Chapter 16: Chapter Sixteen
Cassidy had been expecting the guards to come in at any time and descend on her. She had been left unchained by the doctor in an effort to make her more comfortable, expecting her to die from the bite their alpha had given her after weeks of suffering from the venom. The human side of her had given up. Cassidy had accepted that she was going to die and it was at that moment of defeat before Cass had fallen into dreams of the alpha that her wolf decided to come forward. The wolf was not ready to roll over and allow Cassidy to give up now that the wolf had control of the mind, body and situation.
She lay and watched the door in silence, her honey-gold colored eyes focused and intense and her ears listening for the slightest sounds that came through the ventilation system up above. Every time Jett would try to speak to her or get her attention, the white wolf would glare at him and growl, silencing the man.
On the outside of the cell, up a floor and in the main security room, guards had sent for Hunter when the woman began to shift. Those that had the free time, remained in the room and watched. They took bets on how long she would take to transform once the shift began. If the transformation would kill the human or not. They all had assumed the female was human or at least mostly human and the bite from the alpha would send her to her death or into insanity. None of them expected for her shift to go so smoothly and when Cassidy did finally shift into her wolf, the silence in the security room was deafening. Hunter watched the screen as the white she-wolf made Jett submit to her with hardly any effort. He watched her walk around and then lay down as if she was expecting them.
The whispers started then between the guards. ‘Who is she?’ ‘what is she?’ ‘we need to get the Alpha down here…’
“NO!” Hunter snapped at them when they mentioned the alpha. He turned in his chair to face the guards, giving each and every one of them a stern glare. “No one is to mention this to the Alpha at all. He gave his orders. It doesn't matter if the change was successful or not, he wants them dead.” He reminded all of the men as he stood up from the chair. “Two of you go get a kennel and meet me down there. She is weak, it wont be too difficult to get her contained where she belongs.” He instructed the men as he followed them out to get the other things they would need to help contain the newly shifted she-wolf.
He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach over this. Jett had been telling them everything he could for weeks. Spinning an elaborate story about some east coast pack they never heard of being taken down by rogues. How the female was alpha-born but was wolf less. Hunter had come to like the rogue wolf over the weeks of interrogations. Jett had a good personality and Hunter wondered if at times if the pair of them were truly pack less or not. Yet his Alpha’s orders stood. James was done with the two of them after the incident with the female where he lost control. James had been in a sour, deadly mood since then and barely spoke to anyone, even his beta, preferring to go out on hunts for rogues than handling his duties.
Hunter grabbed a silver wired catch pole similar to the type dog wardens would use from the supply closet. “I should have never allowed Jaz to take the restraints off her..” He grumbled to himself while he reached for the tranquilizer gun and several darts, loading them one by one into the rifle before he shut the door to the closet and headed to the elevator. Minutes later he was meeting the guards at the door to the cell, they pushing a large, wheeled cage that could hold a wolf as big as an alpha. The bars, floor and ceiling of the structure were laced with silver to prevent any wolf from breaking free.
Hunter tossed the rifle to one of the guards. “Dart her twice. Immediately. If the human survived the Alpha’s bite, even weakened like she is she could have gone insane and she can do a lot of damage. We get her down. We get her kenneled and we get the hell out of here.” He instructed. When he got a round of ‘yes sir’ from the men he nodded to them and readied his pole, unlocking the door and going in first.
Cassidy could not smell or hear the men outside of the door since the room was sealed but she was ready for them. She stilled and her ears tipped forward when the lock clicked open, every muscle tensing under her fur. Her growling before the door even opened put Jett on alert. “What is it?” Just as Jett had asked the question, the door came flying open and the men all dressed in their black tactical guard uniforms came rushing in. Seeing Jame’s Identical brother Hunter threw Cassidy off. She had planned to just attack the men and go for their throats but the second or two of seeing the look alike face had her hesitating. The hesitation, the unrealistic hope that it was finally the alpha again, the belief that maybe just maybe the wolf had liked or cared about her on some level was shattered as soon as she caught hunters scent and the man came charging at her.
Jett had forced his weak body to stand to help her, but he couldn't get close with his chains and all he could do was shout and curse and threaten the men. His yells were barely heard by Cass as she desperately tried to recover from her shock and avoid the catch pole that had nearly slipped over her head on Hunters first attempt to catch her. She side stepped, nearly dancing to the side as she avoided and ducked but the maneuver laster only seconds before she was lunging for Hunters legs. Anger spilled over into Cassidy’s soul. Years and years of bottled up anger and aggression broke free and the she-wolf used every last ounce of it along with the adrenaline rushing through her veins to go in after the Alpha look alike. Cassidy snarled savagely as she leapt forward at Hunters legs, teeth sinking into his calf. She never felt the first dart tag her in her flank, the taste of blood overpowering her senses as the she-wolf let loose her anger and tore into Hunter. Cassi shook his leg like a rag doll focusing on doing the maximum amount of damage that she could. Jett was yelling at her and the guards, The alpha look-alike was roaring in pain as he nearly toppled over when she unbalanced him and she was growling aggressively, latched onto the male like a vise.
Cassidy was unsure what was happening to her, warmth spread up her spine and clouded her brain as the tranquilizer began to swiftly take affect. Hunter bent over and grabbed the white wolf by the sides of her face just under her ears right as numbness spread through her face. Her grip unlatched from his leg and Hunter used his weight and strength to slam her head right down against the cement. “SHOOT HER AGAIN DAMNIT!” he roared from above her.
The she-wolfs body twisted and turned as she struggled to get free of the iron grip that was holding her head down flat and firm on the floor. She whined at being caught like this and then snarled when there was another dart that was shot right into her leg again. She and Hunter were both panting heavily. She breathing hard from the sedatives, the amount of stress her malnourished body was under and the energy it took just now to defend herself. Her body swayed and eventually fell over, completely giving out with the sedatives working quickly. Everything was a blur around her and sounds were distorted. The fingers in her fur did not release her until the kennel was wheeled in and secured in her corner.
Cassidy let out a soft whine as she was lifted by the three men and then laid back down on a cold metal surface, the barred door locking in front of her face. Jet was wasting precious energy trying to get free from his side of the room, carrying on loudly. She growled, the wolf in her wanting to tell him to just shut up. It was too loud for her and she was so tired…
“Take him out of here. I want answers once and for all. We need to know who this bitch is.” Hunter spat out, the guards going to Jett instantly, easily overpowering the man and dragging him out. Hunter looked down at his pants, the blood making the fabric cling to his leg where the she-wolf had torn him up rather well. He growled and crouched down in front of the kennel to glare at Cassidy through the bars of the door, speaking in a chilling tone. “And when we are done with him… You will wish you were fed to rogues by the time we get done with you.”