Ch. 381..390

Chapter 0381

"Have you talked to your wolf? How is she?" I ask as we warm ourselves by the fire.

"I haven't talked to her yet. She's there, I can feel her, but she's still locked away somewhere. How did yours come back so quickly?"

It didn't even cross my mind that it was a fast return for my wolf and the only thing she suggested was that Jena had more time with the poisons and other sedatives in her system than I did. Which I told Jena, but I have a feeling that it has something to do with my weird abilities. The same way my body encapsulated the silver in my scars. I don't mention that part though, because I can't explain it.

Through the night, Jena tries to sleep and I think she gets small pockets of real sleep right before she is torn from her dreams, or based on the screaming, her nightmares. But she always manages to scream for me and reach out for me, which means in her subconscious she trusts me even though we haven't been around each other for that long. I take a small comfort in that, but I can't bring myself to sleep. She needs me and I won't feel safe until I see my team here, then I can rest.

The darkness settles around our cave and the cool night air chills me to the bone. Jena is curled up next to me sharing body heat. I managed to get a small fire going, but the area is still so wet, it was hard to find things that would burn properly without causing a ton of smoke first.

The noises of the spring night are loud and boisterous. Everything sounds alive and happy coming out for the summer weather that should be visiting us soon. This is a sound that I will forever associate with freedom. I take a deep breath in, filling my lungs with the fresh scent of the growing forest around me, the water streaming below and a calmness washes over me. We are safe.

Silence. That's all I hear in a split second between breaths. All the buzzing, chirping, rustling just stops. There's a predator near. The hair on the back of my neck and arms rise, my wolf on full alert.

To my left, I hear a footstep press into the soft earth. It's coming from the path we walked up here. Someone is following our scent, but they are downwind so I can't tell if it's my team or one of Mike's minions. I move into a crouched position just in front of Jena, ready to strike my would-be attacker. Another step, I work to control my breathing and my heart rate. I can't let whoever it is hear the fluctuation, that will give me away. Another step, they are right outside the entrance about three feet from me. The final step, I lunge out and grab the person by the hair and twist them to their knees facing away from me, my claws extended into his throat.

"What. Do. You. Want?" I snarl.

"Midge, it's me. Relax." His hands fly up in a sign of surrender and I take a deep breath in, smelling...

"Wyatt! What the hell? Why would you sneak up here like that? You know what we just went through. You're lucky I didn't kill first and ask questions later!"

"And that, my friend, is why you went first." Lillian steps around the cave's edge.

"Oh Goddess! It is so good to see you guys!" I drop Wyatt with a grunt and run to her wrapping her in a hug.

"Love you too, Midge." I look over to see Wyatt nursing the deep red scratches at his neck. He really was lucky I didn't press harder.

 

Chapter 0382

The rest of the team sidled into the cave with us. I had to wake Jena up, even with all of the commotion of my reunion with my friends. She was very lethargic and weak even after sleeping across my back for most of the day.

She cowered behind me as I suspected she would. So Osiston and Alpha Reggie had to talk to her over my shoulder as she clung to my back. They asked some basic questions, seeing how tired and roughed up she was.

Osiston brought Doc Sylvia right to her when she started to wobble and her legs gave out right behind me. Without my training I never would have caught her. Sylvia kicked everyone but me out. They left food and water behind for us and Osiston stood watch outside the door while the rest ran a patrol around our camp. Alpha Reggie hauled the medical supplies that Sylvia continued to ask for as she examined Jena. "Wh..what are you doing to me?" Jena's voice wobbled and for the first time ever I heard Doc Sylvia use a slow calm tone with her. Not her usual bubbly 'research is so exciting' voice.

"I am going to do a superficial check on you here, just to make sure that it is safe to keep moving you. You were with those monsters so long and they kept you pretty sedated, you never know what else they might have put in you. I've seen trackers in so many forms and since you aren't marked or a part of their pack they, most likely, would want a way to keep track of you if you escaped."

