Chapter 6: Chapter Six

Consciousness crept through the fog that clouded her mind, bringing an overwhelming sense of nausea with it.

Taking a deep breath to center herself and willing the nausea away, Saffron snapped her eyes open, darting out her tongue to wet her dry lips.

Her cheeks hurt a lot, her head throbbing with an ache that made keeping her eyes open a chore.

She had no idea how long she had been unconscious for, but as she stared at the bandages covering her scrapes and cut knees, she knew that someone had taken the time to take care of her.

This act of kindness, after almost forty-eight hours of being subjected to violence at the hands of her captors, had tears welling up in her eyes.

All her life, no one had taken care of her. And to think that it had to take being sold to a mafia gang before she experienced such care broke something in her.

Wiping the tears in her eyes, Saffron took stock of where she was, realizing that she was no longer in the cabin but in a much smaller room that couldn’t fit more than two people.

The room was empty, much to her relief. But, the thought of being alone here, in a strange environment she had no idea about surrounded by vile men, sent a jolt of fear through her system. Her vision went blurry as her limbs began to shake.

A scream escaped her lips as she stared at her fingers, seeing faint shadows of claws in their place, remnants of her dreams playing in her mind as if they were on a loop.

When her vision cleared, she stared at her fingers again, almost certain that she was indeed losing her mind.

What was that dream about? Why was she having dreams about wolves who could shapeshift into humans? And that scene at the end… Why did the thought of the coupling between the man and the woman send a bolt of desire shooting through her?

And the claws? Why was she seeing claws instead of her fingers?

Laughter bubbled out of her lips as she stared at her hands, seeing her fingers instead of the claws she had imagined were there.

Was she somehow reacting to the trauma of being taken from her home and the abuse she had suffered in the last forty-eight hours by imagining things that weren’t supposed to be there? Was she going crazy?

You aren’t crazy, Saffron. The voice stated firmly, infusing her with a calm she hadn’t thought would be possible, given her current situation.

“Yeah?” she taunted, speaking outward. “What am I, then?”

You are so much more than you think you are. There are things you do not know about. But when the secrets of the past comes to light, everything shall be clear, and you will never doubt your place in the world again, the voice replied, suddenly infusing her with a calm she had no idea where it had come from.

The words settled deeply inside of her, filling her with confusion and leaving her with more questions that she had no answers to.

“What are you talking about?” she questioned, curious about the secrets of her past.

Silence met her question, and that unnerved her more than anything.

Silence for the first time since she had known about the presence of an entity inside of her, the voice that spoke to her and kept her company throughout her life.

Saffron, for all that she was and all that she knew, had no history of mental illness, and neither did any of her parents, or those before them.

And the voice that spoke to her, though she had made countless enquiries and research, there was no specific evidence that explained why it was there or why she heard it in the first place. It was just simply there.

“Hello?” she called out again, hoping the voice would answer her. “What secrets would come to light?”

“Secrets?” a feminine voice queried, startling Saffron. This voice, though, existed out of her head, and it made her stiffen, even as she whirled around to face the intruder.

“I love secrets,” the intruder continued cheerfully as she bounced into the room, oblivious to the defensive stance Saffron had taken. “Also, were you talking to yourself?”

“Uh…” Saffron blinked, unsure of how to respond. Was the girl a foe or a friend?

“I’m Kiera,” the girl introduced, blinking forest green eyes at Saffron as she spoke. “My Mama’s the head of the slaves, and I work in the laundry room. Mama says you’re my new roommate, and we’ll work together at the laundry room. I’ve always wanted a roommate, but the other girls are mean and…”

“Kiera,” Saffron stated firmly, cutting off the other girl’s monologue.

She blinked owlishly at her as she settled on the bed opposite Saffron’s, folding her legs beneath her and resting her chin against the palm of her hands.

“Where are we?” Saffron asked, hoping to get the exact location of her captor’s compound, so she could begin planning her escape accordingly.

“We’re in our room, in the slave quarters,” Kiera replied softly, never taking her gaze off of Saffron.

Saffron blew out a breath, getting frustrated by the girl. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything for the last forty-eight hours since she had been held captive by the mafia.

“Oh, you’re hungry,” Kiera squealed, as she rose from her bed, bouncing to Saffron’s side, her blonde braids hitting her back with the movement. “We should go to the kitchen. Mama’s preparing a new recipe today.”

When Saffron made no move to get up, the younger girl tugged at her arm, urging her to rise from the bed. “Hungry, food,” she chanted, continuously tugging at Saffron’s arm until she gave in.

“Fine, let’s go to the kitchen.”

“Mama said that you were beaten badly when she found you in the cabin,” Kiera whispered, as they strolled out of the bedroom together, arm in arm.

Saffron stiffened, recalling the brutal handling she had been subjected to, all because her father had decided his gambling meant more to him than his only daughter did.

“I should warn you now,” Kiera continued, her voice still a whisper, as if she was afraid someone might overhear her or fearing the consequences of what she was about to say would be if someone heard her. “Whatever you did, whatever got you in the Alpha’s crosshairs, you should pray never to be in the same room as him. He is mean, and Mama says to stay away from the main pack house. Alpha sees us humans as the lowest of low, and so do the others.”

“Humans?” Saffron queried, her brows furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean, Kiera? Is the Alpha not human?”

Kiera hummed in response, ignoring Saffron’s question, making her bristle.

“Kiera,” Saffron tried again, halting her steps and turning the girl to face her. “Is the Alpha not human? What is he?”

“Hush!” Kiera snapped, placing a finger on her lips as she glanced around nervously. “It is forbidden to speak about what they are.”

A whimper escaped Kiera’s lips as a shadow fell over them. And before she could blink, Kiera had left Saffron alone, to face whatever it was that had come for them.