Chapter 1

She’d slept most of the way back, reclined on what space was left in the back of the trunk they’d taken from the compound. First Kirsty had watched the little town disappear, then with the dusty road and such things, she’d rolled onto her side and fallen asleep. She was having such a strange dream, it had started with being back in the metal chair, with Wayne pushing cool metal into her flesh that had switched almost instantly to Trey dropping to the floor in the motel room and proposing. When she blinked her eyes open and the purple and blue horizon came into a fuzzy view she knew she’d been asleep most of the journey. She heard gravel crunch under the thick tires of the Toyota truck and sat bolt right up, almost knocking the dozing Leon off the edge of the truck. He jolted awake, followed by Kaze who had been sleeping on his feet. The two new wolves looked around and stared blankly at the house they now pulled up along side.
A second or two later the motorbike came skidding up besides the green garage door and the rider, now Luce, clambered off, removed her helmet and dashed to the door. She pushed open the front door and let out a long sigh of relief,
‘We’re home!’ she called and Kirsty slowly let herself onto the gravel, got her footing, and followed her Alpha sister to the door. Leon and Kaze both followed sheepishly Kirsty saw as she spared a look over her shoulder to see who as following. Ludi came up behind them, a grin of relief on her face, but Trey still sat in the cab of the truck, his hands gripping the steering wheel. Kirsty stopped walking and frowned a little, and just as she was going to walk back to the vehicle, he stepped out, slammed the door and strode past her. Not even a word just walked passed, straight into the house and to the study.
Kirsty finally entered the place she called home and grinned as she watched Amy and Luce hug each other tightly. Hawk was doing his best to introduce people to Luce, such as another auburn haired girl and a young male with grey blond hair. They looked to the door as Kirsty walked in and almost flattened them selves to the wall along side Leon and Kaze Kirsty noted that Nathaniel was no-where to be seen. That made her frown and pull up something from her memory.
Oh I’d thank a little black wolf for that information
Was he running right that second away from the house? Or was he binding his time before he re-alerted the compound. Kirsty shook her head a little and looked up soon enough to have Amy’s arm’s thrown around her neck. Kirsty wheezed and grabbed her pack sisters arms, prizing her off her slowly,
‘cant-breath’ she gasped and Amy eased off, grinning madly at her Alpha and then letting go fully and having Hawk’s arms wrap around her waist. He nodded silently at Kirsty and she smiled back at him. Least he wasn’t strangling her. ‘Where’s Nathaniel?’ the alpha asked and hawk answered her,
‘He was in the study, he’d found something on the net,’ a crash drew Kirsty attention from hawk to the wall opposite the study door. Nathaniel was crumpled against it, trying desperately to pull himself up as blood trickled down his lip,
‘you led them here didn’t you?’ Trey’s voice boomed around the hallway as he stepped form the study, grabbing the front of Nathaniel’s black t-shirt and shoving him painfully against the wall,
‘I didn’t-‘he never finished his sentence, simply had his head smacked into the wall. He grunted and clawed at Treys hands, trying desperately to get free, ‘I didn’t do nothing! I swear it!’
‘How the hell can we-‘
‘Trey put him down,’ Kirsty was now stood almost exactly next to him, her eyes bright and alert, she was tired but she’d still kick the hell in to him if he continued to hurt a minor wolf. Sure Nathaniel could be the cause of all their problems, but who would know unless he was asked nicely. Trey grunted, his fingers tightening around the chunk of shirt material he held tightly. ‘Put him down,’ echoed Luce, Ludi and Amy, who all stood in a tight wall behind Kirsty. She looked at them briefly, and then turned her burrow brows back to Trey who slowly let Nathaniel out of his grasp. He dropped him to the ground, turned on his heal and strode back into the study, slamming the door far too loudly. The plaster around the frame cracked a little and some from the ceiling landed on Kirsty’s head. She brushed it off and smashed the sole of her foot against Nathaniel’s face,
‘Put him in the cage,’ she ordered, following Trey’s foot steps and entered the study, shutting the door more quietly behind her.