Jena whimpers. I didn't even think of that. And I didn't miss the flinch when Sylvia said 'put in you.' That is something we are going to have to tell her, but not here with so many ears. Osiston and Alpha Reggie need to know, but not everyone else, she should be able to choose who she tells that story to.

For almost an hour Doc Sylvia looks at every single millimeter of Jena's skin, in her mouth, ears and nose, cleans and combs through her hair. Then she yelps. "Got it! I knew those f*ckers weren't smarter than me!" Then she slaps a hand over her mouth, eyes wide in shock. "I am so sorry, I don't know where that came from."

We both laugh at her, and it's not the maniacal laugh we shared...whenever that was, but a real laugh at how horrified she is at her outburst.

"What did you find?" I ask through my laughter.

"There is a microchip of some kind in the back of her neck."

"What?!" Jena jumps up swatting at her neck. "They can track me here? Come back for me? I can't go back to that hellhole, it will be so much worse and you know he won't kill me, but he will take it just far enough that I will want to die. Skylar I can't, he can't, It's. No. Just no." She's not even making sense now. Pacing in a small circle in front of me. Doc Sylvia just looks at me, not knowing what she's talking about, but I do and I'm sure I have one of those trackers too.

"Jena. Jena, stop! Now! We won't let anything happen to you, you are safe. We will figure this out. Sit. I'm sure I have one too, there's no way he doesn't have us both tracked, that's probably why no one followed us after we killed a few of their people. Mike wasn't willing to sacrifice his spell when he could track us at his leisure." I look over to Doc Sylvia with my theory. It had crossed my mind that we got away easily, especially after all of the drugs and sedatives and we didn't kill as many people as I hoped we would on the way out.

"You're probably right, come here Sky. Let me check now that I know what I am looking for. Then we can see if there is a way to shut it off or dismantle it and possibly even use it to reverse track them." She holds Jena's hand, trying to sooth the newfound panic.

 

Chapter 0383

I move closer, facing Jena with my back to Doc Sylvia. It takes no time to find mine. It's right at the base of my skull, just inside the hairline. So unless you're someone who plays with your hair a lot you would never notice the tiny scar and bump under the skin. I mean for me, it could be mistaken as part of the scarring that Kaley gave me.

"Is there a way to remove it here, without bringing it back to the training compound or the castle? I don't want to lead his army there before we've been able to come up with a plan." I ask, feeling the little knot. Now that I know it's there, I can't stop touching it wondering if it's just a tracker. Could it be a listening device or mind control or worse? Mike is smart, but is he that smart? Does he have those kind of people around him, helping him?

"Possibly, these are not ideal conditions, but I agree we shouldn't move from here until we remove them. Sky I know you better and I know how you heal. Let's do yours first since I am more familiar with your anatomy and vitals." I also caught what she didn't say. Let Jena see that we aren't going to hurt her, that we are truly here to help.

She has Alpha Reggie and Osiston help her set up a makeshift operation room while Jena and I sit near the fire. She is crying again, leaning into my shoulder. I just hold her tight to my side. She is so brave and has suffered so much. We aren't that different and I hope that is something that she will see and learn to trust me and the team fully.

"When will this ever stop? I just want to live my life free. I don't even care if I have to go to another pack as an omega cleaning toilets. Anything would be better than this right now."

"We'll figure this out and as for where you'll go you could probably join Mina and I at warrior training or you could join Alpha Reggie's pack or even my pack. You're not alone anymore okay?" She just nods into my shoulder, staring into the fire.

"Alright Sky, let's see what we can do about that unwanted addition." Doc Sylvia says behind me.

"Come on." I stand and reach my hand down to Jena and she just looks confused. "I know this sounds crazy but I want you to see that Doc Sylvia is safe, all of these people are. They are my team, my make- shift family. They aren't going to hurt you or I, but I think you need to see for yourself."

She tentatively takes my hand. "I don't know if I want to watch this. I've seen enough and felt enough torture for my whole life." She shutters.

"That's what I mean, this isn't torture, it's helpful. It's necessary for us to be free from Mike and all of those bastards."

She looks worried, but follows anyway holding tight to my hand.

