Corey and Raven
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TW: Some Torture, Blood
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I came to lying on my back with my head turned to the side coughing up water. My lungs burned and my throat felt raw. I blinked my eyes against the bright lights. My first realization was that I was still tied down; the second was that I wasn't alone. Leaning over a table across from me was Crazy Pants or William as my father had called him. No one else was in the room. Did they think that I would be more open to answering questions from him?
I continued lying still. I didn't have the strength to move. Crazy Pants didn't seem to notice that I was awake. My body ached and could barely keep my eyes open, fighting against the exhaustion. Sleep won and I started to drift off, only to be woken up by Crazy Pants.
His face hovered over mine and I nearly yelped. "Hello, my dear." He grinned. I forced myself to not wrinkle my nose at the smell of his breath. How anyone could handle the smell of stale coffee and eggs was beyond me. "I'm glad to see that you've recovered after Marshall's temper. He has such a short fuse."
He moved away from me, but his eyes stayed locked on mine. "Marshall is gone for a short time, so we don't have long. Why don't we talk? I have some information to share with you. I hope that you realize that I'm not your enemy here."
There was no way that I was going to believe that. I'd still play his game though. I nodded my head, and he flashed what I think was supposed to be a pleasant smile. It wasn't though. This man was a terrible actor.
"Erik and I have been friends since long before your conception. We had all sorts of theories that we wanted to test. Unfortunately, no one would give us the time of day. At least not until we were contacted by a group that was not only interested in what we did but wanted us to expand upon it." His eyes grew distant as he walked down memory lane. "We helped this group and when they came to trust us, they brought test subjects with them. I would love to say that you were our first experiment, but alas you were not. You were, however, supposed to be our greatest success."
His eyes flickered, that manic gleam was back. "Marshall thinks that you were a failure, but I wasn't so quick to believe that. We dedicated our lives to isolating genes, and you were the only one who came out whole and normal." He paused, trying to gauge my expression. "Sang, did you know that Marshall is not your father? And his wife is most certainly not your mother. He and I may be your creators, but we carry no biological relation to you. After he was sure of our failure, he whisked you away, hiding you from me. I had more tests that I wanted to run."
My body went stiff. "If they aren't my parents then who is?"
William seemed almost disappointed with my response. How did he expect me to react? I was an experiment, and the people who I thought were my parents aren't. All the abuse that I suffered from came from a woman who had no relation to me. I wasn't sure how to feel about it.
"Ah, yes. I'm sure that comes as quite a shock to you." He turned away from me, staring down at the table. "Your parents were our lab rats, our test subjects. They were two powerful people, and your father was the last of his kind. Your mother was a lovely woman and Marshall thought himself in love with her. He reacted unfavorably when she turned him down and he ended her life. Thankfully, you had already been born."
My nose burned with tears that I would not shed. The man who I thought to be my father had killed my real mother because she turned down his advances? My gut churned. I didn't want to hear anymore. I didn't want to know if they killed my father as well.
"Marshall is adamant that you can shift into one of those beasts now that you've been bitten." William turned back toward me. "I'm not so quick to agree. I tested your blood, and I found no evidence that backs up his theory. You seem to be exactly as you were the day that you left this compound. However, I do have a plan to test that theory. It was a procedure done long ago. This may hurt just a bit, my dear."
Metal glinted in his hand as he swung his arm toward me. The scalpel sliced deep into my arm, slicing down the length. He waited for a moment, watching as my blood rushed from the wound. He moved down to my legs, slashing at my left calf. A scream escaped me as the blade sank bone-deep. My jaw ached; the pain almost worse than the cuts I was receiving.
"I'm not finding any fur." He glared at me. "Tell me, Sang, where do you hide your beast?"
The tip of his blade came to a rest on my chest. I wasn't sure whether he intended to kill me or to cause me as much pain as possible. He pressed down slowly, my skin parting like butter. A growl escaped me. He froze, a maniacal smile spread across his face.
