Chapter 14

"Ready?" I asked.

Obsidian nodded, "Question is, are you ready? Forcing a shift through wolfsbane is painful and exhausting." 

"I'll take that risk."

"I have to give it to you, you're the strongest female I have ever known. No other woman would have the balls to do any of this."

I looked at him in complete shock, wondering if I was hearing things or Alpha Obsidian had given me a compliment. I blinked a few times before giving him a thankful grin, unable to form the simple words to thank him. I could feel my cheeks heat up as we continued staring at each other, as if we were in a trance. Pulling my gaze away from him, I cleared my throat and immediately began focusing on shifting. 

I could feel a headache forming as I pushed through to feel the connection to my wolf, calling out to her in my mind. I suddenly felt a sharp pain slice through my head as the connection reached me, causing me to gasp. Taking another deep breath, I made that my focal point as I began to feel the shift take place. I could faintly hear Obsidian telling me to take deep breaths, to try and work through the intense pain. The shift finally began, but at a much slower pace than I'm used to. I could feel each break of my bones as they realigned themselves, the stretching and pulling of my muscles, the ache in my gums as my teeth changed. I started to break out in a cool sweat but didn't give up. All types of pain were drowning me, stinging, aching, throbbing, and so on. I wanted to cry out, but didn't, knowing it would alert the hunters. Then suddenly, it all stopped as I laid on the floor, panting.

"Damn, you actually did it," Obsidian murmured.

Slowly opening my eyes, I looked down to see my paws, as the excitement and triumph raced through my veins, I began wagging my tail. I slowly dragged myself to my feet, my legs shaking slightly but too awful. I brought my gaze back to Obsidian, nodding to his silent question if I was okay.

"Good, now get those chains off you and let's get out of here. Where do we need to go?" He questioned.

I pointed towards the direction that led to the first room we were in, trying to tell him that was our only exit. I could tell he was slightly confused, the lack of a pack bond making it impossible for us to mind-link. He eventually just shrugged and told me he would trust me this once, causing me to roll my eyes. 

I bared my teeth as I pulled on the chains, the sound of them snapping ringing throughout the cell. I stumbled forward a little, but quickly caught myself before turning towards Obsidian. I immediately bit and chewed on the ropes holding him, ignoring the bitter taste of silver. 

"Thank you," he mumbled.

He hurried and got onto my back as I prepared to break the bars, knowing they would bend easily considering they weren't silver. That was another mistake of the hunters that I made a mental note of, the bars weren't a threat to us. Resting on my hunches, I flew forward and used all my strength to push through the bars. They almost blew from the sudden force, flying against the stone walls and echoing down the hall. I didn't waste any time and began sprinting around the corners, picturing the path to the room. Thank the gods I managed to memorize each hall, knowing my way slightly. 

Gun shots sounded as bullets began hitting the areas around us, one grazing my hind leg. I let out a small yelp, but continued running, adrenaline pumping through me, giving me the energy I needed. When the door came into view, I ran faster, ignoring the bullets that flew through the hall. 

"Get them, you idiots!" I could hear their boss scream, the anger evident in his voice. 

I felt something plunge into my back, causing my muscles to spasm and falter a little as I stumbled. Obsidian let out a curse as he turned and yanked it out, mumbling something about arrows. I ignored the pain, focusing on getting through the door and out of this damn place. 

"Slide to your side and I'll open it," Obsidian whispered in my ear.

I nodded and slid as I turned to the side, he quickly grabbed the handle and shoved the door open as I turned and ran towards the exit. I repeated the same action as he opened that door as well, bringing us to a dark walkway. My ability to see at night quickly came into handy as I raced through the tunnel, their yells becoming distant with each stride. 

"Once we're free, we need to find a place to hide so we can stop the bleeding on your back," Obsidian ordered.

I let out a slight whine, my body protesting my movements. However, I pushed myself further, desperate to escape. We suddenly burst from the underground, jumping into fresh air as it filled our lungs. I took a deep breath and continued running, getting as far away as we possibly could from the hunters. 

"Ow! Give me a second to breathe!" I snapped, wincing as he continued applying pressure.

He rolled his eyes, "Stop being a baby."

"Oh, says the guy who was whining, whimpering and—"

"Okay, point taken. Now, shut up."

I sighed and leaned back against the tree, studying the area around us. We were still several miles from our packs, landing us in the rogue territory. Thankfully, we haven't run into any feral wolves, no doubt most of them were lying dead in the hunters' cells. I spent hours running, trying to make sure to put distance between us and the humans. My body was completely drained from the pain of it all, but I was excited to be back home soon. 

"We need to eat," Obsidian voiced as he finished bandaging my leg with part of his shirt. 

I pursed my lips as I attempted to not look at his muscles, "I can go hunt."

"No, I'm a little stronger now. You are to stay here, hidden." 

"But—"

"Sylvia." 

"Fine."

He nodded and stood up, I silently watched as he stretched himself out. I could hear some cracks as he straightened his back again and growled softly at the movements. He then took a deep breath and smiled, his eyes lighting up as he scanned the area. 

"Damn, it feels good to breathe in some fresh air," he sighed.

I nodded, "I didn't realize we were suffocating down there."

"At least, we have a lot of information now. But I feel if we got captured again, it won't be as easy to escape. They were ignorant, but now they know what things they need to change. We need to be careful now," he explained.

"I know." 

"Good. I'll be back."

"I'll be here, hopefully not dying."

He smirked and let out a soft chuckle before suddenly shifting, his beautiful silver like fur shining in the moonlight. He shook his coat out before taking off, leaving me alone as the moon illuminated the forest around me. I smiled and rested my eyes, enjoying the feeling of the earth around me again.