Chapter 8

Caged Dog

"She's angry," became the understatement of the day. Alex's dry sarcasm didn't make it through the steel-reinforced door, so it fell on the frightened ears of Bors and Leo. Bors was only there because he had an insatiable curiosity that was bound to get his killed eventually. Leo was there because he was Alex's Second. And Alex's reason for being there was obvious. A wolf was healing. And not liking her confinement the least bit. The banging going on from the interior of the holding cell sounded deadly to the sparse furniture, especially as something about the size of a chair slammed against the door. Not for the first time Alex was glad for the reinforcement.

"You'd think she'd have exhausted herself by now," was Leo's comment, almost as relaxed as his Alpha. It was Bors who was rather panicked. His control was extremely weak at the best of times. The only reason he hadn't Changed in response to Sam's anger was because of the presence of his Alpha. Leo cast a glance towards the young wolf, smelling his fear. "Why don't you go find some food," he suggested none too softly. "She'll be hungry when she feels like showing the furniture mercy." With an ashen nod, the wolf ran up the stairs, extremely glad to be away from the tense atmosphere.

Another crash echoed from the cell, in addition to a feral growl that could have come from a wolf twice Sam's size. Alex lowered his chin, thinking. She couldn't keep this up forever. Leo glanced at him once before returning his attention to the door. He knew what Alex was debating. The Alpha had powers of his own, the Power of the pack. He could draw on it when he chose. It could calm the injured wolf, since she was more likely to injure herself further by throwing the furniture and tearing at the walls. But there was something that gave him pause. A submissive wolf would never have reacted such when injured. Submissives were just that, submissive. Their injuries healed in silence as they stayed as far from confrontation as possible. Rarely did they even have to be caged. Only after Sam Changed did Alex realize she needed confinement. Her wolf was angrier than he expected. As the room went quiet beyond the door, Alex walked forward and leaned against the door, listening to the harsh breathing of the wolf within with his sharp ears.

"Sam?" her ears heard. With an abrupt motion, she leapt at the door, clawing at the steel, wanting out. She wanted to rip O'reily to shreds. She wanted to kill him, maim him, anything to show him her hatred of him. Had he been in the room, he would have been a very dead wolf. Injured wolves were far more dangerous than healthy ones. But that shouldn't have mattered with Sam. But it was not Sam in control. Growling low in her throat, the wolf listened to her Alpha, waiting for him to speak again.

"Sam, how do you feel?" It was a stupid question. The wolf growled fiercely in response, adding a howl for emphasis. She threw her shoulder against the door, jolting it in its frame, but otherwise doing no damage. It was infuriating. She growled again, turning her bright golden eyes at the door that separated her and the revenge she wanted so desperately. He had beaten her again, an offense she would not forget in the coming years. Oh no. As long as they both lived, one would remember. And he would eventually pay. She didn't know how long it would take, nor did she care, but it would happen.

It was then she felt her Alpha draw on his power. With a low, defiant growl, she backed away from the door, retreating to the far wall to pace as the portal opened, revealing the figure of Alex, tall and proud in his dominance. His eyes were blue, the bright glacial blue of his wolf. But his control was impeccable. He would not Change. He closed the door behind him just as she saw Leo take a guard position outside. A personal audience. It amused the wolf. She snapped her teeth at him as she paced, her head and tail low in displeasure and submission. She could not fight the Alpha and hope to win, not when he had his power wrapped around him like a cloak.

"Sit," was the only word he said, but behind it was the combined will of the pack. She had no other option than to heed the command, but she did not do it happily. He looked down at her, displeasure on his face, but something else as well. Had she cared, she would have recognized it as intrigue. Her tail curled itself around her paws, even as her ears flattened farther back, the growl in her throat a low, foreboding thing. As her Alpha practically stalked forward, she lowered herself to the ground, laying unhappily at his feet. Had Alex been unsure of his dominance in any way, he could have very easily died by her claws just then. But he was calm, assured. And she could not fight him.

