Silenced

Chapter 7

I could feel him looking at me again as I turned the page in my book. Thomas Finn, as he had introduced himself, was my baby sitter for today. Judging by his build he was one of Willow packs fighters. He had light brown hair and equally warm brown eyes. His classic bedroom eyes and antsy demeanor gave away his age. Early twenties at the highest. I sighed and closed my book before looking up at him. He smiled at me. His face lit up with excitement. He had been waiting patiently for my attention for several hours.

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions? Off the record of course." He asked with a wink.

I shrugged. He could ask but there was no guarantee I would answer.

"How old are you?" He asked.

I raised an eyebrow. It wasn't what I had expected his first question to be.

"You look young but you don't act like a teenager..." He said.

I waited to see if he would guess. I didn't have to wait long.

"22?" He asked.

I shook my head.

"Younger...20?" He asked.

I tilted my head. He was getting close but not quite.

"21?" He asked.

I gave him another no.

He shifted running a hand through his hair deliberately. It gave it a just woke up ruffled appeal.

"Only 19..." He wasn't asking this time but I nodded anyway. He shook his head.

"Well, it seems like drinking is off of our list of potential things to do... Do you have any hobbies?" He asked.

I shrugged and held up the book. It was another lie but not intentional. I had never been big on reading. I was a physical person but under Alisa's orders I couldn't do major physical activities until I was "properly healed".

"I don't think I believe you but if you really want to spend the afternoon reading I'll try not to judge." He sighed. He sat back in his chair and I returned to my book. I didn't have to look to see how bored he was sitting quietly whilst staring at the ground. I sighed and closed my book again. This time I picked up my white board.

"How old are you?" I wrote.

"21." He answered with another smile.

"If you weren't baby sitting what would you be doing?" I asked.

"Hmm," He said. "Probably sleeping. I'm usually on night patrol so being awake during the day is throwing me off."

"Making you pull double shifts?" I asked.

"Nah, I volunteered." He said.

I shook my head. I didn't know why anyone would volunteer for this kind of job, especially not a fighter.

"I know, It looks bad." He stretched his arms behind his head. It was an obvious way to show off the muscles in his arms but I glanced at them anyway. It made me feel slightly queasy.

"I just had to get to know the girl that took down some of my friends without causing any physical damage." He added. "You must be a pretty good fighter?"

I shook my head. I wasn't very good at anything anymore.

"So secretive..." He said shaking his head. "It gives you that mysterious vibe. I like it."

I shook my head again this time with an eye roll. He appeared to be very forthright. It made me question his motives.

"What do you say we get out of here? We could go for a walk. Get some fresh air." He said. Another smile played on his lips but didn't light up his whole face like before. It was a secretive smile.

"Those were not your orders." The Betas voice made me flinch. I hadn't paid enough attention to notice when he had walked into the room. Thomas eyes widened and his smile vanished. He turned to face the beta.

"Beta Avi..." Thomas inclined his head. "I only meant to walk around the pack house. Show her the garden. We weren't going to go beyond the discussed perimeter."

My eyes shifted from Thomas to the beta. I had not been informed that there was a specific perimeter but I wasn't surprised to hear it. The reality of my confinement made me numb inside. There was nothing I could do. The alpha was the only one that could lift the orders and he was away at a meeting. Not that he would do it if he was actually here. I had tried to run away. It was foolish but I knew without a doubt I would do it again if they gave me a chance too.

"Thomas you are dismissed." The beta said. Thomas opened and closed his mouth a few times before looking back at me. I met his eyes briefly before looking at the beta again. The beta was clearly annoyed with what he had heard but it seemed misplaced. We had done nothing wrong. Thomas left with a small wave. The beta watched him until he disappeared behind the door before turning back to me. His annoyed expression eased as he looked at me.

"Some boys don't grow out of being a teenager until they are 30." He spoke at last. My brow furrowed in confusion and I glanced up at him.

"If he bothers you, if anyone bothers you, or makes you uncomfortable let me know and I will take care of it." I was even more surprised by this. I couldn't recall anyone offering to step in for me like that. The beta plopped down in the chair Thomas had been in. He glanced at my white board and raised his eyebrows.

"An actual conversation?" He asked. His eyes flickered over my face trying to read me. I nodded. "Did he tell you he practically begged for the extra hours?" He rolled his eyes and shook his head. I nodded again.

"Good. I don't force anyone to do anything and neither does Silas if we can help it." He said. "Your house arrest is because you broke an agreement that was in place for your protection as well as ours..." I glanced up again. It was unusual for someone so high up to attempt to explain their reasoning. I traced my thumb along the edge of the white board. I felt like I should speak to him as well. His reasoning made me want to provide some of my own. I erased the board slowly. It allowed me time to choose my words carefully.

"I meant no disrespect. I was leaving for your protection as well as my own." I turned his words against him. It felt a little petty, but it was mostly true. I couldn't imagine what would happen if he tracked me down. The beta sat up a little. His head tilted as he considered my words. I could feel his eyes on my face assessing again.

"Rylan..." He said carefully. "Willow pack is one of the largest packs on our continent. You are safe here. If your old pack, the rogues, or both come after you we will gladly handle it. What we don't want is to be blindsided because we weren't properly informed about what the hell is going on."

I swallowed. He was right. His words were more than reasonable. Except he was missing several key factors. Factors that had more control over my life than death its self. I stifled my fear with anger.

"What's going on is I escaped one tyranny only to end up in another. I don't have a wolf anymore. I just want to be free of the entire species and live a normal human life." I made sure to underline human. The beta stared at my words for several moments in silence. Waiting for his response made my words feel heavier. I hated that they might actually be trying to help me and I was being a bitch. I didn't have a choice though. If they knew the truth there was no way they could help even if they did still want to.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." The beta said quietly. He sat back in his chair and sighed. The front door opened. 

"You're late Cassy." He said without even turning around.