The 27th

Chapter 9

They all awaited in silence, shrouded in the darkness, awaiting for the signal. When it was given, a low howl, the three groups got into position and moved. Arias was one of first in the door.

His groups split into threes. Two groups would go to the sides, looking for the stairs, while his group would go straight, to surround the humans with the groups that entered in the front.

There was no one. The first floor has been complete vacant, other then papers, desks and computers. The building was quiet, except for their feet echoing in the long halls.

"Get all papers. Find cars. Put in car and take." Sylerin called from somewhere in front of him.

"I found the stairs!" A werewolf called, echoing of the walls.

"Where?"

"Right side!" They backtracked and broke off the the right side, someone going up the stairs while some, including Arias stayed below.

"They are up here but some are missing!" Someone called from upstairs.

"How many?" Someone next to the stairwell opening called up.

"There's only 20 up here! There's 6 missing! We need more people up here to help them down!"

"You." Arias pointed to the wolves by the stairs. "Up." He turned to his enforcers and nodded. "We go."

They headed left, where along the walls were more closed off offices and then eventually lead back to the main front room. They missed something. They started to kick in the doors, knocking on the walls, moving rugs, desks shelves, pictures. The exposed every wall, every floor, not leaving anything untouched.

"κοίλος!" Osian called from further down. (Hollow) It was the smallest room, one used as what looked like to be a small library and coffee room. It looked normal, easily missed and looked over. When the small group liked in the room, Osian knocked again on the wall farthest from the door, it proving that this wall was indeed hollow.

Humans were stupid. They enforced the hidden door, made it of a strong steel but then left the walls around the room exposed, only covered by drywall, which they easily kicked a hole in.

They slipped in, sensor lights coming on, illuminating the hall with a yellow glow. It wasn't long but it opened to a very large room, littered with random tools and machines. Glass vials of who knows what sat on tables and filled the walls. The smell of the room made his lungs hurts. They kept going forward, though Arias felt odd. He felt like going right but he followed the others.

There, they found the missing 6. Two were dead, tossed carelessly into one room while the other four were separate. As soon as they were released, they ran to each other, mates having been bonded and then kept apart. It was possible the worst torture possible. It was both heart warming and heart breaking.

Then again, as they entered the laboratory room, Arias was hit with the same urge. He stopped and stared at that side of the room, an unknown force calling out to him.

Τι είναι αυτό? Τι τρέχει?" Someone asked him and placed a hand on his shoulder. The voice seemed to echo in his head, as if he were dissociating.

Arias couldn't fight it any longer, he weaved through the tables and machines where he turned a corner. There, was another one of those steel electric doors surrounded by a cage. He easily crushed the lock and pulled it off, the sound of it dropping to the tile floor echoed. This door radiated heat, sweat instantly collecting on his skin, and he hadn't even opened the door yet.

He pressed the button, full of anticipation. It opened slowly to the side, almost too slow, which animist angered him. Before the door was even opened the whole way, he saw a small figure lying on the floor.

It started with the pounding of his heart, a twitch of his hand, then to a tremble of his entire body. His stomach churned, clenched, as a pressure built up. He rumbled low and then released a growl so powerful that he didn't even recognize it. He shook uncontrollably, in complete rage, his throat closing up as he fought his shift.

"Go! βγες έξω! Leave!" Someone yelled from behind him, but he never broke his gaze from the small body on the floor. He knew exactly what she was to him and it enrage him, the pitiful state she was in.

She curled on the floor, in nothing but some sort of sheer gown. She was extremely pale and was drenched in sweat. Even unconscious she looked uncomfortable, in pain.

His first instinct was to touch her, to start the bond. She was hot to the touch, burning, even to him, who burned hotter than most. That worried him but what scared him more was that he did not feel her wolf calling back to him. He could touch her but he couldn't feel her, the calling.

He lifted her slowly, careful not to jarr her. He pulled her close by instinct. His wolf called out to hers but got not response, as if she wasn't there.

He made his way to one of the vehicles, cradling her to him as he sat down. The middle seat was left open but Osian occupied the other window seat. He was careful not to touch his mate, or even look at her too long. Arias's wolf was on edge and no one wanted to offend him for they didn't know the consequences of doing so. Silias occupied the passenger seat while a trusted wolf drove, the enforcers not knowing how to operate vehicles.

They drove at a quick pace, the car dripping at every curve and bump but Arias made sure that his mate didn't swing around too much or hit her head on the window. Now in the car, he finally has the time to look at her, to really look at her.

If it wasn't for the circumstances, he would have cracked a smile at how small she was. He had never seen so many freckles before, amazed, he traced them with his finger, imagining different designs and shapes. Her hair was shorter, laying around her neck at various heights, dark in color. Hers too had been chopped messily like the others.

Hair wasn't that important to their culture but females tend to pride themselves of their hair, how they look, though even the men had been shaved. By cutting it, it embarrassed then, saddened them. It was a sign of control, that whoever cut it had the power to do anything they wanted to them.

She was completely and utterly beautiful, making it hard swallow, or to even look at her for that matter. He didn't want her to look like this, to be in such a state of maltreatment. He didn't enjoy looking at her when she was in such pain and had experience such suffering He didn't want to meet his mate like this, but he did, and he couldn't change that. All he could was change her life for the better, and was going to ensure that.