by Cheree Alsop
“Go ahead, cur. Walk away like the coward you are,” Rhett goaded. “Prove your worthlessness and live up to expectations by running away.”
Actually, it would feel great to hit someone. I spun around and clocked Rhett in the head with a haymaker. He stumbled backwards a few steps. Blood showed at the corner of his lip where my fist had connected. He put a hand to it, them brought his fingers down and looked at the blood.
A slight smile touched his lips. “That’s it, freak. Maybe you’ve got a bit of fight in you after all!”
The spectators crowded forward into a circle. Rhett walked around me. I was careful to face him at all times. I had never actually fought before, not with fists instead of guns at least. I figured pointing that out wouldn’t help me at the moment. Whenever I backed against the circle of observers, someone shoved me forward into the middle. I gritted my teeth and faced Rhett with the hope that werewolves had at least some fighting instincts that would help me.
Several punches later, I realized that wasn’t the case. As hard as I tried to hit him, he slipped past my flying fists and land a punch of his own before dancing free. Only the first punch where I had caught him by surprise connected.
“What’s wrong, cur?” Rhett spat. “Not only are you not an Alpha, you’re not even a werewolf! Who fights like that?”
He landed yet another jab to my cheekbone. I felt it split under the blow. The sensation of blood trickling down my cheek wasn’t my favorite.
“First blood!” someone called out.
“The newbie drew blood first!” a girl corrected. “He split Rhett’s lip!”
“That was a surprise hit; it doesn’t count,” the first argued.
“Can’t you hit me, freak?” Rhett teased as he dodged away from another haymaker.
If the blow had connected, the werewolf would probably be laying unconscious on the ground; unfortunately, his quick footwork and lightning-fast reflexes meant I received a punch above my ear that multiplied my headache by a hundredfold.
It was the last straw. The wolf inside me surged and I let it go. I leaped at Rhett and phased so quickly my paws slammed into his stomach before my feet had even touched the ground. He landed on his back with a shout. I lowered my muzzle and closed my fangs so that they touched the flesh of his exposed neck. He froze at the touch.
“Break it up!” a man shouted.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the werewolves give way again to reveal a man with dark skin and a very disapproving expression on his face. That disapproval deepened when his eyes landed on us. I backed off while keeping my gaze on Rhett in case he made any sudden moves. Fortunately for him, he appeared content to sit up slowly and watch me.
“The rules of the Den are very specific,” the man who had appeared said. I caught a glimpse of the wolf head brand on his forearm that matched Meg’s and the one on Stix’s arm. “Phasing to wolf form during a fight not only expels one to the cage for the night, you’ll get a week of rounds to cool your temper.” His brow creased and he said, “Who are you? I don’t recognize your wolf.”
“He’s the newcomer, Roundy,” a girl said.
“Yeah,” another echoed. “And he’s cute in both forms.”
They giggled.
“He attacked me,” Rhett said, seeing his opening. “I almost died, Dad. He’s a loose cannon.”
Roundy glanced from me to the other werewolf. “Coming from you, I’d say you deserved it.”
Rhett opened his mouth to argue, then shut it again and lowered his gaze sullenly.
Roundy looked back at me. “Unfortunately, newcomer or not, we have rules here that must be followed. Go phase and report to the first tunnel. You’ll be spending the night in the cage. Maybe that’ll warn you to take it easy around here. Peace at the Den depends on respecting those who live here.” His voice gentled and he said, “You’ll figure it out quickly enough. Just give it time.” He looked at the werewolves who were watching us. “The rest of you, scatter. It’s bad enough that none of you thought to warn our new friend of the consequences. Egging on a fight is just as bad as participating. Stick around and you’ll be spending the night in the cage with him.”
They left quickly at the threat in his words, and Rhett went with them. Roundy gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry about that, but rules are rules. It’s my job to see that they’re obeyed. I’ll give you a few minutes to collect your things.” He walked away to leave me standing in the now empty teenage hangout area.
