One of Runts

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Five: Azrael

        I snap at the hand snaking towards me, causing the troublesome wolf to flinch away from me. It's not the first time they've done this and I have a feeling that it's not going to be the last. I strain against bindings in fury, snarling as loudly as I can.

        The wolves had finally managed to overpower me when Ever was knocked out and I had felt her bond snap out like a light. It was still there, of course, but since she was unconscious I was barely able to feel it. The rogues had knocked me out as well since I got distracted.

        I don't blame her at all since I was the one to get distracted. I'm just angry that I can't see her and I can barely feel our bond.

        My body thrashes around in my bindings. They originally had lighter ones on me but they snapped as soon as I caught ahold of Ever's bond. Now I'm stuck in shackles around my paws and legs, a collar around my neck, and a harness around my body. I barely have enough slack in my bindings to stand up but I'm using that to my advantage, no matter how small it may seem.

        The pup reaches towards me again and I bare my teeth at them letting out a bone-rattling snarl. Satisfaction radiates through me when the pup whimpers and presses himself against the ground. They had been waiting for me to snap and I'm perfectly fine with that. Annoying little runt...

        A whine sneaks through my growl at the word but I shake my head, glaring at the kid. Why the oh-so-powerful Alpha Steros decided to leave a pup as my guard, I have no idea. At least he's stopped trying to talk to me...

        The kid can't be any older than seven, though it's difficult to say since his skin is so dirty. I know his skin is pale though the hair is an unidentifiable color since it's so dirty and greasy. A part of me feels guilty for scaring and being aggressive at the pup, though the thing is being very annoying and I'm separated from my mate.

        The only thing about the runt that gives me pause is his eyes. They're familiar and I know I've seen that peculiar shade of amber before. I just can't figure out where.

        "You won't get out," the child tells me, sitting cross-legged in front of my cell. I cock my head to the side and narrow my eyes at him. What do you mean by that? I think to myself, eyeing up the boy. As if he heard my thoughts, he answers. "They put them in wolfsbane."

        My ears pin to my skull and my lips curl up in disgust. Wolfsbane is a nasty little drug that packs use only for the purpose of interrogation. It's supposed to completely block a mindlink—though apparently that is false with powerful mating bonds—and weaken a wolf. My studies told me that the inhalation of the scent of the flower, not the direct touch with it, is what makes the wolf weaker. It also has a nasty habit of potentially killing a wolf after ingestion if they are given a high enough dosage.

        And the worst part? I've been inhaling it for hours.

        So that's why I can't get out of these bindings, I think with a snarl. My ears splay to the side in disdain as the child goes to touch me again. Kid, I think harshly, if you know what's good for you, don't even think about it.

        As if he heard my thoughts, the kid's hand stops midair. My tail fluffs up in surprise as the boy giggles. I narrow my eyes at him and cock my head to the side. What? He giggles some more as he puts his hand down. "I can hear you," the boy says.

        I blink slowly at him. Come again?

        "I've heard everything you thought at me," he says, puffing out his small chest and sounding proud himself. He grins, finding my thoughts amusing. Now I know what it feels like when I did into another's mind for answers, I grumble to myself, and apparently at the pup as he laughs.

        Okay, kid, hear me out, here, I think at the pup. If you've been listening to my thoughts, then that means that you also know what you're doing here is wrong, right? The kid looks away from me. He doesn't even have the decency to pretend that he couldn't hear me even though he's obviously ignoring me.

        Unsure whether or not the kid can still hear me, I continue. I've got a mate out there. You do know what those are, right? He answers by turning away from me a little more. They're important to wolves, and by your scent, I know that you're a wolf. Obviously not full wolf considering the fact that you can hear my thoughts...

        I shake my head as much as I can in my restricted bindings to stop myself from getting completely side-tracked. But you're a wolf! You've got your own mate out there. You may be too young to understand that, but mates are everything to a wolf. Even more important than a wolf's pack. But what this place is? I think of where I woke up surrounded by half-dead looking wolves fighting one another for scraps, bound to a tree in crappy shackles. It's not a pack.

        The kid's mask seems to falter a bit as his shoulder shrink in on himself and he turns to me the tiniest bit. There is no reason why you should be here, helping these wolves to bad things to good people. Hey, look at me for a moment, I practically plead with the kid. I stare at him with earnest eyes until his amber ones meet mine. Let me tell you a secret. You know the king of wolves? Well, he's my uncle.

        The pup's eyes widen and he recoils from me as if I've just slapped him. Do you know what that means, pup? I ask him. He doesn't answer me and I put force into my voice when I ask him again, the power in it showing him how I'm not joking. He slowly shakes his head at my question.

        It means that I'm the good guy. I'm a prince. This kingdom that we're in, it's mine. I had realized not too long ago that I am the proper heir to this kingdom. My aggression has been in higher levels, along with my strength and healing, and there's no mistaking that the growl I emitted back when we first found out Conner has been giving out our information was a ruler's growl.

        The boy's eyes widen at my proclamation. Do you think it's okay to keep a prince away from his kingdom and princess? I ask the boy in a suddenly calm and soft voice. The boy seems to shake slightly as he shakes his head.

        Will you help me, young pup? I ask him. Will you help me save my kingdom?

        The boy is about to answer me when the cellar door is slammed open. The pup in front of me immediately reeks of fear as he shifts into a small dark gray furred wolf. He whines in fear and backs away from the cage and into the far corner as the silhouette of a man shows in the light.

        He reeks of rogues and carcasses, making my nose curl up in disgust. The pup is right to fear this man. I bare my teeth at him and snarl as he stops in front of my cage.

        Steros.

Author's Note:

Hi, everyone! Sorry it's taken me this long to post a chapter, but I hope it's worth it. And with all of the funny comments I've been getting from people to coerce me to write, I may even consider taking longer to post! Just to see those funny comments! Wouldn't that be amazing!!?? :3