"There's the beast." He whispered, pulling the blade away. "Let's have a look." He gripped my jaw, forcing my mouth open. "You have the teeth of a beast."
William reached a finger out to touch one of my teeth, I acted before I thought it through. My teeth clamped down on his fingers and my mouth filled with his blood. He screamed; ripping his hand away from my mouth. His hand came back with two fewer fingers. I spit the appendages out with as much of his blood as I could. The taste was foul.
Tears streamed down his face as blood poured from his hand. His scream stopped abruptly as he lunged for the scalpel. He didn't get very far, because the door burst open behind him. Standing in the doorway stood Jay and behind him was the masked man that I had seen at the mall. Jay sprinted for me as the masked man wrenched the scalpel from Crazy Pants. Jay looked at me and flinched, his face screwing up with disgust.
"You bit his fingers off?"
Like that was what I wanted to talk about. "What gave it away? The fingers on the floor or the blood on my face? Get me out of here!"
Jay grimaced and released me from the cuffs. "We need to go," he helped get off the table. I was woozy from the blood loss.
Jay wrapped his arm around my waist. I slumped into him. He gave an irritated sigh before swinging me up into his arms and darting out of the room. On the floor were slumped forms. Had they taken out all these people? I glanced behind us to see the masked man. I stared at the man for a moment. From behind his mask, a green eye winked at me.
"Where is Mr. Blackbourne?" I asked.
Jay grunted. "He and those guys are quite elusive. I couldn't get a moment to speak with him. So, we're here instead."
Jay ran until we were somewhere in the woods behind the compound. He set me on my feet, and I stumbled. "We have to go our separate ways from here. Continue North, help should be waiting. If you're smart, you won't go back to the school."
The masked man waited off to the side, Jay joined him, and they disappeared into the trees. A blaring sound came from the compound, so I started running. Every step with my left leg was pure agony. I had to push the pain away and somehow find the strength to run. There was no way that I was going to go back there.
There was no way for me to tell how far I had gone. I couldn't hear the siren anymore. I'd been stumbling through the woods long enough for the sun to set. A shiver ran through me. My arm no longer ached, and my leg felt numb. A howl cut through the otherwise silent woods. My heart leaped into my throat as I headed straight for the sound.
After a few minutes, I stumbled to a stop. Several yards away was a pale wolf running around with a large brown bear chasing it. The sight confused me. The pair were obviously playing. I don't think the wolf would have last long otherwise.
The wolf tripped over its feet sending it into a somersault. I could stop myself from chuckling. The bear came to an immediate stop and spun around to see me. The wolf popped up onto its feet just as the bear gave an almighty bellow.
The wolf moved toward me slowly as it sniffed the air. This wolf wasn't nearly as aggressive as Owen's had been. It came to a stop in front of me. The pale wolf pressed its nose to my leg and whimpered before letting out a howl. The bear barreled toward me, and I couldn't move fast enough. I stumbled and landed on my back with the bear standing over me. If I weren't so dehydrated, I would have peed myself.
A growl came from behind me and I tipped my head back to see three more wolves behind me. My eyes landed on the darkest one with the brilliant orange eyes and I whimpered. It was large and black in color. The wolf was gorgeous but had the aura that it was not to be messed with, much like Owen's wolf.
I closed my eyes and waited for my death because there was surely no way, I was going to live through an encounter with four wolves and a bear. Dying this way was preferable to being killed by the man that I thought was my father and his crazy colleague.
Hot breath spanned over my face and my neck. I kept very still even as a wet nose nudge over my shoulder. It took me a moment to figure out that the bear was sniffing at Owen's bite. I opened one eye to see the bear's big brown eyes staring down at me.
