WITCHES OF WOLF CREEK: TRUTH

Chapter 13: Neeve

Before the two wolves took me away, Jaxson took a hell of a beating. Tyler and Emmitt pulled out all the stops, and I found it hard to bear this show of unbearable violence. The blows rained down for more than half an hour. Jaxson is all bruises and broken bones, but I notice his wounds are already starting to heal. He even manages to get up and, to my surprise, bows to the Alpha. I guess he would have rather been killed by his people than banished. For real wolves, it should not be easy to find a pack ready to welcome an exiled Omega. Given our reception in this place, it was probably even impossible, and only a solitary death awaited him.

Sixine was taken away without warning. I even thought I saw her cry before the sentence fell on Jaxson. She can’t stand being helpless in the face of the suffering of others, but I suspect there’s more to her than attraction to the young and handsome Jaxson. Well, soon-to-be handsome, because for the moment, his face is mush. Tyler and Emmitt bow in turn to Cooper, and I don’t have time to say phew that I’m dragged through the corridors by these two mountains, probably leaving Sixine in her jail and Jaxson kneeling in front of his brother.

"Hey, take it easy!" I yelled. "It’s okay, I’m with you!"

"Without making waves?" Emmitt asks.

"I will be docile like a well-trained wolf."

This last line invites them to let go of my arms. As soon as I feel free to move, I throw myself forward and start running through the corridors like crazy.

"The b***h!" one of them exclaims behind me.

"Elinor! Elinor!"

I scream her name until my lungs burst. I go through a maze of dark passages, corridors lined with doors, all locked, until I find myself at a dead end. It’s a huge kitchen. A guy is concocting dishes in front of huge stoves. Judging by the number of saucepans in front of him, there’s enough for a regiment. Surely this is where the pack eats, but no trace of Elinor.

"Hi, darling," the cook said to me. "Are you here to give me a hand?"

He’s older than all the rest of the wolves in Cooper’s pack. I don’t bother to answer him and turn around. I suddenly face Tyler and Emmitt who block my way. s**t! We stare at each other for a moment. Emmitt’s lips curl. Tyler tilts his head, looking amused. Bastards! I’m mad. Angry! My claws grow and tingle my fingers. I feel my canines on my lower lip and the taste of blood on my tongue. My muscles roll under my skin and I transform into a cry of pain, my torn rags washing up at my feet. Fascinated, Tyler and Emmitt observe my metamorphosis. Their scent reached my nostrils more clearly. They smell good, these jerks.

"Well, that’s a real redhead!" remarks the cook.

My coat should be as shiny as my hair. I would like to have a mirror to know what I look like, but I don’t have time. I have to find Elinor. Smell! But yes, the smell! Use your truffle, Neeve!

I rush in front of Tyler and Emmitt. They don’t have time to say speak when I’m already jumping above them, scratching their shoulders as I go.

"She wants to play tag," says one of them behind me.

"I like to play tag," replies the other.

And now I’m chased down the halls by two creatures as playful as cubs. I run, I run. I meet children who laugh on my way. Then I arrive near the dungeon where we were locked up. I quickly inhale Elinor’s scent before turning back. I hide behind a door, then make sure the way is clear before throwing myself into a new corridor. I smell her, I smell her! I run faster. The feeling of progressing on all fours is exhilarating. But I don’t have time to dwell on this reflection, because a heavy mass presses against me. Crushing me with all its weight, a wolf paralyzes me, its fangs around my neck. I hear in front of me a few cracking bones, a strange noise, and suddenly two legs with ebony skin face me.

"The mouse is captured," Emmitt says.

I yelp to free myself, but it’s only a low bark. I hear a laugh and then feel Tyler’s tongue dominating me licking the back of my neck. I suppress a shudder as he transforms above me. He releases me and I jump back. I haven’t done five metres that I have to stop my run. It’s a cul-de-sac. I’m cooked.

