Feral

Functionality

Waking up is like a heart attack.

I gasp for air jumping and rolling off what I presume to be a bed.

Where am I?

Pale limbs peek from beneath a shirt and I almost scream to find myself human. Its abnormal. More abnormal than being a wolf.

I'm in a room. The dark windowless walls feel suffocating, my eyes not strong enough to see through the cloudy darkness.I curse as I stumble around hitting furniture like a baby learning to walk.

A muffled shuffle causes me to whip around as the light flicker on with a muted whir. I find myself meeting a pair of strange yet unfamiliar eyes.

They were cold. Striking white pale orbs that sent shivers down my spine. Floppy brown curls haphazardly topped his head as he stared at me confusedly.

"Where am I?" I asked carefully.

He glanced at the clock quickly before answering. "It's early Angie, can we talk when the suns up?"

I distrusted the male who knew my name but my body sat down on the large mattress. The room was small and cluttered cozily with a lounge chair and thick blankets. I caught the glimpse of a table covered with chewed pencils and papers. Before Luke, my mind pulled the name out, turned out the lights I even caught a glimpse of myself.

The mirror on the wall across from me revealed my ratty brown hair. Someone had wound it in a bun that sagged after being thrashed about. A large blue button up drowned my form as I carefully took in my sunken scarlet eyes, dark circles, and prominent cheekbones. I raised a hand to touch my face.

Was this...me?

The lights turned out before I could verify. Luke slid in the bed stuffing a pillow under his head. His spicy scent hits me like a bullet train, burning my nose. Mm...

I'm hyperaware that I'm not only sleeping in a bed, with a werewolf for the first time in years, but the fact that he's a boy makes my cheeks burn. I suppose in some ways I was still stuck in my 17 year old self.

---

As soon as the birds chirping hit the air my eyes flicked open to catch the barely peeking rays of the sunrise. I was laying in the same straight legged position except a thick arm was swung around my waist and a leg casually pinning my own down. I peeked over my shoulder, only to be immediately hit in the face with hot morning breath. Wrinkling my nose I noticed that Luke had dragged himself and the covers all the way from his side to mine.

The warmth he provided was a welcome difference from the cold forest nights, but the sun was up and that meant I was too. I pushed his hand off, dragging myself out of the bed calmly before exploring the inside of his house. Outside his blue door was an army of other rooms. Doors stood tall and uniformly untouched. Halls of empty rooms, denoted by the dusty scent less air surrounding them, lay around the wooden interior like a maze.

The building was huge. I couldn't even imagine the amount of money it took to build this place. But...it was creepily quiet. Empty and musty the halls were nearly brand new.

I managed to find an unorthodox dining room that seemed like it was ready to seat hundreds if not for the thick coating of silty grime. Right outside it, large living room was lined with plastic coated couches and a large TV. Turning around I spotted the front door and a kitchen.

The cool wood echoed my footsteps as I quietly entered the kitchen for food. It'd been years but the basics still came back; refrigerator, cupboards, sink, oven. Except I recalled that they were suppose to be full. All the drawers and cabinets were empty. Everything was untouched. It was all beautiful and shiny...and it gave me the creeps.

"You won't find any food here." A husky unused voice called.

I whipped around to find a shirtless Luke, floppy hair still amiss. His tan skin was barely visible in the dark morning.

"Why not?" I ask, moving to have the granite counter tops between us.

"Tradition." He states walking and dropping into one of the couches. "Every time a new alpha reigns we remodel the pack house, update it. However, no ones allowed to move in until there's a Luna and an alpha."

"Sounds like a dumb tradition." I say, awkwardly swiping at the dusty counter with a finger.

"Well I suppose to someone who didn't grow up with it." He says thoughtfully. "So how much do you know about pack-"

"I'm hungry," I interrupt quickly trying to prolong this conversation. " I think I'll just go grab something fresh." I say pointing to the front door.

He nods slowly, bright eyes watching me carefully. "Mind if I join? A wild one like yourself probably could use a few hints."

Fury immediately gripped me from the jibe. A growl rumbles in my throat as my wolf surges forward angrily "We'll just see about that."

I stomp to the front door flinging it open and making my way to the forest beyond.