There was shuffling off to my left, I turned to see a tall blond man emerge from behind a tree. None of the animals moved, and after a few seconds of panicking, I realized that one of the wolves was missing. The man wore dark jeans and a graphic t-shirt. He approached slowly and with a soft smile on his face. It was like he thought I might be more scared of him than the bear that was currently standing over me.
"Who are you?" He asked.
I bit my lip, glancing up at the bear before I spoke. "Are you shifters?"
The man nodded, "bubbles."
My brow furrowed. What did bubbles have to do with anything? His head tipped to the side as he took in my confused expression. Then he glanced over at the wolves. The bear lowered his snout to my neck once again, but this time he left it there.
"I take it that you aren't with the Academy?"
Academy? I gasped. "Owen Blackbourne."
"You know Blackbourne?" I nodded frantically. "Is he the one who bit you?"
I didn't have time to nod before two wolves slammed into the bear that stood over me. I think that my heart stopped when I saw the pack of snarling wolves descend upon us. However, the sight of the familiar gray wolf restarted it as relief flooded through me. The gray wolf lunged for the black wolf and a sandy blond wolf came over to me sniffing at my leg and arm.
The bear regained its footing and started making a noise that almost sounded like woofing. A black wolf was in the bear's face snarling, this wolf darker than the one facing off with Owen's wolf. I sat up, pushing the blond wolf away. I was drawn to the angry black wolf. I limped over to it, practically crashing into its side as my leg gave out. The wolf stopped snarling and started nosing me.
The gray wolf shifted and there stood Owen in all his naked glory. I knew that I should look away, but I couldn't. His chest and abs were defined as were his arms and legs. He wasn't bulky, but more on the slender side. My eyes skipped over a particular part of him. I'd seen enough in the anatomy book that I read. I didn't need an up-close picture of what a male's member looked like; no matter how curious I was. A low sound came from him as he noticed my attention.
"Sang," my name came out as a soft growl. "How did you get out here?"
Everything that had happened came bubbling to the surface and my chin quivered before I burst into tears. It was humiliating. He didn't seem to care about his nakedness as he swooped me into his arms, pressing me tight against his chest.
"Why don't you come back with us to Sargent Jasper? Dr. Green can look her over there." The blond man offered.
Owen growled a little but followed him. "It's okay, Sang. You're safe now."
This brought forth another wave of tears. He nuzzled his face into my hair. I rested my head against his chest, his heart was strong and steady beneath my ear. I had so many questions to ask. My black wolf snapped his jaws at the bear's hind leg. The bear didn't so much as blink as it kicked its leg out, nailing the wolf in the chest and sending him flying backward.
The wolf got to its feet and let out a menacing growl. Owen rolled his eyes. "North, that is enough."
I looked over Owen's shoulder. "North?"
Golden eyes met mine and he trotted over to me. I couldn't believe that this wolf was North. He was quite...fluffy. My hand twitched. I really wanted to pet him; his fur looked so soft. Would the guys be offended if I petted them?
"I'm sorry that you had to come looking for me. I know that you didn't want to."
There was an echo of growls around me. A few feet to Owen's right was a brown wolf with light-colored eyes. The wolf stumbled before regaining its footing. It kept its head low. Owen glanced at the wolf, raising a brow.
"Mr. Lee?" He asked in his commanding voice. I giggled. It was odd to hear a wolf be called mister. It reminded me of children naming their stuffed animals Mr. Snuggles.
Owen shook his head at me. "We're almost there. Your arm is looking to be healed, but your leg seems to be taking a bit longer. What happened to you, Sang?"
The words were soft as they left my mouth, "my father."
Owen tightened his hold on me, and he froze for a second before he resumed walking. "We're going to have a long conversation when we get to the Toma's home."
"Toma?" I asked.
He nodded. "The black wolf that isn't picking a fight with the bear is Axel Toma. He's a friend of ours and a member of the Academy. Like me, he is also Alpha of his pack."
