Chapter 3 - Thea

I ran into the woods, darting as fast as I could. It was one of the only times I legitimately wished I wasn't an absent. Running always felt too slow, as if I knew what it was like to run as a wolf but couldn't. It was one of the only times I felt as though I was really missing out on something.

Still, I kept running, moving as quickly as I could even as tears stung my face. It was stupid, really. I shouldn't have let a jerk like Tannen get under my skin the way he had. He wasn't worth my time. So why did his opinion bother me so much? I'd been picked on nearly my entire life. It wasn't anything new. Maybe it was because I couldn't ignore him the way I could the others. As long as I stayed in Brixton, he would be a part of my life. He was too close to Rand and Astrid for it to be any other way.

Eventually, I slowed down, coming to a trot. A cool autumn breeze brushed over my skin, the sweat from the run chilling my body, but not uncomfortably so. I caught my breath, looking around at the small clearing I'd come to a halt in. The trees were heavy with multi-colored leaves that threatened to fall at any minute. The ground was already dappled with red and gold and orange.

I leaned against a thick oak, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths, even as my hands trembled and tears continued to spill.

God, this was so stupid. It wasn't as though I wished I weren't an absent. I knew that was who I was, and I'd accepted it a long time ago. But I was tired of having to prove myself to everyone that not being able to shift wasn't a disability or something to be ashamed of. I felt as though I had to try twice as hard as everyone else, do more. People like Tannen, who should have known me by now, still having that sort of prejudice and short-sightedness toward me stung, reminding me that I was always going to be on the back foot no matter how hard I tried. It was why, for years, I'd hidden behind Astrid.

I let the thoughts wash over me, forcing myself to breathe as I tried to meditate. It wasn't the first time I'd had to deal with someone like that, and it wouldn't be the last. Still, his words rang in my ears, making my insides churn.

"Breathe," I muttered. "Let it wash over you. Don't let it stick."

After a while, I managed to stop crying, taking a deep breath and pushing myself away from the tree. I glanced up at the sky and blinked. It was the same color as the trees, the red-gold of sunset. Had I really been out here this long?

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. I should get back home before Astrid started worrying about me.

But I had only taken a few steps when my intuition screamed at me that something was wrong. I stopped, heart pounding as I listened, waiting. Just because I was an absent didn't mean my senses were any worse than any other shifter's.

A gentle rustle came from my right. I hesitated, hand twitching to the knife I always kept on my waistband ever since Ansel had kidnapped me.

The acrid scent of campfire smoke washed toward me. An unfamiliar shifter. Then another scent, and another. I sucked in a breath as alarm bells began screaming in my head. My wolf snarled, flexing her claws, pushing at me, wanting to be let out even though we both knew she couldn't.

More rustling. This time, from my left, and then from behind me. And in front.

I couldn't waste more time. I pulled out my knife and started running, hoping maybe I could get a head start.

I had barely gotten three steps when a large shifter nearly as massive as Rand—stepped in front of me. He grinned down at me, looking me up and down with a greasy leer that made me want to take a shower.

"Hey there, sweetheart," he said, taking a step forward. "You lost?"

I backed up, raising my knife, forcing my hand not to tremble. "Nope. I know exactly where I am."

He grinned, moving closer yet again. "Are you sure? These woods are pretty dangerous. All sorts of guys who might try to take advantage of you. It's not safe for a pretty girl like you to be out here all alone."

"I can take care of myself," I growled, gripping the knife tighter.

He barked out a laugh. "You hear that, guys?" he called. "She says she can take care of herself."

Out of the corners of my eye, I saw two more shifters stepping through the trees. The crunch of leaves behind me told me a fourth was at my back. My breathing shallowed, my pulse beginning to race as the danger of the situation pressed down on me.

I curled my fingers into fists, trying to keep them from trembling. I knew enough to know I was in trouble, but showing any sort of panic or fear would only make things worse.

"Step aside, or I swear you'll regret it," I growled. "Just let me go, and we can forget any of this ever happened."

"Oh, she's got a bit of spunk to her," the one on my left said. "I like that."

"Leave me alone," I snarled.

The man in front of me tilted his head as he considered the knife. He sniffed, then raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, Larz," he said, keeping his eyes locked on me, a slow, knowing grin spreading across his face. "Ever seen a shifter defend themselves with a knife?"

"Normally, they'd have shifted by now," the man beside me said.

By now? That made it seem like they had done this before. Normally, that would have made my skin crawl, but I had a more pressing problem to deal with. If they realized I couldn't shift, that I had no real defenses against them, I wasn't sure what I would do.

"Bit funny, don't you think?" the man in front of me asked.