Doc Sylvia stacked several supply bins end to end to make a rough table and layered several blankets so I could lay, not quite, comfortably.

"Let's have you on your side Sky that way we can monitor your breathing too. I am going to numb the area, but I want you awake for this so you can talk to me while I'm taking the device out. I don't know how it's in here or if it's attached to anything, but based on the size, I'm hypothesizing that it is just a capsule with a tracker giving off a signal. THat is going to be out best case scenario."

"What are you going to do when it's out of us?" Jena asks softly.

"That's the fun part," Doc Sylvia is slowly getting to her giddy scientist mode. "If it's just a tracker, then one of our tech guys is going to take the signals and send these idiots on a wild goose chase." She giggles, like a little girl peel of laughter.

 

Chapter 0384

I laugh too at the thought of Mike running all over the place to find us.

"What if there is more to it than that?"

"Then we work one problem at a time with our team. Alpha King Reggie has some of the best tech people around and now that we know that magic is being used and an idea of how it works, thanks to you two we can move forward with stopping this guy and freeing as many people as we can. I know some people chose to join whatever his group is but I have to believe that many of them are like you and not involved by choice."

I think of Robbie and Tyler, forced to serve and forced to stay because of their connection to the spell. Both believing that they have to die to be free. I hope they both survive this, well Robbie. "Alright, let's get this stupid thing out of me, I want to go home." I grumble starting to get uncomfortable on the makeshift table.

Doc Sylvia talks me through what she's doing and asks questions as she goes. I'm not sure if she is just being extra cautious or if she is going this slow for some other research type study reason, but it feels like I am laying there for hours. It does make me feel good, when Jena starts to ask questions as they go. She has a real curiosity for how all of this works and she sounds super smart, asking questions I never would have thought of. I have to remind myself that this scared girl is the daughter of an Alpha, she has it in her to lead and protect. She was probably a force before she was captured, like Sierra and Mina. I can't wait to see if that side of her comes back out.

"Alright, it's out. And there doesn't seem to be any ominous connections or wires, just a simple transmitter. With how small it is though, I'm not sure of the range. Whoever is tracking you might be closer than we think. Let's get Jena's out and let William start on this guy." I hear a small click like glass tapping glass and then I see Osiston walk away from me with something in his massive hand.

I can't move yet, Doc Sylvia is still tugging lightly on the back of my head. I assume she's closing the wound up. The numbing stuff worked though, I only felt pressure, no pain at all. Then she pats me on the shoulder and helps me to sit up. I turn and smile at Jena.

"Your turn. I want to see what this thing looks like." Yep, Doc Sylvia is wearing off on me. I am far too excited to see what's inside our heads.

She sits and takes a deep breath before laying down, like she's stealing herself to do this.

"There is going to be a small prick from the needle that has the numbing solution. I'll do about five points to make sure there is no pain around the whole area, okay?"

Jena just whimpers in agreement and Doc Sylvia looks at me with pity and sympathy in her eyes. I look at her, but don't return the sentiment. I don't pity Jena, she wouldn't want it any more than I would. I do feel awful for what happened to her, but I won't be one of the people that will treat her like cracked glass either. She will get enough of that when we get back to the compound. Nickolas said we have to do Psych evaluations and other tests and debriefings when we get back from missions. I can only assume they will do the same for Jena considering how long she was a captive.

 

Chapter 0385

Doc Sylvia tears open a small white packet that has several medical instruments in it. She set the items down on a metal tray propped on two more stacked storage bins. She already has her gloves in Jena's hair, pulling the majority of it up into a clip. The small section that remains surrounds the spot where I assume the tracker is. She pulls individual hairs out of the way to make the spot as available as possible. Watching her work this meticulously is fascinating. I can imagine her dissecting small plants and animals to gather cells for testing. She is so lazer focused on what she is doing, I bet an explosion could go off outside and she wouldn't hear it.