"Change," he demanded coldly. With a sharp bark of protest, the wolf retreated into her mind, not at all pleased with the change of events. I could feel her return, forcing herself back and me forward. The Change was more painful than usual. I knew I was still injured despite the days spent as a wolf. I could feel someone watching me as I shifted, could feel their presence extremely close as the russet fur disappeared, replaced by skin and hair. I felt my voice protest the pain of it, and it seemed to last ages. Weak from exhaustion, injury, and malnourishment, the Change took much, much longer. When at last I laid on the floor, panting and shaking with the effort of my forced shift, I tried to open my eyes and failed from the brightness of the room. I felt something tossed over me and figured it was a blanket to cover me and help with the shivering. Maybe. I couldn't be sure. Using hands shaking and fumbling, I drew the soft cloth closer to me, curling instinctively into it.

"Sam?" I heard a voice say and turned sharply towards it. A hand touched my shoulder when the voice spoke and I flinched away before realizing who had spoken. Why was Alex there? With fading golden eyes, I looked up into his glacier blue ones, wishing I wasn't shaking so much. I shouldn't have been cold. The room was warm. It must be the exhaustion, I decided. Or the fact that I still showed visible bruising and wounds. Thankfully the swelling in my eye had gone down enough that I could at least see out of it. I could feel that my shoulder was still injured, but at least it didn't need a sling. Or so I thought. I hadn't tried moving it yet. "Sam, you okay?" Alex continued and I managed to stifle the groan before forcing my eyes open.

I gave up and groaned, reclosing my eyes before burying my head on the cool floor. It felt good against my fevered skin. I felt Alex kneel beside me, the back of his hand feeling my forehead. By the coolness of his hand, I guessed I indeed had a fever. Without a word of warning, he picked me up and set me on what was left of the couch. My wolf must have been furious. I heard a polite knock at the door.

"Everything's fine, Leo," Alex said quickly, turning to the door once before tucking the blanket tighter around me. His blue eyes told me that he was using his power to keep my wolf at bay. Maybe that was why I could feel her so distantly. She did not want to face the Alpha's wrath by disobeying a direct order. He looked me over once before grunting to himself. "Hungry?" he asked, almost as if trying to start up a conversation. I nodded mutely in response, feeling the empty pit that was my stomach. Rarely did injured wolves eat much. Usually, they just threw it about the room. Since there was no food residue anywhere, I guessed no one was brave enough to open the door. Somehow, I wasn't surprised. But there was one thing.

"Alex," my voice cracked out, throat and mouth dry with dehydration. "Why was I caged?" It was a simple question, but with a confusing answer. Because submissive wolves were not caged due to their unwillingness to fight, I should not have been. But here I am, I thought.

"You would have ripped us all to shreds otherwise," Alex replied with the ghost of a smile. I could see the worry in his eyes despite the feral color to them. It was a poor attempt at humor, but I forced a chuckle anyway, even though it hurt in my throat and ribs. "Think you can stand?" I thought for a moment, taking stock of my own condition before nodding once. With his help and a barely stifled groan, I did manage to sit up. I had to bend over against the wave of dizziness, but I was at least upright and clutching the blanket to myself. When had it gotten so cold? It only took three tries before I was able to stand on my own two feet, and I tried to ignore the fact that Alex was supporting most of my weight. I had never before felt this bad. I felt like I got run over by a truck and subsequently dragged by the same truck over a rocky road and through a few bushes for good measure. Again, dizziness made the room spin several times before it righted itself again, and I was glad Alex seemed to ignore my death grip on his arm.

Helping me forward, Alex opened the door and led me out of the cell and into the much warmer hall. Thankfully, modesty was not known among wolves, so the sight of me wrapped in nothing but a blanket was rather normal. It was still awkward for me, since I was still extremely young by wolf standards, but as the three of us left the hall and headed up a flight of stairs, I realized that I was not in my own cabin, but that of Alex. He shared his cabin with three other male wolves, none of them nearly as dominant as he. Leo lived in a separate cabin. It was easier to keep track of things when the two most dominant wolves lived in different places about our little mountain village. Leo trailed behind Alex and I as we climbed the stairs, making sure I wasn't about to fall over backwards, I was sure. But Alex kept a firm but supporting grip about my shoulders and he led me into the well-lit, warm living area of his spacious home.