My eyes drifted toward the wolf who had stood toe-to-toe with Owen. He was trotting along at the back with Owen and me, but he kept his distance. His frame was tense and his eyes forward, but his ears swiveled as if he was paying attention to everything around us. Dark amber eyes met mine and the wolf curled his lips at me. He didn't get to make a sound though. Owen let out a menacing rumble that I felt under my ear.
"Are you sure you're friends?" I asked, not bothering to whisper.
He redirected his attention to me, his lips twitched, "perhaps I should have said, acquaintances."
The blond man that had been talking to me earlier shook his head. "We're more than acquaintances, Mr. Blackbourne. Your pack is our closest ally, and we consider you to be true friends. You'll have to excuse Axel, he's not very trusting and I am sure there is a misunderstanding that you'll be able to clear up once he's shifted back."
The group fell quiet after that. We were moving slowly, and it seemed to make the wolves twitchy. The blond wolf that had been sniffing at me earlier kept glancing back. North seemed torn between wanting to check on me and picking a fight with the bear. Even the blond man was beginning to seem annoyed.
"I'm sorry that I'm slowing you down." I didn't like being a burden. "You should shift Owen. I can probably walk."
The sandy blond wolf locked eyes with me and growled. I took that as a "no." The bear butted his head against the blond man before lumbering towards Owen and me. I still stilled. The bear was the scariest animal out of the group even though I had seen him playing with a wolf not too long ago.
"Raven has an idea." The blond man groaned before following the bear. They came to a stop in front of us. "He thinks that you should put her on his back. You could shift and then we could all run back."
The bear gave what I assumed was supposed to be a toothy smile. I kind of got stuck on the toothy part. This felt like a Red Riding Hood moment, except instead of a Big Bad Wolf it was a Big Bad Bear. Owen looked down at me like he was waiting for me to answer.
"Uh, Raven?" I asked. The bear let out a noise that sounded slightly like a purr. I wasn't quite sure what to make of the beast.
The blond grinned at me. It was the kind of smile that just lit up a room. "Raven is the bear. He won't hurt you; I promise."
My eyes sought out my black wolf. North. He approached nuzzling his face into my arm before biting at the bear and darting away. The bear didn't seem to care or notice though. His focus was completely on me.
"If it'll make you all more comfortable, then I'm okay with it." I'd never ridden an animal before, but it couldn't be all that bad right?
Owen took me at my word and set me on the bear's back. I let out a squeak and clutched at the bear. The last thing that I wanted was to fall off. Owen's shift was fluid while the blond man's was much slower. The bear started to trot with his head held high.
The bear started to pick up his pace. Soon the wolves around us were running. The wind in my face blew my hair back. The air smelled fresh and wild, and I felt free. It felt like one of those on top of the mountain moments. Unfortunately, it came to an end all too soon. Just beyond the trees, I could see a tall building that resembled an apartment complex. The wolves spread out, darting behind trees most likely to change. After a moment, only the bear and I stood there. Until the world dropped out from under me.
I was sitting atop the back of a bear then I was suddenly falling only to be caught by a pair of arms. I found myself staring into brown eyes. The look he was giving me sucked the air from my lungs. Slowly, I took in the rest of him. His hair was thick and brown, longer in the front while the rest was cropped short. He was covered in tattoos and piercings. He was built, quite possibly the most muscular man I've ever seen.
A snarled echoed through the trees and North stalked towards us. He was clad in black jeans, a black t-shirt, and black boots. That seemed to be his style. He moved to take me from the bear – Raven, but I was tucked into a hard chest instead. Glancing up, I could see the challenge in Raven's eyes. He was trying to provoke North. I absolutely did not want to get caught in the middle of that.
I threw myself out of his arms just as North lunged for him. The two went crashing to the ground behind me. I landed in another pair of arms. Either I had good aim, or someone was a good catch. The scent of the sea wrapped around me as I breathed deeply. A throat cleared and my skin flushed. Dark almond eyes covered by black-rimmed glasses were narrowed down at me while one brow was raised. Jet black hair hung in a thick curtain around his face. I closed my eyes trying to pretend that he didn't just catch me sniffing him.
