All werepeople in my line of vision colapsed to their knees and bowed, even the guards holding struggling deaders. It was like seeing peasants grovel before a king. Whoever owned that voice was clearly important.

My hands dropped to my sides, and I looked around curiously. Spotting him was beyond simple. Not only was he the only one standing, but he was also the only one wearing fur. Extravagant grey furs wrapped around his waist and cloaked his back, trailing behind him a few inches. Even his boots, which came up mid-thigh, were fur. His chest was smooth and bare. His aura read: head honcho - even without a crown. With all the bowing, I had expected one.

"You hold trials in my absence, Gustof?" he barked.

Gus hurried before him and knelt. Unlike the others, he was up on one knee, as though he were preparing to propose.

"Forgive me, sir," he said, his head bowed. "But this filly has magics, she's a manipulator of sorts."

"You don't say?" he replied as though mildly amused.

"She has manipulated the living dead into doing her bidding, my liege."

"And so you hand-pick her an army of the undead?"

Gus studied the alpha as baffled as if the alpha had just revealed that Gus were pregnant.

"My liege, this filly has arrogance. This filly-"

"Is a Goddess," the alpha cut in boldly.

My mouth dropped. Me, described as a Goddess? What kind of drugs was he smoking? My face heated at his words. Before I could turn away I was looking into the piercing yellow eyes of the alpha. My tummy tumbled.

"This is no filly at all. Nor is this human. This is something marvelous." He clapped his hands together before him and left them there, rather delighted.

No-one spoke. They merely waited.

"I have been to a meeting. A very important meeting where I learned very valuable information. Information concerning a Spellbinder, a Necromancer, referred to as One-five-three-two AKA Harper Cassidy."

Oohs and awes rippled through the crowd, but I was locked on naught but the king of werewolves. The sound of my name on his lips was honey-coated sandpaper. Just the right blend of alluring and rough. His eyes burned through mine.

Can I melt right here? I wondered.

"Release this woman!" he demanded.

Snap out of it, Harper! I told myself as Gus rushed to fulfill his orders.

"I'm so not arrogant," I grumbled under my breath and sneered at him as I stepped free of the awful cage.

The look I received was beyond hatred. Jealousy perhaps? I decided he must be the beta, and perhaps had a tough time accepting it. A little power in the alpha's absence had gone to his head, now he was taking orders and freeing his prisoners.

Serves him right, by golly.

The door clinked behind me, locking One and Two inside. Good riddance.

"Clean her, clothe her, feed her. Treat her as our guest," the alpha said.

Now that sounds more like it, I thought, impressed.

"Then bring her to me. We have a lot to discuss," he added.

My new smile faded somewhat as my stomach did that silly I've-just-gone-down-on-an-elevator thing again.

Four girls came forward, two pre-teens and two teens. I followed them to the fanciest house. A Victorian coated in off-white. Up the steps, through the door, down a hall-

"Uh, ladies, not that I don't appreciate the assistance, but if you just point me to-"

We had already come to the bathroom.

"Cool. I don't really need extra hands..." I protested, but they were already stripping me.

One of the older girls ran the bath, while one of the younger girls disappeared through a second door in the room.

"Alpha Leonard says clean, we clean," the other teen girl said.

So that's his name, is it? Leonard. I thought. Well, sorry, Leonard, but I can't stay for dinner...

If I could just get rid of the chambermaids, figuring out an escape route would have been much easier. As it were, I was being attacked with powder scented soap and fluffy cloths.

"You really don't have t-ahhh!" I squealed when one scrubbed my feet.

"Really!" I complained. "This is awkward and very unnecessary..."

A bucket of water was poured over my head. I sputtered and sprayed water from my mouth. One of the younger girls giggled.

Upon returning, the older girl that left before, presented me with a fur tunic of sorts and even knee high fur boots. An outfit that matched the alpha's. It was probably meant to indicate power or something. I felt downright silly, but at least the fur smelled nice. I nuzzled the part at my shoulder while the giggly girl brushed my hair.

"Your hair is so pretty, Harper," she said with the tiniest, sweetest voice I believe I ever heard. She looked eleven, but she sounded much younger.

"Thank you, er- What's your name?" I asked her.

"Uma," she said.

"Thank you, Uma," I said. "Say, any idea what the alpha wants to talk to me about?"

"We don't know what he thinks. We aren't freaks," the older girl who'd brought the clothes said bitterly, wrinkling up her pointy nose.

She glared as though she'd much rather be doing something else. I supposed she meant to insinuate that I was the freak. Like it was my fault I could control the dead...sometimes. And because nothing at all is freaky about turning into a beast at will and during every full moon. I fought the urge to scoff.

"Luckily, Leonard doesn't think I'm a freak." I shrugged.

Immediately I scolded myself. I should have been trying to leave, not indulging in being pampered and taking shots at jealous weregirls.

She cleared her throat. "His opinion is only one of the highest..." she said.

A lot was behind her words that I couldn't understand. The only thing I was sure about, was that she shouldn't be trusted.