Chapter 10: Taken Hostage - Part 2 of 2

After they'd eaten at Bernie's, the four of them trekked out to the edge of town. Deep shadows waited underneath the canopy of the woods. Near the tree line, Jana, Matei, and Rhydian turned to say goodbye to Maddy.

Maddy frowned at Rhydian. "Even though you're moving here next week, I'll still hate having to wait. I still hate goodbyes," she admitted as her frown deepened.

Rhydian stepped in close. "Right back at you. To tide me over until next week, how about a kiss? As I recall, you did promise me one…"

"Yes but I didn't say when," Maddy said stubbornly, taking a step back as an evil smirk stole across her cute face.

Rhydian was about to argue passionately for his kissing privileges when a sudden wave of scents put all four wolfbloods on edge. They turned just in time to see six wolfbloods burst from the trees. The group's alpha was an obscenely tall, graceful woman with long, bright blonde hair that seemed to gleam like platinum. She landed in front of them, three wolfbloods to her right, two on her left. Her beta was a stocky, sober-looking wolfblood with humorless green eyes and a shaved head crisscrossed by scars.

Jana's eyes yellowed while bluish-black veins instantly fanned out across the fingers and wrists of both her hands.

"Who are you and what do you want?" the redhead growled.

"Our business is with Rhydian, not you" said the graceful woman. "I am Natasha Brezhnev. Who I work for is no concern of yours…but we have reason to believe that Rhydian's father has stolen something precious." Natasha's eyes narrowed as she focused all her attention on Rhydian alone. "We come with a request."

Rhydian's lips curled as he stifled a defiant reply. "What kind of request?"

"If Gerwyn contacts you, you will let me know immediately. It is a matter or extreme importance to all wolfbloods. If you care about your own kind, you will do this. Think of it as your duty." Natasha handed Rhydian a sleek, simple black-and-white business card with nothing but a paw print and a phone number.

"I don't even know you," Rhydian snarled. He let the anger of his wolf solidify. He tossed away the business card like a piece of used-up chewing gum.

Natasha's expression hardened. "True enough, you don't know me, and since I don't have the time to get you to trust me, I'll have to do whatever it takes to get the results I need. Will you cooperate or not?"

"Why should I? This isn't your territory. Are you actually threatening me?" Rhydian said, a low growl starting at the back of his throat. Black lines shot across his cheeks as his eyes took on a lurid sheen of topaz-amber.

Natasha gave a curt nod to one of her wolfbloods—the biggest, most muscular of the bunch. He exploded into motion, grabbing Maddy and twisting her around. His arm slid around her neck, choking her as she flailed and tried to kick him. Jana, Rhydian, and Matei all tensed to lunge as Maddy struggled.

"Not smart," Natasha hissed. "Konstantin will snap her neck like a twig." Maddy couldn't breathe. She thrashed and flailed even more desperately, but the wolfblood holding her was in his prime and way, way too strong. She could only look at Rhydian's helpless face turning to complete panic. He couldn't help her in time. None of them could.

"Maddy!" Rhydian cried. If anything happens to her, it'll be my fault. The wolfblood boy put up his hands. "Please don't hurt her! OK, I'll do what you ask! I swear!"

Natasha angrily jerked her head at Konstantin, who still gripped Maddy much too tightly. The sounds of her choking penetrated Rhydian's heart like a thousand stabs. Konstantin ever so slightly loosened his hold around Maddy's neck. Instead of blacking out, the wolfblood teen coughed and heaved in a precious gulp of air.

"You swear on your honor that you will do as I require? You will inform me as soon as possible if your father attempts to contact you?" Natasha said, her voice cracking like a barbed whip. Rhydian nodded, his eyes focused on Maddy's contorted face.

"Yes. I promise. Now please stop hurting her!" Natasha nodded again, and Konstantin released Maddy. The slender girl stumbled forward, still coughing as Rhydian caught her before she could fall. He wrapped her up in his arms as her head nestled against his shoulder. His hand stroked her silken hair as her hurt turned to anger. She growled and tried to whirl around to face the wolfblood who had attacked her. Rhydian just held her all the more tightly, whispering soothing words in the girl's ear.

"He's not worth it, Maddy. SHH. Just take deep breaths. Just breathe." I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt because of me, so please, just breathe.