When I opened my eyes, he was watching North and Raven. The two were throwing powerful punches. I pushed at the man's chest to get him to put me down. They were going to hurt themselves if someone didn't stop them.
The man ignored me though. His arms tightened around me until I wasn't able to move. A growl escaped me bringing his eyes back to my face. We held each other's eyes. I could feel his body tense. His eyes were filled with annoyance and indignation.
"Axel, release her." A strong voice commanded, but we were lost in our battle. "Sang, look away."
The command took hold of me almost immediately. I snarled at the voice before I realized that it was Owen. He just smirked at me. Whatever had just happened between this man and me, it didn't affect Owen at all. He seemed to just think that it was cute, and I was slightly offended.
Sean appeared at his side, "can I look at her now."
The man thrust me towards Sean like he couldn't get away from me fast enough. "Sang, you sure know how to pick your battles."
Sean was laughing at me. I huffed at him. "Can I walk now?"
"Does it hurt still?" He asked, and I nodded. "Then no, you can't walk."
The man who caught me strode off toward the apartment building. My eyes followed him. I was sure what to think of him. He was attractive, they all were. There was something different about him though and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"That's Axel Toma. The other pack Alpha." Owen informed me, his hand was over his mouth but I could still hear the smile in his voice.
A squeak left me. I had growled at an Alpha? I didn't for one minute believe that Axel was anywhere as easy-going as Owen. He probably hated me now. Would he treat me like my father did? I remained quiet for the rest of the walk into the apartment.
We followed Axel into one of the units. The layout was simple. The kitchen was to the left of the front door, to the right was a hallway. Straight ahead was a living room with two doors just off the kitchen. Axel walked into the furthest room on the left and slammed the door behind him.
Sean set me down on the couch and started looking over my leg. "This is deep. What happened, Sang?"
"A crazy man with a scalpel." I didn't really want to talk about it.
His eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Want to run that by me again?" I shook my head. Owen sat next to me his eyes narrowed, and lips pursed. "Okay, so you're telling me that you left the school with your father and ended up in the hands of a crazy scalpel-wielding man."
"Yes."
I heard a door open and shut just before I felt a heat at my back. I tipped my head back to see Axel standing behind me. His face was blank. I briefly wondered if their Academy taught a class on stoicism.
"Sang, please. I want to understand what happened to you." Owen's voice was quiet, and I could feel his eyes on my face, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him. I simply shook my head. I wouldn't talk about it with them.
"Well, at least your body doesn't seem to be fighting the change anymore," Sean commented as he looked at the healed wound on my arm. "Did you shift?"
"No. My teeth changed, but I couldn't really see what else happened." The rest of the guys stumbled into the apartment.
"When did you last see your father?" Owen asked.
"This morning? I'm not sure how long I was out for, so I can't really give you a time." I hoped that I wasn't asleep for too long. I felt gross. I looked at Sean, "can I get cleaned up?"
"Of course," he released a heavy breath.
"I'll show you to the bathroom," Axel's authoritative smoky voice sent a shiver down my spine. I stood and limped after him. The rest of the boys forced their way into the apartment, just as I disappeared down the hall.
Axel waited inside the bathroom for me. He shut the door behind me once I stepped in. We stood close together. My back pressed against his front. His gaze met mine in the large mirror above the sink.
"Do you mind if I call you Sang?" His voice was low, careful to not be overheard. I shook my head. "Are you comfortable with the Blackbourne Pack?"
Indecision warred within me. Before what happened with Kota and my father, I would have said yes, but now I was unsure. Had William been right when he said that they abandoned me? Why were they really here? Axel had obviously not heard of me before, so he wasn't brought in on whatever this is.
