Star

Chay was sitting in the other chair across from me at the table. She was looking at me with a serious look in her eyes, all the fun and joking she had been doing earlier nowhere in sight.

"Don't be so nervous." She cracked a smile, breaking her serious facade. "I just want to get to know you, talk to you, and understand you."

[Why]

"Because we're the only two girls in this testosterone infected house." She giggled. "And we're the same age. There aren't many people in this town that I call a friend and I would like to consider you one of them."

[But why would you be a friend to someone like me]

"What are you trying to say?"

[I'm a prisoner. I always have been and I always will be]

"You're not a prisoner here." She tried to assure me but it wouldn't work.

[The door was locked when I got up. There's a guard at the door and at the window]

"There's one at the window?" She didn't seem to know that.

[Probably. Since I tried to run away again]

"You tried to run?" Her titled head and confused expression definitely indicated that the Alpha hadn't told her what I had done.

[I tried to escape out the window and made the Alpha really mad]

"I doubt he was mad. Worried, or scared maybe, but not mad."

[Why would he be worried, does he want me to be his slave that badly?]

"Star, you're not here to be a slave." Chay was trying so hard to convince me. "No one wants anything from you. We just want you safe and healthy, and happy."

[Why?] I was confused as I showed her this word, then I added more. [It makes no sense. I'm a weak wolf]

"What does that matter? The old ways are being forced out. My brother took the pack to stop weak wolves from being beaten. Didn't he tell you that." I shook my head to tell her no.

[All he said is that he wanted the same thing from me that Uncle Howard wanted]

"What?" She screamed. "What did your Uncle want from you?"

[For me to be his wife]

"That's just wrong." She screeched.

[He wasn't really my Uncle]

"That doesn't matter at all. It's wrong."

[He was going to take me on my birthday]

"Then I am glad we got you out in time." Chay looked relieved. "Wait a minute. You said Artem told you he wanted that from you too?" I nodded. "What exactly did he say?"

[He said his wolf smelled me and wanted me. That we were mates and were supposed to be together] I sighed then added another line. [I'm just here to be his wife the same as I was with Uncle Howard]

"Sweety, that's not what he meant." She stood up and came to stand behind me, her hand on my shoulder. "Don't you know what it means to be a wolf?"

[No]

"You are a wolf though, aren't you?" She was the first one to even ask me this.

[I used to have one. But they took it away]

"They put a talisman on you?" I shrugged at her question not knowing if it were true or not. "What did they tell you about being a werewolf?"

[Nothing. I didn't even know about it until I shifted]

"Wait, how is that possible?"

[They locked me away after my mother died. No one ever told me anything.]

"Oh, Star, that must have been so scary for you. To shift like that with no warning. I'm so sorry." She had tears in her eyes and a sad expression on her face as she leaned forward to hug me tightly.

I hadn't been hugged in so long. Not since Reed and Bailey had last visited me. The feeling was foreign, strange, and wonderful. I wasn't used to being touched gently and kindly by people and I admit that I was enjoying that hug. But she pulled back and stood up soon.

"I will tell you everything you need to know. I will teach you what it means to be a she-wolf. I will teach you about the world and how to be a part of it."

[I appreciate the thought, but why?]

"Why not? Do you want to never leave the house or something? You need to know if I'm going to take you to the city."

[I can't leave here]

"Why not? Have you fallen in love with this place?" She laughed.

[I'm not allowed to leave]

"Baby girl, you can go anywhere you damn well please." She said it firmly, like it was a declaration, not placating words. I shrugged, I knew it wasn't true but I would humor her.

Chay took my hand then, pulling me out of my chair.

"Come on, let's talk on the couch, it's more comfortable." She dragged me over to where the Alpha had sat earlier, pushing me onto the seat. She set herself down on the seat at the other end.

"So, I'm going to have to show you everything huh? Music, movies, TV shows, food, everything?"

[I don't know any of it. I know what they are, but I don't know what there is]

"What did those assholes feed you?" She seemed angry as she referred to my family.

[Scraps mostly. Stuff that was not good enough for them. The occasional store bought sandwich that Uncle Howard would get special for me, or so they said]

"No offense, well actually full fucking offense, but Howard sounds like a disgusting creep."

[You're not wrong] That made Chay laugh.

"You will see soon, that life away from them will be great."

[I tried running constantly since I was 13]

"They always stopped you?" She looked sad now.

[And they would beat me when they did]

"There is no excuse for what they did to you." She looked repentant, like it was her fault.

[You didn't cause it]

"No, but there is no reason they should have done it in the first place. That's what Artem is trying to stop."

[Why]

"Why? Why not? He doesn't like to see people suffer, and it's wrong."

[This goes against everything I know]

"Yeah, the previous Alpha hated weak wolves. It's been something bred into our pack for generations. But that doesn't mean that everyone is like that."

[I had some people who cared for me once] I felt the tears beginning to sting my eyes as I tried not to remember how long it's been since I had seen Reed and Bailey.

"Who were they?"

[Cousins]

"What happened to them?"

[They were almost banished from the house. They can only come on special occasions, and they were kept far away from me]

"Was your family afraid that they would help you escape?" My nodding head was answer enough. "Do you want me to find them? Let them know you're out of there?"

[I don't know where they are anymore]

"Honey that won't be an issue. I will look for them and I will bring them here." She was smiling at me. "What are their names?"

[Reed and Bailey]

"Last names?"

[I don't know]

"No worries, I will track them down." She giggled at something that I didn't get. "What do you want to do for the rest of today?" She asked me, like I had options. I just looked at her confused. "Where do you want to go."

[I can't] I told her again.

"You really feel that way?" She didn't seem to be asking me for real so I didn't answer, I just looked at her. "I'm going to go talk to my brother. How about you watch some TV. I'll put on one of my favorite shows."

Chay stood then and walked over to a large black rectangle that was hanging on the wall in front of us. She grabbed a small black rectangle from the table that was sitting under it. This small one had lots of differently colored buttons on it. After she pressed one of the buttons the large thing on the wall lit up and soon sound was coming from it.

"Have you ever watched TV before? You had to have when you were a kid, right?"

[I have a few flashes of memories of something like this]

"Really, what do you remember?"

[Something with a blue dog. Another with a girl in a jungle with a talking backpack. And something about a bear with different animal friends. That's all I can see when I think about it really hard] Chay giggled when she saw what I wrote.

"So you remember Blue, Dora, and Little Bear. Understandable, you were only two after all."

[I don't know their names]

"Hey, one more question." I tilted my head to let her know that she could continue. "Can you speak? Or did they do something to make it so you couldn't?" I hadn't expected that question. I should have, but I hadn't.

[I can]

"Then why don't you?"

[Talking is the one thing I could control]

"What do you mean?"

[For years I have not cried, screamed, or spoken in front of my family. My voice is the one thing I could control. They weren't worthy of it]

"I can understand that. But why not talk to me?" I just looked down, no sure how to answer. "I think I get it. You don't trust me yet. And that's fine, I understand that. You can talk when you're ready, I will wait." She was smiling brightly at me, she hadn't acted mean or hurtful toward me at all. I wanted to trust her so badly, I just didn't know how to.

After that Chay put something on the TV and left the room. I sat there on the couch thinking about what my life was going to be like now.