Talia:

I woke up with a start. Sweat drenched my forehead, and my throat cried out for something refreshing. Linda, always a light sleeper slowly sat up as well. "You okay?" She whispered.

"Yeah," I answered as I tried to gather my bearings. "I don't know what woke me. Probably just a bad dream." She gave a sad, soft chuckle at this.

"I didn't know bad dreams still even existed with the hell we're living. Sleep is my only escape."

"Who knows?" I said. "Go back to sleep. I won't be up much longer." She glanced at the door that was the key to our captivity before looking at me again.

"You sure?" I nodded, and put on a smile for her.

"I'll be fine." She looked at me a little longer because we both knew I was lying, but she finally laid back down. I let out a little sigh before standing up and walking to the door. I knocked softly. I was answered with a grunt.

"I need to use the bathroom," I called out. Nothing happened, and I waited silently. I had learned early on never to ask for something twice. At last, the door clicked open, and I was greeted by a towering guard holding a chain. I glowered at the chain, but again silently waited as he hooked the chain to the thick collar on my neck.

Once he thought I was secure enough he yanked hard, and on we went. The room they kept me in was one of the farthest from the bathroom so it would take a while to get there, but that was fine with me. Truthfully, I didn't really need to use the bathroom, but I had to stretch my legs a little before I tried to go back to sleep. I really don't know what woke me up tonight, all I know is that my body and mind were on high alert. Soon. I stumbled a bit as that word came to my mind. The guard glared at me, and gave another yank onto the chain. I knew by the time I came back to my room there would be bruises along the edges of the collar.

Soon. What's soon? As much as I didn't know what my wolf was talking about, I was even more surprised she spoke. Before I was captured by hunters, I hadn't found my mate yet which meant my wolf wasn't "whole." In other words, I couldn't shift forms until I had found my mate, and been marked. After about a year of captivity, I had lost all hope of ever leaving, and soon after that, my wolf had been silent within me. So it was a shock to hear her after so long.

Smack!

My hands flew to my stinging cheek. "You stupid bitch," the guard spit out. "Don't you ever ignore me again. You should be lucky I was so nice, and let you go to the bathroom." My eyes roamed over where we were. We must have reached the bathroom while I was deep in thought.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. His eyes narrowed.

"What was that, bitch?" He asked as he grabbed a fistful of my hair. "Speak up."

"I'm sorry."

He sneered before shoving me into the bathroom. "You got two minutes. Hurry up and piss already!" I nodded and quickly locked myself in a stall. My cheek was still throbbing, but my mind wandered back to my wolf. She had gone back to being silent, but the single word she let out tonight still echoed within me. Soon. Soon. She could feel something was going to happen. I rubbed my temples as a headache was starting to kick in. Tiredness now drooped my eyelids, and I knew my two minutes were almost up. With a sigh, I flushed the empty toilet, washed my hands, and then opened the door. The guard tugged me all the way back to my room.

As the door locked behind me, Linda opened her eyes. "He hit you." It was a statement all too familiar with us all in captivity, and I only nodded.

"I wasn't cautious enough, that's all. It was my own fault." Linda shook her head,

before patting my empty cot next to hers.

"What we get punished for is none of our faults...it's just their sick and twisted ways their minds work." I laid back down into my cot, and stared at the dank ceiling.

"Linda?"

"Hmm?"

"I think something is going to happen. Something big." I could feel Linda staring at me.

"Oh, like what?"

"I don't know," I groggily answered. "But it's going to be soon, whatever it is. It's coming soon." Then everything went dark.

I was awoken with a gentle, but firm hand. Linda stood over me, eyes filled with a little more worry than usual. "Your cheek doesn't look too good." I sighed. Although she was probably right from the way it started to ache, I could do nothing for it but let it heal on it's own. I slowly got out of bed and shooed Linda's worrisome stares away. She reluctantly complied; however, throwing the occasional glance my way as she begun to tidy our cell. Sooner or later, a guard would come to collect us...after he inspected our cell.

