Cry Wolf

Chapter 5

I felt the lashes of the whip as it struck yet again, but held in the cries of pain, knowing it was only what they wanted to hear. I felt the pain as it carved delicate cuts into my skin. I heard the laughter of my captors, but could not move although I was bound by no restraints. I sat there, unmoving, tears streaming down my cheeks and dripping onto the bloodstained floor, my backbone protruding as I held onto my feet for dear life. The lashes kept coming, until I caved and gave my tormentors what they wanted most to hear.

"Stop fighting me!" Someone gritted out. Strong hands held me tight, and I struggled to escape them, throwing my head back and feeling it connect with flesh. My captor growled in pain, as I managed to get an elbow into his gut.

"No, no, no, no!" I screamed. I couldn't go back there. 

"Red, stop!" I recognised the deep voice, and stopped struggling. The hands that were wrapped tightly around my torso loosened as Tyler became reassured I wouldn't try to escape again. I peeled open my eyes, and felt the wetness on my cheeks from where I had been crying. Sitting up, I realised I was in the room where I had been locked up, in the bed. I looked around wildly, my body tense as I scanned the room for any signs of them.

It's just a dream. I told myself. It was just another nightmare. They can't hurt you anymore. Focusing on breathing in and out, I slowly calmed myself down. Tyler had gotten up from the bed, and was watching me worriedly. 

"You wanna tell me what that was all about?" He demanded. I swallowed and shook my head vehemently. 

"It was just a dream." The words sounded foreign coming off my tongue, like I was trying to convince myself more than he. 

"Didn't look like that to me." Tyler pushed. "You wouldn't stop screaming. You wouldn't wake up." He exclaimed. I looked at the bed covers. Isn't that a nicely patterned duvet?

"Just forget it." I replied, albeit a little harshly. He didn't care, why would he need to know? It would only give him more ammunition to destroy me. Tyler sighed, before looking defeated at the dropped tray of food on the ground. 

"I have instructed the pack that no harm is to come to you." He said, but trailed off. I watched him carefully as he ran a hand through his black hair, trying to decide what to do. "What were you thinking?" He suddenly asked. "Why did you do...what you did - and then try to leave?" I raised an eyebrow, and felt my wolf, as well as my temper, surfacing.

"Can you even hear yourself?! Don't be such a hypocrite!" I exclaimed. "You lock me up like an animal for a week, cut me off from the world, and then expect me to stay? I am a wolf, Tyler, and a Ranger! You know the effects of caging a wolf! The last time I locked her up, I destroyed an entire town! Have you considered how she feels?" I couldn't stop now, and my jaw was set in my anger. "Her mate, ignoring her like that. Every time we escape, you hunt us down like you want us to stay, and then avoid us like the Plague! You chastise me for trying to escape the wolves that are keeping me prisoner as though you wouldn't do the exact same thing in my position." I finished my little rant, and to say Tyler looked surprised was an understatement. 

He went to say something, but thought better of it, leaving without another word. I jumped at the door slamming shut, my still-mending ribs twinging in pain, and watched it for a few minutes, trying to process his sudden departure. My wolf whined at his lack of explanation. I sighed, and got up stiffly from the bed. I was no longer chained to it, as the post was still snapped in two from Tyler's strain.

I headed to the bathroom, and ran a hot bath. Looking in the mirror, I almost screamed at my appearance. My eyes had multiple bags under them, red and blotchy from the excessive crying, and one was swollen and black. My right cheek had a red mark, and there was a scratch above my black eye from a fisted hand. My pixie cut was wild and untamed, the golden highlights streaming through my fiery red hair like marathon runners.