Chapter 8
AURORA
I sense Gerry has left. Aztec is alert, also studying who is around us and what we can do about our situation.
My pack sees me walking into the center of the camp and quickly fights to stand beside me. The rogue Alpha is standing, looking more amused than upset at an interloper invading his camp.
“Now, who do we have here?” The Alpha asks as he stands with his legs apart, folding his arms over his chest. “I don’t usually have to ask twice!”
“As I told you before, I’m your worst nightmare. I am here to haunt your steps. Bring down your disgusting pack of rogues. You’ve had enough freeloading from others. It’s time you paid the price.” I snarl, with Aztec giving me some of her voice to show it is a threat.
Before anyone can say anything more, a she-wolf steps forward, giving the Alpha a look that tells me this has to have been his Luna, the one he just rejected for Wynona. She has the stink of rogue and looks like she needs to be groomed.
“I know who you are. You are the Alpha from the Blood Pearl Pack. Alpha Aurora.”
“And you are?” I ask, giving her a lifted eyebrow and a scrunched-up nose, showing she stinks and is insignificant to me.
“I’m Fragina Stonewalker and was a pack member of Wolfsfoot.”
“Well, it’s not good crowing about it because now you are a rogue. You know, a filthy, low-life, and a coward to boot.” I goad her as I heard about the incident she caused, and I know she’s a nobody when it comes down to it.
“I challenge you to the death, bitch,” Fragina snarls.
I can see she is looking at the Alpha from the corner of her eye. I also see he’s not giving a care that she has issued a death challenge. That has to hurt!
“I accept!”
Fragina’s face loses all color, and she looks at her Alpha fully. Not seeing what she’d hoped to see, I’m sure, as he gave a nod before walking to a chair that looks more like a throne with the high back and broad arms.
My pack spreads out around the fighting circle the rogues are forming. I can see the gleam in the rogues’ eyes at the thought of a fight to the death. Sickening is what it is, and they are all going to be put down like rabid dogs if I get the opportunity.
Shaking my arms, with more of a demonstrative show about it than a real warm up. I know I can take this bitch down in two moves, and I intend to do just that because why waste energy on something that will always be trash.
The male pack members are no longer here. They were taken back to their cells, but they’ve seen me and know something is afoot. I received looks of joy from them as they were led away. I won’t let them down. I'll do whatever I have to do to get them out of this place.
The Alpha shouts, “Fight!”
My eyes never leave Fragina, who is circling me, but I stand calmly in the center of this fighting circle and wait. She’ll make her move and then I’ll take her down.
Fragina makes the move I expected. She circles behind me and in what she thinks is my blind spot, she lunges. Unknown to her, Wynona is looking at me and her right hand along her thigh flicks, which is a signal a threat is attacking from behind.
I drop into a crouch, flick onto my side before rolling out of the way of Fragina, who has gone over the top of me, not able to stop her forward momentum.
Springing, I grab her around the neck, slamming her back into the dirt and tightening my hold. She claws at my arms, trying to get me to let go of her, but I put my strength into my arms and she quickly starts to lose consciousness.
Grinning up at the Alpha, I lift a hand and tweak Fragina’s nose, making a honking sound as I do. My she-wolves laugh loudly, but I can see they are alert to what is happening around me.
A she-wolf runs into the center and flies toward me, not giving me much time to react, but Wynona doesn’t have that issue, and flies across to step in front of the woman. It isn’t until the woman speaks and I look up that I see it is Izzy, a she-wolf I removed from my pack.
Snarling Izzy moves forward and everyone can see she’s on the verge of shifting, but the Alpha shouts, “No shifting, not yet anyway.”
I still have a tight hold of Fragina when Izzy makes her move, but Wynona throws a punch to her face, then takes a fighting stance, remaining between myself and Izzy.
Wynona is a great fighter and I know she can hold her own against Izzy, and so does Izzy, which is why I don’t understand about all this. She also knows she couldn’t win in a fight against me. None of this makes sense!
Wynona ducks a punch, whirls around and throws her leg out and up, using her heel to hit Izzy in her face. We all hear the crunching sound as Izzy’s nose breaks.
I put a little more into the strangle hold I have on Fragina and she becomes unconscious. Lying her down on the ground, I slowly stand and watch Wynona make her last move and Izzy drops to the ground. Another of this rogue Alpha’s she-wolves is unconscious and useless.
Turning, I place my back against Wynona’s, giving each other cover in case of an attack by the rogues. My pack quickly breaks from the circle and stands with their back to the center. We all quickly form a fighting circle, and the stance tells everyone here that we are not weak, and we are not worried about fighting or dying.
Slow clapping from the rogue Alpha has all his merry band of rogues looking his way. We, however, remain vigilant as to every rogue in the camp. Standing from his ‘Throne’, the Alpha walks over to us with a mocking look on his face.
“That was a good show. I enjoyed it. Beta, have the two idiots taken to the spare room.”
The Beta that I’d been dealing with when handing over the food parcels appears from behind a group of rogues. He nods at two who each pick up an unconscious woman. I’m not sure where the spare room is, but they head to the cottage with the women slung over their shoulders. The Beta following behind.