I hadn’t taken the time to pull off my shirt when I phased, or unbuttoned my pants, which left them ripped and tattered from the force of changing form. Embarrassment filled me at the thought of phasing and wearing them in shame. I was really beginning to hate the Den.
“Hey.”
I glanced back at the sound of Kiyah’s voice. She stood in the doorway of the room with a troubled expression on her face.
She lowered her gaze at my look. “It’s my fault you got in trouble.” She looked back at me through her streaked hair. “To be fair, I didn’t ask you to defend me.” Her gaze flitted around the room in which I still stood in wolf form. “That doesn’t happen here. What you said about hitting girls and all that. It’s every wolf for themselves. Girls, boys, it doesn’t matter. Chivalry is something I’ve read about in books or see in movies.” She shook her head. “I never actually thought it existed in real life.”
I wanted to tell her it did exist. At least in my family, my dad had always taught us to respect girls, to open the door for them, carry heavy things for them if needed, and to talk respectfully whenever one was present. But I couldn’t say anything in wolf form and I sure wasn’t about to phase in front of her.
I lowered my head and grabbed my torn pants in my mouth with the thought of finding somewhere to phase that would give me at least a shred of privacy.
“I know where you can get more clothes,” Kiyah offered. At my look, she smiled sheepishly. “It’s the least I can do for getting you into this mess.”
I dropped the pants and took a step toward her. She walked past me instead and led me to the opposite side of the room.
“I’ve never seen anyone phase so quickly. You sure caught Rhett by surprise.” She looked at me over her shoulder. “I was supposed to go home with my dad, but I gave him the slip. I had to watch what you’d do.” A grin crossed her lips. “We don’t have many unpredictable werewolves around here. It’s discouraged because it causes disorder. You’ll be lucky if rounds don’t knock it out of you.” Her voice lowered and she said, “But I hope not, because today was the most excitement we’ve had around here in months.”
She pushed open a door against the far wall. A dark, bricked tunnel was revealed. Kiyah pressed a button on the wall near the door and warm lights flooded the hallway.
“We don’t use the outside passages much, so they’re perfect for times like these when you want to get away without a crowd watching,” she said as she led the way. She glanced back at me. “And there’s always a crowd watching around here. You’ll be lucky to have any privacy, especially when Rhett starts telling everyone what happened. They’ll all be watching.” She shook her head. “It’s positively annoying.”
She passed several doors, then opened one that looked like all the others. The scent of laundry detergent filled my nose when I followed her inside. I wondered if that was how she knew which door she was looking for.
Two women and two men were busy pulling sheets from one of the big machines that took up an entire wall of the room.
One of the women gave me a curious look.
“Kiyah, why is your friend in wolf form?” Her gaze shifted to me. “You know it’s not night yet. Meg won’t be pleased.”
“He, uh, lost a bet with Rhett,” Kiyah quickly replied. She shot me a look. “I’m helping him save face by finding him some clothes. Can you help me, Bri? I’d really appreciate it!”
The woman looked around. “I’m sure we can scrounge up something. Restocks are a bit scarce until Meg send
s out another supply run. I have a list a mile long for rounds. They’ll be thrilled.”
She grabbed a few items and handed them to Kiyah. “This should help.” She speared with me a chiding expression. “And stay away from Rhett. He’s always causing trouble.” She turned away from us and shook her head as she mumbled, “That boy’s gonna fail the Gauntlet if he doesn’t learn to control his temper.”
“Ferris made it through,” the other woman pointed out.
Bri laughed. “Yeah, well, I still say it’s because he had Roundy for a partner. Anyone would make it through with Roundy.” Her expression sobered and she said, “And that was before the new Gauntlet. We’ll be lucky if there’s any kids left.” She shot Kiyah an apologetic glance. “Sorry, girl.”
Kiyah shrugged with a smile, but I could see the worry in her eyes when she replied, “It’s no big deal. We’ve all got to do it, right?”
Bri nodded, but she didn’t look any happier at the thought.
