This is going to be rough. I hope you guys like It.
Happy Reading.
Love
NJ Kuhr
XOXO
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Zeek sent me into one of the bathrooms on the main floor when we got inside. There was a backpack waiting on a table he grabbed for me and set on the counter next to the sink. "It'll be easier for you if you change here before we go downstairs."
Either by design or Gem and I had similar thoughts we both angled our head to the side at him. Instead of explaining he gave us a strange grimace and closed the door to wait. Zeek wasn't happy about something. For some reason changing into human was always more painful and slower. My theory was because Gem was a creature of the Moon so taking her form was more natural whereas I being human had to fight harder to get back to a form that wasn't shaped by pack magic.
Once on two legs I dug through the backpack. There was a basic set of sweats and an overlarge t-shirt with a Led Zeppelin cover on the front. One of the one-size-fits-all outfits strategically placed around the ranch so people didn't have to walk around naked after a change. Stepping out of the bathroom finger brushing my hair Zeek led me towards the back.
I wasn't expecting the basement to be so comfy. Zeek started across a huge lounge room half the size of the entire building. There were rooms to the left of the wide open stairs, judging by the lack of smell they were spares, overflow. Wolves didn't like to be underground for long. I would know.
There were windows along the tops of the front and back facing walls that let in light from outside so the room wasn't as confining. Along one wall was a giant projector screen.
Facing it was a sofa that was impressive in size. It looked like one of those mix and match sectionals that the pieces could be rearranged. It had been pushed together so it formed a huge square cushion that could sit over thirty people comfortably. Considering pack mentality and their proclivity for touch and connection they probably piled on forty or fifty people mingled together to watch a movie or a game.
The image of me curling up against Bash with the rest of our family crowded around us on the sectional made me grin instead of cringe.
Ha, I called them our family. This was pack.
Zeek kept going though. He was keeping a sharp eye on the windows. Even in the basement the windows left us vulnerable. I couldn't read his thoughts but I read his body language. Wolfy senses made every miniscule movement obvious to me. The hall he continued down wasn't any better. There were no exits this way. I wasn't a trained strategist like Alek but even I would want a second way out. If Bradley somehow made it into the basement we'd be trapped.
Stepping through the open door at the end of the hall I scratched my shoulder. The layout was almost studio apartment feel. Much nicer and more expensive than the one I had in Phoenix before.... Not the best time to relive that night. Scratching along the back of my hair line I looked around.
There was a kitchenette in the corner to our right, dining area attached. A decent entertainment center took up most of the room. There was another door leading into a bathroom next to the door we came through. To our left against the wall was a king sized bed. It smelled freshly cleaned but I didn't think it had been used for a long time. I scratched an itch along my lower back.
Zeek closed the foot deep door when I stepped in. There were two wheels on either side set in the center with thick leather wrapped around the handles. It made me think of old submarine movies.
When the door slid shut Zeek grabbed the wheel with both hands and turned it clockwise one full turn. Even as a werewolf he had to put some backbone into it. I heard the sound of bolts sliding into place. When he let go he rubbed his palms on his jeans like they itched.
It wasn't as bad as I remembered it but I recognized the itch of being close to silver. I knew why Zeek told me to change before coming down here. The silver itch is worse for Gem and changing is harder. My breathing started laboring. I couldn't get enough air. Bash pushed against our bond trying to calm me but it was muffled, distant.
This was a safe room. The walls had silver behind them. It might be furnished like an apartment but it was a cage. The mate bond hummed with a whispered apology. Bash hadn't considered I would see it that way but the silver was muting the bond to the point I barely felt the pack. I hadn't realized how much I'd grown to rely on them, to be able to feel the pack when I needed their support. Being cut off from them only worsened the claustrophobia.
"Parker." Zeek said my name slowly. "It's just a precaution. Bradley won't be able to get inside this room."
"Why is this room even here?" It came out breathy and strained.
Zeek went into the kitchen and pulled two water bottles out of the fridge. Grabbing the remote off the island he turned the TV on for background noise. It did help a little, it wasn't as prisony anymore. Handing me a bottle he propped a hip onto the back of the sofa.
"Sometimes older wolves start to go a little crazy. If they feel they're losing control Bash sends them here. The walls have reinforced silver bars, floors and ceiling too. The bunker was dry walled and floored to lessen the silver itch. A crazed wolf can tear the walls apart but there's no way to get out."
