Not My Alpha

Unlikely Allies

ROWAN

I couldn't open my eyes, they were so heavy... My head thudded behind my eyes, pain shooting through my skull like a bolt through a two by four. I tried to lift my hand, but it felt like lead, and I dropped it back down after only managing a slight shift in position. I forced out a groan, and someone was there within moments, helping me sit up, but I didn't know this scent... I pushed them away groggily, trying to get up myself and run. Stumbling against something, I heard a loud crash. What I could only assume was an instrument tray had gone smashing to the ground when I had hit it.

I heard people shouting, felt people grabbing at me. I could see only blurs of people around me, but I didn't recognize any of their scents... They were so foreign, I knew I'd never crossed paths with any of them within our pack. My heart pounding, I whirled, stumbling as I did and tried to back away. Natural klutz as I am, I tripped over a gurney cord, tumbling to the floor with a grunt and a cry of pain when my head burst with a new bloom of colors, a fresh new searing pain blazing through my head as I fought back. I cried out. Hands pulled me to my feet and took me back to what I assumed was the bed I had started out in. I fought them, but finally I calmed when a rush of warmth rushed through my hand, where I now realized an IV had been inserted into the back of my hand.

Shaking my head, I managed a mumbled, "No..." The person tending me patted my arm and knelt down to hear what I said.

"What was that, dear?" he asked. I shook my head, my curls bouncing on my shoulders as my head moved from side to side, "Please... no medications..." I begged him. He patted my arm again and said in a soft voice, "It's only for pain and to ease your anxiety. There is nothing dangerous. However, if that is your wish, I will not force them upon you from here on out. What I just gave you will last a few hours at most, but if the pain becomes unbearable please have one of your watchmen reach me."

"Thank you." I whispered softly, my eyes still closed against the bright lights of the room I was in. I couldn't see well, but I knew I was in a big soft bed, in a room with a table and chair. I had felt the chair as I made my way out of the room and saw the faint outline of the table from the bed.

I heard footsteps and a quiet, male voice, shaking with age, set something on the table.

"Here you go dear, if you are able to eat, they asked me to bring these to you." I could smell the food and heard the thud of a juice bottle being placed on the table. It was amazing; the things I could tell were being moved around just by the sound... I guess having to sneak through the Inn at night just to get water or a bite of bread really gave me more of a sense of things. My pack had never allowed me to train with the warriors, or any other job. Suddenly, the realization struck.

I was not with my pack or in a hospital somewhere. Panic struck next. The pack had been attacked. And I was now a prisoner of whoever these people were. My heart raced faster than it had before when that second realization struck. I began to shake, my palms became sweaty, and my face flushed. I had no idea who these people were or where I was.

Suddenly, somewhere nearby, I heard a shriek that sounded like someone had skinned a cat alive, then told it to get back to work. I'd have known that screech of irritation anywhere. Adrianna was also a captive, it appeared, and she was extremely offended by their audacity. She could be kind-hearted, but if you messed with her, her mate or her pack, there was no turning back. She was on the war-path, and if they didn't do something she would go to extremes just to make them pissed off to make a mistake. If she was in this place, it meant we may have an opportunity to escape. Or... she would. I doubted if she'd care enough to take me with her. That wouldn't stop me defending my Luna with my life.

Wolf shifters, unlike Vampire and Fae shifters, are bound to their packs. Meaning I would do anything my Alpha commanded me to, whether I wanted to or not. And our Luna was basically Queen in the pack. So she was to be protected at all costs as well. Adrianna was no exception. I started trying to think of ways I could help in any escape situation, but my thoughts were interrupted when I heard a gruff, bone-melting growl.

"Knock it off, woman!" The man snapped, his irritation quite obvious in his voice. Adrianna's voice cut off with a startled yelp. No one had spoken to her in such a way since she was a child. I half smiled at the indignation I could sense on her face. I could almost hear her sputtering and stammering from wherever she was in this strange and gentle, however obvious, prison.

"I will NOT be spoken to in such a manner! "Do you know who I am?!" She shrieked again. I heard the gruff man's voice laugh, and when it hit my ears, my whole body tingled. What on earth?

"Woman, you are the captive here, I don't think it matters who you are. However..." he continued, "I do know who you are. That is precisely why you are here. Now, I have business elsewhere and will deal with you...when I feel like it." He finished that last comment with a quip and I could sense a smile when he spoke. The ensuing tantrum lasted all of two minutes, Adrianna shrieking and threatening, and suddenly the screams cut off. Unsure of whether she had been silenced or just...'silenced', my body began to tremble even harder. I couldn't see, I could only smell and kind of make out objects. I wouldn't be able to stand up for myself, let alone Adrianna if she was alive...

I heard the footsteps come closer, but stop before my room again.

"What are your thoughts on this one, Beta?" Mr. Gruff and Gravely asked, so quiet I almost couldn't hear.

"Not sure, Alpha. He doesn't seem to have much emotional range and just keeps pacing. I don't think we want to find out just how dark he really is, though. Best to be careful in this instance, I feel." There was a simple grunt in reply before I heard the feet move ever closer to my room/cell. I grew clammy and my gut clenched. Who was the second prisoner that sounded so distant from reality?? And what did they have in store for me?? The footsteps entered my room, and stopped. I waited, holding my breath, terrified of what they would say about me. What came out of Gruff and Gravely's mouth next absolutely FLOORED me.

"Good evening, Red. I'm glad you're awake. We have a lot to talk about."

GARRETH

I stood just inside the doorway, Dean standing beside her bed and checking her monitors. She didn't respond.

"Can she hear, Dean?" I asked softly, wondering how hard Levi had actually hit her. The girl sat with her lips tightly shut, her body shaking. I could hear her heart pounding and racing without even looking at the monitor, and I wanted to pick her up and comfort her. Wait...what? In that deep, primordial area of my brain, Jester stirred, suddenly anxious, pacing in my head. I moved closer to the girl, just out of her scent range but well within my own. As an Alpha, my senses were generally a good percentage stronger than most other wolves. But the scent of baby's breath and honeysuckle that hit me slammed into me so hard it was as though an invisible hand had punched me in the gut. Jester howled in my head, making me wince. MATE!!! I rubbed my temples trying to seem tired to mask the ringing in my ears. This cant be happening... My eyes dilated and my chest sounded.

I turned away, my sudden erection straining against my jeans. Wolves were inherantly notorious for being shameless about s*x, however now was not the time. And she hadnt reacted to him at all... Jester whined, hurt, in my head.

Nodding, understanding my discomfort at the moment, Dean pointed to the bandage on her head, covering a lump and bleeding wound on the left side of her skull. Anger sizzled deep in my gut. The bandage wrapping her head was a testament to how badly I had lost control of Levi. The kid had always been a spitfire, but it seemed he was more than just a brat with a chip on his shoulder. He may yet become a problem if he doesn't change his attitude around... I thought to myself as I watched Red's monitor for a moment. It was Dean's next words that filled my body with rage and sent my vision red.

"She's mostly blind, Alpha."