Alison’s POV
The air was still, and I could hear my own heartbeat pulsing in the silence. One week in Night Fang, and I was already feeling the weight of the walls around me. I’d barely left my room since Xander brought me here, hiding from his mother and her disapproving glances, the way she looked at me like I was the dirt on her pristine shoes. But I couldn’t stay locked up forever. If I was going to survive in this new world, I had to start facing it.
I stretched out in bed, feeling the silk sheets against my skin, so different from the scratchy, worn out naked foam I used back at Silver Moon. After a quick shower, I slipped on a dress Xander had bought for me… a soft, flowing piece that hugged me just enough to make me feel bold. I glanced in the mirror and asked Maya, What do you think?
“Not bad, though you might need sharper claws for the likes of this place,” she replied with a hint of sarcasm making me chuckle.
With a deep breath, I stepped into the hallway, letting my feet guide me through the winding corridors. I found my way to the library, a place I’d only ever dreamed about. Rows of books towered above me, the scent of old paper filling the air. I pulled out a random book and started flipping through it, letting the words pull me into another world.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and a shadow stretched across the floor. I turned to see Caitlyn standing there, her eyes blazing as they locked onto mine.
“Oh,” I greeted her, trying to keep my tone neutral. “Good morning.”
Her lips curled into a sneer. “Didn’t expect to find you here. A little too… intellectual for your dumb ass, isn’t it?”
The sting of her words cut deep, and I could feel my wolf stirring, urging me to stand my ground. My instincts told me to ignore her, to avoid trouble, but something inside me rebelled against that old habit.
“Actually, I thought I’d take the chance to broaden my horizons,” I replied, keeping my voice steady.
Caitlyn’s smile vanished. She stepped closer, too close, her voice a low hiss. “You must think you are some kind of special Pup, You’re no match for me, Alison. I don’t know what you think you are to Xander, but don’t be fooled. You’ll never be his Luna. That spot is mine, and I won’t let some slave turn up here in the name of Fate and take it from me. So why don’t you just run along back to whatever little hole you crawled out of?”
My fists clenched at my sides, but I held her gaze. “If I’m such a nobody like you claim, then why are you so threatened by me? I mean as amazing as you are, Xander still chose me!”
Her eyes flared, and she raised a hand to slap me. The movement was instinctual… I caught her wrist mid-air, surprising even myself.
“Don’t you,” I said, my voice a low growl, “ever try that again, with me.. Next time you do, this slave will make sure to break those pretty hands of yours.”
Caitlyn’s eyes went wide with fury, and she yanked her hand back just as the library door flew open. Xander strode in, his presence filling the room like a storm ready to break. Caitlyn’s face instantly twisted into a pathetic mask of innocence, and she stumbled back, falling to the floor in a dramatic display.
“Ouch!! Xander!” she whined, clutching her wrist as if I’d attacked her. “She… she attacked me! I only came here to welcome her, and she… she just started abusing me, saying I had no place here…”
Xander didn’t even look at her. Instead, he walked directly to me, his gaze filled with concern. “Ally, are you alright?”
The warmth in his voice made my chest tighten. I managed a nod. “Yes. I’m fine.”
Turning to Caitlyn, he let out a cold growl. “Now hear me real good because I’m only going to say this once. Stay the hell away from Alison. If I catch you harassing her again, not even my mother’s protectiveness over you will keep me from throwing you out of this castle for good. Do I make myself clear?”
Caitlyn’s face turned ashen, but she only resulted to biting her lip in an attempt to keep from lashing out at Xander. Xander extended a hand to me, and I took it, putting back the book in it’s original position, I let him lead me out of the library. As we walked down the corridor, I could still feel his fingers wrapped around mine, his grip firm, like he would never let go.
We walked in silence, the tension from the encounter still crackling in the air between us. I could sense him glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, as if checking to make sure I was really alright.
Finally, I broke the silence. “Thank you for that… for standing up for me.”
He gave a small nod, his jaw tight. “Caitlyn needs to understand her place. And so does my mother, for that matter.”
A chill crept into his voice when he mentioned his mother, and I glanced up at him, curious. I wanted to ask what he meant, but something told me that door was one he wasn’t ready to open yet.
“Are you going to be alright here?” he asked after a moment, his voice softer, almost hesitant.
I took a deep breath, my mind whirling with everything that had happened since I’d arrived. “Honestly? I don’t know. This place… it feels like a dream, but it also feels… fragile. Like it could fall apart at any moment.”
Xander’s hand tightened around mine, his gaze intense. “You belong here, Alison. Don’t let anyone make you doubt that.”
His words surprised me, sinking into my heart in a way I hadn’t expected. He seemed so sure, so determined, and for the first time, I felt a glimmer of hope that maybe.. just maybe… I could make a life here.
But even as that thought blossomed, the voice in the back of my mind whispered a warning. This was the Night Fang territory, a place known to be as treacherous as it was beautiful, and there were forces at play here I barely understood. Forces that, I was beginning to realize, wanted me gone.
Later that day, after Xander left to deal with pack business, I wandered the halls again, trying to familiarize myself with my surroundings. As I passed by a grand window overlooking the courtyard, I caught a glimpse of Caitlyn speaking with a few other pack members. She looked up, her gaze locking onto mine through the glass, and a slow, mocking smile spread across her face.
Something in that look sent a shiver down my spine. I could tell that Caitlyn wasn’t finished with me, not by a long shot. And Xander wouldn’t be able to protect me forever.
That evening, as I sat alone in my room, the feeling of unease grew. I’d been so grateful for this chance, so awed by the beauty of this place, that I’d almost forgotten where I was: deep in the heart of Night Fang, surrounded by wolves who would do anything to maintain their grip on power.
And right now, it seemed like the easiest way to keep that power was to get rid of me.
I leaned against the window, staring out into the night, my heart pounding with a mixture of fear and determination. This place was both a sanctuary and a prison, a beautiful facade hiding dangerous secrets. I couldn’t go back to the life I’d left behind, but I couldn’t let myself be destroyed by this new world, either.
No, I would stand my ground. I would survive, just as I always had. But I had to be careful. I had to be smart.
And most of all, I had to remember that in a place like this, trust could be deadly.
As the moon rose high over Night Fang, casting a silver glow across the castle, I made a silent promise to myself. I would make it here. I would find my place, no matter what.
But deep down, I knew that my troubles were only beginning.
Something was coming, something I couldn’t yet see. And it was only a matter of time before it arrived at my door.