4. THEO
Chapter 4
THEO
I’ve never witnessed a werewolf panicking upon a command. Up until now, as the strange werewolf breathes in staggered pants. Its eyes roll back, and a lilting sigh escapes the wolf’s lips.
And without warning, it falls to its side. There’s a loud thump! when it lands, and then silence.
“Huh?” I leer as I take a step forward. Leaning over the unconscious wolf, I snap my fingers in front of its face.
Nothing. Not even a flinch. It really just passed out when I demanded it shift into human form.
Strange, I think as I huff a breath and kneel at its head. Though the wolf is large, my strength allows me to lift its broad form over my shoulder.
The walk back to Overton is like a walk of shame. Except, I’m carrying a wolf into the dead of night. My silent prayers are answered when I reach the empty pack den.
No one to question me… Good. Though no one would dare think to question why I’m lugging a limp wolf into the den without a stitch of clothing on.
As soon as I’m inside, I take the lift down to the last level of the den.
The dungeon – a stone-walled room containing holding cells. Something we thought might be useful in the impending war, when we caught our enemies and needed to question their motives.
Not to throw a lone wolf inside. Even as I do, dragging the wolf into the first cell, I frown. The absurdity of the whole thing only hits me when I take a step back and see the wolf laying on the mattress on the floor.
It’s out cold. There’s no real need to lock the cell, so all I do is pull the door closed.
‘Alpha Theo…’ comes a mind link from the Beta. ‘... Is that you in the den?’
‘Yes,’ I send in reply as I take the lift back up. ‘I’m coming up.’
As soon as I’m out of the lift on the ground floor, I grab a coat off the hanger. Liam enters the den just in time to see me buttoning up the coat.
“What happened?” he asks with a frown.
“Don’t,” I warn him with a raised brow. When he nods, I make my way to the main office with the surveillance screens.
“Jarrod told me you stormed out of the den earlier,” Liam says as he follows me into the office. “Is everything okay?”
I grunt when I find the once-crumpled letter on my desk. Jarrod must have salvaged it from there. I toss it over the desk toward Liam.
“Cyrus Savage is an impatient bastard,” I snarl as I watch the Beta read the letter, brows furrowing steadily.
“... Because of your hesitation to come to a decision…” he reads aloud, “... I have no other choice but to change mine. In exchange for an alliance, I will take your sister as my bride.”
Liam looks up with infuriated eyes, mirroring the way I feel all over again.
“He’s crazy.”
“Crazy doesn’t even cut it,” I scoff as I lean back, swaying in the swivel chair and staring at the ceiling. “There’s no way I’m giving my sister up as collateral for this alliance.”
“So, what happens now?” Liam blows out a breath as he takes a seat.
“We can’t ignore the warning signs,” I shiver. “Dark Fang already suffered the loss of their leader.”
“We’re not losing you,” my Beta assures.
“We’re not losing anyone ,” I correct him. Tucking my bottom lip between my teeth, in deep thought. Contemplating my next move. When an idea comes to me, I turn to Liam. “Arrange for a meeting with the entire pack. Everyone over eighteen.”
Liam leans in, folding his arms on the edge of the table. “Are we recruiting new fighters?”
“Yup,” I nod. “We need the pack to work together. We can’t rely on Blackclaw.”
Liam takes his leave when Amelia calls him for a hunt. I remain behind my desk, contemplating things other than the looming threat.
Like the wolf downstairs.
Tapping my fingers on the desk, I purse my lips before finally making a decision.
I can’t let the lone wolf out of my sight. Not in light of the threat. Perhaps it’s linked to the attacks on the packs in Illinois. Like bait.
When I get back to the dungeon, the lowest floor in the den, the wolf is still asleep. The wheezing from its chest escapes through its parted lips.
Somehow drawn toward it, I find myself walking over to the cell and kneeling. Fingers folding around the metal bars, I stare into the wolf’s face.
Something about its soft features tells me that it brings no harm. In fact, it’s a deeply intrinsic gut feeling that this wolf brings no harm to us. At least, not in relation to the war and the unknown threat that lingers over our heads.
I’m glad that I didn’t tell my Beta about the wolf. A strange sense of protection washes over me. Like I need to keep this a secret. The need to guard the wolf, I suspect.
Shrugging it off as nothing more than my wariness – all things considered – I pull up a chair to the cell.
The chestnut brown wolf with a streak of silver along its spine snores lightly. Only its chest rises and falls, the rest of its large frame unmoving. Taking a deep breath myself, I close my eyes for a moment.
A light stir causes me to open my eyes, alerted, When I do, I notice the wolf is gone from the cell.
Quickly scrambling to my feet, I sigh with relief when I find a woman’s body in place of the wolf. I’m not sure how long it’s been, but the wolf finally shifted into human form.
