Captive Wolf

by Kyrii Rayne

  Another wolf. Feeding on Rick. Blood pooled around Rick's dead, aimless stare.

  "Oh God," Allan whimpered.

  The wolf turned toward him. Allan shook his head and backed away. Her silver fur glittered under the fluorescent lights and her blue eyes ran deep. She growled, baring her fangs.

  Allan remembered Tim's training.

  "Drop," he told himself. "Drop and stare at the ground."

  He followed his instruction and dropped to his knees. Staring at the ground in front of him. The wolf continued to glare. The door shook under the stress of more scratching and banging outside. Howling. Barking.

  Smoke crept in from the bottom crack of the door.

  Allan held his breath and edged his fingers into his pocket for more bullets. He tucked the gun behind his back and closed his eyes, trying to envision the bullets as he loaded the gun.

  The scratching turned more intense. He was sure that the door would give at any moment. The wolf in front of him paced. Glaring at Allan as she let out a long, steady growl. A few seconds later, she leapt at him.

  The gun fired.

  The door crashed in.

  The wolf fell dead still at Allan's feet. Seconds later, the silver did its work, eating away at the virus and leaving almost nothing behind. The fur, skin, and bones all crumbled in front of him in an instant. All that was left was a small, sickly version of Sara's human body, her skin clinging to her bones as if the muscles beneath had disintegrated, charred and covered in ash from the chemical burns left by the silver.

  Another growl from behind. He turned, gun straight out in front of him, ready to fire. A claw swiped at his head before he could pull the trigger. Amber knocked the gun from Allan's hand.

  She glared at Allan as he screamed and held onto his bleeding arm.

  Another paw came down on his shoulder. He shook his head again as James clamped down on his neck with his fangs.

  Chapter Ten

  After seeing the wolves transform in front of him, Garrett held his breath and ducked into one of the side rooms, making sure to stay out of sight until he was ready. He grabbed the bottle from around his neck, and yanked out the cork. The scent attacked his sinuses and burned his eyes. He felt as though he was back in basic training for the military and forced to walk through tear gas. But he remembered Sara's warning. Her pack was well trained, and they knew friend from foe. But she couldn't guarantee his safety if he chose to jump into the middle of a battle with them. Even with this.

  He squeezed his eyes shut tight and poured the bottle over the back of his neck, trying to make sure it sprayed over as much of him as possible. The stench dried in his throat and gagged him.

  This better work, he told himself as he shook the last drops out of the bottle.

  He glanced around the room and took in a deep breath. Then he cocked his head to the side and cracked the door open.

  Seconds later, a wolf landed in front of the door. The deep blue eyes bore into him. Garrett glanced down at the floor and waited.

  The wolf rocked from foot to foot. Rubbing her nose around his face and sniffing. She backed up and nudged him before bounding further down the hall toward the sound of more gunfire. Confident and triumphant, Garrett pulled and loaded his gun, grabbed the pack filled with the homemade bombs, and ran to join in the fight.

  *****

  Allyson's ears rang as the bullet ricocheted of the cinderblocks. Her fangs sank deep into Tim's neck and her claws ripped across his chest.

  More explosions erupted from the other side of the debris. Each one causing more cinderblocks and ceiling beams to fall. She tried to scramble and jump out of the way as a large wooden beam collapsed on top of her. It caught her leg and pinned her to the floor. The smell of burnt fur joined the dust in the air, scratching at the back of her throat as she pulled at the beam.

  "Tim!"

  Someone else called out from the other side of the blockage.

  Cinderblocks fell from the door, creating a small hole. Allyson managed to pull herself free from the debris just as two more hunters crawled through.

  "Oh shit," one said as he realized the new danger facing him.

  Allyson leapt at them. Her claws swiped across their flesh, killing them with ease as she crawled through the opening and out into the hallway. She took in a deep breath and glanced around the hallway of the bunker. Shadows darted in and out of the smoke. Howls echoed through the air from all directions.

  Amber landed in front of Allyson. They sniffed each other for a couple of seconds before Amber bounded back up the hallway to rejoin the fight. The number of gunshots faded and the intensity of the howling grew.

  Allyson readied herself to jump after Amber. She leaned back and launched off her hind legs, only to be caught around the neck in a new snare. She yelped and fell on her chest, shaking her body back and forth as she tried to force the wire off her neck.

  No good.

  She grabbed at the wire with her claws, trying to break through or pull it loose.

  Nothing worked.

  To her dismay, the wire tightened, cutting off her breath. The man at the other end of the snare grimaced and smirked, wrestling with the pole as she struggled against him.

  "I told Tim to put you down," he snarled at her. "He didn't want to listen. Wanted to prove himself. And look where it got him. Oh, you're a beauty though, aren't you. Too bad you're going to crumble and fade like ash, because I could sure use a new trophy to decorate my walls at home."

  Allyson snapped and howled against the pressure put on by the snare.

  Nicholas reached behind him and pulled a gun from his waistband.

