The Dying Wolf: The Familiar Empire Series

by Bailey, G.

  “Yeah. Liam’s family have a similar background to us, but their family was a royal house once, generations back. No one knows what happened, but his house is no longer a royal, more of an outsider,” he softly tells me. “Basically, we are no one in this world, but our blood and familiars make us something.”

  I disagree with that statement, but I know there is no point arguing with him. “Why did you three never tell me the truth?” I question as we come to a stop outside a yellow wooden door.

  His eyes seem to swamp me, luring me into his angry world. “Why tell nightmares to the person you want to know and keep in your life?”

  I look away as he lightly knocks the door. I hear the sound of several locks clicking open from the other side. “Because I would have embraced your nightmares without a second thought.”

  “Then I’m sorry, because we have a lot to tell you,” he replies. “And none of it is a fairy tale.”

  “I know you do, and I’m not going anywhere. I made my mind up a while back about whose side I am on,” I softly reply, still feeling a little hurt by all the information as the door swings open and a woman with aged curly red hair smiles at me. Her hair is held in a messy bun by pencils, I think, and wrinkles mar her pretty, freckle-covered complexion. She has on a simple blue, albeit tattered, dress that falls to her ankles, and a white apron is tied to her waist.

  “You must be Anastasia Noble, or Dawn, or Violeta. Which name do you prefer?” she asks, cutting right to the chase. I like this woman.

  “The one my parents chose for me. Noble,” I answer, and it makes her smile. “My friends call me Ana.”

  “Then you best come in, Ana. We all have a lot to discuss, it seems,” she says, holding the door open for me. I walk into the apartment, which is more homey and sweet than I expected it to be. Large plants fill the corners of the rectangle-shaped room, with three sofas which are a mixture of patchwork colours. Huge yellow rugs that look handmade cover the wooden floor, and a desk rests against the wall at the back, a lamp sitting on top of it. Behind me are three doors, and I turn around, feeling eyes on me. Liam stands in the frame of the last door, his eyes running up and down my body in a way that makes me blush.

  We kissed.

  He lied.

  And now I’ve kissed his two best friends.

  What exactly does that make us now?

  Liam’s curly blond hair is cut shorter, making the seductive lines and dimples on his face ever so much more noticeable, even from here. He fills out the dark green tee shirt he has on, and I feel in a trance as I make my eyes drift up to his own. The swirling bright green eyes I’ve always liked from the first moment I’ve seen them have a million emotions in them now.

  I’m clueless which emotion to face first.

  “Hi,” I lamely say, and my hand itches to wave at him. Don’t be more of a dork, Ana.

  “Come here,” he gruffly suggests, holding a hand out. My feet are moving before he even finishes the sentence, and the next thing I know, I’m in his arms, his scent and everything about Liam suffocating me in the best way.

  In the way I know I never want to let him go. No matter how much this city is full of secrets, no matter how much I want to run away.

  “Let the poor girl sit down. Ana must want a drink after such a long walk,” Liam’s mum chastises, but she has a smile on her lips when I break away from Liam. Mason is already sitting on one of the couches, looking tense.

  “I’d love anything to drink, Miss—”

  “Call me Dorothy,” she answers. “Is iced tea okay?”

  “Yes, thank you, Dorothy,” I answer as Liam guides me to the sofa, and I sit next to Mason with Liam on my other side.

  “Which one of you is going to start the story off?” I quietly ask. “And did you know who my parents were? Did you all lie to me the entire time as I told you my story?”

  “No,” Liam quickly answers, and a tad bit of relief fills me. “If we had any clue you were the daughter of Clive Dawn and Diana Violeta, we would have hidden you from your aunt and uncles. In fact, this entire shit show of a world you have just dived into.”

  “Bethany was the one that took me, and she acted so cold. Like I wasn’t her sister,” I whisper, nearly coughing on pain and hiding the tears that threaten to fall. “I’ve been so excited to see her all this time, and she hurt me. I don’t get it.”

