Snowflakes kissed and melted against my cheeks throughout my slow travel, the shaking of my body strengthening as the relatively cold temperature continued to drop.

I had been lucky enough to stumble across a pile of clothes whilst treading through the snow, in the opposite direction of the Klawmoon pack and had swiftly slipped on a coat, which perhaps belonged to a lycan who had thought to take if off before racing into the battle.

I was thankful for the little warmth it provided, knowing that there was a strong chance that I would have not survived without it.

I walked for what felt like an hour, until I eventually staggered to a halt, exhaustion prompting me to fall to my knees. My breathing was ragged and cracked lips numb. Thin fingers clawed at the snow, frustration mounting as the desire to create more distance between myself and the Klawmoon pack became stronger.

But the trees were becoming a blur, the wind was stinging my ears and face, somehow escalating my already disoriented state of mind.

A small whimper of irritation fell from my mouth as I slowly stood, using the support of a tree to assist me. The rough bark tore into my fingers pads when I stumbled, drawing blood that dripped down fingers and stained the beautiful white snow.

I stared down at it for several seconds, inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly in an attempt to quell the nervous fast pace of my heartbeat.

My body was so weak from walking as long as I had and my energy was very low. Panic surged forward at the realization that I had no idea of how to leave these woods, or where I would go even if I did leave these woods.

I thought back to my younger years and recalled the many lycans who were so eager to capture humans and use them for their own sickening, twisted entertainment.

Homes in the small town where I lived in had been destroyed and burnt to the ground after the lycans discovered that many of the townsfolk, including my parents, had plotted a protest regarding the destructive actions of the beasts. The lycans had shown no mercy throughout the slaughtering of many and imprisoning others.

I rested my back against the tree, head tilting upwards towards the darkening grey sky. Evening was approaching and I needed to find some form of shelter and protection.

So, after a few mental prompts, I jerked forward, grunting as my feet sunk into ankle-deep cold snow, unsure of where I was heading but moving along nonetheless.

After what felt like twenty minutes of stumbling through snow, I came to an abrupt halt, body stiffening in disbelief as I stared through narrowed eyes at the trees which still, surrounded me. I walked in a slow circle, jaw slack with bewilderment, feeling a familiar sting behind my eyes.

My fingers long ago had become numb and I lifted them to press against my cheeks, branches rattling above me, as if laughing at my exasperation.

A low moan came from my throat as I made to step forward, but paused at the sharp sensation which suddenly surrounded my ankle. I knelt slowly to the ground, pushing away handfuls of snow until I discovered some form of an animal trap encircling my right ankle.

The pain was not what bothered me however; the fast blood flow from the wound caught my attention and I sighed, examining the trap, seeking a way to release my ankle from it.

My fingers cautiously worked at the metal, pulling but stopped when I noticed the trap tightening around my ankle, breaking skin further whenever I shifted.

It was then that the pain became more pronounced and my eyes fluttered closed momentarily as I had no choice but to completely lower myself to the ground, sit at an awkward, uncomfortable angle so as to not hurt my ankle further.

Minutes slowly slipped by and it did not take me long to discover that I was being watched. I raised my head from it's lowered state, eyes flitting around the surrounding trees, skin prickling with unease. The relative silence was odd, especially since I was so accustomed to living in such a noisy environment for so long.

I made to stand, eyes warily trailing around me, only to frown at the feel of something pricking into my side.

"Bennett!" An irritated male's voice erupted from behind me and I struggled to turn towards the sound, but the trap prevented me from doing so. "The command was to find and bring back safely, not find and shoot you fucking idiot!"

"Language." An elderly voice warned, a loud snarky growl intertwined with his words.

"You're too old to be doing these sorts of missions, especially with your wrinkly ass itchy trigger fingers-"

The male's voice became distorted as my vision blurred, a lump suddenly growing in my throat. Small gasps puffed from my lips and I buckled to the snow, the pain in my ankle fluctuating and vision being swallowed with darkness.

*******

Warm water cascaded around my body as I was lowered and almost immediately, my eyes fluttered open as shock pummelled my chest at the realization of my nakedness. I grimaced as I felt a pang of pain from my ankle, cocking my head and examinging my frail body, the healing bruises and the few small, but noticeable scars that marred my stomach.