  Amber and another wolf jumped in from behind Allyson. Nicholas fired the gun at one, killing Gene. He whirled around and dodged Amber's attack. Allyson grabbed the snare and jerked Nicholas off his feet. Amber turned back around and pounced on him. Nicholas screamed as Amber ripped through his flesh with her fangs.

  He fell back into a wall just as another bomb exploded. He jerked back, pulling the snare with him. Amber bounded out of the way as the wall crumbled on top of Nicholas and Allyson.

  *****

  Upstairs, Garrett walked into a meeting room. Computers lined the edges of a large table. Phones hung on the wall every few feet. Maps and blueprints littered the table and floors.

  "I heard you turned on us," Steven said from behind Garrett. "But I never thought you would have brought them straight to us."

  Garrett shook his head.

  "I didn't bring this to you. Tim did when he grabbed Allyson."

  "You really expect me to believe all this is over one girl? One wolf?"

  Steven laughed, as if utterly sure of himself. Two more chuckles came from behind him. Garrett glanced over at the hunters separating him from the rest of the invaders.

  Seven. Each ready to pounce.

  "You can believe what you want. Let the two wolves go and you may even live to see the sun."

  Neil screamed curses at him and jumped behind Garrett with a club at the ready. Garrett ducked and twirled. He swung his arms out and caught Neil in the back with his fists, knocking Neil to his knees.

  One by one, more men jumped in while Steven stood back and watched. Garrett batted each one away from him. Fists clapped against jaws, but they scrambled back to their feet to attack again.

  Garrett pulled his gun and pointed it at John's head.

  "Enough!" Steven yelled. The rest of the men stopped in their tracks and glared at him. He turned to Garrett. "The two wolves are in the prison. Two floors down. Tim said he wanted to do some research on them. I don't know what types of things he did, but I imagine it wasn't anything friendly."

  "And that's it? You're just going to let me go?"

  Steven stared at Garrett without blinking.

  "I don't like wolves. I think they need to be put down. But I don't believe in torturing them either. A quick, easy death so I can move on to the next one is best. No suffering. But Tim? He's lost it. He's too far into reveng
e over Eddie to think straight. You get your wolves, I get to live to hunt another day."

  Garrett nodded and glanced around at the men still on the floor. He shook his head and headed toward the door.

  Neil glared at Steven and stood up, aiming a gun at Garrett's shoulder blades.

  "No!" Steven yelled and jumped into Neil.

  Garrett turned around and fired.

  When the smoke cleared, Steven held his stomach and sank to his knees. Neil fell, Garrett's bullet buried between his eyes.

  "Steve?"

  Steven turned his face up to Garrett and fell over to his side.

  *****

  By morning, blood filled most of the bunker. Blood spattered against the walls, reminding Garrett of a scene out of a horror movie.

  The fluorescent lights flashed on and off, adding to the eerie scene. Hunters and wolves alike lay dead or dying on the floor. Garrett held his breath as he crept around the bodies.

  Amber lay unconscious on the floor of the galley. He crawled over to her and checked her pulse. Still strong.

  "Hey," he whispered and tapped her cheek.

  She shook the fog from her head and glanced around the room.

  "Garrett."

  He nodded.

  "We won," she said with a smile.

  "I... What? How do you know?"

  "Because we're alive. Where's Allyson?"

  He shook his head and crawled over to the next body. James woke up before he got there.

  "Ugh," he grunted and jumped to his feet. "Sara? Sara!"

  "You must be James," Garrett said.

  James glared over at Garrett and nodded.

  "You saved my life," he said to Amber. "After that hunter killed Sara, you helped me kill him and kept him from shooting me."

  Amber smiled.

  "Nice to meet you," she whispered.

  "Wait. Sara's dead?" Garrett asked. His heart sank. Guilt tied his stomach into knots. "She...."

  "She knew this was a risk, Garrett. We all did."

  Garrett shook his head and stood up.

  "I have to find Allyson."

  His eyes bounced between the piles of crumbled bones and ash. Every pile made his heart stop beating. His palms sweat.

  "Oh my God, Allyson," Amber mumbled. "I know where she is." Amber jumped and ran over to the collapsed wall. She smiled at the small foot sticking out from between fallen cinderblocks. "Here, she's here."

  James and Garrett ran over and started pulling debris off the pile. Minutes later, more wolves joined them. Garrett's heart thumped against his chest.

  Finally, the last cinderblock fell away, revealing Allyson's battered body, Nicholas's snare still wrapped around her neck. Garrett pressed his ear against her chest and listened for a heartbeat.

  "She's alive," he whispered.

  "Of course she is," said Amber. "She didn't turn to ash."

  She grabbed Allyson's arm and started pulling her away from the pile.

  "I got her," said Garrett. He slid his hands under Allyson and scooped her up. "Can you get that thing off her?"

  "Right," said James. He grabbed the snare and jerked it loose, slipping it off over her head.

  *****

  Traveling back to the cabin was fast and quiet. With the lunar cycle over, they worried less about being tracked and more about getting the wounded treated. Several of the wolves separated from the main group when they reached the cave which had been acting as their den.

