Chapter 61

The Pack

The room was always humming.

It was comforting, almost, to have something constant on which she could rely. The room would hum to her, the subtle vibration soothing her.

Rae was laying on the floor, her legs resting up on the cot where she’s been sleeping for what she thinks is almost two weeks. Time is hazy within the hum of that room. She would be turning fifteen soon, and wondered if she would still be here.

She was alone, but she was not the only one. There is another hallway with another small room where another poor soul is being kept in the dark. Her captors don’t speak often in front of her, but she gathered that this operation is much bigger than just her.

For the most part, it’s just the same two people everyday that come by her room with food. One was taller than the other and had a deeper voice, but otherwise they were the same in their uniforms with masks covering their faces.

The first few days she refused to eat, but realized that they hardly wanted to poison her. They didn’t bring her here just to kill her in her cell.

They didn’t come for her often, but she always knew what day it would be because no one brought her breakfast. The first time they took her she vomited, so they now made sure she came with an empty stomach.

First they made her bathe, which she tried to enjoy, except for the back that she was supervised while doing so. Fresh linen clothes were given to her, and her hair was braided away from her face.

Two guards escort her on a confusing path through hallways and down stairwells, until the door appears in front of them. It looks so ordinary, but a wolf’s nose will know that darkness is held behind it.

It opened silently, mechanically, as if a gate to another portal was opening specially for its chosen adventurer.

Rae fought against her handlers when she saw the contents of the room, even though she knew what she would see. It was like every time was the first time, and her trauma and fear was relieved and heightened with each occurrence.

Someone in a mask and scrubs walked calmly up to the squirming teenager and held a small vial up to her nose. The girl softened into her holders, her head rocking back like she was drunk. She kept her feet just enough to get herself into the chair.

The straps were buckled and her head restrained, and a retractable arm glided in front of her face. A light was flicked on, dilating her pupils instantly.

“Now, Rae,” a voice said from beyond the ring of light. “Where did we leave off?”

Mira

“How much longer?”

We’d been driving for about three hours, and I was getting restless. The uncertainty about what we were heading into only added to my anxiety and apprehension, and I could feel pent up energy shaking my legs.

“About eleven more miles,” Lucian answered, “not too much farther.”

“How did you even find this place?” I was looking at a map of our whole region, trying to understand why a destination like ours was located in such an isolated place. Nothing good came from buildings in isolation.

“It’s a long story,” he said, “but I knew a guy at university who was really into the history of the Rogues and the wars fought over the generations. He keeps lists of landmarks and whatever that have any connection to questionable Rogue activity, some old but some still active. He gave me an address.”

“Did he say anything about this place?” I asked, worried that I was unprepared for any type of fight.

“Not much, he had a source last year talking about medical supply trucks on backwoods roads and conspiracies about aliens,” Lucian said with a smirk. “You do sometimes get lunatic stories when researching rebel armies, but my guy feels strongly about some of the details.”

“Only one way to find out,” I say, looking out the window.

I gaze down at my phone, guilt creeping in since I haven’t responded to Dominic’s latest text. Nothing urgent, but I don’t need to get into his questions right now. If this trip went well, I would have the time to explain everything.

“Did you tell Dominic where you were going?” Lucian asked, tiptoeing through the sentence.

“No, not really,” I responded, keeping my eyes out the window. “I didn’t want to worry, or try to stop me.”

“He can be controlling, I’m sure,” Lucian said. “The Alpha always comes with Ego, let me tell you.”

“He doesn’t control me,” I said, turning to him. “He’s actually been very receptive to giving me space and respecting my boundaries. He sees me as his equal."

“Sure, sure, sorry,” he said, his fingers lifting off the steering wheel in self-defense. “I didn’t mean to diss the guy, it’s just my brotherly love— I have to razz him whenever I can!”

“Apology accepted,” I said, softening my face. “Just remember that I am meant to marry him, and don’t appreciate the disparagement.”

I spoke with a mocking snooty voice, trying to lighten the mood.

“Right,” Lucian said, sounding a little disappointed. “Maybe I’m just jealous that he got such a great girl to fall in love with him.”

“I’m not, I mean I don’t, or I—“ I stopped my stuttering. What was I going to say? That I wasn’t in love with him? What a ridiculous thing to say about my future husband.

Lucian was looking at me, his eyebrows raised in amusement.

I turned to face the road, my face reddening under his gaze. Without looking I reached my hadn’t out to touch the radio knob, turning it quickly to drown out the awkward moment with music.

We didn’t ignore each other for the rest of the drive, until we took a left turn onto an unmarked road. I could tel we both got chills up our spines when we entered the darkness of the dirt road. It was early afternoon, but once we passed the tree line it was like twilight.

We shared a glance and a nod of confidence as we headed down the road. Small lights turned on as we passed their motion sensors, twinkling like fireflies as we passed and then going dark again.

After a quarter of a mile, the trees opened up to a large square building with fencing around three sides.

There was a van parked out front, and the lights were on inside.