Kiyah pulled the door open again and motioned for me to follow her out. She gave a sigh of relief when the door shut behind us. “Thank goodness for Bri. If Kat was there, she would’ve reported us to my dad.” She shook her head. “That last thing I need is for Dad to throw both of us in the cage.” She gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry.” She set the clothes on the ground and backed away. “Go ahead and phase. I’ll wait around the corner. Just, well, just hurry. You never know who might show up back here.”
I did as she said. It felt much better to put on the dark blue tee-shirt and basketball shorts than the clothes I had destroyed. At least I would be able to sit in whatever the cage was with some modicum of modesty.
The thought of being in a cage put me on edge. I had already been in far too many cages in my life. I hated being trapped, and I knew that wasn’t just my wolf side talking. No creature, human, monster, or animal, should be in a cage. When I was younger, I has set my kindergarten class’ pet hamsters free. The teacher had scolded me saying that the animals weren’t equipped to survive on their own. I remembered the look of horror on her face when we found a bunch of baby hamsters behind the paper cupboard a few months later.
“You ready, newbie?” Kiyah called.
“Finn,” I replied.
She poked her head around the corner. Upon seeing me clothed, she crossed toward me. “What?”
“My name,” I replied. “It’s Finn, not newbie.”
She shrugged. “Around here, you’ll be newbie until another one shows up, which is probably going to be never. Sorry about that.”
I stifled a sigh of acceptance. With any luck, I wouldn’t be around when the next werewolf showed up to take the title.
“Off to the cage?” she asked.
I nodded. “I guess so. Do you know where it is?”
“Unfortunately,” she replied. “But don’t worry. We’ve all spent our fair share of time there.”
I gave her a horrified look. “Your dad made you stay in there?”
She nodded with a sigh. “He has to be fair and all that.” Her expression darkened. “Though if you ask me, stealing chocolate from Minnie isn’t exactly grounds for caging, if you know what I mean.”
“I don’t think anything should be grounds for caging,” I replied.
She had taken several steps down the hall before she gave a little exasperated sound. She spun around to face me and walked backwards to say, “You know what? You’re right! Nobody should be caged. It’s ridiculous and a violation of our inborn rights! Why should I be caged for stealing chocolate? Couldn’t he have just told me not to take it? And as for being fair, Reba was right there with me and she didn’t get punished!” She huffed. “That’s what’s not fair!”
I didn’t realize my comment was going to open such a can of worms. I cleared my throat and said, “Maybe he thought he was teaching you a lesson?”
She was fuming when she replied, “Caging his child? He always says I have to be an example to Max and Missy, but they’re six now. What’s he going to do if they make a mistake?”
“Throw them in the cage?” I guessed.
She stomped a foot. “Yes, throw them in the cage.” She shook her head. “It’s the easy answer, I guess. We’re parenting with champions here.” She glanced at me. “I don’t suppose you got caged when you were younger?”
I shook my head. “No. Nobody gets caged where I’m from unless they do something really bad and get thrown in jail. But that’s for people who threaten lives, murdering and stealing and all that.” I paused and quickly corrected, “Not exactly like stealing chocolate, unless you get caught shoplifting. You might go to juvie for that.”
“What’s juvie?” she asked.
“It’s another kind of cage,” I replied.
She nodded as if that made perfect sense. We continued on in silence until she looked back at me. “I’m still sorry you have to spend your first night in the cage. It doesn’t seem fair.”
I forced a nonchalant smile and said, “I’ll be fine.”
Her eyes narrowed as she watched me. It made me uncomfortable. “What?” I asked.
Red brushed her cheeks and she turned away. “Nothing.”
I refused to let it drop. “What is it?”
She glanced back at me, then ducked her head again to hide behind her silver and pink hair. “I was just, uh, wondering if all the boys outside the Den are as handsome as you.”
I felt heat rise with my own embarrassment and looked away before she could see how her words affected me. “There’s all types out there,” I said blandly.
She turned a corner and began to whistle. It made me smile to see her uncomfortable as well.
“Can I ask you a question?” I dared to ask.
