LIAM: THE VAN RUMBLED FOR A LONG TIME, WITH MY GROUP OF KIDNAPPERS CHATTING TOGETHER AS IF IT WERE A SIMPLE SUNDAY DRIVE TO THE THEATER OR SOMETHING.

Perhaps to them it was, I couldn’t imagine this was their first time doing this.

It finally slowed to a stop, still rumbling as the two men in the back with me got up and opened the doors. All I could see of the outside world was an old farmhouse, and a few trees nearby.

At least that was until another person appeared with a trolley cart, and the two men beside me pushed my cage until it dropped unceremoniously onto the cart. Slamming me uncomfortably against the cage door.

I remained quiet through all of this, only now able to see my surroundings. The farmhouse appeared to be deep in the woods somewhere, my eyes widened at the thought that this horrible place was potentially right in the backyard of some wolf’s territory. One of my kidnappers laughed.

“I love the look on their face when they see where we are.” He began. “So close yet so far, eh mutt?”

They started wheeling me in the direction of the farmhouse, and I panicked. I wanted to leave something behind. Something to let someone know I was here, just in case. The only thing I could think of was…

I spit in the direction of the man who laughed at me. He scowled, scoffing.

“You missed.”

I didn’t care, my saliva was on the ground outside the farmhouse now. If they couldn’t tell I was inside, now they had a clue. It was a last ditch effort, I knew, but there was very little I could do from my cramped place in the cage.

They wheeled me inside, it was a large house, but it didn’t look like one on the inside. It was like they repurposed the building to create a makeshift kennel as I was wheeled into a room lined wall to wall with cages like mine and dropped in a slot big enough for me to fit.

“Careful, keep your hands away from the bars.” One of the men who were already in the room informed my kidnapper, as if I was going to bite them. Maybe I would have, if I could get my face close enough to the bars in the corner.

“He’s fine, this one’s mild.” He patted the cage confidently, and the other man frowned. He had thinning black hair, a white scientist's coat, and a clipboard in hand. He wrote something down, before approaching me, kneeling down.

“What’s your name?” He asked, but I didn't say anything before he continued.

“What’s your age?”

“Fuck you.” I bit, enraged and frightened. He didn’t say anything.

“Mid to early thirties, looks like.” He continued as if I said nothing. “A little older than the description, don’t you think?”

“He matches it, otherwise.” The kidnapper shrugged. The scientist frowned, leaning forward to sniff me.

“He’s also an omega. Are you sure this is the right one?” the scientist lifted an eyebrow.

“If he’s not, we can just do what we did with the last girl.”

The lab coat frowned at him. “That’ll take more time. If he survives.”

“I don’t want to have to go all the way back there. We didn’t see anyone else, there were wolf tracks near where we picked him up. It must be him.”

The scientist sighed, standing up. “I’ll find out.”

“Sure.” The kidnapper agreed, backing out of the room. The scientist followed him out, and I finally had a moment to myself where I could look around the room.

There were various cages, some with wolves, some with people, some were empty. I gathered that these were werewolves.

“What do they want with us?” I asked the room. No one answered.

“Who are they?” I tried. Nothing.

“What have they done to you?” I was holding the bars of my kennel, when finally a girl, no older than Pete and utterly naked turned from her hunched position. I recognized her. The girl from the news.

“Shush. They don’t like us talking.”

“Who doesn’t?” There was no response as she returned to her original pose, curled around herself defensively.

The scientist returned shortly after, kneeling down beside my kennel and wearing protective gear on his arm. In his other hand he had a smoker like they used for honeybees.

“What is that, what are you doing?” I asked, leaning away from the cage door. He unlocked it, and reached inside with his protected arm. I lashed out, kicking and pushing at that hand as it came close to my shirt.

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“Relax. It’s just smoke burnt from a flower.” He tutted, as if that helped, I struggled in his hold as he found traction on my shirt and dragged me closer to the cage door. I used my hands on either side of the bars to keep me from getting any closer but he didn’t seem to care, just using his other hand to put the nozzle of the smoker in my face. I sacrificed my hold on the bars to push it away, and he successfully dragged me closer to the door where he unleashed a cloud of smoke directly at my nose and mouth.

I coughed and sputtered as he released me all at once, slamming the cage door closed and latching it in place quickly and haphazardly.

“What the hell did you just do to me?” I spat, trying to get the cloying, burning sensation out of me. He didn’t answer, just set the smoker down on top of my cage and pried the protective glove off of his arm. Then he picked up that infernal clipboard and started scribbling something.

He remained there for no more than 5 minutes, all while I struggled to get my lungs feeling normal again. He said nothing, turning around and leaving the room. I heard arguing coming from the next room, before two men with sour expressions appeared. One of them was the first man who kidnapped me, while the other was one of the men who sat in the back with me.

