Fire bursts over Kiera’s skin, as if she’s suddenly being tossed into an inferno, but she doesn’t shift. She stares in confusion as the wolves leap away, scampering into the forest smoothly. Within a minute the area is near empty.
Two wolves remain, seemingly unconcerned with Chase or Kiera. One’s the rust wold, and the other dark brown.
“You know, clearing the road would be much easier” Crevan says bluntly.
The rusty wolf snorts. Without Further ado, the two wolves follow the others through the forest with Crevan hot on their heels.
Baffled, Kiera tries to find something to say, only to have Chase guiding her up with his hand. Kiera doesn’t have the words to protest, so she stays quiet as she’s lead up the mountain.
They pass no land mark, no signs or posts or fences. The land looks just like any other until they’ve tracked far enough from the road that any normal person would have turn around, and only then did lights winked through the trees.
Despite Kiera’s grilling of what is happening (to which she received no helpful information) the window covered mountain’s a surprise. Part of the mountain had been removed and an identical Kiera stands inside the glassy otherworld. Chase makes a face, which Kiera ignores as she takes in the surroundings.
The glass seems the most striking thing outside, because nothing else is outside but a hundred odd meters of flat snow, a few lights attached to the mountain face and an odd littering of benches dotted with a few werewolves lounging around.
Crevan marches to a small metal door to one side of the window without pause. Corinth glances back with a grin, motioning the werewolf pair forward.
Hesitantly Kiera glances at the other wolves. Most aren’t in wolf form, but the ones that are seem just as docile as the ones sitting around as humans. People hardly spare them a glance.
Inside is just as stunning as the glass wall, with a dark metal walk way stretching into the well lit room meters over the ground. Far below the ground is a blue and grey mats, with big checkers were people seem to be sparing in pairs or groups. The catwalk crosses over the middle of the room, to the other side to the metal wall where a stair case leads to the ground.
The rust coloured wolf wonders through the place unfazed, past what Kiera can only explain as the training room. The other wolf, one a charcoal brown, trots by his side. Half way across the room to where a glass wall stands under the first section of the catwalk does the smaller wolf wonders off.
She glances up before they hit the other door, and even with her jumping skills, knows she will never try and jump through the glass windows showing the sky outside. The 20 foot (7 meter) drop doesn’t seem very appeling, nor does the strong possibility of a broken leg or two.
The rust wolf shifts back at the door, making Kiera stare in surprise. His back shows his toned muscles, and as he grabs at something beside the door, his muscles ripple through his shoulder and bicep. The tanned, muscly back disappears as the man dons a robe and pulls his shoulder length caramel hair out of the back. He glances back to motion the group forward. Kiera spots Corinth’s cheeks pale as the blush fades from her cheeks. Guess she hasn’t expected him so hot.
In the back room is a bunch of small rooms leading off a hallway that winds around itself, doorways and rooms branching off constantly. Kiera supresses a growl at the feeling of being in a maze.
Chase nudges her arm. She didn’t realize he’s been walking so close to her…or was she the one walking close to him? She moves away quickly.
After what feels like an hours of wondering through twisting hallways the man opens a door slightly but pauses and turns around. “We didn’t realize you were coming; you should have called. Forgive Eli’s…manners. Some people are being rather childish;” he glares over Kiera’s shoulder.
She glances behind to spot a pair of girls disappearing deviously through a doorway.
“What are they doing now?” Crevan demands.
He shakes his head. “It’s sorted. Go on in.” He swings the door open properly, but doesn’t wait to close it. He passes by Chase without a backwards glance, but Chase seems worried somehow.
She tries to make a note to ask him about it later.
A thin man sits behind a cluttered desk, the wood invisible under stacks of paper, odd cups and a black box standing vertically, and somehow glows from the inside and casts a light onto the mans face. “Thanks for the surprise visit,” Eli grumbles.
“Got two werewolves for you, they’ve both agreed to help, but one I’m rather hesitant to even turn my back on.”
Kiera huffs, but it’s weak because she’d curious of this man. Something about him struck her as odd, but she can’t place it.
“And?” he asks flatly.
Creven’s stance widens, and she narrows a cool look at him. “I was thinking a good tour and speech will drive in the importance of what we are doing.”
“Great!” the man stands suddenly, but his expression is anything but happy. Kiera tenses. In one sweep he sends everything crashing to the floor-black box including. The light side suddenly flickers and dies as a cord’s torn from the wall. A matching board with letters on it sticks out of the paper. “Just great! Cause I have nothing better to do with my time!” he throws his arms up, but falls back into the chair a moment later. For a while he says nothing.
“That was immature,” Crevan states.
He wrinkles his nose in distaste. “Yeah. Whatever.” The man stands, and wonders over to the pile he made seconds ago. For a while he just stares, squinting around themess. After a moment he reaches down and pulls out a wire and glass object. He slips them onto his nose. He blinks a few times, but stops squinting as he turns to face Kiera. “So…you’re the trouble maker, huh?”
She bristles at the accusation. “How do you know it’s not him, huh?” she jabs a finger at Chase who rolls his eyes.
“You’re the only one who seems ready to murder someone in the next few seconds. I suggest not doing that by the way, my temperament had been challenged numerously today.”
Kiera growls at the man, but says nothing.
Unfazed by her attitude, the man steps over the rubble from the desk. He’s tall, almost wiry, with coppery hair cut short. Eli leans against the front of his desk, crossing his ankles. “I’m not sure what crap Crevan has told you, nor do I care.
