Chapter 72
SEVENTY-TWO
OCEAN
The heavy portcullis door creaked open, and I looked up, hoping it was Laurel to see me again. Instead, my heart sank as Prince, Dax, and Madison walked into the pens, following one of the security guards as they made their way over to my cell.
I stayed seated on my cot, eyeing them warily.
I twitched in my seat, failing in my plan to stay still.
Even though Laurel had brought me some sanity last night, my mind felt sluggish.
Instincts that had been nothing more than annoyances since I claimed my aura were now shaping my thoughts before I could stop them.
Simple thoughts. Easy thoughts.
Sometimes it was hard to remember why I was fighting their pull.
No, it was because of them. My pack. I opened the bond in my mind, closing my eyes and finding them.
Voices interrupted my thoughts, and I looked up, finding Dax’s face. He was an enemy, and he was sneering at me in a challenge. This was the asshole who’d helped hurt Laurel. I snarled, launching myself at him.
There was something in my way, something hard and metal, and Dax laughed as I struggled to reach him. Red bled into my vision as I tried again and again.
“Ocean,” a voice said.
I blinked and looked over. Everyone outside my cell was gone, and it was Hugo who was calling me. His face was creased with concern. My arms hurt, and my chest felt raw against the metal bars. How long ago had Dax left?
“There you are,” he said gently. “Come on, boy. Time to go through your exercises.”
He stood in his cell, settling into a fighting stance, and I felt myself relax as I followed suit, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I didn’t want to think too hard about what had just happened.
This was good.
Simple.
Hard work but satisfying. My muscles were stretching and aching in a good way, and I found myself sweating as I continued to mimic Hugo’s stances, letting my mind drift.
Kaos had described this, hadn’t he? How he sometimes floated away from all the noise. I liked it.