~YULIA
Dancing was my art.
"Yulia? You're up next," a man called. He was the host of the show at the club where I worked.
My wolf shifted slightly with nervousness. Yet dancing was the only thing that was mine and could never be taken away from me. It was embedded in my heart— in my soul.
As I made my way through the corridor that led out to the stage, I suddenly bumped into someone who had appeared from another corridor.
"My goddess! Watch where you're go—" I stopped halfway when I looked up and saw a silver haired man who had the bluest of eyes.
My mouth dropped instantly and I lost my words. My wolf came alive and became excited for a reason I could not explain.
His scent reminded me of the first drops of rain on the driest of lands. It was beyond refreshing
"I'm sorry," he whispered before disappearing down the corridor.
I stared after him in awe. Everything about him screamed at me and lured me in. I wanted to run after him. I wanted to feel him and would have stayed there— staring hopelessly at him, had it not been for the sound of the crowd cheering me, hungry for my performance.
I hurried to the stage and the moment the music began, I leapt in the air and began to twirl both my body and my black ribbons to the rhythm of the music.
The crowd roared with excitement.
My long and dark hair kept hitting my body, eager to move like the rest of me. I had chosen a black catsuit that had only one sleeve as well as one leg.
I had been blessed with flexibility since childhood and it was my pride to tell tales by dancing them.
Yet, as I danced, I caught sight of three strange men who looked and felt exactly like the man whom I had bumped into earlier. They possessed the same silver hair that made them stand out from the rest of the crowd. But as fast as I saw them, they disappeared as if they never existed and I asked myself if I had not imagined their existence from the start.
Eventually, the music came to an end and I bowed before my audience.
"You always leave us wanting more!" A man screamed.
"Marry me!" Another yelled.
"Let me take you home and give you all the riches in the world!" A third man offered.
As if that was what was needed to break the straw, they all started throwing their offers at me. I only shook my head in response and made it backstage. My boss, the owner of the club, was already waiting by my dressing table.
"Good job, Yulia," he whispered in a sly voice while roaming his eyes over my body.
My wolf shifted within me at the unwanted attention. I balled my hands into fists and swallowed hard to control my anger.
"Thanks, Gerald," I whispered. Then I placed my right palm out. "My money," I stated with all the attitude that I could muster up at that point.
Gerald smiled. He was a man old enough to be my father. Perhaps, he was somewhere around his late forties. Yet he possessed a strong build. It was expected of him since this was the only way that he could govern his club.
"You know that I can pay you more if you agree to satisfy my customers sexually. You'll make a lot of money because you're in high demand," he revealed as he brought his fingers to graze my cheek.
I flinched away and sent him a stern glare as my wolf twisted with disgust. He had succeeded in pissing me off real bad and there was no stopping what I would do to him if he made another move.
"My money," I stated firmly.
Gerald only chuckled and lifted his hands in the air to show that he was surrendering. "Fine, there's no need to be feisty about it, Yulia," he said and dumped a small bag of coins on my open palm.
I instantly picked out my brown furry coat and threw it over my shoulders. Then I tucked my coins in my pocket.
"Thanks," I stated.
"Whenever you change your mind, I'll be here," he offered.
"That time will never come," I retorted firmly and began to storm out of the large room.
"Yulia!" Gerald called.
There was an urgency in his voice which made my heart skip. I turned to face him and saw his eyes moisten for a split second before he blinked it away.
"Be careful," he called.
I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously before stepping out the exit back door. This was usually my escape after a dance. The last time I tried to use the main door, I had the men going after me and it ended up in a fight.
The only reason why Gerald didn't kick me out was because he needed me.
I sighed and stepped into the outside world. The moon was the only source of light in the alley. I hugged myself due to the cold chill despite my coat.
My wolf shifted again as if to warn me of a danger lurking in the darkness. There was something off about this night. I looked up at the moon to see that it was nearly full.
I pushed the negative thoughts away and focused on getting off this part of town. My mother was probably worried sick, waiting for me.
It was when I left the majority of the buildings behind that I felt as if someone was watching me. I threw a glance behind me but I found no one.
"I need to get out of here," I muttered to myself.
I was about to break into a run when a man suddenly stepped into my path, out of the blue, dressed in an all black outfit— just like a bounty hunter. I stopped instantly and glared back at him with wide eyes.
He slowly pulled his hood off and my heart sank to the pit of my stomach. "Tharus," I whispered in a shaky voice.
"Dimitri sends his wishes," he announced in a deep baritone voice.
Ugly memories of Dimitri flushed into my mind and I began to tremble instantly. "Oh hell no! There's no way I'm going back to him!" I screamed.
Then I turned instantly to run when I bumped into three men. I flinched and tried to get away when they grabbed me.
"Tie her up and throw her into our wagon. Dimitri is going to be so proud of me," Tharus announced.
My wolf came alive as I refused to give up without a fight. "Let go of me, you assholes!" I screamed. "Release me!"
I began to thrash against their hold. I succeeded in hitting the man before me at his member and bit the one holding me.
This was my chance to make a run for it. My entire life depended on it.
So I took it and began to run. But I did not make it three steps away. Tharus immediately appeared before my vision and grabbed me by the neck.
"You made this chase very difficult. I was humiliated because I could not find you. Now that I have, you think I'm just going to let you escape?" He demanded in my face. "You must be mad!"
My wolf jumped and my initial tremors intensified. Tears began to flow out of my eyes and it only made me angrier because it made me feel weak even after I said I was never going to be a weakling again.
"Let. Me. Go!" I yelled and tried to hit him as I had done to the other men but he whacked me hard in the head.
My body went limp instantly and I dropped to the floor. The subconscious world started beckoning me over and I found it hard to resist even if the fight in me was not yet over.
Tharus bent over my head and wore the creepiest smile. "Fear not, by the time you wake up, you'll be on your way back to Dimitri. . ." He whispered.
My heart broke into a thousand pieces as my world finally went black.