He swallowed hard. "Drink the water, it will help. If the wolf emerges and goes savage the door can be locked from the outside. There are times when people are changed that they don't connect with their wolf right. It makes them unpredictable and dangerous. We can put them in here until they learn to live together or Bash has to step in."
He took a swig from his own water and waited until I drank. He drank the entire thing in two gulps. He hid it better than I did but he was having a hard time too. "It can also be used as a safe house, like right now. There's no way a werewolf can get out and I've sealed us in from the inside so there is no way a werewolf can get in. Bash will let me know when to open the door. For now we wait. The best way to deal with tedium is to keep ourselves busy. So what have you? Video game, movie or bad tv?"
I took a long shower first then we agreed on season one of House. I'd never seen it and unlike the crime shows I use to watch it wouldn't remind me of the situation we were in. It wasn't too chick flick for Zeek and had just enough humor to distract me. About half way through the second episode Zeek noticed I wasn't watching.
"Betty was always the one who got us into trouble."
No idea what to say, I sat there trying not to make it awkward. Zeek had shown me images of his twin sister, small flashes but he never spoke of her. Lucky for me Zeek didn't notice the uncomfortable look on my face as he stared at the wall.
"She was a tornado, never could sit still. We did everything together but if we did something we shouldn't have it was because she talked me into it. Betty would have liked you. You're a lot alike. She always had to take responsibility for everything and everyone. She had the biggest heart. When the earthquake struck San Francisco in 1906 she dragged me down there to help. No one could talk her out of it even though we all knew she was too kindhearted to handle that kind of thing. Wouldn't take no for an answer. We brought supplies, food and water, that kind of thing. I tried to make her stay with the nurses and medical staff but she insisted on going out into the field to help locate people. They didn't have the safety measures we have today. Those buildings crumbled so easily and there was no protocol to secure a site before anyone went in to find survivors. There were so many unnecessary deaths because people went into buildings that weren't safe."
"I didn't want her to go out searching but she wouldn't listen to me. She took the worlds weight on her shoulders. Betty couldn't stand the thought of knowing people could be hurt and scared and she could have done something about it. When something happened, if someone didn't make it she blamed herself. She chose to go into the wrong building or if she had gone left instead of right she could have gotten to them in time. She found a way to blame herself."
He rolled his head towards me but still didn't look at me. I knew where he was going with this. "What I'm saying is my sister was a lot like you. 'It's not your fault, Betty.' I'd tell her. 'You didn't cause the earthquake. It's not your fault.' But nothing I said mattered, she still felt responsible. She would be heartsick and crying but she wouldn't stop searching for people no matter how hard it was for her."
The earthquake didn't hunt his sister down and go after the people she cared about but I couldn't say that so I stayed quiet. Zeek could tell what I was thinking anyway, Bash was right. I wear my feelings on my face.
Zeek finally looked at me. "You don't know he's here for you. He could be coming for Bash. Bradley's unhinged and that can make wolves unbelievably bloodthirsty and not just for the kill. He needs the thrill, the challenge. Bash is the most dominant wolf I know, possibly in all of North America, maybe even Europe. There could be a handful of werewolves more dominant but not by much. He could be going after Bash because his wolf has to prove its superiority. That's why when Bradley found me drinking in a bar he invited me back to the Phoenix pack. I didn't know it at the time but he was tired of killing weaker wolves and wanted a real fight. He challenged me once I arrived at the track and I beat him. I forced his submission instead of killing him, something I deeply regret now."
I had to take a drink of water now because talking about this was bringing up all my issues but Zeek didn't stop. "He could be coming after me. I embarrassed him in front of his pack. Garrett invited me back the next night, said he had a surprise for me. You, as it turned out. Garrett called in all of his men to initiate a new wolf into the pack. He thought if I got a whiff of you and saw that he had an Omega to play with I would join his pack."
"I know, now, Bradley wanted to kill me and when he tried and failed Garrett realized he needed me. Another dominant that could keep Bradley under control. I think near the end Garrett was afraid of him. Bradley was becoming more dominant as Garrett's wolf succumbed. If there is anyone here that Bradley would be coming for, it would be me."
