Chapter 16

(Chapter song ‘Marble House’ by The Knife)

EZRA My eyes crack open and the light outside burns. I shut them again and roll over. My head is pounding and my wolf wants to fight.

‘Get out.’

‘No.’

‘He’ll kill us! Don’t trust.’

‘He's safe.’

‘He hurts.’

‘Because you do.’

‘He’s like them. I’m Alpha. Do as told.’

‘No.’

I roll to my back, rub my head and sit up. I’m in the room he gave me. No one’s given me a room for a long time. I can’t hurt that.

My eyes move to the bathroom door. I can’t allow her to.

She fights my mind as I slide off the door.

“Stop.” I grit as I dig the heel of my palm into the my forehead.

I stumble to the door and place my hand on the handle. She hits my brain and fall against the door. “No. You’re going away. I’m winning.” I growl.

I open the door and she claws at me making me whine as I shut the door and lock it.

I rush to the tank and pull out the Croak. I push up my sleeve, prepare the syringe and find a vein.

Once the Croak enters my bloodstream, she screams and dies. Her voice is taken and it’s my mind with hers again. I can see the words come together in the back of my thoughts. The room waves and melts. Spins and flashes.

Oliver’s face appears in the chaos and I feel calm. The raging storm becomes soft laps on sand. His eyes meet mine and I lean back on the wall. I don’t want to lose this.

A knock on the door snaps me out of it. The world becomes reality and I have control. I have the power. I have myself back.

“Just a second.” I yell.

I clean up and put the Croak back in the tank. I check myself in the mirror and pull my sleeve down.

His scent of wood fire hits my nose before I open the door. He stands with his arms crossed and his head slightly tilted to the side. His arms are so thick, his white shirt threatens to rip.

“Hi.” I say quietly.

His strong, square jaw ticks as he looks me over. He bites his top lip as he towers over me.

“I…I’m sorry…” I fiddle with my fingers. “Don’t be mad, ok?” I glance at his eyes then down at the floor.

“I told you. Mess with me and it won’t end well for you. Are we understanding?” He talks to me like the bigger wolves did with Michael, making me feel small.

“I understand.” I say a little sheepishly.

He motions me out and I walk past him.

“I need to take some blood.”

“What?” I spin around.

He holds a hand out. “I have friends who are working on some things concerning rogues. Your blood could help.”

I shake my head fast and press my lips together. “Mm, mm. No. No blood." He’ll see my arm and I don’t want that.

“Ezra. It won’t hurt you. You could be cured.”

“NO!” I yell. My eyes glare at him and my fists ball.

His face goes cold and he holds up a finger. “Don’t yell at me.”

“Fuck you!” I spit.

He lowers his eyes to me. “If you want to live in this house, you will have respect.”

I side step behind the pole of my bed. “I don’t respect Alpha.” I thump a finger in my chest. “I’m the Alpha!”

He steps closer. “Calm down.” Even though he sounds not angry, he looks angry and I feel my wolf pushing her anger up.

“No.” I say defiantly.

“Lady bird. You need to understand something. I’m not pussyfooting around you. I’m not backing down. I’m the one in charge…”

“FUCK…YOU!!” I scream at him.

His brows come together and in a second, I’m choking on the wall. My hands grab his arm as he leans into my face. My look at him wildly.

His lips are so close to mine, I heat up.

“You think I won’t fight you because you’re a bird?” His tone is evil, dark and low. It sends shivers right through me. His eyes dig into mine and I see the murder in them. He’s killed before.

His face slowly floats around mine. “I won’t start anything with you, but I sure as hell will finish it.”

My eyes fill with angered fear as my feet find footing.

His fingers tighten a little bit, making me wince, then he loosens them.

“The difference, baby bird, between me and any other asshole, is you’ll be dripping wet by the time I’m finished.” He growls dark.

His lips consume mine as my wolf howls and barks in my ribs. My mind fills with red lightning and my body swirls with red, crashing seas. My breath is gone as he lets go of my throat and grabs the back of my head.

His soft tongue controls mine and I’m lost in it. I feel my wolf trying to push through, but she doesn’t have the strength.

‘This is mine. Let me have it.’

I place my hand on his rough, bearded cheek and I melt the last bit of my body into him. His strong arm wraps around my waist and coats me.

He deepens the kiss. My heart pounds and something grows. A feeling I don’t remember having. A feeling of being real. I’m real. He’s making me real.

He breaks apart and steps back, leaving me weak kneed and gasping for air.

“Get your coat. We leave in 15 minutes.” He orders, slamming the door behind him.

I’m left confused as I stare at the door. I run my fingers through my hair and stand straight.

I walk to my coat, pick it up and shrug it on. My fingers touch my lips and my wolf growls out protests. She hates him and I’m not sure if I do too, but I liked that.

We can’t be here, but I want to be here. Alone is better, but this? Could this be better?