  “Bethany is being brainwashed by your uncles, I’m sure of it,” Mason tells me, leaning back in his seat. “The Dawn are master manipulators. It’s the only reason they get away with so much without being challenged. The same can be said of your aunt.”

  Dorothy comes back in, settling a tray of iced tea in a jug and several full glasses on the coffee table before sitting down. The room drops into a tense silence as I drink some of the tea from the yellow mug. “Tell me why you three are working for the House of Dawn?”

  No one answers me for a moment before Liam talks first.

  “My older sister and her fiancé are held hostages of the House of Dawn for breaking one of the familiar laws of stealing,” Liam growls as I watch him become angrier than I’ve ever seen him. “They didn’t do it, and there is no proof, but your uncles don’t care about that. They made it plain and simple for me. Work for them and become family of the House of Dawn or they die. I agreed, and on the same day, my mum was stabbed. The medical bills were huge for saving her life, and that’s when your aunt stepped in. She paid for them, and in return, I was to work for her, doing anything she demanded.”

  “I’m sorry for what happened to your family,” I whisper to Liam, turning my gaze to Mason. “Tell me. No more secrets.”

  “I work for the House of Dawn and Violeta to make sure they don’t do to my family what they did to Liam’s. I got a letter with photos of my mum and sister, and that is enough. I know they will kill them if I ever betray them. We all have too much to lose,” he explains to me. “My little sister, Heldi, is only nine. My parents do work at high school, and they believe everything is okay. I want a normal life for them.”

  “I get the need to protect your family, and I’m not judging you for your choices that have gotten us all here. It’s messy, but whose life isn’t?” I ask, and both of them look relieved. Dorothy smiles at me before sipping her drink. “Any chance you guys know why we four have ancient familiars?” I ask. “Why were there wolves going missing in the town? Did you know who was doing it?”

  Liam and Mason look between each other, but surprisingly, it’s Dorothy who talks first. “The wolves, like many familiars here, are taken by the House of Dawn. They take what they want, when they want, and no one in their right mind would stand in the way of your extended family. There are no wolves left in the city, they took them all. We don’t know why.”

  “So they started taking them from the town and killing them?” I ask, furrowing my brow.

  “I doubt the plan was to kill them. We knew teams, like ours, were coming in, but we only cared about protecting you,” Mason answers.

  I sip the rest of my tea in silence before a nagging question escapes my lips. “What about who protects them? Our people?”

  “No one can protect anyone from your families. They are powerful beyond anything we can explain to you. They control the world, secretly, but nonetheless, it is theirs. The only one who could fight the two houses is each other, and right now they are fighting over you and your sisters,” Liam states.

  “Courtney wants me to choose a side, but she has Phoebe. The House of Dawn have Bethany...how can I choose?” I ask, putting my mug down.

  “Don’t,” Mason simply states. “Beside you have never belonged to either of them...you belong to us.”

  “Mason,” Liam warns, and he glares at him.

  “What? It’s true!” Mason snaps. “The second Ana walked into our lives, she belonged to us, and I don’t care if we have to burn the damn empire down to save her!”

  “Guys, stop,” I ask, my voice far too quiet for the moment. Everyone is silent for a long tim
e as I just process all this information that I’m not sure how to cope with.

  Mason is right, they are my family. I’ve known it for a long time, if not from the second we met.

  They’re my family.

  My liars.

  But most of all, they are simply mine.

  “Mason, will you come with me to the market? I need to get us some food, and I would prefer not to go alone,” Dorothy asks, and I don’t know how she knows I need a moment, but I am thankful for getting one.

  “Of course,” Mason answers, pausing in front of me. I gently slide my hand into his, but I don’t look up as he leans down, kissing the top of my head. “Ana.” He says my name like a whispered prayer that is only meant to be heard by us. I can’t reply as he leaves with Dorothy, and the small apartment seems that much smaller with just me and Liam. I stand up and walk to the window, then pull back the grey, white flower-covered curtains and look out at the city. The poor city, that much is clear. While Courtney and no doubt the rich live up in the trees of the mountain, the city down here is struggling to exist. I wonder if many people run away to the human world, or back home for people like me.

