"An Alpha's Doll must follow the three R's: reverence, respect, and-" The Dollmaker scowled, a tic forming above his eye as he stared at Icen's sleeping form. His hand twitched, grabbing her by the head, a sickly-sweet smile on his face as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "What do you think you're doing, Icen?"

Electric blue eyes blinked, peering curiously at him, moments before a small dainty hand felt his forehead. "Are you feeling OK, mongrel?" She asked, not even slightly phased by the tightening grip on her head. "You actually used my real name instead of doll, pig. Are you sure nobody hit you over the head?"

"Doll, just be quiet and get on with your work."

"I don't wanna." She grumbled, closing her eyes again, scowling faintly as an odd numbness crept through her skull, a dull ringing starting in her ears. It was already time. "I'm tired, and it's too warm in here, dog, so be quiet and let me catch some shut-eye."

"No. Alpha's Dolls need to discipline themselves."

"Shove it up where the sun don't shine, pillock, I don't give a damn." A thin layer of sweat shone on her brow, her breathing becoming ragged, her eyes oddly unfocused. It was well past lunchtime, over halfway through the day, which meant that hour was just around the corner.

It didn't come as a surprise to Icen, though. She'd been expecting it: the sickness. It was, after all, the full moon that night, and she always kept a close eye on the lunar cycle. Even though she'd been bundled into a car and carried off to the Dollhouse, her sixth sense hadn't dulled in the slightest. It was that time of the month.

Her skin was clammy, her feet wobbling as she rose from her seat. "I'm going back to my room. Show me the way, maggot." She muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Woah, whoa..." His hand closed around her arm, yanking her to a stop as they stood in the middle of his opulent office. "You're not looking so good doll..."

"Get off, swine." She hissed, blinking as spiked ice shards burst out from her arm, slashing the Dollmaker's skin into ribbons. Gritting her teeth, she sprinted for the office door, opening the ashen grey handle, charging out into the corridor. "Stupid pig." She whispered, disappearing from sight in an instant, leaving no tracks for the man behind her to follow.

***

"Have you found her yet?" An irate black-haired man, otherwise known as the Dollmaker, hurried down the corridor. "Because I haven't seen any sign of her." He scowled into his phone. "I really hope she hasn't tried to run away."

"Well, I'll take care of that when we find her, if that's the case."

"Breaker, Aldrik gave me strict instructions not to let you do anything with her." He said, the hairs on the back of his neck pricking as he felt a sudden drop in temperature, which could mean only one thing.

Icen was close.

"Lake!" A familiar voice cut through the heavy air. "Whatcha doing?"

"Cal..." He turned to find his other brother, his messy brown hair half-covering his eyes as he stood in the middle of the wide corridor, with an unconscious Icen in his arms. "You found her."

"Huh?" He tilted his head.

"The little doll ran away from me earlier."

"I found her down the corridor..." He jerked his head back the way he'd come. "I thought I'd take her back to my little corner of the Dollhouse. She doesn't look so good."

"No kidding." Lake shook his head. "She wasn't looking too good the last time I saw her either." He said, glancing down at his injured hand. "Oh well. We'll just have to see what happens when she wakes up. I've already told Aldrik about her little disappearing act, so he could be popping over at any minute."

"Your office, or mine?"

"Mine." He said, turning sharply on his heel, leading them back down the hallway he'd just traipsed through. "Keep up."

"You know I'm not as fit as you." Cal grumbled. "Plus, I'm carrying Aldrik's Doll."

"Are you calling me fat, mongrel?" Icen's voice cut through the air, wincing in pain in the next second as her head wacked against the doorframe on their way into the Dollmaker's office. "Oww! That hurt, maggot!"

"Ignore her." The Dollmaker waved his hand dismissively, watching as his brother set her down on one of the sofas in his office. "She does that a lot."

"Shut up and take me back to my room. It's already dark." She scowled, trying to climb to her feet, her eyes widening when a loud crack echoed through the room. Her gaze locked on the window, watching as the thick mist of clouds cleared, revealing a large full moon in the sky, glowing just like the odd tattoo on her back.

It was time.

A low rumble emanated from her throat, tears filling her eyes as fangs burst from her gums. Hair sprouted across her entire body, skin rippling as her bones broke and reformed into a new shape. Claws dropped down from her paws, her body having ceased to being that of a human.

Two sets of eyes blinked, staring at the large silvery grey wolf in front of them, glaring at them with electric blue eyes which seemed to crackle with lightning as its stare intensified. Lips pulled back, an evil grin forming on the wolf's face as it stared at them, teeth snapping.

"Tch." The Dollmaker shook his head. "It's one thing after another with you, doll."