The second I became consciously aware of the soft material beneath my palm, reality struck me like a bomb and I sprung up from my laying position, rapidly blinking my eyes open.

It took me some effort, but once I was able to get rid of the haziness in my vision, I warily scanned my surroundings.

I knew I wasn't in my room; at least it had objects available aside from my bed. This supposed bedroom had virtually nothing. The only window in the room was perched high on the wall behind me and was conveniently blocked horizontally with wooden planks, allowing only a few streams of sunlight to puncture through the little cracks.

This is definitely not my room.

Dismissing the fact that I was obviously barefoot, I swung my legs off the surprisingly soft bed and rose to my feet. The wooden floorboards felt cold and dusty under them but nevertheless, I proceeded to walk across it and towards the room door, hoping with all my heart that it wasn't locked.

I held the badly-looking doorknob and slowly twisted, my chest heaving in trepidation.

Click.

A relieved sigh made its way out of my mouth as I widened the door and stepped across the doorway. I didn't bother closing it behind me as I made my way cautiously along the corridor, eyeing the walls around me at the same time my ears were alert.

I also didn't bother sniffing the place in case of any incoming danger because the atmosphere damn near smelt like him.

It was like he was literally everywhere.

Slowly but surely, I stepped towards what appeared to be the back door which was positioned right at the end of the corridor. It seemingly beckoned to me to approach it in order to offer me freedom, but with that monster's scent still lingering strongly in the air, I didn't for a second fool myself into believing that my escape was going to be that easy.

But it won't be wrong and reckless to actually find out if maybe it would-

"Do not bother," a deep voice abruptly cut me off just as I was about to test my conscience on that fact with a right hand poised just above the doorknob. "It is a lost cause."

I took in a deep breath, calming the unsteady beating of my heart at the sound of his rough and unexpected bass voice. How the hell did I not hear him behind me?

"Why bother telling me then?" I questioned, hand still over the wooden knob. "You could've had fun watching me struggle."

Silence was my only response for a minute until he replied gruffly, "I am not Albus."

I would've found that hilariously funny if I wasn't worried about living at the moment.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused. His scent was all over the place, a scent that I could not easily mistake for someone or something else, so why was he saying something as insane as that?

Cautiously, I stepped away from the door and turned slowly to face him. But I wasn't prepared for the sight before me.

Albus looked...different. His intense grey eyes shone even brighter than ever in the sunlight and his facial features, which hadn't been distinct in the dark, were now defined so beautifully that I slightly doubted if that was the same demon who'd almost murdered me.

"I am not Albus," he repeated again, emphasizing on the 'not' as if that would prove that his statement actually made any sense.

"Albus prefers a worthless chase from a weak and helpless opponent." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I do not."

What the hell?

At seeing my bewildered expression, Albus - who had instantly become a stranger all over again - vaguely explained. "Albus is my wolf. We are not one person."

"Albus is your wolf," I deliberately repeated, trying to understand exactly what he was talking about. "You're not Albus?" I questioned suspiciously.

"No," he said. "Albus is my wolf, and he's been dominating my body for years, searching for his mate. We're not the same."

I stared at him blankly, processing each word spoken.

Albus is his wolf. They aren't the same person and in this very moment, the human side of him has apparently taken over.

Unsurprisingly, none of all he said made sense to me at all.

"Sit down." His voice snapped me back to the present, prompting me to focus on him instead. It was then that I realized that he was actually wearing clothes, covering his once naked figure from neck to toe.

It was a change, a change that I found somewhat appealing. The plain shirt he wore clung to his thick, heavy muscled chest and arm just as his shorts did to his powerful thighs. It always relieved me a bit when the males wore clothes, even though I was practically used to seeing them all naked since the time I'd lived with them even before I could walk.

Most of them had never bothered with the meaning of the word 'decency' and constantly kept showing up at my father's cabin naked, as they always showed up in their wolf forms before turning to human - either to watch over me or play with me - with little respect for innocent eyes. I had gotten used to it over the years, although it still creeped me out.

