Hi everyone! I had a random burst of energy? time? desire? not sure. Whatever it is/was led me to getting another chapter out. I am so sorry that I made you all wait so long. I really struggled with my depression these last few months and I have been so busy with working full-time, part time, AND going to school on top of it. I do appreciate everyone that has been patient, understanding, and supportive of me throughout this! I love y'all!
Well, enough of my words.
Enjoy! :) <3
I was impressed.
After Bolkholm explained the plan to me on how we were supposed to kill Xaler, Cal took me around for a tour of their grounds. And I couldn't believe how much was here. All of it. Right under the noses of those dogs. And they were none the wiser.
The plan itself was pretty straightforward, at least for my involvement, was to seduce the king over time and wait for the right moment to strike. What I wasn't told was who, what, or when this strike was taking place. All Bolkholm kept telling me was to 'stick to the plan' and it was a 'need to know' basis. Apparently, I didn't need to know.
It began to get heated after that. I didn't understand why I couldn't know the full plan if the entire plan relied on me and my seduction of Xaler.
Luckily, Callum intervened before it could blow up any further and whisked me out of the room to show me what this operation had under its belt.
Again, I was impressed. This whole rebellion was an actual rebellion, one forming underground with little to no word coming out about its formation. I'm surprised that Callum was even able to become a part of this let alone find out about it. It was no ragtag band of brothers, it was a full-blown rebellious operation. Everyone here had the same priority: equality.
That's all we truly wanted. We just wanted to be seen as equal, worthy, not disposable, and replaceable things just because we couldn't shift into an animal. We were sick and tired of being worked to the bone, starving to death, being beaten, murdered, and, in my case, taken against our will.
We wanted a fair shot at life and liberty. Right now, we had no jury, we had no peers, we were constantly seen as guilty in the eyes of the wolves and unless we did something then nothing would ever change about that. We were in trouble for simply existing. And it was to the point where many of us didn't even want to exist anymore.
But that was going to change. The feeling crept up within me the longer Cal took me around the grounds. There were gyms and weights and fighting rings. Everyone working together no matter the time of day, assisting one another in hand-to-hand combat, weight training, artillery lessons, weapon-wielding - everything.
There were sheds with transports, both on land and airborne. Different buildings and shacks that housed medics and medical supplies; immunizations, painkillers, first aid supplies, everything. It took my breath away to be quite honest and as much as I wanted to be angry at the movement for not hitting the streets with the supply they had to help those currently suffering, I understood why they couldn't.
They had to wait, we had to wait, I had to wait. If we were to go out there and administer any type of medical assistance, it wouldn't be long before we were caught and everything that they have been working for would be for nothing.
It wasn't until we passed by a building made of dark material or maybe it was painted a dark color. Regardless, it was a compound within a compound with guards posted outside of the gate that surrounded the building, guns slung across their chests ready to be fired if necessary. Solely there for the purpose of preventing anyone from getting through to the building. Barbed wire sat atop the fencing and it wouldn't surprise me if the fence were electrical.
I reached my hand out to stop Callum in his tracks. "What's in there?" I pointed at the dark looming building.
"That's the silver shop," Callum informed, turning to face me.
My eyebrows furrowed for a second before it finally clicked in my mind, "you guys have silver?" I hissed quietly, though I don't know why, it's not like there were any werewolves walking around that could hear me.
"Yeah." Callum's response sounded more like a question as if questioning my odd reaction to this news.
I shook my head, "sorry. I was just caught off guard is all. I guess I didn't expect all of this to be so elaborate and thought through."
"I'm not going to lie, it caught me by surprise too, but this has been a long time coming, it only makes sense that they've been able to collect and grow over the years."
My head bobbed in agreement. I couldn't help but let my eyes drink in the building once more, it stood out like a sore thumb compared to everything else but considering silver was really the only true weapon against wolves at the end of the day it needed to be heavily guarded. I wondered if the bullets in the guns were silver - they had to be.
"Look, Rizzo. There's something I want you to have," Callum began as if shoved his hand down the side of his pants.
I gave him a questioning look to which he just rolled his eyes.
"Shut up, idiot. I'm just grabbing this," from his pants he pulled out what looked to be a small knife. "This whole thing ain't gonna be easy and I want you to have something to protect yourself."
He pressed the knife into the palm of my hand. I stared at the knife, running my fingertips over the smooth metal and then even lighter over the blade itself, careful to not knick my skin.
I scoffed, "and how is this supposed to protect me, Cally?"
"It's silver you dumbass. Why would I give it to you otherwise? Don't be dumb," he grumbled, though I knew it wasn't with ill intent.
