Her head was leaning on the back wall of the cell when she heard them coming. Alex knew immediately that they meant her harm. She had been in a handful of situations in her lifetime where she got close to becoming a victim of rape. She had always bested the scenarios and perpetrators in the end but each one had left it's mark in her mind. She had been injured hundreds of times, had fought countless enemies and assailants, had felt the pain of broken legs and deep cuts but none of that scared her compared to the thought of being assaulted in that way.

They were whispering outside of her cell window and were attempting to make as little noise as possible as they opened the door to the cell block and made their way inside. She took a deep breath as they walked to the bars of her cell.

'Well look at you pretty girl', the tallest one said. He was blonde and broad and maybe fifty years old. She assessed him as a medium risk. He looked strong but his age might go against him and he didn't look fit. The smokers cough confirmed that he might be easier to overpower than the other two.

There were two other men standing in front of her leering and licking their lips. The youngest looked more scrawny than strong. His eyes looked wild though, excitement and exhilaration clear in his face. The third man looked like the biggest threat. He looked stronger than the other two. His smile was terrifying and his eyes were black.

'We wanted to come and give you a proper welcome Princess. Keep you company for a while', the third man said.

An ice cold sensation ran down her body as she realised the danger she was in. She screamed inside her head to try and wake her wolf. Her alpha gene meant that the poison they had injected to still her wolf, would not be as effective as it would on another. The wolf inside her could sense Alex's fear and started trying to gather her strength to come to her aid.

The cell door opened and Alex stood up to face the men. She was afraid. She couldn't shift. She was weak from the wolfsbane. She was outnumbered.

But she would fight.

Her best strategy was to keep them out of the cell. She ran at the door as the oldest of the men was trying to walk through. He was startled and unprepared. First mistake. Alex's wolf sent her enough strength to shift her hands into claws. She ripped his throat out before he could even acknowledge her attack. She shoved him aside and swiped her claws across the face of the youngest one. He squealed and fell backwards. The third man was slightly more ready for her as she barrelled towards him but still got hit with a swift kick to the face. As he fell Alex wasted no time in climbing on top of the youngest man who was holding his face and trying to stand, and slit his throat. He grabbed at his bleeding neck, gasping for air. Alex tried to turn around but was too slow. The third man grabbed her from behind.

'You fucking bitch', he spat in her ear as he threw her onto the ground and climbed on top of her. He was as strong as she anticipated and angry now too. He pinned her arms over her head with one of his huge hands as the other tore her shorts and ripped away her underwear.

'I am going to destroy you bitch', he breathed onto her as she felt him unzip his own trousers. His erection pressed into her leg as she struggled underneath him. His breath was putrid as he licked her face and bit her lip, smirking widely at her fear. Alex could feel her strength waning and tears started to sting her eyes. She could barely breathe as the man repositioned himself on top of her, pressing his body tighter to her. He lifted himself onto his elbow as he reached his other hand down to his erection. His grip on her wrists slackened for a mere second and with her remaining strength, she freed one of her hands, shifted her claws again and stuck her sharp thumbnail in his eye socket. As he lifted his head to scream, she freed her other arm and snapped his neck.

He fell sideways and she wiggled out from underneath him. On her hands and knees, she vomited, gagging and gasping as she stifled her own screams. She realised that her face was wet from tears. She took a moment to wipe her eyes and her mouth, sat back on her knees and made herself stand up. She looked at her torn underwear on the cold ground, bile rising in her throat again when she thought how close she had come to being raped by this disgusting man.

Slow breath out.

To work now, she thought. She ran quickly to the door of the cell block. The men had locked it behind them, ensuring they weren't disturbed. A horrible shiver went up her back at the thought. She looked out any window she could see to assess whether anyone had heard any commotion. No one was moving anywhere that she could see. There were a few lights on and the conversation she could hear seemed far enough away not to worry her currently. There were eight cells, including hers and Kit's. There was a small kitchenette and another small room which looked like an office. A tiny shower room with a toilet and sink sat beside the office.

