I remember the clawing from yesterday, how I felt myself changing as I leaped over the fence. “I did that yesterday.”
For the first time, it feels like something clicks into place for me. I can’t explain it, but hearing that I’m not the only one who is capable of that is comforting. But at the same time, I feel deep confusion and a hurt I don’t yet understand.
“Yesterday, I got an alert of a lone wolf scenting in our territory. That was you. You were running before you passed out like you did when we found you.” Declan piles food on the plates and brings all of them over to the table, setting a steaming dish down in front of me.
This time, I don’t hesitate to eat. I take the first bite of the bacon and almost moan. Zeke was right, it is delicious.
“I was running because I felt Zeke,” I explain. “At least I think that’s true. I mean, I didn’t know it at the time.”
“Yes, you are probably right.”
“So what’s an Alpha?”
“The leader of the pack. It’s my job as Alpha to make sure everyone is safe. When a lone wolf wanders into our territory, we have to be wary.” He pauses, his eyes scanning my face as if searching for something.
“I’m not here to hurt anyone,” I promise, a little surprised he would even worry about that.
“I know that. We were thinking more about people who might be after you. Is anybody going to be looking for you? Anyone who could put my pack in jeopardy?”
I set the strip of bacon I was eating down on the plate and instinctively look at Zeke. His subtle nod quells the nervous feeling already growing in my chest.
I don’t want anybody to be hurt because of me. I’ve already seen too much pain and suffering in my lifetime, and I don’t want to see anymore.
“I don’t know,” I answer, a bitter taste overpowering the salty bacon in my mouth. “I had to run for a long time before I eventually passed out. I don’t know where I am, and I don’t know exactly where I came from.”
“She was home,” Zeke adds, a small smile growing on his lips. “It’s good she found the territory when she did. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened.”
A moment of silence falls over the table, and Declan rests his elbows on the wood and stares at me again. “I know it’s a lot for you to think about right now, but you’ve clearly been hurt. Any information you can give us can help us find these people and make sure they don’t come looking for you and don’t hurt you or anyone else in our pack.”
Zeke’s hand lands on my knee, giving it an affectionate squeeze. I try to think, and eventually find the courage to answer. I just hope this won’t backfire.
I feel like my mouth is moving on its own as I tell them about everything I experienced. I tell them how I was barely eight years old when I was brought there. Ten years have passed, and I’ve been electrocuted, burned, and injected with drugs and serums. I’ve seen people be taken away, never to return. The cries I heard from down the hall when people vanished.
I was the last one left.
“I don’t know a lot of the doctor’s names. It wasn’t important for us to know them.” I wrinkle my eyebrows, shaking my head as I clear my throat to bite back the emotion. “The only doctor I remember is Dr. Hendricks.”
I feel embarrassed telling them about this for some reason. Like it’s a wound that I’m exposing for them to examine. But after a moment passes, I sense something in the air. It’s radiating from Zeke sitting right beside me, and I look at him, realizing that I’m sensing the anger he feels.
His fists are balled on his lap, and he’s gritting his teeth hard. He and Declan share a knowing glance.
“I’ve heard of facilities like this,” Declan says, his voice cold. I don’t feel his emotions the way I do Zeke’s, but I can see that he’s upset.
“We’re not going to let those people take you back. I’ll do anything to make sure you’re safe,” Zeke says, squeezing my knee again. Even through his anger, he’s trying to comfort me.
All of a sudden, I’m hit with an intense weight on my chest that I’ve never felt before. What if he does something stupid to try to protect me? What if they capture him and do the same thing to him they did to me?
I barely know Zeke, but the idea of him going through the things I did kills a part of me. I don’t fully understand why, but I have to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Chapter 8
Zeke
“Areyou sure you guys can keep her safe?” I ask Tara, feeling the anxiety in my voice.
She rolls her eyes, putting her hands on my shoulders and literally shoving me out of the front door. “We won’t let anything happen to her. And if you ask me again, something bad is going to happen to you.”
She pulls her lips into a tight line and folds her arms in front of her.
