When I came to the first thing that hit me was the smell. Wherever I was, stank of metal, mud and urine. Great combination.

Then came the hearing. Clanging of metal and moans of pain as skin shuffled through clothing. Finally came the feeling in my body. Which also meant feeling everywhere else, which lead to the pounding in my skull. I winced as I forced my eyes open. Had someone been jumping up and down on my head?

"Here, drink this. It'll help with the headache." A feminine voice disturbed me.

I shot upright and stared ahead in mild panic. A small, black-haired female sat crouched beside me. She was covered in mud, her hair matted and stuck to her head. I studied her deeper to see no sign of a trick. That, or she had an excellent poker face.

I took the tin mug from her hand and studied it. It was some kind of shimmering water but going by her state was worse than mine, I trusted it and drank it. She smiled politely once I did and sat back onto her butt. She studied me as I studied her, neither of us saying anything for a while as my headache subsided.

"I'm Primrose, but people call me Rose." She smiled softly.

I cleared my throat, the effects of the drink clearing my head. "Nova, just Nova."

"Well, just Nova. Welcome to hell." She laughed darkly, her hand gesturing to look around.

I frowned and took in my surroundings. I was in what appeared to be a silver cage, like a zoo animal. The floors were solid silver coated metal, small blankets prevented my skin from burning. There was a bucket in the corner that I assumed was for the toilet.

Surrounding me were more cages, all of them rammed into one large clearing. I lost count of how many women were there as I searched the space. Women of all ages, shapes, colours and backgrounds were all caged up in twos or threes. I couldn't spot the twins anywhere and when I went to sniff them out found my senses overwhelmed by the urine.

"They've dulled your wolf. You won't smell anyone for a while." Rose spoke.

I looked at her in worry when I realised she was right, I couldn't feel Cel anywhere. She was just gone, an emptiness left behind. The link I felt to the pack and Phoenix was severed. I was human again.

"How?" I asked.

She sighed. "The men who run this place are assholes. They've been bringing women in for years. One woman has been here for around ten years after she was forced to be marked by the leader. I think they're a revolt against packs, I've no idea. I've been here for three weeks now. What they injected you with... there's gonna be a lot more."

"D-do we stay in here the whole time? I can't even stand up." I frowned.

She shook her head sadly. "We get out for ten minutes a day, to stretch or... poop. But we sleep, eat and sometimes pee here."

So, I gotta schedule my poop if I want to use a proper toilet. Great.

"Everyone here was taken from their pack?"

She nodded. "Everyone."

"Where did you come from?"

"Me? Oh, I came from Wolfsbane."

I nodded, vaguely aware of the pack name. The pack originally was called White Moon but they ended up being the first creators of wolfsbane hence the name change. Funny how a werewolf was the one to discover something that can hurt us. They were North of Blood Moon though; I knew that much.

"Where did they grab you from? Did they use the injured puppy too?" She asked.

"Blood Moon." I smiled at her surprised expression. "And yes, they did. My friends got taken too... I knew something was wrong the moment I woke up that day."

She smiled sadly and came to sit beside me. "It gets cold at night, so we're gonna have to get used to each other."

I chuckled and nodded. "I understand... don't suppose you saw two brunette twins come in with me?"

She pursed her lips in thought. "I was asleep when they threw you in here, but I do remember hearing them say to break you up so you couldn't talk to each other. So... they're here somewhere."

I sighed and looked beyond the cage walls, the girls beside me in the next cage looked terrified and cold. I wish I could take away their pain. One of them looked barely ten years old! My heart stung with sympathy for her.

"Hey," I called. "What's your name?"

She shivered, her lips chattering as she turned to me. Her brown doe eyes were as wide as they could go, and her tiny frame looked pale and beaten. She scanned me from head to toe before staring into my eyes. Even though we didn't have our wolves, I could tell that she was looking for my sincerity.

"I'm Nova. What's your name?" I tried again.

"Felicity." She whimpered.

"Hi, Felicity. We'll get out of here, I promise you." I smiled, trying not to touch the silver bars.

She smiled at me and glanced at Rose too. "I hope so Luna."

My eyes widened. "I-I'm not a Luna."

She shook her head with a smile. "I know you are. I can tell."

I stared at her flabbergasted for a moment, but she just smiled and turned back around to her cage mate. Cage mate. How barbaric.

Rose sat back in front of me in the six-foot wide cage. "You're a Luna? Last time I heard Blood Moon didn't have a Luna."

I was still shocked and shook my head. "I'm not... I'm not a Luna. I'm unmated."

She frowned, staring at my bare neck. "You'll be a favourite then."

I snapped my head to her. "F-favourite?"

She nodded with a sad smile. "Unmarked ones tend to get treated better. If you're marked, you tend to get beaten about a bit because they think it'll affect the counterpart."

I frowned. "My mate hasn't marked me."

"Don't let them know you have one. At all. It'll be a weakness." She shushed me.

I nodded mutely and dropped my head onto my knees. I stared out at the metal jungle surrounding me, never feeling more alone as I drifted into a state of unconsciousness.

I don't know how long I slept, but I woke to the sound of a scream. My head darted up in surprise, thankful for my short stature or I would have head-butted the roof.

It was dark out, the moon high in the sky. Girls around me whimpered as the sound of flesh being struck sounded through the air. Without Cel's senses, I could not see the commotion.

