Between Them

Two

He woke up in the dead of night. His heart hurt, he could feel the betrayal, the pain, the sadness. All of it collapsed on him. He shifted in bed, sitting up a little on the headboard. Trying to calm his brain, he took several deep breathes. The emotions always came stronger at night when he couldn't rein in the mental bond.

This felt different to him though. The fear he felt was consuming. He could feel it down to his toes.

"What is happening to you, my little wolf?" He spoke out into the darkness. He clutched his chest, the fear had disappeared, but the hurt still remained.

-

I woke up in a fog, my eyes had been crusted shut, and I was still gripping my green blanket from home. Slowly blinking, I took in my surroundings.

Gray cement walls were on all sides of me, the floor was also made of gray material. The whole room radiated cold, damp air around me. A small iron bared door was on the opposite wall to where I laid on a mound of blankets. Shifting, I tried to see any other furniture, but there was only a bucket in one corner. I could see my breath puff out in front of me.

I sat up, rubbing the hard crusts out of my eyes. I wasn't sure where I was, or what time it was.

Walking down the hall broke me from my thoughts. I could hear heavy striding steps approaching closer. Focusing on them, I mapped the small area. I was in one of three cells connected to a long hallway. Underground most likely as the sound was absorbed into something.

A man appeared before the iron door and I instinctively brought my knees to my chest, wrapping myself in the tightest ball I could imagine.

We stared at each other for a moment. He was tall, very tall, with a broad stance and muscled shoulders. I could see flex under his white shirt. His pale white hair was cut shorter than most, giving him a well groomed appearance. His eyes, though, sparkled like frozen ice. I had to keep myself from becoming too entranced by them.

"Like what you see," his warm voice boomed at me. I could see a smirk playing on his lips, and then it hit me. His elongated canines were the giveaway.

He's a Wolf

Wolves had long canines, not unlike fangs that hung sharp and slightly curved in their mouths.

"What do you want from me?" I tried to sound as brave as I could, but it came out weak and barely a whisper.

"We got a lead that an, Oakley Rainey, was conspiring with the human rebellion." He seemed amused.

"Then you kidnapped me for nothing, because I have never once talked to a member of the rebellion." I snapped back at him.

"Oh we know." A wicked grin spread across his face.

"Then why did you kidnap me!" I was becoming irate at his ignorance.

He shifted his weight around, unsure if he should tell me the information yet. "Because you are something more. Something we are interested in and could prove useful to help our kind."

"Our kind," I said in a mocking tone and rolled my eyes. "I am not one of you, I am half you and half human." My bold statement sent a shock through my body. I hadn't ever admitted to being a hybrid Wolf before.

I looked up at him and saw a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh yes, my dear. We are very interested in you." He gave me one more wicked grin before he abruptly turned and walked back the way he came. I listened closely to his steps, but before they reached the end of the hall I heard two more pairs of steps pick up after him.

I laid back on my pile of blankets, unaware how tired I still was from the previous night.

If I had to guess my whereabouts, I would say I was near or in the capital. Most of the caught rebellion members were sent to the capital to face the High Alpha. There they could accept their execution, or they could battle in the area with the High Alpha or his champion. Although he was never known to appoint a champion, he was too bloodthirsty for a move like that.

I wanted nothing more than for Charlie to come bursting through the door and rescue me. He might not be a pure Wolf, but his primal instincts were strong. He was most likely in his brown wolf form and searching for me now. My chest heaved with the thought of my brother. I missed him. I wanted to see his brown hair, a shade darker than mine, and his crooked grin more than anything right now. I wanted him to comfort me and tell me he'd never let them get to me, just like he did when I was a child.

I finally let go of the sob that had been building in my chest. My tears ran down my cheeks like summer streams.

Breathe, little wolf. The voice cut through my thoughts again. This time it was comforting and soft, not in a panic tone like it had the night before.

I tried to control my sobs, reining them back into me. When my breathing slowed, I tipped back over and rested my head on my pillow. A warm, unfamiliar scent filled my small cell and I felt a warm caress all over my body and mind. As if someone was here soothing my worries.

-

After a couple of hours, I had tracked all the background noise in my environment. There was a pipe leaking in the hallway, most likely behind a wall, because the splash of the water was muffled. There was the ever present creak of the cement walls. I assumed when the wind blew over head and shifted the trees that would be on top of the building.

