A few days passed and the Alpha had yet to return. Sophia had cited that imperative matters arose, hence his and Aura's hasty departure. The specifics remained a mystery, though his absence brought slight comfort and solace to me. Sophia came to me every day bringing me sustenance to eat and drink, and every day I would counter her gesture with ignorance and disregard.

I couldn't help that I was still angry. I couldn't help that I was still upset. I wanted to go home. My hope was dwindling with every passing hour of every day. I was confined to the four walls of the tyrant Alpha's room. I felt as though madness was scratching at my back awaiting my detonation.

There had been no sign of father, maybe he had finally given up on finding me. I just wanted to tell him I was safe. I wanted to tell him everything was ok, that I was sorry for putting him through this, and that I loved him. Most of all that I loved him.

I watched the snow fall outside the window. It was relentless swamping the view of everything in white. I had never seen a winter such as this.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

On edge, my gaze instantly darted towards the door. Sophia emerged into view. Positioned behind her were four large males stationed outside with the purpose of prohibiting my leave. Apparently, they had nothing better to do with their time than play a part in this twisted affair.

"Sorry to intrude." Sophia smiled softly easing herself into the room carrying a platter of food. I watched her carefully place the object down upon the desk before she turned to leave again. I had been so rude to her all the times before, she was the only one here catering to keeping me alive.

"Sophia." I whispered barely audible. The words left my mouth before I could prevent them. She turned around steadily in shock, her eyes bewildered wondering if she had mistaken herself for hearing things. It was the first word I had said aloud in days.

"D-Don't go." I stuttered out, my hands shaking with unease and nerves. Today wasn't a good day and I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts. Silence filled the room and without a second more, she nodded her head and closed the door for privacy in counter to the guards looming outside.

"Thank you." I expressed as I moved to eat some of the food. Sophia didn't make any move to sit down in the room, she simply stood whilst watching me eat. Minutes passed and the snowstorm outside began to pick up further.

"How are you feeling?" She finally spoke as I finished my meal.

I merely shook my head in response. I wasn't feeling great at all. "I'm losing my mind in here."

".. I know." She responded her gaze locked on the floor in affliction. This situation was very messed up. How had she been roped into this affair? I knew she was a good person at heart. I just couldn't understand why she would want be a part of this.

"Why can't you help me? Why do you listen to him? He's not a god. You're free to make your own decisions." I pleaded with her for answers. I needed something, an answer to anything. My mind was in overdrive.

"You wouldn't be able to understand. He is everything to us. Without him we would be lost." She chastised back shaking her head. I knew she didn't want to talk about this, but I needed to.

"You're right. I don't understand. He's a murderer. And you all worship the ground he walks on." Her reasoning was absurd. People had died and none of them seemed to care. None of them were bothered.

"He's protecting us."

"Protecting you from what? Innocent people. You know this village isn't even on any map? He has you trapped here and you need to wake up. You can be free, there's an entire world out there waiting." I continued encouraging her in hopes of her realising how ludicrous this entire situation was.

Silence filled the air and she made no move to reply. Minutes passed and I finally spoke up once again.

"Sophia-"

"I know it seems that way to you. You could never understand. We aren't like you. We aren't trapped!" She professed cutting me off. I had upset her. "The only reason we are free is because of him. He is our everything. He keeps us safe. He's our home. We are bound to him by something greater than life itself. You and your father never should have came here. It was unsafe for you both, you had no idea what you's were sticking your nose into."

"People were being murdered."

"Those people were murderers sent to kill us!" She exclaimed loudly and that's when I noticed the tear trail streaming down her face. She was really hurting. And I had caused it.

"Sophia-"

"Don't!" She cried out turning around to face away from me. What exactly was happening here in Barnaburgh Hill? This was a lot more complicated than I had thought. The people found mutilated in the forest, all those people that had gone missing, they were trying to kill the people here? Were these finally some answers?

"I'm sorry. Being honest I don't know what's going on here. I don't know anything. I'm just trying to figure things out, I feel so confused and lost. I'm sorry if I've been insensitive. I don't know what you've been through or whats happened." I apologised approaching her. "You have to realise I don't know anything about whats happened, I can only assume the worst looking at this with information from only one side of the story. I miss my home. I miss my father."

She nodded her head eagerly wiping away her tears and grabbed my hands in hers. Her skin felt like a burning furnace shocking me. "Look... Your father, he's safe Eliza."

"What?" I stuttered out in shock as the words left her lips. Answers.

"He is safe. For the time being at least." She continued, her answer pending with aversion.

For now? What did she mean for now? Was something going to happen to him? Where was he? What was he doing?

"Alpha has been keeping tabs on him since he brought you here. Your father has been asking all around, he searched our entire land, he doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep. He's so intent on finding you and well Alpha is so intent on keeping you. It's only a matter of time..."

"Only a matter of time until what?" I panic, my hands trembling in her grip.

"Until Alpha deems him as a threat."

My body instantly quakes at her words. He will kill him. He will kill father if he continues to search for me.

"Eliza –"

"I need to go."

"You can't." She shakes her head protesting at my demand.

"No I have to. He'll kill him!" I pace the floor, my thoughts scampering in every direction possible for a plan of action.

"If you leave he will kill you!" Sophia pleaded pulling me a halt in panic. "They will kill you."

"Help me Sophia. Please. He will kill him."

"There's only one thing you can do." Sophia squeezed my hands tighter looking at me with complete sympathy and distress.

"Anything." I gulped shaking my head. I would do anything.

"You need to convince your father to leave Barnaburgh Hill...without you. Only then will he be safe."

It felt as though I had stopped breathing. Her words echoed in my head. He needed to leave. He needed to leave without me.

