After sitting in the silent room and waiting for someone to come through that door, or something to happen I began to lose trust. Greyson had said he'd be back but not when. Granted I'd expected a show of faith by now, but I was also unaware of the time or how long I'd been in this room. Hunger was edging into my system along with thirst. I ignored them in the interest of watching the door for people. After the first few minutes, I'd already decided that this room was a haven from whatever was happening outside that door. This place if I could stay here as much as possible I might survive this.
Troy? If you can hear me please come save me.
Every thought I sent down the link went unanswered and that broke me emotionally. Greyson had said that Troy was scouring the countryside for me but what if he lied and they had killed him, those wolves. I wasn't sure who I could trust but no one here would easily be on my trustworthy list. There was nothing to do but stare at the door and will it to open. This room was dim, with one high set window so small that only the smallest sliver of light could get through. If it wasn't for my heightened wolf vision I would be limited to relative darkness. Even with wolf vision, I was relegated to imperative silence where the static in the room made noise. It was a constant ringing in my ears in a pure pitch. After a while, it began to drive me insane to the point I was trying to pinpoint the noise so I could make it stop which was insane because there was no source. My foot tapped impatiently on the floor it had to have been a couple of hours since I was locked in here. Standing I paced the floor of the cell chewing the inside of my bottom lip I walked over to the door and tried the knob. It turned. Surprised I jumped and stared at it like it was a trap. It was. It had to be. I walked away from the door and stared at it like I would a venomous snake. There was no other explanation for the door to turn and not be locked. I was supposed to be locked in. Unless... he wanted me to stay here. Was this part of his game? Was this him breaking me? No this was an over-analysis of a simpleminded bastard's plan. So I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the door deciding what to do with this knowledge. Standing I took a hesitant step towards the door followed by another. Just as my hand reached for the doorknob it turned and I backed away hastily retrieving my hand. I waited as the person appeared holding food in their hand. Greyson.
"You came back." I came out of my shock to add. "I'm shocked, I was beginning to think you'd forgotten I existed."
"I may forget a lot of things but I wouldn't forget you existed." He sassed and I narrowed my eyes. Slowly he handed over the food and I took it eagerly biting into the sandwich.
"What now?" I asked through a bite of sandwich.
"You know it's not polite to talk with a mouth full of food, nor is it ladylike."
"I think we passed being concerned about how ladylike I am when you kidnapped me," I answered swallowing the bite of food. "Plus I'm starving and I don't even know how long I've been in this room."
"About a day roughly." He stated as though telling me the color of grass.
"What?" I spluttered. "You left me here for a day? When you said you'd come back I assumed you meant in the neighborhood of a couple hours."
"I had other things to put in place, and you should be grateful that I came back at all given that I'm risking exposing myself right now." I rolled my eyes.
"Thanks, I guess." I held up the sandwich. "What am I supposed to do?"
"We've already been over this. You need to stay put and behave-"
"I'm going to stop you right there," I held up a hand. "I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to. Plus I already have half an escape planned." His eyes sparked with panic.
"Don't," He stated through gritted teeth.
"Why not? You kidnapped me and intentionally left your own brother to die at the hands of rogues which you led to him. Why shouldn't I try to escape?" I tilted my head narrowing my gaze on him.
"What are you doing?"
"I had some time to think while I was stuck in here and I have decided that you might not be someone I can trust. After all, I don't know you beyond a name. We are virtual strangers with one common link, your twin. So I can't figure out why you would want to hurt him by hurting me but that seems to be your plan."
"Why would I go out of my way to help you here if I was trying to harm you?"
"I don't know, maybe because of a little thing called keeping your friends close but your enemies closer?"
"If I wanted to hurt my brother I would be direct about it."
"Maybe, I don't know you," I stated. "I don't know what you would or would not do. But let me tell you what I do know. I know that you kidnapped me with a gang of monsters from your brother, who at this point is presumably dead given that I have absolutely no ability to link my thoughts with his at all." His eyes flashed with shock at my direct statement.
"You can't link with him here anyway. I need this to work for me."
"What about what I need? To be anywhere but here." I grit my teeth and tilted my head watching him while keeping our distance the same.
"I'm sorry to drag you into this but I need a quick solution."
