Lost in Worlds

Pregnant?

Avery woke up with a start, staying completely still she kept her eyes closed. She didn't know where she was and attracting attention wouldn't do good in this unknown situation. Birds chirping sounded in the distance and she felt her back pressed up against a large trunk, prickly and uncomfortable.

A throbbing began in her head, wincing slightly Avery tried twitching her fingers but groaned at the pain that shot through her arm. She dared to squint her right eye and glanced down at her forearm but did not find it. Instead, a rope replaced where her arms should have been dangling. She would have pondered through it more thoroughly if it weren't for the morning breath that blew on her face.

Avery froze instantly and tensing up she turned her head towards the source of the deep breathing. Coal, black eyes met her widened ones. Sharp fangs elongated out of its mouth, claws scratching at the ground as it tilted its head slightly as if studying her. Avery would have assumed it to be a wolf if not for the loud crack that sounded through the forest followed by a flash of light it morphed into a very naked human.

Werewolf. Out of the corner of her eye, Avery noticed Mila stirring in her sleep before slowly opening her droopy eyes. They grew to the size of saucers once understanding their situation and she trembled silently. The rest of the group members followed a similar pattern and soon all of them were sitting helplessly, backs up against a large tree, hands tied with a rope attached to it and fear enveloping their features.

Avery subtly moved a hand underneath her jacket to no avail; the werewolves followed the action, anyway. She poked a finger through the right breast pocket and a relieved breath exited her mouth, as Caleb's diary remained safe and sound. She would have asked their whereabouts though shut her lips instantly once a werewolf growled a quick, "Here's what will happen." The same werewolf, that still crouched inches from her face with its black eyes staring into hers, then stopped speaking and merely waited. But for what? Avery didn't know.

Another growl erupted nearby, close, very close, and Avery could recognise that voice anywhere, human sound or not. Connor. She whirled her head toward him and searched his face for any difference in character. No, the same old lazy-ass just... His eyes were now pitch black and large claws replaced his once short, battered nails.

Connor's head snapped to hers and as they stared through each other's souls, a realisation came over Avery's confusion. Connor had lied, he wasn't human; he was supernatural. A werewolf. Perhaps he hadn't just told this fib, perhaps, there were countless other lies he had told them. And then she remembered the most important rule of all: you can't trust anyone but yourself.

Her face turned icy, and she looked away, never wishing to see his face again, just as the werewolf still breathing on her skin continued speaking, "We are to take you somewhere and you will say nothing, tell no one. The penalty is death." Connor starting thrashing and out of the corner of her eyes, Avery could still see he had that ethereal fury masking his features.

She put her knees out in front of her and stood on wobbly feet, swirling around, aiming to bite off the ropes tying her to the tree. "That won't work. They bonded the ropes to you with magic. Only they can release you." How Connor knew this? Avery didn't know, once again left in the dark. This time she really didn't care. The surrounding wolves chuckled dryly and Avery followed suit.

Then one timid wolf dared to speak up, it stood no taller than a 10-year-old and spoke with a slight childish voice. What they said next changed everything Avery had ever thought of real. "Why do the humans smell like wolves?"

The group were swimming knee-deep in shit.

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The trees blurred past them as the group clung onto the backs of the wolves. Except Caleb didn't cling to a wolf, no, he was a wolf. Caleb's quick transformation, as the wolves had claimed to take the group somewhere, had startled them more than words could ever explain.