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He's been through enough. I'm not about to place him under another burden.
"I'm sure it's nothing." Jake glances at me and I see the kindness embedded in his gaze. At the same time, I can sense that he knows Luke and I are more than friends. He's trying to protect me.
As Lawrence opens his mouth to speak, another voice beats him to it. It's the low guttural voice of my father, coming from the upper floor of the home that's now my prison.
"Lawrence! Come here now!"
The blood drains from my oldest brother's face. He turns almost white, like he had just stumbled on a monster, far more dreadful than what he tries to be. For a moment, I’m convinced that he's turned into stone but he soon turns on his heel, bolting out of the room. Damian follows him out like an obedient dog.
An idea strikes me, one I hope will lead to my freedom. I'm sure my father has no idea I'm in this cellar. Maybe if I call out to him, the Alpha wolf will barge into the cellar and demand I be released.
"Dad!"
But my voice fails me. It's like trying to scream from the bottom of an ocean. My weakness buries me and I'm lost to its overwhelming grip.
"There's no point." Jake begins to walk out of the door, reaching for the doorknob to close the door behind him. "He's not going to hear you."
"Jake, please." I start crawling to the door but my chains stop me again. "Please, help me."
The look in his eyes tells me he wishes he could, but something is holding him back—Lawrence and my crazy brother, Damian, or maybe his loyalty to the pack.
"Bye, Addy."
Jake locks the door, sealing me into the depressing darkness of the cellar.
I don't even know when I begin to sob.
Chapter15
Luke
Something moves in the dark.
It's coming from the left side of the cabin, in the shadowy cluster of trees that lead into the heart of the woods. I bare my claws, moving to the window and focusing on the disturbance. The familiar smell of a wolf hits me and I know what to expect.
The sound grows nearer. Leaves jerk in their branches. A shadow leaps from the top of a tree and lands in the open space of the house. As soon as the figure touches the ground, I realize it's only Fena. I withdraw my claws and walk back to the couch I’d been sitting on.
She enters the cabin, dropping the hood of her sweatshirt. Her sour look tells me she bears bad news.
"What?"
"Those High Ridge wolves are getting closer. I need to tell Arthur. We should change camp."
I scoff. "There are dozens of you out there. Changing camps is like waving a sign over your head that tells the enemies what you are."
Fena flops down on the couch. "What are we supposed to do? I'm scared, Luke. What if they break through our protection and kill everyone? You know what it means to lose your loved ones. I don't want to go through that nightmare again."
I take a deep breath and put a hand on Fena's shoulder. "You'll all be fine. Don't you have faith in this High Wolf? He's coming to your camp which means your protector is going to be with you even if the High Ridge wolves attack. Besides, I don't think they've got the balls to attack. A rival pack doesn't do that. They infiltrate the camp and pick out their weakest point."
Fena looks at me. Her sour expression morphs into one of pity. "Do you think that's what happened to your pack? They found your weakest point?"
I rub my nose bridge and exhale loudly. "I don't know. I think my father, if he were alive, would have an answer to that."
"Well, to hell with those greedy wolves!" Fena rises to her feet and pours herself a drink. "I'm not even scared of them."
I fold my arms and watch her. The fear coming from her fills the room and it rips a chuckle out of me. If Fena heard my derisive laugh, she doesn't act like it. She gulps her drink, closing her eyes as the liquid invigorates her.
"What did you find out?"