"Aw well don't I just feel sooo special," I deadpanned. He didn't flip me off but I could tell he wanted to.
"I've got to go now. Get some rest you'll need it."
"Do me a favor and lock the door behind you this time?" He watched me carefully for a moment. "I want a heads up if I'm going to be visited by someone other than you," I answered his unasked question. "Although knowing you're in the proximity isn't so terrible," I added with a small smirk. He only nodded and left, clicking the lock behind him.
I paced back and forth across the small room. I needed to get out and I lied to Greyson. I didn't have a plan, I didn't even have a template of a plan to start from. The truth was I had no idea how to deal with this I was scared and alone. I laid on the bed and faced the door. Every little sound that came from the other side I attended to. Getting some rest here was a lot harder to do than it sounded. My heartbeat never seemed to stop jumping around fluctuating between stasis and panic. Every time my eyelids drooped from exhaustion they were ripped open as my imagination conjured the worst images. Hours later I closed them to try and reach Troy. I recalled every memory we had together, the good and the bad mixed evenly. The last moments we spent tangled together in his secret hideaway house. Tears came unbidden to my eyes and I clung to the ghost caresses his memories brought forth. I kept my eyes closed and focussed on his face, memorizing every detail until the memory began to fade and I had to let go of him. Then I opened my eyes and I cried silently. Remaining on my side in that terrible excuse for a bed I let the tears slide over my cheeks and down my chin to fall on the pillow that held my head. There was so much I didn't know about him that I realized in my heart I wanted to. I wanted to know his middle name, his favourite season, his most hidden fear. I wanted it all and in this place, I wouldn't have that. Greyson made promises that I could only hope he would keep so that I could know the answers to my questions. Out of entire exhaustion, my eyelids finally succumbed to the impending heaviness that hung in my mind. In my sleep, I dreamt.
***********
~ Rosabelle ~
I moaned in pain as I wakened. Ripped from the bliss of my dream. Troy's arms around me, his kiss imprinting on my lips. I stretched and realized that my hands were being held hostage above me. Opening my eyes I realized that I was essentially hanging from the ceiling in a different room. In a panic, I circled my gaze for any immediate threat. None appeared as I struggled for purchase on the floor with my toes trying to alleviate some of the pain coursing through my arms. I was not granted such relief as my toes barely reached the ground as it was. I knew I shouldn't have fallen asleep.
"You're awake at last." The same lilting voice greeted behind me and I inwardly groaned as he rounded to stand in front of me. Such a shame that something so vile was packaged in something so attractive. I tilted my head as I studied him. "Still speechless I see." He circled my immobile body reaching out and touching featherlight fingertips over my back and side. I shivered in disgust and my wolf growled with me. "No matter, you needn't speak for what's about to happen anyway." He rounded my body so that he was facing me again and I glared at him in contempt. "That's it get all those nasty glances out of your system now before our guest arrives." My head turned as the door opened again. I could only see out my periphery and so got nowhere identifying the person. Hopefully, it was Greyson's people and not some creepy shifter. Luckily our host scrabbled over to meet him leaving me alone for the moment. "Gentlemen, please join me." His smooth lilt was becoming an annoyance in my life. "I'd like to show you my finest, and newest, acquisition." Their combined footsteps came closer and I cringed feeling their gazes rake over me in an appraising manner.
"Mated?" The question grated on my nerves as the three men rounded so I could see their faces. The one who asked the question was eyeing my mark like he wanted to scrape it off with a knife in a very painful manner. I inwardly cringed at the thought.
"She is, however, that can be changed." My eyes narrowed on him for that comment. "Another strong male can easily change the mark to his own." His hand traced over my mark and I had to physically swallow back the bile that threatened. There was nothing that I could do without hurting myself more. I turned my face away unwilling to let them see the anguish this put me through.
"Strong male, as in an alpha?"
"Yes, she is mated to an alpha so it would take another alpha to break that bond." Part of me wanted to believe that he was lying and no one could break the bond that Troy and I shared. But another part believed that he was right if given the chance another male could easily replace my mark with his own bonding me to him. There were so many unknowns for me in this life. I wanted to believe that fate couldn't be so cruel but what did I know? Truthfully not enough to make a judgment. I didn't look at any of them.
"Meek for an alpha's mate." I withheld the growl my wolf desperately begged me to release for his comment.
