Humanborn

Kiara felt her spine breaking, and tears fell down her face. The pain was something she was used to, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt like hell.

Every time she had been bitten, she had hoped that it would kill her. Somehow, it never had. The bones in her hips broke. She bit on the branch to keep from screaming, but it was almost impossible.

She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that there was nothing she could do to stop the pain. The bones in her arms, hands, fingers, and legs broke, and she let out a soul-crushing scream.

She couldn’t take it anymore. The pain was too much. She couldn’t move her body, and all she could do was scream. The “change error” was never long, because her body didn’t let the change happen.

But it was twice as painful as it was for a werewolf the first time it shifted.

Blake sat straight up in his bed. He looked all around him to see where the scream had come from. His breath was trembling, and he immediately thought about the girl.

Why couldn’t he get her out of his head?

Was the scream hers?

Did Dominic hurt her?

He shook his head and got up. Why did he feel this way?

Why did it feel like he had a connection with her?

He took off his shirt and walked outside, then took off his pants and boxers. “Okay, Callum. Let’s go.” He shifted into his wolf, Callum, and started running.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Callum yawned.

“No. I need to get her back. I need to know why that pack held her captive.”

Callum avoided a tree. “Just ask the question I know is in our head.” He jumped over a fallen tree.

“Why does she affect me? I can’t stop thinking about her. She’s human; she can’t be my mate. It’s never heard of.”

Callum avoided another tree. “Maybe she isn’t entirely human.” Callum yawned again.

“Don’t be ridiculous. If she wasn’t human, I would have sme—Wait!”

Mike ran toward the lake and looked around to see where she was. He heard a scream, and immediately, his chest started to ache. He let out a howl and ran toward the sound.

Kiara heard the howl and knew he was close. He couldn’t see her like this. If he did, he would know that she was different from a normal human. But what could she do?

She felt the bones in her body starting to heal. It was almost over. Please just let him stay away!

It didn’t take long for Mike to see her lying on the ground. He ran toward her. She opened her eyes and saw him running toward her.

Her spine popped back to its original place, and she could use her arms and legs again. The pain started to fade by the time he stood in front of her.

Kiara crawled backward, but her way was blocked by a tree. Even though the “change error” was done, she still couldn’t move like she should.

The only parts that she could use were her arms and legs, but not her hands, fingers, or feet.

“How the hell is she still human!?” He got no response. ~“Nic, are you there? How the hell isn’t she a feral!?”~ Still no response. ~“Nic?”~

“I—I don’t know…,” was all Dominic could say. He heard a wolf growling behind him and looked back. ~“Hi, Dean.”~

Dean was Zack’s wolf. A big golden wolf with blue eyes. He was large, but not as large as Mike. She looked at the two wolves, knowing that everything was about to start over.

The abusing.

The torturing.

“How the hell is she still a human!? We could hear her bones breaking at the pack house.”

“I don’t know. Not even Nic does. But she is not a normal human being. She can’t be.”

Mike looked at her and saw her flinch. “She is obviously afraid of wolves, but why? There’s so much we don’t know about her, and everything about her seems off.”

Dean walked forward and stopped next to Mike. “Hey, Mike, have you ever noticed her scent?” They looked at each other.

“I know. She doesn’t have one.”

Every creature in the world had a scent. A wolf could always pick up on one, and he would know what kind of creature he was dealing with, but she had none.

Not even a small, faded trace of a scent.

The suspense was killing her. She knew that they were talking to each other and that it was about her, but not knowing what they were saying was killing her.

“Go back to the pack. I’ll make sure to take her back,” Mike said.

Dean bowed his head and ran back the way he had come.

Mike focused on her. “Nic, I know you’re shocked. I am too, but—” He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence.

“I’m not shocked, Mike. I just don’t know what the hell she is, and that frustrates me.” Mike and Kiara looked at each other. ~“I’m not gonna find out anything while we’re a wolf, Mike. Turn.”~

Mike walked behind a tree and changed back into a human. Dominic grabbed a pair of pants that Dean had dropped off for him and put them on.

He walked out from behind the tree. She was mesmerized by the beautiful half-naked man who stood in front of her. She had to keep her mouth shut to keep from drooling.

“Like anything you see?”

She pulled herself out of the trance. “No, should I?” Dominic smirked and walked toward her.

He had a six-pack and beautiful, fair skin. His black hair was messy, and his hazel eyes looked worried but also stern. He crouched down next to her.

She wanted to move, but all she could move was her arms. Her legs had given out again, and the feeling in her hands was not yet back.

“How are you still human?” Dominic asked her.

She had two options.

One: she could tell him the truth and would likely be killed.

Two: she could keep her mouth shut and would likely be tortured until she told him everything.

She’d always wanted to be killed, but now, maybe she had a chance to be free to live with the humans someday.

Being tortured was something she was used to, and maybe they would keep her alive long enough for her to plan an escape. She had to try.

Kiara looked at him but said nothing. His eyes flashed orange, like the setting sun. There were lines of red in them, which made them look like they were on fire.

She froze in place, knowing immediately what they meant.

Most of the time, a werewolf’s eyes were the same whether they were human or wolf.

But when their emotions got too strong, they would change to their true color, the color that showed their rank in the pack.

“Y—you’re an alpha,” she whispered to herself, but she could tell that he heard her.

“Yes, I am, and you’re not just a human, are you?”

Kiara couldn’t say anything. She’d known he had to be someone high up in the pack, but she hadn’t expected him to be the alpha.

There were tears forming behind her eyes, and she looked down. She didn’t want him to think that she was weak, which would have been a lot easier if she could actually move.

“How are you still human?” Dominic asked. The same question. She still didn’t answer. She heard a low rumble and knew it was coming from Dominic. His wolf was getting frustrated.