I stripped into the only other raggedy dress I had, grime and unidentified spots covering it, yet was still cleaner than the one I had slept in last night. Smelled a tad better too as my sensitive nose twitched. It had been a long time since I had ever worn anything truly clean. What I wouldn't give to see some of my old clothes I had been torn from when I was abducted. Linda. I snapped to attention as my wolf said that, finally noticing that Linda was waiting for me to answer her.

"Sorry, was thinking," I said sheepishly as I always tended to be lost in thought. "What was that?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Honestly, how nice it would be to have my old wardrobe back. May have grown a bit out of them, but they sure would be nicer than these rags," I replied, my mind starting to wander again.

"I would love to see some of my old clothes again" Linda said softly. "I'd like to see a lot of things again." She said the last part with so much longing that I knew she didn't have things on her mind, but a certain someone instead. Collin. Unlike me, Linda had already found her mate before she had been captured making our situation a hundred times worse for her than for me. His mark was beautifully displayed on her right shoulder blade. I was about to comfort her when our door swung open.

A stoutly man with thinning, black hair walked in, his puny eyes landing everywhere. After another minute went by of him inspecting the room, he nodded and then beckoned us. Linda and I dutifully followed, stayed still as he hooked chains to our collars, and then allowed him to lead us to the dining hall without a fight. We couldn't fight even if we wanted to. The fight within us had died out a long time ago, the hunters made sure of it the moment they had trapped us.

The place the hunters seemed to keep us looked like a stereotypical castle you'd only find in the medieval times. We were all drugged and blindfolded when brought here, so the location of such a castle was undisclosed. And sadly, the hunters were smart enough to board up every single window or space that revealed a glimpse of the outside. Our guard shoved us through the doorway once we reached our destination. Three dozen other captives already seemed to be situated, talking amongst each other in hushed voices. Walther, the master wolf hunter, was sitting behind his desk by the kitchen taking roll. Linda and I headed that way knowing that if we checked in too late, we would be punished.

"Number?" Walther barked.

"211" I answered with disdain. The hunters hated us so much, they used numbers to identify us instead of our names. Names were too much of a bother for beasts like us in their eyes. Walther raised an eyebrow, catching my tone, but said nothing and asked Linda her number.

"131" was her reply before we were finally released to join the others. We walked to our usual corner in the back where our other friend, Ollie was already there waiting for us. She smiled when her eyes locked with ours, but faltered quickly.

"Jesus, Lia!" She exclaimed. "Your cheek looks like hell!" I grimaced. Leave it to Ollie to tell you the truth whether you wanted her to or not. "The fuck happen?" Oh, and leave the cuss words to her too...seemed like she was born with the mouth of a sailor and never could get rid of it.

"Wasn't cautious enough around a guard, that's all." She glanced over to Linda as if trying to confirm my story, but when Linda could only produce a shrug, she let it go.

"Did you both-" she was cut off by a loud bang. Everyone turned towards the doorway where a guard was struggling to stand. It was the same guard from last night, the one that apparently made my cheek look like hell.

"It's...I-" he wheezed. "It's a raid." Then he fell over, face first...dead.

2: Chapter 2

Forgive me if everyone is a little confused with when the wolf's are talking. I italicized the text when they spoke, but when I uploaded it on Sparkatale, it got rid of it. I tried to do most of them, but may have missed a few. Enjoy!

Linda:

Other captives around me started to panic and my wolf was screaming at me to shift, but with the collar still around my neck, shifting would do more harm than good. I looked over to Lia, her face contorted as if in pain and her hands rubbing her temples. Sister wolf. I understood immediately. Although Lia couldn't fully shift yet, her wolf was still hounding her to do something. And by the looks of it, was being very persistent. I reached out to comfort her when all of a sudden, many male werewolves flooded the room.

Everyone, but the hunters paused in the chaos as if entranced by the males, but the chaos returned shortly as hunters and wolves began to clash. My wolf whimpered as she couldn't catch Collin's scent. He wasn't in this raid. Move. I blinked a few times, finally realizing a stampede had started and I was in the middle of it. I begun to follow the crowd, getting elbowed and shoved occasionally, as everyone was either taking the chance for escape or trying to avoid the violence before us.

"Lia!" I cried out as the gap between us was growing exponentially. "Lia!" She turned towards me before attempting to catch up. Ollie was nowhere in sight. I tried to meet her halfway, but it was futile as the crowd kept me at bay. I stretched my arm out, eventually making contact.