“Get up.” He ordered, jerking the cage door open and reaching inside.

Once again, I tried to avoid the grabby hands, but he was much stronger than I, and there were two of them to boot. I was yanked out of my cage, grabbed by either side and dragged out of the room.

I was led down the hall, struggling the entire way when suddenly I was thrown against the wall by a door.

“You fucking lied to me.” He growled in my face, I whimpered. “I hope the dog eats you.”

I didn’t have time to ruminate on his words when suddenly the door was thrown open and I was shoved inside, stumbling to my feet and knees before it slammed shut.

Inhuman growling had me staggering to my feet in record time, backing away and pressing my back to the door I’d been thrown into.

Before me was the largest, blackest wolf I’d ever seen in my life. It looked like midnight on legs with large menacing teeth.

“H-hey. I’m not your enemy.” I tried pleading with it, those dangerous eyes showed no recognition.

“I’m a friend to wolves, I’m pack. See? I won’t hurt you.” I tried again, sweat beading down my face. I could feel my legs shaking from fright as it snarled in response.

“Please.” I couldn’t help it, I finally cried. It’s like a dam burst and the water flowed freely from my eyes.

I was forced to move when the wolf lunged for me, teeth gnashing wildly. There was no doubt about it, it was feral.

I did the first thing I could think of, survival instincts kicking in as I paused my crying. I reached for the offending article of cloth covering my torso, and wrapped it around my arm as I ran from the wolf’s lunge a second time. It wasn’t a great barrier, but it did something when the wolf finally snapped its jaws around my arm. I prayed it didn’t reach my skin as I felt my bones creak from the force of her jaw.

It thrashed around suddenly, knocking me over in my attempt to keep it from breaking my arm, tearing the shirt to shreds as it jerked its teeth away.

I knelt on my hands and knees as it rounded for its next attack, and all I could do was protect my neck as it launched for it. I felt teeth scrape my knuckles as it scrambled to take me out, permanently. It settled for the next closest thing, teeth clamping down on my shoulder and yanking. It pulled hard enough to drag me forward and onto the ground, where I remained covering my neck as desperately as possible. I lay on my belly, protecting it as I felt its claws dig into my back as it bit at my hands again, failing to find purchase. I heard someone at the door.

“That’s enough, call it off.” Someone said, I heard more complaints, but I didn’t bother trying to make it out as it landed on my back again, knocking the wind out of me and causing me to struggle for breath.

Finally the wolf was off of me, as hands gripped my arms hard and pulled me off the floor. I didn’t resist this time, the only thing I wanted right now was to be out of this room.

I was led into one of the main rooms, where a kitchen used to be and my sore body was pushed against the counter where the old sink was, and bent over until my chest was perpendicular to it. They used the retractable faucet to spray the hell out of the wound, causing me to cry out and struggle against the hold they had, but they refused to relent until all of my wounds were cleaned. Then I was thrown into a chair and forced to sit still while the scientist cleaned and bandaged the wound on my shoulder, seemingly uncaring for the scratches on my back. They must’ve felt worse than they were.

Dazed and in pain, I was all but dumped back into my kennel where the scientist shut me in just as haphazardly as last time.

“I’ll be checking his progress every half hour.” The scientist told the men, but I was hardly paying attention. My body hurt so bad, all over.

They left, leaving me to whimper in pain on my own.

They were gone for what felt like hours, but I knew it couldn’t be more than a few minutes when I heard someone quietly begging my apologies.

“I’m sorry.” A man said, and repeated. “I’m so sorry.”

I couldn’t find the energy to respond, but I looked at him.

“The boy in the woods; he looked like you.” He continued, whispering. “I escaped, for just a little.”

“Jose, shut up.” The girl from before whispered.

I was too involved now, though. I needed to know what he was saying.

“What do you know… about.. Pete.” I ground out. Why did talking hurt.

“The boy… I bit him. He was…” He trailed off. “I’m sorry.”

I closed my eyes, understanding now. This was how they found out about Pete, he was the man who bit him. Then they reduced him to nothing more than a dog in a cage. Just like me.

Like me. I realized. I knew what was going to happen. I knew what my fate was.

I could feel myself drifting off to sleep, despite the uncomfortably cramped space. Jose didn’t say anything more, nor did I.

I never opened my eyes again before passing out.

BRIAR: THE HUNTERS ARRIVED IN RECORD TIME, WITH PETE AND I STILL UNSURE OF WHAT TO DO WHILE WE WAITED.

Pete thankfully stopped panicking long enough to get dressed into a spare change of clothes he’d brought, but otherwise it was a waiting game while Liam was brought elsewhere to an undisclosed location all alone.

The hunters used a mixture of modern and ancient techniques to be able to get the job done. I had faith in their ability, but I couldn’t help the inkling in the back of my mind that told me it would be too late. The fear I had was choking me.

Hold on for me Liam.