Once I force myself to calm down, I begin to realize that while this may be the place of my torture, this is not how it looked while I was kept there. Suddenly I can hear voices coming closer.
"Are you sure this is the only option Alpha? There must be something else we can do?" I recognize the voice as Alec's and am curious as to what he is doing here.
"I am certain. To preserve the pack, this is the only way to ensure our security. There is no other choice to make." Taken aback, I watch as Alec, accompanied by Alpha Niklaus continue their conversation inside my prison.
"Alpha, I beg you to reconsider. You can't do this. If they found out it was you, if she finds out you made this deal, you are as good as dead and so is the rest of the pack. There must be an alternative."
"Fine, Beta." Niklaus spit the word beta like it was poison in his mouth. "What solution do you magically have to save us that I have somehow not thought of?"
Alec hung his head in shame. "I may not have a solution, but no solution is better than making a deal with that thing."
No sooner had Alec spoken those words than Niklaus had him by the throat. "Watch your mouth Alec. That thing is the only thing that can save us. It is our only chance."
He dropped Alec to the floor and walked away. Then the vision faded and I was suddenly back in the library.
"Hey, Ren! You still there? Ren?" Conner was beginning to sound worried now.
"Ya, I'm here. Sorry, I just kind of got lost in thought." I began to walk through the isles towards his voice. After walking past a few shelves, I found him.
"Hey, I was starting to think you got lost. I found a book that you might like."
"I think I've seen enough books for one day. Let's get back to asking questions. After all it is my turn to ask one."
"Okay, whatever the lady says." He bends into a mock bow.
"Why did our parents stop being friends? My parents never talked about it."
Conner seems distant. "Lets go back to the table and talk about it." I let Conner lead me back to the center of the library.
After taking a seat, I wait for Conner to begin. After a few minutes he takes a deep breath and while looking down at his hands begins. "It was while you were gone." He looks up at me with tears beginning to swim in his eyes. "In truth it began before you were gone. My father was offered a deal that saved our pack and your pack, but for a price your parents felt was wrong to pay. My father disagreed. When your parents found out he took the deal behind their back, they were outraged. They did everything they could to break the deal and forgo paying the price they had never agreed to, but the deal had already been struck and so was binding. That deal was made with someone or rather something named Gypsut." As soon as if heard that name, I immediately knew where this story was headed but allowed Conner to finish anyway. He needed to say it as much as I needed to hear it.
"My father made a deal that would provide safety for both our packs and in doing so the only price he asked for was a pack member of his choice to become his property. My father agreed even when your parents didn't. No one knew he would choose you, but to your parents, the price of any pack member belonging to this creature was unthinkable. My father however thought that the sacrifice of the one for the many was a noble sacrifice and one worth making. He believed if he made the deal with Gypsut, one of his pack members were to be chosen. He was wrong. The member he chose was you. He was the one who took you and as soon as your parents found out they broke all ties with us." He paused here to gauge my reaction. Seeing a nod of my head, he continued.
"When your parents realized who had you, the went to war to get you back. The council intervened. The deal was for a pack member and since a pack had not been specified in the deal, all wolves were fair game. However, my father was reminded that he could not speak for all the packs and so decided to make a new deal with Gypsut. If they returned you to them, he could have you back when you came of age. Gypsut added a condition to the deal. Should you be withheld or replaced the deal would be void and the packs who betrayed him would be wiped out."
"So its my fault....my parents allowed me to marry my mate and produce an heir all while knowing I would be taken back by this Gypsut. They should have told me. They would still be here." Ren was hysterical by this point screaming and sobbing even as Conner took her in his arms. Her body racked with sobs.