Saving Him

Chapter One

Astrid

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I walked around the packhouse, trying to clear my mind of all the paperwork I was handling. It was about 6:30 in the morning, and some members in the kitchen were getting breakfast ready. Pack members filled the dining room, talking excitedly. I watched for a moment before continuing my walk around, stopping at the training room. My brother Ethan was leading the class, and I couldn't help but sneak into the back and watch. He was walking around as his students were sparing against one another. Taking my gaze away from him, I started watching the sparring and watched an intense match. I knew the kids Luke and Jenna. Luke was probably only three inches taller than Jenna. He and Jenna were about the same speed making it a good even match. Jenna seemed to have the upper hand sending short, quick blows, and Luke had difficulty blocking them. Jenna slows down, causing Luke to lose his balance before she finishes him off with a solid kick to his chest, sending Luke flying.

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows, impressed while Ethan came walking over, helping Luke to his feet. Jenna rushed over to Luke, apologizing for kicking him so hard, but he just brushed her off, telling her good job. Ethan leads Luke back to the circle and congratulates Jenna before trying Luke some advice.
"If you struggle with your opponent's attack, try to use it against them. She was swinging at you fast; you could've grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward, making her unbalanced. You fought well." He rested a hand on Luke's shoulder, and they left with the rest of the students. Ethan noticed me in the corner and nodded before packing up his stuff.

The breakfast bell went off, and I wasn't waiting, so I started making my way to the dining hall. The halls were empty, causing me to pick up my pace slightly. I heard rapid footsteps causing me to laugh before turning around to see Ethan running to catch up to me, or so I thought. Ethan sped past me before he randomly stopped causing me to ram into him and sending us flying through the dinner doors. Thankfully there was enough chatter, so no one noticed. I glared at Ethan as he laughed as he made his way toward Agnes. Agnes is what I like to call the packs grandma. No matter how young or old. Agnes is always willing to take care of everyone, and after our parent's death, she became like a mom to Ethan and me.
I made my way to the front of the room, greeting people as I went. When I got to the show, everyone was already quiet, waiting for what I had to say.

"Well, I don't want to keep everyone, so I'll leave it short and sweet. Today is the day our students leave for school. Just a reminder to everyone that the buses will leave at 12. Parents, don't worry. There will be a warrior on each bus, and Ethan and I will also be on a bus. That's all."

I went and sat down with Agnes and Ethan, finishing breakfast. It was only 8 o'clock, so I returned to the office with Ethan to work on some final paperwork before it was 12. We were doing some research on our great-grandpa Bill to help Ethan out. For what exactly? I have no idea. I stopped asking questions a long time ago. Around 11:20, Ethan and I went to get ready to leave. The school doesn't require a uniform, but it's standard for the Alpha family to wear traditional clothing. The clothes usually consisted of light material and were only for show, and depending on the situation, they can get tedious and dressy. My pants were tan, with a long blue shirt. I had black boots that went to my shin and neatly tied them. I quickly threw on my cloak, but I brushed the fur down on my mantle softly before meeting Ethan, walking downstairs to the pad. Parents were gathered on both sides of the sidewalk when we walked outside, creating a little walkway. They all nodded in respect, and I nodded back, smiling and waving at some of the children.
There were our buses neatly parked with the drivers finishing uploading the luggage. Ethan and I stood in the middle of the four buses, and I could hear the soft humming of excited chatter, and I could tell they were coming. They all had excited and nervous looks on their faces and, as they passed, nodded in respect. Each grade loaded the bus quickly as they talked and said goodbye to their parents. Ethan and I nodded before getting on our separated buses and joining along.

With that, the bus was off and filled with chatter. I rested my head against the seat. I was about to fall asleep only to be interrupted by Ethan's mind linking me. "Hey, so I'm trying to go back farther with Old man Bill, but the fabulist back then sucked and is hard to translate."
I rubbed my face, annoyed, before responding to him. "Okay, well, have you been able to find anything so far?
"Yes, have you ever heard of the Winter Solider?"
"I'm not sure. Why?"
"I don't know, but he seems pretty important. I'll let you know."

He closed the mind link before I could respond. I shook my head, closing my eyes to fall asleep again, but I couldn't. For some reason, I couldn't shake the thought of the Winter Solider out of my head. I've heard that before; I just couldn't put my finger on it. Shaking my head, I tried to shrug it off and fall asleep.
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Every part of my body was tingling, and I squeezed my eyes tight trying to shake off the feeling. After about a minute, the tingly went away, causing me to realize how weak my body was. I went to lift my head only for it to fly back, smacking the top of what felt like a chair. Inhaling sharply from pain, I go to rub my head, but my hand barely made it off the chair before some rope stopped it.

  That caused my eyes to fly open, panicked, and I forced my head upright, holding it steady. I started looking around the room, and it was wet and moldy. The door was metal with no handle on my side. There was a constant sound of water dripping from the ceiling; looking down at my hand before twisting and pulling, trying to free my hand. I got one hand free and went to untie the other when I heard voices, causing my body to freeze. Putting my hand back, I quickly wrapped the rope back around my hand. The door creaked open. Quickly I slumped my head and closed my eyes. Breathing in and out, I tried to keep my breath steady, and they were whispering among each other. As they got closer, I could hear a man with a higher-pitched voice speak.

   "The Alpha said to stay here and wait for her order."
  Another man spoke with a deeper, raspier voice. "That's fine. Did they provide us with any backup?"
   Yes. The best backup there is. The Winter Soldier."
I could hear their footsteps come closer to me as their conversation continued. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I had to focus harder on my breathing. I could feel hot breath on my neck, making me scream on the inside, but I didn't dare move, paralyzed with fear.
   "Apparently. is going to have fun with this girl right here."
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  A hand on my shoulder caused me to jump awake, grabbing the arm and throwing them in the seat behind me. I got ready to jump and throw a punch but stopped when it was just Luke. His eyes were wide with fear, and his hands blocked his face, whimpering quietly. My breathing was heavy, so I closed my eyes, trying to steady myself.
'It was just a dream. You're safe. You're okay?'
  No one said anything, so I just got off the bus to see Ethan waiting for me outside. I greeted some other students with a smile before looking over at him. Concern appeared on his face, making me shrug, telling him to leave it alone. He made his way toward me but was interrupted by me being tackled by a heavily pregnant woman. Instantly recognizing who it was. I hugged her, and she returned, us rocking back and forth.

  "Ash! It's been too long!"
  I couldn't help laughing as I pulled away. "Mis. It's been like two months."
"Exactly. Too long" I just kept laughing before I wrapped my arm around Mis's waist, and we made our way inside. Mis dressed in a lovely dress that showed off her bump. The cool air felt nice on my skin, especially wearing this cloak in 90-degree weather.
  "Are you ready for this meeting, Mis?'
  She let out an annoyed sigh. "Let's just get this over with."
  I laughed before opening the door. I let go of Maggie before taking my seat at the opposite end of the table than her. I sighed before leaning back in my chair, resting and waiting for everyone to walk in. Alpha Ivan walked through the door with a pissed-off look, with Ethan close behind him. He looked at me and grimaced before quickly sitting next to me.

  "Okay. All I have to say is I'm sorry."
  "What the hell did you do?"
  He lowered his tone. "Just play along with it."
  Before he could answer, Alpha Ivan aggressively slammed his hand on the table. "Let this meeting begin. I have some issues to discuss." He slowly turned his head toward the two of us, and I couldn't help but think. 'Great. I needed this.'