Colton's POV
Sex with Liz never happened; just as her clothes fell off, I made up an excuse about being summoned by the high alpha. She was clearly disappointed, but I couldn't get it up even if I tried. Something bad was happening in the Claw pack, and I am sure my father is orchestrating it behind the scenes.
I know his style, and this screams of him. He doesn't just like to punish people; he likes to destroy them mentally. He has been doing it to me for years, and had it not been for the fact that I nearly killed Brain because I was angry with him, I would have continued to allow him to ruin me further.
As warped as it may sound, B is the reason I have been able to pull myself out from underneath my father's thumb. All the stories Mandy has told us about her cousin have somehow shifted my perspective, and things I once perceived as sinister were really just the girl's kind nature in action.
Despite having no reason to do so, B has put herself in harm's way multiple times to help me, and my sh*tty way of rewarding her, was to scare her into a premature shift. Every time my wolf and I think back to that night we become physically ill, and frankly, it's that single incident that has helped me to control him fully; we never want to get to that point again.
I make my way to where Liz told me isolation holding is. I don't know what I should expect when I get there, but I feel like I must go. I link my beta, asking him to stall for me if my father asks, and he responds by telling me that something is not right. I already sense trouble, so I ask him to stay close to Mandy. I don't want them being dragged into my father's bullsh*t.
I pick up the scent of luna Mavis, and I am confused. When I make out her form, she is sitting on the grass staring straight ahead. There are a ton of guards around, and I'm given the alliance gesture for silence, as I near the isolation zone. I understand the need for surveillance, but what I'm seeing is an overkill.
I sit next to the old woman, and she finally registers my presence. Her eyes are puffy, and it's the first time I noticed that they are hazel. Her hair isn't well maintained the way it usually is, and I finally see where the black mop that B has on her head has come from.
My heart starts thumping in my chest when I hear faint sounds coming from the distance. I know it is Brain, but I cannot exactly tell what she is doing.
"She has been screaming for days," luna Mavis says in a tone so broken it makes my heart ache, and I start to wonder if my mother misses me. Ignoring everything I have been taught about showing weakness, I gently pat the woman's arm.
"Listen closely, I think she is singing." I don't know what I said wrong, but Luna Mavis breaks down, and she struggles to keep silent.
Rather than to violate isolation protocol, I help the woman to her feet and we back away further before finding another place to sit. Even though luna Mavis hasn't asked me to stay, I feel like I have to. She has not let go of my arm, but I feel guilty that she is leaning on me for support.
"Colt," the woman says, once again adding an R sound that makes me chuckle. "You are growing well."
Rhea's POV
I am in a good mood, but the reality is, I'm in a hole, and after nonstop singing for Sylvia, I am exhausted. She too can barely speak to me, but we continuously remind each other that we are alive and well through our bond.
It has been so long that I have forgotten what it feels like to have a constant companion. Sylvia was always quiet but knowing that she was with me is all I've ever needed from her.
"Will we ever shift?" I ask, not really caring about the answer for myself but for her.
Sylvia tells me that we can still shift, but it will not be easy. I will have to commit to a training regimen that is triple what I am already doing and increase my dietary intake. Apparently, my mother was onto something, but she says I need more meat. She tells me that I will gain weight, but she needs me to put on body mass.
I can see where she is coming from because I am naturally very thin, practically flat. Puberty should be right around the corner for me as a wolf, so I will need to make up for my body's basic needs to grow as well as Sylvia's needs to regain her strength.
She and I start going back and forth in my head, making a diet and training program that will work around my school schedule. I will be exhausted, but Sylvia tells me that she needs to feel pushed, otherwise she will never be forced to her limit.
With our plan set, the two of us settle into a comfortable sleep. We are starving, but we are no longer dehydrated thanks to the random bouts of rain, and I'm more than sure we are nursing a cold, based solely on the soreness of my throat. There is a lot of misconception about wolves, and while we are not easily made sick, we can become ill. This is especially true when we are already weakened.
The sun rises and I hear the clamoring of voices. Everyone sounds so loud that I have to cover my ears, but what surprises me is that I hear Alpha Newt. Sylvia immediately goes on edge, but I calm her by telling her that the man cannot do anything to us.
I have been punished beyond what the law his council has put into place allows, and if he goes any further, he will be executed. There are far too many witnesses for him to make a cover, and since he ordered my family to keep quiet when they tried to explain to him, he dug his own grave.
"Are you alive down there?" The man asks. I resist the urge to give him a thumbs up and settle for a subtle nod. "Climb out."
"Alpha Newt," my brother says. "We typically go down and get them."
"No wonder your pack is so weak," the man mocks, and Sylvia growls in my mind. She already dislikes the lizard, but she now hates him for disrespecting our brother.
"Something is still not right," I say to Sylvia and she nods in my head. I'm at first startled by the fact that I can see her, but she tells me that the partial shift has in a way made our bond stronger, so I will be able to see her reactions at times.
"Climb up," Alpha Newt orders. I dig my fingers into any cracks I can find, and with much difficulty I make it out of isolation.
I flop onto my belly and I hear my mother gasp. I must look horrible, but thanks to my wolf, I do not feel that bad.
Alpha Newt orders me to stand, and I get to my feet as much as possible, which sends him into a rage. He starts accusing my pack of feeding me, but his own men are wearing expressions that tell him he is wrong.
"Since I do not have proof, I will not report this incident with the council, but to prevent such issues in the future, I will not turn the other cheek." The man walks toward me and stares into my eyes. I look away because Sylvia is warning me that it's a test of some sort. "I sentence this pack to double council taxes while Miss Talons is a member, not to exceed two years." There it is, poorly concealed and disgustingly obvious.
All of this has been about money, but the pack's newfound success is from the work of the pack combined, not just me. Removing scent blocker from the equation will only hurt with deliveries, but at this point we can afford to hire human drivers.
I start laughing maniacally, and it sends me into a coughing fit. All the effort Alpha Newt put into his plan is for nothing. I turned sixteen in a hole and was never sworn into the pack, he would have known that if he had actually read my file when he first came.
"What's so funny girl?" He snarls.
"I am not a member of this pack." I start coughing again, and Alpha Newt cocks his head at me. He is obviously confused, so I explain. "I was fifteen when you sentenced me to scourging and to isolation." Alpha Newt's face pales as he gestures for my file to be brought to him.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" I open my mouth to answer, but Lark is faster.
"We tried to tell you she was a minor, but we were ordered into silence. We must respect our high Alphas sir." Alpha Newt glares at me, and my poorly concealed smirk is irritating him. He moves in so close that only I can hear what he is saying.
"You thought this out? Didn't you?"
"Sorry?" I say as a question. It's not an answer, but it has told Alpha Newt all he needs to know, and he backhands me into the ground, where I fall with a giggle.
"High Alpha Newt, my sister is not in her right mind. Please allow us to take her to a place to recover." The man says nothing as he quickly starts making his way back to the packhouse. I cannot stop laughing and Sylvia is howling in my head.
With the high Alpha gone, my mother scoops me into a hug and I suddenly feel the weight of my own body. I am in pain and tears start falling from my eyes.
"Couldn't you just be quiet?" She asks.
"She's back," I whisper, before I fall into the deepest sleep I have ever experienced.