There was nothing on the green walls, but Wilbert had not looked away from them in days. He got up and used the bathroom when he needed to, showered when he was pushed, and ate what little he could manage, but other than that, he always returned to the same corner of his room, sat on the ground, and looked forward blankly. Wilbert was as still as a firmly rooted tree against the corner room. His mind had long stopped replaying the horrible scenes in his mind and had stopped wondering when and where he had gone wrong.
Now all he could think about was the blood on his hands. The woman he had torn into. Who could have been saved? Unlikely, but a chance was still something to grasp onto. And then there was the one who lived.
Ryle Tolk. Ryle Tolk. Ryle Tolk.
Her name made something in his chest tighten, something that was not connected to the guilt and pain he connected to her, more than what he felt, connected to his very being. He had never paid much attention to the story about those who awakened because they happened so rarely. And now he was a caller. Even if by accident. How could this have happened? What was he to do?
All he had ever wanted was to be a part of the best pack enforcers. As a child, he had always heard the stories of the best of Silver Hall, those who protected and brought down criminals in true battles of strength and intellect. Very rarely does the center of the pack ever contact those who protect and build everything that is Silver Hall, but once was all it took for Wilbert's heart to be claimed in the path of an enforcer. He recalled watching a chase take place during one of his school field trips during his younger years, the chaos of the screams of confusion from his schoolmates, and the adults rushing everyone back on the bus.
The sight of Minlan leaping over cars and shifting effortlessly as he took down the ghoul and his team members that appeared as if summoned from the very air, already working in sync to pin the monster's arms and legs down, the others that pushed everyone away and their quick shouts. It all happened faster than he knew, but for weeks he could not get the scene out of his head. He had put his hand to his chest, the steady thumping reassuring him that he was in that moment, aware and not in some trance, because that is what that memory made him feel. As if, he had been taken over by something stronger than himself.
It did not take him long to know that he wanted to be where his heroes were, which meant becoming stronger than the average wolf, accepting danger and violence to a degree he had never really seen. He was fast at moving into the city to adapt to the reality of living outside of a protected space. Reality had been brutal. He was still a part of the pack, but without living in the family-designated territory, he had learned fairly quickly that he had been underestimating just what his nonchalant happy childhood had meant. His advancement into the building and then up the ranks happened because of his quick temper and berserker aspect, but he had been confident over time that he would always be able to rein it in if the time came.
He had overestimated himself, and two had paid heavily for it. So many times had he boasted about his self-control and how useful he was to the team. He wanted to prove himself.
"The calm wolf hunts best." Wade had tried telling him once, the words going in one ear and out of the other, now sticking. "Even for a wolf of your type, your strongest weapon can always be used against you."
He hadn't understood what that had meant. No, he had thought it was a jab at how wild he could get during a hunt, his mind taking a backseat while his instincts flared full force. Always, had his work ethic been complimented, although with a pinch of scolding for whatever he had managed to mess up. And now he had crossed the line of messes. How many times had someone warned him to learn control without the mouthpiece? How dependent he had become on the mouthpiece to keep his mind and body in check.
How could he help Ryle when he had failed to help himself?
Rhythmic thumping sounded off in the training room as Mandy's fists continuously flew in front of her, her small but muscular figure shaking the heavy bag, dirty blond short hair drenched in sweat, sticking to her closely.
Resting at the far bench, away from the sparing floor, a pink, spiky-haired man laid with his arm over his face as he panted for breath. Chase removed his arm and turned to look at Mandy, her chilled and focused expression, tougher than usual. Wilbert was the youngest in the group, usually a cheerful and boisterous guy who knew just what to say in the worst situations. His recursivity in the past days was understandable, but it was still a drastic shock for them to see.
"Why don't we go try Wilbert's door again?"
"So that he can ignore us?" She grunted out. There were others in the room who were working on their own stamina, but no matter how discreet they were about listening in, Wilbert's situation was the only thing anyone could talk about. Especially for the alphas and betas who lived on this floor. It could happen to any one of them, and now they know it to be true. "No thanks."
Countless people had stopped by his room and tried talking with him, but nothing they said made him respond. Even Alizia had stopped by, but one look at him, and she had said this was a battle he would have to face himself. Chase knew there was truth to her words, but he couldn't sit still, it simply wasn't in him.