Once the hair has been expertly placed, she picks up a small knife, maybe a scalpel, but I don't know medical equipment very well. She pokes the sharp tip a couple of times, like she is feeling around for the best place to cut and I can see the little node under the skin move with each prod. Then she glides the blade gently across Jena's skin for about two inches. It doesn't even look like she put pressure on it until i started to bleed. With quick and precise movements, Doc Sylvia contains the blood flow with one hand, switches the knife for tweezers and starts to work under the cut, angling towards the top of Jena's head to find the little device.

She does some quick tiny brushing movements and a metallic tube about a half inch long slips out onto the gauze that she's holding to catch the dripping blood.

"It's so weird to think that little thing could cause us so many problems." I didn't mean to say it out loud, but tech like that impresses me. I don't know the first thing about the tech side of things, but it's still impressive.

"You're right, and like I said, it's not very big so I don't think the signal is that strong, but let's let William and his crew figure that part out." She drops the metal pill into a glass container on the workstation and moves to close up Jena's wound.

Once Jena is cleaned and stitched up. Doc Sylvia puts a lid on the container with her tracker then moves to clean up her work station. Her movements are methodical and kind of hypnotizing. I did notice that not everything went into a trash bag though. Anything that had blood on it was bagged and labeled. I wonder if she is going to use it to test something. What am I thinking, of course she is. Before we move back over to the fire I quickly look from Jena to the doc a couple times trying to make the best choice for everyone, even if it makes Jena angry with me for a bit.

"Doc." I start, taking a deep breath, Jena deserves this.

"Hmm?" She hums over her shoulder while writing something on a clipboard.

"I don't know if this is something to handle here, but I think you need to know and I'm not sure how time sensitive any of this is but..." I look at Jena and nod, while she is shaking her head 'no.' "Jena was r*ped repeatedly by Mike." I stop to take another breath and Jena sags against me, crying into my shoulder, but she doesn't argue to stop me. "She says she has an IUD in, but I just want you to make sure she is okay. Completely okay. And I didn't want to say anything in front of the rest of the team, but you need to know so we can take care of her."

"Oh Goddess help me!" She exclaims resting her hand on her heart. "Yes, of course I will help and you're right, I can only do so much here, but that is something we need to handle first thing when we get back Do you have any pain right now, sweetheart?"

"No." A muffled cry falls out of Jena and my heart breaks for her all over again.

"When was the most recent...occurrence." I can see she is choosing her words wisely and we caught her off guard.

"That's the hard part, we were in a room with no windows or any way to tell day or time. But, maybe yesterday. I think the plan was to come around the time we broke out. One of the guards was running his mouth." I roll my eyes.

"I will have to ask you some hard questions and Skylar can stay with you if you want, but we will wait until we are back at the castle and have the privacy of a room. Sky, what about you? Did they touch you too?" I can see the concern in her eyes and the tension in her muscles. She sounds calmer than she is and it's taking a lot of effort for her to keep it in for Jena's sake.

 

Chapter 0386

"No! No, I mean I got my standard beating treatment, he likes the brutality, but he seemed to like the audience, so I had to watch." I shudder with Jena in my arms and Doc Sylvia just nods.

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Let's get you both back by the fire, get some food in you and clean, warm clothes." She walks out with the container and mutters something angry under her breath.

Lillian comes back in with a cooler full of food and drinks followed by Wyatt who has a duffle bag that must have clothes for us. He doesn't stay, but gives me a small smile before heading back out again.

I have never loved the sight of sandwiches and chips as much as right now. She also brought water and gatorade for both of us. I opened one of the sugary, salty electrolyte drinks and almost gagged at the amount of flavor in it. I had to mix it with water to get it down, but my body needed it.

She also brought several sleeping bag rolls and Jena and I both curled into the soft warmth. It has been a while since if felt something so soft and comfortable. We both tried to get back to sleep. But, that seemed to be asking too much from our frazzled brains.

I layed on my side staring into the fire. Jena's head was next to mine and I can't tell if she is sleeping or just letting her body come down from the high of our escape like me. I want to sleep, I can feel the fatigue rack every muscle in my body, but every time I close my eyes I just see the dark dank musty cell we were kept in. The sounds of the whips and paddles used on us. Our dirty and stained clothes being ripped everytime one of the guards reached out to restrain us for our daily beating. Every time my dream would move to focus on Mike, like a camera in a movie, forcing me to focus on something I never want to see again. He was always in profile or looking away from me, but the moment he turned his head his eyes were blazing red and his mouth was turned into a wicked menacing grin, that's when my body would jolt awake and I sat up looking for the predator himself, sure he was back to torture us more.