  Here they make deals with the devil, and their children are taken or far worse if they choose another evil.

  Dawn or Violeta.

  Funny how a few days ago, those words would have meant nothing to me. Now they control my life.

  “I am going to find out why my parents ran away and what happened. Then we are going to leave and run like they did. We are taking my sisters, your mum and Skye with us,” I firmly state, turning around and crossing my arms. “You are my family, my house and the only people I am loyal to. Blood doesn’t mean loyalty or love.”

  “Anastasia Noble, you have my support on our next mission,” Liam comments with a big smile, though his eyes are serious as he stands up off the sofa and walks to me. Each step closer makes my heart pound in my chest, makes my throat feel dry and palms sweaty.

  Liam doesn’t stop until our bodies are lined up, and he sinks one of his hands into my hair before gripping the back of my neck, arching my head to look up at him. I get lost in his eyes, completely lost in Liam.

  “Because you are mine. Our Anastasia, and we will never lie or keep secrets from you again. You run with us now, Ana. You run with your family.”

  His lips find mine as my heart beats fast from his words. In seconds my legs are wrapped around his waist as he presses me into the window, kissing me as if the world depends on it. I moan as he grinds into me and his hands find my ass, tugging me as close as he can. Pleasure courses through me until I can think of nothing but Liam stripping me of all my clothes and his own, and finally making me his.

  But that’s a lie.

  I’ve always been his...the problem is the fact I think I belong to his best friends too.

  * * *

  “Thank you for the dinner, and it was lovely meeting you,” I say as Dorothy hugs me goodbye, and her tiny beetle familiar peeps out from her hair bun. What is with familiars here hiding their animals in their hair?

  I chuckle at the thought of shoving Shadow into my hair and his horrified face. I would have more chance of hiding in his fur than him in my hair. Liam and Mason walk me and Skye down to the front door and to the edge of the forest. I feel Shadow in the treeline before I even look around and see him there.

  “Where are Hex and Silver?” I ask the guys.

  “In the woods here, trying not to freak people out,” Mason answers, tugging me into his arms. “But always failing as they are a little big and creepy.” He laughs and I join him.

  “Hey, Silver is beautiful,” Liam protests, squeezing my hand once before letting go.

  “Should I be jealous of a fox?” I ask.

  Liam grins before winking at me. “Always.”

  “I miss our cabin full of our familiars,” I whisper to them as Mason kisses the side of my forehead.

  “Me too. We will get back there.”

  “Ew, guys. We have to go!” Skye grabs my hand, pulling me towards the forest. The guys laugh as I hastily wave goodbye to them and follow Skye into the forest, tugging her to a stop. She turns around, letting my hand go and placing her hands on her hips with a bossy face I know all too well. “We will be late and then we will be caught.”

  “One, you have your brother’s bossy face. Two, I have a quicker way to travel back if you’re game?” I ask her.

  “What do you mean quicker?” she asks, scrunching up her pretty face.

  “Shadow,” I whisper his name, knowing he could hear me anywhere because it’s not my voice that calls him, it’s my soul. Shadow runs out of the trees a second later, and Skye smiles. Shadow doesn’t stop until he is seconds away from me and somehow he stops himself. I rest my forehead against his, enjoying the contact for a moment. “I know you guys haven’t formally met, so Skye, this is my familiar, Shadow. He wouldn’t hurt you; he is just scary looking at times. I see him as a big wolf teddy bear.”

  Skye peeps her head around my back, and she carefully steps to my side. I take her hand in mine, and she lets me rest her hand on Shadow’s neck before I let go.

  “He is super soft,” she comments, and Shadow huffs.

  “And we are going for a ride. Trust me, it’s fun, and Shadow is fast,” I say, and she eyes me suspiciously before thinking on it. After a moment, she nods in agreement and Shadow leans down. I get on his back first and offer Skye my hand. I can see she is nervous as she climbs on behind me and wraps her small arms around my waist, gripping my jacket tightly.