Natasha's grimace held a trace of sorrow as she slowly backed up. Her pack-mates followed her lead. "I take no pleasure in doing what has to be done. Yet for the sake of all wolfbloods, Rhydian, you must do as I ask. If you betray your word, then those you care about won't be safe. Remember this."

As Natasha and her group vanished into the trees, Matei had to hold back his alpha. The fury in Jana's face scared him.

"I'll assemble the pack, we'll hunt those wretches down," Jana spat. "I'll make that blonde bimbo know what it means to feel real—"

The male wolfbloods were now holding back their alpha females, both of whom were chomping at the bit to pursue the wolfbloods who had accosted them from nowhere. Jana was the first to recover, her alpha instincts reminding her that to win any tough fight, you had to first be in control—not just lash out wildly. Focus, Jana. Analyze what happened BEFORE you act…or react. Jana took a few deep breaths, her arms going slack as Matei carefully loosened his grip. The yellow in her eyes winked out.

"Are you good?" he said. The concern on his face made her realize how frighteningly out of sync her wolf and human were just now. She nodded.

"I'm good now. Thanks Matei."

Maddy was still snarling, itching to break free of Rhydian's desperate grip. "Maddy, please. Maddy, stop." Finally the petite wolfblood girl stopped struggling. Tears ran down her cheeks as she sagged in his arms. She cried softly as Rhydian hugged her again, cupping her head with one hand as she cried into his shirt. It would be soaking-wet at this rate, but the wolfblood boy didn't care. He was just glad she hadn't completely wolfed out.

Meanwhile a hollow ache slammed right through Rhydian's chest.

No wonder we weren't able to find my dad. We weren't the only ones looking for him, and whatever he's into, it's serious. Rhydian sighed as he stroked Maddy's hair. He cupped her face and forced her to look at him. "Are you okay?" Her eyes were still filled with traces of anger and fear, like a victim recovering from shock, but she nodded and rested her cheek against his warmth again, closing her eyes and sighing, just melting in his arms. He kissed the top of her head, but in his mind he couldn't help dwelling in a darker place. I thought it was just a simple matter of tracking Gerwyn down and getting answers…why he left Mum, why he never came back… Rhydian found his heart splitting apart, anger and sadness battling for control. What's he gotten himself tangled up in? Had his mum Ceri been right? Were they better off without him? The thought now plagued him like a ruined dream.

Jana and Matei slowly nudged him back to awareness, pulling him from the wreckage of his thoughts.

"Rhydian, we should go," Jana said. Rhydian looked at Maddy, who already had a bruise forming across her neck. A nasty, ugly-looking bruise.

Jana cringed. How is Maddy going to explain that injury to her parents? What a great start this is going to be. If Emma thinks Rhydian is bringing trouble with him to Stoneybridge, what are the chances she'll let Rhydian stay in her pack's territory, let alone JOIN her pack?

Jana walked up to Maddy, but before she could say a word Maddy waved her off.

"It's okay, Jana. I'm a big girl. I'm not a cub. I'll find a way to handle this with my parents."

Jana's eyes searched hers. "What are you going to tell them?"

"I'll think of something. I won't jeopardize Rhydian's future—I'll make sure he can still join our pack. Just trust me," she said softly. Matei put a hand on Jana's shoulder before she could ask more probing questions. Sometimes, as an alpha, it was better not to put every single fear into words… Jana wondered, too—Why is it that Matei's simple presence helps me keep my head on straight? Jana went away with Matei hand-in-hand. They began walking towards the woods. Meanwhile Rhydian lingered with Maddy for a bit longer.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

Maddy nodded. "I guess now we know why your dad was so spooked when I met him on Lindisfarne."

Rhydian's brow furrowed. "Yeah. Guess my dad really is worthless. Infamous, to be exact. I guess I'm better off without him."

To Rhydian's surprise, Maddy put a hand to his cheek. The feather-light touch of her fingers stroking his face calmed him to the very core. "You don't know that. You don't know what's happened, so don't jump to conclusions. If Gerwyn does try to contact you, just do what you feel is right."

