Ghost Towns

Thirty One

Rye's body protested as someone shook her awake.

She groaned as she opened her eyes, blinking away the haze of sleep and exhaustion. The sun's light had grown orange, so Rye knew she had slept through most of the day.

"Wake up," someone said, too close to her face.

"What?" Rye asked, groggily, "what's happening?"

The lack of answer was what properly shook her into the world of waking. Alex was kneeling in front of her, his hand on her shoulder, shaking gently. Behind him stood two others. Thankfully, neither of the two were the wolf who had found Rye in the woods last night.

"We need to go," he said, helping her to her feet.

"Where?" Rye asked, even as she followed the two Onyx, Alex trailing close behind her.

In the all-too-familiar basement hallway, Alex called for a stop.

"Wait," he said, "pass the blindfold, Wes. And Nathan, Some more rope."

Rye stiffened, glaring at the three of them in turn. "Alex?" She asked, the feeling of apprehension creeping up on her, as if she stood on the verge of something risky and secretive.

Alex met her eyes, though he was careful that the others did not see him do it. "Orders of the Alpha," he said it curtly, probably for the benefit of Wes and Nathan.

Careful that neither was too tight, he re-bound Rye's hands behind her back and tied a strip of dark, thick cloth over her eyes. He took care to be gentle, but Rye flinched as he accidentally brushed a bruise on her forearm. Alex stilled, waiting for a long moment before he finished his task.

"Be careful with her," she heard Alex saying as two people took her arms. "The terms need to be met perfectly if we ever want Lucas back."

The tip of Rye's tongue absolutely itched. There was so much left unsaid there. It was a fragment of something huge, she just knew it. And yet, Alex was tip-toeing around her two guards, and she did not trust wolves who even Alex was careful with. He had dropped her that bit of information deliberately. She could only hope that he would be able to assume her confusion and reveal more.

She was led up the stairs and through the winding halls of the Onyx pack house. Under her feet, the carpet muffled the sound of her footsteps, and made it hard for her to hear Alex's. She hoped he was coming wherever she was going. Each moment felt heavier. She felt the way she did months ago, standing in the clearing, negotiating for Jax's life.

Moments later, she was outdoors, the direct afternoon sun warm against her skin, and the smell of leaves and grass and trees strong against her senses. There was something else too- the second they moved one step, the pull of the bond flared within Rye, like unexpected fireworks or a spark catching a barrel of oil. She gasped, curling in on herself, surprised. How close was Jax? Suddenly, she was overcome by panic. Her mate inside the territory lines of the Onyx? Had he been caught? Had he been killed? What was Rye being taken to see?

Her guards did not let her pause to gather herself. No, they began to march, and Rye stumbled over every single pebble, as she had done last night. It was all the same to her, being blindfolded and being under the cover of dark without a lantern. Her toes were probably bashed and bleeding by this point.

Oh, what she would give for a hot bath and a comfortable bed. To know she was safe, and Jax was safe. That Lisa was being supported through her grief, and Alex was no longer under suspicion. The thought of it all only made her deep sadness intensify. There was no way to go back to simple days. No way for the world to be safe and comfortable for everyone.