Chapter One
The scent of sweat and fear stained the air, turning it sour and making her nose wrinkle with distaste. Faolan, the Alpha of the Tainted rebellion, stood on the platform. Her amber gaze glaring down at those who stared at her barely clothed body. Her pale skin practically glowed underneath the white faerie fire in the torches and the copper tones in her tawny hair shone brightening the angry flames that leaped in her eyes.
Pure-blooded men and a few women were clamoring around the platform, though she was covered in scrapes and bruises from her "capture," and mud streaked her body it did not take away from her feral beauty. She was not interested in any of these bidders though. Only one interested her, the Alpha of the Pure-bloods. However, he had yet to appear, perhaps he would not, but this was her only chance and if she wasn't bought by him this time she would kill her first buyer to bring his attention upon her.
Faolan watched the crowd with a snarl curving her lip, her wrists that were bound in front of her were making her feel imprisoned more than anything else did. The collar that she would soon be wearing would be worse she imagined. The sound of opening doors reverberated through the stone room.
Defiance in her gaze as she looked up, Faolan saw him. The great jaguar himself, Tiberius, Alpha of the Pure-bloods, strode in. The cat exuded confidence, like a thick cloud of fog, it rolled off him in waves and the crowd of Pure-bloods parted for him so quickly it was like he was moving them himself.
Faolan narrowed her eyes at him as he stared at her, and then wandered over to a different platform, and then several others. Inside her head she was wishing for him to come to her, to choose her. Which in all honesty was just screwed up, she shouldn't want to be a slave. But it was so important as part of her plot to overthrow the Pure-bloods.
His gaze flitted over the other Tainted for sale until they settled on another female a little ways away, she too had a fierce stance, but her eyes did not back it up. Tiberius climbed onto the platform and approached her, gripping her chin he stared into her eyes for a few moments. As soon as her gaze dropped his lip rose in disgust and he pushed her chin away from him, forcing her face downward.
Next his fierce blue gaze fell upon Faolan, gold met blue in a battle for dominance that neither stare would back down from. A slow smirk broke out on his face as he came closer with slow measured steps, his eyes never leaving Faolan's smoldering glare.
She never backed up and never glanced down. She showed no fear and that was exactly what she knew he was looking for. A predatory lick of his lips, and she knew she had ensnared him.
Suddenly, he was up against her, yanking her chin-length hair back and practically growling as he purred. He had claimed her, his eyes had started to shift and were half way between vertical pupils and round. His eyes snapped up, the beast inside coming forth in his excitement, and he bared his teeth when an attendant came over to move them both off the platform.
The Pure-blooded attendant lowered his gaze respectfully and spoke, "If you want her, Alpha, you must take her to the collar prep room."
He smirked down at her as he focused his now normal gaze back upon his prize who shuddered in his grasp, whether it was from pleasure or a need to control her, Faolan couldn't discern.
Tiberius's dangerous smirk grew, "Yes, I want her to bare my mark."
Faolan growled low in her throat but the threat was little with her hands bound in front of her and her hair twisted in his hand. He released her head, and she sighed in relief. She didn't like the pleasure she had found in having her hair pulled like that, and she definitely didn't like the strange feeling of submission she had felt toward her enemy.
He gripped the chains holding her wrists and pulled her behind him as he walked toward the stone room blocked off from the claiming room by a large curtain. Faolan was surprised that the attendant didn't ask for money. She wondered if he would be paid later or if the Alpha just got the pick of the litter for free.
Faolan followed behind, careful to keep up with his long strides so she wasn't dragged behind him. Tiberius was on a mission, or so it seemed by the way he moved. He moved quickly through the curtain and she snarled as the black velvet hit her in the face.
Behind the curtain, walls were lined with leather and chain collars, none bore the tags that would say both their name and their owner's, at least not yet. He glanced over all the collars, some of the leather ones bore studs or were different colors while the chains were different sizes and shapes.
