Audrey screamed out of sleep. Her arms thrashing out to shove off an invisible beast.
Cold sweat covered her arms. The duvet beneath her clung to the back of her shirt. Tears brimmed the lashes of her eyes.
She sat up, releasing a shaky breath. Images of the beastly man lingered with her thoughts.
The monster of her night's comfort. Back in full force, made all the more vivid by the terrible twists of her life.
Somehow, it went even further to mess with her.
Entangling with the face of Deckard when he drove his sharp claws through the rabid werewolf. The death rage of his snarl when he smashed that tree into smithereens.
What would Deckard look like with Nickolas' lifeless body dumped at his feet?
Audrey shuddered.
Bile rose up her throat. She threw off the covers and rushed into the bathroom. She got to the sink in time to gag out whatever little food she'd managed to eat last night.
She'd abandoned dinner after Deckard's cold words and departure. Maybe sleep would do some good, she had thought.
But once on the bed she'd tossed and turned for hours, unable to settle. Sleep had barely claimed her when the nightmare took over.
Her chest burned. Her stomach churned. She knelt there, panting and sobbing at once.
She looked at the mirror. Gaunt and pale, her face stared back at her with puffy eyes. A lifeless face. Just like she felt inside.
She used water from the tap to rinse her mouth before splashing some on her face. Her wild hair could do with a wash.
Lifeless. Pathetic. To think only yesterday morning she'd been preparing to walk down the aisle to a beautiful marriage life.
The door of her room squeaked slightly as it opened.
Her heart sank further. She couldn't face any of them now. Not at her weakest like this.
"Audrey?"
She thought she heard wrong.
She rushed out of the bathroom, hoping beyond anything for the opposite.
Aunt Marissa stood just inside the room, her eyes scanning it with apprehension.
Audrey froze. This was the last person she expected to see.
"What are you doing here?"
Marissa seemed to had aged a decade since yesterday. Her eyes had dark circles under them. Her hair endured in a simple ribbon. She'd certainly not slept well, either.
She searched Audrey from head to foot, ensuring she was physically unharmed. She took a tentative step forward
"I heard about Nickolas."
Audrey's chest panged.
"How come? The pack is normally tight-lipped about their business."
Standing too long waned the rest of her strength. She settled on the foot of her bed.
Marissa joined her, sitting as close as she could without touching.
"His parents came over earlier. They're worried."
Audrey had worried about them, as well.
Richard and Wendy Lannister were both members of Frostone pack. It was safe to say they'd gotten news of the challenge almost immediately.
Despite Audrey's nature as a hollowborn, they'd been supportive of her relationship with their son from the beginning. They had embraced her with all the love they could offer a daughter.
His older brother and kid sister, one of Audrey's closest friends, had accepted her as part of the family even before Nickolas made his intentions known.
Moments with them had shown her what a large affectionate family felt like.
Audrey sighed.
"They hate me now."
Why won't they? Even Leslie, who not so subtly housed a crush on Nickolas, had blamed her for his spiral into madness. What more his family?
"Don't say that. They understand the laws of the pack. It's not your fault that…the Alphas chose you."
"It's not a choice they made. I'm not a choice. I'm their destiny. They wouldn't have wanted me if not because of the demands of fate. Nickolas chose me. I wanted to be with him too."
Marissa looked away.
"I can't say I understand the confusion you're passing through."
"Why? Because you're hollowborn and I'm not anymore?"
"No, that's not how—"
"Were you going to ever tell me of my true nature or was it something you planned to take to your grave?"
"Audrey!"
"I'm sorry for being dispassionate, aunt, but I'm yet to come to terms with what's going on. Only yesterday I was a carefree person marrying her love. Then the Alphas declared me as their mate which could only mean that I'm not as abnormal as I'd thought for over twenty years!"
Marissa drew closer to wrap her arms around her shaking shoulders. Despite how much tears she'd shed over the last couple of days, she seemed not to be running out.
Marissa too had to wipe her eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Audrey. You don't deserve any of this. Not after all you went through. I'd give anything to stop it but I can't."
"Why haven't I ever transformed? I should be able to tell if I'm a werewolf."
Marissa rubbed her arms.
"I don't know. You were declared unbound to a wolf spirit at birth. When you turned eighteen but still didn't find your wolf spirit, I assumed you were like me. My sister, your mother, and our parents were werewolves. It's rare but not strange. I thought it was an opportunity for you to have a free life not bound by the paranormal."
"Because of the way they died?"
Marissa nodded, her face filled with sadness.
"I'm sorry for not telling you. I thought I was protecting you. Now I know I could've chosen a better alternative."
Audrey hugged her back, feeling a lightness for the first time since the altar.
"You meant no harm."
They remained that way for a while, their minds entertaining speculations of what the future held.
Audrey's fears centered around one person.
"I can't let Nickolas fight them. I won't be able to live with my guilt if something bad happens to him tonight."
"It's out of your hands, Audrey. He knew what he was getting into when he made the challenge. All you can do is believe in him and hope for the best outcome."
"Deckard would not spare him."
His last words filtered through her mind.
"Are you sure? Not even for you?"
Audrey sighed. "Have you met him? He's the most…unnerving person I've ever seen."
She couldn't figure him out. His presence scratched against her consciousness like nails on tiles. His stare left her in shivers. Unnerving here meant a lot of things.
Aunt Marissa did not agree.
"You've only just met them. It's too early for you to be making conclusions."
Audrey was still skeptical. She'd pleaded with him last night. All she'd gotten for it was a threat and a fitful sleep. Deckard didn't come off as the merciful type.
But for Nickolas, she would try again. She had until nightfall to ensure his safety.
"I need to see him."
Marissa didn't need to ask who she meant.
"I doubt of they'll let you." She paused, choosing her next words. "You have to understand that what Nickolas has done is bad."
Audrey knew, but the sound of her aunt's voice told of more to it.
"Terribly bad?"
Marissa considered her with an apologetic look before replying.
"By challenging an active Alpha, Nickolas committed the ultimate act of treason. Unless he defeats Deckard tonight, he would be barnished from the pack and Frostone in general. No other pack can ever accept him."