Kit was breathing but otherwise was not moving. They had brutally whipped him by the looks of it and she got a strong smell of wolfsbane from his cell. Some packs would coat their torture implements with a mixture made from the herb to inflict maximum pain and damage. They had likely injected him with some as well to keep his wolf from healing him. His wounds were open and oozing blood.

Alex returned to the three dead men and started searching their pockets. She removed keys, mobile phones and wallets. Anything which could help her or give her any insight into where she might be. She went into the office, closed the blinds and turned on a small light. On one mobile, she punched in Nolan's number and pressed call. It rang out. 'Shit', she thought. 'He's probably out, shifted in the woods somewhere'. She texted him, just in case he was ignoring the call.

'It's me Peach'.

Peach was a code word they had come up with years ago so he would know for certain that it was her sending a message to him.

A few minutes passed and no return call. She started rifling through the wallets, listening intently for any noise around her. There were some receipts for diesel and food, some photos, dollars and what looked like Mexican pesos. She took photos of everything and sent them to Nolan. The address on the receipts was for a town four hours from Black Mountain. Perhaps her location was near there. Nolan might figure something out.

She tried calling her brothers in turn and her father but to no avail. She texted them all the same photos in case one of them came back for their phones.

She cursed herself for not knowing her mate's number. She had never used it and so hadn't committed it to memory.

Time to restrategise. She took another turnaround the cell block, making sure nothing had stirred since her last check. She took the keys acquired from the dead men and opened up Kit's cell. She called to him and tried to wake him but if he could hear her, he could give her no indication. She pulled him into a seated position, grabbed his hands and dragged him towards the shower. She needed to at least wash away as much of the wolfbane as possible and hopefully get his wolf back. It was an awkward manoeuvre to get him under the shower. She directed the warm water onto his back and let it flow while she went to the kitchenette. Hoping to find some first aid supplies, she searched every press and drawer, taking anything that looked mildly useful. There were some sharp knives which she would need for weapons as her wolf's strength was spent for now. She was surprised to find some pretty adequate bandages, rolls of plaster tape, an antibacterial cream and even some shots of penicillin and adrenaline. She shuddered at the thought that the pack here probably shot their prisoners up with adrenaline so they couldn't pass out from the torture.

There was some fresh smelling food in the fridge. She took a large drink of water and rammed a few slices of ham into two slices of bread before heading into the office again. Her old Gamma had always told her that during conflict, she needed to eat, drink and sleep whenever she could. 'What good are you to me if you die from starvation or hallucinate from lack of sleep when you could be dying in a battle for me', he always joked to her. The thought of him now gave her heart a lift. She finished the sandwich and looked around for a t-shirt or jacket for Kit. There was a pile of random clothes in a box in one of the corners. She pulled a black hoodie and a pair of shorts onto herself, discarding her own ripped shorts and picked out a warm looking jumper and trousers for Kit. She took a few t-shirts to help dry him off.

Kit still wasn't moving but was warmer at least than when she had left him. She lifted his chin and parted his lips slightly with the cup, pouring small amounts of water into his mouth. It didn't rouse him but he did swallow almost the entire cup. She turned off the shower, dried him off and wiped down his wounds with some of the bandage. It was a poor sight. The whip marks were numerous and deep and he still wasn't healing. He was dying a slow death without his wolf. Alex knew she hadn't been dosed as badly and her wolf would eventually regain her strength. But Kit was not looking good. She rubbed the cream all over his back, shot him up with penicillin and a shot of adrenaline for good measure, before pulling him from the shower room and dressing him in the dry clothes. She threw a blanket over him and hoped for the best.

Kit would not be a part of a fight to get out of here. Alex rubbed the back of her neck sighed heavily at the thought of what was ahead. She would have to go outside and figure out a plan from there. There were so many unknowns - where was she, how many soldiers were out there, were they armed. If she left Kit behind to try and get help, she was condemning him to a terrible death. If she tried taking him with her, they would both likely be caught. Either she would have to kill everyone here or she would have to wait and hope someone found them.

Waiting was not a good option. She picked up the knives, keys and one of the phones and headed to the door.

'I was just going to pay you a visit darling'.