  “Alex is going to think you’re the bravest sister ever,” I say as Shadow stands up and I hear her gasp. “Take us back, Shadow.” I lean down, whispering to him. In seconds he runs off, and the wind whips past us.

  This is what being alive really feels like.

  Freedom. Pure freedom.

  My laugh echoes around the forest, and soon Skye’s sweet laugh follows mine. I can’t keep the smile from dropping from my lips when we get to the road, and the giant, modern castle of a house appears in front of us. Bright lights shine from the house, almost making it look inviting, but I know what it really is for me.

  Prison.

  And I’m going right back in without looking back.

  It’s the opposite of riding Shadow through the forest, being in that place.

  The opposite of freedom. This place is a trap, a prison, and one day soon I’m going to figure out how to escape it.

  “Thanks, Shadow. Meet you in our room?” I ask him as he leans down, and I get the sense he is agreeing with me as I help Skye off after me.

  “That was amazing!” Skye says with bright, flushed cheeks from the cold night air and the joy burning in her eyes.

  “One day we will be free, you know that?” I ask her, holding out my hand. She happily takes my hand as Shadow runs off into the forest, and I follow him with my eyes until I can’t see him anymore. I turn to look back at the castle, but I freeze, seeing him in the middle of two trees.

  His dark cloak almost blends in with the night.

  His presence gives me a blinding fear, and at the same time, I don’t want to run away. I want to run to him and find out who he is.

  He saved my life. My nameless stranger.

  “We need to go.” Skye tugs my hand, and I look away for a second, but when I look back, he is gone and the forest is empty once more.

  “Yes, we do,” I answer, letting Skye guide me through the forest and across the road. Sneaking back into the house is easy, and I hug Skye goodbye outside my room before opening the door. I almost scream when I see Courtney sitting on my bed, her arms crossed and her ridiculously long hair pooling over my sheets. In her lap rests a laptop, and she stands up.

  “I couldn’t find you,” she points out.

  “I went to explore my new home and got lost,” I lie.

  “Well, it is a big place,” she replies with a tight smile that screams bullshit. “Your mum and I used to love the attic. Your mother more so wh
en she got older.”

  “I will have to check it out then,” I say, my voice shaky. I’m desperate for any information on my mother, and Courtney knows it. She knows I will accept any knowledge about my mum, even from a snake’s mouth.

  “I have a laptop for you, and I made a connection with your old home. A bossy girl named Raine is waiting for you to FaceTime her back,” she informs me, leaving the laptop on my bed as she heads for the door. She stops right next to me, eyeing me up and down for a long moment. “You are the image of my mother, the same face, but everything else about you is your father.”

  “Where is she?” I quietly ask.

  “Dead. The House of George murdered my mother and father,” she coldly tells me and I hate that I can’t scream at her for talking about Alex’s family like that. “That is why their granddaughter lives in my house, under my command.”

  “It’s not her fault,” I spit out.

  I eye my aunt carefully, wondering if it was when my parents left that she became so cold and empty. I never want to be like her. “No, but it is her price to pay. The House of Violeta always gets revenge, and no one ever, ever gets away with betraying us.”

  “Not even my parents when they ran away?” I ask, and I see the fury bubbling behind her eyes. “Was that a betrayal to the House of Violeta?”

  She walks out of my room, shutting the door behind her, and the second it shuts, I finally breathe. Mum, dad, why did you run away? Why did you make her like this? Or was she always this way?

  Tears prick my eyes as I sit on my bed and open the laptop. It’s already set up so I only have to click the call button to ring Raine. Her face bursts onto the screen, and I smile.

  “The long-haired, bitchy woman said you’re okay, but I wanna hear it from you,” Raine commands. “If long-haired chick is there, blink twice, and I will come and save your ass.”

  “I’m about fifty percent okay,” I answer around a chuckle, and she laughs, shaking her head. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Me too. Turns out you are a city girl after all, which might be a good thing, considering half the town is gone and we have no money or people to rebuild it,” she sadly tells me, and my heart hurts for my true home.