached out of its own accord and pressed against the cool glass, and opened the cabinet with a soft click.

"Nathaniel."

My fingers trembled with anticipation. The world around me faded, leaving only the necklace, and its haunting melody.

My mind clouded, all thoughts of the outside world slipping away as I became enveloped in the moonstone's allure.

Just as my fingers brushed the stone, a firm grip clamped down on my wrist, yanking me back to reality.

"Don't touch it!"

Startled, I turned to find a man wearing a black hood shadowing his face. My instincts were on high alert, my wolf's senses sharpening as I prepared to confront this mysterious stranger. He released my wrist and stepped between me and the cabinet.

I couldn't help but feel a mix of intrigue and caution as our eyes met from beneath his hood. A fierce amber, the same color as the rogue wolf.

"It's you?" I asked, still dazed by the lingering magic of the moonstone.

He said nothing. He just stared intently, almost like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His piercing eyes bore into me. It felt like he was looking past the surface, trying to see something hidden within me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Isn't that obvious? I came to save you." His voice was a whisper. "And I'm breaking so many laws by being here. My father is going to kill me when he finds out, but I couldn't take it any longer. I had to find you."

His breathing heightened, becoming more rapid and shallow. His shaking hand reached up, but he hesitated, like he was scared to touch me. His fingers trembled inches from my face.

"When I came back to the empty cabin, I thought I dreamed that night. Why did you go back to Sebastian?" A flicker of pain crossed his features.

"I... I was scared."

I instinctively pulled my hand free from his, and I took a step back, my heart pounding in my chest. Of all nights, why did he come tonight when Sebastian was about to go to war with the Novak Heir?

He grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him, and our hips collided together.

"Don't leave me. Not again."

"Please," I struggled in his firm grip, my hand on his chest, feeling his pulsing heart. "If Sebastian sees us."

"I won't let him hurt you."

I could feel the weight of his stare, and I forced myself to look away, trying to steady my racing thoughts. I looked up into those captivating amber eyes, feeling the truth in his words. I nodded, a sense of security settling over me while I stood in his presence.

"Who are you?" I asked, the strange connection between us thrumming with an intensity I couldn't quite understand.

He stood there, silent and still, before slowly reaching up to pull back his hood, revealing long brown hair pulled back in a bun with an array of loose strands that covered his damaged left ear. A strong square jawline, and those amber eyes.

I watched, unable to look away as my fingers reached up to cup his cheek in my hand. I knew this face. I'd seen it in my dreams, and from the many visions I'd been having lately. But this was the first time seeing his face in person, yet I'd seen his face a thousand times before.

"My General..." I whispered, as another vision flashed before my eyes.

"What did you call me?" His voice hitched as tears lined his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that." I shook my head, blinking back the vision, and as it faded, my heart raced as I stared at him. "Who are you?"

He cupped his hand over mine before I could remove it from his cheek.

"Lucius Novak," he breathed. "And I've waited centuries to be with you again."