I leave my room and my mouth is small. He’s at the bottom of the stairs and he holds a hand out to me.

“I won’t hurt you unless you give me reason to.” He warns again.

I glance at his hand then his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

He slightly nods. “I know. I understand it’s not your fault. Hopefully, we can stop it.”

“OK.” I place my hand in his and his thick fingers wrap around my tiny ones.

He helps my down the last few steps and leans to me. “I am with you the whole time. Always…remember that.”

My eyes meet his and a small smile pulls at my lips.

I glance behind me. The other man is standing in the entrance to the kitchen, leaning on the frame and his arms crossed. He looks like Oliver, but angrier. He makes me nervous.

I follow Oliver out to the truck.

He helps me in. “Where are we going?”

“Just a clinic. It’s fine.” His monotone voice seems like he doesn’t like me, but his actions feel like he doesn’t want to kill me so, there’s that.

We drive through the city and I watch the people walk around the roads. In and out of doors and being together. Do I remember together? Since being alone, it feels like there’s something inside that can’t have this. Something’s broken. I don’t know what to call it, but to be here, something tiny grows. My wolf doesn’t like and she’s trying to take it away.

He pulls around the back of a building and parks. He gets out, then let’s me out. With his hand on my back he walks me into the back area of an office.

I look around at all the medical supplies and a man in a white coat meets us.

“Alpha. This must be Ezra.” He smiles.

I look at him suspiciously.

“She’s nervous. It was a battle getting her here.” He shakes the man’s hand.

I look up at him and he side eyes me.

“OK. This way.”

We are lead to a tiny room with a bed in it. My heart thumps as I look around.

“Ezra. Can you hop up on the bed please.”

Oliver nods to me and pushes me gently to the bed. I sit on it and he places a hand on the back of my head. “Good girl.” He smiles. “Just be calm. This will be over in a minute.”

“Take off your jacket.” The doctor comes over with a tray and sets it beside me. It has needles on it. My body heats. I look at Oliver and shake my head.

Oliver places a hand on my cheek. “Yes. This will help. Take off your jacket.”

I blink my eyes to the floor, think about it and slowly take off my jacket.

The doctor grabs my hand. He doesn’t feel like Oliver does. “OK. Just relax.” He slides my sleeve up. “Oh my God.”

My face flushes and my wolf spins in her cage. “I don’t know.” I mutter.

Oliver looks at the black marks up and down my arm over veins. “Ezra those are track marks. Are you using?”

“I don’t know.” I look between the two of them.

Oliver crosses his arms. “You don’t know if you’re using Croak?”

I look away.

He grabs my chin and pulls me to his eyes. “Do you have any on you?”

I shake my head. “No.”

The doctor wraps a band around my arm. “Hopefully I can find a suitable vein, if not, we’ll have to try other areas.”

Oliver places a hand on my nape. “Did Michael do this to you?”

I avoid his eyes, but then catch them. “Yes.” I swallow.

He lowers his head to me. “Ezra…Were you…fetched?”

“Fetched?” The doctor asks as he draws the blood.

Oliver waves him off. “Something she said.” He looks back at me. “Ezra?”

“Yes.” I squeak.

“When?”

“I don’t remember.” I choke. “Now, I’m alone.”

The doctor tapes her up. “All done.”

I quickly pull down my sleeve and pull on my jacket.

“I’ll get this to the Security Unit on rush.” He informs.

“Thank you.” Oliver says and grabs my hand.

He walks to the truck and opens the door. “Ezra, were you pack before Michael took you?”

I slide into the seat. “I think so.” He does up my belt. “I feel together, but not anymore. The dead wolves are all I remember, then they gave me to Michael for his fetch hound.”

“Wait.” He crosses his arms. “Ezra…Are you saying you were trafficked?”

“What’s that mean?” I blink.

“It means people are forced into slavery or other bad situations for money or other things.” Oliver says. “Who kidnapped you?”

“I don’t know. All I know is he’s magic. Big, scary magic. He can make you do things. He gave me to Michael with a lot of others.” I play with my jacket.

“Is he here?” Oliver asks.

I shrug. “I don’t know. He taught me to fetch and use Croak and then poof.” I look into Oliver’s eyes.

He’s jaw ticks and he rubs it. He grabs my hand. “Ok.” He sighs. “Don’t worry about that now. We’ll fix this.”

He shuts the door and climbs in.

I look out the window and watch the outside move by.

I don’t know how it happened. The white prison was my cave for a long time. I never saw outside for a long time unless to fetch. We’d move around. Land in places and told. It’s all a blur. A fog in the Croak. My brain can’t make it come together. She eats it when I try. She doesn’t want me to know because she wants the power.

Now that I’m with the Alpha, maybe he can blow the fog away.

“Frankie.” I whisper.

“What?”

I hear his voice. I see his face, but I can’t touch it.

“Frankie.”