Amber

His harsh words hung in the air. Jasper once was, which meant now Jasper was not.

"What happened?" I whispered.

"Do you care?"

"Yes," I agreed hesitantly. I wanted to make sure that he was gone and would not be looking for revenge.

I glanced at his face and saw that he was scowling. "Why? He was assaulting you. Or did I read that situation wrong?"

My protest was automatic. "No!" I met those hard eyes, and I could not quite look away, as if he could control me with his gaze alone. I shivered.

"Look at me, Huntress."

I did.

"I ripped his neck open and left him to bleed to death on the ground."

I froze. Summoning my courage, I asked, "You're sure he's dead?"

"Unless hunters can survive without an intact throat, then yes."

Guilty relief washed over me. Jasper could never torment me or chase me down again.

"You said you were useless, but my advisors don't agree with you. They believe we could use you in a prisoner swap."

"You're sending me back there?"

The most irrational dismay rushed through me, considering I was indeed a prisoner and my future was uncertain. This creature had killed Jasper. He could easily do the same thing to me.

Yet, I didn't care about that, not really. All I knew was that I was away from that place that I had begun to believe I would never escape. At least this was a new cage and maybe a new opportunity. Unlike the hunters, they might not think I would dare make an escape attempt.

"No. At least, not yet."

It was a reprieve.

"Does your leg hurt?"

I glanced at him uncertainly, trying to figure out what answer he wanted. He was different and I could not read him. "Yes?"

His brows deepened even further. He looked angry, but even with his obvious displeasure, he was oddly handsome.

My exhaustion was clearly getting to me.

"Come with me."

"What?"

"Grab your crutches and come."

I did what he said without further question and awkwardly pulled myself off the bed by the old wooden contraptions they had supplied. I put them under my arms, and began to move forward on my good leg.

The stairs were a challenge, but I managed to hobble up to the top. His gaze burned across my skin as he watched my progress, leaving me feeling both awkward and exposed by his intense regard.

He led me through the house, and I tried to crutch as fast as I could to avoid his glower. I almost tripped and he growled as he roughly stopped me from another fall. "Could you be careful?"

"Sorry." I responded quickly and turned my eyes down to the ground. He growled again and I flinched.

I wished I could have explained that I had never been this clumsy before. I supposed that being rescued through abduction could have that effect on a person.

Finally we reached a door and he opened it, revealing a plain bedroom. I paused at the door, not sure what he intended for me. Terrible scenarios whirled through my mind. I risked a glance at him.

"You'll stay here until we're done with you," he said.

I nodded, trying to pacify him.

"The door will be locked and guarded, the windows are locked. We'll hear if you try to break them. Don't try to escape. Stay put."

I nodded again.

His scowl practically burned me. I swallowed hard and crutched further into the room under his hot gaze. I breathed a sigh of relief when the door finally shut behind him.

What was I going to do?

—————

Over the next few days, I was left largely alone except for when I was brought sustenance, clean clothing, toiletries, or ice for my ankle. The only other interruption of my solitude was when someone came by to question me. I was not tortured in spite of what Oliver had implied.

I had hit on a strategy and I followed it with dedication. I never told them that I was a human orphan because then they might really understand I was completely worthless. I was not sure what they would do to me if they discovered that I was useless to them.

On the other hand, I tried to make them believe that my value was low, because I really did not want to get sent back to where I came from. Jasper's death had not been my fault, but I was not convinced that Mrs. Lyndon would not find a way to blame me for the death of her beloved wicked son.

My hope was that I would heal my ankle and eventually somehow manage to escape them. I was not optimistic, but maybe they would use me as a servant and get bored with watching me at some point. It wouldn't happen soon, but if I was patient maybe I would have a chance.

I had failed a few times to escape from the hunters, but I had learned from my mistakes. These wolves likely did not expect any rebellion from me, just like the hunters hadn't before they'd caught me making my escape that first time.

While I lay around elevating my foot, my fantasies about escaping to the outside world ran through my mind wildly. I was not looking for much. I just wanted to find some humans and live amongst them, no longer looked down upon for the weakness of my nature. Maybe I could find a kind human man to care for me like no one else had, although I had difficulty even believing that such a fantastical thing might be possible. No, the most important thing was to get away and hide.

I did everything I could not to crush those dreams of escape with logic, because they were the only thing that kept me going.

My mental wanderings were interrupted by the door opening. It was not one of the ladies who had been caring for me, but the grey eyed alpha. I instantly scrambled up in the bed and watched him warily.

"I've come to warn you."

His words made me shiver. "Warn me about what?"

He paused and continued in a less certain tone. "It's the full moon tonight."

I didn't know the point of him telling me this. My eyes stayed on the floor.

"Stay in your room tonight."

"Why?" I asked, my curiosity overtaking my caution. I was always in 'my room'.

"Never mind. Just don't try to leave. It's less safe than ever for you. If the wolves get a hold of you they could kill you."

I nodded. "Why would they do that?"

He frowned. "Are you trying to get information to take back to the hunters?"

I shrunk down as I shook my head. "No. I never want to go back there. And my ankle..."

A glance showed me a brow furrowed as if he were trying to determine the truthfulness of my words. He needn't have bothered, since I had been forthcoming with what I knew.

"Just remember what I said," he said gruffly before leaving the room again.

—————

I covertly watched the full moon activity from outside my window. At first it seemed very much like any other dusk, but as time went on I began to notice the lack of activity, which was then followed by a large increase in the number of human beasts outside. Most still bore their human skin, but they all moved with a frenzied sort of excitement.

As darkness began to fall, broken only by the occasional torch and the light of the moon, wolves began to emerge from the shadows. The silence of the night was rent by increasingly frequent mournful howls of wolves.

Perhaps I should have been afraid, but there was some part of me that was energized by the movement of the pack around me. I decided then and there that I would make my attempt at escape on the next full moon once my ankle was good enough to walk. It would be dangerous. I would either win my freedom while they were distracted or I would die at the teeth of the beasts, but still the gamble seemed worthwhile. I did not want to go back to the hunters and I did not want to stay trapped here.

I lay in bed in the darkness and watched the light hanging in the sky outside my window for a long time before I finally fell into a deep rest.