  James and Amber continued with Garrett.

  Back at the cabin, Garrett brought Allyson inside and laid her across the bed in the bedroom. James stayed with Amber outside.

  "So, I was thinking you could join us," said James.

  "Join you?"

  "Travel with us to Montana."

  "I don't -- I hadn't thought about it."

  "So. Don't think about it. Just come with us."

  Garrett walked outside.

  He grimaced at James's proposal.

  "You want her to join a pack? It's too dangerous."

  "Too dangerous? Listen, Garrett, no offense, but it wasn't the pack that got your girlfriend captured and almost killed."

  "But--."

  "He's right, Garrett," said Amber. "I love you and Allyson and I will always consider you two my best friends. I will always be grateful for the help you've given me. But it's more dangerous to try to live without a pack than it is to be in a pack."

  Garrett shook his head.

  "There will be more hunters. Tim and his group are just one group out of hundreds. And finding packs is easier for hunters to do than finding the lone wolf."

  "That might be so, but packs are better at protecting their own than the lone wolf can be against a group of hunters. We need to stick together. And leaving gives us a chance to live free without taking the chance of hurting anyone."

  Garrett glanced back at the cabin and kicked the dirt. Clear skies gave way to large flakes of snow.

  "Can you wait? Can you at least just wait until Allyson wakes up? She deserves the chance to thank the ones who helped get her out of there. And she'll want to say goodbye to you, Amber."

  "No, Garrett," said Amber with a tear forming along her eyelashes. "I know what will happen if we stay. She'll try to convince me to stay for good. And she'll probably succeed, too."

  Chapter Eleven

  Garrett couldn't help but wonder if part of Amber's sudden decision to leave was due to the kiss she had given him a couple days before. He walked up to Amber and grabbed her hand.

  "You don't have to do this, Amber. You know you're welcome to stay with me and Allyson as long as you like. It doesn't have to be awkward."

  Amber smiled and shook her head.

  "That's not why I want to leave. This is my chance, Garrett. My chance at happiness and love. I think I was built for this."

  "I'm not sure I follow."

  "You said Allyson couldn't remember things. Even after months she's barely starting to bring memories over with her when she transforms. It might get easier for her in time, but I think for me, it was easier because I was already a pack animal. I was already half way there. You and Allyson, you're trying to balance between worlds. And that's great. I think if anyone can do it, you two can. But me? I'm not built that way. And if I can't be a wolf in Seattle, then at least I can be a wolf with other wolves."

  Garrett looked over Amber's shoulder at James.

  "Are you absolutely sure? Allyson's going to be so upset if she wakes up and sees you gone. Can't you just wait until she wakes up?"

  Amber shook her head.

  "They want to get out of here. We're going to leave Washington and head to Montana somewhere. Maybe even Canada. Away from people. So we can just live free."

  Garrett nodded and let go of her hands as James walked up and placed an arm around her shoulders.

  "If you need anything. Anything. You have my number. Okay? Call me from anywhere and we will come."

  James nodded and guided Amber away from Garrett.

  Garrett walked back inside the cabin and sat down in the chair next to the bed. He propped his head in his hands, intending to relax for a moment. A few hours later, Allyson's eyes opened and glanced at Garrett.

  She smiled and grabbed his hand.

  "Hey." Her voice cracked and made her cough.

  But it worked nonetheless.

  Garrett woke up and smiled at her.

  "You're okay."

  Allyson nodded and patted down her torso and legs.

  "A little sore, but yes. I knew you were going to get me out of there. But what about Amber? Is she okay?"

  Garrett chuckled and crawled up onto the bed next to Allyson. He brushed Allyson's hair away from her face and shook his head.

  "Before we get into all that, there's something that... Forget it."

  He cut himself off and crushed his lips against hers. Allyson threw her arms around him and kissed him back. She leaned back in the bed and smiled.

  "She's fine. On her way to Mo
ntana."

  "Montana? What the hell did you do to her to make her want to go all the way to Montana?"

  The End…. (for now...)

  Find out more in Book 3

  ‘Plague Wolf’

  You’ll find a review just after the ‘About the Author’ section of this book.

  About the Author

  Kyrii Rayne has always been fascinated by the paranormal – by the possibilities hidden in the world around us. She enjoys writing stories that explore those possibilities – and the challenges they bring to the lives of her characters, especially when it comes to finding love.

  She lives in Australia, and travels a lot – and always listens to the old folk tales everywhere she goes – there are story ideas everywhere!

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  Here is your preview of

  Plague Wolf

  Wolf Wars– Book 3

  Kyrii Rayne

  Chapter One

  "We're out of coffee," Garrett yelled across the house.

  Silence answered him. He turned around and waited to hear from Allyson. Still nothing.

  "Allyson?"

  He walked through the house over to the front room as he called her name. In the front room, he stopped and smiled at Allyson asleep on the sofa. Garrett shook his head and grabbed the afghan from her shoulders. The clock read 7:42 AM.

  He knelt next to her and stroked the hair along her eyebrow until she moaned and rolled over.