10

As another growl echoed through the woods, I could see Milo's body physically tense. I quickly stood up and moved so that I was standing in front of him and my eyes traveled to where the growls were coming from. Listening closely, I could hear the sounds of footsteps getting closer.

A wolf came into sight and I quickly shifted and pounced, not wanting to give it a chance to get closer to Milo.

The wolf tumbled to the ground with me. Rather than attack, it squirmed and whined in my grasp in a desperate attempt to break free. I stared down at it and immediately recognized the grey wolf as one of the rescues.

Why was a rescue out here?

The wolf's eyes were wide with fear and darted around as it searched for a way out. More footsteps began to approach and doctors filled my line of vision.

"What is one of the rescues doing out here?" I asked through our link, not bothering to hide my annoyance.

"He took off when Doctor Morgan went to check on him. We've been trying to bring him back," one of the hospital staff members told me.

From behind, I could hear Milo letting out a growl. Whether it was directed at me or the rescue, I wasn't sure. My eyes drifted to him and I saw the way his body had tensed up. Immediately, my heart dropped. This was supposed to be a fun trip, not something that would instill more fear into him.

The doctors took another step toward us, but the rescue let out a warning growl. They attempted to move and I could feel the way his body began to shake desperately in my grasp. He was terrified.

"Take him back to the hospital," I ordered the staff as they approached.

I climbed off the wolf and moved toward Milo's side. I carefully leaned down and rubbed my head against his in an attempt to get him to calm down slightly. Still, his eyes remained focused on the rescue and I couldn't blame him. I knew that once I got Milo back home safely, I'd have to go pay him a visit and try to calm him down. Just judging by the way he acted, he was one of the rescues who had suffered more at the hands of Alfie.

Anger fueled me, but I tried to remain somewhat calm in order not to scare Milo. Once the doctors had managed to take the rogue, I lightly nudged Milo in the direction of where we'd parked the car. I was a little disappointed since I had planned for us to spend more time outside, but I needed to go check on the grey wolf.

Milo let out a huff, but he followed nonetheless. In my head, I was already making plans for when the next time I'd be able to take him out undisturbed. Once Milo and I were both situated in the car, I began to drive back toward the house while he rested against the window. His eyes took in everything as if he hadn't seen it the first time around.

As we drove, I thought about what I was going to do with Milo. I could link Stellan and ask him to watch Milo again; however, if their previous interaction was anything to go off of, that would be a bad idea. I knew that Stellan wouldn't hurt Milo, but I couldn't say the same if it was the other way around.

"Indiana, are you busy?" I linked my gamma.

"Just finished training with teens. Why? Did you need something?" She linked back.

"Do you think you could come and sit with Milo for a bit? There's something at the hospital I need to take care of."

"Of course!" Indiana replied a few moments later. "I've been waiting to meet him, especially after hearing about Stellan's encounter with him."

I rolled my eyes, but quickly linked her back, saying thank you before focusing my attention back on the road. The drive back home was quick and a lot more calm compared to earlier. A glance to the side showed me that Milo was lying in his seat, eyes staring off into space. Part of me was curious and wanted to know what he was thinking about, but I quickly pushed that thought aside when we pulled into the driveway.

Indiana was already there when we arrived. What truly surprised me though, was that she wasn't alone. She had brought her mate, Simon, with her.

Simon was another omega in the pack. With short blonde hair and blue eyes, the omega was rarely if ever seen. He was a lot more reserved which was ironic given that his mate was the exact opposite. While Indiana was a social butterfly, Simon preferred to be inside and kept to a small group of people.

"Indiana, Simon," I greeted with a nod as I helped Milo out of the car. "I have to say, Simon, I'm surprised to see you here."

Clearly, I wasn't the only one. Milo didn't approach him, but I could see the curiosity and caution in his eyes as he stared at Simon. Was this his first time seeing another omega? I wasn't sure.

"Indie thought it'd be a good idea," he told me, eyes never leaving Milo. "She said he was an omega."

