The Cold and The Broken (Short) ✔

Prologue

The clouds reflect the mood, dark grey masses dropping heavy tears upon the solemn group. The four walking next to the shackled figure throw looks of pity, of sadness, in his wake. They have watched the strong man he once was be ripped down and destroyed by his own wolf, until only this empty shell remains standing before them. They try to remember the bright smiles and level-headed leader that used to guide them through their darkest times, but the violence that has filled the last six years overshadows those memories. Silently, they all hope this form of punishment will bring back the one they know is still hidden. The fear ghosts the back of every mind in the pack, fear for the damages this uncommon practice will cause. A cruel way, but hopefully an effective one to pull him from his misery.

His mind is torn in half for the third time on this especially dark day. His shackled arms lay heavily against his mid-section, another reminder of the hole in his soul. The rain makes the silver sparkle, but in Dimitry's mind this only reinforces the feelings of emptiness. This should hurt, it should be burning the skin of my wrists, yet I feel nothing. Nothing, something very familiar to the twenty-four year old Alpha. This very evening, his very thin grasp on his life finally snapped. The pack could no longer live in the same area as the feral wolf within him. They deemed it unsafe for even him to live with such a monster.

As the small group reaches the large grey cobblestone building, the situation finally sets in to the tattered mind of the ex-Alpha. His freedom is over, to be locked away for the safety of everyone. Condemned to a life of solitude below-grounds, until someone remembers to find him a solution. His own pack has long-since stopped looking at him in admiration, that image ruined over these past years. Gone is the Alpha, in his place is a weak man falling apart in every way possible.

The four escorts leave him with three new faces, the ones who will guard the door to his prison. They allow him a small bit of relieve by removing the shackles, but still keep an observant eye. They've known Alpha Aleskov at his highest power, never did the three guards expect to be dragging the lost soul down to their deepest solitary dungeon room. Feeling the power their wolves receive from being more dominant than such a strong Alpha, they cannot help but stand a little straighter. The first guard shoves the weakened prisoner to the ground of the darkened room, leaving with a chuckle to follow his friends out the heavy silver door.

Dimitry, still tired from the day's events, finds it a struggle to lift himself from his fallen position. He can feel the ache in his palms where the rough dirt carved it's way into his skin, not nearly deep enough to cause any harm. Truth is he would be completely healed by now if it wasn't for the pack healer. She bound him, his feral wolf, locked him in a cage inside his mind, then locked the human in one as well. He would have put up a harder fight, but there is simply no point. He's been fighting for six years, loosing the battle every day. As he leans his large body against the door, he drops his head into his sore palms, not sure what to do next. He hasn't been sure of anything recently.

MaeLynn sits in her corner as usual, crouched down in the minuscule space between the mattress and the joint walls. Her sharp eyes observe the man resting his tall form against the door, hands covering his lowered face. Though her vision is indeed better than most, having adjusted to these conditions for many years, she wonders. Has this one a weak wolf who is unable to sharpen his eye-sight? Has he no sight at all? It takes the guards a minute only to adjust, why so long for him? She regards him cautiously, watching the slow raise of his head as he focuses on the darkness around him. MaeLynn watches silently as the stranger adjusts his eyes in a painfully slow manor, causing more doubts to bloom within her. She is wary of him, but senses too much sadness within his wolf to remain hidden.

"Are you alright?"

The ghostly soft voice carries through the cave-like room. It sounds plenty loud to her, but Dimitry hears only a whisper. The loss of wolf strengths is affecting him more than he'd like to admit. He should be on guard at the intruder to his solitude, but the exhaustion has already begun pulling him down. As he makes a move to walk to the shadow against the far wall, his remaining energy dissipates into the cold cave air. A small shadow moves to rest under his arm as he falls forward, keeping him up until he crashes onto what must be a bed of sorts. The shadow moves to crouch before him, Dimitry is able to make out a blurred image of a silhouette before he is truly dragged under.

She sees sleep pull him away mere moments after his form hits her mattress. Her energy stretches through his body like venom, hunting it's target. This gift is the lone blessing given to Mae during her time in captivity. The ability to feel another's wolf, to communicate with it, see the spirit of the creature. It usually is visible to her without any searching. In every wolf she's encountered, the combined wolf and human spirit glows as a holographic 3D wolf at the chest. The colors show her more in depth about the wolf's nature and power.

This mans wolf is hidden, forced into a black box resting in his mind. Unnatural magic is at play inside him. Who would lock up a wolf in such a cruel way? Why? She can get no clear image of the wolf, only able to reach the edges of his emotions, the glow trapped within the prison. His wolf is a Canis lupus italicus, what could an Italian wolf be doing in the forests of Colorado? MaeLynn has never seen an Italian pack here, not that she's had much time to explore from her prison. Seeing nothing left for her to do, she pulls back and gazes down once again.

Her eyes take in the heavily sleeping male before her. Sharp defined jaw, high cheek bones, full lips, short light colored hair, this man is quite masculine and extremely handsome. She lifts her frame off the ground, moving to crouch in the opposite corner once again. Her wandering thoughts are dangerous, this man could be dangerous. Once he wakes, she'll get her answers. For now, she must be ready, for the Klang of keys against the door means one thing to MaeLynn.

It's nine o'clock.