"Suit yourself." He picked up his towel and walked off. "I'll be stopping by around lunch if you change your mind." He called out. She didn't respond back, but her rhythmic hits stuttered before taking up at a faster pace.
Unlike the majority of Silver Hall, the newest members lived on the top floor. Lacuna and omegas filled out the second and third floor, while betas and alphas lived under the entirety of the building, close to the underground parking. It made it easy for discretion when any of the groups had to leave or return from missions, but most importantly, no one from the outside knew where any of the alphas were. Targeting alphas and betas had once been the most common form of takedown in a pack. Lacuna would persist, but even their rank jumping body would only be able to hold out for so long on a persistent attack. Forcing packs to merge had been so dangerous it had nearly wiped alphas out of existence, and so now the inner layouts of each pack's building were kept secret.
Teams were kept together for swift action and easy access to the outside. There were at least five communication rooms for the four teams' trackers that weren't exclusively owned, but each respected the territory of those who left their scents obvious.
Once showered and changed, he gave himself a once over in the mirror. Running his fingers through his gelled hair and the cotton candy pink color made his light blue eyes pop out. Whistling down the hall with his hands in his pockets, he headed to the cafeteria. Three steps in, he came to a stop and rushed over to the table against the wall.
"I thought you were all going to be spending lunch with the new girl." He pulled out a chair and sat next to Hugo, throwing an arm around the fellow as he took a large bite out of his burger. Without looking over, he offered his fries to Chase, who took a couple, stuffing them in his mouth.
"She declined our lunch invitation, but we will be going back up for her later." Li chewed on the straw of his drink, displeasure coming off of him as he looked off with furrowed brows. Chase raised his own in surprise, Li was usually difficult to bring down. "Tough cookie."
"Mandy tough?" He asked incredulously. Everyone shook their head without pause. Out of everyone who had made their way to group number three, Mandy had made it glaringly clear when she first joined that she would have no problem leaving them behind if they couldn't pull their own weight. It took even longer for her to finally acknowledge them to be at her level before she mellowed out some. If she weren't so good at her role, there would have been a lot less tolerance for how hard she had made working with her in the beginning.
"...no, but close. She leaves almost no openings." Kane confessed with twinkling eyes. He shook his head with a small smile. Ryle had been polite, if not curt, with her refusal to join them for lunch. He had been hoping for that to be an opportunity to her get her to venture a bit further than the two places she had only known.
"How did it go?"
"She took everything relatively well, but I suppose she needed time to gather her thoughts without focusing on keeping her reactions to a minimum. She definitely still sees herself as a human."
"Well, it hasn't been long since she awakened. That's not too much of a surprise. What's next then?"
"She's going to get a quick tour-"
"Exposure," Wade answered quickly, ignoring the roll of eyes that gained him from Kane.
"Everyone's already been told about the low shifting rule."
"Only building A, right?"
"Yeah."
She would have to get used to seeing wolves eventually, but for now, everyone understood that seeing wolves could be. . .triggering, for Ryle after what she just lived through, and after seeing her reaction to Wade's half shift, Kane was certain of his decision. Since she would need to get used to the ambiance of her new life, Alizia had recommended keeping her within building A. That and outside exposure were not safe for her at the moment.
Li let out a long breath, before dropping his head on their table with a loud thud.
"When's the next mission, Kane? I need something to hit to get all of this frustration out of me. This whole situation has my nerves on edge."
"You aren't the only one."
"Vos is still in the medical wing, and you aren't exactly cleared either." Wade pointed out, glancing purposely at his back as if he could see the throbbing stitches on his sides. Li ignored the small stinging and sat up straight.
"I'm perfect-" Hugo looked up, dark eyes narrowing in a chilling way. Li's mouth snapped shut before he slumped down, raising his hands in front of him. "Fine, fine. I know. Resting here. Don't glare at me, you'll add to my stress."
Hugo continued on eating silently. Kane huffed at his protective friend. Out of everyone in the bunch, getting the pack doctor's permission was easier than getting Hugo's.
