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Helia
The low groan in pain interrupts my rest. The sound is familiar, but I can’t quite place it. It might speed up the process if I get a look, too.
When I open my eyes, my first view is of my feet. I try to lift my head, the movement sending a stabbing pain through my useless arms. I would’ve thought them to be numb by now. I’m not sure how long I’ve been chained up, but all the blood has flowed downward.
“There she is,” Hekate says from somewhere on my left. “You have a visitor, sis.”
I do what I can to turn my head, but it’s agonizingly slow. When I finally lock my eyes on the dark figure on the ground, I’m too out of my mind to recognize him. Maybe I don’t even know him at all.
Fuck, my mouth is so dry and my stomach hurts. I could kill for a drop of water and a bite of a sandwich right now.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” Hekate asks, and I furrow my brows in confusion.
She grabs a fistful of the guy’s dark hair and roughly pulls his head back to turn his face my way. His facial features are vaguely familiar, but my mind still can’t place him. The same can’t be said for my heart because it speeds up, aching to get closer to him. My stomach springs to action, but not because of the hunger. It’s as if dozens upon dozens of butterflies have awakened and are now fluttering around my belly.
“Grayden,” I breathe, my lips cracking as they form the word. Now that my mind put a name to him, I can’t believe I’ve ever managed to forget him even if only for a short while.
“Grayden?” Hekate repeats in a way that makes it sound ugly and wrong. She doesn’t deserve to use it. She’s not worthy of touching him.
Something primal in me awakens, sending a powerful jolt of unexpected energy through me. My fingers curl around the chains and I yank hard. Nothing changes and my restraints don’t budge one bit, but it’s the first time I’ve shown some fighting spirit.
I bare my teeth at her and snarl, “Get away from him!”
“Interesting,” Hekate says, corners of her mouth lifting. She glances at Grayden’s unconscious figure and carelessly releases him, letting his body drop to the ground with a hollow thump. “I’ll be honest, sis. I expected more from you, but clearly, you never fail to disappoint. He’s a truly pathetic piece of shit.”
The hair on the back of Grayden’s head is matted with blood, but the gash on his brow is starting to slowly knit together, so the other wound must be doing the same. That must be the famous wolf healing I’ve heard so much about. I need to distract her long enough for him to wake up and get out of here.
“It’s rather funny, isn’t it?” I force a cocky smirk on my face and even raise a brow at my sister. Hekate narrows her eyes at me. “I spent so many years being jealous of you, thinking that you were our parents’ favorite, but I’m realizing now that it’s the exact opposite.”
“I was their favorite,” Hekate tells me. “You were always a disappointment.”
“I don’t think so,” I counter. “In fact, I think that they always left me home because they wanted to protect me. While you were forced to listen to all those horrible old witches and make dull small talk, I was at home browsing through our family library in peace with music on the radio.”
“Going to those events was an honor,” Hekate hisses, stepping over Grayden’s body to move closer to me. “Those witches were the most respected and highly accomplished members of our communities.”
I roll my eyes and chuckle softly. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, sis.”
Hekate’s eyes flash with anger. I brace myself as she raises her hand to strike me, undoubtedly jolted up with a strength spell, but the pain never comes.
“You’ll never hurt her again,” Grayden growls from behind her, his fingers wrapped tightly around Hekate’s wrist.
My sister’s face contorts with anger. She spins on her heel and ducks under Grayden’s arm, hitting him straight in the chest with the hand and the spell that was intended for me. The breath is knocked out of Grayden, his eyes screaming in pain as his knees buckle.
“Grayden!” I cry out. “Hekate, please. Don’t kill him.”
Hekate throws a glance over her shoulder, pure hate in her dark green eyes. My sister, whom I grew up with, admired, and loved, will now be responsible for single-handedly ruining my life.
“If cleansing doesn’t teach you a lesson, maybe this will,” Hekate tells me before turning back to Grayden who has recovered enough to pull himself to his feet. When she speaks to him, her voice isn’t only full of authority but also holds the strength of a powerful spell behind it. “Shift.”
Grayden grits his teeth, his jaw clenching so hard that it’s a miracle it doesn’t break. The vein in his forehead pops out as he tries very hard to resist her order. Every second that he manages to fight her spell is admirable.
“Shift,” she orders again, putting more power into the word.
Blood trickles from Grayden’s nose, coating his lips. It’s the first indication that he’s losing in this battle of wills. His teeth extend into long and sharp canines that pierce his skin as he stubbornly holds his jaw shut. His hands are clenched into fists, which are also turning red and sticky. The nails that he buried deep into his palms grew into claws that broke through the skin.
“Shift,” Hekate orders with an authority that echoes through the basement.
Grayden growls, putting his bloody canines on full display. He falls to his knees, catching his balance with his hands. When he opens his fist, the sharp claws shine in the gloomy light. He buckles forward, bending his neck downward as his already massive body begins to grow, ripping through his clothes. Too fast for the naked eye to see, a magnificent dark wolf stands in Grayden’s spot. Even in his animal form, he towers over Hekate and me.