"You okay?" She asked once she caught her breath. I nod, our arms linking with each other. By now, Walther was rounding off some prisoners into an underground tunnel as he knew he would not win this fight. About two weeks ago, he'd sent most of his men to hunt and they hadn't returned yet. As much as I hated Walther, he definitely was no idiot.

Ravage snarling rang out from the violence, and a gigantic, muscular black wolf broke out of the battle. His light, blue eyes scanned the room before locking onto Walther. He stalked forward, ears down and a snarl on his lips. Walther paid him no mind. Lia's arm tightened on mine, her body becoming rigid as the wolf came near us. I gave her arm a small squeeze, trying to reassure her even if I didn't know what was wrong. The wolf paused the moment it was directly a few feet away, his menacing face now replaced with curiosity as he tilted his head in our direction; correction, in Lia's direction.

I knew what was going on before my wolf stated it. Mates. Out of all this chaos, Lia had found her mate. The wolf stared a while longer before returning to the task at hand. Walther was still ushering any captives he could lay his hands on through the tunnel. Again, ignoring the approaching wolf. It wasn't until the wolf was only a couple feet away did he address the situation. The wolf growled at him and Walther only shook his head, a slow smile spreading across his face. Not liking his reaction, the wolf lunged only to be hit with a smoke screen.

Every werewolf whined as all their senses were muddled. The hunters only had to worry about their eyes. It was a special smoke screen that could blind a werewolf's senses for about a minute, the same smoke screen they used on me when I was first hunted. Pushing and shoving erupted everywhere now as everyone's wolf was in panic. My own wolf was howling as she was at her most vulnerable without her senses, we all were.

I cried out in pain as Lia's arm was wrenched from mine. Trying to find her again, I walked forward blindly. "Lia!" I shouted. "Lia!" I knew if she was close enough she would hear me, but other than that, it was a lost cause as our wolf hearing was still impaired. I was about to shout for her again when a hand snaked around my throat. I struggled against it, my senses slowly returning.

"Where do you think you're going?" Walther sneered. "Don't think I'm going to let a beast like you go." I tried to elbow him, but he only tightened his grip, making me gasp for air. Shift. Fight. I grabbed at my neck, attempting to pry his fingers away to no avail. Shift. I knew if I didn't do something soon, my wolf would take over. Walther only laughed at my struggle. He started towards the tunnel, full aware that in a few more seconds, all of the effects from the smoke screen would wear off.

"Li-a!" I choked out, hoping somehow she would hear me.

"Tsk tsk, don't be calling for help unless you want me to have her as well. I know exactly who your little friend is. Quite the beauty for a bitch," Walther said. "I would hate for anything to happen to that body of hers." That was all my wolf could take before forcing me to shift. Walther lost his hold on me as my neck grew, but now it was the collar still around my neck that was strangling me. My wolf whimpered as she couldn't do much with it on. Off. Want it off. Walther grabbed a hold of my collar and yanked us through the tunnel, sealing it off behind him.

"You're the last one I'm taking," he said. "Your little friend is safe...for now." My wolf bared her teeth which only made him laugh. "You can do nothing right now with that collar around you and your weak physical state. I've already won, bitch." With that, he kicked me in my side making me collapse, hefted me onto his shoulders, and put me into the back of a white, windowless van. The engine roared to life and we left the hellhole I had been living in for the past five years into a greater unknown. My wolf let out a long, sorrowful howl that was accompanied by a few other captives. No one, but ourselves heard us.

3: Chapter 3

Talia:

"Linda?" I called out as I hurried past groups of werewolves. "Linda?" I had lost sight of her after the smoke screen was thrown, and by the time my senses were back in order, her scent was gone. Going around looking for her was mainly just confirming what I already knew: Linda was gone. My wolf whimpered as she was torn between the loss of Linda and us finding our mate. Need. Mate. I sighed, knowing my wolf was right, but I couldn't seem to make myself move. It was as if I was betraying Linda somehow if I ceased my search for her.