"What do you think she's doing? Ryle, I mean." Kane voiced, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing up as if his eyes had x-ray vision and show him, Ryle, at that very moment. She had looked pale and tired when they had split, but then again, that's really all he saw from her from the moment he laid his eyes on her at the hospital.
"What would you, in her place?" Wade tapped a finger against the table. Everyone recognized that quick agitated movement from him as a sign of his mind going to work, and since the whole of group three were currently on leave, it could only be about their current situation, which meant Ryle and Wilbert.
"No clue." Li voiced, before standing up and disposing of the trash. "Hope she's in the mood for walking."
Silver Hall took up the whole block square, but for now, building A was as far as she was allowed to wander about, since anything past or outside was unsecured, because there were vultures in wolf fur outside of the doors sometimes. The thought made Kane recall the conversation they had earlier.
"Chase, if you see Mandy, later on, tell her to come by the tracking room. We all have something to discuss."
"More than what's been going on?"
"It's closely tied to how the future of group three."
"Got it." He saluted and then stood up. "Well, good luck with the new chick. I'm on Wilbert lunch duty. Maybe hearing about her will stir something in him." With that, Chase made his way to the food and vanished with his arms filled to the brim.
A couple of people greeted him as he made his way down the familiar halls until he got to a red door with various posters on the wall, and he nearly kicked it open, struggling to turn the doorknob. Once it did, he pushed it open with his hip, waltzed in, dumped everything on the unslept bed, and made himself comfy on the bed. He opened a bag of chips and looked over to his left where Wilbert was, on the ground and facing forward with a blank stare.
His friend was in a loose collared brown shirt and black sweat pants, his curly brown hair pushed back by his usual headband. Chase took a glance over his friend and winced. Physically, he looked fine, if not a bit pale in the face, and hollowed out from the little food he had been consuming, but other than that he was fit and fine. But even without making eye contact with him, he knew there would be a blank look within his gaze. He acted more like the vampires than the wolf he was. It was unnerving.
"I've brought you, food man, you've got to eat before you start losing muscle." Chase stuffed a handful of chips in his mouth, the sound of his chewing sounded far louder than normal to him in the silent room. "No answer, yeah, figured."
Sorting through all of the options, he grabbed a wrapped sandwich and a bottle of water. With perfect aim, he tossed them in front of him, the water bottle bouncing from the wall and slowing to a roll before stopping by the sandwich. There was nothing, not so much as a twitch. Leaving the chips be, he picked up one of the apples and took a bite.
"I'm not going to say I know what you're going through, that would be a lie, but I can tell you that being in the depressing place won't help. Come out where the people are, get a taste of the sun, come out for a run." For a moment he thought he saw a flinch, but nothing. Chase's eyes narrowed.
Something he said reached, he was sure of that, but not exactly what. Chase was the first to admit that Wilbert was stuck in a terrible situation, that like Alizia mentioned, would be a battle for his own mind, but that didn't mean he couldn't be there to give him a gentle push. Or shove. Really a slap, if it got him out of his terrible state. Pretty soon all of his lack of higher food intake would push his metabolism to start turning in on himself and wasting away in his room would be the least of the worst that would happen. A starved berserker wasn't easy for anyone to handle. Especially one already standing on thin ice.
"Just so you know, she's going to be getting the grand tour later." He tossed out casually, again came the slight twitch, but nothing more. "The groups ranked her as a mini Mandy for now so you better pull yourself together before she one-ups you."
He took another bite of the apple and glanced at the blank wall that had captured Wilbert's eyes. There was nothing extortionary about it. Chase sighed. If he wanted to take it one day at a time, he would do that. Even if going slow went against everything his very being.
* * *
"Can you hear us, alright man?" Paul asked, shifting the screen monitor for a better angle as Vos peered back from his med room. The thin and ghastly long-haired man on the screen showed no visible injuries on his long face, purple eyes blinking sleepily as he shook his long hair away from his sight.
"Just fine." He replied quickly in a low voice.
"You look like crap." Paul teased with a grin, the corners of his lips stretching out in an unnerving but kind grin. Arms crossed over his chest he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet as Voss rolled his eyes, an unhappy look to him, but that too was his usual way.
"I'm healing, what's your excuse?"
