Epsilon [Werewolf]

Chapter 14 (✓*)

To say my sleep was restless would be an understatement. Despite the plush mattress at my back and the silken covers that ran like rivers over my skin, I just could not seem to give in to the tug of the abyss. Every time I close me eyes, my heart would hammer and the urge to stare at the door would consume me. When I opened my eyes to do just that, the fear would leave me – somewhat. It would retreat into my bones, slumbering but alert for the threat that would come when I shut my eyes.

I glanced at the stack of worn texts on my nightstand. I'd found many of them at the library, each of them having some aspect that I could relate to information on a potential cure. Of course, there hadn't been a book titled – Finding The Cure for Dummies. No, such luck didn't exist for me. Instead, I'd had to settle for titles like Anomalies of the Wolven World and Rare Herbs and Plants.

I pushed my face into the pillow. I'd poured for hours through those texts. Now I had murky knowledge about some Great War that had taken place years ago, along with some select knowledge about plants I'd never heard of. Nothing about a potential cure, though.

Sighing, I fell back into the covers and, by some miracle, managed to get a few final hours of sleep. When a knock startled me awake, the birds were already trilling outside, the sounds of night long gone. Murmurs warbled in from the outside, along with sounds of the court stirring. Sunlight filtered through the windows and warmed my face. For a moment, I forgot my fear.

Then it hit me. Like a cold wave, it washed over my body and left me in a state of dread. I looked around me, towards the silk covers and lavish decorations. This was real. Werewolves were real, and I was in a court full of them.

I shivered as I found my feet, the icy cold of the floors seeping into my soles. Part of me dreaded answering the door, but I knew better than to ignore a werewolf. In haste, I rushed to the door and opened it.

I wasn't sure who I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't another girl, looking as startled as I felt. Though she was a tad shorter than me and looked a bit younger, her looks certainly out-did mine. Her golden-blonde hair was pleated in luscious curls, gleaming like strands of sunlight. Her tanned skin glowed despite the lack of light in the hallway. Her bright emerald-green eyes looked at me cautiously, golden flecks sparkling within them.

It occurred to me how meager I must've looked compared to her, and my cheeks burned. I'd noticed that every werewolf looked as though they could've been ripped from a modeling magazine. They all had perfect features and a certain glow about them, one that would make anyone do a double-take.

I was the glaring exception. It made sense why they'd felt sure in taunting me yesterday. Back in the human world, I wasn't that bad-looking -- average at worst. Here, however, I was far below their average. With my brittle black hair and dark-slate eyes that looked about as bright as the inside of a tomb, I was perhaps the dullest person here. And that was excluding all my other human imperfections. Here, I stood out, and not in a good way.

The girl looked me over again. It occurred to me she wasn't regrading me with hatred or distaste like the others. In fact, she just looked more frightened if anything.

"I'm Raina, your guide," she mumbled. It was then that I noticed her forest-green Pelta, symbolizing her rank as an Omega. Ah, I'd forgotten Azriel was going to send me an escort. It also occurred to me that I was severely underprepared.

"Sorry," I stammered. "I woke up late. Would you mind giving me five minutes?"

Raina nodded, looking slightly bemused. Slowly, I closed the door, cautious not to make it seem like I was slamming it in her face. With clumsy feet, I hurtled towards the closet and wrenched it open.