A shorter stride of walking started to approach my cell after a large door closed. They were a different sound than the previous pair of the male that approached me earlier. Before they could be seen, I wrapped myself up into a ball again.

A female finally made her appearance known. She was tall, slender and athletically built. She had black hair that was tied into a ponytail behind her head. Her green eyes bounced all over my features, taking me in.

Finally, she smiled, revealing her canines. "Hello, Oakley."

I watched her expression a moment longer, making sure it was on genuine interest. "Hi."

"Do you know why your here?" her voice was soft, yet still commanding.

I shrugged. "He said you knew I wasn't part of the rebellion, but you were still interested in my hybrid Wolf self." I narrowed my eyes on her. I had never felt the need for dominance before, but with this female, I felt the need to show her I wasn't weak or backing down.

"You are very observant." She chuckled. "Your right, we do need your help. We need someone who understands how humans work and interact, but also might feel compelled to stand by their people."

"My people are humans." I shot back at her.

She seemed put off by my reaction, her smile faltered and her jaw clenched. "No they are not. You know as well as I do, if they ever found out about you, you would be gutted in the town square." Her words bit into me. She wasn't wrong. Most of the time, if the rebellion succeeded in an attack, they would take the victim and skin them in the town square.

She could sense my reaction. "We don't want a war, we want to live peacefully among you. If they don't stop though...we will take out the town."

"You would kill a bunch of innocent people? Who's the monster here?" I unfurled myself and stood next to my bed staring into her eyes. My primal need to be dominant in the situation was pushing me towards the bars.

"They are targeting our kind in the woods!" I could feel her low growl ripple through the cell.

"Because we know who the true monsters are!" I growled. She took a few steps closer to the iron bars. Pausing, nearly pressed up against them.

"You're nothing but a coward and traitor." She spat into my cell.

My entire body sparked with energy. My fists clenched at my sides and I straightened my spine, showing her that her display didn't scare me off. I didn't know much about Wolves, but my instincts told me to stand straighter, and so I did. Her eyes flicked over me before she let out a low chuckle.

I broke. I let the energy tingling in my hands take over and within a second I was pressed against the iron door and grabbing her blazer lapels.

What kind of wolf wears a pantsuit anyway

The female let out a sharp yelp before a large arm was shoved between us. My eyes stayed pinned on the female, barely taking into account the scarred arm trying to wiggle her out of my grasp. I heard them murmuring, but my ears were throbbing so hard I couldn't make out the words.

She twisted out of her blazer jacket and I quickly pulled it into the cell with me. I watched as she backed away slowly and the owner of the scarred arm came into view.

I bared my teeth at him.

To my utter surprise, he growled at me, the dark growl instantly pushed my energy back and I recoiled a few steps.

"Now that wasn't nice, little wolf." I shot my eyes up meeting his black ones and let out a low growl. My instincts weren't kicking me to, but I wasn't going to back down to him either. He ran his large hand through his onyx hair and stared at me.

"What?" I snapped.

"Would you like to help us?" he asked.

"And help your monster Alpha kill us?" I snorted.

He pressed his forehead to the bars and looked down at me. "Either help us or stay in here."

"Can I go home if I help?" It was a genuine question. If I could get back home, I could warn Charlie, and we would run to the nearest human city.

"No, but you'll stay with us in a cabin." His jaw clenched as I growled again.

"Never." I snarled.

"Little wolf, you're being ridiculous." His tone hinted at his annoyance. I wasn't folding to his plan, but I would remain loyal to Charlie and to the home I grew up in.

"Leave me alone and take your chew toy with you." I shot back at him, my jaw was clenched again, and the energy was coming back. This time it was pulling in my stomach, leaving me feeling disgusted. I was certain it was because of the offer he gave me to turn on my own kind.

His staring was unwavering. Watching the cogs, he turned his head.

He huffed and slipped his hand through the bars with his palm up. "Jacket, please."

I didn't dignify him with a response and tossed the blazer over my shoulder onto the heap of blankets I made a bed out of. I gave him a smug smile that must have pissed him off because he turned and stomped away. I could hear his tantrum stomps all the way down the corridor.

Once I was sure he was gone, I went back to my bed and laid down. Exhausted from the power I just exerted. I had never done something like that or felt anything close to that.