Kiara looked at her hands and tried to move her fingers. Nothing.

She closed her eyes and focused on her feet. She tried to move them, and it worked. She focused on her hands and tried to move her fingers again.

“How are you still human?” he asked again. His voice sounded stern.

I’m not paying attention to him.

Move!

She commanded her fingers, and they listened. She opened her eyes and looked straight into his. “Fuck off,” she said. She grabbed a branch next to her and stabbed him in his shoulder.

Where she got the strength from was a mystery. He growled and fell back. With everything she had, she stood up and started running.

Her legs were still a little disobedient, and the rain didn’t help her either, but she had to. She had to get away from him.

She ran as if her life depended on it, which it did, but she wasn’t fast enough.

Dominic grabbed her by the arm and slammed her into a tree. Her whole body started to ache again, and she felt blood running down her face.

She fell to her knees and blinked until her vision wasn’t blurry anymore. Dominic grabbed her throat, pulled her up, and pushed her hard against the tree.

She looked at his shoulder and saw the wound closing. She grabbed his wrist and knew that this was it.

“Stop being so strong-willed and just answer my question!” he screamed at her. Still, she didn’t answer. He pulled her forward and slammed her for the third time against the tree.

The only thing she saw was the lake starting to blur.

“Spencer!” Callum mind-linked to Spencer, who ran outside at the same time Callum arrived back at the house. He shifted, and Blake walked toward Spencer.

Nudity was something every werewolf was used to. “What is it, Alpha?” Spencer asked.

Blake put on his pants that were on the ground. “Did you find a way to get her back!?”

Spencer shook his head. “No; there is no way we can get behind their borders.”

Blake growled, causing Spencer to step back a little. “We need to get her back.” Blake walked past Spencer.

“Alpha,” Spencer said. Blake turned around. “My bite must have done its job by now. There’s no way that she’s still alive.”

Blake walked over to Spencer. “She is. She doesn’t have a scent.” Spencer looked confused, but he knew Blake was right.

“She isn’t a human. She’s something else, and we need to find out what. I’m going to find out what. Get her back now!” Blake growled the last part, making Spencer bow his head.

Blake walked inside, followed by his beta, and every rogue bowed their head at the sight of them. “What did you find out about the pack?” Blake asked a rogue scout.

“Some wolves had gone there when we weren’t at the pack house,” the scout replied.

“They took some belongings, but we don’t know what. We didn’t find anything about the girl. No clothes, no belongings, nothing that indicates that she was even there.”

Blake’s eyes turned into a color like fire, like an alpha, and the rogue bowed his head. “There must be something there that can give us a lead!” he growled loudly.

Every rogue took a step back. Blake turned to Spencer. “Find her. Get her back, even if it’s the last thing you do! I need her back!” He growled again.

Spencer nodded his head and quickly backed away. Blake knew he was being harsh to his pack, but he needed her back. He had to get her back.

Dominic looked at Kiara at his feet. Her ginger-red hair was starting to become blood-red. He felt an ache through his body, and his eyes turned back to normal.

What aches?

He looked at his shoulder, which was healed completely, without a scar. He looked somewhat puzzled at Kiara. That can’t be…

He picked up her unconscious body and started to walk back to the pack house. He’d felt the same ache when she’d screamed out in pain, and now this.

“What are you, and why do you affect me?” he whispered to her, knowing that she couldn’t hear him.

“Did you have to treat her like that? She’s just a human!”

“No, she isn’t! She is something else, and I’m gonna find out what!”

“Listen to yourself! She could have died from the injuries you gave her when you slammed her against a freaking tree!” A woman’s voice.

“She stabbed me!” A man’s voice. A familiar voice.

“That gives you the right to almost kill a human!?” Not a familiar voice. Who is she?

“I don’t want to kill her!”

Dominic.

“Then what the hell were you thinking!?”

“I…”

“Stop screaming, the both of you! She’s lying here with two head injuries, and your standing screaming next to her bed is not going to help her recover!” Another woman.

Kiara slowly opened her eyes and saw a bright white light. Her vision was a blur.

“Just make sure she wakes up!” said Dominic.

Why the hell is he here!?

She turned her head a little and moaned from the pain. All the voices stopped talking, and she saw three shapes becoming clearer.

There were Dominic; a woman in a white coat, probably the pack doctor; and another, older woman, who looked at Kiara with a worried expression.

Who is she?

Kiara didn’t want to stay to find out. She leaned on her elbows to try and get up, but the pain in her head was too much.

“Lie back down, dear. You have two wounds on your head and probably a concussion. You need rest.” The doctor helped her lie back down. “I’m Dr. Rosa. But everyone just calls me Doc.”

Kiara gave her a little smile. She moved her hands to her stomach and realized she was still wearing the same clothes. Without knowing, she let out a sigh of relief.

“Doc, will you take Cora outside? I need to talk to the girl,” Dominic said. Kiara glanced at Dominic, whose eyes were normal again.

Cora looked sternly at him but obeyed. She and Doc walked out the door, and Kiara was alone with Dominic. Again…

“I’m sorry for hurting you,” he said. Her eyebrows rose. That was something she hadn’t expected.

“But you gave me no choice. I am going to find out what you are and why Blake tortured you. It’s up to you if that goes easily or painfully.”

Did he just threaten her?

“Rest now. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

She gathered all her strength to form a sentence. “I—”

Before she could even say what she wanted, he cut her off. “You can’t run again. I’ve made sure of that now.” He glanced to the end of her bed where a chain was locked around it.

She slowly removed her blanket and saw the other end around her ankle. “You seriously chained me to the bed?” she asked. He smirked, said nothing, and just walked away.

I’m going to kill him.