Thanks for reviewing, KittyPimms! Castration, hmm, I never thought of that, but that would have been even more cruel indeed. However, a castrated wolf can't breed anymore and maybe that's what the vampires have in mind for the future - to breed their own loyal pack of guard dogs. Who knows?

Living hell

Two hours later the car came to a halt. Doors opened and shut and then a blanket was pulled off the two cages. Blanche raised her eyebrows at Seth.

'Oh. Seems like you weren't as good a boy as I thought', she stated.

'May I punish him?' Cora pleaded.

Seth, Dave and I tensed. The others had phased back.

'Embry, phase back!' Seth ordered.

'No. I want to know what's happening', I answered back.

'No, Cora. I'll just knock him out', Blanche decided.

'Embry, phase back before she knocks you out as well!'

This time I accepted Seth's advice. But I only waited a minute before I phased again. From the silence in my head I could tell that Seth and Dave were out cold. I waited patiently until they both woke up simultaneously.

'Welcome to your new home. Make yourselves comfortable, I'll be right back', Blanche said sweetly. Dave and Seth found themselves in a windowless room with a concrete floor and steel bars that reached from the ground to the ceiling and blocked the way to the door. A fluorescent tube which flickered every now and then filled the room with cool light. Seth was chained and muzzled again and the chain was attached to a ring in the wall. There was no furniture in the room, not even blankets.

'Seth!' a weak voice exclaimed. Seth spun around. Paul lied in a corner, equally chained to a ring in the wall. His clothes were tattered and there was dried blood all over his body. Seth went to him and nudged him whining. Paul managed a weak grin.

'Don't cry, pup. At least now I won't die alone.'

He had never stopped calling Seth a pup, even after Seth's wolf had grown and become stronger than Paul's.

'Who's the new puppy?' Paul asked. Dave slowly approached him. 'You must have phased only recently, because otherwise I'd know about you. Poor kid, you're probably still trying to adjust to being a wolf and now you even get captured by sadistic bloodsuckers. I won't spare you and put lipstick on the pig. If there is a living hell somewhere on this planet, then it's right here in this room. I hope you haven't been captured in an attempt to free me. I told Rosalie you shouldn't risk your lives for someone who's sentenced to death anyway.'

There were footsteps on some stairs and Blanche entered the room together with Cora, Henry and another man. Dave backed away into the other corner and ducked his head in fear while Seth stayed in front of Paul in a protective, self-confident posture.

'Seth, don't provoke them!' I ordered.

'Oh, I love you, Sandy', Blanche exclaimed, 'Proud and self-confident you are, yet still aware of the pain you'll have to suffer if you don't obey. It's a shame that we'll have to break you into submission.'

'Ugh, Sandy? Now she already calls me by a nickname like a pet!' Seth hissed.

'May I?' Cora pleaded.

'Seth! Behave submissively!' I tried to put Alpha force into it, but it was always weaker when Jacob was in La Push and for the high-ranked Seth it wasn't strong enough.

'Yes', Henry allowed and the inescapable pain followed in a split second. I cursed and dug my paws into the ground to get hold of something. Why the hell hadn't Jacob used his Alpha force when he ordered Seth to obey? Fortunately, it didn't last as long as last time.

'Sorry', Seth whispered, 'You should phase back, you know. You, too, Dave. I'm not going to cave in.'

He got up and took the same posture as before.

'Phase back, Dave!' Seth ordered with Beta force and Dave had no other option than to obey.

'Seth! Don't be stupid! They aren't even forcing you into anything yet! The minute Bella is here and can protect the pack's minds through Jacob's you may stand up to them but not as long as', the pain cut me off. I grit my teeth. This time it didn't stop early. It felt like it would never end. When it finally faded, both Seth and I lied on the ground panting.

'So the mind connection only works when you're in your wolf forms. Interesting. Your friend's smarter than you', Cora stated, 'Maybe I should try torturing him to make you obey.'

Dave, who lied naked in his corner, shot Seth a frightened glance.

'Seth, I'm going to get Jake. If you haven't given in until I'm back with him, he'll Alpha command you to obey them.'

