caged

chapter 6

Axel’s pov

I watched as she sniffed the blanket we put out for her, but what shocked me the most was instead of going right back into the cage she curled up on the blanket. I watched her until I fell asleep also, when I woke up Sarah and Steven were sitting next to me looking at Tala with the same expression that was on my face last night. Tala woke up startled and noticed we were there she immediately went back into the cage.

“Oh no we scared her.” Sarah pouted.

I cleared my throat before she started to get a little to worked up and scare Tala even more.

“It’s ok Tala, we won't hurt you, I promise.”

Tala seemed to believe my words as she started to come back out of the cage and over to where I am standing. She was just like a scared pup hiding behind my legs.

“She seems to like you bro.” Sarah chirped out. I smiled down at Talan and pet her on the head. At first she cringed away but then seemed to have second thoughts on it and leaned her head into my hand. We stayed like this for another thirty minutes when I thought of something.

“Tala, I need to go outside. Would you come with me?”

She looked up at me with fear in her eyes but then nudged her head into my leg.

Tala’s pov

I hid behind Axel not caring what they thought of it. To me he is the only one that for some reason I felt safe around. I heard Sarah say something to Axel but I wasn’t paying attention. I felt a hand touch my head making me cringe away until I noticed it was Axel who touched me. I decided to show him that I am not afraid of him by leaning my head into his hand. He asked me if I wanted to go with him and for some reason I really did. I nudged his leg trying to state I will follow him. He walked to the steps with me in tow, when Sarah got too close to my back side I let out a growl making her stop and backed off a few feet from us. As we got closer to the door I started involuntarily shaking. Axel must have noticed because he started to pet my head again, then said to me that it was alright.

Once I stepped out of the basement with Axel the sun shone brightly making me look down trying to shield the bright light. I guess it was to be expected since I only ever see darkness, the basement is just my reference, it's actually a cellar type deal. Pretty much it is a big hole in the hillside leading further into the ground. Once I got used to the lighting I started to look around, I noticed that Axel was a few feet further away from me than I liked so I hurried and went to his side. Every step he made I would take a step closer to him. We ended up walking around for a little bit before Axel walked to a big house that I am assuming is the pack house. He opened the door and walked through with me right behind him, walking up the steps I heard people whispering and felt their gazes on me. Axel walked into a room that looks like what my father’s study used to look like. There were a few people in the room already. A man that I didn’t know stood up and walked towards us. I growled at him, making him stop in his tracks right in front of Axel. I moved to be between him and the person unknown to me taking on a defensive form.

“She seems to be territorial of you brother.” Sarah's voice sounded out coming from behind the unknown male. I heard Axel chuckle and he reached down petting my head again.

“It’s ok Tala, He is an elder. His name is Simmon.”

“I’m sorry if I have made a mistake in greeting you.” Simmon said. He went to reach for me but I snapped at the air and went back to my place behind Axel’s legs.

“Sorry Simmon, she is a little shy. But she is also the one I was telling you about. Today is her first day outside of the cellar so please be patient.”

Simmon just nodded his head in agreement and sat back down. Axel walked over to a chair near the back of the room opposite of Simmon and sat down. I nudged at his legs making him look down at me.

“What is wrong?” he asked.

I nudged behind his legs making them move out a little and I went behind them and laid down. It must have looked as though I was a foot rest for him. He just chuckled some more but left me to lay where I wanted. They began talking and I just laid there not even moving a muscle as I stared down Simmon. It seemed like hours since we walked through that door, as I was thinking, we all heard a knock. A little girl poked her head in and announced that dinner was ready.

Axel went to get up, making me have to hurry and get out from under his feet. Everyone walked out heading to the dining room, everyone sat down. There was an empty chair next to Axel, he looked down at me and motioned to the chair. I looked at the chair then back at Axel and shook my head in a no manner. Signaling that I wasn’t going to sit there.

“Is she not going to shift and eat at the table?” Simmon asked while looking at me.

“I’m assuming she doesn’t know how to.” Axel answered.

I sat down on the floor next to Axel. He had asked someone to bring in my plate. They brought it in and sat it in front of me, but I wasn’t willing to eat it. Everyone else had started to eat except for me. Axel looked down at me and noticed that I was only staring at the plate of food.

“Why isn’t she eating it?”

Axel didn’t answer the guy but instead he lifted my plate up off the ground and dumped the food onto the ground. As soon as it hit the floor I dove right for it.

Axel’s pov.

We went to the study to discuss some matters on finding Slade. Before Tala and I even got to the door of the pack house I had in mind linked Sarah to inform Simmon and the others to not mention Slade’s name and that Tala was going to be with me. The discussion lasted a good while and the whole time Tala was laying under my legs. There was a knock at the door drawing our attention. A little girl poked her head in to let us know that dinner was done. I went to stand up and Tala rushed to get out from under my feet, it was quite funny actually. We went to the dining room and we all sat down. Everyone left a seat for Tala, the empty seat happened to be next to me. But she refused to sit in it.

“Is she not going to shift and eat at the table?” Simmon asked.

I looked over at her and then stated that I’m assuming she didn’t know how to. As I said this I began to remember that she hasn’t shifted in a long time so we might have to work on getting her to learn how to shift back and forth. They brought Tala’s food in and I watched as the omega put the plate on the floor for her. We all began to eat when I noticed that Tala hadn't touched her food, and apparently I wasn’t the only one who noticed it.

“Why isn’t she eating?” Simmon spoke up which made everyone in the room look at her.

I didn’t bother to answer his question. Instead I reached down and grabbed her plate turning it upside down allowing the food to fall onto the floor. As soon as it hit she started lapping up the food off the floor.

I didn’t like that she only eats this way but I do know that old habits are hard to change and in her case it was going to take a little while. I looked up at Simmon who was now just blank staring at Tala.

“She only eats this way thanks to you know who, but with time I am hoping to change that. It took us almost three weeks just to get her to leave the cellar.”

Simmon looked from her up to me and I noticed he had tears in his eyes as he just nodded and stayed quiet. After a few minutes everyone had started to eat again, by this time though Tala was already finished and just laid quietly at my feet as she was waiting for me to get done. We finished eating and Sarah is trying so hard to get Tala to follow her, but from the looks of it I don’t think she is going to go. Sam run’s into the room yelling rouges, which made everyone run out the door. I jumped the steps shifting in the air and started taking off towards the pack border, I looked back and saw Tala is right on my heel. She is really fast for not being an Alpha, heck she was keeping up with me with little effort.