The struggling grew closer, and I looked behind me to see a large man lit partially by a torch. He was dragging a young girl behind him, a slight drunken stagger in his steps.

"Don't listen," Rose whispered.

I frowned in confusion but when I heard the girl scream again, I couldn't help but tune in. I tried to make out their figures and saw him drag her into a cabin. The door slammed shut behind them and everything became muffled.

The clearing went quiet as the sound of her faint screaming dampened the air. I winced when I realised what was happening, my heart-breaking for the girl.

"They drink a lot. And when they do, they take girls into their cabins, and they don't come back until lunchtime the next day." Rose whispered.

"That's awful. What monsters." I mumbled, fighting back the tears.

I was scared. Terrified really. For me and every girl here. My heart ached over the fact I couldn't do anything to prevent it. I was nothing without Cel; her absence made me realise how much stronger I have become with her. She was right, I was sensitive.

"Why her?" I asked.

Rose shrugged. "She probably did something to upset them the past week. Can be just looking a certain way. They sadly take a liking to virgins too; thinks it'll break their spirit."

"And does it? Break their spirit?"

She grimaced and nodded. "I would know."

I frowned, leaning closer to hold her hand. "I'm sorry Rose-"

"Quiet!" A man shouted.

The whispers across the cages stopped immediately and I turned to look at Rose with desperation. She gave a faint smile before laying herself back down on the ground on her side. I hesitated before moving closer to her, curling my back against hers as I lay in a ball. Her warmth was comforting, and knowing she was beside me helped me relax a little. But I was trapped; a caged animal.

I do not know how I'm going to get out of this one, was my last thought as I drifted back to sleep.

***

I was jolted awake when a large bang echoed through the cage, I lay in. My eyes winced at the sudden sunlight as I sat up beside Rose. She smiled at me as she stretched her back. Mine was aching too. The thin blanketed floor was awful.

I waited for Cel to chime in a snide remark but froze when I remembered she wasn't there anymore. I grimaced and chose to stare down at my hands.

"Listen up ladies. Time to exercise those legs." A man shouted. "Recruits you will be rounded up and sent for questioning."

Everyone was silent in reply and the man huffed in approval before the sound of his footsteps retreated. I heard cages being rattled and locks sliding open to the sound of men laughing and chatting. I waited tensely and patiently as they unlocked the one with Felicity inside.

Finally, a boot kicked the bars beside me and I turned as a man's hand came down and pulled the door open. So, the lock is on the top; noted.

Rose took my hand and lead me out of the cage. I greeted the sunlight's warmth with a smile; never have I ever been happier to be stood in the heat. I stretched my arms above my head and shook my legs.

The man who opened our cage suddenly growled and pushed me forwards. I weakly protested a sound but fell into line with Rose.

"Newbie, you're over there." He grunted and pushed me to the left away from her.

I stumbled, and a small growl of my own left my lips. He ignored me, raising an eyebrow on his ugly ass face before he laughed. I huffed and stomped my way over to a group of girls lined up beside a tiny cabin. I spotted the twins straight away and chose to stand beside them.

Maisie had a fading black eye and a split lip, Miley sporting a faint bruise along her jaw. They had obviously fought better than I did when we were ambushed. They gave me tight smiles.

"Listen up recruits." The same man called.

Recruits? What was this? An army camp?

"We are going to assess you individually. From there we will decide your role in the camp." He grunted, parts of his greasy brown hair sliding out of its bun.

Definitely army camp.

"Let's get straight to it. You are first."

My eyes widened when he pointed to Maisie, but she just growled at him.

"Unless you want your ass handed to you again, get in that cabin." He snapped, spit flying from his mouth.

I grimaced at the foul liquid just as did Miley beside me. Maisie huffed before walking her way into the cabin. Miley squeezed her hand until she was too far away to hold on and we watched her enter the cabin with greasy spitball behind her.

I studied the area around me, seeing what the situation was. It was a large clearing; with bare mud and torn-up grass for most of it. Large tall trees blocked out any landscapes, just the sun sweltering in the east. I counted about fifteen females beside me, a further thirty-four across the clearing. They were all huddled together and not saying a word to each other as they stretched their limbs or walked off to the toilet.

Fear. I could see it in the way they checked over their shoulders.

"We'll get out of here somehow," Miley whispered.

"No talking!" A guard suddenly snapped, smacking her in the face.

Her head flew to the side and I caught her as she stumbled. I cursed quietly at the man, a sudden protective nerve coming alight and Miley whimpered. He turned his attention to me and glared right back. I held his gaze, neither of us backing down. I was feeling powerful, even without Cel. And no woman beating man was going to take that away from me and hurt my friends.

"Next!" Greasy spitball shouted.

Maisie tripped her way out of the cabin, another guard grabbing her arm. She was dragged away to the group of women that stood at the far end of the field. She seemed okay, just annoyed.

The guard I had a stare down with sneered as he reached out and grabbed my wrist. I fought back, pulling at it and scratching with my nails. He cursed when I ripped skin and I smiled triumphantly. His hand came up to smack me in return, but I managed to block it and sidestepped him. He was slow.

Just as he went to charge at me the greasy spitball spoke. "Enough! Just bring her in."

I smiled innocently at the guard and walked my way into the cabin, my head looking down. If Sean taught me anything it was how to deal with interrogations.

*****

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