~~ANIKA VALERION~~
The walk home was pure humiliation. I kept my head down, staring at the dust on my sandals, praying the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
When I reached our cottage, Nana yanked the door open before my knuckles could even graze the wood.
“I know, Ani… I know.” She pulled me into a hug, her signature scent of dried herbs washing over me.
Her words made me freeze. I pulled back, searching her face. "You knew I wouldn’t shift?"
Tears welled in her eyes. "I hoped... I hoped to spare you the heartbreak."
The shame hit me like a freight train, knocking the wind out of me. “You didn’t believe in me either.”
Pain flashed across her face. “You don’t understand, dear!”
“Then make me! If I don’t even understand why I shouldn’t do this, how can I just give it up so easily?” I shouted, my voice cracking.
“You have no idea what I’ve sacrificed to keep you—”
She bit her tongue, her eyes widening as the words slipped out. She whirled around, hiding her face. "Just... go wash up."
"Sacrificed what? Nana, what are you talking about?"
Before she could answer, a knock startled us both.
I froze. I recognized that scent anywhere.
Joana.
My gut reaction was to shove Nana behind me. I wasn't going to let my tormentor anywhere near the only family I had left.
I cracked the door open. Joana stood there in her silk gown, though she looked... different.
"Why are you here?" I demanded, blocking the frame.
"I have something of yours. And... I wanted to talk," she murmured, wringing her hands.
Annoyance flared in my chest. "About what? Haven't you done enough damage for one night?"
"Can I come in? Please?"
I hesitated. Behind me, Nana watched us with worried eyes.
"It's okay, Nana," I called over my shoulder. "Go back to bed. I'll handle this."
"I'd rather stay," Nana grumbled, glaring at Joana.
I needed her out of the room. If Joana planned to spew more venom, I didn't want Nana caught in the crossfire.
"Please, Nana. I need to take my pills anyway. I think I left them on my nightstand. Could you grab them for me?"
Nana hesitated, then nodded. "You can't miss a dose. It's important." With a parting glare at Joana, she shuffled toward the bedroom.
Once the bedroom door clicked shut, I stepped aside, letting Joana in.
She stepped inside, looking around our cramped living room with an expression I couldn't quite pin down.
"Spit it out," I said, crossing my arms.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out an orange vial. My breath hitched. It was a dead ringer for the one I carried everywhere.
"Here," she said, offering it to me. "I saw this in the dirt after you left the square. I figured it was important, so... I brought it back."
I stared at her, skepticism warring with relief. I snatched the bottle and unscrewed the cap, peering inside. The white tablets rattled against the plastic—they looked exactly like the suppressants I took every day.
"You came all this way just to return my meds?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Joana sighed, her face contorting with fake regret. "I was a monster tonight. Seeing Lord Xander... hearing Conor's words... it was a wake-up call. I want to make it up to you."
My brow furrowed. Joana apologizing? It was like a shark apologizing for biting.
"People change," she said, taking a step closer. "I know you hate me, but... can you cut me some slack?"
I should have told her to leave. I should have kicked her to the curb right then. But the bottle in my hand felt heavy—solid proof of her "kindness." And the thought of having one friend in a pack that despised me... it was a tempting trap.
What if she meant it? What if the ceremony had humbled her too?
"How?" I asked.
"Let's take a walk. Just a quick walk. We can clear the air."
“Give me a sec,” I said. “I need to take these first.”
“Here, let me,” Joana offered, grabbing a glass of water from the table.
But her hand slipped.
She bumped the table, sending the bottle skittering across the floor. The cap popped off, and the pills scattered across the floorboards.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry!” she gasped, dropping to her knees to gather them.
“It’s fine,” I sighed, kneeling beside her.
She moved fast scooping them up and shoving them into the bottle before I could even reach out. She handed it back, looking mortified.
“Thanks.” I shook out my usual dose—two pills—tossed them back, and washed them down.
“Now,” I said, wiping my mouth, “let’s take that walk.”
We walked in silence. She led me away from the cottages, her grip on my arm surprisingly tight.
"Where are we going?" I asked as the path grew dark.
She didn't answer. She just kept walking, dragging me along.
We reached the edge of the Omega quarters—the run-down barracks where the lowest of the pack lived. The air smelled stale, thick with desperation.
She stopped, dropping my arm with a grunt.
"Joana?"
I scanned the area. The shadows stretched long. "What are we doing here?"
I barely got the words out before a terrifying change seized my body.
It started in my gut—a hot cramp that spread like wildfire. My vision fractured, the edges blurring into a red haze. The walls seemed to breathe, pulsing in and out.
My skin felt like it was on fire. An itchy heat bloomed beneath my flesh, making me want to claw my own skin off.
"Joana..." I gasped, my tongue feeling heavy. "Something's... wrong."
Instead of helping, she crossed her arms and leaned against a tree, watching me.
"Is it?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"What... what did you do?" I demanded, though my voice shrank to a whisper.
She looked at me with scorn, her mask shattering. "Stay right here, Anika. I’m sure someone will be along shortly to help a Null in heat."
"Heat?" I stumbled, grabbing the bark to keep from eating dirt. "W-what do you m-mean?"
"Are you really that dense? Did you actually buy that I wanted to be friends?" She cackled. "It’s a shame you're so vulnerable. And it's a shame I won't be around to see how the local drunks handle a desperate girl begging for it."
My heart hammered against my ribs, echoing the pounding in my skull. "The pills," I whispered, the horrifying realization dawning on me. "You swapped them."
"Bingo," she sneered. "When I dropped the bottle? Sleight of hand, darling. You swallowed a double dose of military-grade aphrodisiacs meant for breeding season. You fell for it hook, line, and sinker."
"Why?" I choked out, my legs buckling. I slid down the trunk, hitting the dirt.
"Because I hate you, Anika!" she hissed, her face twisting with a flash of jealousy, though I couldn't fathom why. She had everything. I was a nobody.
"Please," I begged, the heat becoming unbearable, pooling between my legs in a way that terrified me. "Take me home. Nana..."
"I couldn't care less about that old hag. Enjoy your night, Null."
She turned on her heel and vanished into the night, leaving me alone.
I tried to crawl, but my limbs felt like lead. The heat doubled, then tripled. I was burning alive from the inside out. My mind was a haze of lust and panic, a chemical fire I couldn't put out.
I need help. I can't let some creep find me like this.
Through the haze, I heard it. Footsteps. Stumbling.
A man emerged from the shadows. He reeked of cheap ale and stale sweat. He swayed as he looked down at me, his eyes glassy.
He let out a wet laugh. "Well, well. If it isn’t the little human the Goddess rejected."
"Leave... me... alone," I wheezed.
He chuckled loudly. "You're coming home with me tonight, little thing." He inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring. "That scent. You smell... ripe."
He reached for me with a filthy hand.
Suddenly, a blur shot from the darkness.
A body slammed into the drunk, sending him flying. He hit the ground with a sickening thud ten feet away.
I couldn't focus. My vision was swimming.
The drunk scrambled backward in the dirt, looking at his attacker with pure terror. "P-please... Lord..."
The newcomer stepped into the moonlight.
Tall. Lean. Hair falling in wild waves.
And eyes like cold steel.
Xander.