“Now, let’s just say that was good to see. I enjoyed it, but it won’t stop me claiming one of you as Luna.”
As he is speaking he is looking from me to Wynona and back again. Feeling something sharp hitting my neck, I feel Aztec falling inside the back of my mind. Wolfsbane, and now I’m left as my pack, human until our wolf wakes.
“You two will fight to see who becomes my Luna, and if you don’t fight, one of your she-wolves will die. Each time you refuse, I will select one of your pack members. The competition will start tomorrow. Take them to the cells.”
The Alpha walks away, and we are dragged to cells. Thrown inside with no care for our wellbeing. This is why wolven society will not tolerate rogues, they have no care for themselves, or anyone else.
“Take a minute to rest,” Wren suggests, and leads me to a corner where a filthy mattress is lying on the ground.
I slide down so I’m sitting on the mattress, but leaning against the wall. Placing the back of my head against the wall, I close my eyes for a moment while I digest everything that has happened. Tiredness overtakes me and I sleep, knowing my pack will keep me safe.
Waking I hear whispers, but it’s dark so I don’t know who is speaking. “Alpha, it’s time to wake.”
Opening my eyes, I try to link with Aztec, but nothing. I know they have tampered with the food and water that is given, and we cannot afford to have anything they give us if we are going to get out of here.
“I have something to pick the lock.” I hear and I think it’s Wren.
“Good. Who is the best at doing that?” Wynona, I recognize, asks.
“I can do it.”
Standing, I shuffle over to where everyone is huddled, and I can see who is speaking now as the moon is lighting the outside of the cells somewhat. “Who can pick a lock?” I ask.
“I can. I did it as a game when I was young because my brother kept locking me in the house then going out leaving me to look after myself,” Paige states, shaking her head a little at the memory. We all know that Paige’s brother left her and disappeared years previously. With no parents alive, Paige was left to fend for herself after she rejected her mate on sight, and came to the Blood Pearl Pack.
“Do you think the Alpha will kill one of you?” I ask.
“No, he wants us for his men when he’s gotten everything he needs from our pack. You must have put a foot on his plans as he never expected to get the famous Alpha Aurora,” Wynona states with disgust in her voice.
“Okay. We don’t eat or drink anything. Our wolves will be able to recover if we wait long enough. They are adding wolfsbane to the food and water, so we’ll bury any food when they are not looking, and spill the water. We fight if we have to, and we try to get the times of the guards so we can pick the lock and get out of here.” I’m trying to give my wolves hope, and even if we don’t get away, we need to have positive ideas and efforts to keep us motivated.
“I will get a message to one of our males. They keep making me clean the males’ cells. I can do something, I’m sure,” Wren says with a smirk on her face.
“Should I speak to the other packs that are being held? Borose and me keep having to clean what they call the kitchen. It’s a trench where they throw everything they think is good enough for washing,” Jinny snorts.
“I’ll help with that,” Borose says, and gives Rue a grin.
“All of us need to speak to any hostages we can. Get them onboard and we can make a mass plan to break out of here. The more of us that run at the same time, the better chance of some of us getting away. Then we can organize getting help to any of us they catch,” I state and lean my shoulder against Wren’s, who is sitting next to me now.
“We have tried various ways to escape, but each time we end up chained with silver cuffs or taken to the hold, as they call it. Which is a hole dug into the ground with a metal grate on the top. If it rains you end up swimming amid earth that breaks away from the sides.” Rue says and gives me a look that tells me she’s been in the hole.
“Let’s rest. We are not going to be allowed out of here today.” Borose walks over to a mattress near the cell door and rests on her back, staring at the ceiling. The rest of us scatter and share a mattress the best we can.
As I lay thinking, I imagine Gerry must have got away as he’s not been dragged into the camp. Hopefully, he will be able to bring help, although he’s going to have to inform Flint and the Shifter Council will get involved.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you they caught an Alpha. I don’t know who he is, but they knocked him out fast as he was ready to bring this place to the ground,” Wynona whispers.
“Interesting,” I respond.
“I have a feeling I know him, but I can’t put my finger on who he is, or where I know him from.”
“Don’t worry, Wyn, I had someone with me, and he got away. If we don’t break free, I have all hopes he will bring help.”
“Okay. I wish you hadn’t come and gotten yourself caught. Taria must be worried sick, and frightened.”
“I couldn’t wait any longer. It was eating my soul, knowing you were all being held. There has been a war since you were taken, but thankfully, it was over quickly.”
“A war! You’ll have to tell me all about it, but I need to sleep now. We are woken at different times so we don’t get comfortable. We grab what rest we can, when we can.” Wynona shuffles a little before settling and I hear her breathing slow.
I listen to whispering in other cells, guards walking past and now and again stopping to look inside. Making sure we are still here, I guess. Throwing my arm out, I feel that we have a dirt floor. Sitting up, I look as best as I can in the light I have. Running my hand over the floor, I dig my nails into the dirt and pull, and an idea pops into my mind.