Chapter 15

He turned me towards home, and we started slowly walking back. His arm was around my shoulder, and my arms were still around myself. I didn't want to leave, but there was nothing I could do from where I was, and I definitely could not go back into the cell.  

        Once at the house, I went to sit on the couch, which was still against a wall, and the gym mat was still down. Riley went to make some coffee because we both knew neither of us would be able to sleep. I'd still never had coffee, but there was a first time for everything.  

        I curled up on the couch, my legs tucked under me and my arms still around me. I stared at nothing in particular. I didn't even notice that for the first time in weeks, the house was empty except for Riley and me. 

        Riley handed me a mug of black coffee as he sat beside me, and I took a sip. It was bitter but good. It filled me with a warmth I was lacking. I moved to lay my head on Riley's shoulder as I took another sip of coffee.  

        We sat like that for hours, Riley only moving to get us more coffee from time to time. We didn't say a word, both of us lost in our own world.  

        I was getting fidgety from all the coffee and couldn't sit still, so I got up and started pacing.  

        "How much longer is this going to take?" I asked impatiently.  

        "As long as it takes to break him."  

        "I need to do something, I can't just sit and wait around like this."  

        "We can go to the gym and workout for a while," Riley suggested.  

        I thought about it and decided no, that there was something else I wanted to do.  

        "Now that he's caught, can we go for a run? I think that would help."  

        Riley thought about it for a while before answering. "Yes, we can go for a run, but I still want guards with us for now." 

        I didn't care, I just wanted out of the house. It felt like the walls were closing in on me. A run would help me clear the cobwebs in my head and get rid of this excess energy.  

        Riley called in a few of the guards to run with us, some were to shift, some to stay human. I went into the bedroom to shift to my wolf. I don't know if it was because of my agitation or if I was getting better, but the shift was quicker than normal.  

        Riley followed me into the bedroom once he had arranged the run, and unconcerned about his nudity, he left the bedroom door open so we could both leave when ready.  

        It was always amazing to watch him shift. How quick and seamless. In the blink of an eye and a little shimmer, he went from on two legs to on four legs.   

        He motioned with his head for me to precede him out of the room. I walked into the living room and saw several wolves and just as many in human form. I recognized most of them. Justin and Devie were there in wolf form. Devie was a brown and white wolf, and Justin was one of the traditional gray and white wolves.   

        I hadn't expected so many to show up. I just thought he meant a couple of guards. Boy, was I wrong, I thought.  

        "They wanted to run with you to show their support. They know this has been difficult for you." Riley thought to me. Wow, every day this Pack showed me more and more what love, compassion, and family were all about. I was thankful for them.  

        In silent acknowledgment, we all headed to the door for our run. Someone opened the door for us, and off we went. I let Riley guide us since I still was not familiar with the terrain and area. He led us south of his house, past the barracks, and finally into the woods. He set a grueling pace, one I had to really concentrate on to be able to keep up. It was exhilarating. This was exactly what I needed. The only thoughts in my head were those of when to duck or jump over roots and branches.  

        I don't know how long we ran, but it felt like forever. When, in reality, it was probably just a couple of hours. By the time we had all run one way, the sky was getting lighter, and once we turned to go back, the sky had an orange hue to it. The sun was just over the trees by the time we got back to the house. I felt rejuvenated and cleansed.   

        I flopped down on the driveway and just laid there with my tongue hanging out, panting. Riley laid down beside me, resting his head on his front legs as he looked at me. 

        "How do you feel?"  

        "I feel so much better, thank you for the run. It did what I'd hoped it would."  

        "Good. I'm glad. I think we all needed the run. We had not done one in a while, and we were all feeling tense from it." 

        Everyone was surrounding us, some flopped over like me, others just sitting or standing, as they kept watch.  

        Just then, Jaime came running over, "He broke. Dad wants you guys right away."  

        I immediately stood up, as did Riley. Everyone came to attention as well. We raced inside to shift and get dressed. The whole time I was wondering what they had done to break him and what he had to say. I wondered if he was dead yet. Part of me hoped he was, but part of me didn't.  

        It was a record shift for me. Soon I was human again and getting dressed in the clothes I had had on earlier. Riley only threw on his pants before grabbing my hand and walking quickly out of the house.  

        We arrived at the prison just minutes after Jaime told us the news. Fletcher was waiting for us outside, surrounded by his personal guards and a couple of elders.  

        "Jaime said he broke?" Riley said in the way of a greeting.  

        Fletcher nodded, "he told us what we wanted." 

        "Is he dead?" I asked. Partially hoping he wasn't so I could be there when he did die.  

        Fletcher looked at me solemnly, "Yes. Once we got what we needed, we had him put down. There was no other way. We couldn't let a wolf like him live."  

        I felt relief and disappointment. I understood why they had to kill the rogue, he was killing humans to eat, and that was a huge no-no in the Were community.   

        "So how was he able to lose the trackers so easily?" I asked.  

        "He told us that it was an ability he got from the one who created him. He could disguise his scent as human when he wanted. It might be one you can do if you practice. No idea for sure, though." Fletcher explained.  

        The ability to disguise my scent? How interesting. Something I had never thought of, but I could see the benefits of being able to.  

        "That's something I don't think I have ever heard of a Were having," Riley said.   

        "I have heard of a very few rare cases in my time, but none in recent years," Fletcher said.  

        "How do we know I inherited the ability to hide my scent?" I asked them.  

        "We don't know for sure, but I am sure we will find out in time. It might not present itself for a while, or at all." Fletcher answered.   

        "Oh," was all I could think to say.  

        "Can I see him?" I blurted out. 

        Riley and Fletcher looked at each other in surprise. I could see their answer before Riley even said it.  

        "No, I don't think that is a good idea, Sunshine."

        "Why not? I was watching his torture, at least some of it, and it isn't like I haven't seen a dead body before. I want to see for myself that he's dead." I protested.  

        Fletcher spoke, surprising me with his statement, "I think she's right. Let her see him, it could bring her closure over this whole situation."  

        Riley wanted to protest, I could tell, but he quietly nodded and led me to the prison. He held the door open for me, and I entered. The room was the same, except the torturer's tools were gone and there was a sheet-covered body on the ground.  

        I stared at that sheet for a long time before moving slowly forward and into the open cell. The sheet was blood covered, attesting to the fact of his torture. I half expected him to sit up and say, "gotcha!" but he didn't.  

        I kneeled down by his head and reached to pull the sheet back. I hesitated a moment before doing so. His face was surprisingly peaceful and very boyish looking. In death, he looked to be no older than I was. His face was covered in blood, and in the center of his forehead was a hole the size of a quarter. It must be where they had shot a silver bullet. They had given him a quick death at the end. I resented it. He should have been tortured until that act was what killed him. He deserved more than this easy death. I didn't even consider that he'd been tortured brutally for hours. To me, that wasn't enough. It would never be enough. The only peace I felt was that he was dead, just not the way I had wanted.  

        But at least my nightmare of him was now gone. I stood up and turned to Riley, who was still by the door, silently waiting.  

        "I'm done. Let's go home."