First Impressions

Alexandra

Chills cascaded down my body at Alpha Liam’s ice cold voice vibrating through the cell, I could even feel Anna shutter inside from fear of the beast towering over us. My gaze shot down onto the gray concrete floor, my submissive instincts taking hold. I caught Marcus frantically stepping forward from the corner of my eye, his voice no longer brave like before but small and filled with nerves. “Alpha, the young rogue was found in this condition,” he said, his words making my legs tremble.

I felt his large, thick fingers caress my jaw softly while his eyes intensely pierced down on me. It felt like he was thoroughly examining me, deciding what my fate would end as. He lifted my jaw with his index finger to look at him in one quick swipe, my eyes meeting the sea of blue hues in his. I couldn’t help but feel like I was drowning deep within his gaze as he stood still for a minute, yet it felt like eternity. He leaned in, his face hovering inches from mine. I could feel his warm breath fluttering over my lips before he said in a stern and emotionless voice, “tell me your name.”

I felt my eyes go glassy, terror building inside at the waves of domina

nce crashing violently through me. Lie. An act punishable by death. “L-lexi”, I stuttered out, unable to rip my gaze from his mesmerizing blue eyes.

Guilt immediately flooded my chest, my entire body going heavy. The lie seemed to slip out of my mouth, my mind reeling in survival mode. I was already standing at death’s doorstep. I struggled to hold myself upright, black dots beginning to form in my eyes and heat quickly taking over my face, then crawling down my body. Those deep blue eyes were the last thing I remembered before nothing but complete blackness took over.

Just like that, my eyes shot open, I was standing deep in the eerily quiet forest. It was a cool night, the forest still smelling like fresh rainfall; the pine trees pronounced and lingering in the air. I glanced around, the moonlight brightly illuminating the forest floor, strangely not a single hint of life in sight. I began walking through the unfamiliar forest, the leaves crunching under my feet with each step forward.

The wind blew against my naked body, tingling across my bare skin. Just then, I felt it. I finally felt free. The shackles of life breaking apart, my body feeling light as a feather. An overwhelming urge took over, and I began to run, feeling the chilly night’s air blowing through my soft raven hair. Nothing else mattered, my mind was blank. I could feel my soul and the forest interlacing and becoming one with every stride.

I felt Anna pushing forward, the pieces of my heart coming back together like a puzzle, when I felt her strength within me once more. The faster we ran, the more Anna itched for control. She was determined, eager to keep pushing forward. I begged her to stop when I caught sight of a river running downstream violently, its water bashing against rocks of all sizes. “Don’t worry Alexandra, I’ll always protect you,” she whispered and paused, “we’ll always protect you.”

Without warning, she pressed forward and leaped over the body of water, shifting mid air into her stunning silver wolf. When our paws thrust against the forest floor on the other side, a mouthwatering smell came over me. A smell I couldn’t quite place but still longed for, a smell that my wolf desperately needed too.

We kept running; dashing through the trees, aching for something out in the wilderness that was pulling us closer like a magnet. Our paws suddenly screeched against the forest floor. I looked up in disbelief to see the most magical waterfall that Anna had brought us to. I closed my eyes, feeling the warm mist from the water gently patter against my fur. The blissful sound of the water crashing, making me feel safe and secure.

The cracking of a twig caught my attention, pulling me out of my trance. “He’s… here…”, Anna cooed. I shot my head in the direction of the sound only to be met by the same bold, intimidating blue eyes that I had seen in my dreams before. The big black wolf was majestic, standing tall beside a big oak tree. He crouched down, stalking towards me ever so slowly. Panic began to rise in my chest, struggling to take hold of Anna, who was blinded by the beauty radiating from the big black wolf.

I mustered all of my strength and ran with haste, fighting Anna’s urge to reach out for the wolf. “Please, no,” she yelped, clawing for control as I picked up speed, zig zagging through the trees. My legs burned with anger, close to giving out under me when I was knocked off balance and pinned roughly against the forest floor within seconds.

The black wolf stared down at me, my body yearning for him. I fought to move, fought to feel any part of my body as I watched his canines slowly extend in his mouth. His eyes darted to the side of my neck, swirls of silver taking over as he pushed closer.

My body sprung up, my eyes wide and my chest gasping for air. My eyes bolted around, I was now sitting on a mattress in an unknown bedroom. It was nothing but a dream, I kept telling myself.

A middle aged woman with a perfectly slicked back bun rose from her chair across the room, “Welcome back,” she said as she adjusted her white coat. I could feel that she had a comforting and safe aura about her, but I was still unsure, shifting my weight to the edge of the mattress.

“It’s alright Lexi, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help you,” she said in a hushed tone, slowly etching towards me. I furrowed my brows in confusion, my mind racing at who Lexi was. When she finally got to the side of the mattress, she continued, “my name is Doctor Everly, I just want to check your vitals to make sure you’re alright, okay?” I nodded, keeping my eyes on her as she pulled off her stethoscope that was hung around her neck.

“This is going to be a little cold, but I promise I won’t hurt you,” she said softly, giving me a comforting smile. She huffed on a circular metal piece of the stethoscope and slowly reached out to place it on my chest. She nodded, “are you in any pain?”, she asked in a soft voice. I shook my head while I watched her now reach for a long rod in her pocket. “This will take a quick second, okay?”, she stated, pushing it under my tongue.

I noted the empathy that she was hiding in her eyes as she waited for the result on the thermometer. “Well done Lexi,” she said as she retrieved the thermometer from my mouth.

“W-where am I?”, I asked in a whisper, desperate for answers. My body quivered when the bedroom door swung open, revealing two familiar men.