Confused, I glanced around my environment with drooping eyes. I was in a bathtub, a white bathtub so clean and so pretty, so unlike the one that the Klawmoon guards rarely allowed prisoners to use.

Water flowed gently from a tap, filling the tub more and I attempted to shift from my position on my back, noticing that the edges of my vision were darkening as I did so. An intense amount of drowsiness slowed my body movements and a small whimper fell from my lips as defeat sunk into the pit of my stomach.

My eyes fought to stay open as a large hand cupped the back of my head, lifting it up momentarily and then carefully settling it back down so my hair dipped into the water.

The sound of water pouring from a tap ceased.

My gaze became fixated on the ceiling above me as liquid was poured into my hair, thick fingers gingerly rubbing it into my curls. The scent of oranges infiltrated my nostrils, a strong, comforting smell that reminded me of home.

The sight of a wrist, male and strong appeared in the corner of eye and I frowned, eyelashes lowering as I was once again taken by darkness.

********

I later arose to find soft, warm clothes adorning my body. The attire was soothing against my skin and my fingers drifted over the light grey pants as I sat up on a soft bed, observing the wooden panel walls of the room, flinching at the wind battering against the barred windows.

A fireplace crackled and I stared into the flames, enjoying the warmth it provided. My attention snapped away from it at the sound of wood creaking, low voices, both female and male coming from behind the black door in the corner of the room.

The voices eventually became lost in the noise of the wind and I pulled off the heavy sheets from around my body, tentatively placing a foot down on the carpeted floor.

My ankle was bandaged.

My head lifted as I limped to a long oval mirror, resting against a wall. Tired, sad black eyes stared back at me. I examined my sunken cheeks, clean skin and washed, pleasant smelling hair that were in twists and limply laid across my face.

My lips formed a scowl.

It had been so long since I was so thoroughly clean.

Suspicion arose as my thoughts drifted back to the voices in the woods. I knew the individuals behind those voices were lycans; the particular, throaty way they'd spoken, with a growl between their words had revealed that. Had they brought me to this place?

Will I be taken to the cells again?

My eyes darted anxiously around the large, visually pleasant room, eyebrows pinching together. Why would a lycan bother to wash and dress me in these nice fabrics if they intended to simply imprison me in the cells once more?

I limped to the door, shaking fingers wrapping around the handle and twisting. To my surprise, the door popped open and my breath caught in disbelief. I paused, listening to any sounds and opened the door further at the silence which greeted me.

A long hallway stretched before me and I glanced along the many closed doors in this hallway, stepping out of the room tentatively, jerking forward when it slammed shut.

Holding my breath I limped along the hallway, worried yet always alert. No voices came from beyond the doors, no sounds that signaled of anyone's presence, but I would not be fooled by the quietude.

I reached the end of the hallway and stared down at the long staircase. No voices could be heard from below and my eyes narrowed further; I was certain that I had heard people speaking just minutes earlier and my assumption was that they had gone down these stairs. But the only sound that punctured the air was my raspy breathing.

Frowning, I acknowledged the weakness in my body, the strange way my heart pumped quickly in my chest even though I had not walked far. I knew that there was little possibility that I could outrun lycans, but I would rather try than to just sit idly in a room.

My footsteps were light against the stairs and I ensured to place most of my weight on my left foot instead of on my bandaged right ankle.

Holding on to the stairs' bannister, I moved along, teeth gnashing at the flares of pain that struck with each ginger step. I was panting by the time I reached the last stairs and I paused, catching my breath.

My mouth dropped open in awe at the sight of a crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling, it's bright lights overwhelming and stinging my eyes but not allowing me to look away from its beauty.

This lit up the entire area in which I now stood and when I finally dragged my gaze away, I could see two large doors that were closed by my right and to my left, an opened door. Paintings decorated the light brown walls, but I did not further inspect them.

Fingers gripped around the banister before I pushed myself off of it, limping to the double doors in hopes that I would be able to leave this beautiful house and carry on my journey to...

I scowled, fingers pausing against the wooden door. I had no idea of where I would travel to. But nonetheless, I needed to leave this place which I strongly suspected to belong to lycans. So I pushed on the door, relieved when it opened and staggered through.

And almost immediately, my heart dropped to my legs, fear and horror making itself known in my being and mind as I found myself in a room with lycans.