Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

I hear Alpha Graham's footsteps walk back down the hallway as he leaves the dungeon. Ryan tightens his grip on my neck, extending his wolf claws, making me yelp.

As soon the door slams, Ryan releases my neck and kneels in front of me. His face is contorted with anger. His eyes flicker black as his wolf, Dagger, comes to the surface. He grabs my shoulders, shaking me roughly, "What the Hell did you do to make him so mad?"

Why isn't he beating me like he told Alpha Graham he would? I stiffen my whole body, avoiding eye contact with him. I'm shaking so badly, I can't even speak now. The thought of two people beating me regularly for the rest of my life...it just can't be real. Can it?

How can the Goddess allow this to happen? I want to die. That's not an exaggeration. That's not me being dramatic. Please, Goddess, don't let this happen. Just let me die.

I shake so badly that I fall to my knees. I start to sob hysterically and my brain shuts down from being able to think rationally.

Ryan grabs my chin and forces me to look at him in his cold gray eyes. He looks at me in horror for a moment, "Wh-what happened to your eyes?”

He moves his hands up from my chin to just below my eyes. It feels like his hands are trembling against my face.

"A-are you a hybrid or something?"

All I can manage is to shake my head no between sobs. As I shake my head, I feel him starting to press his thumbs against my lower eyelids obstructing my vision.

no no no, he's going to poke my eyes out. Holy crap, he saw the violet color. He was going to blind me. I place my hands on top of his trying to pull him away. I hear myself screaming, "NONONONOOOOO! STOP!! Don't take my eyes ouuutttt!

time is standing still because I'm in the middle of a traumatic situation. No, time is actually frozen. Well, frozen for everything except for me I should say. I can feel it

for a moment. I pull Ryan's hands away from my face easily. The look of anger combined with confusion is stuck on his face. Next to him, a fly is suspended in mid-air. The second hand on the clock has stopped on the wall behind him. Drips of water aren't finished falling, leaving umbrella-shaped splashes

hear me? Did she have mercy on me? Did she let me

it stopped, time starts again. Ryan starts screaming and pushes himself away from me.

down at my hands. They are normal again, not

tight, waiting for Ryan to

I will kill you," he says in my ear. Then he punches me in the

the hall, then out the door. I don't know how long I sit like this but

breath. He didn't hurt me? Surely he was coming back. I sniff the air but his scent is gone. I listened carefully but there were no sounds in other parts of the dungeon. I'm

loud, just in case the miracle I

to feel calmer. Okay Kas, focus. I need to make dinner for the pack or Alpha Graham will find me and murder me. I don't think it's an exaggeration, either. Even if I try to run away, either he or Ryan would find me before I could get off the territory. I think he really would kill me at this point. Speaking of which, it was only a matter of time before Ryan comes back to beat the

hall to wash up at the sink. I splash cold water on my face and look in the grungy mirror. Both of my eyes are pure violet now. The silver streaks are starting to take over my hair now. It isn't like an old person's hair. It

my room and get dressed in leggings and a t-shirt. I put on the baseball cap Diane gave me, pulling the brim low to hide my eyes. Throughout dinner, I receive murderous glares from Alpha Graham. I make sure to keep my eyes to the floor so Alpha Graham would avoid seeing the color. Ryan glares at me every chance he gets. After dinner, it takes longer than usual to stock pantries because whoever did it

myself. It's the last day of school. Well, for other people anyway, not me. You don't need an education to cook and stock pantries, Alpha Graham's words ring

"Hello!"