The faintest of frowns appeared on the Alpha's face at my spitting words and the amusement which once glimmered in his eyes diminished, being replaced with a striking look of harsh intensity that made a ripple of fear creep up my spine as I stared back at him in expectancy.

"You will need to regain your strength if you wish to kill Anabelle then. And your strength will begin to build only when you rest."

It was not Hannes that spoke, but rather, the female lycan, Lilith. I bristled at the laughter coating her voice, the drawling tone. She moved to stand by Hannes' side, lifting up the picture and studying it as she continued, "And even then, you probably will not be able to murder her, little human."

My face stung and my left eye twitched subtly at the mounting rage that consumed me. I struggled to breathe as I eyed both of the lycans.

They are mocking me.

My tongue ran over my suddenly dry lips and Hannes watched the movement, his attention only being shifted away when the female placed a hand on his arm, her smile blinding. "I'm sure you have plenty of paper work to return to, Alpha. I shall walk Olivia to her room."

"I'll walk alone." I spat, thrilling silently at the way she flinched. I did not wait further for what they had to say, but hobbled out of the room, ignoring the presence of the man and woman, the guards, who flocked to my sides, asking questions I did not bother to answer.

The anger only began to dwindle once I was in the quietude of the bedroom. I pulled at my hair, thrusting it away from my eyes and wondered who had twisted them. Haphazardly I stumbled to the bed, maneuvering my body so I laid flat on my back, eyes searching the high ceiling above.

Minutes turned into hours and I listened to the sound of my breathing, mind roaming, yearning for peace.

***********

I did fall asleep.

But not for long.

I awoke after three hours, skin prickling with awareness. He was in the room, watching, like a silent, fucking obsessive creep.

"Get out." My voice was raspy with tiredness, and my neck throbbed; I had fallen asleep with it at an odd angle. I rubbed at it absently, wincing as I stared into the darkness, knowing that Hannes was somewhere in the room.

My breath hitched at the feel of his calloused hand against my throat, his warm large hand flattening my own and halting my movements.

"Who did she allow to be killed?"

My body stiffened further as a rush of emotions flooded me. I fought to maintain some semblance of composure as I responded, "My parents."

Silence greeted me, until I heard a low grunt. The hand pulled my own away, and I swallowed hard when his fingers pressed gently against my skin, moving them in a circular manner, massaging the pained area of my neck.

"When was this?" His voice was deep as usual, but the silence of the room only seemed to enhance the depth. My eyes lowered shut and I could feel the stiffness from my neck ebbing away.

"Twelve years ago." My voice was terse and I cleared my throat, hoping that would get rid of my husky tone. I jerked away from Hannes' touch, sitting up carefully, dragging the sheets with me. They were so, so soft and warming.

"I will deal with her personally." A promise that confused me. My eyes narrowed to where I suspected that he stood. He had not asked for further information, but was so willing to, deal with her, as he put it. Perhaps he knew more than he let on.

My head shook firmly. "No. I will be the one to murder her if she comes whilst I am here. And maybe, one day, Kanes." I added, speaking more to myself than Hannes, remembering that he had been one of the many warriors who had dismembered my parents' bodies.

"Kanes?"

I cursed sharply at his sudden closeness, backing away further on the bed and blinking rapidly, hoping that somehow I would be able to see the Alpha's large form.

"Kanes?" The Alpha repeated. I hesitated before answering, but my head lowered in a small nod of confirmation.

"He is dead, Olivia," Hannes snarled. My eyebrows puckered as he went on, the room growing thick with his palpable anger, "He was taken here, to be questioned, but I killed him when one of the humans who had been imprisoned stated that him and others had whipped and beaten you and all of the other former prisoners."

I said nothing at that, but angled my head to where I believed he sat. My eyebrows remained in their furrowed state as his words raced in my mind, disappointed yet satisfied. For several minutes, neither of us said anything and my body had yet to ease from it's tense state.

"In a couple days time, if the snow storm has passed, we will visit some of the humans who were imprisoned with you." It was not a suggestion he made and I gave no response, still mulling over the fact that he had killed Kanes.

Hannes stood soon enough and walked to the door, taking his frustration with him and the tightness of my chest only eased when he quietly left.

Days passed and I barely left the bedroom. Breakfast, lunch and dinner was delivered daily nonetheless, and I did not see Hannes throughout those three days.

A repetitive cycle began to form. I would bathe in the morning, the bedroom held an adjoining bathroom that I showered in, change my bandages, do simple exercises throughout the day, and ate and slept when I needed to.

I was restless when the storm finally passed. I did not care for the guards' words of warnings the morning after it had passed, but had instead sought out a coat and slipped it on after showering and dressing in some of the abundant amount of clothes in the closet.

"The Alpha asks that you wait for him." The female guard hissed as I limped downstairs. I jerked my head in a nod, knowing that he would be the one to show me to the exit of this house; the guards had firmly refused to when I had asked.

I stood at the bottom of the stairwell, eyes flickering about me, lip curling in distaste as Lilith passed by. A hand covered her mouth, hiding her smile as she whisked by, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Pathetic meek little thing." She sang lowly, entering the dining area and closing the doors behind her. My head tilted at her words but I did not retaliate.