"But -"

Sophia slapped her hand across my lips before I could say another word. Her eyes widened in realization and before I knew what was happened Sophia threw my body behind hers in a protective stance. "Quiet."

A howl resonated from outside the door and more howls resonated throughout the house making me latch onto the girl before me in fear.

"Sophia what's going on." I cry out as she drags us both over towards the window. The snow falling is so heavy we can't make out anything outside. It must have been half a meter deep out there.

"Goddess!" She roars out. "Stay here!"

"Whats going on?" I cry out again following her as she makes for the door to the bedroom at a startling speed.

"We are under attack!" She growls out, an inhuman noise resonating from her throat making me stumble backwards as she slams the door.

Under attack? Under attack by who?

Darting to the window I squint my eyes trying to make out anything but the snow prevents a clear view of the drive down below. Huge brown figures appear contrasting against the white and I instantly know that they're the wolves. They've released them again.

What was going on? Panicked voices echoed from outside of the door and all went silent.

Making my way back over to the door I opened it slowly only to be met with nothing. Or better yet no one. The guards had gone. Was this my chance?

I had two choices. Stay, like Sophia had ordered. Or flee and maybe escape this prison. I chose the latter.

For what I had hoped would be the last time, I darted down the stairs and headed for the back door in the kitchen. If I left through the front door the wolves were bound to catch sight of me and I really didn't fancy being mauled to death. I needed to be smart about this.

I couldn't see anything through the heavy snow blinding my vision. Which direction should I run? Without further thought I sprinted forward. Anywhere away from here was better. I ran and ran, the adrenaline fueling my veins. It was hard to get through the accumulation of snow but I didn't let is dishearten me. I was going to get away from this place finally.

A howl resonated to the left of me and I stopped running immediately in fear. That sounded way too close. Just as I made the move to run in the opposite direction something marbled in colour collided with my body sending me flying forward into a tree knocking the wind out of my chest. Pain radiated up through my back and I roared in agony. What was that?

A deep growl filled my ears and I lifted my head up slowly from the ground only to be met with my worst fear. It was a wolf.

The beast was gigantic, bigger than I had ever imagined them to be up close. It was the size of a bear. Saliva dripped from its gnashing teeth as it lowered its body looking at me as if I was prey. The wolf sported scars, and fresh blood mixed with mud was matted throughout its fur. It had been attacked by something inhuman. It's growl became more sinister as it took a step towards me in the snow. It crouched ready to make its kill. I was going to die. This was it.

I closed my eyes as hard as I could and awaited my death. But it never came. Instead a loud crashing noise echoed in the forest followed by growling and whimpering. Opening my eyes I watched as the wolf was thrown around by another auburn coloured wolf. The scarred wolf snatched at the auburn wolf's neck gouging out part of its shoulder.

I screamed in horror for the auburn wolf to which I didn't understand why. Why was I worried? The auburn wolf got back up and lunged again at the scarred wolf. With one quick swoop the auburn wolf ripped out the other wolf's jugular making it fall limp and lifeless to the floor.

Blood splattered across the white snow tainting everything in a deep red as I looked on in horror shaking uncontrollably. The auburn wolf let out a whine before falling into the snow itself, blood seeping into the area around it.

Without hesitation I ran to the wolf. My heart was in my throat in fear, but the animal was going to die. It had saved my life, I couldn't let it die.

The wolf growled loudly at me warning me not to come any closer. However, the warning growl slowly turned into a whine as the animal grew weaker.

"Oh god, what do I do?"

I pulled at my hair whilst still trying to approach the creature slowly. My hands shook uncontrollably as I reached out to lower myself into the snow beside it.

It growled once again warning me to stay away.

"Please stop. I'm scared. I just want to help." I cried out tears streaming down my face in complete fear. "Please let me help you."

The growling instantly eased and the wolf lay still whining softly watching me intently. Pulling off the jumper I had on me I placed it against the wolfs injury to put pressure on the bleed. The creature was badly hurt, this wasn't enough to help it.

"You're gonna be ok. " I soothed not daring to touch the creature in case of angering it. "You're gonna be ok."

The wolf continued to whine staring at me. It was looking at me as if it recognised me which was absolutely absurd. A yelp escaped its lips making me cry out and place more pressure on its neck to hold the blood back.

"Shh its ok. Oh my god its ok."

I coaxed and moved to stroke the beasts fur. The wolf began to calm and its eye's drooped slightly. It was growing weaker. It was losing too much blood. The snow was ceaseless around us, it wasn't going to survive in these conditions if I didn't get it out of here soon.

"Someone please help us!" I shouted out my voice echoing through the trees. No one answered.

The wolf's eyes began to close, it was going to die. No! No! Wait!

"ELEO!" I screamed out at the top of my lungs. "ELEO!"

I continued to scream his name, and that's when I saw him approaching me from between the trees followed by Sophia, Aura and many others. I couldn't make out his expression, I couldn't quite make out anything through the snowfall but I knew it was them.

His eyes widened in realisation as he grew closer observing the site before him. My clothes were completely soaked and drenched in blood as I held my jumper firmly up against the wolf's neck. How this must have looked.

"Please help!" I cried out and Aura rushed passed him to my side moving me over to assess the wolf's injuries.

I shook uncontrollably placing the wolfs head into my lap pleading for it to make it through. "You're gonna be ok. They're here now."

The Alpha stood watching me as I stroked the beast in my lap, his countenance unreadable. He made a motion with his fingers and the men behind him moved forward lifting the wolf carefully into the air as Aura held the pressure on its wound.

"Come child." Aura spoke motioning for me to follow them. I stared at the Alpha for several passing moments, his gaze never faltering from me.

"It saved me." I shook my head as the images of what happened replayed over and over in my mind. The wolf had saved my life. "How much more blood do you intend to spill?"