“I’m the head of this complex, the Alpha here, and I will not tolerate insolence. Here is where blinded wolves; such as yourselves, come to be ‘rehabilitated’. All your lives you’ve been lied to, allowed to act from the animal impulses, but to live free, amongst the humans you must supress the wolf. We reteach you the world, you how to count, read and live again. From here you are introduced into society, get jobs, houses and move on. Of course not everyone can just let go of the feral nature easily. Often, werewolves stay with us and help to free other trapped wolves…what’s with the expression?”
Kiera clenches her jaw and turns away. “Nothing. I was just wondering what other bullshit you’re going to sprout next.”
“Kiera!” Chase barks.
Eli smiles, but it’s twisted and bitter. “Let go of your pride, girl. You must be wondering why your dear Witches never let you out of that compound by now, or why you’ve never come across other werewolf packs, why your wolves die without anyone seeing them die, why you still have a the curse despite the witches having supposably taken it off you. Why aren’t your precious witches out looking for you?
“I’ll tell you; it’s simple really. Your Witches don’t care about you. If they did, they would have realized you are gone by now and would be out looking.”
Kiera growls low in her chest, but doesn’t argue. Eli’s earlier statement is still fresh in her head. It’s what had made her feel uneasy around him; Eli is an Alpha, the same kind as Jordan, they are the dominate male and know it. The man is completely different from Jordan though, but the authority is still clear around him, in the way he stands, and the way he holds his head high. The glasses on his face look silly though.
When Eli seems satisfied that Kiera won’t continue arguing, he turns to Crevan apathetically. “She’s loyal, that’s why she’s so stubborn and aggressive, pulling her over will be hard, but not impossible”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, thanks.”
Eli looks unamused. “Take that however you want,” he wonders towards the door slowly, pausing in front of Keira to say, “but I still don’t like you,” before he motions them to follow.
“Ditto” she shrugs at Chases chilling glare. “He started it”
5 minutes later Eli has shown them the training room again, and what a bunch of other hallways are for; where ‘class’ rooms are, the sleeping quarters-all of which Kiera yawns at.
Only when Eli pulls open a discreetly hidden door does Kiera become intrigued. The room is huge, with two matching benches running down the centre. Against the walls, contained behind black metal mesh is assortment of weapons-most being knives, short swards, and easily held weaponry. Only one holds the black machines known as guns. Easily 40 people can squeeze into the room.
Eli gives Kiera a long, hard look. “Weapon’s room. You have no reason to enter, and will not be allowed; ever…actually, it’s until I think your worthy.” Eli pushes the door closed absently.
Without acknowledging Eli’s gaze, Kiera grabs at the door and forces it back open. A deep growl revibrates through the small hallway. Regardless of her shock, Kiera points an accusing finger at the gun locker. “So you supply them with those?” she spins on Eli, matching his snarl with one of her own. “You are just as responsible then!”
“Kei-“ Chase starts desperately.
“You nearly got my brother killed-“
Eli’s eyes are dark and hard, almost making her cringe. Oh yeah…alpha male, she reminds herself just before he, deathly calm, says “I didn’t do anything.” The menace in his voice is astounding.
“You may as well have, though,” she lowers her voice. The wolf stirs under her skin, fire blazing to the surface as she glares at the alpha. He’s not fit to be an alpha if wolves are nearly dying because of his choices. Wolves have died from his choices. Weather by his hand, or someone else’s, he supplied the weapons.
“Kiera,” Chase interjects worriedly. He steps between her and the fully grown male to push her away. The others look on as Chase makes her face him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Hunter, Chase. Hunter! My mother, my father , Casey-“ she can’t hold back the anger, the fear. Her brother and sister were killed by them, and her mother’s wolf killed when her hip was shattered. She can’t just forget it all. Not when they caused so much pain.
“Kiera, please, stop. I know you want to fight the world; but please, this is getting ridiculous. One minute you wanna do the right thing and free the pack, and the next you wanna rip anyone and everyone to shreds.” His hands close around her face, holding her delicately. “We can’t be constantly waiting for you to change your mind, it’s….
“You know as much as I do, that if we don’t trust you 100%, that they’re going to kill you…and I know that you don’t make up your mind easy, because you keep says it’s ‘complicated’ all the time, when to me, it’s not.
“You’re the only one who’s complicated here Kiera.
“I know I want the pack free, and I know I want you…” he trails off, looking sincere, and surprised that she hasn’t cut him off yet.
She can’t even look at Chase. His body thankfully blocks the rest of the hallway from view, so when she leans in she doesn’t fear them seeing the weakness. The heady scent lingering on Chase assaults her as she breathes in. Once again the guilt hits her hard. “Sorry”
He presses his lips to her head gently. “I know”
She doesn’t move for a minute. She wants to stay here, so she doesn’t have to make the decision between the pack and the Alcrests, or Chase and the enemy. Both seem just as hard to approach now.
A long moment passes as she battles her thoughts, weighting out the prices.
Death doesn’t seem a harsh price to pay for the Packs survival.
Chase doesn’t fight as she slips from his arms.
She moves back in front of the lanky alpha. Crevan and Corinth are staring, making Kiera aware of just how many people are watching her. Four seems suddenly a very large number.
Thankfully, the weapons room door is still open.
She closes the door until it clicks.
Locked.
Along with the weapons, all her undesired emotions.
She’s made her decision.