I could barely make out shapes. My vision blurred. When was the last time I’d eaten? The figure in front of me was no more than a strange outline of a massive male shifter. I couldn’t tell much else. I blinked again. He came into focus just to fall out of focus all over again. Whatever they’d been giving me was messing with more than just my wolf.
I’d been running and running until I saw a building. I hadn’t cared what it was, anything was better than the cold bite of the bars from the cage. The other girls had all been terrified, but even they’d been given scraps of food. Not me. I’d been purposely shunned, and I’d never know why, not if I died.
I refused to die.
The room stopped the spin for a few seconds and I took in a deep breath. I was not a quitter. The drugs in my system dulled all my senses, I’d spent days thinking my wolf was dead. In here though, as the air entered my lungs I caught a scent that woke up something deep within me. Something I couldn’t actually understand, but it brought me a strange comfort.
The air in here smelled better than even the freedom of the forest. There was no use in trying to rub my face, my arms were like lead weights.
Choice or not, the male’s arms were warm, and I felt safe for the first time in a long time. Would it be stupid to trust him? I wanted my wolf to tell me, but she wasn’t here. Not even a little.
Goddess, what had happened. One minute I was out for a run, finally getting away, almost free. It was my last day, all of my duties had been done and the next? Well, I was in a cage. Why though? There had been a few others there crying. I didn’t recognize any of them.
He felt safe, this guy. I should try to get up and run again. But what would I run to? The moon goddess, she’d brought me here.
I tried to talk to my wolf once again and still nothing. I’d gone from being controlled and unable to shift to caged and even worse off. My wolf couldn’t even break through whatever it was they’d given me.
The back of my head still throbbed. I’d been hit over the head, but I hadn’t gone down.
I tried to focus on the guy’s words. He was asking me questions, but all I could think about was where were the males that had taken me? What if they were close? How many days had it been? My thoughts ran through what had happened, or what I could remember of it.
I knew I’d fought whoever had hit me. It hadn’t mattered in the end. I’d been outnumbered and a sharp prick of pain had made my wolf howl something awful. I’d screamed for help. No one had come to look for me and I was certain they never would. How long had it even been?
Where was I now that I’d escaped my cage?
I sniffed the air again. At least something pretended to work on my abused body. I was surrounded by something delicious and new. I was safe. Something deep inside me knew I was safe. But what about everyone that had been left behind.
“Others?” I asked.
I was able to make my lips work for a second. I had to know about the others. My entire body still hurt, but they’d underestimated me. It really pissed me off that I’d finally reached the age of freedom. My contract was done. I should have been allowed to leave the pack.
I breathed in another deep breath and tried to pretend like my ribs didn’t burn against the stretch of my lungs. Shit, this really sucked. Every energy reserve I’d been able to muster was gone. I’d really thought that if I ran, I’d work whatever was in my system out. Everything around me seemed like a nightmare and I was still weak and alone. I hadn’t worked it out of my system, but I had at least found safety.
The shock of everything was settling in. A few minutes or hours ago I was in a cage and the worst of it was there were others I couldn’t take with me. It had been so dark. A shiver racked my body at the memory. It had felt like we’d been buried alive. I startled at his voice.
“Your name? Your pack. Give me something to help you,” he said. It was becoming more clear.
“No pack, sold.”
My throat protested against the words. I wanted water. My eyes were so tired. The pain flooding my body kept me from falling asleep, but it was still so hard to think. Was I safe here?
I’d run for so long. I dragged my feet as I tried to find the strength to run just a little further. Each step was harder than the next. I’d used up every single bit of energy. I just wanted to fall asleep.
“Can you shift? To help you heal?” the male voice asked.
I liked his voice. It seemed to push aside the pain and confusion for a few seconds before it all hit back like a punch to my system.
I think I shook my head, but who knew at this point what I was actually able to do. I wasn’t able to shift, not then and certainly not now. Whatever they’d given me this time was far worse than all those years serving the only pack I’d truly ever known and never been welcome at.
I couldn’t do this anymore. I was so tired. My wolf was tired. I needed her to answer and there was nothing.
I slouched into the strong arms wrapped around me.
This was not the cage, and it was not my old pack.
This felt different. He felt different. My heart wanted to beat in a panic driven rhythm, but something in the way his arms wrapped around me allowed me to just let go and let the blackness surround me.
The sound of snarling and yelling and maybe someone screaming should have been able to stir me. But my eyelids were just too heavy to care.