I didn't notice until walking across his carpeted floor that I was bleeding again. My wolf must have reopened scars. I could feel a light trickle running from neck and down my collar bone, as well as some running down my leg. And I felt disgusting. My skin was grimy, sweat and salt clinging to it and attracting dirt. I didn't even want to know what my hair felt like. Alex led me into a separate hallway and into yet another room. By the warm wood floor, I guessed it to be a bedroom. I didn't want to look to see whose, but I had a very sure guess. A bathroom came next, judging by the tile. Thank god. I was going to be clean. I could have sworn I still felt O'reily on me, even though that was a ridiculous notion. But it felt like his breath was on my skin and I rubbed my arm, trying to get rid of the goosebumps. At Alex's silent command, I stood still, my gaze focused firmly on the floor. I clutched the blanket around me against my shivering, listening as Alex began drawing water. Leo hadn't followed us, I noticed relieved. That would have made this situation much more awkward than it already was.

I felt Alex take my hand gently in his, and pull me towards the tub. I ignored the bloodstains left on the tile as I moved. Shivering with more than cold, I remained stoutly silent as Alex helped me towards the warm clean water. Slipping the blanket from my shoulders, I used him as a brace and slipped slowly into the water. It stung the open cuts on my legs, over my ribs, and on my arms, but it did much for the tightness in my chest.

"Relax," I heard Alex murmur softly, his hand gently rubbing my shoulder. I leaned back and felt his hand support my head. Trying to hide my flinch, I felt him wash the fresh and caked blood from my skin. He was thorough but quick, which eased some of my tension. I felt safe there, with his hand supporting my head. My wolf was still angry—I could feel her growling under the restraint of Alex's control—but at the same time she was content as well. I was in no danger from my Alpha. The water stung my open wounds, and blood drifted in the water. I heard Alex turn on the faucet again, replacing the soiled water with fresh. For one panicked moment, I resisted as his hands urged me lower into the water, but he began humming. It was odd to hear him humming when I could smell his wolf so close. He let me relax on my own, instead of using the Power to force me to obey.

As always, his hands were gentle as they rinsed the sweat and grit from my hair. I flinched slightly when his hand brushed passed a laceration near my temple, but otherwise I remained still. The water supported my body just as Alex supported my head. After he had rinsed the shampoo from my hair and gently washed the dried blood and sweat from my face and neck, he touched my shoulder, beckoning me up. Reluctant to leave the warmth of the water, I followed, leaning heavily on him for support. I never realized how sore my muscles were until they were finally relaxed. I was extremely surprised when my knees didn't buckle from under me. Not even the sound of the door opening and the scent of another wolf put me on edge. My wolf was satisfied with the current circumstances, though she still wanted out. She wasn't about to fight. I raised my gaze just enough to see Leo's shoes as he quietly entered. I could hear Alex behind me along with the shuffling whisk of cloth. I kept my face and body impassive as the two wolves dried me, Leo supporting me when Alex dried my legs. The nap of the towels grated against my sore skin, and grabbed the scabs that had formed, but they did their job. It only took moments before I was dry and being led from the bathroom. This time, it was Leo who supported most of my weight.

I remained silent as Leo led me to a guest room—not the reinforced cell, I was glad to see—mainly because I had no energy to speak. My wolf had exhausted all of my reserves, and the bath had made me realize how tired I really was. With Alex's control taming her, I was able to stay blissfully human, though I could feel every injury. Wolves healed faster than humans, but humans were less likely to tear apart a room in their fury. If enough control was used, healing in human form was the much better option. Still utterly bereft of clothing, I found myself shivering during the walk across the wooden bedroom floor. All of the bedrooms had hardwood flooring, real hardwood, not the cheap imitations. There was something about waking up in the morning and feeling it beneath my feet. Sometimes it felt warm, alive. Now it was just cold and hard.

With the help of Leo—where Alex had gone I didn't know—I managed to climb into the guest bed, a massive four-poster thing that was made from actual trees, and still looked like it. I didn't bother trying to climb underneath the quilt; it would take too much energy. Instead, I curled up on my side, trying to ignore the fact I still didn't have clothing with another wolf in the room. But before the thought was completed in my head, Leo set a blanket over me, tucking it gently around me. I couldn't help it as I huddled into it, using my hands as a pillow despite the fact that one laid mere inches from my head. It would take too much effort to reach for it. Leo seemed to guess this and moved it under my head anyway. I couldn't see his expression. I could barely open my eyes, and even then all I saw was the edge of the bed. It was most likely my utter exhaustion that kept me from reacting at all when Leo settled himself behind me. I felt like a puppy, and couldn't help but act like one. I relaxed back into his strong chest. Why he even bothered to comfort me, I couldn't guess, though it probably had something to do with Alex's concern.

I wouldn't my guest room torn apart by an injured wolf either.