"He is," I nodded in agreement as I helped Milo into the house while the others followed. "I'm glad that you've decided to come."

Perhaps Milo making friends could be a good thing. So far, we haven't managed to make much progress on getting him to shift, but maybe with the help of the others, he would become more willing to do so.

Once we were inside, Milo immediately darted toward the couch and got comfortable. I followed after him and crouched down so that we were face to face.

"Milo, I'm going to be right back. My friends Indiana and Simon here are going to stay with you until then. Try to be nice, okay?"

Milo blinked twice. If he understood me, he didn't seem to care because his attention immediately switched from my face to where the remote sat and he pawed in the direction of it. I shook my head before rising from my crouched position and heading toward the door.

"I'll be right back," I told Indiana and Simon. "Link me if you need anything or if something goes wrong."

With that, I left the house and got in the car to head down to the hospital. The walk wouldn't have been far, but I wanted to get there as quickly as possible so I could return just as fast.

So far, I'd seen a couple of the other rescues, but a large majority were either too scared for visitors or too violent. I couldn't say that it wasn't expected. We were prepared for this to be difficult when we first started to plan the rescue mission. A lot of them were either still at the hospital or we were moving them to a smaller pack house that had long since been emptied once the pack expanded and more homes were needed.

I made a mental note to stop by when I got the time and see just how all the other rescues were doing. I knew that some were going to need a little more care than others so getting an idea of what physical and emotional state they were in would help when it came time to decide who was going to which pack.

The hospital came into view and I parked the car before stepping out and heading inside.

"Alpha Slater," one of the staff members working at the front desk greeted me.

"Hello," I responded. "I'm looking for Doctor Morgan."

The woman nodded and her eyes clouded over as she linked the doctor. A few moments later, the doors opened and Doctor Morgan stepped out with her long hair tied back in a bun.

"Alpha Slater, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked though I was sure she already knew.

"I'd like to see the grey wolf," I told her, not bothering to elaborate.

Doctor Morgan's eyes met mine as if she was searching for something before she eventually nodded. "Follow me."

She turned around and led me through the first floor of the busy hospital and past numerous amount of rooms until we were at the very back. She fished a keyring out of her pocket and unlocked the door. I stepped in, only to find that the room was empty.

Or so it appeared.

Like Milo's first room, this one was mostly empty besides the bed and a few other pieces of equipment. The wolf's scent, however, was still strong which told me that he was still inside.

"How did he escape earlier?" I asked Doctor Morgan as I took a step inside and walked around, examining the room.

"He's been asleep since we've brought him here. Today was the first day he woke up. If I had to guess what was going on inside of his head, he got scared and when I opened the door to come to check on him, he bolted."

My feet came to a stop in front of the bed and I nodded. "Do you know his name?"

I crouched down and lowered my head until I could see underneath the bed and a pair of stormy, grey-blue eyes filled with fear stared back at me.

"From the files you've given me and the descriptions on them, we've concluded that his name is Ezra."

"Ezra," the name rolled off my tongue and the wolf began to shake. My eyes softened and I backed up before standing. I turned to Doctor Morgan and said, "Have the staff bring him some food and try to keep visitors to a minimum. I don't want to overwhelm him."

Doctor Morgan nodded and I sighed, staring back down at the bed. I knew that he wasn't the only one suffering like this. Many were terrified out of their minds and needed help.

Fuck you, Alfie McClain.

These wolves were going to need a lot of help, but I wasn't willing to give up on them. With one last look at the bed, I made a mental note to send Ezra to Alpha Bowen's pack when the time came. Since his pack was smaller, it would hopefully be calmer and he wouldn't be so overwhelmed.

"How many other rescues are in this section of the hospital?" I asked Doctor Morgan.

"Around ten more," she responded.

"I'd like to visit some of them," I told her.

It was one thing to read a file, but to actually see the rescues—see their pain—that was different. These wolves were more than just a few words on paper or attractions to be bet on. They were people and it was time that someone started to help them feel like it.

It was time that they realized they were more than what they were taught to believe.

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