She stopped whistling. “Sure.”
“Do you think you could show me where they’re keeping my friend? I just want to check on him before I’m locked up in a cage all night.”
She considered my request for a moment. “That sounds fair. But if we’re caught, I’ll be thrown in the cage, too.”
“We won’t get caught,” I reassured her. “I just need to know he’s alright.”
“I guess that can’t harm anything,” she said. “It’s not far.”
Chapter Three
Kiyah slowed before we reached the tunnel she was looking for. We listened for any sign that others were around. It was strange to see someone else use their ears and nose the same way I was learning to. It made me feel less alone in a strange, almost desperate way I kept to myself.
Kiyah led me to the end of the tunnel. I could smell Vicken’s earthy, blood-tinged scent and my heart sped up. Kiyah pushed open the door a crack, peeked inside, then opened it wider. The smell of blood flooded out.
“Vicken?” I said as soon as I entered the room.
The sight of his pale, still form chained to a circular platform at the far end of the room made my blood run cold. I ran to the platform and dropped to my knees.
“Vicken, wake up,” I pleaded.
His head turned with my shaking and my breath caught in my throat. Dark blood coated the side of his face.
“What happened?” I whispered in shock.
I touched the blood and pulled my fingers back to check. The fluid was too dark. A puddle beneath his head showed that nobody had tried to stop the bleeding. Head wounds always bled more than other wounds and he had definitely lost too much.
“Vicken, you stay with me,” I said, forcing my voice to remain steady.
“I don’t know what happened to him,” Kiyah said.
I ignored her and yanked my tee-shirt off. I tore it into long strips.
“Easy,” I whispered, hoping he could hear me.
I wrapped the strips around his head to keep pressure against the wound. I didn’t know if he even had enough blood left to bleed anymore. The thought made my heart tighten in fear.
“He needs blood,” I said to Kiyah. I brought my wrist to my mouth.
“What are you doing in here?” an angry voice d
emanded.
I looked back to see Stix storm into the room with four other werewolves.
“He just wanted to check on his friend before he went into the cage,” Kiyah replied quickly.
Stix’s gaze darkened. “Kiyah, you’re supposed to be at home.”
“I know, Dad,” she began.
Stix cut her off. “Leave us.” When she didn’t move, he barked, “Now!”
Kiyah threw me an apologetic look before she ran from the room.
“Just let me give him some blood,” I told the advancing werewolves.
“You were supposed to be in the cage ten minutes ago,” Stix said. “I didn’t think I’d have to track you down.”
“They hurt my friend,” I replied. “Somebody needs to help him!”
Stix glanced at the vampire. His lips twisted in disgust before he looked at one of the other werewolves. “What happened?”
“He woke up,” the werewolf said. “He tried to attack us. We had to shoot him.” His eyes lowered. “But the bullet hit him in the head.”
Stix glared at him. “You know the danger of shooting someone so close. This is your mess. Clean it up.”
Stix grabbed my arm.
I broke free of his grasp. “Just let me give him some blood,” I said. “I’ll go with you. But let me help him first.”
Stix shook his head. “You have an obligation.” He removed the thick handcuffs from where they had been hanging on his belt. “Either you go willingly or we drag you there.” His eyes narrowed. “I’d recommend the former.”
My teeth bared in a snarl. “Let. Me. Help. My. Friend.” I spaced the words carefully, my rage barely under control.
“Your friend may survive your stupidity,” Stix replied. “But you won’t if you don’t come with us of your own free will.”
Another werewolf tried to grab me. I jumped over Vicken and brought my wrist to my mouth. “Give me a chance,” I pleaded.
“You don’t have any more chances,” Stix growled.
His gun was in his hand at the blink of an eye. The thought that Vicken would die if I didn’t help him fueled my recklessness. I threw myself into Stix, bowling him over and catching up the gun. I rolled up to my knees and shot the four other werewolves in quick succession. I was about to turn my gun on Stix when something slammed into the side of my head. I fell to the ground and heard Stix open the manacles he had used to clobber me.