He sighed softly, "Sang, it's obvious that you've been through a few things. I'm only asking so that you know that if you aren't comfortable with them then you can stay with us. And I'm always here if you need someone to talk to."
Relief coursed through me. I wasn't sure what to think about the things that had happened, and I'm not sure I'd be able to process everything with Owen and the boys hovering. I relaxed back into him, which seemed to surprise him. I couldn't help it though. I was exhausted and he was warm and comfortable.
"Let me start the shower for you." He gave me a small smile, easing himself away from me. I watched as he pulled the shower curtain back and turned the water on.
The sound of the room was muffled. I couldn't hear anything over the roaring of my blood in my ears. The room spun and darkened. He turned just in time to see my knees give out. Axel caught me. He reached out and shut the water off.
He cursed, "no shower then." He spun me around and lifted me onto the sink by hips. Axel searched the drawers before a moment before he pulled out a rag and wet it under the faucet. He scrubbed at my exposed skin, starting with my face and working his way down. "I'm going to leave to let you get the rest. I'll bring you back some clothing."
Once he was gone, I removed my clothes as quickly as I could leaving my bra and underwear on. I scrubbed furiously until my skin began to ache. I was leaning heavily against the counter when he knocked on the door a few minutes later. I partially opened the door and he handed me the clothes. It was a t-shirt and a pair of shorts that were both far too large on me, but I slipped them on anyway.
Axel was still waiting when I stepped from the bathroom. He wrapped an arm around my waist as he led me back to the others. Apparently, he didn't think I was capable of standing on my own two feet. I didn't blame him. Sean practically launched himself at me once he spotted Axel and me. He gave me a thorough check-up to make sure that I wasn't hurt anywhere else.
"Okay, now let's go over this again." Sean started; the boys' eyes were locked onto me. I shuffled in my seat. "You said a crazy man wielding a scalpel cut you?"
"Yes."
"Had you ever seen him before?" Victor asked, his eyes were a beautiful blaze.
The room seemed to be split between the two packs. Before me was Owen, Sean, and the boys. Behind me was Axel and his pack. I knew the boys were moments away from firing questions at me.
"No, I hadn't." I gave Victor a tired smile.
"Not even with your father?" Kota asked. I refused to respond to him or even look in his direction. Of course, this was obvious to everyone as well.
"Sang, please talk to us." Owen crouched down in front of me. "We just want to help. Don't shut us out."
I wasn't ready to talk about it. I just wanted to sleep and maybe eat something. However, I knew that they weren't going to drop it, so I looked to the person who offered me help. I met his eyes over my shoulder. He'd been watching me intently, that he immediately strode forward dropping his hand to my shoulder. I looked back to see Owen's eyes narrowed on the hand.
"Look, she's obviously had a rough day and she's exhausted. She needs to sleep before anyone asks her any more questions. Perhaps she'll be ready to talk about it tomorrow." His tone left no room for argument.
"Of course. Sang, will you let me carry you to our car?" Owen stood and held his hand out.
Axel cleared his throat. "I told her that she could stay with us for a while. She'll have her own room and her privacy. If she wants to talk tomorrow, I will call you."
Owen's eyes flicked from gray to amber back to gray before he gave a curt nod and stalked from the apartment. The group followed, only North and Luke lingered. I knew that they both would have something to say.
"I meant what I said, baby. I'll protect you from everyone including my brothers. My brothers won't hurt you, but if you're scared of them just let me know." His dark eyes flickered between me and Axel. I knew that his protection also applied to the Toma pack.
He clapped Luke on the shoulder and left. Luke kneeled in front of me. The sad look on his face made my chest ache. "Sang, you can tell me anything, but I won't push you for information. I just have to ask, was it Kota?"
I blinked back tears. In the short time that I have been with them, I could see how strong their bond is, and I would never do anything to tear them apart. Luke saw the answer on my face though. He kissed my forehead before striding out of the apartment. The closing of the door made my heart ache.