With a whimper, Zayn bit at the chain attached to his back leg before looking out of the shack and to one across the way. Taking that to mean that waswhere the key was, I double sniffed to make sure no one had come back and darted across the small gathering area that was nothing more than an empty space in the midst of the structures.
There was a larger covering on the front of the shack, and inside was the scent of a male and female wolf. That was it. There was no furniture. No bedding. No personal belongings. I guessed when they were in their human forms, they still lived like wolves.
The thought saddened me, but also made me appreciate Zayn that much more. The fact he had escaped this life and was a functioning adult said a lot about how smart and resilient he was.
Spotting the keys wedged between two slats, I jumped and knocked them to the ground. I grabbed them in my teeth and ran back.
Shifting would take a lot of energy I didn't want to waste, and my fox was perfectly capable of using a key. I wished I could communicate with Zayn because he was giving me a side-eye as I went to his back foot and put the key in the lock.
The pin inside the lock moved with ease as I turned the key, and the lock and chain fell with a clink. Zayn nuzzled me as I moved to the chain onhis neck. The key was harder to turn, but soon he was free and jumping to his feet.
Zola growled as I took a few steps toward her, causing me to stop in my tracks and look back at Zayn.
He seemed confused and shifted back and took the keys from between my teeth. "We don't have long, Zozo."
She moved back into the corner and her hair bristled as he moved closer. She'd just been locked in a cage and now was chained again. Why didn't she want us to free her?
"I know you're scared. You've been through a lot. But if we don't leave now then we'll be stuck here forever. You know they aren't going to let you out of their sights ever again." Zayn knelt and reached his hand forward.
Zola sniffed his hand tentatively and let out a whimper as his hand connected with her muzzle. I felt like I was intruding on a private moment, and I slowly backed out of the shack.
"Wrenny, don't go out there. A few of them will be back soon and will spot you from a mile away." Zayn hadn't even turned his head. He tried to move the keys forward again and Zola snapped at him. "Can you shift so you can tell me what's wrong?"
The sadness in his voice made my heart clench. All he wanted to do was take care of his sister and protect her, and she wasn't letting him.
When she didn't, I shifted and knelt on the other side of her, drawing her attention to me. "I know you've been through a lot, but we need to know if you want out of here and how Marcos even got you in the first place. Are there others? If there are, I need you to tell me everything you know."
While I had her attention, Zayn unlocked her back leg, and she wheeled around, nearly sinking her teeth into his arm. She certainly was feisty.
She shifted with a whimper, her eyes darting between us as she scooted back into the corner, her thin arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes and hair were wild from being in wolf form for an extended period. She shivered, her teeth chattering slightly.
"Zozo." Zayn's voice caught, and he cleared his throat. "How long did Marcos have you for?"
"I'm not sure." She shut her eyes. "Since the snow here in the mountains. I ran away."
Zayn wasn't too good about hiding his surprise; his eyes widened, and his lips parted. When no sound came out, I put my hand on his arm in reassurance.
"How did Marcos find you?" Zayn's hands were shaking, making the keys he was still holding clink together.
She shrugged. "I knew which way you had gone when you left, so I went that way too. Ended up in a city and was trying to find clothes so I could shift. I thought since it was the middle of the night, I'd be safe. But I was shot with something... and then I woke up on a metal table. I think it was a vet."
"I'm going to kill him." Zayn started to stand, and Zola reached over and grabbed his hand. "He put his hands on you, Zozo. I will kill every last one of them."
"No." She squeezed his hand hard enough that her knuckles turned white. "I wouldn't shift."
If a vet was involved, they most likely ran tests on her to determine she wasn't a wolf. Shifter blood presented the same as human blood with invisible markers for shifting. "Were there others?"
"There were so many scents at the vet. Once I was moved from there, everything smelled like bleach." She bit her bottom lip. "They tried to get me to shift for a while, and then when they sold me, the one in charge said, 'this one is discounted since she's defective.'"
"You aren't defective, Zozo. It's a good thing youdidn't shift." Zayn scooted next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She tensed but then relaxed her head against his shoulder. "Let's get out of here. I have a nice house with a pool and a freezer full of ice cream. Do you remember back when we used to go for ice cream on Sundays?"
I moved to the opening of the shack and looked outside, my back to them. There was no evidence anyone was headed back our way, so we still had time to get away.
Zola sniffled. "You never could decide which flavor you liked best."
"Now I don't have to. I buy them all. I even got a special letter hand-delivered by a man dressed in a suit from my favorite ice cream brand telling me I was their biggest fan." He sighed. "They didn't like that I pretended to be an employee, though. But they stopped making one of my favorites and I wanted to find out why."
I covered my mouth to stop the laugh from escaping. Now wasn't the time to laugh, and he wasn't making a joke. His craziness was endearing and put a smile on my face. When he loved something, he really put his whole heart into it.
