It took Sam's eyes a few moments to adjust to the imposing darkness. A small amount of light filtered through the imperfect seal of the gap behind her. She drew on her Alpha power, using her glowing red eyes to see through the darkness. She couldn't quite see in full detail, everything was tinged in a hazy greenish mist, but it was better than nothing.
Other wolves had asked her what it was like to see through Alpha eyes. The only explanation she had was that whatever you were focused on what heightened, everything else fading into the background, increasing her drive. Now, peering down the tunnel, the sections of wall closest to her faded out of her sight. She saw only the glimmer of the end of the tunnel as it extended ahead of her. Sam quickly gulped down the last of the water, hoping the cooler air would alleviate her thirst and chill her feverish skin.
She set of at a steady pace, unconsciously trying to minimise the noise she made, avoiding the clattering pebbles on the ground. Although the heat outside had been unbearable, Sam knew she would have preferred to be out there, in the open air and expansive lands. The tightness of the tunnel was oppressive. Only made worse by the lack of visible openings and undetermined end, creating a claustrophobic gap. Sam couldn't help but feel slightly stressed as she walked along, her pace speeding up slightly from her desire to escape the confines of the underground. Wolves never fared well in confined spaces, preferring the freedom of the outside air. Also the damp air and hard rocks brought back many memories that Sam preferred to leave undisturbed, as they gathered dust in the darkest confines of her mind.
As she walked along, a niggling thought disturbed her mind, and she fought with herself about whether she should check her phone. She wanted to know that Aiden had received her message, also wanting to confirm that he hadn't done anything stupid if he had. But she knew that looking at the bright screen would disrupt her acclimatisation to the darkness. Also a small part of her didn't want to feel so reliant on Aiden, as if checking her phone would confirm that she cared about him. To hell with it, she exclaimed. Of course I care about him, checking my message isn't going to change that. In the end she decided against checking, knowing that although the not knowing would antagonise her, the presence or absence of a message would distract her, making her think about Aiden when her mind needed to be focused on other things. Having made her decision, she forced Aiden to the back of her mind, continuing her treck through the damp tunnel.
It was at times like this, when she was lost in her own thoughts yet trying to avoid thinking about one thing, that she missed the presence of Malou in her mind. She used to love the conversations she had with her wolf. Malou had been wise beyond her years, but also devilishly cunning, using her words to trick and entice. Sam had loved the mind games they'd played, Malou continuously keeping her on her toes. She knew that since Malou's individuality had disappeared they had become one, meaning that she had gained in wisdom and cunning, rather than having to rely on Malou for those things, yet a small part of her still wondered whether her wolf had disappeared for another reason. She couldn't help but wonder whether her wolf had been repressed by the DIR, but it didn't make sense for them to do that. Surely if they had repressed Malou she wouldn't be able to shift anymore. Also, their experiments were reliant on the animalistic nature of the werewolves, and therefore, if anything, they would want Malou to become stronger.
But their torturous methods obviously had implications beyond anything they could have foreseen, including causing the permanent merge of human and wolf, as they desperately fought to survive. Combining their forces to remain strong. Sam was grateful for what had happened, knowing she wouldn't have survived had they remained separate. Yet she still missed the wolf's presence in her mind. Her absence was one of the things she would hate to have to tell her mate, knowing that their wolf would have no one to bond to, would have to be alone forever. That was her greatest fear. Yes she was afraid that her mate would fear her for her actions, for her past. But most of all that their mate would reject her because she lacked a wolf.
She wondered how many other DIR recruits were like her, out in the world without their wolves. She couldn't imagine anyone surviving the DIR's process without merging with their wolf, the torture would kill anyone fighting alone. How many other wolves had survived the process? That was a question she'd always asked herself, a question to which she had no answer. All successful recruits were never allowed to interact with each other, from fear that they would collude and fight back. A lone wolf, even a rebellious one, was considered easy to quell. Although Sam had proven them wrong in that respect. But a pack of them would be a unity to fear.
As she wandered through the dark tunnel, a memory rose in her mind. When she'd taken over the compound in the Rockies, their leader had called her "the first successful experiment". Which meant there must be others out there. I'll find them! She swore to herself, feeling hopeful despite the bleakness of the stone walls around her. After she took down this compound, and if she survived the mission, she would find the others out there. The others who like her, were broken and desperate. Ticking time bombs waiting to go off. And one day, I'll find my mate. One day I'll be brave enough to be present at a mating event. At the thought, an image of Aiden rose unbidden into her mind. Confused, she shook her head, dispelling the picture.
Having entered the tunnels about six kilometres away from where the main compound's location, Sam expected that the walk would take her about an hour, perhaps slightly longer if the path wasn't direct. She had hoped that she would be able to run it, but she knew that in the darkness, running would be dangerous even with her heightened werewolf sense, and she needed to conserve as much energy as possible for whatever would face her in the compound. Her thoughts kept her occupied as she walked, although she kept her mind alert, constantly on the lookout for potential dangers. Finally, she reached a fork in the tunnel. She'd been walking for about seventy minutes, in what had felt like a straight line, so she expected to come across the compound soon. Straining her ears, she listened for any sounds that might indicate which direction to follow. For a few moments she didn't hear anything, then a sound came from her right, a babbling of human voices that grew louder and then disappeared. Curious, Sam set off down the right tunnel, keeping close to the stone walls. After a few hundred metres, she reached a dead end.
A ladder was embedded in the far wall, leading up to a steel trap door above. Sam slowly inched her way up the rungs, ears peeled for the sound of movement above her. When she heard none, she gently pushed open the door above her, revealing the clinical corridors of the compound.
Hey readers! Hope you're enjoying the story. Please don't hesitate to send me feedback, and to vote and comment on the chapters you like. My aim is to write a book that you can just lose yourself in, as if you're living the story, so please let me know whether it feels like that! Also, an update for length, I have two more chapters to go until I finish this section of the story, and then I'll be editing for a while, so please send me advice and feedback regarding what you want to see in the edits! (I'm thinking some more smut chapters with Aiden and Liam... or maybe some dream scenes... just let me know - feel free to message if you don't want to comment!) xx
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Permission to escape - The Rogue Pack
Werewolf"You, I was thinking of you" she admitted. Aiden groaned, curling his hands around's Sam's waist as she spoke, her words like an enchantment to his ears. Her body fit into his perfectly, her short height of 5'2'' only adding to his sense of dominanc...
