Chapter 1

*Present time*

My body was aching, a dull throb that never seemed to go away no matter how many times I massaged and stretched. I suppose being cooped up for years in a singular room does that to you. Sharing bodies with a wolf didn't make anything easier; wolves are meant to run wild, and when you lock one up, the effects can be serious.

I rolled over on my cot, the chintzy material sagging after years of use. My stomach did indeed pang with hunger, but that was a normal occurrence. My wolf was just complaining about everyday things just to complain about them, although I couldn't really blame her. Wanting to be treated like royalty was her natural instinct as a dominant wolf.

I sighed, but didn't reject her idea. After all, this body was just as much hers as it was mine. We haven't been able to shift for years now, and every one in a while Echo has the urge to try again.

My wolf surged to the front, her presence almost overwhelming. My head pounded, trying to find a way to get rid of the growing energy. This is where we should have been able to shift, Echo's true form taking over, the release of her forceful power.

But we didn't. Our body remained as human as always, only now it felt more painful.

Echo apologized quietly, withdrawing from the front.

If I knew one thing about my wolf, it would be that she didn't ask for forgiveness often. Hearing her say that made me feel sad; it truly wasn't in her nature to bow down to someone.

I felt her circle around, trying to find a comfortable position.

I scoffed.

she agreed, a hint of amusement in her voice.

I stared at the plain white walls of my room, contemplating life as one does when they're being held against their will. Everything after Papa's death was a blur except for the vivid memory of my eighteenth birthday; the day when I first met Echo.

The day that changed life as I knew it.

Echo is a dominant wolf. That wouldn't have been a problem if I had been born as an alpha, or even a beta. Had I been one of those, Echo would've been celebrated. However, I am an omega, and my Alpha doesn't like it when an omega and the dominant trait mix.

Alpha Damon is a dominant beta, meaning he has the qualities of an alpha. But he's not a dominant alpha, so Damon's more of a 'watered down' version, if you will. Echo often calls him a 'fake Alpha' because of his genes.

Apparently he's so self conscious about that he got the urge to lock up one of his fellow pack members.

I had to explain to a confused Echo many times over when we had first been captured.

was Echo's reply, her lean form shaking with anger.

Over the years, Echo's muscles have been wasted away due to lack of good diet. I, too, also felt the long-term effects of malnutrition. Along with feeling weak and skinny, my heats have stopped coming. I suppose this was a blessing; heats were hard enough to deal with even when I took medication that reduced the symptoms. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to go through that alone-- or, I thought with a shudder-- being forced to go through it with Damon or Axel.

The door handle rattled, and I felt Echo immediately stand up in an aggressive and guarded position, her lips drawn up and ears pinned back.

Speak of the devil and he will appear.

Damon walked in, his presence filling the small room I was confined to.

"Hello, August," he leered.

"Damon," I said, my voice raspy from lack of use. I pushed myself off the cot, leaning back against the wall. In my head, Echo was snarling and baring her teeth, trying to take over. I gently pushed her back and she begrudgingly obliged, pacing back and forth.

The Alpha shut the door, locking it with a quiet click. His scent quickly filled the tiny room but had no effect on me; our wolves were both dominant and therefore our pheromones cancelled out one another.

"Did you have a good day?"

"Yes, I am simply ecstatic," I answered dully, my main focus on not letting Echo attempt to shift. I didn't blame her, though. When feeling threatened, wolves feel more at ease in their natural forms.

Echo growled, baring her canines.

She widened her stance, taking on an even more aggressive position.

Secretly, I agreed with her. If I could, I would gladly rip him, limb to limb, and watch the life drain from his eyes. As much as I wanted to, however, it's impossible right now. We were locked up just a week after my eighteenth birthday, meaning we have no battle training. Add that with a poor diet and zero muscle, our loss is guaranteed.

"I am saddened at your lack of interest in my life, pup," Damon said, running a hand through his short black hair. "I do wish you would warm up to me."

Echo hissed, her voice trembling with anger.

I reminded her, turning back to Damon.

"Don't call me pup," I said, disgust clear in my tone. "I'm-,"

"You don't even know how old you are," Damon cut me off, dropping his 'nice guy' façade. "For all you know, you could still be-,"

Echo surged forward, pure hatred radiating from her dark red pelt. The sudden change of pheromones shocked Damon, his face letting a flash of surprise slip through. Her energy build up, a pounding energy that made my head ache even more. I felt her try to shift, to challenge the Alpha with her own dominant power.

I wanted her to shift.

I wanted her to sink her fangs in Damon's throat.

I wanted her to kill the man in front of me in the most violent way she knows how.

I've never wanted something this bad in my entire life.

A hard blow to my stomach made me gag, causing Echo to lose her grasp on my mind. Tears pricked my eyes and I heaved, trying to keep what little food I had in my stomach.

"You should know better by now, pup," Damon said, grabbing my chin. He forced me to meet his gaze, his brown eyes glinting dangerously.

Not like Papa's brown eyes; his were warm, full of love. Damon's are hardened, envy-filled and hateful.

I grabbed his hand, hoping to pull his fingers off, but his grip was too tight. My breath began coming out in short gasps as he moved his hand to my throat. It was happening again; I knew what he would do next, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

One of his hands traveled down my body, his other remaining on my throat, a silent warning of how he can make things worse. Echo was now throwing herself around my mind, radiating fury and fear, fur bristling at her shoulders. But she didn't take over- I wouldn't let her experience this first hand.

I wanted to protect my only companion, even if that meant taking this for her.

Damon pushed me down so my stomach hit the cot, my face pressed into the material, neck fully exposed, as he liked it. To him, seeing my neck in a position of submission gave him confidence, told him that his dominant traits overrode his beta genes; even if the submission was forced.

I am proud to say that he has never gotten me aroused, not even once.

I heard Damon hiss in frustration and the quiet sound of a zipper being pulled down. Echo did, too, and she wasn't about to let him go that far. With a sudden thrust in my mind, she jumped to the front, shoving me back and taking control. She jerked our body out of Damon's now lose grip, turning over and landing a solid kick to his jaw as we did so.

was her chant, sounding more like a battle cry than a means of hope.

Echo's voice was feral, and from the way Damon was reacting, she was threatening him and his wolf through the pack link. Damon seemed surprised as usual; I don't know why.

Every time we fought, and every time we lost.

And every time we lost, I felt a bit more hollow inside.