I was locked in the room again with Tee and it was sweltering. Why was it so hot? Something was wrong. I tried to stand but I could not even lift my arm.
"Tee!", I said.
I saw Tee sitting in a chair and called out to him, but he was not answering me.
"Tee?", I thought.
The temperature was increasing, and I could see waves of heat rippling in the air. Was that smoke? It was smoke. With growing horror, I wondered if the building was on fire. Dying trapped in this room during a fire was one of my greatest fears. Wolves were not meant to die indoors, in captivity. We were meant to die under the open sky so Luna could find us and shepherd our souls to Lycos. I couldn't die here, in this prison. We had to get out of here.
"Tee!"
What's wrong with him?
"TEE!"
I could hear creaking and groaning outside the room, followed by a crash, and a woosh as something caught fire. The blaze was so close now, I could hear it crackling as it consumed everything in its wake.
A movement in my peripheral vision diverted my attention away from our impending doom. I struggled to turn my head. It was Tee. There was something wrong with him. His eyes were too big for his face and his scalp had been cut open. A piece of his brain was missing.
"Oh, Luna!", I said.
Before I could get over my shock Tee turned his body toward me and stood up. His movements seemed jerky and when he spoke his voice was monotone and hollow. Like he was a meat puppet controlled by invisible strings.
"Isn't this what you wanted, to die?", asked Tee.
Somehow, I knew he was referring to the event that led to our freedom.
"No, I didn't want to die Tee. I wanted you to live! I did it so you could live.", I said.
Ignoring me, Tee sang a melody our mother used to sing to us, but his voice was thin and reedy, and the words were all wrong.
"They cut it out."
"Pieces of you."
"The part of my heart that I gave to you."
"To stop the pain,"
"I was willing."
"The part of my brain,"
"that had pictures of you."
I blinked and Tee was standing in front of an open door. One I had never seen before. Through the opening, I could see trees and a piece of blue sky. Without a glance at me, he stepped across the threshold to freedom. He left without me, alone in this inferno to burn to death. Desperate, I tried to follow him, but I could not move.
Then the door disappeared and so did my one chance of freedom. How could he leave me? Is this how he felt when I tried to take my own life? Was this his revenge?
I regretted not telling him what had happened that day. He never asked and I never brought it up, but I knew Tee was resentful. I could tell. I should have brought it up and explained. But how could I tell him that a buyer had named a price for a werewolf's heart? A price high enough to make it worth harvesting one of our hearts and reducing their income-generating organ machines by half.
Werewolves could not regenerate their hearts. Alice and Brad knew this and still had no qualms about killing one of us for the cash.
It was horrifying listening to how excited they were about murdering a child. But I guess in their eyes we were not children but beasts, magical beasts.
Suddenly I went back in time to watch that scene repeat itself, this time as an observer in my mind. Unable to say or change anything.
I arrived at the scene right after Brad had proposed the idea to Alice. I looked around the room. I saw Tee lying in his bed with his eyes closed and Alice and Brad, were standing in the doorway having a conversation as they looked in on us.
'Baby, we'll be rich. We never need to work again. We could go live anywhere in the world and enjoy our life.', Brad said.
'Really? Could we get married?', Alice asked.
'Yeah babe, we could get married.', Brad said.
They hugged and kissed like they were in a sick romantic drama.
'But who do we choose? And what happens to the other one?', Alice asked.
Horror welled inside the past me as realization dawned. I listened with him as Brad and Alice discussed our pros and cons. Subject 2 (Tee) was bigger and heartier, but he would grow and it would be too hard to control him. While Subject 1 (Char) was gentle and obedient, but, he was petite and his constitution was fragile. He might not have the stamina to withstand a lifetime of surgeries.
The past me wanted them to pick him and while they deliberated, he preyed to Lycos to grant his death and he begged Lycos to let you live. And faster than it took to order a KFC dinner, they made their choice and they didn't pick him.
'Subject 1 is more docile. He will be easier to control. Since we won't be hard up for money we can have fewer surgeries. Shit, we can even keep him as a pet.', Brad said.
'We will harvest the heart from subject 1.', Brad said.
'Subject 1.', Alice agreed.
'Come on, we have a lot of prep work to do.', Brad said.
They were so casual about plotting Tee's murder that my past self couldn't believe it was real. They were talking about killing Tee and then keeping him as a pet. What was he going to do?
