Rejected

Kyle takes us to the pack house, but we take a side door that leads to the basement then down a steep set of cement stairs that lead to a large room with poor lighting and chains hanging off the walls.

“We can chain them up and then you can tell me what the hell is going on here.” I know my next demand will not be well received, but I am following my instincts so I issue it anyway.

“They will not be chained and they are to be fed. Have food sent down right away.” Kyle gives me an angry glare, but with him being unwilling to disobey his alpha, he does as I ask.

“Patty will be bringing food down in a few minutes. Now what?” I turn to face the five wolves, my eyes quickly being drawn back to the wolf with grey eyes.

“Shift.” His wolf tilts its head slightly and his eyes dart between mine and Kyle’s.

“Yeah, they are listening real well.” I roll my eyes at his snide comment and give the wolf an apologetic smile.

“Kyle, please get me some blankets and see if you can round up some clothes for them.” He looks like he is a hairbreadth from his limit, but storms off to get the items. Once he is out of sight, the grey eyed wolf begins to shift until the wolf before me is no more and a man with matted hair, dirt covered skin and numerous scars kneels before me.

“I am sorry, Muři amperetsia (my queen).” His voice is gravely and deep, but his accent intrigues me.

“What is your name?” I decide to start with the basics, as if knowing the name of the wolf in front of me will make all the difference in the world.

“My name is Barsali. This is Manfri, Danoir, Emilian and Kezia.” I make eye contact with each as he introduces them.

“Why did you come here, Barsali?” His eyes lower and I can see the shame in them the second they return to mine.

“We follow orders, Muři amperetsia. We have no choice.” I can hear the conviction in his tone and give a reassuring smile.

“What orders do you follow?” He seems nervous as his eyes flit around the room, taking in the gaze of each of the wolves at his side then looking at me with eyes full of fear.

“We…” He is cut off when the wolf, Kezia, lunges at him, shifting in mid air and landing on him with her knees in his chest and her hand over his mouth.

“Chi phenes lake khanči! Von meren te keres!” Her accent is even thicker and I am unfamiliar with what language she is speaking. I hear Kyle coming down the stairs and he pauses when he sees the events unfolding in front of me. I grab a blanket from his hand and hold it out to the woman, who takes it while casting a sharp glare at me. I hand one to Barsali then place one over the shoulders of the others.

“What did she say to you?” Barsali’s eyes shift to Kyle and I snap my fingers to draw his attention back to me.

“She told me to keep quiet or the others will pay the price.” I tilt my head slightly, confusion wreaking havoc on my already overwhelmed mind.

“Others? Like a pack?” He nods. “What if I could help you protect the others?” He narrows his eyes at me, likely wondering what game I am playing.

“It would be impossible, Muři amperetsia.” I am about to speak when Kyle’s voice fills the room from behind me.

“What did you call her?” I watch the grey eyes as they glare coldly in Kyle’s direction, but soften when they come back to mine.

“My queen.” Kyle bursts out laughing which only awards him with icy glares from all five wolves simultaneously.

“She is no queen. She is just another wolf. Same as you, same as me.” Barsali snarls at Kyle, but when I place my hand on his shoulder, his body relaxes and his head bows.

“She is our queen. You know not of her true nature, but we do. She will be the one to save us.” I let out a soft sigh as I struggle to grasp what he is saying.

“Save you from what, Barsali?” He opens his mouth, but Kazia snarls in warning and he quickly shuts it.

“This is getting us nowhere.” Kyle mumbles out in frustration. I stand to my feet, focusing my thoughts.

“Barsali, I want to help you, but I cannot help you if I do not know what it is that you need help with. Kazia, you will let him speak or I will have no choice but to bind you in a cell.” Barsali takes a deep breath and exhales slowly.

“She has our family. If we do not follow her orders, she kills them. We must follow orders. She killed Manfri’s mate when our last mission failed.” I feel my heart drop and my breath catch at his confession.

“Who is doing this?! Who has your families?” He grabs the hand I had rested on his shoulder and clasps it tightly in his.

“Muři amperetsia, she is very powerful. A sorceress. Her name is Avalon.” The sound of footsteps on the concrete steps draws our attention to the woman descending the stairs. Olivia freezes when she catches sight of the wolves before me, three still in wolf form.

“Kyle, take the tray from Olivia. Olivia, this is Barsali, Manfri, Danoir, Emilian and Kezia. They are guests here and will need regular meals brought to them until we can get them home.” She looks at me with uncertainty, glancing to Kyle for confirmation who only shrugs in response.

“Yes miss. It is nice to meet you all.” Even with her unsteady tone, Barsali is polite and responds with kindness.

“It is a pleasure to be meeting you.” She gives him a faint smile before retreating back up the steps.

“I will let you all rest and eat. There is a bathroom right there and I will be back to check on you all very soon. Please understand, with the circumstances of your arrival, I have to lock you down here. I wish it were not necessary…” Barsali cuts me off before I can continue.

“We understand, Muři amperetsia.” I nod and lead Kyle up the stairs then watch as he locks the door and hands me the key.

“I sure hope you know what you are doing. This will not go over well with the parents of those kids from the daycare, or the rest of the pack for that matter.” His words fill me with anger and irritation that I struggle to suppress when I respond.

“You heard what he said, Kyle. They are doing all of this to save their families. What would you be willing to do to save yours?” He snarls as he steps closer.

“Whatever it takes, which is why I think we should have put an end to this instead of entertaining them as guests.” I push closer, leaving mere inches between us.

“Then how the fuck are you ANY different from them?” He backs down, a look of shock replacing his anger as I turn and walk away. I hurry to the hospital, telling myself it is to brief the alpha on what I have learned so far, but my rational side keeps screaming that I could just use the pack link to do it…my body continues on its path in spite of my rational side.