Tiberius kept glancing back at her, as if assessing the way each one would look upon Faolan's neck. Eventually he chose an emerald green one that had the symbol of infinity on it for the golden studs. It made her tawny hair and the gold in her eyes stand out like beacons. Holding it up to her throat for a second he smiled and nodded before turning to the collar-smith.
"This will be the one, it will tell the world that she is mine," the way he said that last word caused a shiver to feather down Faolan's spine.
Tiberius handed the collar over and the smith went to work. Taking a small round, gold tag and carving her name and Tiberius's on it, on opposite sides.
He smiled as he saw her name, "Faolan, my little wolf."
As the smith handed the collar back to Tiberius he gripped it with a possessiveness that Faolan knew would be a problem. She leaned back and away from him as he tried to place the collar around her neck.
"I won't be yours, not ever," she growled, speaking for the first time.
He smirked so wide, his teeth glimmering, that she thought he would surely strike her and was just smirking to put her at ease.
Tiberius yanked her closer, using the chains around her wrists, "That's what they all say."
He placed the collar around her neck and engaged the locking buckle. Suddenly the buckle disappeared and the magic of the collar interacted with her body and the collar was a solid piece of leather. He was smiling, holding her close to him and tilting her chin back to stare at the slender curve of her neck, which now held the collar. Tiberius was stunned by how at home she looked in a collar, even with the stubborn set to her jaw.
Faolan snarled and pulled back, her muscles rippling as she trying to fight the pull against her wrists. She didn't like the way he looked at her, but she knew it was necessary, it was also necessary to fight against him to keep him interested.
Tiberius released her and Faolan stumbled because she was still leaning away from him. She fell back on her ass and let out a rush of air as she felt a strong ache ripple up her tailbone into her spine. She glared up from beneath her hair at him but within seconds he was pulling her up against him and inhaling her scent, checking for the scent of blood.
"Let's go," was all the cat said and called his guards over to him and off the four of them left, walking through the crowd as if it didn't exist.
She hurried to keep up with his long strides, he moved with such grace it was astounding to think he was in human form. Faolan stood at a short five foot four inches. Tiberius was much taller at what she guessed was six foot one inches. Making him much faster than her and much, much stronger; this automatic physical weakness she had compared to him annoyed her. Even though she was shorter than most of the males in her pack, the Tainteds tended to be on the shorter side save for when they were in their animal shape.
She glared coldly at his back, as she quickened her pace. In her opinion he should be slowing to meet her stride.
As they walked through the building where she had been taken after she had been captured, she was greeted with rows and rows of cells. Over half of them held a member of her pack. Faolan felt anger and frustration that her people had to suffer this. She hoped that this little venture into the seedy underbelly of the slave trade that the Pure Bloods had created would help her put a stop to this.
Otherwise... if she was found out... if he realized she was the Alpha of the Tainteds... Faolan was terrified of that happening; her pack would do anything to get her back. The Rebellion would lay its arms down to just secure her safety. The wolf wanted anything but that; there could always be another Alpha. But the pack was so loyal to her, and seeing the loyalty she had to it, it was just some vicious circle that would end with either the pack or her ending up dead if they were ever found out.
Lost in thought, Faolan nearly ran into the tall and lightly muscled frame of Tiberius as he stopped. He turned to look at her, a sly smile turning his pretty mouth upward; his deep blue eyes twinkled with a mischief that made Faolan nervous.
The wood door in front of them opened and the fresh air from outside poured in. Immediately Faolan's nostrils flared, she drank in the scent of the cool night greedily. Her inner wolf pounded against her brain, trying to reach forth and scent the air. But she realized she couldn't, that something was blocking her sense of smell from being able to notice the tiny nuances that would normally float toward her on the wind. She was confused; she could still smell the musky male scent and tiny unique scents of the guards and Tiberius. But now she couldn't smell the woods nearby, or the fresh smell of rain on the dirt in the nearby field.