"Lia?" A clear, familiar voice said behind me. Ollie. I spun around, about to fling myself on the girl when I halted at her appearance. She had bloodstained bandages around one of her arms, and a makeshift eye-patch on her right eye. I was at a loss for words. She only chuckled at my reaction. "I know, I know, now I'm the one that looks like hell."

"Wha-what happened?" I asked, finally finding my voice. "Are you okay?" She waved me off.

"Of course I am! Some dick with a silver dagger can't defeat me that easily. Besides, he looks ten times worse than I do, the asshole." I arched an eyebrow and she finally muttered, "I may have had some help from one of the male wolves with that part."

"Well I'm glad you survived."

"Yeah, me too. But don't get teary-eyed on me and shit, Lia. You know how bad I am at comforting people." I let out a small laugh myself at this as I knew exactly what Ollie was talking about. When we had first met, it had been within the first few weeks I had been captured and I was a bawling mess back then. Linda always knew how to comfort me, but Ollie would always just awkwardly stand there, patting my back and whispering about how stupid she was that she couldn't make me feel any better. When I thought about it now though, Ollie was wrong, her attempts did soothe me-maybe not as much as Linda's, but they definitely helped.

"Lia?" Ollie called out. "Earth to little miss think-a-lot!"

"Sorry," I said, breaking from my thoughts. "Just remembering your bad comforting skills." Ollie flipped me off and I laughed. Even in her wounded state, Ollie was the same as ever.

"By the way Lia, where's Linda?" I froze, all warmth leaving me. Ollie tensed as she sensed my change in demeanor. "Lia, where is Linda?"

"I don't know," I said so softly, I wasn't even sure if I said anything at all. "One moment she was with me, the next she was gone." Ollie doesn't say anything for a long time, and I almost think she didn't hear me. I'm about to say something else when out of nowhere, her arms wrap around me. Her next four words opened the waterworks.

"She will be okay." I knew Ollie was right, but it still pained me to know that she was still in the hunters' clutches. I had her right there, arm in arm, and then we were torn apart...and she vanished. My nose twitched and I could feel my wolf on high alert. I could sense that Ollie wasn't picking up anything threatening so I didn't pay attention to my wolf at all. She gave a little growl at me before pawing at my mind. Mate. That's when it hit me, the scent of pine and fresh air...and damn was it alluring.

I parted from Ollie's embrace to face a pair of familiar light, blue eyes. An awkward silence fell upon us, and I wasn't sure the cause until Ollie cleared her throat.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you two for now. Probably should be re-visiting the doctor...pester him for some painkillers. I'm in so much fucking pain right now. That dickwad, he didn't even deserve death. He should've-"

"Ollie," I cut in. She tilted her head at me. "You're ranting." Her cheeks flushed and she quickly apologized before leaving.

"You have an interesting friend there," my mate said. I shyly shrug.

"That's just Ollie being her typical dumb self."

"Dumb?" He questioned teasingly. "I thought she was your friend." For the second time today, I'm at a loss for words. What can I say? Four years in captivity meant my flirting skills were rusty. Okay, okay, maybe I was just awkward. I guess I had been thinking to myself for a while because a small whine was produced. My wolf scolded me for ignoring our mate.

"Don't. No ignore. Mate." He said. His pupils had dilated, and his scent was slightly altered, still alluring, but altered. I knew instantly his wolf had taken over. "Mate. Think too much. Talk."

"Uh.." I didn't know exactly what to say. "What's your name?" I silently cursed myself as that was the lamest thing to ask a wolf.

"Mate." I shook my head.

"No, what's your human side's name?" He thought about this for a while as our wolves technically didn't have names and they didn't refer to our names as theirs.

"Col-" he started, the name seeming odd to say. "Colton."

"Hello Colton, nice to meet you!" I said sticking out my hand. Colton tilted his head, dark, curly locks falling onto his forehead.

"Mate. Strange." I blushed, suddenly very self-conscious. Not only was I apparently strange to my own mate, but I probably wasn't much to look at either. Captivity isn't kind to bodies, and I was no exception. Colton cleared his throat and I looked up. A cocky grin was upon his face and his arms were folded, his legs in an expectant stance. His wolf was gone as quick as he came.