Jena was no better, she whimpers and cries in her sleep. Not saying actual words, but I could imagine what is running through her mind. She doesn't come out of the terror on her own, when she starts to flail getting dangerously close to the fire and finally calls my name, I grab her and haul her to me, cooing that she is safe. I sit and rock her until her body is calm again and then lay her back down next to me.

By the third or fourth time of this, warriors stopped running into the room at the sounds of her cries or my gasps. Lillian decides to post herself at the cave entrance to keep an eye on us. I can hear murmuring voices just beyond the cave entrance. Maybe status reports or her relaying our restless states, who knows. I'm still too fried mentally to even think straight. I have noticed that my body is coming out of the fight or flight mode though and the exhaustion almost hurts. I wonder if part of that is my body finishing the detox of whatever sh*t Mike's guys gave us.

The next time I woke though, there was a distinct difference. I could smell Jena next to me and feel the weight of her head on my shoulder, but we were bumping around and I could feel the thrum of vibrations under my butt. My brain woke up quickly, my eyes however did not get the memo. It was almost as if they were glued shut. I quickly went into defense mode. I started to name off things that were real without the help of sight. I could feel Jena leaning on me and smell her. What else could I smell? I can smell Wyatt and Lillian. A little fainter I can smell Osiston, stale fried food and gas. I try to still my heart, we must be in a car moving, but why can't I open my eyes.

"Where are we going?" I ask Osiston

"Home, Little One. Just rest. We have you." Is all he said, then I fell back to sleep.

 

Chapter 0387

Warmth.

Softness.

Safety.

That's what I feel right now. I recognize the smells here, even before my brain and body fully wake-up. I'm home, I can feel it in every fiber of my being. A smile creeps across my face as I start to blink my eyes open and take in my surroundings.

"SKYLAR!" A scream from somewhere in the room brings me out of my safe bubble and I am plunged back into that dark dank cell. Was I dreaming? Is my mind starting to play tricks on me to make me feel safe? "SKYLAR! HELP! HELP ME!"

I shot up from where I was laying, looking to my left for Jena. But she's not there, a door is there. No, Jena is chained up to my left. What the f*ck is going on?

SKYLAR! PLEASE, HELP ME!"

I shake my head, I'll figure it out later, Jena needs me first. I swivel my head to the right and see her thrashing in a bed a couple feet from me. A bed. We never had beds. The white comforter is on the floor and she is tangled in the sheets to the point of strangulation. I shut my analyzing brain down and ran to her.

I grab her by the shoulders so she doesn't hit me in her quest to get free of her nightmare.

“Jena, Jena, I'm here. Jena you're safe, open your eyes." More thrashing and whimpering. "JENA, WAKE UP, NOW!" I shout at her.

She finally opens her eyes and recoils from me a bit. I keep my hands up in surrender until she is able to focus on me. Just then the door bursts open and Doc Sylvia, Osiston and Lillian are there. Jena jumps back more, receding into the spot where her headboard meets with the wall and she makes herself as small as possible.

"Jena, look at me. Just me, Jena, look." Finally her eyes turn towards me, wide and unfocused. She's awake, kind of, but still locked in her dream. "We. Are. Safe. Do you hear me? We are safe, you're here with me." I reach my hand out to take hers, but she just recoils more into her corner.

"What can I do? This is getting worse the longer we are out of that prison." I don't look behind me, but the question is aimed at the people standing, waiting behind me.

"Try to get her to tell you what is real. It will help her brain to start to accept that she is free. I don't even know if she can hear me right now." Doc Sylvia says from the door. "Five things that she can see. Four things she can feel. Three things she can hear. Two things she can smell. And One thing she can taste. It's a grounding technique for panic attacks."

