Chapter 87: How Do I Proceed?

Chapter 87: How Do I Proceed?
Alpha Hemming's POV:

This is not what I thought at all whenever I was first led to this room. Well, in the back of my mind, I had no idea what to expect as I was led out of the cell that seemed to be from the Stone Age, as the men who came to collect me walked around with candlelit lanterns. I watched the one man secure the chain binding my wrists together to the small chain attached to the metal pole sticking up out of the floor in the center of this new room. The other two were just standing there, over by the door, staring at me, rather intently, I might add.

Well, I guess I was the topic of an unheard-of discussion then. In the back of my mind, I guess I could consider this to t be a welcoming change for the time being. At least it allowed me to finally be able to stand up so I could stretch my legs. It was better for overall circulation, too, in a way. If I had to say, this room was quite bright. I could see each of the men clearly enough as I looked between all of them.

I had hoped that I would know someone, but I didn't recognize either of the men who stood in front of me, of course. Then again, I have been away for so long that there's no telling what could have changed in the nearly twenty years I was in the rival nation as their captive.

As I looked at all the men standing around me, they seemed to stare back at me with an awed fascination. That's when I looked over to the one still holding the chain. Was he staring at me this entire time? Wait, was he the one from earlier in the woods? Was he the one I saw? It did look as if he recognized me in a sense.

I had to look away for a moment as I tried to collect my thoughts. I'm not sure why, but everything was a big foggy. I still wasn't able to reach my Wolf. There's nothing I wanted more than to check on my Wolf and make sure he was alright. That's when the man finally secured the chain before he took several steps away from me. I couldn't help but stare at him, studying the features of his face, trying to hope I could place where I thought I knew him from.

Could it really be him? As I thought about it more, I could tell his expression didn't change when he chained me to the metal pole. I wanted to ask him so many questions, but I didn't want to speak just yet. I didn't know what I could say that would be perceived as a threat if we weren't, in fact, in my Grand Nation.

Maybe I could try something instead. I decided not to speak openly, as I was sure they would soon tell me what this was all about when the time came. I remembered what it meant to be a captive. You only speak when spoken to, not beforehand, and you most certainly did not ask questions like, 'What is the meaning of this?'

Soon, without any of them saying anything to me in that moment, they just all turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door mostly behind them, but not quite all the way. Well... I guess I could get a good look around in the silence of now being alone here. I took a chance to study my surroundings, now that I could see what was all around me. Granted, it took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the brightness of this room, since the cell I was held in was fairly dark, but I tried to act unfazed.

As I stood there for a few minutes, I noticed this room still didn't have any full-size windows. At the very top edge of this high-ceiling room, there was only about a one-brick-thick window, and it was only on one wall. If that's the case, I'm guessing that was the exterior wall of this place, wherever this place was, after all.

As I looked up at the windows or the breeze space on the upper wall, my attention was drawn back when I noticed several men returning to the room. I turned back around, adjusting the chain in front of me, and I interlocked my fingers in front of me. I watched as one man pushed the large wooden door open. I ensured to stand there straight, not appearing to be dazed in the slightest, despite the foggy feeling still evident in my head.

They all came in, and some of them were some of the same men from earlier, plus a few extras, who I could only make out as their Warrior guards. I wished I could place his face, the one I saw in the woods before I ended up here. I wished I knew where I'd seen him before. I'd been away for so long that I could only remember faces, not where I'd seen them.

"Is this the man you were speaking about?" One man asked openly.

They all stopped walking when they stood shoulder to shoulder. There were now 8 different men standing in front of me, whereas before there were just 3. It made me wonder why so many. I looked around at each of their faces, trying to see if I could tell if I recognized anyone. The only one I partially knew was the same man I had seen back in the woods. He was the same one who had carried the chain earlier. Who was he? What's this all about?

"Yes, sir," said the man whose face I knew. "This is the man I previously spoke about."

The man who asked the question earlier took a few steps closer to where I was standing. I tried not to be intimidated this time, remembering what happened last time when I didn't back down while I was held in chains. I was knocked on my ass, that's for sure. As I studied the man who approached me, he looked at me intently, taking everything in. What was he thinking? If only I had communication with my Wolf, I might know what's going on.

"What's your name?" The man asked me as he stood in front of the others.

"Hemming," I responded as plainly as I could.

The man turned around to look behind him, and the other man nodded. Then he turned around to face me again. What would come of this strange meeting? This was not what I was expecting when I was led away, still bound in chains. Granted, I was no longer in the dark, but it still didn't make any sense to me.

"Do you know who I am?" The man asked me.

I didn't answer him verbally, but shook my head instead, maintaining constant eye contact with him. He squinted a bit as he continued to study my facial reactions, which didn't change. What was going to happen now?