'Okay, okay. That was enough torture for one night I think', he agreed, went over to Dave to stand in front of him, but ducked his head submissively. It was still a protective gesture, but it satisfied Henry.

'Enough, Cora. Hey, sandy one, turn into your human form.'

'Do it, Seth!' I ordered.

'But then you can't see what happens anymore!' Seth complained.

'Doesn't matter. Do I have to get Jake to make you obey? It's for your own good, stubborn fool!'

'No! Don't get Jake! And don't tell Leah anything you saw. I'll be back when they leave us alone.'

And with that he finally obeyed and phased back. I sighed. On the one hand I was relieved, but on the other hand I was worried sick what the vampires would do to them. I went to Sam and Emily's, curled up on the ground under Autumn's window and tried to sleep a little.

I woke up when someone patted my head.

"Wake up, Embry. You don't want Autumn to see you like this, do you?"

I raised my head and looked at Sam. He looked sadly back. He already knew what had happened.

'Seth? Dave?' I asked tentatively. Nothing.

'They haven't phased in the last two hours', Jacob informed me. 'Tell me what happened until they phased back. Then you can go see Autumn.'

I quickly let the pictures of the arrival at the mansion and the scene in the basement pass before my mind's eye.

'Next time you phase back and don't let you be tortured as well', Jacob ordered.

'Okay', I sighed.

'Bella and Edward will arrive in Seattle on Saturday morning. There weren't enough available seats for all of them, so the others have to take a subsequent flight. Now, phase back and try to distract yourself somehow.'

I did as I was told and pulled my cutoffs on. Sam led me into the house where Emily offered me a strong black coffee. I sat down at the kitchen table and stared blankly at the cup in front of me.

"You don't blame yourself, Embry, do you?" Sam asked frowning. I shrugged. Did I blame myself? I had no idea. I felt kind of numb. Numb and helpless. Emily placed a plate with bacon and eggs in front of me.

"Thank you, Emily, but I'm not really hungry."

"You're kidding me, aren't you? You haven't eaten since yesterday evening! Where's your wolf appetite?" Emily asked.

"Just start eating. I'm sure your appetite will grow with the eating", Sam advised.

I started poking my bacon.

"Do you have work today?" Emily asked sympathetically.

"No. I called in sick for the rest of the week."

Autumn came downstairs then. When she saw me, her face lit up and she ran the remaining distance between us to hug me in a tight embrace. I had always minded to wear a shirt when I was with her, but right now she didn't seem to care about my shirtless chest. I hugged her back. She pulled away with a smile on her lips that faded as she mustered my face. She turned to look at Sam and Emily and then turned back to me. She frowned and in her eyes I could clearly see the urgent question of what had happened. She pulled out her cell, typed quickly and showed me the display. Some1 died?

"No, Autumn, nobody died", I replied adding a Yet in my head.

"Things didn't go too well last night. There was a twist which we weren't prepared for."

Her eyes pleaded for more details. I was astonished how well I could already read her. But she wasn't ready for the truth yet. She had to deal with her past and didn't need a supernatural world that was currently unpredictable on top of that.

Emily handed her a plate of pancakes. She sat down reluctantly, but kept watching me. I ignored it and turned to my bacon. Renesmee entered the house without knocking. As Jake's imprint she was an equal member of our big wolf pack/family. Emily hugged her.

"Hi, Nessie. How are you?"

"I'm fine", she sighed showing that she was only physically fine.

"The Denalis are coming", she told me, "Did Jake already tell you when my parents will be here?"

I nodded. Only then Renesmee seemed to notice Autumn.

"Oh, hi! I'm Renesmee, but you can call me Nessie. You must be Autumn."

Autumn nodded.

"Do you want to join us for breakfast, Nessie?" Sam asked.

"No, thanks, I've already had breakfast with Emmett."

Probably a deer since they wouldn't have gone too far to hunt.

"Have you already seen Leah or Zack this morning?" I asked.

"No. But there's a sign at the Den that it's closed until further notice due to a family affair", she answered. I sighed.

