MattIt took a few hours to get to the first location by car, and we spent most of it in tense silence. Jack drummed his fingers against his knee, and I stared hard at the road. The trees passed by in a blur, and the further we traveled, the less we saw other cars. Eventually, it was just us, twisting along a dirt road between the towering trees.“Are we close?” Jack asked, breaking the silence for the first time in hours.I cleared my throat. “Yes. We’ll have to hike the last bit.”He scowled. “Obviously.”I rolled my eyes but didn’t respond. I couldn’t exactly blame him for being angry with me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t be pissed, too. If he’d just been honest with us, none of this would be happening. Now they had Celeste, and I had no idea what they were doing to her, or if she was even safe.My grip tightened on the steering wheel, and Jack gave me a sideways look.“Your eyes are gold,” he said, sounding the most cautious I’d ever heard him.I forced myself to take a few dee
I spent the night staring at the concrete walls around me. Every muscle in my body ached, and my eyes burned, but even so, I couldn’t sleep. Now and then, I fell into a fitful slumber, tossing and turning until I was shocked back awake. At one point, I gave up completely and traced patterns on the wall with my finger to pass the time.When Jeremy appeared with my breakfast, I could hardly stomach the thought of eating. He just watched me, not speaking, as I spooned porridge into my mouth. A few times, I had to resist the urge to gag. He didn’t say a word when he left, either, but I jumped when the door slammed shut behind him.Despondency folded around me, and I curled up in bed. I couldn’t even bring myself to plan some sort of escape–to even hope for one. Whatever they wanted with me, they were going to get. I’d never felt so helpless before. A few tears rolled down my cheeks, but I didn’t even have the energy to cry.I should have listened to Jack. I never should have run off with
MattI settled deeper into the dirt and propped myself up by the elbows. Through my binoculars, I could see the looming gray wall and the cast iron gate that served as the only entrance. No movement occurred on either side, but I knew they were in there. They were being careful about it, but the building wasn’t as abandoned as they were trying to make it seem.“How do we get in there?” Jack mumbled. He had a matching pair of binoculars to his eyes, the hood of his camo jacket pulled up over his head.“Not easily.”
AlyxHe ran beside his brother, his eyes trained on the trees in front of him. He knew this territory like the back of his hand, but something about it felt different. Something didn’t belong. Beside him, Rocky ran with his nose pressed close to the ground. It was rare for him to be separated from his twin, and Alyx could tell he was uneasy.They stopped for a moment to sniff around, and Alyx nudged his flank with his nose. It had been so long since he’d run with one of his brothers, and he was thrumming with excitement. Rocky picked up on his energy and gave him a playful snap.
The woods were dark and eerily silent.I stepped into a small clearing, grass crunching beneath my paws.“Celeste?” a familiar voice said. Standing across the wide expanse in the trees was Matt. He was still human, and he took a tentative step out of the dense cover. “Celeste?” he called in a low voice. A shiver ran through me, and I moved closer.He took a few more steps, his blue eyes bright. He reached out his hand, a pleading look on his face. “Celeste!”A momen
Weeks went by, and I counted the days by clawing gouge marks into the concrete wall beside my bed. I’d finally mastered getting my claws to appear and retract, though I still hadn’t managed a full shift. Despite hearing my wolf, demanding that I give in, I just couldn’t do it. Alyx, in his infinite wisdom, though I had some sort of mental block.“You’re the one choosing not to shift,” he said, circling me. “You’re afraid to give in.”We were in the training ring. Jeremy stood off the side, his arms folded across his chest. He wasn’t as outwardly impatient as Alyx, but his hits landed just as hard. Sure, I
MattI pulled up to the motel and turned off the engine. The red neon sign flickered in the darkness, and light spilled from the small office where an old woman sat knitting. Lights were on in three of the rooms, but the curtains were closed. The motel was a few towns over from the Crescent compound. We moved every week, picking a new place to stay. We didn’t want them to find us. They knew we were watching them if their increased patrols were any sign.Someone knocked on the window, and my muscles tensed. Seth leaned down to look at me, his brow furrowed.I waved for him to s
I was midway through my second month of captivity when Zoe came into my cell, a half-smile on her face.“Come on,” she said, gesturing for me to follow her. “You’re getting a better room.”I didn’t move at first. As much as I hated this room, it was familiar. Regardless of how nice Zoe seemed, I didn’t trust her. I didn’t trust any of them.Then again, a new room could mean they were getting lax. Maybe they thought I was getting used to this place. Getting complacent. I was still training without complaint. Still sitting through awkwar