"Raula! Raula!"
Dorianna walked through the wide hallway making her way to the vast balcony where her best friend usually spent the early hours of the morning.
She arrived at the balcony and was greeted by an empty space with a set table and two chairs.
"Raula!" Dorianna called again as she turned around.
A pretty brunette wheeled in at that time with a knowing smile on her face.
"I'm crippled not deaf, Rianna . Surely everyone in the pack can hear you." Raula greeted.
She was wearing a brown silk robe and her long brown hair fell freely past her shoulders. A big smile lit her pretty face and her almond shaped brown eyes twinkled welcoming the sight of her best friend.
"If I don't make so much noise when I come in, is it really me?" Dorianna joked eerily.
"Of course not!" Raula laughed.
Dorianna sniggered and came forward to place a noisy kiss on Raula's cheek.
"Come. You are right on time. I was just about to have my morning tea." Raula said reaching out for her friend's hand and leading her back towards the balcony.
Dorianna made a sick gesture.
"For the thousandth time, Raula. We are Wolves, not dainty sprites."
Raula ignored her friend and poured her a cup.
"I had the omegas pick fresh lavender this morning. It's delicious." She encouraged.
"Well, I'll have tea because I want to serve you some tea as well." Dorianna said with a smirk as she wriggled her eyebrows.
Raula chuckled. " Is this about the solistice party, the planned attack or Ralph?"
A mischievous smile settled on Raula's face as she mentioned Ralph seeing as her friend blushed too.
"This is not about any of the above. It's actually about you and it's serious." She said.
Raula laughed softly. "Okay. Spill."
"It's about Zephyr, our Alpha, my brother, your true love." Dorianna teased.
Raula's face turned pale and she dropped her cup down instantly.
"What's wrong? Is he okay? Is it…the curse?" She asked in a croaked whisper.
"No its not! Calm down, he's fine." Dorianna said and seeing how unsettled her friend was she decided to speak quickly. "There was someone in his room. A strange young woman laid asleep in bed with a breakfast tray on the bedside table."
Raula did not even have time to process the relief of being sure that Zephyr was fine.
"What? Who is she?" She demanded .
"I don't know. I've never seen her in my life."
"What does that even mean?" Raula asked with a dry laugh.
She was feeling hot and drained in one moment. Even she had never set foot in Zephyr's bedroom so who was this woman that was sleeping in his bed?
"Is there something you're not telling me?" Raula asked with hurt in her eyes. "Because I don't understand what you mean when you say that you don't know who she is. We have been sealed up together in this pack for twenty years. There is no one we don't know."
"I don't know her and she looks strange. I think something is going on." Dorianna said with a frustrated sigh.
"How is she strange?" Raula wanted to know.
"She's bald and she looks really fragile, sort of pale."
Raula sat up confused.
"Bald?" She repeated.
"Not a single hair on her head. At least that is what I think I saw." Dorianna said and Raula sank in to deep thinking.
"Raula, I don't think it's anything romantic. Ralph and Zeeb were acting strange the other day. There's something they are hiding." Dorianna said. "There's no need to get worried because you know that there's no one for my brother, but you. You are the future luna and there's nothing that can change that. I'm just telling you because I need your help finding out what's going on."
Raula did not look comforted. "How am I supposed to do that if you can't?"
"Go and see him. Go and see my mother. You know they are more inclined to tell you about the strange woman than me." Dorianna said standing up.
"Zephyr comes to visit me, I don't go to the Alpha's mansion, remember? Except on special occasions "
"Well, when was the last time he came visiting?" Dorianna asked.
"It's been two weeks. It's the longest time he has stayed away but I understand that with the solistice party coming up, he is busy." She said.
"Then that's a good reason to visit. Come tonight, I'll be waiting for you, okay?" Dorianna asked and Raula nodded soberly.
Dorianna placed a kiss on her friend's forehead.
"I have to leave now, I have training with the young she wolves this morning. I'll be expecting you, okay?"
In less than minutes, Raula was alone overlooking the vast land and sipping her tea.
A strange woman laid asleep in his bed, with a breakfast tray on the bedside table.
Raula sighed and dropped her cup of tea on the table. Beads of sweat covered her forehead.
She had nothing but him. Nothing but her love for Zephyr.
Ever since the dark war, Zephyr had become her world.
"Breakfast is ready, Miss. Should I help you?" One of the omegas announced with a bow.
"I'm fine. Thank you." Raula answered with a smile.
She sighed deeply and took control of her own wheels pushing herself out the balcony.
Zephyr had no interest in the opposite sex. She was the closest to him. She was the one for him and he was the one for her.
————————————————————-
Selene's eyelids slowly fluttered open and she lifted herself up to look around fighting the banging pain in her head.
She was in this same room again.
She could see the streaks of sunlight making its way in to the room. It was a large window, much bigger than the tiny one she had received for her eighteenth birthday, the same one she had thrown herself out of on her engagement night after almost being raped.
Weakened by the horrific memories she sat back down on her bed hugging herself and shaking her head.
"Welcome back." a voice echoed from the shadows, sending a jolt of fear through her and eliciting a gasp.
Only as she turned around did she notice him, seated at the far end of the room, in a dark corner with his dark eyes settled on her.
Zephyr emerged from the darkness, his eyes like chips of ice, his presence radiating a cold fury.
"I see you survived the shadow weaver, a surprise and a testament to your lies." He said angrilly.
Selene cowered, unable to meet his gaze.
"Remember what I told you?" he snarled. "That I will find out who you are and If you are close to him, I will kill you."
Tears streamed down Selene's face as she fell to her knees. "Please, have mercy," she begged, her voice broken. "I swear, I don't know how I got here. I didn't use dark magic on you."
Zephyr looked down at her with disgust.
"Enjoy the comfort of this room, it will be your last." He growled and stormed out.
Selene sobbed, her body wracked with tremors. Her life was a cycle of suffering, a cursed existence she seemed destined to endure. Born a prisoner, she thought, her heart heavy. But even in her despair, a flicker of defiance remained. She had a goal, a purpose.
Eight days. That's how long she had been here. Twenty-one days until the new moon, her only chance to escape. The only day she was allowed to step foot outside.
How many more brutal days await me? she wondered, her mind filled with dread.
Zephyr's hatred, his promise of death, hung over her like a dark cloud. She was trapped, alone, and at his mercy