The past me didn't think he had much time to come up with a plan and he realized he was going to have to figure it out on his own because Tee was sedated. I watched as he panicked and his mind raced like a chicken with its head cut off, running here and there as if there was no brain to direct it.
He kept thinking there were no options. He couldn't fight because of the heat. There was no way to escape. He thought about begging, but what if he begged and they ignored him and took Tee anyway? He needed a foolproof plan.
Bitterly he thought about how Brad and Alice had taken his power but left him with his will intact and he wished he really was a dumb animal like the runts thought because he did not think he could live without his brother otherwise.
'Think think think!', the past me said.
I remembered this moment. The moment I realized how to save Tee. It was a pivotal moment in my life when I realized how far I would go to protect my brother. So I waited and watched the past me. Any second now, it would happen...there.
The past me thought of the solution and his mind quieted to a whisper as he contemplated how he would do it. The finality of the act was terrifying. Once done it could not be altered. In truth, it was perfect.
His last act in this cruel world would be to take back his autonomy and save Tee. Brad and Alice would have no other choice than to use his heart.
I was back in the sweltering room, alone, in the present. Feeling misunderstood, and desperate to explain I cried out past the lethargy and the noise of the fire. I screamed as loud as I could in the hope that somehow Tee would hear me. Maybe he would change his mind.
"Tee. I'm sorry Tee."
"I thought, if I took my life it would save yours. I'm sorry Tee. Please come back."
"Please. Don't leave me."
Nothing happened. The door did not open. Tee did not forgive me.
Forgetting about the fire, I cried. I cried because I was abandoned. I cried because I was sorry. I sobbed, sucking in searing breaths until I had no more breath and lay panting in utter misery. Unable to even express my pain. And still gasping for air like a fish on land, I tried.
"Tee don't leave me. TEE.",
Then I heard something explode and turned my head toward the sound, sure I would see my death. But the wall with its observation window and reinforced door still stood between me and the blaze.
The window gave me a clear view of the flames. It was so close now.
I began to pray to Luna and Lycos. I worried they would not find me in this human place and my soul would wander lost and unable to join my heavenly pack.
Then I heard a large pop and, the reinforced glass cracked but did not break. It held for long enough to give me hope and then before my eyes, the window yielded to the heat and shattered.
With a roar, the fire was upon me. It was impossibly fast as it devoured everything in the room, including me.
Someone screamed and it woke me up. I shot up into a seated position and felt a pain in my abdomen like my skin was a size too small and I ripped a seam somewhere inside of me. I hissed in pain. Hands supported my back and head as they helped me lay down.
Opening my eyes I saw a flickering light from a fire. I was lying in a grove and the energy from the flames illuminated the trunks of a hundred trees. It was beautiful, but where was the moon and night sky?
With my eyes, I followed the trail of trunks until I spied dimly lit branches and leaves. Up and up, I continued with the trees as my guide. I knew I was getting close when I saw that the warm light from the fire had transitioned to the cooler light of the moon and stars., Then I ran out of trees and could see the heavens peeking at me through holes in the canopy of the forest.
The night sky looked cool and inviting. I wanted to bathe in that inky blackness. I was so hot.
A winking star caught my attention and drew me to a configuration of stars nestled like diamonds in the black velvet sky. It was Lycos' constellation.
"Lycos", I whispered.
I felt the god's cool hand upon my brow, and he took the heat away. Then I heard the messenger from the train station say,
"And when lost Lycos knows the way."
I called out for my brother.
"Tee?"
From somewhere behind me I heard the murmur of a voice, but it was hard to make out the words. The voice soothed me, and I followed its melody to my slumber and dreamt of chasing hares on the tundra until there was nothing.
«««««««
Something cracked, like a branch giving way under the weight of a heavy boot. The sound was sudden and loud enough to wake me up. I remembered not to sit up abruptly, so I carefully leaned on my side in the direction of the loud noise. I could not see, smell, or hear anything but the usual song the forest sang at night.
Oh, it was night again, or was this the same night and I was waking up for a second time? Trying to figure out time hurt my brain and I gave up.
With a sigh of relief, I realized I wasn't hot. Despite the glowing of a fire that had burned to embers not far from where I lay.
Taking in my surroundings, this time with the intent to figure out where I was, I realized I was still in the forest on Vancouver Island.
"Tee!"