"So, you're going to keep me captive?" I asked, not moving an inch away from the closest exit. However, in return, he didn't answer. Just stared, as if assessing me carefully. "I want answers. And you are not leaving until I have gotten them."

"Well, guess what? I want answers too," I said truthfully, not taking my eyes off his. "However, I don't trust you."

"Neither do I." He pointed to a chair that was perched beside the wall. "Sit."

My gaze darted to the uncomfortable-looking chair before returning to match his stare, lifting my chin slightly as I refused to give away the shred of pride left in me. "I prefer to stand."

His piercing grey eyes didn't leave mine as he stated with no real concern, "This is going to be a long conversation."

"I don't care, as long as I understand what the hell is going on."

The once stranger grunted in response. He then leaned against the wall, his arms still crossed over his chest. "Tell me what you know about our werewolf history."

"Tell me why you're looking to kill my already dead grandmother," I retorted.

His eyes narrowed. "Either you talk willingly, or I force it out of you."

My lips thinned at the threat. I hated it when he used his compulsion on me. But more specifically, I hated not having control over my own body. "Fine."

Giving up standing by the door that I was now a hundred per cent sure was bolted, I too leaned against the wall behind me, releasing a pent-up breath. "I'll give you what you want, but I also get to have my questions answered too."

"This is not a compromise," he growled out. "Tell me what I want to hear before I decide to sedate your yearn for answers."

I glared at him. "Alright. But at least tell me your name, since you claim it not to be Albus."

There was a three-minute space of quietness from him, as if he was contemplating whether he should tell me the truth or not, before finally, he answered, "Kane."

"Kane," I said aloud before closing my eyes and resting my head against the wall. "How does me telling you what I know about our history got to do with you getting the answers you want?"

"In order to get my answers, I need to know if you know the true story behind our history and not the revised, gossiped version."

I still didn't understand how that would help, but I decided to keep my confusion to myself this time around.

"Truthfully, I only know what my father used to tell me when I was little." I shrugged before continuing, "How that hunter became a target for the wolves centuries ago, and that night he and his maid got transformed. The wolves he'd hunted for months lured him far from his usual hunting ground and prompted him to touch a shiny moonstone. Then that same minute the wolves attacked and bit him all over, turning him into one of them with the power of that crystal."

Cracking my eyes open, I regarded him with a small frown. "Is that what you wanted to know?"

Kane grunted. "It seems as if the rumours have managed to corrupt the real story."

My frown deepened. "So, what I've been told is a lie?"

"Yes." He shook his head again, as if he couldn't believe the false history I'd just told. "The wolves did not lure him. He found the moonstone on his own."

I raised an eyebrow. "You say he as if that hunter isn't you."

"It is not," Kane said as a matter of fact. "I am just another vessel."

My forehead wrinkled in due time my eyebrows scrunched. "Another vessel?"

He nodded briefly, watching me closely as if searching for something. "Albus and Alba are just spirits that were once trapped within the moonstone. When the hunter touched the moonstone, since he was male, Albus' spirit merged with his own before he took over, letting his mate free after he had gained total control of the hunter's body so they could be together again after centuries of entrapment."

The confusion swirling in my head grew. "But if he wanted to be with her so much then why is he now so bent on destroying her? He would've killed me if I hadn't proven my innocence. That was before my father corrupted his mind. What happened?" My voice raised slightly as my heartbeat subsequently followed in tow. "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal?" Kane repeated, his voice and face darkening all of a sudden after that statement. I immediately regretted bringing up whatever had caused the spirit werewolf to house such hatred for his mate when I saw red flash across Kane's pupils. His body then stiffened as a deep growl slightly shook his chest.

Naturally, my heart ceased thumping for a nanosecond as a jolt of fear struck me. I forced myself not to succumb to the unease and stood my ground, watching in silent horror as Albus gradually fought to take over.

"The big deal is that she betrayed me," he snarled, his voice emanating all the hate and anger he'd apparently thrived on for centuries. "And that betrayal led to your father being born."

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