"You going to tell me your name, or are you one of those mysterious chicks that strings poor bastards along before ripping their heart out?" I blinked and then said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Wow, cheery much?" He laughed.

"Glad your sarcasm isn't too bad, you're going to need it with a mate like me." He winked and I silently swooned. Stupid mate hormones. Mate. Ours. Need. I hushed my wolf. I could feel her turn her nose up at me and I rolled my eyes. Colton watched me with interest and with nothing else to do, I stared back. "You know, you never answered my question."

"Hm?"

"What's your name?"

"Oh," I said. "It's Talia, but Lia for short."

"Lia," he said over and over as if it was his favorite word now. "I like it. It suits you."

"You don't even know me," I blurted out before I could stop myself. It hasn't even been an hour since I was still in captivity and suddenly I had this mouth on me. I have no idea where it came from. He cracked a grin.

"Oh, but I'm sure I will real soon." My eyes widen and if my blush could get any redder, now would be the time as my mind started picturing Colton in ways one shouldn't when you just meet them. My wolf wagged her tail in excitement with his meaning. He only laughed, the jerk. Just then, a lanky, but muscular man tapped Colton on the shoulder, whispering into his ear. Colton gave a stiff nod before shooing the man away. My curiosity got the best of me when Colton didn't offer an explanation.

"What did he say to you?"

"Nothing you need to worry yourself with. Just pack business." I bit my lip, my eyes studying him. He was hiding something. With as much courage as I could muster, and it seemed to be a lot these past few minutes, I walked right up to him, my head meeting his broad chest, and did what any good female would do, demand for answers.

"I think I have a right to know since I am your mate, therefore a future member of whatever pack you belong to. Besides, if it has anything to do with the wolf hunters situation, that just adds more to why you should tell me. If nothing else, because I am one curious female that will never let it go until you tell me!" I huffed out. His amused face made me feel childish, but I still wanted to know either way.

"I surrender!" He finally said, waving an imaginary white flag. "I'll tell you since I know better than anyone how bad a curious female can get." I looked at him questioningly and he shrugged. "Long story short with that, my mother is crazy." I chuckled. "So she can laugh."

"Hey!" I cried out. "One, that's not nice and two, you're getting off topic."

"Caught red handed" he said before toning down to a more serious note. "And that was Logan, my beta. He said that some of our pack found tire imprints back in the woods, but they lead to nowhere after a while. However, there's faint traces of Walther's scent as well as a few other female wolves, so we're lead to believe that was their escape route." My mind instantly went back to Linda. She was probably one of the scents Colton's pack members could smell out there. Linda. Linda. If only I could have done something more for her when the raid occurred, maybe that would have made this situation come out differently. She could have been here with me, right now, safe.

I jolted slightly as my wolf snapped at me. I frowned, scolding her. Colton only raised an eyebrow. Mate. Pack. I frowned. Was that really so important she had to snap at me? Beta. His beta. And that's when it hit me.

"You said that Logan was your beta-does that mean-" I couldn't finish my question as all my courage I've had since the raid seemed to seep away and my mind blanked. Colton leaned down until his face was almost touching mine, his eyes gleaming.

"It's exactly what you think, my little Lia. You're mates with an alpha."

"Oh boy," was all I could say.

4: Chapter 4

Talia:

My hands feathered the clothes hesitantly as if they would disappear at any wrong touch. Although it was only a soft, blue tee and jeans, they were the nicest things I had laid my eyes on in a long time, let alone felt. After I had learned that Colton was alpha to the River Peaks pack, Logan had returned, this time needing Colton to come with him. My wolf howled in protest, but we eventually parted ways. Of course, not before he commanded someone from his pack to give me clothes and anything else I needed. Oh yeah, he definitely was an alpha.

I quickly stripped and changed into the new clothes, the pants a little too big for my skinny form, but it didn't bother me. I had come back to my cell, sadness and guilt overcoming me again when the emptiness of the room just reminded me of Linda's absence. My wolf whined as if to match my feelings. Over the years here, Linda, Ollie, and I had become each others pack, a trio that looked out for each other, and right now, we were broken.

A small knock sounded before Ollie walked in. Her eyes quickly glanced over at Linda's cot, slightly cringing before meeting my gaze. "Thought I might find you here," she said. "How was lover boy?" I rolled my eyes.