How many days had I laid here while he wasted away waiting for me to save him? Gingerly I sat up. It still hurt but not nearly as bad. I felt the blanket as it slipped off my bare shoulder and down my back. I looked down at my body. What the hell? I was naked. Then I remembered the bear and the salmon. I must have shifted in my sleep.
That was when I noticed the scent of an alpha. It was heady and confusing. I shook my head. My senses were all messed up, they seemed to be kicking in slowly because how had I missed that incredible smell?
I shook my head again trying to clear my mind but all I managed to do was make my vision spin. A wave of nausea made me wretch and I tasted herbs.
I laid back down for a bit until my head stopped throbbing and the world stopped spinning. I was frustrated with the delay because I wanted to set out immediately and find Tee. He needed me. I fingered the soft blankets I was wrapped in and realized they smelt strongly of that alpha. This must be his bedding.
I was naked in some strange alpha's bedding.
At least I found a werewolf, or he had found me.
There was no time to wonder, I had to save Tee. I slowly got on all fours and forced myself to shift. I had never shifted with an injury before, and it was slow and painful. All I could do was endure the pain. I had no choice; Tee could be dying.
Once it was done, I felt a bit better and realized I was hungry. I nosed through the alpha's pack found some dried meat and devoured the entire bag planning to give most of it to Tee. In my mind, I apologized to the strange werewolf that had saved me. Then I loped off into the night with a weird gait as I tried to avoid the pain of my injury.
It wasn't long until I collapsed from the pain and fatigue. As soon as I was able, I struggled back onto my feet and kept going. I managed to make some progress before I collapsed again. I knew it was pointless, but I still tried to keep going driven by my fear of failing Tee. The very last thing I remembered was crawling into the hollow of a dead tree.
That was where he found me. I was pitifully close to his camp. He shifted into a man tenderly gathered me into his arms and carried me back.
The next time I woke I was still a wolf, but I was no longer in the hollow of the dead tree. It was daylight and I was back at the alphas camp. I could smell his scent all around me it made me, curious. I inhaled held in his heady aroma and explored the notes of the masculine scent. Pine, snow, wolf, lazy sunny days in a meadow, salt and caramel. I lost myself in his rich pheromones. Something inside me tingled and woke up responding to his essence and I could no longer deny that I was an omega. I hated that I yearned for the wolf the scent belonged to. Hated that my will was overridden by instinct.
Intentionally I shook off the spell of his pheromones and began to give attention to my health. I gave an experimental stretch to test my wound. Darn it. I could tell it had reopened and now I was in worse shape than when I left. I was about to begin licking my wound when I felt the warmth that I had assumed was the fire, stir. I leaped to my feet and wobbled there as I took in a massive grey and white wolf lying in the blankets. The same bedding I had just been in.
The alpha's yellow eyes regarded me, and we had a little standoff. He stared at me, relaxed and prone, I stared at the ground and wobbled. Then he huffed and when I didn't move, he stood up and came towards me. I skittered several painful steps back creating space between us. He huffed again and pawed the blankets.
No way was I lying down with him.
My hackles puffed up in warning. Don't come any closer. I wasn't dumb enough to look him in the eye, but I also did not back down.
Damn, he was humongous. He was the biggest wolf I had ever seen. We couldn't have been more opposite. I was monochromatic and petite, and he was massive and had a riot of greys, blacks, browns, tans, and whites.
Was he one of the Wasgo pack? I couldn't ask him as a wolf. We were not family, mated, or pack so we could not hear each other.
Come on you big brute can't you go lie down over there? I didn't think I could stand much longer. Can't you concede, just a little? I would die of embarrassment if I collapsed in front of him.
The alpha snorted and closed the distance. He must have known I could not run because he grabbed me by the scruff of my neck. I yelped in outrage. I was not a pup. Then he dragged me to the blankets. I collapsed as soon as he put me down and hid my head in my tail. I couldn't face him.
To my dismay, he curled around me. Ugh, no. He was going to make me too hot. My hackles rose again and though I could do nothing about him, I still growled and was ignored. Instead, he began grooming me. His broad tongue lapped the areas on my head I could not reach. I snarled and snapped at him. He took one massive paw and pinned my head down and continued to groom me.
I seethed in outrage, but anger took a lot of energy. I was tired and sore and grossly disadvantaged. What I needed to do was to heal and then make my escape. He released calming pheromones and felt my body relax under his care. I gave up, only for now, I would escape when I was better. I leaned into him and let sleep take me. Just as I was on the brink of consciousness, I felt him withdraw his paw.