I awoke on a metal table, wrists and ankles tied tightly around what I believed to be the upper legs of the table. The side of my head throbbed in pain, and I had no doubt that it was swollen. My eyes closed shut for a moment when the room began to swim, and I could feel my chest constricting painfully as panic set in rapidly and memories flooded in.
Quinn's face, Willow's body on the floor and Helda writhing on the ground in her kitchen after being shot were only some of the things that surfaced in my mind. Immediately tears sprung to my eyes as I fought crying, but then my eyes shot open at the sound of a door clicking open suddenly.
Because of the way in which I was laid on the table, legs and arms spread across it, moving was difficult. My skin ached with pain when I pulled one of my wrists, being able to move it slightly, but the thick rope dug into my skin until I dropped it. The sound of footsteps made my head turn sharply to the noises, and my eyes widened at the sight of a tall, burly man.
Scars ran down the back of his neck and cheeks, he wore a dark eyepatch and his bald head seemed to glow under the harsh, bright overhead lights. His brown uniform seemed to emphasize his height and weight.
I became baffled as I watched him approach; because of his height, and body size, I almost assumed he was a lycan. But as he neared, it became evident that he wasn't. His face and features weren't as sharp as most lycans', but he nonetheless looked frightening, especially when his lips curled in a tight, humorless smile.
The word Alberrechian was in dark letters and was stitched into his brown shirt and underneath it was what I presumed to be his name; Rhyan East.
I watched as his thumb lowered to press against the swollen area on my head, applying little pressure. "That looks painful." He muttered, his dark eye running up and down my face. That humorless smile on his face remained, and I recoiled, a gurgled noise of pain escaping my lips when he pressed harder against the side of my swollen head. Rhyan's dark eye narrowed as he watched me wince. "Quinn should have roughed you up more."
"Leave." A female's familiar voice came from behind us, and I watched as Rhyan straightened. His heavy hand moved to rest against my stomach, and I cringed at his touch.
"Will you watch her then?" Rhyan's voice was loud as he snarkily responded to Helda. She must have nodded, because he moved after sending me another lingering look, and I exhaled in relief as his footsteps echoed against the floor.
However, as Helda stepped closer to where I rested, I jerked forward, rage swarming and infesting my mind, and my spit flew, landing on her cheek. She staggered backwards at my sudden movement, and satisfaction crept in me as I witnessed the shock forming on her face.
"Right." Helda's usually soft, and almost meek voice was gone, and in its place was one which held a cocky, firm tone. She used the back of her hand to wipe away my spit, and my eyes followed her as she lifted a long, thin instrument from the bottom of the table. "Do you remember this?" She waved it towards me, and my upper lip curled, eyes narrowing further.
She knew that I did. A button on it allowed electric current to run through and out of it, and the lycans of Klawmoon had often used something like it to 'discipline' us.
"Don't do that shit again." Helda switched the instrument into her right hand, and I watched as she lowered it into the pocket of her white coat.
"Where am I?" I demanded when she moved to rest on the edge of the table, her back pressing against it and head turned my way. I could feel the heat of her body against my left leg, which was near which she stood. I attempted to rotate my ankle, but paused when I felt something hard hit the sole of my left foot. Hiding my smile was difficult, but I managed.
"You don't need to worry about that." Helda said cooly, cocking her head when I frowned, and her smile looked frozen as she gazed down at me.
"So you're with the Corozal people then?" I choked out after pushing aside the anger which had grown momentarily after Helda spoke.
She lifted and waved the instrument as she drawled. "That is obvious, isn't it?" She giggled, the sound sharp and making my ears ring as the noise echoed. "Convincing Elijah that I wasn't had been so difficult. Perhaps when this world isn't so shit I'll take up an acting class."
She rolled the instrument between her palms as she said this, her eyes now not on me, but on a glass wall. Content was written across her face.
"You won't get the chance to do any more acting, Helda," I spat, my fingers fisting when her narrowing eyes landed back on me. "If I don't kill you, Hannes will."
Helda's frozen smile fell away slowly. Her blue eyes hardened further and I watched as she faced me fully, crouching down so we were eye-level. "Hundreds of Alberrechians are in this building. They would easily break every bone in Hannes' body if he somehow managed to find this place and try to attack me, their ally."