"I should go and look after them."

"I'll go to Leah. You can check on Zack", Sam offered.

Autumn placed a hand on my arm and squeezed it lightly, again pleading for details. My phone buzzed and gave me the excuse to ignore her once more. I looked at the caller ID and rejected the call. I didn't have the strength to talk to my Mom right now. Not one minute later she called again. I sighed and picked up.

"Why did you reject my call?" she yelled loud enough for even Autumn and Emily to hear. I held the phone away from my ear.

"I'm sorry, Mom", Autumn glared at me, "it's just a very inopportune moment. Can I call you back another day?"

"Another day?" she yelled, "I wanted to accept your deal and you can suddenly wait for my big secret to be revealed?"

"Oh. The deal. Right."

"Don't tell me you've changed your mind! My secret for yours, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was, and no, I haven't changed my mind. It's just really not the best day for it."

"Okay, then we'll meet tomorrow."

"Tomorrow might not be the best day either."

"Why? Are you busy again? Don't you have half an hour to spare for your Mom?"

I took a deep breath.

"Look, Seth and Dave are in big trouble and I'm worried sick about them, okay? So, please, can we wait a few days?"

Autumn's eyes widened. I knew she liked Seth. Maybe I shouldn't have said any names.

"Very well then", Mom said huffily, "Just call me when the moment is opportune for you."

She hung up without waiting for a response.

"Adrian! Emma! You're late!" Emily called upstairs. I had finished my breakfast and stood up.

"I'm going to Zack's now", I announced. Autumn grabbed my wrist and tried another time to plead for details. I sighed.

"Seth is going to be alright. He and Dave have been captured, but we're going to save them. Don't worry."

I kissed her on the forehead and left. Outside in the woods I phased.

'Anything new, Jake?'

'No.'

'I'll check on Zack. Sam will look after Leah.'

'Good.'

'Can you howl when they phase?'

'Embry, take a break from the leader's duties. I'm here now. I'll care for everything.'

'I just want to know what's happening to them! Seth is my Beta, my flat mate and my best friend! You might not have realized it, but I think your bond to the pack has weakened during the time you spent away from us. Maybe that's why you can't understand how I'm feeling right now!'

'Ugh, Embry, do you even listen to yourself? Of course I know what you're feeling! What do you think why I'm staying phased? Just for my pleasure? Certainly not! Phase back and don't return before you can think straight again.'

I spent the morning with Zack fishing. He was a self-employed fisherman and couldn't drop his work for several days as he depended on the money. Maybe it was good to at least have something to do, although fishing isn't really the most exciting and distracting work of all. Zack was serious and close-mouthed. He refused talking about Dave at all. Nonetheless I had the impression that he was grateful for my presence and my solicitousness. At noon we returned to the shore and Zack sold the fishes to a Quileute who gathered the catches of the local fishermen and resold the fish to restaurants and at the Port Angeles fish market.

"Shall we check on the latest news?" I asked Zack afterwards.

"Yeah."

We walked to the woods. Zack didn't seem too eager to hear about his brother's suffering. When I started to take my clothes off, he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, Embry?"

"Mmmh?" I hummed.

"If you and Jake get Dave out of there alive then I'll never disobey ever again."

I simply nodded. We phased.

'Hey, Jake. I'm sorry for what I said this morning. I pulled myself together now.'

'It's okay. You were right after all. I've grown apart from the pack slightly. Maybe I should visit more often.'

'Or you could just phase more often', I suggested.

'Yeah. I definitely should.'

Zack got impatient.

'Any news about my brother?'

'Yes. He phased involuntarily a few hours ago. Seth hasn't phased yet, but he better should. Dave obeyed our orders to obey the vampires and agreed to serve them as guard dog. Since then they've left him more or less alone, though that bitch Cora punished him for phasing without permission. Seth on the other hand doesn't obey. Cora has been torturing him for hours and only gave him a one-hour break this morning because Giacopo – the second leader besides Henry – told her to. She didn't only use her gift, but also electric shocks. She wanted to appeal to Seth's protective side and tame him by threatening to torture Dave, but luckily Giacopo forbid that. Paul and Dave received some breakfast. Hardly enough to satisfy a wolf's hunger, but at least something. They were being watched while they ate so that they wouldn't share with Seth. I hope he's given in by now or else he'll kill himself.'

