The Wild Wolves

Chapter 4: Going Back

I woke up feeling really groggy and had a foggy vision. I blinked a few times to clear it, but it didn't work so I stopped trying. I looked around me and saw light coming from a window beside the bed and Leslie was sitting in a chair watching me. I jumped back in surprise.

"How long have you been there?"

"The same amount of time you've been laying there. I thought we had lost you."

"What and lose your precious experiment?"

"That's not what I said."

"It could have been. Your eyes said everything."

"I'll go tell the doctor you're awake." Perfect. I can escape. I'm not tied up and all I have to do is jump out a window. He left the room and I got up and jumped through the window. I shifted mid jump and ran as soon as my paws hit the ground knowing they were right behind me. I poured on some extra speed and ran until I saw a familiar road. I followed it and I was lead to Maddie's house. I scratched at the door. Maddie's dad opened the door and I ran inside. I hid in the corner away from the windows. Maddie, her mom, and Rhydian came into the room confused. Maddie's dad came towards me cautiously. I shrunk back into the wall and whimpered.

"Can you change back?" I shook my head no just realizing how much energy I had wasted getting here. I tried and I was able to half shift, but then I shifted back into my wolf. "Let me lead you somewhere you can rest." he lead me down into their basement and put me in a room with dog beds and food bowls. They filled the bowls and then locked me inside. I curled up on one of the dog beds and went to sleep. I dreamed about Leslie and my old pack again. I woke up and I shifted back into my human form. I knocked on the door to signal them to let me out. Maddie opened the door and hugged me. I winced and she let go.

"What's wrong?" I opened my mouth to answer, but no sound came out. I closed my mouth and held my throat "Did you lose your voice." I nodded. "Follow me." I followed her up the stairs and into the living room. I froze in the doorway, right outside the sight of the windows. Maddie went into the kitchen and came back out with the rest of the family. I assumed Maddie had told them about my voice, because her dad gave me an ipad opened to an app that speaks what you type in.

"Where were you?" Rhydian asked concern laced into every word. I typed in my answer and the ipad said,

"I was kidnapped when I was out running."

"By who?" Maddie's dad started asking the questions

"I don't know."

"Why did they want you?"

"Abelia is a very powerful and rare wolf. They wanted to know more about her."

"What did they want to know?"

"My pain tolerance, strength, and why I healed so quickly."

"How did you escape?"

"I jumped out a window when I was taken to the pack's hospital."

"Why were you in the hospital?"

"I had blacked out from all the pain."

"What did they do to you?"

"They tied me up, beat me, and hooked me up to machines that simulate the pain of all your bones breaking."

"Do you know where you were?"

"No. I only know one person there."

"Who were they?"

"A man named Leslie. My brother."

"How could your brother do this to you?" I didn't answer. The tears were coming so fast that I couldn't wipe them away in time. I feel to my knees and curled up in a little ball trying to block out the pain the memories gave me. They all rushed over and tried to comfort me, but I refused all of it. Once I was able to see again I typed in one word. 'Demon.' I slid the ipad away and I picked myself up and walked back down the stairs. I walked into the room and I broke down. I made sure to push something in front of the door so they couldn't get in. I shifted and howled. It was a howl full of pain and sadness, love and happiness.