After being blinded by those sworn to protect her, Artemis trades her vision for her ability to have a mate. Only things are not as they seem when she's taken in by a pack where everybody already seems to know her face and the brooding Alpha keeps a...
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Some nights I lay in bed awake, wondering where I had come from. I had a life before all this, before Ismara, before the white coats. I had a family, somewhere... maybe they lay awake too, wondering where I was.
I liked to think they were.
But the reality was many of the girls owned by the white coats had been either born into that life, or sold into it.
Our parents didn't want us, or at least, that's what they'd told us.
Either way I had shut out all hope of ever finding them long ago.
I pulled the roots from the earth with more vigour than I should've, it snapped halfway, leaving the previous roots still buried beneath the earth. I wiped my brow, cursing aloud. "For fucks sake."
My heart leaped into my throat at a rustle of the bushes. "Those are no words for a lady." Ozymandias chuckled.
I rolled my eyes, trying instead to dig the root from the earth with my bare hands. "Good thing I never claimed to be a lady."
"Here." He said, pulling the root from the earth with one quick motion. "Try this."
I eyed him wearily before snatching the root and shoving it into my basket. "Thank you."
"So.." He began awkwardly. "I have been told to give you this." He dug deep into his pocket, before handing me a small envelope with a blood red wax seal in the shape of a wolf.
"What is it?" I questioned, tearing open the seal to read what lay within. The old man remained silent, letting me read, only commenting, "I apologise that we didn't know your last name."
Dear miss, Your presence is requested at the annual Altum ball that will be held within the Ismara pack house at the next full moon.
Dress code is formal.
Kind regards. Alpha Axton.
"Who's Axton?" I asked, dragging a slender finger over the cursive words.
"Theos Axton."
It was clear that he hadn't written the letter himself, only signed it but still I couldn't help but feel the need to hold the letter close to my chest.
"How far away is the next full moon?"
He replied nonchalantly, "Three days."
"That's a bit late notice?" I frowned, "How am I even supposed to find a dress in that time, let alone a full outfit?"
Ozymandias gave me a questioning look, "Most people already know about the Altum ball, it's a nation wide thing, the letters are only a formality."
"Oh.."
"Have you not heard of the ball before?" He raised a silvery eyebrow.
Sometimes I forgot that nobody knew of my life before this, somehow I got the impression that nobody dared to ask. "Umm, yes I have I just forgot."
He knew I was lying but he didn't question it.
He helped me to gather the remaining herbs and berries Astoria needed for that week, and a few hours later we were walking back to the cabin.
It was all of a sudden his question came. "Where were you before all this? Before Ismara?"
There was a pregnant pause between us, I had never really stopped to think about the past, if I did I would get caught up in it all over again.
Strong hands pushed my head under the water, my eyes burned and my lungs screamed, bloodied fingered desperately clawing at the edge of the barrel.
"I was..." The dark place had never really been given a name, and it wasn't until now that I had noticed. "I'm not really sure.."
"What do you mean? You must have come from somewhere." He held my arm as we hopped over raised pebbles that stood like teeth through the small stream.
"Well I don't remember how I got there, to the camp." My heart clentched. "I don't ever remember having a family, only the White coats."
He raised a silvery white eyebrow at me. "The white coats?"
"The people that raised me... The people that owned me."
He froze to an abrupt halt, and I almost walked into the back of him. "Hey!" I frowned.
"What did you just say." He said coldly.
"I said they owned me?"
Was that not normal around here? I assumed even Ozymandias would have slaves? Maybe it wasn't common practice this far north.
His deadly serious eyes seared holes in mine, he almost looked as if he was trying to see if I was lying or not. I folded my arms over my chest. "What!"
"What happened to you?" He whispered.
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