Chuckling to myself, I’m about to look away when the human figure stirs.
Gulping, I remain perfectly quiet as I watch her eyelids flutter open. Like the wings of a butterfly flapping for the first time, she turns and directs her flight to me.
The air leaves my lungs the moment our eyes meet. The lightest shade of brown, like honey pots, demands my attention. Her hazel eyes are soft depths of compassion, willing me to take a breath.
As soon as I take a breath, my eyes flit to the rest of her body. This is when I realize that she’s naked. A quiverish awareness rushes through my core. So foreign, I’ve never felt it before.
But so familiar in its warmth.
When the female gasps, I realize how disrespectful I’m being by ogling. Bashfully walking away with a nervous chuckle, I head to the closet at the back of the dungeon.
Phew!
I breathe a sigh of relief as I pull the closet door open. Glancing back at the female, I’m relieved that she’s just that. A female. A she-wolf.
Lord knows what happened to her. Why she stumbled on Nightwalker territory. Why she had others following her, and why she was weak enough to fall into the river. Why did she pass out?
Questions I plan on getting answers to as I grab a set of cotton sleepers from the closet.
Heading back to the cell, the female sits on the edge of the mattress, coiling into herself to hide her nakedness.
Although my interest is piqued, I don’t wish to make her uncomfortable. The heat is evident on her cheeks, so all I do is say, “Get dressed,” and pass the clothes through the bars.
Turning, the silence allows me to hear the sound of cotton whispering over her flesh.
It’s tempting to look, but I remain respectful. The silence is frustrating, though. And I have to fill it to distract myself. “You shifted in your sleep,” I explain.
Whatever she’s been through, she must be confused now that she’s locked in a metal cage. “I brought you here after you passed out in the woods.”
“Thanks.”
When she clears her throat, I’m prompted to turn back. I take notice of her lovely face. Sharp, but with the softness of round eyes and a delicate cupid’s bow on her top lip.
She’s beautiful…
I frown at the beauty in front of me, wondering aloud, “Why didn't you shift when I asked you to?” His brows knit to a frown as he stares into my face.
She turns her face away defeatedly. “I–I don't know how to,” she stammers.
Refusing to believe that, I grunt. I ask her again, but she repeats that she doesn’t know how to.
It makes no sense. I’ve seen her wolf form. She appeared to be a refined wolf. How can she not know?
Her nervous demeanor makes me suspicious. “Fine. I'll have to command the truth from you, then.” I announce my name, my pack, and command her to answer me truthfully.
In response, she rises to her feet. “I tell no word of a lie, Alpha,” she reiterates.
I stare into her eyes, and it’s only earnesty I find there. I find no reason not to believe her. Though I have many questions, I suspect she has them too. Like why she doesn’t know how to shift on command.
“Who are you?” I ask.
“I am Mia Alverez, Omega of the Blackclaw Pack.”
The compassion I might have felt before is extinguished as soon as I hear her reply. She has no reason to lie to me.
But it’s the truth that’s more daunting than a lie.
“Blackclaw?” I narrow my eyes at her, accusation flowing through my disdain. Heat rises inside me as anger gnaws on my being.
A million accusations come crashing all at once. At the top is the suspicion that Cyrus Savage sent the wolf here for his own gain.
Perhaps to seduce me to agree to his ridiculous marriage contract.
Shaking my head, refusing to witness any more of the fear in the woman’s eyes, I pull open the cell door.
“Get out.”
She hesitates to move, eyes flitting from my face to the door, then back. “Wh-what?”
“You heard me. I said leave!” I roar angrily. “If Cyrus thinks he’s gonna fool me into the alliance, he has another thing coming. Get the fuck out!”
She still refuses to move, prompting me to look back at her face. Tears roll down her cheeks, her bottom lip trembling uncontrollably. “I know nothing about an alliance,” she whispers timidly.
“Wh-what?” Huffing a frustrated breath, I turn my attention fully to her. I realize this woman isn’t leaving. “Do you not want to leave?”
The woman, Mia, shakes her head as she sniffs. “N-no,” she stampers. “I can't.”
Perplexed beyond my comprehension, all I can do is gape at her with an open mouth. Completely dumbfounded.
If this she-wolf was sent here by Cyrus Savage, perhaps she has firm instructions not to leave.
“Mia Alverez…” I say her name in a low tone for the first time. The pronunciation of it has that same distinct feeling like her presence – foreign and familiar all at once. “Why can’t you leave?”
She lifts her tear-stricken eyes at me, full of more unshed tears. Her reply shoots me right in the chest, in the center of my heart.
“I’ve been kicked out of my pack. I was chased out like a dog.”