Chapter 7 - Packhouse Visit
Hailey's P.O.V.
Natalie and Leela stare at me in shock before they start crying, and it warms my heart. No one has ever cried over the things that were done to me. I walk over and take their hands.
"I'm okay now. It doesn't hurt, except it sometimes feels tight." They pull me into their arms.
"Has Dante seen your scars?" Leela asks.
"No, not yet. I guess I better tell him, too." I start to head for the door, but Natalie stops me.
"I'll mindlink him." She'll what?
"What's mindlink? Is that a different way to say text?" I question them. Leela and Natalie exchange a look.
"Dante hasn't told you about mindlinking yet?" Leela asks.
"No. What is it?" I turn as Dante walks in. How did he know to come here? I didn't see them do anything.
"What's what?" He asks, coming to my side. He looks over my outfit, and it's clear he approves. I notice his eyes linger on my exposed abdomen.
"I asked them what mindlinking is." Dante smiles.
"As werewolves, we can talk to each other with our minds." I think my chin just hit the floor.
"Are you serious?" All three of them are smiling at me, nodding. "That's so cool."
"Natalie said you needed to show me something," I look at Leela, and she nods. I turn around and pull the back of my shirt up to show him my scars. When I look at him, I see pure rage on his face.
"Who did this to you?" He asks through clenched teeth. He's kind of scary when he looks like that, but I know the anger isn't directed at me.
"When I was five, I found a bottle of lighter fluid in our bathroom. I took it to my mom and asked her what it was. She said she would show me." My tears start falling as I remember that day.
"She pulled my shirt off and squirted it on my back. I was confused, but then she took a match and threw it at me. I can still remember the smell of my flesh burning and the pain from the flames. I fell to the ground screaming and rolled around until the fire was gone. My mom and dad were drunk and laughed so hard they were crying. They kept trying to throw more matches at me. When they passed out, I walked next door to the nurse who lived there. She'd treated my wounds in the past and did the same with these. I had learned what happened when I went to the hospital without them knowing, so I begged her to take care of the burns." Dante puts his arms around me as I cry. Thinking back to that day, I know I'm lucky to be alive.
"I'm so sorry," Dante whispers. I look up and see tears running down his cheeks. Leela and Natalie are crying, too. I smile at him.
"Don't cry for what happened in the past. That can't be changed, but meeting you has changed my future." He leans down and kisses me. My face is flaming as I know the two women are still there.
"You've changed my future too." He says when he pulls away. I try to pack up the clothes for Natalie, but she says they're all mine to keep. She gives me a pair of slip-on white walking shoes, and we all go downstairs. Ellis is sitting at a laptop and looks at Dante when we walk into the kitchen. Somehow, I know he knows about my back when I see the concern in his eyes.
"I'm working on what you asked. Also, Timothy went to the dungeons to try and get Allison out. He's also called me repeatedly." I look up at Dante.
"What are the dungeons?" I ask.
"That's where we send werewolves who need to be punished. We don't go through the regular court systems. We deliver our own justice." He answers. Interesting. Imaging Allison sitting in a dungeon somewhere makes me happy.
"That's awesome," I say with a smile. Everyone starts laughing.
"I think that's the first time I've seen that reaction to the dungeons," Natalie says as she comes over and puts her arm around my shoulders.
"Do you know what she did?" Natalie shakes her head, so I quickly fill her and Leela in.
"Yeah, I would be happy she's there too if she tried anything like that with my mate." I like her.
"Do you have a mate?" She shakes her head.
"Not yet. I'm nineteen, so I hope to find him soon, but so far, no luck. At least I'm not as bad as Ellis over there. He's twenty-one and doesn't have his mate yet either." He looks up and glares at his sister.
"So where are these dungeons located?" I ask.
"They're near our packhouse up in the mountains. We use the house for pack meetings and celebrations. Would you like to take a drive up there?" Dante looks down at me, and I nod. I would love to get out of the city and see more. I've basically lived on the streets of the strip for the last three years.
"That would be great." I wonder if the others are coming.
"I'll go too. I haven't been up there in a while." Natalie says excitedly.
"I'm going to go home, but you kids have fun. Dante, bring my newest daughter over for dinner tomorrow." Leela kisses my forehead and gives me a hug before leaving. How can a few hours of kindness fill me with so much hope and happiness after years of depression? I don't know, but I like it. I feel stronger and not as shy being around Dante and Ellis' family.
"Okay, let's take my truck." Despite Dante's protests, Natalie insists that she and I sit in the back together. We start driving away from civilization, and it looks like we're going to the middle of nowhere.