I just nod, never taking my focus off of Jena. "Hey, Jena." My voice is soft, but not placating, she has always hated that. "Look at me, we are going to get through this, but you have to let us help you. Nod if you hear me." I scoot a little closer, close enough so I can touch her hand.

She finally focuses on my face, I know she is trying and present at least.

"Tell me five things you can see."

"Her eyes darted around the room, almost like a trapped bunny. "I see you, right in front of me."

"Good, what else?"

"I see the sheets wrapped around my legs. I see the people at the door with Doc Sylvia, I don't remember names though." She gives me a weak smile. "Good, two more."

"I see another bed, your's maybe and a desk in the corner."

I nod. "Good, tell me four things you can feel."

"I feel your hand." She smiles for real this time, it's small, but real. "I feel the soft bed and pillows. I feel the warm air coming from the vent."

"Alright, three things you can hear." She's starting to look more alive. There is color to her cheeks and her eyes are open and curious, not frightened.

"I hear breathing; voices outside the room. Where are we? I hear lots of voices and silverware clinking."

I don't get distracted by her

question. There will be plenty of time to show her around the compound. For now I need her to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is real. "Two things you can smell

She closes her eyes for a second and then opens them. "I smell myself." She grimaces. "I need a shower, badly." I laugh with her.

"We both do, but that hasn't been on the priority list. What else?"

"Bacon! I smell food, real food." Right on cue both of our stomachs rumble and we both laugh as do the people behind me. Jena takes notice for the first time and grasps the sheet, pulling it tight around her.

"Hey! Hey, right here." I pull her focus back to me. "What can you taste?"

She just sits there looking startled again.

"Jena, we are safe, tell me what you can taste right now." I hand her a bottle of water, trying to prompt her

to drink and answer my she net

She was doing so well, but she won't be able to cower forever. We need to push her to break out of this or she Will never stop being the victim.

 

Chapter 0388

She takes the bottle from me. "What do you taste?" I ask again.

She gulps one big mouthful. "I taste clean water. There's nothing in it but water." SHe looks at the bottle like it's trying to trick her, then back to me.

"We are safe. Now, let's get clean and downstairs before all of the bacon is gone."

She slowly gets up and follows me to the bathroom. I help her get the hot water turned on and tell her I am going to leave the door cracked so Doc Sylvia and I can hear if she needs help.

While I wait I cross the room to Lillian and give her another big hug. "Thank you for coming for us." I let her go and walk into Osiston's arms. He wraps me up in his massive embrace. My arms almost don't reach all the way around him, my fingers barely touching.

"We will always come for you, not just because you are a warrior, but because you are family, Little One." I hug him a little tighter at that and fight to keep the tears at bay. I can't cry here, I'm not sad, not really. I just didn't know how much words like that would mean to me.

Jena comes out complete with the black warrior training uniform I put in there for her and I head in for my turn. I keep it quick, not wanting Jena to be alone with anyone yet. I don't know how she feels about this place or my team and friends and I don't want her to have to go down to the chaos of the cantina alone.

I clean as quickly as I can, while still trying to get however many days of grime off of me. I have to remember to ask how long I've been gone, I still don't know. Once I feel like I got as much filth off. I step out and dry off with a fluffy white towel. I never knew I would appreciate such simple things like showers and warm towels, but here I am and it's glorious. I put on another warrior training outfit and it's another thing I will never take for granted.

I walk out with my blonde hair stringy and wet hanging to just below my shoulders. It's finally starting to really grow out since Kaley cut it off, man how long ago was that? I really need to get better at keeping track of time.

I walk out of the bathroom to Lillian and Doc Sylvia talking to Jena. She looks like she's trying to keep up, but maybe a little uncomfortable.

"Hey, I'm hungry. Are you ready for this Jena? It's going to be a lot of people and a little crazy. We can just eat up here until you're comfortable."

"No, I'm okay." She takes a deep

breath like she's getting ready for a battle and stands up. "I'm going to

have to do it sooner or later, I can't

hide out forever. Just maybe don't leave me, okay?" She asks, looking up at me through her eyelashes, her face still tilted toward the ground. Like she is ashamed of the question.

