Kayleigh finished having her fill of food and was escorted back to her room by Ralph.
After Ralph left, Kayleigh's happy expression vanished. She looked around her room, her eyes narrowing as she spoke to a voice in her mind. "Why did you do that?" she asked, her tone laced with annoyance.
"I was just helping," the voice replied, its tone neutral.
"Helping?" Kayleigh repeated, her voice rising. "Helping doesn't mean acting like a child in front of that evil man."
The voice sighed, its tone shifting from neutral to irritated. "I was just trying to make it easier for us to escape. You should have already known that Ralph wanted you to forget about your past by injecting you with that drug."
Kayleigh's eyes flashed with anger, but the voice continued before she could interrupt. "But I was able to neutralize it before it could reach your brain. And you should also know that you have an effect on Ralph."
The voice's tone shifted again, this time to a happy, almost excited tone. "I will take it as a sign that your mate has placed a permanent mark on you."
Kayleigh's face twisted in annoyance. "Shut up. I haven't seen my mate, and I don't need one."
The voice chuckled, its tone listing. "If you don't want a mate, I need him. After all, I'm a wolf, and I have to get my mate. And besides, by the age of eighteen, you will at least meet your mate, and you can't resist the mate bond."
Kayleigh's eyes rolled in frustration. "Don't be so happy. I can run from him if I want to."
The voice started to argue, but Kayleigh cut it off. "Keep quiet. Now is not the time to talk about mates. And by the way, how did I get the mate mark? I haven't seen him before."
The voice's tone turned serious. "You have seen him before, and you even played with him, but you can't remember. That's because it's your memories that have to go back to sleep now. I'm tired."
Kayleigh's face scrunched in confusion. "What do you mean my memories have to go back to sleep?"
But the voice was already gone, leaving Kayleigh with more questions than answers. She let out a deep sigh and went back to sleep, her mind whirling with thoughts of mates, memories, and the mysterious voice in her head.
The voice, of course, was her wolf, a constant companion that had been with her since the night her parents were killed. As a werewolf, Kayleigh was able to communicate with her wolf, but she had never been able to control it. The wolf seemed to have a mind of its own, and Kayleigh was starting to realize that it was more than just a simple companion.
In the dawn of time centuries ago, humans clashed with the formidable Kraelions, towering beings with razor-sharp horns and skin like dark, polished stone. The war raged on for centuries, with humans struggling to gain the upper hand.
Desperate for salvation, the human leaders sought the aid of a powerful deity. They performed an ancient ritual, calling upon the goddess of the moon, Selene. This time, their incantations were successful, and Selene descended upon the mortal realm.
Selene, moved by the humans' plight, decided to intervene. She chose to merge the humans with the noble wolves, creating a new, hybrid species. With her divine power, Selene wove the essence of the wolves into the fabric of human souls.
Thus, the first werewolves were born. They possessed the strength and ferocity of wolves, combined with the intelligence and adaptability of humans. The werewolves fought alongside their human brethren, turning the tide of the war against the Kraelions.
As time passed, Selene's creations evolved, and their bond with their wolf spirits deepened. They developed the ability to communicate with their wolf counterparts, forming a symbiotic relationship that granted them immense power and wisdom.
Selene's creation of the werewolves marked the beginning of a new era. She went on to create other shifter species, each with their unique abilities and strengths. And so, the shifters roamed the earth, forever changed by Selene's divine intervention. The wolves were werewolves, bats were vampires, cats were nekos and other animals were shifters.
Kayleigh's wolf had her true nature suppressed by a powerful force within her. However, when her wolf sensed danger, it broke through the barrier to take control.
The wolf, named Elisa, emerged the night Ralph attacked Kayleigh in the park. Elisa successfully countered the effects of the drag, a potent substance injected by Ralph's associate, Delta. Taking control of Kayleigh's body, Elisa mimicked the drag's effects, fooling Ralph and his associates.
When a wolf takes over its human host, the human's eye color changes to gold or another shade, while their physical body remains unchanged. Elisa's takeover was a temporary measure to protect Kayleigh, but it also hinted at a deeper connection between Kayleigh and her wolf.