Maybe, in due time…

My fingers were resting in the deep pockets of the coat when the Alpha emerged from the living area. He looked me over briefly, a satisfied sort of expression on his features and crossed the short distance between us. I recoiled at his nearness when he reached beside me, opening a small cabinet.

"Choose one." He gestured to the winter boots on the shelves. I hesitated, only briefly, but turned to them, seeking out a pair which could fit. Hannes waited patiently as I slipped them on and I frowned at the soft look in his honey eyes when I finally met his gaze, took the white gloves he offered from his hands and slipped them onto mine.

I was shocked when, the male guard, pushed against what I had assumed to be a wall. It opened and it took me several seconds to realize it was a door, but had been specifically designed to blend in with the walls. It moved soundlessly and Hannes led me down the stretch of a hallway, my eyes bouncing from wall to wall as I limped after Hannes, our footsteps being the only noises for a short while, until we reached another door.

My body trembled at the onslaught of the cold breezes when the door was opened. Snow partially covered the patio and the steps outside and I gingerly walked ahead, brushing Hannes' hand away when he lifted it to assist me down the stairs. I kept my eyes on the yellow winter boots; my bandaged ankle in the boot was a bit uncomfortable, but I would manage.

Hannes stayed by my side as we trudged through the snow, and I silently rejoiced at being outside, at the feeling of icy cold blasting my face. A budding smile arose on my lips, but was swept away when The Alpha took my upper arm and began steering me in the opposite directed, towards a house in the near distance.

Someone sat on the porch and it was only when we neared that I recognized the person to be Helda, the dark-haired, blue eyed and a bit spacey woman from the prison.

She slowly stood at our approach, watching the massive Alpha with pure fright before switching her gaze to me, taking me in as I did her, examining our changes of appearances.

"It's amazing what a good shower and a proper meal can do," Helda spoke quietly. I glanced to Hannes, who simply looked on, arms folded across his wide chest. I rolled my shoulders in agitation, glanced behind her to the closed front door.

"Where are the others?" I questioned. Helda cocked her head to the door and raised a hand to the handle. I made to follow her, but was pulled back by the large hand that engulfed my wrist.

My hand yanked backwards at the contact and I stared unblinkingly at the Alpha as he directed me away from the door.

"I need to finish off some pack work," His eyes searched my face as he spoke. "I will leave you with your friends."

I resisted showing my surprise. I could simply just could leave and go...

I could leave and go...go where?

"If you choose to depart from this pack," Hannes' voice hardened and I braced myself for a threat that did not come. "I just ask that you tell me where you intend to go, for there are some lycans in the nearby town who will not hesitate to harm humans in any way that they can."

His hand caught my chin, as if realizing that his words were beginning to fall on deaf ears. His grip was firm and unrelenting, honey eyes narrowed sharply. "Do you understand, Olivia?" Warm breath cascaded down my face. "You will need protection if you leave this pack. Things have gotten worse throughout the past few years and the mercy shown towards humans by some of the lycans is very little."

His hand dropped away when I said nothing, but my skin still seared from his touch. "You should get back to your pack work." I muttered, creating distance between us and barreling past a silently watching Helda, striding into the house.

*******

Steam arose as Helda poured hot water into her cup, her shaking hand holding the kettle. I watched as some of the water dripped when she lowered it and used a finger to touch the tea bag now floating in the darkening hot liquid.

"How far is the town from this pack?" I demanded, moving so I sat on a chair by the counter, beside one of the three men who had been imprisoned with me; Yanneek. Helda shook her head.

"I'm not sure," Helda said. "But I'm certain there is a map here that I could find if you want to-"

"I wouldn't do that," Yanneek warned, his voice low. Dark eyes flickered between us as he finally looked away from the newspaper in his scarred hands. "The Alpha is telling the truth about that town and the lycans in it."

"How did you-"

"I overheard him speaking to you," Yanneek grumbled. He smacked the newspaper heavily down on the wooden counter and prodded a thumb towards some words. I leaned over, catching sight of what he wanted me to see, hastily reading what was provided.

"Several lycans are suspected of brutally beating a human family passing through the town," Yanneek began to summarize what was in the newspaper, since Helda could not see from her angle. "The humans are in a nearby hospital. Violence has climbed throughout the past two weeks in Weston Town. So far, twelve murders have occurred and all of the victims are humans."

My fist pressed against my mouth and my eyes roamed up and down the newspaper, not digesting the further information. "The lycans received no punishments for what they did?"

Yanneek grunted. "No. They should, but this world is run mostly by lycans who despise humans and probably encourage these behaviors."

"The Alpha isn't like that," It was Helda who spoke.

My eyes lifted to hers, narrowing and she hesitated to carry on further, but continued at the look given to her by Yanneek. "He brought us here safely and gave us all of this," She waved a hand around the house and my stomach churned as she said, "He's not like the rest of his kind. Don't you agree, Yanneek?"

Yanneek rested back in his chair, eyes becoming distant as he stared through a closed window. "We will see." Was all he muttered.

When Helda's eyes moved to me, I rubbed a finger absently across the scar on my cheek, nodding my head in agreement with Yanneek's clipped words.