I smiled at him and tucked the knife into the back pocket of my jeans, "thanks, Cal." I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him into a hug. His own arms found their way around my waist and he pulled me impossibly closer to him.
"I missed you, Riz," he breathed into my hair. Right then I could feel the relief he felt in his bones. To be able to see me, touch me, hold me, after being ripped away from each other for so long was soothing to him. It was soothing to me too. I finally felt at home. My own inner turmoil and anger were finally at peace, if only for a brief moment.
But I was going to relish that moment and drag it on as long as possible.
"I think that's the first I have ever seen you show any type of affection there, C" a voice too close to us called out.
I could feel Callum's jaw clench as I sighed in annoyance. I wanted to stay like this, hugging Callum, just for a while longer. Unfortunately, someone had to come along and ruin it.
"Fuck off Zell," Callum grumbled, this time with ill intent. Seems like he didn't want it to end either.
We pulled away from one another, Callum quick to spin on the newcomer while I cleared my throat and took a deep breath.
The man, Zell, just laughed and raked his hand through his hair a few times as I turned to finally take him in.
Thick muscled legs confined by dirty tan cargo pants and an equally dirty white shirt too kept his corded muscular arms in check. His bright white smile stood out against his tan skin, perfect teeth, and even more perfect short brown hair. His nose was slightly crooked, showing that it must have been broken and healed incorrectly at one point or another.
It wasn't until I studied his smile more in-depth when I finally realized it and once I did my hand reached for the knife that Callum had just given me. I squeezed the metal in my back pocket, ready if anything should happen.
"Such a way with words, am I right?" He laughed and looked to me for confirmation, but I just stared back.
Zell's wide smile faltered slightly as he took in my off-putting and slightly hostile stance. "You just have impeccable timing, dickwad."
This time Callum shot Zell a small smile. Cal was joking with this man, this thing. He was fraternizing with the enemy.
"I don't think your girl likes me too much, C."
"Why the fuck is he here, Cal?" I spit out, briefly shifting my eyes to Cal.
He didn't get it right away. Idiot. Once it finally clicked he placed his large hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle, but reaffirming squeeze.
"Right, Riz, it's okay. I promise."
"No. No, it's not okay, Callum. Why is he here? He is one of them. And you're just going to let him roam around the entire place?"
Zell shifted awkwardly on his feet and opened his mouth to speak, but Cal cut him off before he had the chance.
Callum walked around in front of me, placing both of his hands on my shoulders, "Rizzo, I promise it's alright. He is on our side and has been for years. He is not a threat-"
"He is one of them!" I couldn't help but shout at Cal. "How can you stand here and be fine with this fucking dog walking around? You can't trust them, Cal, you can't. They're all the same and only care about themselves," I spit out, slowly losing my cool.
I couldn't believe it. They actually thought that this mongrel was on their side? That he wouldn't turn them all in at the first chance? He was probably just the intel for the other side, a double agent feeding all of our secrets to the mutts. Any hope or faith I had in this whole rebellion was gone the moment I noticed his canines.
"Look your highness-" he began sarcastically.
"Oh fuck you-"
"You don't even know my story. Yeah I'm a wolf and yes, I used to think like them, but people can change and I did. You don't know me and you don't know what I went through-" he stopped, clearly becoming choked up, "-what I'm still going through, so until then, why don't you keep that pretty mouth of yours shut."
If I wasn't sure that Cal was his mother's son, I would think that we were long lost twins because he knew right when I was about to jump. Instead of landing on the wolf and beginning my attack I was caught and slung over Cal's shoulder.
He walked away from the wolf and back to the original room I was in when I woke up, but not without me hitting and punching his back to let me go. I wanted to go back to that wolf and give him a piece of my mind.
Cal set me down on my feet, to which I tried to push past him, shoving him and screaming for him to let me go.
"Rizzo stop!" He yelled at my, grabbing my wrists with both of his hands and shaking some sense into me.
I didn't realize how close we were until he reached out and swiped at a tear along my cheek. I was crying? I hadn't noticed.
"It's okay," he whispered, "I promise you, Riz, with all my heart that it is fine and everything with him is alright. Nothing is going to happen to you with him, you're safe. We can trust him."
His words did little to soothe me, "how can you trust him? What makes him so different?"
"That, my friend, is not my story to share. You'd have to ask him." Cal held up a finger to shush me the moment my mouth opened, "but not right now. It's late and we have to get you back before sunrise."
Discussion
1. Would you trust Zell? Why or why not?
2. Do you like to go for drives? Where you literally just drive and listen to music?
3. What do you think is Zell's story?