The Lost Lycan King

Chapter 9 - The Hidden Compartment

Azriel POV
I put my jacket on and grabbed my rucksack. It had been a fairly quiet day at the library, with most students still enjoying their first few weeks at university. It would pick up soon when they started being given assignments and needed somewhere to revise. I hated it when it was quiet, not only was it boring, but the manager would cut down all of our hours as not as many staff were needed. Billy and I had savings, we had made sure of it before we moved, but I was always worried about unexpected costs and dreaded the thought of losing the flat or worse, having to go back to the orphanage. The reduced hours only made the worse and worrying about money was starting to keep my up at night. I had been contemplating getting a second job, but Billy was trying to talk me out of it, telling me that our hours would increase over the next few weeks as the library got busier. I wanted to believe him, but I just couldn't stop the worried feeling in the pit of my stomach. I just had to keep us both out of that orphanage, we couldn't go back there.
I had  done an early shift at the library today, so it was only 4pm and so I decided to head to the gym. I had joined a local one and found that training a few times a week helped me to switch off a little bit. Not only was it good for my mental health, but I was already feeling much stronger. Agatha had fed us very little, so that we were never strong enough to disobey her. Malnourishment kept the kids tired and weak. Even when we had turned 18 and could shift for the first time, it was impossible to shift in the orphanage. Agatha had persuaded the local coven of witches to enchant the orphanage and its surrounding grounds, so that no one was able to shift there. She had told the Alpha that it was to keep the children safe, but really it was to keep her safe. She didn't want one of the older orphans to shift and protect the other children from her. My first shift had been in a woods not far from the orphanage, I had snuck away with Billy so that we could have our first shift together. The pain from the first time was excruciating, but we were both excited to see our wolves and each others. That was until, Billy said I looked weird and took a few steps back from me. I don't know if he d meant that it was strange to see me as a wolf or that the experience itself was weird, but after that I never shifted in front of him again. I never shifted in front of anyone again. Deep down, I had hoped that my wolf would be majestic and powerful and it hurt to think that I was a funny looking wolf instead. Agatha made enough jibes at me for being abandoned as a baby, I didn't want anyone else making fun of me. So anytime I wanted to shift and go for a run, I would make sure that I was as far away from the orphanage and other people as I could be.
Since we had moved out, we had been able to eat like normal people would. We had full sized meals and as much food as we wanted to. This, combined with the gym sessions meant that Billy and I had began to bulk out and become more muscular. We had even started to attract attention from she-wolves, Billy was loving this and had frequent girls spend the night at the apartment. I, on the other hand, wasn't as confident as Billy, so had flirted with a few girls, but not managed to bring me home just yet.
Once I felt thoroughly worn out at the gym, I grabbed my bag and started walking home. It was getting dark outside and the air felt much cooler than it had done earlier on. Thankfully, it wasn't raining and I enjoyed crunching through the Autumn leaves as I made my way back to the apartment. I stuck some chicken and chips in the oven and then jumped into the shower. Billy was covering the late shift at the library, so I planned on spending the evening, lounging about on the sofa and watching tv. I was desperate to just relax and stop worrying about money and the orphanage. I showered quickly, very aware of the food in the oven and not wanting it to burn. As I emerged from the bathroom, I threw my towel towards the laundry basket and picked up some joggers and a t shirt. I heard a clatter behind me and realised that my towel had completely missed the basket and knocked something over. Sighing, I walked over and put my towel in the basket and realised that I had knocked over the empty wooden box that had come from the orphanage. When I had initially seen it's intricate design, I had hoped that it held some key to who I really was. Perhaps a letter from my parents or clues to where I came from. Instead it was just an empty wooden box and I wasn't quite over how disappointed this made me. Despite this, I couldn't bear to part with it, just in case.
I picked it up off the floor and heard something slide inside it. I flipped open the lid and my heart gave a jolt, as i realised I had broken it. The outer edge on the bottom of the box was jutting out at a strange angle, as if the wood had split from the fall. I held it up to the light, desperately hoping that there was some way that I could fix it, when I realised that the wood was intact and that the piece that was sticking out, was in fact a hidden compartment. I held my breath and pulled and a small drawer came out of the side of the box. Inside it and what I must've heard sliding around, was a gold medallion.
I sat down on the sofa, placing the box to one side and examined the medallion more closely. It was a large circle, about the size of my palm, covered in gemstones. It glittered as the light caught it and on the back was strange carvings in a language that I didn't understand. It looked like it was worth a fortune. I placed the thin chain around my neck and let it hang there, it felt heavy on my neck and the cold metal made me jump as it brushed against my skin. I walked into my bedroom to look into the mirror and snorted with laughter at my reflection. I looked like some sort of bad rapper, maybe this wouldn't become part of my everyday attire. I was about to pull out my phone and text Billy to tell him what I'd found, when I heard it. My blood ran cold and every hair on my body stood on edge. Someone was screaming, a high, blood curdling scream. It sounded like it was coming from just outside and every fibre in my being knew that I had to find whoever was making that noise and help them. Without even thinking, I shifted into my wolf form and leapt out of the apartment window, desperately trying to find the girl who was screaming.