"Gentlemen, you know that the merchandise is always more fetching once you pay the price." His teeth gleamed as he smirked at the comment.
"I would gladly pay the price for proof that she is untouched." My eyes flipped up to the man that made the request. I was just about betting that this was not Greyson's guy and was in fact, some creep. What kind of proof would he want? My mind began to panic and I struggled to hide the evidence on my face as my heartbeat quickened.
"Unfortunately I'm going to need that payment first unless you're not satisfied with the product?" My wolf was sending images of her standing over the sandy-haired man's dead body with his throat ripped out and his blood on my muzzle. Shocked I shoved her down some more not prepared for that violence yet. The other man of dark brooding looks pursed his lips.
"I'd like to see what else is in stock." He grinned a nasty leer at me before they all left the room. I breathed a sigh of relief alone for mere moments before the door opened once more with heavy footsteps sounding. My straining muscles tensed even more as I waited to see who would show up next. The footsteps came closer but stopped out of my visual field. I waited for the person to move or speak, giving me some indication of who they were and what they wanted. It seemed that we were both stuck in limbo as they waited for me to voice the question I wasn't going to and I waited for them to announce themselves. Nothing. I gritted my teeth in silence as the footsteps came closer slowly, hesitantly. Still no voice. I stiffened even more as I felt a touch on my spine, the hand trailed lower and I stifled the retching sound that threatened to spill from my lips. My teeth grit together so hard that I could almost feel them cracking under the pressure. As much as I tried to move away from the offending hand I couldn't do anything stranded on my toes with my arms stretched too tightly above me. The man didn't speak but he moved into my field of vision and I knew then that he was the other man with the dark brooding one. He leered at me showing perfectly white teeth as I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. He wasn't terribly unattractive which was a shame given what he wanted with me. His dark looks mirrored that of the older man he was with and I suddenly understood his connection to the other man; they were father and son. Fabulous. Raising your child to believe in prostitution of innocent females was disgusting. I glared at him before turning my face away in dismissal. He tsked in annoyance gripping my chin as I growled at him. His hand tightened on my chin as I tried to yank it away from his grasp. I narrowed my eyes gritting my teeth in anger.
"Such a pity you don't speak." His brown eyes framed by heavy brows and dark lashes studied my face. "I'd love to hear the thoughts rolling around in your pretty head right now." I only looked away not giving him the satisfaction. He didn't move and eventually, with half an eye roll I turned my attention back to him. "I knew you'd come around, Sweetcheeks." He leered once more and I withheld my wolf's angry growl. Whatever they had drugged me with was making her weak so that I could see her thoughts but she couldn't come out. Which was a shame because she kept forcing images unbidden in my brain. Images depicting her biting each finger off the hand that still held my chin in its grasp one by one before she ripped his throat out. Let me go. Those three words echoed so forcefully in my brain that I almost thought he'd hear them. He didn't. I stared at the wall hoping for someone, literally anyone, to enter the room. My wish was not granted. And then it was. Smaller, quicker footsteps scurried down the hall and entered the room.
"Hands off the merchandise, unless you've paid." I recognized the same feminine voice from earlier when I first arrived here. Light and soft unlike her chiseled and hard facial expression. Even when angry or rather, annoyed the voice belied soft femininity. Her familiar black hair and blue eyes, rimmed underneath with purple smudges, came into view. She tilted her head and eyed the man in front of me, her lips pursing in annoyance. He reluctantly removed his hand frowning at her.
"Who are you?" She stared at him before answering.