"I won't leave you." I smile at her and link our arms as I lead her towards the door with Lillian and Doc Sylvia following.

"I have to get back to the hospital for a while and gather things for the both of you. I will be back in about an hour. Sierra has been rattling my head waiting to hear about you." She pokes me in the shoulder and I giggle.

"Can you bring her back with you? I don't know when Osiston will let me get back up to the school." I plead.

"I'll ask, let's get you both some food, you've been out for a little while."

"That reminds me. How long was I gone? How long were we out? I don't have any idea about time right now."

"The Alpha King wants to talk to you about your time away, but you both slept for two days after we found

you and brought you back here. Just so you both know," She stops us just outside the door in the empty

toe 1. Must

hallway. "I did a full exam on you both." She pauses to let that sink in. "We didn't find any permanent damage in either of you, but I did take samples for research. Jena, we also had to remove your IUD. It was damaged and causing some damage to your uterine walls."

"What does that mean?" Jena gasps, tears forming in her eyes.

"Only time will tell, but we will check on your healing regularly. For now everything appears normal, but I believe you should know what is going on even if it might be a little scary. Hbelieve you have been kept in the dark for too long." She pats Jena on the shoulder. "Even the stuff that's hard to talk about. Knowing what you face will only make you stronger, and voicing what is going on with you will also help. Come to me for anything, alright?"

She sniffles and nods. I wrap my arm around her and start to move forward again. We head down the main stair case and through the white foyer to the large common room. All conversation just stops.

 

 

Chapter 0389

"There are a lot of people here." Jena whispers to me. "I didn't even think about how many warriors there actually are."

I reach behind me and give her hand a squeeze. "These are trainees. We are all in various stages of training, but it's easier for us to be here when we aren't on a mission. Sometimes people are gone for months or years and it would suck to have to keep track of someone's separate house and belongings, so living here is the best situation."

The shock of our arrival dies pretty fast and we walk in towards the dining area, Lillian in the lead with Jean in between us. We each grab a plate and Jena's face keeps darting around at all the people not really hiding their staring. A few have come up to say hi, but they must have been given orders to leave us alone. Once we have full plates we head over to the table Lillian and I normally share with Nathaniel and Wyatt. They are strangely absent though.

"Where is Wyatt? I thought he came back with us. ANd was Nathaniel a part of the rescue team too?"

"They are around somewhere, just giving you space. Obviously everyone knows, or thinks they know, what happened to you and that you came back with someone you rescued. No other trainee has done something like that. We were told to leave you alone until you were ready to jump back into regular life. Wyatt was one of the first to see you and I think he took the sight of you pretty hard. You looked rough."

I just nod. I understand, I think.

"Wyatt, Nathaniel. You guys can join us. We aren't broken and it would be helpful for Jena to meet people."

"You sure Midge, we can give you space as long as you need it." Nathaniel adds.

"I don't need space from my friends, idiot." I laugh at him and then I hear him and Wyatt laughing behind me.

"Now sit down and eat with us and I can introduce you to Jena."

They join us and the conversation is not as forced as I thought it would be, but Jena is mostly listening to us talk, just takin in her surroundings. Lillian, Wyatt and Nathaniel try to engage her at first but then just let her be when they realize it's making her more uncomfortable to be in the hot seat.

I let them know all about my adventures at UMaine, the classes I took and the people I met. I also gave them a very abridged version of what happened when I was captured. I still haven't talked to Osiston and Alpha Reggie yet, so I don't know what I am allowed to say and what I need to keep quiet. I also don't want to draw more attention to Jena, who's time was longer and far more painful than mine.

The bell sounds for training to start not long after we sat down. I get up and Jena follows, not really sure where we are supposed to be, but I don't think they want us training until they have talked to us about the mission. As if I conjured her, Mina walks up behind me and wraps me in a hug from the back.

"I have missed you. It's good to see you up and around. Warrior Brogen and Alpha King Reggie want to see you both in the war room. Come on."

