Chapter 1 - Awakening

Ava's Perspective

My first sensation was coldness. A breeze so strong I felt as though it would numb me. I fumbled with my eyelids and had to immediately close them. My eyes were nearly blind from the intense cold that had entered them. I clenched and unclenched my jaw till my teeth trembled inside my mouth. My body trembled, trying to maintain its warmth. I could only groan; I was in excruciating pain. I could feel the agony shooting up my throat. My skin seemed to have evaporated, leaving me naked and covered only with blood and bones.

Get me out of here, please, I thought, but I really wanted to scream!

I started to realize where I was as time went on. I was within a substantial, glass-covered box. I could not see anything, not even when I ventured to open my eyes for a brief moment. There was thick, gray smoke within, making it nearly hard to see through the glass. Despite feeling like I was getting closer to death with every minute that went by, I never got acclimated to the cold.

At last the cold started to get better. The chilly vapor rose up and out of the glass box. Though I felt warm inside, I could not stop shivering. After the glass completely opened and the majority of the smoke dissipated, I was able to discern the room I was in.

A lab, identical to the one I was in, with dozens of boxes and big computer screens. I felt as though I had entered a new realm because of the huge glass walls of this futuristic-looking space. Something startled me, causing me to sit up. Flashbacks of my life started to fill my mind with memories. I closed my eyes just as my father's vision appeared.

Outraged, he exclaimed, "You can't have her, you dirty wolves!" Being a little and lean man, he had aged years before his recollection. I could feel his arms encircling me and pushing me away. I recall being quite afraid. What will they do with me? was all I could think to myself.

"Please, Dad, don't let them take me!" I cried frantically.

However, we couldn't compete with the men's group. I recalled that each of them had a thick black tattoo, a tribal design that started at their forearm and extended to the lick spirals on their breast and neck. The noises of my father's utterly depressing anguish had been the constant throughout everything I could recall while they held him down and ripped me away.

The voice said, "Oh my lord, I can't believe it," but this time it was a new man, speaking in real life rather than a recollection. I whirled around, staring with terror at the towering man who was looming to my right.

He says, "How is this even possible?" I remained silent.

He moved in closer and closer till his palms lifted and he clasped my cheeks. He exhaled heavily and I felt his fingertip move across my lower lip "You look amazing. Perhaps the most exquisite doll ever created."

His menacing touch made me shrink. My body remained chilly. Glancing down, I saw that I was absolutely nude. He continued to stare as if he was astonished even though I reached up to conceal my breasts. It seemed as though the seconds had stretched into minutes as his gaze scanned my entire body. I hoped I had something, anything, to hide who I was, that I could just vanish. My lower abdomen and chest were concealed by my long black hair. I leaned down and looked down at my thighs. It seemed as though my vulnerability turned on the tall and built man, who seemed to find pleasure in my discomfort. I was unable to look him in the eye, but I couldn't help but wonder if he belonged to the group of wolf-men who had taken me away from my father.

What is the duration of this? My father is not here.

He looked into my eyes, yanking his gaze from my naked breasts, and said, "You probably have some questions." He had the same tattoos as the wolf-men I remembered, I saw as I looked at his arms.

"Where am I?" I blurted out after swallowing a large knot in my throat. I didn't realize how thirsty I was; I needed water.

"You're at the Doll Lab at the Losten Pack Reserve, you've been frozen for about a decade."

What the hell is this?

"What do you mean frozen?"

"You were put to sleep, not by me but by my uncle -may he rest in peace- exactly 10 years ago when your human village was found by some of our pack members."

I quickly remembered my father and I spending time in the village. Our family had been separated for years, and we were the only two members that remained. It pained me to attempt to recall more because my memory was foggy.

"Do you mean when the wolf-men took me away from my father, they froze me?"

"Yes."

"Where is he now?"

"Your father? I'm not sure but you'll have a new identity now. However, you're still 20 years old."

"How is that possible?"

The man played around with some papers in his hands and said, "Your name was Anna? Fitting and rather attractive. In fact, based on your birth certificate, it appears that today is your birthday."

I close my eyes. Visions of our tiny one-bedroom apartment with a cream cupcake, vanilla, and a single candle inside. Grinning broadly, my father said he was sorry and that was all he could do for me this year. I'm really grateful for that. Someone did not wait for us to let them in when there was a knock on the door. I wrenched my head away from the terrifying images that had come to me.

"What do you want with me?"

"Today is your lucky day, we've found you a mate."

"A mate?"

He enlarged his eyes in mocking fear, "Yes, you now belong to one of the big bad wolf-men."

"How could that be possible-"

He went on, "None other than the alpha of the Losten Pack himself," as if he wasn't listening to me.

A mobile phone started ringing as he marched to the back of the lab and held it to his ears, saying,

"Yes, she's ready. She's brilliant and more than perfect. She's ready for transport. Oh, and bring some clothes. The alpha won't like finding out that we've seen his doll naked."