'How's Dave's constitution?'

'He's scared of course, but other than that he's acquitting himself quite well. His chance to survive this is considerably higher than Seth's.'

'Jake, you could need a break as well. Let me take over the watch', I begged.

'Well then', he agreed hesitantly, 'I'll spell you when school's over. If Seth phases and still hasn't caved in to the vampires demands, you'll howl so that I can phase and use my Alpha force. Zack, let's go have some lunch.'

'I want to stay as well! Please, I want to talk to my brother next time he phases.'

'Leah isn't allowed to stay phased either. You're coming with me.'

It was clear that that was Jake's final say. Zack growled lowly and phased back reluctantly. My stomach growled, too, announcing that it wanted some lunch as well. I hunted down a hare. Raw meat wasn't one of my favorite foods, although when in my wolf form it was eatable and better than nothing. I would never understand though how one could live of nothing else than raw game animals as Jake had in his depressed grieving-for-Bella-phase and as Brady recently had. Even now after he'd returned he had only phased back because Jake had ordered him to.

After one hour or so of uneventful waiting, Dave phased.

'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Now she's going to torture me again!'

'Calm down, Dave, and tell me what happened since last time you phased.'

'I don't have time. She's going to start any second!'

Cora was looking at him and shook her head.

'Tsk, tsk, tsk', she said, 'I thought I had made myself clear. We don't tolerate phasing without permission. You knew that didn't you?'

'Please, don't torture him!' Seth pleaded, 'He couldn't help it! He's only been a wolf for a few days. He can't control the phasing yet.'

Other than Dave and Paul who were both only chained by their ankles because they were the only part of the body that didn't change much in size when we phased, Seth had chains not only on his ankles, but also on his wrists.

'Then he shall phase back immediately. I might make an exception then.'

'He can't. It takes some time to pull oneself together in order to concentrate on phasing back!'

'Hmm. Would you take it upon yourself to receive the punishment that is meant for him?'

'Yes.'

I groaned. Cora smiled contentedly and in the twinkling of an eye Seth screamed in pain and tore at his chains in agony. Dave whimpered.

'Concentrate now, Dave. What happened since you've spoken to Jake?' I asked while I struggled to ignore Seth's pain.

'Seth capitulated about two hours ago. But nevertheless he didn't get any lunch while Paul and I did and Cora's coming back every full hour to torture him again in order to remind him to stay submissive. I don't think he'll survive until Saturday.'

'Seth is strong. He doesn't let himself be killed so easily. Just remind him that we're going to save you. I promise that you'll all be free in three days at the latest, hopefully already in two. Okay?'

'That'll be too late for Paul.'

'Why?' I asked anxiously.

'They don't believe us – or they don't want to believe – that he cannot phase anymore. If he hasn't phased until tomorrow morning, they'll try their venom on him.'

'Oh my God. As long as Bella isn't here, we can't do anything against them. Blanche would just knock us out again. Paul…', I trailed off helplessly.

'Don't blame yourself. He doesn't want you to. You know he was going to die anyway.'

'That doesn't change anything!'

'I'm sorry. It's what he told us. He says he's ready to die. I should phase back now.'

'Yes, okay. Good luck. And maybe you can beg the leeches to spare Paul.'

'I'll try. Bye.'

'Bye.'

Then he was gone again and I could only hope that Cora would stop torturing Seth when Dave was back in his human form. His screams which I hadn't been able to shut out reechoed in my head.

More Autumn in the next chapters, she won't become a minor character ;)

I've got a question. I'm going to be really busy on 24th and 25th. I could steal a little time to update, but I'm only going to do that if someone appreciates it. Therefore, my question: Are you busy over Christmas, too, and won't find the time to read, or do you want me to continue updating once a day because you don't want to wait three days for the next update? There's a poll on my profile for that, but of course you can also leave your answer in a review.