Hey all! Being a new mother is really hard, and as I'm sure at least a few of my readers know, a great joy. :) My babies are doing wonderful, but they are sure a handful!

I did FINALLY get this chapter to work out and sent it to my fantabulous beta, laurazuleta18! I love this chica, she is my digi-bestie! *huggles*

Enjoy!

Two Winters and a Summer: Chapter Four

How was it possible that Shannon could become so attached to a room that acted as her prison? The creamy walls were a source of intrigue as she searched for a hidden door or window, silly as it seems. She was desperate to escape and thought diligently of her family and how worried they must be about her…

She was forced to get more creative as her hours in what her captors called the 'Pack House' grew and stretched. There were long periods where she was alone. If she asked for water it was provided any time…apparently they could hear every single thing she said or did. This caused her great stress but she tried to focus on each individual second. She couldn't bear to look into the future, because she would still see herself in that room. She hated it, but she didn't know what she would do without it.

Shannon ripped one of her sheets in half and would spend hours making knots, untying them, and then retying them again. She knew she had to keep her energy level up, so she'd jog around in circles, do a few jumping jacks…sometimes she would jump on the bed until she could touch the ceiling.

She asked for paper and pencils, so she sketched as well. It was painful to feel so dependent on anybody, much less the wolves. They brought her three daily meals and snacks at random times, but she always refused what wasn't necessary.

Collin was the only one to visit her and she always spent that time pressing herself against the wall furthest from him and refusing to make a sound, not one. He tried very hard to get her to talk, but it was useless. He had taken away everything from her, including Embry.

A dull ache spread through her chest. She missed him so much…missed the way his thumb would softly caress her forehead and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, missed the way he would exhale across her neck tickling her, and most of all she missed the way he held her…as if they were sharing the last moments on Earth and time was running out. His embrace had always been rough, definitely not careful and Shannon loved it that way.

Sometimes she closed her eyes and tried to memorize every inch of the faces of those she loved and missed. On several occasions she'd ask one of the wolves who brought her food or opened the door so she could use the restroom about Embry, or if she could use a phone to speak to her mother but they almost never replied.

Only the one named Brady would speak to her. He tried to convince her to calm down and interact with people, but she was adamant that nothing of the sort would happen.

Once, she succumbed to misery and lay in bed all day. They practically had to force her to eat or relieve herself. The depression pressed down on her so horribly she couldn't stand, thought only of escaping the room any way she could, even if that meant ending everything…her breath, her heartbeat, her life.

She felt so weak, like she couldn't run or jump or move. Giving up was the only thought that entertained her. She tried to imagine the different ways…

It would be tough to do so in her room, simply because there wasn't much to work with. There were a few hooks by the door, and she wondered if it'd be possible to use one of the sheets as a rope and tie it around her neck, the other end having to be tied around the hook nearest the ceiling. She would have to push the end table near the bed for her to stand in. She could simply step off it and dangle as soundlessly as possible in the air until she was finally, well, dead…

She figured this wouldn't work too well, simply because a wolf could come barging in at any moment and lift her right up, rip the sheet in half and then put her under more of a lockdown than she already had been.

Another possibility, the only other one she could think of, was to drown herself in the bathtub during one of her breaks. She could simply tell them she was going to take a bath and not keep the water running and just make sure her head stayed under no matter what.

She was still afraid they'd break down the door when they noticed she wasn't breathing, but there was nothing else she could think of. The thought of existing like this for the rest of her life…it terrified her. She could sense no loosening of this fascist pack's strength.

The next day, she woke up and started frantically banging on the door. She had to get out or she'd kill herself…she knew there'd be more days, just like yesterday, and she didn't want to die but she would convince herself that she had to…

One of the imprinted wolves named Paul tumbled into the room and immediately took her outside of the House altogether. It felt amazing to breath in fresh air, but shocking nonetheless because it'd felt like so long since she had seen real sunlight…

Collin was soon by her side, and even though it made Shannon hate herself, she let him take her in his arms and coddle her until she calmed down. She despised that it felt…good. Her body was begging her to give in and cuddle tight next to his chest. Her mind refused, and instead she opted to just lay flat and sob her heart out.

She didn't confess her thoughts of suicide, but she did tell him that she couldn't bear being in that room all day every day any longer. It was torturous. He agreed immediately and said she was free to come out and sit on the porch of the House or talk with any of the imprints in the living room.

She was afraid that they would…brainwash her, but she'd rather that than killing herself.

So, Shannon tentatively stood in the doorway of her room and blinked at the stairs at the end of the hallway. She had never actually walked down the stairs. She was carried several times, but she'd never actually stepped on them.

For some reason it seemed like a big deal. She thought of it as surrendering almost. It took a huge chunk of her pride to lose such an important battle. Shannon had to keep reminding herself that while she did lose a battle, she hadn't yet lost the war.

She would kick and punch and scream. Fuck yeah…she wouldn't go down without a fucking fight.