"We aren't in love yet. We just met" I answered. My wolf disagreed with my opinion.

"It'll inevitably happen, so I'm just cutting through all the bullshit-saves time." I shrug, giving up as there was no point in arguing with her. Part of me knew she was right. "Lia?"

"Yes?"

"I'm happy for you." I really look at Ollie now, sincerity drenching her words. Her fiery, red hair casually framed her face, making her freckles contrast greatly with her pale complexion. Her hazel eyes twinkled brighter than I had ever seen, her posture...strong yet comfortable. She had also been given a change of clothes as well, adding to the new version of Ollie I had never seen before.

"Thank you," I said. "Hopefully everything will work out." Ollie gave me a reassuring smile.

"Oh it will, or I'll kick his ass." My wolf bristled at the threat to our mate, but she relaxed a moment later, knowing that Ollie meant well. I only returned her smile. "Well, I guess I should get back to my own cell. Apparently, I should be resting, doctor's orders, but I wanted to check in with you again." I nod in understanding, she was looking out for me; we were still pack even without Linda physically being here.

"You should listen to the doctor. I think we'll be here a couple more days as Colton and his pack need some things sorted out before we can leave. Save your energy for when we finally get to see the outside world again."

"Yeah, yeah. I will," she said turning to go before pausing. "Lia?"

"Hm?"

"It's not your fault Linda was taken. Cheer up." With that she left me to my own thoughts again. I sighed. No matter how much I tried, blame for Linda's capture always seemed to fall into my thoughts whether I was taking full blame or partial blame, it didn't matter. I was guilty. My wolf nudge my mind gently. Sister wolf. Be okay. Strong. I leaned back onto my cot, my eyelids becoming heavy. Both Ollie and my wolf had good points, but I knew my worry and guilt would be endless until Linda was away from the hunters, and safely by my side. I mulled over Linda a couple more minutes, fighting off the sleepiness, but by the time slumber took me, the last thing on my mind was a certain cocky alpha.

I stood along with five others against a cold, stone wall, silver chains burning our skin. It had burned so badly, I had somehow numbed out the pain; however, it took all my might not to shake as a bunch of scary-looking men surrounded us with different tools in their hands. Disgusting smiles were plastered to their faces and if I could have shift, I would have torn them right off. Or at least would have tried. My wolf was on full alert.

I didn't exactly remember all the details that landed me here, all I knew was one moment I was going for a run along the border of our territory, and suddenly my senses were blinded and I was ambushed. I had a bad feeling these men were the hunters my pack had always warned me about since I was a pup. Although it was a slim chance, I still hoped my instinct was wrong. Suddenly the group of men parted in the middle revealing a singular figure. The man was tall, at least six feet and although skinny, muscles bulged from his limbs and abdomen. He had shoulder-length golden locks and a solid jaw line. His piercing, cold blue eyes were...empty. So empty I couldn't stop myself from shivering. He noticed.

"Gentlemen," he called out, the men surrounding him snapping to attention. "Shall we tame some new beasts?" A lot of hoots and hollers spread throughout the group in excitement. The commanding man smiled, his lips nothing but sinister before laying his eyes on me. I froze. Shudders racked my body uncontrollably and my wolf growled at the threat so strongly, I couldn't help but emit her growl through my own throat.

Smack! Smack!

Tears burned my eyes as both my cheeks ached with pain. The man glared at me, his palm still in the air from slapping me. "Bruno," he said. "You'll be assigned this little beast. Go wild, but keep her breathing." A hunched over man stepped forward, his ugly grin widening in delight at the sight of my fear. He had two carving knives in his hand, and by the looks of it, they were silver.

"Pp-lease," I cried quietly not exactly sure what I was trying to plead. The man only shook his head at me, clearly enjoying this.

"You're a prime example of the filthy beast you really are. It's time to tame you little bitch." I now was full on crying, desperately wanting to be back home with my pack, to be anywhere, but here. I glanced among the other prisoners, none willing to meet my eyes. The man smirked coldly at me before nodding to Bruno. I was roughly yanked forward from the line, barely keeping my balance as I was half dragged, half stumbled towards a closed wooden door. My fate was sealed.