Hannes' words echoed in my mind; The Alberrechians are not to be underestimated.
I forced my face to show little of my concern at that memory, and held Helda's gaze steady, even whilst she straightened. I then noticed an earpiece in her ear, and I watched as a finger glided over it as she tucked some strands of hair behind her ear. "Now, I'm going to be leaving, and I'd like you to behave. Maybe, if you do, Quinn will give the 'okay' for your wrists and legs to be untied. If not…" I watched, grinding my teeth together when she lowered the electrical instrument and pressed it against the lower-half of my exposed stomach.
My body jerked as sharp, sudden pain shot through me, and my head rolled backwards, arms and wrists trembling, legs thrashing against the table until she moved the instrument slowly away. I heaved out a breath, tasting blood in my mouth since I'd bitten my tongue. My stomach stung horribly, and I swallowed down the scream which threatened to escape.
Helda nodded, satisfied, and I watched as much as I could as she retreated, a soft sound of a door clicking shut signaling that she left.
Now that her true self was revealed, I began to recall many conversations I had with her, and the way she'd reacted after the murdering of those in Woodsworth. Her fear and confusion had all been an act, one which had been so convincing.
I had no doubt in my mind that she had jumped at the opportunity to come to Wildeland to keep an eye on the pack and the members, and perhaps somehow pass along messages of what she saw in the pack to the Corozal people.
I remembered when Hannes had said that the coldness that she'd displayed towards me had been troubling, something which I hadn't picked up on. My face began to burn in anger at myself, eyes narrowing on the ceiling above.
I was still a bit baffled at what had happened in Wildeland, but I could also easily imagine that the Corozal people and the Alberrechains had successfully managed to enter the pack with intentions to destroy it and those in it, hence why some lycans had been fleeing.
My eyes raised to the light above me as it flickered, and then abruptly turned off. Immediately I was surrounded in darkness, and the only sounds that echoed in the room were my harsh breathing and the parts of rope binding me dragging against the sides of the metal table when I attempted fruitlessly to shift my body, the throbbing on my head and pain on my stomach propelling my frustration.
**************
What felt like hours later, the lights above came back on, and I shot awake on the table, finding my wrists and legs untied. My fingers immediately swept to my lower stomach, caressing the skin which still seemed to sting.
When I lifted my upper body from the table, my back ached for a few seconds as I looked around me. Since the walls were made of glass, I could see many people walking by outside of the room, paying little attention to me.
I was able to identify a few Corozal people because of their grey uniforms, but the majority I saw were Alberrechians; the names stitched on to the uniforms and the brown color certainly helped with me picking them out.
My boots squeaked noisily when I stepped off of the table, body trembling from a cold chill in the room as I tried to calm my mind, eyes remaining on those outside of the glass. I began walking towards one of the many glass walls, and I paused just a few feet away from it, resisting the urge to look surprised.
Eric.
He stood by several large screens and computers laid out on a long desk. His arms were folded across his chest and he looked older, almost wearier since I'd last seen him. Some weight had been lost, and his hair appeared to be a bit thinner.
By his side was Quinn and Helda. Quinn, by the passing minute was becoming increasingly frustrated by what she saw on the screens. Curious, I lowered myself down to the floor, folding my legs under my body as I too watched the screens.
It soon became clear that my assumption of the Alberrechians and the Corozal people invading the Wildeland pack had been true. Displayed on the screen was what looked to be live feed of what was occuring, and I was astonished by the large Corozal army and the many Alberrechains swarming the pack.
However, what surprised me further was the amount of lycans, some which clearly weren't even pack members of Wildeland, but certainly were assisting the lycan warriors. I spotted many uniforms similar to the one which I'd seen Nicholas wear when I first saw him, and guessed that he was perhaps somewhere in the midst of the chaos. My eyes darted around the large screens, searching for Hannes, but I could not find him.
I remained on the cold floor, watching the videos, until I heard the door behind me open and close, the noise of a lock turning only making me climb to my feet faster.