His eyes were serious and I was starting to feel a little self absorbed. "He could have been looking for me and came across your scent. Even healthy wolves would have a hard time avoiding tracking you if they weren't used to living around your scent. I not only beat him but then I reached out to Bash and destroyed his home. Bash and I took his toy away. Out of all the people Bradley would most likely being coming for; you are low on the list. Bradley would blame me the most for ruining his life."
He gave me a look to make sure I got the point. "It's not your fault. You survived something unimaginable and there is nothing about that that you should feel guilty for. There are a lot of people who share responsibility for Bradley and none of them live here."
Catching a glimpse of something I didn't think Zeek meant for me to see I understood there was something deeper going on. I couldn't help it. "You saved my life. I would probably still be sleeping in that cage recovering from some broken bone if you hadn't showed up. You were nearly beat to death and taken into the basement when Bash raided the tracks. We were both unconscious when Bradley slipped away. If anyone has a good alibi it's us, not being awake does that. Him escaping isn't on you and the car accident that killed your sister wasn't your fault either, Zeek."
Rain was beating down on my face. Lying in thick sticky mud I felt myself sinking.
What happened? What is going on?
I had to use more strength than was normal trying to pull my arm out of the mud to wipe the water out of my eyes.
No, not my eyes. Zeek's eyes. I was thrown into another flashback and it wasn't my own.
He had been lying unconscious in the mud and it took him a while to get his bearings. Looking around him he saw pieces of the model T that he had been riding in before he woke up on the ground. The car was upside down thirty yards down the street. There was a fire in the engine compartment which was a knot of melting medal and wires. It was so bright he couldn't see anything outside of its glow, it cast everything around it in shadow.
Something caught his attention at the rear end. The back axle was bent with a tire up in the air spinning lopsided towards the sky. The rain wasn't letting up and the road was turning into a river. When the lightening flashed it illuminated everything and he saw her. Betty was trapped under the back of the car.
Zeek forced himself to crawl. It took a long time for him to reach her. He had to use his elbows and drag his limp legs behind him because something was wrong with his spine. There were blackouts and he didn't know how much time he lost but eventually he made it to the car.
"Betty. Everything's going to be alright. I'm going to get you out of here."
She wasn't looking good but she was awake. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"It's alright." He looked around. "Hold on. Someone's going to come. Help is coming." He had to roll through the mud a few times to grab a piece of warped finder. When he made it back to her he pushed the end of the fender under the car and tried to push down. "Betty you have to help me." His useless legs weren't allowing him to get any leverage.
"Betty." Her eyes had closed. "Betty!" He grabbed her hand and squeezed relieved when she peaked at him drowsy and weak but alive.
"I'm sorry." It was so quiet he couldn't hear her anymore but he saw her lips moving. "I'm so sorry."
Zeek shook his head. "I'm going to get you out of here but I need you to help me. I need you to push down on the fender with me so we can pull you out." He put more effort into pushing down on the finder. Her arms reached but she couldn't and they fell back into the mud.
Grabbing her hand he shook her again. "Hold on. It's a busy road. Someone's going to come. Someone is coming. It's going to be alright."
The rain was coming down harder and it was late. He didn't really believe what he was saying. "HELP!" In order to be heard over the thunder and the wind he nearly tore his vocal cords apart. "Help!"
He turned back to his sister. "Betty, hold on." Her eyes weren't open and her hand was limp in his. He shook her again. "Betty." She didn't respond. Her muscles were lax and the goosebumps on her arms from lying in a cold muddy puddle were gone. Her skin was soft and smooth.
"BETTY!"
There wasn't a flicker behind her eyelids, her lips didn't move. Her face was gentle and serene. "It's not your fault. Betty, it's not your fault."
Zeek slammed the bond closed so hard I jerked back. We held each other's eyes for a moment as the memory faded. I couldn't stop seeing Betty's face. We looked so much a like she could have been my twin. She could have been sleeping, her face was so tranquil.
A werewolf had heard the accident and decided to change Zeek instead of let him die. He tried to help Betty but either she was so far gone the magic couldn't bring her back or the change was too violent. Even healthy people who chose to become a werewolf don't always survive the change.
Zeek took a deep breath. "Bad things happen but it's not your fault. Sometimes life kicks you in the teeth."