The right thing.
(Eva)
“What’s going to happen to me?” I ask the one up front, he’s super tall, tall enough that I would have to crane my neck to actually look him in the face.
“Just keep walking, kid.” The older man behind me says as two men open a door that leads down some stairs. I’m instantly hit with the smell of urine, blood and sweat, when we reach the bottom of the steps I realise why. They have brought me to the cells. I’ve traded one prison for another. It’s not like I can blame them, I did steal their child so of course they would see me as a threat. The tall one with dark hair opens one of the cells and I take that was my que to get in, walking in I notice there is a sink, a toilet and basic bed. That’s all, I think if I stretch out my arms I could touch either wall, the door closes with at deafening clang and the two men leave me alone.
Sitting on the bed I can’t help but think this is better than I deserve, I half expected Patrick to run me down when he found me in that gast station. I took my chance during shift change and ran. I wanted to grab Aurora but I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get into the nursery and get out. I figured this way I could at least lead the Pack back to the child.
“Are you cold?” I jump a little at the gruff voice, I was so lost in my own mind that I didn’t hear the tall one come back. Looking over at the cell door he’s standing there holding a pink blanket, it looks really fussy and warm. Slowly standing I reach out a hand and he passes the blanket through the bars.
you.” I say as I wrap the blanket around myself.
“Thank you.
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The night thing
12
“Cas, my name’s Cas.” I smile at him, it’s an odd name but it’s not like I’ m in a position to judge.
“You’re an Alpha?” Even someone as untrained as me can sense the power surrounding him, it’s like a cloak hanging off his shoulders.
“Alpha Heir, my father is Alpha.” I don’t miss that he doesn’t tell me which Pack, he’s being cautious which I can understand, “I’ll be Alpha soon, my father is sick.”
“I’m
sorry.” I sit on the bed nuzzling myself further into the blanket.
“Trust me, it’s no loss. Eva, we need to know more about the tracking device you mentioned.” His tone tells me he’s done discussing his family, “can they be turned off?”
“I don’t know, I just know they are on these special bullet things. I think they buy them but I don’t know where. It’s not like I’m kept in the loop, shifters aren’t exactly treated well there.” There’s no point in hiding anything anymore, they are going to need to know everything to get their people back.
“They hurt you?” I nod my head slightly, “I’m sorry you went through all of this Eva. You’re just a pup, you should be in school, ma king friends and pushing boundaries.” Cas shakes his head and it draws my attention to his hair, it has this just tousled look and I long to run my fingers through it.
“I don’t have a place anymore, I was meant to procreate to give them more shifters but the ma le s they made me choose between w ere ga y so that was a no go.” I see something flit across between Ca s’s eyes as I say this, I can’t be certain but I think he’s angry.
“How old are you?” I see his nose flare as he sniffs, “can’t be more than sixteen. You won’t be procreating with anyone at your age.”
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ght thing
“You’re right, I’ll be dead soon.” I’m not being morbid, it’s just a statement of fact.
“I don’t know what you’ve heard about us but we don’t normally make a habit of killing pups. Sit tight Eva.” I close my eyes as he walks away, savouring the way my name sounds in his voice.
For so long I’ve been Zoe and had to be the meek little shifter surrounded by humans, it’s been so long since anyone has called me by the name my mother gave me. I can barely remember their faces, I can’t recall the Pack name and I don’t know exactly where they are but I remember my name clear as day. When The Shalamayne took me in they gave me a name based on when I joined, each shifter is provided with a name depending on what letter of the alphabet they get brought in on. I was unlucky enough to be number twenty-six, twenty-six children taken from a Russian Pack, this left me with Z.
“Hey kid,” I look around but I don’t see anyone but the female voice is clearly coming from somewhere. “Don’t bother looking, I’m in the cell next to you.”
“Oh.” I lay back on my bed, I don’t know if having company is a good thing or not.
“They might not kill pups but they will leave you down here until you come of age.” The voice sounds tired and raw, like she doesn’t talk all that much, “I’ve been down here for years. Once that door locked behind you, trust me kid, the worst thing you ever did was walk into that cell,”
“Stop talking, Eve.” I jump up from my bed when I hear Anna’s voice, seeing her at the cell door I instantly drop my eyes to the floor. “Sit down, Eva. We need to have a talk.” I sit on my bed and face the wall, looking her in the eyes is just too hard. “I need to understand why. why you took my pup and why you came back and don’t give me the
O
whole I want to do the right thing speech. The men might see a cute
lice and believe you but I know there has to be more ” Anna sounds so much husher than I remember her being
“You were kind to me” I say to my hands
“Apparently for Lund ” Anna spils
“Until you and Fraction I never knew shifters could be like this. I was raised to believe shifters were vicious killers who want nothing more than to f uck and kill “I look over al Anna to see her brows are furrowed
“So let me get this straught, they take you as a pup raise you to hate your own kind and then sick you on us?” I nod my head, it’s a
Land
simplified version of what they do to us but if I started talking about it all I don’t think I would finish any time soon.
“The females are used to help create their army, they use the strongest females they can capture and they force them to mate with us.” It feels weird explaining this to a grown woman, “the men are trained to fight.”
“So where does the kidnapping come in?” I start picking at my handst when she asks this, I knew she would but it doesn’t make it any casier.
“Some of us take special lessons on how to infiltrate a Pack and gain their trust for whatever reason they need at the time.” Anna slumps to the floor just beyond my cell.
‘So you planned this?” I shake my head as I resume picking at my ingers.
I didn’t know it would be you or this Pack, I didn’t want to do it but hey left me no choice. When I couldn’t do the mating part of my job I vas punished.” I stand up from the bed, for a second I consider howing her my back but I think better of it. I don’t need her sympathy.
“Anna, I just want to put right what I broke.”
“How do you plan on fixing Beth? She died, Eva, you stole my pup and killed my mate’s only parent. You didn’t break our world, you dropped a bomb on it, there’s no fixing this mess kid ” Anna stands from the floor and brushes herself off. “I pray to the Goddess I get my pup back or I won’t be held responsible for my actions, or Winter’s ” As Anna walks away the tears start to flow freely. I curl myself up in the blanket Cas gave me and ery myself into a fitful sleep.
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