Power

Eyes Opened

The man stood on the small front porch under the cabin's radiant lights, his presence as intimidating as a storm on the horizon. He sported dark blonde hair in a buzz cut that complemented his sculpted face, framing piercing blue eyes that seemed to cut through the darkness with disturbing intensity.

His powerful form, taut and sculpted beneath a faded jacket, moved with predatory ease. As he got closer, his cold, calculating glance appeared to promise both a challenge and a threat, leaving little question that crossing him would be a grave mistake.

Ivy stood her ground. Perhaps the fact that guards were surreptitiously watching her helped to calm her nerves or the simple reality that she had nowhere to flee and would fail to outrun this man.

The man stood in front of Ivy, his eyes examining her. Ivy held her breath, attempting to maintain a stoic attitude despite her hammering heart screaming for her to take a step back. He could easily crush her with his massive muscles, but she refused to appear weak.

Perhaps it was because she was a black woman with striking blue eyes, or because she was a fish rather than a wolf, and wolves with their ability to detect scents could tell that she had become a creature of the sea, but either way, Ivy was tired of the stares she had been receiving from people and the horrible fish jokes they were throwing at her.

Silence. They did not speak, but their eyes did. Ivy stood frozen, her breath quickening as she felt the weight of his malevolence fall on her. The air between them was thick with dread, which escaped in waves, much to Ivy's dismay. Each second is as tense as a drawn bowstring. The man's gaze remained fixed, his blue magnifiers searching intently for which Ivy had no clue.

It was disturbing how she simply stood there, allowing herself to be dissected. She ordered her body to move, but it wouldn't. She was starting to grow irritated because her fear was escaping with each beat of her heart.

Enough! She would go inside now, away from the unsettling man who seemed to enjoy messing with her mind. As if hearing her thoughts after getting enough high off her fear, the man suddenly spoke, which merely made the tension decrease. "I am Betta Clark, soon to be alpha of this pack. It troubles me that a visitor such as yourself is abiding in my pack. What are your intentions, girl? Why are you here?"
There was nothing kind about his tone, and his queries came off as demands.

"Why don't you ask your alphas?" Ivy managed to speak without tremors, despite the fact that her heart was clearly racing. She walked away, not wanting to lose valuable time that could be spent sleeping on Betta Clark.

His cold and rough hands took hold of her wrist, causing her legs to come to a halt. "Listen here, girl. I don't care who you are. I don't like strangers being in my pack, so do yourself a favor and leave before I make you-" Betta Clark let out roughly but quickly dropped her wrist at the sounds of twigs breaking. The guards were approaching. Good.
Ivy did not like this man's judgmental attitude. He barely knew her, and yet he deemed her a threat. Without another word or eye contact, she walked away and entered her cabin.

Yes, the man was an annoyance to Ivy, and she would be sure to avoid him in the future, but what he said rang true, if only just a little bit. Ivy understood that she was a stranger in a pack of wolves, so of course they would be on high alert about her, but it still stung, which only once again reminded her that she did not belong. Perhaps her being born as a sacrifice was destined. It would for sure explain why her life was a series of unfortunate events.

Perhaps it was time to throw herself in the arms of death. Why burden these people with her existence? A sigh escaped her lips as she stripped herself of clothes to soak away her depressing thoughts in the small wooden bathtub in a small cramped bathroom.
After freshening up, she fell into a deep sleep.