Chapter 17
I was stuck, frozen to the spot as my mind went blank.
Maybe I was naive to think I’d never see Neil again. I must have thought I lived in a fairy tale where bad people ran away and never returned; but obviously that didn’t happen, because the man who threatened to violate me stood just on the other side of the wall.
I sunk deeper into the floor, trying to make myself as small as possible. Ramsay’s face took on a flicker of sympathy before it was replaced by fury. He scowled deeply and got to his feet, careful not to make a sound. The single window in the room was high enough that Ramsay, even with his height, had to stand on his toes to peer through it--but that also meant he could look down at Neil without him noticing.
Ramsay came back to my side with a grim expression and confirmed, “It’s him, all right. I’m so sorry, Mathe.”
I shut my eyes and breathed. This was not a time to have a mental breakdown. Frowning, I asked, “Can you hear what he’s saying?”
Ramsay nodded and listened carefully to the conversation filtering in through the window. But Neil was speaking loudly and angrily enough that I could hear him even without straining my ears.
“I can’t believe this. How much longer do you have to wait?”
The Madame’s even, cool voice replied, “It’s a long journey on foot. Onhumanfoot, wolf.”
“I don’t care. If that was the case, you should have left earlier!”
“The red wolf was not well enough to travel, and the pregnant one would not leave his mate behind.”
My eyes widened as I realized what was going on. They were in the middle of a negotiation aboutus.
Ramsay’s eyes flicked to me, a thousand emotions running through them. The atmosphere in the storage room grew tense and uneasy.
What journey are they talking about?I thought.Where are they going to take us?
Outside, Neil let out a frustrated growl. “Fine. But your people better make it there on time. The longer this takes, the higher the chance they’ll escape, or the chance that the others will come for them.”
“We have it under control,” the Madame said coldly.
Ramsay and I exchanged glances. I knew the same questions burned in both our minds.
“You should double-up the guards,” Neil told her, almost like he was hesitant to leave. Did he not trust a human in charge of us, even though the Madame was the equivalent of their pack leader?
“Thank you, Neil.” The Madame’s tone made it clear that she didn’t appreciate his advice and that their conversation was over.
Neil growled again, then we heard the sound of a wolf running, and knew he had taken off. The subsequent quiet outside told us that the Madame had left as well.
Ramsay slumped down beside me and sighed. “Well, now what? We know that Neil’s working with the humans, apparently. Rat bastard.”
“Why would he do that?” I asked indignantly.
“Probably because he knows none of the wolf packs will take him in,” Ramsay muttered. “Not that he deserves it after what he did. The humans either don’t know or don’t care. But that doesn’t explain what’s in it for him, since he and the Madame don’t seem so keen on each other.”
I frowned. “And what journey were they talking about? What does it have to do with us?”
“Whatever it is, Neil wants it done ASAP,” Ramsay muttered. “He seems pretty suspicious that we’re gonna try to bust out, or that the others are gonna come for us.”
“He’s not wrong about that.”
We both quickly went silent as a pair of footsteps clicked on the wooden floors approaching the storage room door. The Madame stepped inside. Thankfully, we were both decent again.
She glanced at me with an expression I couldn’t read. There was an uncomfortable silence. Suddenly, as she looked over at Ramsay, her eyes widened ever so slightly. It was enough for me to read the mild shock on her face.
My heart raced.
His shirt! He’s not wearing his shirt!I thought, feeling a cold wave of dread hit me.She can see that his wounds are gone!