"Come with us, Neeve of the North. We mean you no harm."

I look up at the two men. They are completely naked. If I didn’t have something else in mind, I’d be licking my chops. I shake my head and come back to earth. Rather underground. Elinor’s scent is still present. She is very close, very close.

"Elinor is fine," Emmitt told me as if picking up on my thoughts. "Cooper takes care of her. She’s sick. A healer treats her on the Alpha’s orders. You don’t have to worry. Take our word, we never lie. And our pack leader even less. As for Sixine, she will remain locked up for some time. It’s the best for now, trust me. We don’t hurt the wolves in our pack, we take care of them. We want to take care of you, Neeve. But… not everything can be resolved with the snap of a finger. We don’t know you, and experience invites us to be wary, do you understand?"

My wolf eyes watch Emmitt. Should I believe him? I smell Eli. I know she’s out there, alive, somewhere. And I also feel the sincerity of the two wolves in front of me. An ability to experience emotions that comes naturally to me as Foris. So I give up. There’s no indication that the Alpha will harm her. I even thought I discerned something else in Bretton’s remarks, but it was too fleeting for me to be able to confirm my impression.

Transformation is painful. I’m in so much pain that I lay on the cold floor for a while. I am naked, tired and struggling to get up. Then I feel two arms lifting me. My eyes open to see Tyler smiling at me. And that’s how I was taken to the lair of the Falck cousins.

Their room is very large. A living room and armchairs are arranged between two large beds facing each other. No windows. The walls are of stone, the sheets of silk. The effect is amazing, but the atmosphere of the room is warm. Rugs cover almost the entire floor. A pleasant smell escapes from a room adjoining the bedroom. It’s in front of the door that leads to this room that Tyler puts me down. Emmitt opens it and gestures me inside. My eyes, earlier marked with suspicion, light up. In front of me, nestled in a large alcove of rock, is a basin, from which a thick vapour escapes. This natural hot spring attracts me irresistibly. My body is dirty, tired and smelly after these few days of captivity.

I feel a hand push against my back. I don’t hesitate and dip a foot in the water. The temperature is pleasant, so I can’t resist immersing myself in it entirely. I can stand up and I begin to wash myself with relish. The sensation is so life-saving that I let out a burst of laughter. The effusion was immediately imitated by Tyler and Emmitt. My gaze falls on them. Their beautifully muscled bodies tower over me. I don’t sense any danger emanating from them. I only feel… I fight so that my eyes do not drop lower. But even without wanting to, it is difficult to escape them. I try to focus on their chests, seeming to have been cut from the same mould as Apollo’s. Emmitt’s skin is slightly lighter than Tyler’s, it glistens with a thin layer of sweat. The vision of these two men dressed as Adam is so surreal, so captivating, that I think I haven’t closed my mouth since the beginning of my contemplation. However, they are wolves, damn it! Wolves! And we don’t mix...

It is Emmitt who first enters the pool. Tyler follows him. I take a few steps back. My back flattens against the rock face.

"What do you want from me?" I ask hesitantly.

"Nothing you wouldn’t give us," Tyler replies.

His words reassure me. I look down as my cheeks flush. I chew on my bottom lip when Tyler walks over, holding a sponge in his hand.

"After this, we can never call you Rags again."

The sponge passes on my cheek, my neck, and finally on my collarbone. Tyler joins his cousin and lifts my arm. His mouth rests on the inside of my wrist, then goes up, goes up again, until it reaches my neck. I gasp when he presses his lips to mine. I gasp when Emmitt takes his place. I feel hands brush against my breasts, others meander to my crotch. The steam drives me crazy, and their caresses too. My heart is going to break my ribs if it keeps racing like this.

"We want you for a mate, Neeve of the North. Would you like to stay?"

My lucidity returns to me at full speed.

"Uh... no need to get engaged so quickly," I said, a little scared. "But I’m willing to stay for an hour..."

After all, it’s a lot colder in the dungeons!