2 – The Captive

Nick

At the moment of the man’s shift and his whispered dying words, everything seems to freeze. I instruct my warriors to retreat in defense mode, expecting retaliation on the rogues’ side, yet none of them make a move. I recover control from my wolf and turn back to my human form to show that I don’t intend to carry on with this pursuit or any other complicated shit for today. Some seconds pass and as the silence becomes too heavy, I shout at the top of my lungs...

“Let this unnecessary death be the last one in my territory. Keep out or come properly announced. You have an hour to collect your dead and get the hell out of my land. After that, my patrols will hunt you down as enemies.”

I turn, wasting no more time, change to my wolf once again and return to the castle to check with Matt about the intruders, on whose treatment I never gave him an answer.

As my paws quickly crash into the fresh grass below, my mind takes a second to reflect on the earlier events. My wolf’s reaction to that male still poses a mystery to me. I’m a strong Alpha who’s trained for years, not some damn beginner teenager, and nobody would really call me an impulsive person. Quite the opposite, to be honest. Most people who know me well enough would most probably classify me as a reserved and analytic type of person, who always keeps himself at check and seldom, if ever, lets any emotions out. I know that most of the pack and my business associates characterize me as cold and ruthless, yet everyone respects my solid sense of logic and justice. I’m used to the utmost control. And all this only makes today’s aggression and blind wrath that Neal exercised on a perfect stranger even more puzzling. No one would ever dare question an Alpha for killing a trespassing rogue. This issue is still open in my head, though, as I perceive the reason behind this sudden outburst can’t be the pack’s safety. But what personal shit could Neal take out on a man that he’s never met before?

Upon my entrance, I head directly downstairs to the ‘dungeon’ in the basement. Damn you, Matt, with your mockery that gets stuck in my brain and I repeat your words on serious occasions…

There’s a ruckus in all parts. All this commotion and people aimlessly roaming around reveal the agitation caused by the attack and the rogues’ ability to reach as far as the pack house in the center of the territory. For the first time in my years as an Alpha, there appears to be the slightest gap in the security of the main part of our land, and this causes many to worry. Still, as my nerves can’t possibly be mistaken, everyone opens up on my way and not one single soul dares to stall the motion of the furious black wolf. I shift back again and grab some clothes from the nearest storeroom, not wasting any time, when I see Matt rushing towards me.

“Thank Goddess, you’re here. Things almost got ugly, but we finally managed to confine them.”

He takes in a long breath as he makes a brief pause, visibly unwilling to continue. Still, he braces himself and carries on.

“Nick, I have bad news, I’m afraid… Milton didn’t make it. He received a lethal blow that caused him to lose too much blood, even as we brought him to the clinic all hope had already been lost…” he stays silent for some moments, waiting to analyze my reaction, yet I’m frozen on the spot and can’t produce any.

“It was an expert hit, Nick. It’s impossible to accidentally achieve such a blow, said the doctors, the rogue was aiming for the kill.”

“I assume you got the mutt responsible for this…” I finally spit out, spilling over with boiling anger.

Milton was my dad’s gamma, his most capable fighter and trusted friend of both my parents. He was like the last piece of them, left to watch over me. No wonder he still felt the need to stand up for his pack during the attack until his dying breath.

“As I told you, we caught two of them. The third escaped. I kept them both alive and, of course, separated. I guessed that’s what you’d have preferred. For once, I hope I got it right, man!”

He looks at me expectantly, trying to ease the tension, but I’m certainly in no mood for it, so I just nod and stay silent. He scoffs and carries on.

“The one who attacked him is in cell No. 5, but…”

Before he can finish his sentence, I’m on the move again. I’ve grabbed the nearest whip and am on my way to giving a piece of my mind to this arrogant rogue who thinks it was okay to come inside my home and disregard all moral rules. My finger has already put in the initial digits of the security code when Matt stops me.

“There’s something you must see first. And I think there are some more things to talk about, before you do anything stupid.” he says and drags me to the observation room next to the cell.

Today seems to get worse and weirder with each passing second. The moment I come to stand behind the mirror, my jaw drops so open it would have touched the floor if possible. For in the cell lies a woman… stark naked, with her hands cuffed to the chains hanging from the ceiling, her knees just above the floor, most probably passed out, unable to stand straight anymore.

Her skin was almost intact, apart from minor scratches. Apparently, she had no real difficulty in taking Milton down, which makes it obvious she is a wolf, just as well trained as her toned body indicates. Plus, Matt didn’t let anyone approach her before I came, or they’d most probably have lynched her.

I turn to Matt with my brow raised.

“Why is she naked?”

“She was in wolf form when we caught her. As soon as she realized she had no way to escape, she shifted quickly, and we had to chain her immediately to restrain her. Couldn’t possibly risk caring for clothes at that moment.”

He hesitates for a moment, as he shoves his hand in his pocket and seems fidgeting for a little while, then reaches for something and hands me a little bottle.

“She had this attached to her fur. As soon as she turned, she tried to drink it, but we stopped her on time. That’s why we had to restrain her in a haste. I had to help keep her down for a team of three guards to inject her with a strong silver dose to keep her under control. Don’t let her exhausted appearance fool you. She’s far more lethal than she seems. Even as the effects of the silver began, she refused to give up. She thrashed so hard I was afraid she’d injure herself. I suppose that was her goal, too.”

I turn to the cell again to take a more careful glance at her unconscious form. In her current state, I could almost feel sorry for causing her pain. She is a remarkably attractive woman. With all her naked glory shamelessly exposed, she’s got a toned body, perfectly smooth, flawless, tanned skin and just the perfect amount of curves. Her long, brown hair must normally be wavy and shiny, despite its current unruly, tousled state. I can’t see the colour of her eyes as they are closed, but it’s obvious from the heart shape of her face and the rest of her facial characteristics, that no matter what their colour, her big eyes compliment her beautiful face and add to her charm. Judging from all the information Matt shared, I picture them to hold a wild sparkle in them, as even in this condition her whole body stance screams resistance. For a quick moment, I seem to forget who she is and what she’s done. She looks so gorgeous and fragile, yet this strong rogue in front of me almost has my admiration. Barging in a lost case mission with no sign of fear, with strong wolfsbane attached to her, ready to put an end to her own life rather than getting caught. There is something strongly intriguing and arousing in all this.

“I sense there’s more to this attack than meets the eye, Nick. But I’m not sure how to get to it. She’s the one with all the answers, but she’s a wild animal. She won’t talk.” Matt’s quiet, worried voice brings me out of my own thoughts.

A chill of guilt runs down my spine, making me uneasy with the fact that I was just lost, ogling the rogue that killed my mentor only a couple of hours ago.

“Well, then it seems I’ll have to look for the answers myself, I suppose, brother.” I eventually answer him, dismissing him, my voice sounding cold even to my own ears.

The whip is still in my hands as I step out of the observation room, heading towards the door of the cell in a whole different mood.

Today might as well have just become interesting after all...