Chapter 109

Chapter 109
Micha's eyes widened at the transformation, his small body pressing back against Ellie's protective stance. But instead of fear, his expression held wonder. "You can do it too," he whispered. "Like me in the dreams."

Ellie remained tense, her gaze darting between the women surrounding them. The calculation in her eyes reminded Ioannis of Nickolas when he assessed tactical situations, weighing risks, considering escape routes, protecting what mattered most.

"Lucas is really okay?" Ellie asked again, her voice steadier now but still wary. "They didn't hurt him when they found him?"

"He's safe and healing," Ioannis confirmed, allowing her features to return to fully human. The pendant warmed against her throat, encouraging her forward. "He told us you taught him to hide in water to mask his scent. That was very clever."

Something in Ellie's posture relaxed slightly at this confirmation, a detail only Lucas would know. Her arm loosened around Micha, who immediately took a tentative step toward the green wolf toy lying on the forest floor.

"Careful," she warned, though she didn't pull him back.

Micha approached the toy with the caution of a child who expected good things to be snatched away. His thin fingers trembled as he reached for the plush wolf, hesitating just before touching it.

"It's yours," Ioannis encouraged softly. "Lucas has one too. He named his Shadow."

At the mention of Lucas, Micha gathered his courage and picked up the green wolf. The moment his fingers closed around the soft fur, the toy emitted a gentle rumble, a contented sound that made the boy gasp with delight.

"He likes me!" Micha exclaimed, momentarily forgetting his wariness as he hugged the toy to his chest.

The wolf responded to his embrace with another soft sound, this one slightly different, a low frequency that Ioannis knew was designed to speak directly to his suppressed wolf nature. Micha's eyes widened further, something instinctive recognizing the call even if his conscious mind didn't understand it.

Ellie watched this interaction with careful assessment before taking a hesitant step toward her own purple wolf. She was clearly torn between caution and longing, the tactical wariness of a child who had learned to distrust adults battling against the simple desire for comfort.

"They're special toys," Emma explained, keeping her distance to avoid frightening the children. "They respond to you. Learn your preferences. Become your companions."

Ellie reached down slowly, her movements deliberate as she picked up the purple wolf. When it emitted the same contented rumble that Micha's had, a flicker of childlike wonder broke through her guarded expression.

"We have food and water," Ioannis said, gesturing toward her pack. "And warm clothes. You must be tired and hungry after days in the forest."

Ellie glanced at Micha, who was now hugging his green wolf to his chest, his hollow face transformed by the first genuine smile Ioannis had seen. The pendant pulsed with gentle warmth as she slowly opened her pack, careful to make each movement deliberate and non-threatening.

"We have sandwiches," Ioannis said, removing a small container. "And fruit. Clean water too. You can eat while we talk."

Micha's eyes widened at the mention of food, his gaze darting between the offered container and Ellie's face, clearly seeking permission. Ellie herself maintained her wary stance, the purple wolf clutched tightly against her chest despite her attempt to appear unmoved by it.

"How do we know it's not drugged?" Ellie asked, her dark eyes narrowed with suspicion. "They put things in our food sometimes. To make us sleep or... or make us forget things."

The pendant cooled against Ioannis's skin. What kind of monsters would drug children's food? Through their bond, she felt Nickolas's carefully controlled rage at this revelation, though he remained at a distance as planned.

"I'll eat some first," Emma offered, moving slowly to take a sandwich from the container. She bit into it with deliberate care, chewing thoroughly before swallowing. "See? Just food. Good food."

Micha's stomach growled audibly, his thin fingers clutching his green wolf tighter. "Ellie," he whispered, "I'm really hungry."

Ellie's protective instincts clearly warred with her caution. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded once, though her body remained poised for flight. "You can have half of mine too," she told the younger boy. "Just in case."

Ioannis felt her chest tighten at this evidence of Ellie's self-sacrificing care for the younger child. Even after days of running, exhausted and hungry herself, the girl's first thought was for Micha's wellbeing. The pendant warmed against her skin as she passed the food container to the children, making sure to maintain a respectful distance.

Micha fell upon the sandwich with desperate hunger, though he ate with surprising neatness, a child who had been harshly conditioned to maintain control even in moments of need. Ellie took smaller, more cautious bites, her eyes never leaving the circle of women surrounding them.

"Lucas said there were more of you at the facility," Ioannis said gently after the children had eaten for a few minutes. "He mentioned new ones arriving recently."

Ellie's expression darkened, her thin shoulders tensing. "Five little ones. Babies, almost. The youngest is only four." She spoke the words clinically, but her knuckles whitened around the purple wolf she still clutched. "They cry a lot. They don't understand the rules yet."

"And the rules are very strict?" Emma asked.

Ellie nodded, her eyes never leaving Ioannis's face. "No crying. No questions. No talking without permission. No touching anything without authorization." She recited these rules in a flat, rehearsed tone that made Ioannis's stomach clench. "If you break the rules, you go to the quiet room."

"And what happens in the quiet room?" Ioannis asked softly, though part of her dreaded the answer.

Ellie's expression remained carefully blank, but her arms tightened around the purple wolf. "Nothing. That's why it's quiet. They leave you alone in the dark. Sometimes for days." Her voice dropped to a near whisper. "The little ones don't understand why they can't call for their mothers."