"I'm not putting you in danger again," Rhydian said harshly. Before Maddy could even squeak out a startled gasp, Rhydian had captured her in his firmest hug. He nuzzled her hair, taking a deep whiff of her oddly mixed scent—woodsy with a hint of watermelon. He suspected the latter was definitely her shampoo. Even though the two wolfbloods still hardly knew each other, the wolves inside them had already bonded stronger than any outward human relationship would show. That was the unseen side of being a wolfblood—sometimes your wolf knew things, sensed things, before you did. The intense attraction Rhydian felt for Maddy, he couldn't articulate it in words, and if he had, he would have felt self-consciously silly doing it. But his wolf? His wolf knew as surely as it could sense things far too subtle for any human to notice. And a wolf's instincts never lied…

"Rhydian, I can't breathe." Rhydian relaxed his grip as Maddy's face tried for a smile. "I meant what I said. You should do what you feel is right. If your dad needs your help and you want to help him—"

"Maddy, please don't." Rhydian's hands clenched. How could she say that after what had just happened? Konstantin could have broken her neck in a heartbeat. Rhydian just stood there and marveled at the plucky, petite wolfblood girl in front of him. How are you being so brave right now when you could have died? Rhydian grasped her wrists and tugged her towards him as his mouth found hers. The kiss was slow, gentle, infinitely patient as he relished the softness of her lips. When he pulled away he could barely speak.

"Whatever happens with me and my dad, I am NOT willing to do anything that puts you in danger. That's not ever negotiable, smelly girl. Am I clear?"

Maddy nodded shyly as their hands drifted apart. She was still blushing from the kiss as she turned sideways and jabbed a thumb in Stoneybridge's direction. "I should probably be getting back…"

Rhydian turned to go, because if he didn't go now he might just kiss the lips off of her. The more he saw that bruise on her neck, the more it was driving him crazy and he just wanted to comfort her. And all the while his wolf was seething. I should have protected her. I should have kept her safe! He could try to tell his wolf that it wasn't his fault, but his wolf was having none of it.

Back at the tree line, he met up with Matei and Jana. They were about to morph into their wolves and head back towards Newcastle when Matei put up his hand.

"You two go ahead. I'll hang back for a minute. Don't worry, I'll catch up." Jana stopped in mid-shift, her black-blue veins fading away.

"Hanging back? What for?" Jana said.

Matei glanced back in Maddy's direction. The young wolfblood girl was still standing there in the field, facing towards the village but not moving. "I just want to have a few words with Maddy, that's all."

Jana's right eyebrow quirked up like a question mark. She hurled the unspoken thought. Rhydian already spoke to her, and besides, she's young but she's tough too, with an alpha's heart.

Matei stared her down. "What? Don't give me that look, Jana. Looks can be deceiving. Maddy looks okay, but what if she's not? A person can look completely fine, say she's completely fine, and be anything but fine."

The redhead's pretty face froze as reality hit her like a punch to the gut. Matei's not talking about Maddy, he's talking about Emilia. Matei's younger sister had for a while pretended to recover from the loss of their parents when they'd first joined Jana's pack. Then Emilia had tried to kill herself a month later. He was right. You couldn't be too safe. If Matei wanted to check on Maddy because he was concerned she was pretending, just like Emilia, who was she to criticize?

The alpha girl walked over to Matei and rested her forehead gently against his. She took a deep breath. Not a word passed between them, but the wolfblood girl's gesture said exactly what Jana needed Matei to hear. I'm sorry, Matei. You're right. Go talk to her. I'll trust your judgment. As Matei walked back towards Maddy, Jana turned towards Rhydian, ignoring the blue-eyed wolfblood's curious look.

"Come on," Jana said. "He'll catch up. Let's go." Meanwhile, as she and Rhydian changed into their wolves and dashed through the woods, her thoughts stayed remarkably human. Who is Natasha Brezhnev? Who does she work for? What did Gerwyn supposedly steal, and what does she plan to do to him? One way or another, Jana was hell-bent on sinking her fangs into the truth.

A/N - Hi Wolfblood friends, I included lots of drama as promised, and I hope you liked this chapter. In the next chapter we'll get a better idea of Natasha's full motives. Plus we'll see how Jana reacts to discovering Segolia's existence…

In the Wolfblood series Jana usually acted with the best of motives, but her methods weren't always the best. Can Matei help her respond more constructively to help Rhydian and Gerwyn without making the situation even worse? How will the meeting go with Maddy's parents, and how much of the dangerous encounter with Natasha will they reveal to Emma and Dan? Will they need to keep secrets? To lie? And if they do, might those lies just make things worse? One of the themes of Wolfblood I thought was always the most compelling was how when Maddy or others told lies, they had a tendency to snowball. Just like in real life, when you tell a lie, there are always unintended consequences…

More comments would be amazing :)