"That is none of your concern, and neither is she. Your party is waiting for you to join them." The girl nodded her head towards the door indicating that he should go that way. After a long tense moment he inclined his head and offered a slimy smile before leaving through the door. We both waited until he left and I noticed her shoulders sag slightly signalling her relief. Mine followed suit. "Are you okay?" This was the first time she'd seemed concerned about my well-being. I searched her face finding no outward indicators of her feelings towards me. I only inclined my head in a nod and flexed my arms trying to shift the weight of them. "Good." Her eyes followed my movement. "I have to go but if he comes back again you kick him where it hurts if he lays a hand on you again, got it?" I nodded again and her gaze hardened turning towards the door. I listened as her footsteps faded. Please come back and let me go. When silence greeted me once again I lifted my head and stared at the ceiling where the chains holding me were attached. Everything in here screamed of opulence and it made me want to smash the most expensive ornaments lining the tops of storage units and on the shelves. I was also willing to bet that everything in here and around this house was bought with the money these assholes got from selling females, and that thought made me want to puke. I willed the feeling away and looked up at the eye hook locking my chains in place. Trying to wiggle some feeling back into my arms I tested the strength of the chains. Stronger than my current state could break. Dammit. Disheartened I wanted to break down and cry but I didn't know when they would come back. I would not let them see me at my weakest, they wouldn't see me broken. That's exactly what he wanted and I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
***********************
~ Troy ~
My paws padded nearly silently over the ground as I pulled in the sharp rank scents of the rogues. Moving quickly, my wolf's keen ears and eyes aided me in keeping pace with the faded smell. My nose twitched as the one scent drowned out the others. I had circled this place for three days. The small clearing at the edge of my pack's territory. My wolf wouldn't let us rest until we found our pack mate. She was in danger and alone. Rogue wolves were notorious for stealing females, what they did to them, well, that was unspeakable and unthinkable. I let my wolf take over and scent out the large grey male that had run off with my pack member. The human in me knew she was more, she was his and mine. The wolf mourned for the lost connection we shared. Every member of this pack was familiar to me. I knew them all by scent and every one was valuable to the pack. Females and pups even more so as they guaranteed the future of the pack. The human male snorted at the thought insisting that I knew it was more than that. I resisted the urge to growl at him, wolves only knew survival. This human emotion of lust and something deeper were foreign to me, sexual drive and bloodlust I understand. They allowed me to survive in the same way that my sharp hearing, and smell allowed me to scent both predator and prey. I growled as the scent was lost and trailed back to the last location of it starting over only to have the same event repeat itself over and over again. With a sharp huff I moved to a different location mere feet away from the lost scent searching out its pungent odour. It's useless the human in me whispered having desperately allowed me control soon after his mate was ripped from him. My head tilted as I contemplated the futility of it. This was all I knew as a wolf, scent and seek.
Frustrated with the lack of results in wolf form I changed. In human form once more I sought out any indication of her wolf. My mate. I pushed for three days knowing that the sooner she was found the better. Rogues were dangerous, they let their most primitive minds control all of their actions, leaving behind the humanity they should feel. They acted as beasts even in human form. I couldn't even begin to fathom what they were doing to my Rose. Mine. The claim felt futile as every passing moment without her the connection we'd lost faded further. A sharp pain in my chest was the indication of how I felt. It was a dull aching throb that continually reminded me of all I'd lost in mere moments. In my head, my wolf loosed a mournful howl that threatened to erupt from my throat but as alpha, I stifled it. With a sigh I walked back to the pack house, finding clothes and dressing myself before entering. Seeing my reflection in the hall mirror as I entered the house I recognized that I looked like shit. Felt like it too. My hair was untamed and sticking in every which direction, dark purple smudges under my eyes gave the only color to my weary face and I swore I was developing wrinkles.
"Son." My father's voice from the kitchen made me turn in his direction. I knew what his question was without him even voicing it. With a cursory nod of respect, I shook my head rubbing a hand over my face. "It's time son." He answered my head shake and I narrowed my gaze.
"It's not necessary, I will find her," I insisted.
"You might but your pack members are suffering for your inattention to their needs." I snarled at him unable to prevent the anger I felt at his question of my authority.
"I have everything handled, and she is my packmate as well." His eyes bored into mine reminding me of his dominance even if I was now the alpha. My mother came and stood beside my father and I read the concern on her face.
"Your father just wants to help." She placed a gentle hand on his arm and I sighed knowing that they were both right. It was time, but it felt like admitting defeat. "We are not asking you to stop looking, we are only asking you to help yourself." Her gentle presence calmed us both and I knew that I had too much respect for my dad to fight with him anyway.
"Fine, but it happens on my terms. I will find her." I vowed and both nodded letting me know they approved of my decision. With that settled, I walked up the stairs and headed into my office calling to my beta, Mason in my mind.
Come to my office. The command was simple and I knew it would be followed without hesitation. Sitting heavily in the chair behind the desk I tried to focus my mind on paperwork in front of me.