"I miss my desk partner." Paul threw out a wink that had Vos baring his teeth before looking away in exhaustion. In a way, his injury worked as a small reprieve, time away from Paul, whom he spent the most time with, out of everyone in the group because of the roles they played as lead trackers and tech support.
"Wait for the meeting to finish before you start flirting." Li tossed out, tossing his legs up on the back couch and laying down with his arms crossed behind his head. The position made his back screaming in protest. "Where's Mandy?"
She walked in as soon as the question finished. "Here."
"Shut the door behind you, please," Kane called out quickly without turning to look away from the papers he had spread out on the back table. His hair fell forward, red tips nearly obscuring his sight as he studies everything quickly. The door shut firmly. "Thank you."
"Alright, what's up? Are we getting briefed on the newest member?" Paul asked excitedly, rubbing his hands together, green eyes sparkling in glee. He had been bumped out earlier to be voted out of meeting her. Chase, tossing a toy ball up in the air from on top of the bookcase at the corner, didn't seem all that interested, but he too liked new and shiny things and at the moment that's what Ryle Tolk was.
"Kind of," Kane said, placing both hands on the edge of the table. "We can talk about her later, right now we have a bigger problem."
Wade pushed off the wall and stood beside him, peering down as well before making a face that caused his scar to scrunch in a tight and painful-looking way. His upper lip curled for a moment, making the grumpy-looking man appear truthfully angry for a moment before the expression cleared away and he resumed his usual displeased expression. This made the others who had no idea what they were meeting up for, burn with a curiosity that would be answered just as fast as it came.
"Ryle's awakening was leaked and Alizia says we have about a week at most of stalling before the roaches start infesting."
The news wasn't all the surprising to hear.
"I thought they would have been here sooner," Paul muttered, walking over to his desk and spinning the chair around as he went to work. "It was the human hospital, right?"
"Yes, the back and forth travel from us to the hospital raised suspicion and their files were hacked. Paul."
"On it." He called out already knowing there was nothing he could do about hiding whatever information the other packs had tried to collect on Ryle, but the least he could do was track down exactly when and who collected the information. If they were going to have competition then it was his job to know who the key players were.
"Since Ryle has signed into Silver Hall that's gained Alizia legal reason to stall introducing her to anyone outside of us, but as an awakened everyone wants to see her and get to know what type of wolf she will develop." Wade's scent came over Paul's shoulder as the man studied the quick list of names flying over to the second screen and the files that were already on hand coming forward. Wade reached over and tapped on some, recognizing and confirming the few he knew would be on the top of the list.
"What are we supposed to do then?" Mandy's called out, eyes narrowed on Kanes back, a suspicion forming in her mind.
"For now, catch her up as quickly as possible to what it is we do and get her into some sort of schedule until we solidify where she'll thrive best at." Kane finally turned around, pushing the hair back and away from his face to show a somber expression. " The U.M Yearly gathering has been pushed up. They're coming together at the end of the month here."
Paul's quick typing stilled as everyone took in a sharp breath.
"What?" Vos called out in a sudden lively reaction, his screen began to tremble as he sat up, his tablet shaking in his grip.
If it wasn't enough that all of those old cunning foxes were on their way to one of their cities, their arrival always stirred trouble from all sides of the scope. Be it from the humans or the non, there was never a gathering that did not come with some form of bloodshed. And that was only the bloodshed known to the public because the inner workings of those gatherings always hinted a something worse taking place behind closed doors.
"This is not good." Mandy pinched at the bridge of her nose as she looked down.
"They've changed the venue to the heart of Mhalic," The unfortunate news kept coming as Kane took in everyone's reaction. He too had been shocked to hear of the news. Earlier he had simply wanted to warn everyone of the increase of interest that would soon be headed Ryle's way, but this was far worse. "and they expect both Ryle and Wilbert to be present at the meeting."
Multiple groans reverted around the room as the shock from earlier transformed into horror. How were there supposed to explain to the girl who had gone from human to non-human that she would be walking out of the den of wolves and into something far more frightening?
"She has the worst luck I've ever seen." Chase blurted out, blinking slowly at the blank wall in front of him. He suddenly understood why Wilbert spent so much time staring at walls.