Maybe the way to start, she considered, was to…pretend to warm to their ways. Shannon would have to try and make 'friends' with these people, the other imprints. She may have to resort to speaking regularly with Collin. She hated contemplating these things, but she would rather try it than never know what would have happened as she lay on her death bed up in that room.

Slowly, Shannon made her way into the living room of the House. A silence stretched as everybody came to face her. She noticed that all of the imprints she'd met were there, Emily, Claire, Rachel, Nessie, and Janice, along with Sam and Brady. A spasm of fear caused her hands to shake. She noticed there were small beads of sweat on her palms and hastily rubbed them on her shirt.

"Hello," Rachel finally said, breaking the awkward silence. "I…do you remember all of us from the first night you were here?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, I remember you all," Shannon replied as neutrally as she could muster. The two younger girls in the room, the four-year-old Claire and the nine-year-old Nessie, were gazing at her with a sense of curiosity and alarm.

"Qwuil says you're naughty," Claire piped up. Almost immediately, she was snatched up by Emily and got a murmured scolding. Sighing, she turned to Shannon and apologized.

"Come and sit next to me, Shannon," Emily smiled warmly while patting the seat next to her. Shannon tried not to show her distaste as she made her way over and plopped down onto the cushion. Damn, none of those people knew the meaning of discrete.

"So…what were you talking about?" Shannon asked after a moment. The seven shared looks gave her a clue, they'd been speaking of her, but Emily quickly jumped in and started chatting away.

"We were just making idle chit-chat. Brady and Sam were telling us about the odd scent they'd caught…said it was human but it's very weird for a human to be so far into the forest! It's very worrying," she rambled. Shannon blinked at her. Fuck, if this was what they talked about all day maybe the only option left was to shoot herself. She couldn't live so plainly…tears gathered in the corners of her eyes but she banished them immediately. Not in front of everyone, she reminded herself.

Swallowing, Shannon forced a sympathetic smile and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that might be. It's probably just some hikers who're interested in the scenery…or maybe they are exploring the area based on reports of giant wolf sightings." She raised her eyebrows.

"And that's precisely why we're worried. We don't want innocent people snooping around in the land we have to protect," Sam said coolly. Emily huffed and glared at Sam warningly before turning back to Shannon.

"Anyway," she began sweetly, "I was wondering if you'd like to come out to the garden with me? Sam can sit on the porch so we can have the illusion of privacy," Emily smiled fondly. Shannon fought the urge to puke…this woman was okay with the fact that she would never have seclusion or time to herself again? She was reminded of a housewife from the fifties, completely docile and submissive. She wished to stand and scream that it was now the twenty-first century and women had equal rights as well as complete freedom!

"Sure," Shannon finally croaked, frustration coloring her tone. It would be more difficult that she had imagined pretending to live by the Pack's rules. She felt like a prisoner. And she had done nothing, absolutely nothing to deserve it.

"Great!" Emily exclaimed happily. Shannon followed her out to the apparent garden, which was actually very impressive. Fruits, vegetables, and an assortment of flowers were laid out in front of her like a portrait and from just watching Emily stare at it; she realized that the garden may be the only true joy left in the scarred woman's life.

"Just over here…oh, be careful not to step on those, they're just blooming," Emily said worriedly as she carefully avoided trotting on a patch of yellow flowers.

"Sorry," Shannon muttered but Emily waved the apology away.

"That's fine, I'm just too darn protective of these plants…" she trailed off affectionately. They ended up resting against a tree set in the back of the plot, mostly just staring into the grass. Shannon didn't feel much like talking, so she was disappointed when Emily started doing so.

"So, I was thinking that you might be interested in reading the poems I told you about earlier in the week. I know you said you didn't want to see them, but I really believe you should," she suggested in a passive squeak. Out of the corner of Shannon's eye, she saw Sam tense…she wondered if he would spring on her if she were to tell Emily no.

Shannon nodded, not trusting her tongue. When she was younger, it got her into a lot of timeouts…something was telling her that there was a lot more at risk than having to sit in a corner for five minutes.

Emily seemed genuinely relieved as she took out her little notebook. She seemed to carry it around in her bra, which she found very…unusual. Emily smiled softly as she caught her staring. "I like to keep it safe…my poetry is very important to me," she murmured.

Shannon watched as she flipped through a few pages and nodded when she, apparently, found the one she was looking for. "Here," Emily said proudly, "read this."

She took the pad of paper from Emily's hand and scanned the page morosely.

And then she froze…because she sure as hell didn't expect to see what she did.

Show no change of expression as you read this, or try really hard not to. There is a resistance from the imprinted wolves. I am the only imprint you can trust, but also rely on the wolves Brady, Seth, George, Craig, and Nico if you must. We are all working very hard to find a plan to escape. Pretend to give in to Collin, give him what he wants. Ask to keep this note, say it…it gives you inspiration or something. Shortly after we go inside ask to go to the bathroom and flush it down the toilet. No wolves can see this, not even those mentioned above.

Shannon's heartbeat fluttered and she nervously tried to calm herself. "Um, this is…really beautiful Emily. Could I keep this?" she asked tentatively. As Emily nodded, Shannon wondered just what she had gotten herself into.