"Have you ever been out this far?" Natalie asks me. I feel like a dog with my face stuck to the window.
"No. Since I got to the strip three years ago, I haven't been anywhere." I reply, looking out the windshield as we turn down a road that goes up a mountain. It's beautiful out here. The temperature is cooler, and I'm suddenly wishing I wore more clothes.
"I'm going to have to show you all around. There's so many fun things to do away from the strip." I see Dante glaring at Natalie through the rearview mirror, making me giggle. I don't think I'm going to be spending much time away from him, and I don't want to anyway. Despite being comfortable with the others, I need Dante. He's the one I feel connected to, and the thought of him not being close makes my heart hurt.
After going up the twisty road, we pull onto a bumpy dirt road. I see why Dante wanted to take his truck. I can't imagine riding in Ellis' little car all this way. When it feels like the road is never going to end, the road starts to smooth back out.
A few minutes later, we pull up to a massive resort-like log cabin. It looks like something I've seen in advertisements. Dante opens my door and lifts me out of the truck.
"Wow. This is the packhouse?" I ask in awe. Natalie tries to pull me away from Dante, but Thor growls at her, so she stops and just walks with us. I'm glad; I want to hold Dante's hand.
"Yeah. We don't come here often. However, anytime you want to come so we can get away from pests, we can." Dante says, looking toward Natalie. She sticks her tongue out at him. They act like siblings, and I find it amusing. The thought of staying in this place alone with Dante for a few days sounds like heaven.
"That sounds incredible." He puts his arm around me as we go up the steps and through the front door. I look around in disbelief. It's even better inside. Everything is made of wood other than the furniture that's a buttery soft brown leather. It's beautiful. I actually prefer this over the more modern look of Dante's home in Vegas. The cabin feels warm and inviting.
"Do you like it?" He asks, pulling me in front of him and wrapping his arms around me.
"I love it." I look up at him, and Dante leans down to kiss my forehead. I hear Natalie groan.
"I need to find my mate. I thought I was getting a sister, but it looks like you're not going to let her leave your side. What gives? Let the girl have a little fun." I keep hold of Dante's arms that are around me. This is my fun. Feeling warm and protected is more important than whatever she's thinking of doing.
.
"I think she's best right here for now. We just met yesterday; let us have our time together." Dante's speaking quietly, but I can hear the warning in his voice. Natalie shrugs and walks away. I like her, I really do, but she's a lot to take for someone like me who's not used to being around so many people.
"Are the dungeons close by?" I try to get rid of the tension in the air.
"Yeah, it's just a short walk. Are you sure you want to go there? It's just like it sounds, dirty and dark." Dante questions me. I want to see Allison. If nothing else, I want to look her in the eyes and let her know Dante's taken. I've lived on the streets and have learned to take a down bitch in ways most people wouldn't even think of.
"I'm sure," I answer with a smile. Yes, let's pay the nasty woman a visit in her cage.
We walk out of the house and down a rocky path. I see two men standing next to the door of a wooden building that seems to disappear into the side of the mountain.
"Pete, Dean, how's everything going?" Dante greets the two men, who I'm assuming are guards.
"Okay. Timothy has been here multiple times, trying to get Allison out. He even offered her for sex if we let her out. We stopped letting him inside, but he wasn't happy." I stare at the man speaking in disbelief. I don't know if he's Pete or Dean. As much as I'm repulsed by Allison, I can't believe her dad was basically prostituting her.
"I shouldn't be surprised; I think he's also given her to other packs to use. Don't let him in anymore. If he gets forceful, put him in a cage, too. I'm done with their whole family. On a lighter note, this is Hailey; she's my mate and your future luna." The two men smile and hold their hands out to me. I still have to get used to being called a luna. When we're alone, I want to ask Danta more about being a luna.
"Welcome, luna." One of the men says.
"Thank you," I reply. I want to look down, but I stop myself. If I'm going to be by Dante's side, I have to get used to looking people in the eye.
"I'm going to show her inside; we won't be long." Dante puts his arm around me and leads me inside. Ellis and Natalie follow us. I almost forgot Ellis was there. He's quiet compared to his sister.
The dungeon is just like Dante said. Cold, dark, damp, and dirty. It has a long hall with cells on either side. When we get to the end, we come to Allison's cell. She's lying on a cot and doesn't move even when we approach.
"Allison," Dante says in the deep tone I heard him use the day before. She still doesn't move. He looks at Ellis, who pulls out a key and walks into the cell. He shakes Allison, but she doesn't move. When he turns her over, I put my hand over my mouth so I don't scream. Her throat is slit wide open so deep her head is almost decapitated.