I wave my friends off, promising to eat lunch with them if we are out in time, then Jena and I turn to follow Mina.

We head to the planning room that started this whole journey. It feels weird to be full circle now.

"Hello ladies, Mina, please stay, this includes you." Alpha Reggies begins. "I'm glad to see you both up and around. Doc Sylvia has given us a full report and you both seem to be healing nicely. We will have you on light training for the rest of the week. Skylar, don't look at me like that your training was interrupted and you were in a cell for a month, we have no idea what your body is prepared to do so we would like to evaluate you, just to make sure there isn't some underlying damage that we missed. Jena, we would like to evaluate you as well. As the daughter of an Alpha, I assume your battle training was extensive." She nods at him while he pauses. “Skylar said one of your captors mentioned you being there for a year or more?” She nods again.

"Time was hard to keep track of, so I really couldn't tell you how long they had me. Can I ask a favor though?" Alpha Reggie nods. "I would like the chance to search for members of my pack. The attack on my pack was brutal and I don't even know if there were survivors or if others were captured, but I would like to search and give them a place to call home if there is anyone out there, living like a rogue." She looks down at her hands and takes a deep breath.

 

Chapter 0390

"We will help you search, but we need to make sure that you are up to the task both physically and mentally." Osiston answers.

She nods again. "What does that mean exactly?"

"Well you were both held captive for an extensive amount of time so you will both be evaluated by our psychologists and have regular meetings with them and we will do a full physical evaluation on both of you. We want you to get back to training as quickly as possible. Many times that is what is needed after an experience like the one you both had. It gives you something to focus on each day instead of living in the memories of that event." Alpha Reggie gives up both a knowing stare, like he speaks from experience. "As far as school goes, Jena I don't know where you were in your studies, but you are more than welcome to join a program that interests you, we can go over that when Doc Sylvia and her team is done with you. And Skylar, you just keep me on my toes at all costs. You have a full semester of college classes under your belt. I feel like high school might be on the boring side now. What would you say to training with warrior Brogen and myself?"

"What does that mean exactly?" I ask, confused. They don't teach classes so I have no idea what it is that they would be teaching me, but the idea of not going back to high school intrigues me more than it should.

"Since you don't seem to follow a logical laid out plan for your education and training, we have decided to adapt your warrior training." Well that's not cryptic. But if Alpha Reggies sees the look of confusion on my face he ignores it and looks at Jena. "What do you say my dear? Are you ready to join our Elite Warriors and begin your journey to rebuild your pack?"

She gives him the first genuine smile I have ever seen and it lights up her whole face. It even erases some of the shadows that were there. He's right, it's going to help her heal to have a mission that could possibly see some of her pack members saved.

"Yes, sir." Her answer is quiet, but I can feel the excitement radiating off of her.

"I will be in contact with your territory's king to see if any of your pack fled to him for safety. We will work our way from there."

"We have your first Psych appointment right after lunch, but I want to get you both outside and see what I have to work with." Osiston stands, I guess ending the meeting.

We both stand and follow him out the door. I'm excited to get back to my normal. Who knew that going on a mission would mess up my schedule entirely? Being undercover doesn't allow for much in the way o our type of training, and I already know that this is going to suck. I was lucky to get a short run in every morning and some weight training in every day, but my sparring and battle training were done whenever we found a moment. I am both excited and afraid to see how out of shape I am and of course Osiston is going to make sure I feel it. My wolf however is purring at the thought of being let out again and not just to save my ass, which makes me laugh.

We make it out back and along the edge of the warm-up area. All of the rest of the warriors are gone so they are either on the obstacle course or the long run already. Osiston leads us to the open area between the warm-up area and the obstacle course area, it's really just a pass through for us to get from one training area to another, I never really thought about it before. It's open and you can see well worn paths in the grass where people head off in one direction or another.

"Alright, Jena, I would like you to watch first then we will see where your fight training is at. This is just a spar for reflexes and movement quality. I'm not trying to hurt or submit you and I would appreciate it if you did the same. Skylar, there really is no need to give you instructions, you never follow them anyway." He chuckles at me and then lunges.