"Wait!" A hesitant voice called out. "Please, she's just a child!" The culprit was a chubby girl, a few years older than me, with light brown eyes and curly reddish-brown hair. Bruno ignored her, continuing to drag me along when the commanding man cleared his throat.

"Are you willing to take her place then?" He asked the girl who spoke out.

"I-" she didn't know what to say.

"No? Sweetheart, then you're nothing, but a liar." He looked over to Bruno, and as if they were speaking through stares, Bruno instantly let me go. I fell to the floor. He approached the girl, his puny eyes brimming with excitement.

"Boss?" He called out. The man gave a nod, and before me, or any of the other prisoners realized what was happening, the girl let out a shrill scream as Bruno plunged one knife through her chest, the other in her neck. I closed my eyes. The life fading out of her frightened eyes haunted my mind.

My eyes snapped open, sweat blanketing over my body in layers, my throat parched. It was only a memory, a terrible memory, but something of the past. Here. I'm here. I slowly sit up, my wolf repeating those words and I take a breath. I realized it would take a lot more than just being out of hunters' reaches to gain my freedom I so desperately wanted. It would take giving all four years of my captivity back to me...so in other words, I was screwed.

5: Chapter 5

Talia:

“Packs?” I said as if it was a foreign concept to me. “They're coming?” Colton nodded.

“I wanted to let you know before I notified the rest. I made contact with every pack known today, and even reached out to members that came from disbanded packs. They'll all be arriving soon.” My wolf nudge my mind in comfort, but also on alert. Disband. Pack. My eyes widened as she suggested such a thought.

My old pack definitely was not the biggest or strongest pack out there, but certainly they hadn't disbanded over the years, right? The whole idea that some packs even went through that process was mind boggling to me. Before I was captured, disbanding a pack was taboo...either the alpha held his pack together or a new alpha would step in. Things have certainly changed within our community.

“My wolf was right about you,” Colton said, startling me from my thoughts. “You do think too much.” Heat crept onto my face and I instantly lowered my head.

“Sorry.” I mumbled, a little fright lacing into my voice. Not that he would hurt me physically, I knew with all my heart he wouldn't, but the fact that he could still reject me never had left my mind the moment I laid eyes on him. It had only been a couple days since the big “rescue raid” and although cleaner and in nicer clothes, my body was still malnourished and weak, a big turn off to alphas since they needed a strong mate to become their luna. My humane and rational side assured me he meant no harm from it, but the doubt was still there.

His hand cupped my chin and lifted it, my eyes desperately trying to look anywhere but him. “What happened to that sarcastic and brave Lia?” He asked, his tone gentle. “She would have shoved my stupid tongue down my throat.” I finally met his gaze in surprise. Did he just call himself stupid? The thought of that produced the tiniest of smiles.

“Gu-ess she's doing you a favor...not being around” I stuttered. Colton's finger that was tracing my jawline paused.

“Well then, obviously you need to get to know me better” he replied through clenched teeth before continuing with my jaw. My eyes immediately dropped, my shoulders slumped inwards out of habit as I had made Colton mad. Man, I was pathetic today. My wolf silently agreed with that thought making me wave her off in cooped up frustration. Yesterday's realization that I was far from being “free” upset me, and without realizing it, I had reverted back to that scared little wolf I had been throughout the years. Strong. Get stronger. That was easier said than done.

We stood like that for the remainder of the time, his fingers still tracing my jawline and my eyes glued to the ground. After about five minutes, there was a knock and we separated. Logan peeked his head in, looking at me, then Colton questioningly.

“Bring them in,” Colton said and Logan opened the door fully, revealing all the other freed captives behind him. Ollie was among them and she met my gaze with a raised eyebrow. I gave her a smile before mouthing the word “pack” to her. A puzzled look appeared as she didn't quite understand the full meaning of what I said, but Colton soon rescued me as he cleared his throat, drawing all attention to him.

