The Flame Trilogy (Books I, II & III)

1.02

When I wake up again, there is a throbbing pain in my head and the familiar feeling of having had the shit beaten out of me. I'm still wearing the same clothes that I had on before. They're mere rags now, and they're starting to get stiff with the dried blood that covers them, not to mention the smell that almost has me gagging. My thigh burns sharply as I move, I look around hoping to find something to clean it with.

There is a draft in the room, well it's more of a prison. The floors are solid concrete and freezing cold; the coldness seeping through my clothes. There's a barred window above my head and a solid steel door directly in front of me. Not to mention the shackles around my wrists keeping me against the wall. I might be able to break through them, but that will only cause more problems in the long run.

They don't need to know that I'm different. As long as I can keep up the appearance of a Lone Wolf, things should be manageable.

There is a small tray not too far from me with a piece of mouldy bread and a cup of water. I have to stretch my foot towards it in order to reach it. It takes a couple tries before I can successfully drag it toward me. I fight the urge to scream as my wounds burn fiercely, but I manage through gritted teeth.

I use most of the water to clean the gash on my thigh. Now that it's been cleaned it should heal on its own, and thanks to my enhanced ability it should be healed in a few hours. Most of the scrapes and cuts that I had previously acquired are already gone.

It's mostly silent, and time passes. It feels like I've been in these cells for hours, maybe days. I lost track of my counting; since they aren't feeding me, my stomach has practically started eating itself with the lack of nutrition. I even blacked out a few times.

It's fairly dark, but with my vision I still have an alright view of my surroundings. Plenty of times, I close my eyes to just listen; sometimes listening is far more useful. I can hear the echo of footsteps in the stone corridors outside my cell. Anticipation builds within me- it's mealtime and I am more than grateful.

The sound of heavy booted feet comes closer, I can feel the overwhelming authority of whoever it is. This isn't a guard, this is someone entirely different. I can sense it from the unmistakable stench of dominance and masculinity. If I was anyone else- anything else- I may have bent my knee in submission.

He stops outside of my cell, and I bravely (or better yet stupidly) look him straight in the eye. He is a wolf clearly in his prime with his hulking muscles and chiselled face. His hair is midnight falling down to his ears in straight, clean cuts.

He stares at me with stormy eyes, obviously trying to figure me out, and I reciprocate accordingly. When he realises that I'm sizing him up, he growls. I simply continue to stare into his blue eyes, I do well at hiding my amusement at his dislike to my obvious disrespect.

This guy really does not like me. I'm going to end up getting myself killed with my attitude. He growls louder, this time giving me a small glimpse of his sharp teeth.

I can tell from the size of his canines that he wasn't the Alpha, maybe a Beta. Admittedly he exerts a sheer amount of dominance, it almost fooled me for a second. I can't be sure, I've never met pack wolves before; where I come from isn't exactly a pack so I don't know whether I could use it to compare to elsewhere.

"The Alpha has requested your presence." He speaks, his baritone deep. "You try anything, and I won't hesitate to kill you."

I hold my hands up in mock surrender which makes him narrow his eyes at me. Frankly I'm not surprised, I've been unresponsive the entire time that I've been here. He opens the cell door and I suck in a breath as he comes forward and blindfolds me. I feel him grab my arm in an unrelenting hold as he drags me, quite literally, out of the cell and to his Alpha.