Nathaniel slammed his foot hard against the cage door. He hadn’t realised they had gotten a back up cell. He did it again and his foot began to twinge. Seeing as he was barefooted as well it wasn’t the best idea,
‘You shouldn’t be doing tat,’ Nikki said from her dark corner to his left in the basement. He looked over, his brown and purple eyes flashing brightly. He growled and Nikki fell silent once more. The electric light flickered a little as the door slammed open and three sets of pair started to descend the concrete stair case,
‘Leave,’ Kirsty said simply and Nikki was gone in a blur of auburn hair. Nathaniel swallowed dryly and looked up at the three alphas’ that now surrounded his prison. ‘I want you to answer truthfully alright?’
‘And if you don’t, mutt, I will chop of your body parts, starting with your toes, then your fingers then your-‘
‘Stop it Trey,’ Luce hissed, irritations filled her voice. Kirsty didn’t move her eyes from Nathaniel. He on the other hand, looked around panicked; he could see that rather large kitchen cleaver in Trey’s hand, along with a lighter. He presumed that was to be used to seal off the ends of his veins and such if it came to loosing body parts.
‘Okay first question. Are you Nathaniel Chase Williams?’ Kirsty asked, kneeling in front of the cage door. He nodded, ‘a verbal answer please,’
‘Yes I am,’
‘Thank you. Okay second question, have you ever been here before, apart from the day you arrived,’
‘I slept in the woods one night, and then I came out. That’s when you guys took me in,’ he was shaking a little, his brown and purple eyes kept darting to the glinting blade that Trey seemed to hold so comfortably,
‘Do you know a man called Thomas Perry?’ he shook his head violently. Completely terrified now. Kirsty frowned, wondering why he’d gone from confident to scared as a rabbit in headlights. She looked to Luce who nodded her head at Trey. Cocking her head to t he male she frowned as she watched him draw the blade across his hand slowly, a small red line appearing. Trey hadn’t realised that Kirsty was looking at him at that moment, but he soon realised it was to quiet and looked down to the woman,
‘Ah erm, scare tactics,’ he reasoned, shrugging,
‘Oh my god Trey, we’re interrogating not playing boogie man!’ Luce muttered, crossing arms over her chest,
‘So you don’t know Thomas Perry or a Dr Wayne?’
‘No. should I?’ Nathaniel muttered, clutching his knees to his chest. Kirsty shook her head, stepped back and pulled her alphas around her,
‘I believe him. I don’t know why but I do. He generally doesn’t know Perry or Wayne,’
‘I don’t know Kirst-‘
‘What about Simon. He was a black wolf. And a lot bulkier that the pup. Don’t you recon?’ Luce said, her eyes locking onto Kirsty’s. She though then, pulling up a mental picture of the past pack member and compared it to the one of Nathaniel. She was right. Or at least she though her to be. Why hadn’t she realised that before. Two black wolves in a pack. And plus Nathaniel had a white mark on his nose.
‘What about going into his mind? You said when you went into Simon’s mind in town, that you got images of white corridors, like the compound? ‘This came from Trey, it looked like he was finally taking the scared kids side. Kirsty looked over her shoulder to watch Nathaniel slam his bare foot into the cage pad lock once more. He groaned and clutched the cut sole of his foot, sucking his tongue a little. She turned back to the discussion and agreed with trying to go into Nathaniel’s mind.
‘Stay down here, I’ll go upstairs, then he wont know,’ she muttered, patting Luce’s shoulder lightly then heading for the stairs. She clambered up them and almost walked flat into Ludi who was rubbing her head lightly,
‘You alright?’
‘I’ve gotta migraine. I’ve had it for a while actually. I dunno,’ the beta wolf muttered, forcing a smile and heading into the kitchen. Kirsty followed her with her eyes then heard the slightly impatient cough of Trey down in the basement. She frowned to herself and turned into the study, flopping into her usually leather arm chair and folded her legs underneath her body. They’d been home a fair few hours and she was still wearing clothes that simply didn’t belong to her and felt horrible against her still grimy feeling skin. She drew a hand through her red hair, pulling out the tie and letting it fall around her face and shoulders. She shook her head, concentrating on the Mutt down in the basement.