My lips formed a scowl when I saw that Eric was now in the room. He didn't stand too close to me, and simply remained by the closed and locked door, arms folded loosely behind his back.
"You're up." He was stating the obvious, his eyes not once trailing away from my own; the intensity of his stare would have perhaps made me uncomfortable in the past, but my anger was making me brave. My scowl deepened as I stalked forward, but then I forced myself to stop mid-way towards him when he straightened and I saw the butt of a gun which was strapped to his belt.
"Why have I been brought here?" I then decided to ask, or rather, demand. Eric's eyebrows raised high, disapproval swimming in his eyes as he began to scrutinize me.
"I suppose I could tell you." His voice was gruff, coated with irritation when he finally responded. He shifted on his feet, never looking away from me when he said, "Money."
My eyebrows pinched together and I narrowed my eyes. "Money?" I parroted. "You want money?"
"Yes," Eric's eyes finally moved from mine and chose to skip up and down the room instead as he spoke, "Hannes is a wealthy lycan, and he's been recently made aware that the only way he can get you back is through him paying us money."
When I began to ask how much money Eric wanted, he flat out refused to say. So, I glanced at the screens which continued to show what was occuring in Wideland. It was difficult to tell who was winning, but I was certain that it would be revealed soon enough.
"You really think your plan is going to work out for you?" I muttered dryly, stepping away from him, but not entirely angling my body and face away; it would be stupid of me not to keep him in my sight.
"It will," Eric spoke through gritted teeth. He paused when he saw that I was partially watching the screens, and I could see a sly grin forming on his lips from the corner of my eye.
"None of the lycans were expecting us," He boasted. "This took months of planning, and your pack warriors deserve what will happen to them. All lycans will deserve what will eventually happen to them."
I said nothing at his words, pressing my lips together firmly even though I could see the taunting gleam in Eric's eyes. However, my silence only served to make him speak more,
"Hannes will not be killed when we've succeeded in the battle, but he'll be led to a meeting place, where he will exchange the money for you."
My head turned fully to him as he said this, and I looked at him skeptically. "Mhm."
His face reddened in anger, and my toes curled over the hard weapon in one of my boots. He shot forward abruptly, hand grabbing my neck and jerking me forward, until his breath hit my cheek and my face was inches away from his chest. He spat into my ear,
"And then, Quinn will allow bullets to rain through Hannes' and your body-"
My arms shot forward, gripping his wrists and twisting until he released his hands from around my neck with a pained grunt. He bucked forward towards me, but I dodged out of his way. I watched, grimacing as he stumbled and hit his stomach on the edge of the table, his hands slamming down on the metal to stop him from falling further onto it.
Heads were turned our way, and I walked away from Eric, pressing against the glass when I saw an agitated look cross Quinn's features. She looked to be gesturing to Eric, but he was beginning to push himself off of the table.
"I believe Quinn is calling you." I told him, biting my lip to stop myself from grinning at the confused and disheveled look he'd achieved in mere seconds.
Casting one last look to me, Eric straightened, before striding to the door and pulling on the handle, realizing the door was locked, unlocking it with quick, jab-like movements and slipping out, slamming it shut behind him.
I heard a clicking noise as it was locked once more, and I returned by my spot on the floor, head facing the screens and eyes every now and then moving to those who walked by my room.
*********
I remained in the room for hours, at one point managing to sleep, but eventually awakening again. The lights in the room were still on, and I could see that Quinn and Helda were standing outside of the room, facing the screens.
My eyebrows shot high, when I saw the paleness of Quinn's face, the way her hand shook as she raised her hand to cover her mouth, shoulders trembling. Helda was grasping her hair, blue eyes glued on the screen, panic rippling across her face.
"Shit." Her voice could be heard despite the glass, and I stood, easing close to it as I too looked at the screens. I could see nothing, no lycans or armies, just empty areas in Wildeland. However, guessing by Helda's and Quinn's reaction, something had clearly not gone their way.
So, when Helda began to pace back and forth, and paused to stare at me, her wide eyes still clouded with horror, I grinned slyly and mouthed,
"You are going to die."
********
Chapters 63-65 are available on Inkitt!