Thoughts

Audra

My thoughts spun like a whirlwind, colliding and unraveling all at once. The white-speckled wolf and Malik—were they really the same? Could a wolf be a man? A man be a wolf? Everything I thought I knew about the world had already been shattered. Magic existed—undeniably, inexplicably, surging from me in moments I couldn't control. So if magic was real, then what else? Werewolves? Vampires? Goblins? The lines between fantasy and reality had blurred beyond recognition. Ipulled my knees to my chest, my mind tangled in questions, when the familiar creak of the door snapped me back to the present. Sylvin entered, his usual smirk absent, replaced by something closer to pity. He knelt beside the bars of my cell, sighing. "You really pissed him off, you know," he said, his voice laced with something almost like amusement. I shrugged, feigning indifference. "With the drugs you were giving me, that was the only time my thoughts and feelings were on the same page. So, of course, I took the chance." Sylvin huffed a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "Well, you blew it. Now you're stuck down here." He sat back against the bars, stretching out his legs. I hesitated before asking, "How… how is he?" He clicked his tongue, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips. "Your little prince did quite a number on him. Three broken ribs, a punctured lung, and he's missing chunks of his shoulder and upper body. It's hard to say who won that fight." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Malik nearly killed him—would've finished the job if I hadn't stepped in. But we got you, so I guess we won that part." My stomach twisted. Malik had fought for me. Bled for me. And yet, I was still here. Sylvin studied my face. "Did you want to see him?" I hesitated before nodding. He opened my cell, securing iron cuffs around my wrists and attaching a heavy chain. "Sorry, precautionary," he muttered. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah." He led me through the cold, winding corridors of Luna's lab until we reached the infirmary. The sterile scent of antiseptic filled the air. And there he was. Acheron sat upright on the hospital bed, his long silver-white hair draped over his left shoulder, exposing the thick bandages wrapped around the other. His piercing blue eyes flickered toward me the second he heard the chains. His expression hardened.

"Sylvin, she is being punished," Acheron said, his tone icy. "No unauthorized visits." "Acheron," Sylvin countered, arms crossed. "She wanted to see how you were doing." A flicker of surprise crossed Acheron's face, gone as quickly as it came. His lips curled into a sharp smirk. "Well, she sees that I am fine. Take her back." He stood, rolling his shoulders, wincing slightly but hiding it well. His imposing frame loomed over us, every inch of him radiating control. Sylvin sighed, nodding. He turned, guiding me back toward the cells. I hesitated. "Sylvin?" "Yeah?" He hummed his reply. "Why does Acheron call me 'princess'?" I asked, frowning. "He mostly uses it when he's mad at me." Sylvin stopped in his tracks, staring at me as if I had just asked why the sky was blue. Then, to my surprise, he laughed. "Man, you really are ignorant to the world," he snickered, shaking his head. I narrowed my eyes. "That doesn't answer my question." "I'll tell you later," he said, still grinning. "For now, get some rest. Luna will come for your check-up soon." He removed the cuffs and locked me back in my cell. I lay down on the cot, closing my eyes, but sleep refused to come. My thoughts spiraled back to Malik. Before, when I thought he was just a curious wolf, I had felt… safe. But knowing now that it had been him all along—the wolf I had met at the waterfall, the one who saved me from death, the one who haunted my dreams—it unsettled me. The more I thought about it, the more obvious it became. It was almost… stalker-ish. But at the same time, he had never given up looking for me. I could still see the relief in his eyes when he found me in the forest. I didn't know how I felt. My rational mind told me to stay away. But my heart? My heart told me to let him in.

Later That Night

I had finally dozed off when Luna's soft voice stirred me. "Audra, it's time to get up now." I blinked, meeting her gaze. Her eyes carried the same sadness I felt in my own. "Don't worry," she whispered. "The sadness will go away soon." A hollow promise. She unlocked the cell, not bothering with cuffs this time, and led me upstairs to a familiar room—the one where I had laid dead. I sat in a chair as she checked my vitals, her pen scratching against the clipboard. "Audra, this isn't good," she murmured, frowning. "Since your death, you've lost almost twenty pounds. That was only three weeks ago." She jotted something down. "What were you eating in the forest?" I shrugged. "Whatever I could find in dumpsters when I passed through a town. Otherwise, nothing." Luna clicked her pen, shaking her head. "You weigh about 110 pounds right now. You need to be around 130 to 140 to be healthy again. I'm putting you on a weight gain diet—three full meals a day, two nutrient-packed snacks. None of that two-meal-a-day bullshit Acheron had you on." I nodded absently. Her expression softened for a moment. "Now, for the not-so-fun part." She pulled out a syringe. My breath hitched. My muscles locked. The last time she stuck a needle in me— Luna noticed my tension. "I won't lie to you," she said quietly. "This won't help you. But it won't make your power spiral out of control again, either. In a way…" She hesitated. "It'll make you more compliant." I barely had time to react before she pressed the needle into my arm. A cold numbness seeped through me. I barely registered being led back to my cell.

One Week Later

The shackles were gone now. I could walk freely, though Sylvin or Acheron had to be with me at all times. Every day, Luna pumped me full of drugs, and I drifted further into compliance. My thoughts were sluggish, my emotions dulled. It was almost funny—how my mind had become as empty as an orange cat's, those dim-witted creatures people loved to joke about. I laughed at the thought. Sylvin shot me a sharp glance. "Audra?" I blinked, sluggishly turning my head to him. "Acheron asked you a question," he said, worry slipping into his voice. I furrowed my brows, nodding slowly. "Acheron, I think Luna gave her too much today," Sylvin muttered. "She's barely coherent." Acheron, who had been watching me with amusement, smirked. "No, I think she used just enough." Sylvin scowled. "She's useless like this." Acheron's amusement faded. He set down his fork and stood. "You're right. I'll have Luna lower the dose." Before I could react, he scooped me up, cradling me effortlessly in his arms. I giggled, my limbs weightless, my mind foggy. Acheron rolled his eyes, but there was something—just for a flicker of a second—almost soft in his expression. With a snap of his fingers, a portal opened. He carried me through it into his bedroom and tossed me onto the bed. I bounced, giggling. "Go to sleep, Audra," he said, his voice holding an edge of finality. "And pray that medicine wears off by morning." He left, and darkness pulled me under. But my dreams offered no escape. I relived that night—the desperate run, Malik's arrival, the hope in his eyes, the way it all fell apart in an instant. I had been so close to freedom. And then, just like that, I was stolen away again.