“Thank you all for cooperating with us and helping out, your efforts will finally be rewarded as I have some big news for you all...” he said to them. I droned him out, still trying to sort out everything running around in my mind. Colton's pack territory wasn't too far from mine, but it still bothered me to think I would only be with my old pack for so long. My wolf pawed my mind in comfort. She felt the same way, although in the end, she would always choose our mate. Need. Mate. I sighed. I think Colton noticed as he tensed for a second while talking to the group, but returned to his relaxed stance soon enough.

Living without a mate was a rare occurrence because of the dangerous consequences that came from mateless wolves. If a female doesn't find her mate by the age of 32, her wolf dies within her, leaving nothing but an empty shell of a person. For males, their wolves will overpower them, turning them into vicious rogues that need to be killed instantly before any havoc can be wreaked. A dismal future for us, but luckily, almost all wolves find their mates. The last I've heard of a mateless wolf was more than 60 years ago, and it was slowly becoming a mere legend as each new year passes without mishap. A felt a nudge on my shoulder and turned to meet one good hazel eye, the other covered in gauze.

“Been thinking too damn long,” Ollie said when she had my attention. “I've been standing here for the past few minutes and you didn't even flicker! Not one fucking time! Zilch! Nada!”

“Okay, okay, I get your point!” I cried out, trying to overpower her loudness. “Please don't make a scene!” A smile flashed onto her face in an instant. I gulped.

“What? You don't want to be embarrassed in front of your mate?”

“Just shush, Ollie!” I said to her. Sadly, it was already too late as Colton joined us a second later, his speech finished.

“Who's mate are we talking about?” He asked with innocent curiosity.

“I'd tell you,” Ollie replied. “But then I'd have to kill you.” I couldn't help but let out a little growl. Ollie only laughed and to my utter humiliation, Colton smirked. “Relax, Lia. I'm not actually going to kill him. Unless he hurts you. Then his ass is mine.”

“I would never hurt her,” Colton spoke up, his tone making Ollie and I snap to attention. His blue eyes were intensely serious, his usually appealing lips locked into a hard line. “Never.”

“Fuck, Lia” Ollie finally said, breaking the silence that had dropped around us. “He's a keeper.” She then focused on him. “Colton, right?” He nodded. “I like you, Colton. Make my Lia happy.”

“Alpha's honor,” he said and she walked away, sending me a quick wink. I internally groaned.

“Sorry for her,” I said once she was gone. “She means well.” Colton chuckled.

“I know, and I'm grateful to her for that,” he said. I looked at him, confusion evident upon my face. “She's just looking out for you, probably has been the whole time you both were with the hunters too, am I right? She protected you when I couldn't.” My throat constricted, and before I knew it, my vision was blurred with unshed tears.

“I-I don't kn..” I gasp out only to be hushed.

“Cry, my little Lia” Colton said, his arms closing around me and pulling me closer to him. “You no longer have to hold in all that pain you are carrying.” His words enveloped me in a warmth I've never felt, and without thinking too much about all the others within the room, I began to cry. I cried for the girl who died trying to protect me when I first arrived. I cried for all the years I had to suffer through pain and torture. I cried for the silence my wolf had left me in. I cried for every other captive as they had lived through just as much pain as me. And I cried for Linda as she was still going through all that pain.

Colton held me the whole time, his hands rubbing soothing circles along my back, his chin comfortably placed upon my head. Every once in a while I could faintly hear him talking to someone, but in the end, he would shoo them off and his attention would always return to me. After what seemed to be forever, my cries turned into soft hiccups before silence. My wolf gave a small whine and I reassured her that I was fine. And I meant it too. The pain I held inside me was still there, but it no longer ate at me as aggressively as it had been. It was a calmed kind of pain.

“Better?” Colton asked. I nodded and he smiled. “Then turn around.” I followed his command only to freeze. My wolf instantly perked up. Tired, brown eyes met mine, as a hesitant smile was plastered to the man's face. Gray stubble covered his chin while his hair that was once pure black, now speckled with gray, hung just below his shoulders.

“Talia?” He called out. “Is it really you?” The moment I nodded, relief and happiness flooded his eyes. He held his arms out to me, and I looked up to Colton, still sort of unsure. Colton tightened his grip on me for a second before releasing me with a gentle push towards the man.

“Daddy!” I cried before launching myself into the outstretched arms.