The Last Spirit Wolf (Elena Norwood)

-Vera-

The next morning, I wake up at the crack of dawn and Noah is already gone. There's a note on my nightstand, *Vera*NôvelDrama.Org copyrighted © content.

*What's mine is yours, please feel free to anything you'd like. I'll see you later.*

I take my time to shower, letting the warm water ease my troubled mind. Despite how much I keep trying to make it make sense, the King's actions still don't sit right with me.

I wash my hair, reveling on the scalp massage. The shampoo Noah has smells like peppermint, it helps me relax. I take my time in scrubbing my body too, washing away all the dirt from the past couple of days. Once I'm done, I towel myself dry. I look in the mirror and at least I look well rested now. The dark circles under my eyes have faded and my eyes are back to looking normal; light, light green. There's a knock on the door, It's Lucas.

I open the door and he's wearing a big smile.

"Hi Vera, good morning."

"Good morning, Lucas." I return his smile, it's quite infectious.

"Ok," he says as I close the door, "you already know your way to the kitchen, we'll be making our way there for breakfast a little later."

"Why are we avoiding the other lycans?" I was wondering the same thing last night but I thought perhaps he was just being polite and letting me rest; today it's a little more evident.

He hesitates, his smile falling. I keep looking at him patiently. I don't need things sugar coated for me.

"Noah told me not to tell you anything, so don't tell him I told you."

He hesitates again.

"You can trust me, Lucas. It'll be our little secret." I wink at him.

He eases up a bit, but his smile doesn't return.

"You're an unmarked female, Vera. I don't feel comfortable taking you to where other male lycans are, they don't respect me like they do Noah."

"But I have a fated mate, isn't that enough for them to stay away."

"That only happens with wolves, from what I gathered. Unmated lycans don't care if you have a fated mate or not. That's why Noah has instructed us to escort you every time you want to go out of your room." We keep walking in silence, why wouldn't Noah want me to know this? It seems like crucial information.

We make it to the common area, filled with games, a giant T.V and several pool tables. It's empty. As Lucas informs me, this area is usually used at night when they aren't working or training.

Next, he takes me to an outside patio. It has no trees, no flowers, no vegetation at all. It only has a big but dull fountain, and several concrete statues that give it a creepy feeling. It seems as cold as the rest of the castle.

"I can take you to the gym and other training areas later on when it's unoccupied, I know you like to run. Just remember to let us know when you want to use it."

His words confirm what I have been feeling. I'm in a prison. I can't move freely about, and I can't move at all without a chaperone.

"Thank you for showing me around Lucas. I really appreciate it but... is there like... a library here? Or a place where lycans don't usually go?"

He stays silent for a while, thinking.

"You know, I do think there is a library here. I've never been but I think that's clear indication that nobody usually goes there. Come, I can show you after we eat something."

We venture into the kitchen and dining hall; it is indeed empty except for a couple of females that eye us curiously when we sit. These are the first females I have seen since we got here.

"I didn't realize there were more females here."

"Oh yeah," he tells me as we start eating, "many lycans are mated. Some females are also lycan. others are humans. They usually keep to themselves. I'll introduce you to a couple that are mated to our friends." "Friends? There are more other than you and Eli?"

"Yes, of course."

By this point we are done eating and I remind Lucas that he still has to show me the one and only place in this entire castle that I care about, the library.

We walk for about ten minutes, across many halls, many rooms, stair case after stair case, until we are on one of the top floors, with a clearer view of the snow-covered mountains outside.

When we arrive to the doors leading to the library, I can tell this place isn't visited very often. There is a musty air to the air and thick layers of dust.

When Lucas opens the door, my heart nearly stops.

The two doors reveal inside a massive library, unlike anything I have ever seen. Impressive ceiling high book shelves, with thousands, no... millions of books... line the entire space. I step inside, reveling in the discovery of a place where I wouldn't feel like a prisoner, until from the corner of my eye I see a figure moving.

"Who dares enter my sanctuary?"

The figure is moving closer and closer to us, Lucas automatically coming in between it and myself to protect me.

As it approaches and I can better appreciate it, I gasp.

Is that a Council Member robe?