With frustration she turned to the Alpha of the Pure Bloods and glared at him, waiting for an explanation.
With an infuriating smirk that made her want to rip his throat out of his screaming body, he said, "Ah, so you've noticed? Yes, your shape shifting powers and all the enhanced senses that comes with them will be dampened due to the magic in the collar. No shape shifting at all, or any heightened strength with an adrenaline rush or speed."
He said this thoughtfully, as if he were waiting to gauge her reaction. Faolan practically recoiled as if she had been struck physically by his words. She stared, with wide eyes at the door to the outside world and gently touched the collar at her throat. She could hear her wolf, but she was much fainter than before, and it was almost like losing part of her soul. This was not what she had been expecting.
Really, though, how could she be surprised at the fact that he wanted to take away her freedom completely and totally? She would have no friends, not even the one inside of her, nothing and no one to turn to. She would be trapped. This was just... words did not describe... _could_not describe the utter despair she felt, the pain in her physical being.
As he began to frown at her recoil she could see in his eyes that she was losing his interest. She chanted in her head, 'All for the pack, its all for the pack.'
With a silent breath, she swallowed down the pain that made her want to vomit, and snarled at him, "You're a coward! You don't have the balls to face me with my abilities so you force them on a leash. Well hears some news for you, kitty cat, I can take whatever you dish out. I wasn't afraid of you before, and I'm not now, I don't fear those who feel the need to enslave others and use the sacredness of a collar, which should be used only for mating purposes, as a way to keep others under their thumb."
She glared at him as she stalked passed him, she could barely scent (with her limited sense of smelling) his arousal and she could feel his smirk upon her back as he followed her and one of the guards once again moved in front of her.
A heart-stone stood outside the building she had just emerged from. She saw in the distance the vague outline of a city. The heart-stone was a huge stone inscribed with runes used by the Pure-bloods to travel in between places. It was friendlier toward the Earth and Her atmosphere than cars ever were.
The Pure-Bloods and Tainteds were gifted with the natural magic of being able to shift shape into a single animal form. But only the Pure-Bloods were able to use runic magic, a type of magic that used runes inscribed on an object and the caster's energy to make certain tasks possible. Some runes were fighting runes, some healing, and some merely made traveling from one place to another easier.
The Tainteds had gained no other type of magic from the Moon Goddess they worshipped. Yet they were still loyal to her, because every full moon cycle the females of the Tainted species could feel her power, giving them the ability to mate and have children no matter what. Faolan was positive that the Moon was just bidding her time, until she would gift them with something truly incredible, to help them win the war.
Until then they had to rebel as best as they could, without drawing too much attention to themselves.
Faolan walked with a purpose toward the heart-stone, even though she knew she had no idea what to do with it and couldn't use it by herself. She stood in front of it, trying to understand the sapphire blue runes that glowed inside the white marble. The Pure-Blooded children went through a lot of schooling to be able to understand and write the runes that were such an integral part of their world.
Walking up to the stone, Tiberius watched Faolan with those unearthly blue eyes and she shivered. She knew he was studying her every reaction, learning her to her core. Faolan touched the heart-stone, and even she could feel the pulsing warmth it radiated. As the guards approached they too touched the stone, and she could feel their hearts through the stone, through her fingertips.
Then as Tiberius touched the stone he moved a finger over a certain rune engraved in it and suddenly there was the sound of whipping wind all around them. Faolan felt herself pull apart and yet it was also like she was being smashed together at the same time. A bright blue light encompassed them and she was no longer in front of the stone building where she had been bought. Now she was in front of a large stone castle.
Faolan stumbled into Tiberius, all of a sudden very sick to her stomach and dizzy. He steadied her, his hands firm on her shoulders and suddenly the ill feeling was gone and she was looking up at him, with a growl she tried to pull away. He chuckled and pulled her closer, inhaling her scent, his nose burying it in the crook of her neck.
She shuddered, as he raised his head to whisper in her ear, "Welcome home, my little wolf."