"I'd say so, Viktor," Larz agreed.

I snarled, fingers lengthening to claws, teeth going sharp. I could still partially shift. I could only hope that would be enough to throw them off the scent.

"Try me," I growled.

Viktor stopped, considering. Then he laughed again.

"We've got an absent on our hands, fellas!" he crowed.

The others chuckled, making my stomach churn with dread.

Viktor grinned as he leered down at me again. "I'll bet someone would pay good money for a girl who couldn't get away that easy. Especially with a body like that."

He lunged forward, reaching for my arm. Reacting on instinct, I swiped out with the knife, but not quickly enough. Fire ran down my bicep as his claw raked across my arm at the same time my knife sliced upward. The man howled, stumbling backward as blood trickled through the fingers pressed against his cheek where I had sliced it open. He snarled, eyes blazing, but I was already darting away, making for the dense pack of trees.

Pain ripped through my scalp as someone grabbed my hair and jerked me backward. The knife flew from my hand. I stumbled into a muscular chest, and the man pinned my arms behind me.

"Let me go!" I snarled, thrashing and trying to break free of the man's hold on me, but he was too strong.

They forced my hands behind me, rough fingers squeezing tight. Cold metal snapped around my wrists. A moment later, a heavy collar wrapped around my neck, and a padlock clicked into place.

"You're not going anywhere, cutie," the man holding me whispered in my ear. "Better just come quietly—"

I kicked my leg backward, slamming my heel into his crotch. He howled and let go of me. I ran again, this time screaming, hoping that someone—anyone—would hear me.

The collar slammed against my throat as someone yanked the chain attached to it. My feet slipped from underneath me, and I fell to the ground, coughing and spluttering. Someone was dragging me across the ground back toward them. I thrashed and flailed even as I knew there was no point.

The four shifters stood above me, looking down at me. One of them jerked me back to my feet, holding the chain tight so I had no slack.

"Bitch," the biggest one, Viktor, spat. Blood still trickled from the wound. He raised a hand to slap me.

One of the others grabbed his wrist.

"Don't," he hissed. "The arm's bad enough. Damien won't be happy if you damage her face."

Viktor snarled, glaring down at me as he dropped his hand. "Come on," he said, grabbing the chain from the other shifter and jerking me forward.

I would have dragged my feet, thrashing and stalling the entire way, but the other three shifters kept me moving, shoving me whenever I slowed down. When I started screaming for help, one of them told me to shut it or they would shove a rag in my mouth. I ignored him and kept yelling. He stayed true to his promise.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, we came to a large building. It wasn't a house or a bunker, but something in between. Off to one side stood a large stage in front of a wide, empty area. The group dragged me inside, taking me down to the basement. My stomach plummeted as I took in my new surroundings.

Dozens of cages lined the walls, each of them with one or two girls stuffed inside, all of whom were wearing collars identical to mine. Some looked as though they'd been there for a month—they were malnourished, dirty, their clothes ragged. Others looked as though they had only been there a handful of days at most.

The girls watched silently as the men led me through the basement toward an empty cage. They uncuffed my hands and shoved me inside, slamming the door closed and locking it before I could even turn around. One of them locked the chain still attached to my neck to one of the bars. Then, the four shifters walked away in silence.

I spat out the rag and hurried to the front of the cage, rattling the door even though I knew it was no use.

"Let me out!" I screamed, kicking the bars in desperation.

"It's not going to do any good," the girl in the cage next to me said. Above us, the door to the basement opened and slammed closed.

"I know." I stepped back and sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "But just standing here feels so useless."

She gave a tired smile as she slumped against the back of her cage. "I know. I think we all try to get out when we first get here."

"I'm Thea," I said.

"Rachel. Are you all right?"

"Angry more than anything," I said. I glanced around, taking in the number of filled crates compared to the number of empty ones. It seemed whoever had taken us had nearly reached capacity. My jaw twitched as I willed my breath to steady. Whatever they had in store for us, it wasn't good.

I glanced over at Rachel, taking in her scraggly, unkempt hair and dirty clothes. But her eyes didn't have the dull matte of malnourishment, either. "How long have you been here?"

Rachel shrugged. "Five days, I think?"

I nodded. Walking over to the front of the cage, I examined the padlock. It was a heavy-duty number, the type designed to prevent shifters from being able to break them. Expected, but still disappointing. Still, that didn't mean I couldn't get around it.

"Do you have a couple bobby pins on you?" I asked.

Rachel shook her head.

"Any of the other girls?"

"Maybe?" She leaned forward. "Most of the girls who have been here a while don't talk. They listen in." She pointed a grimy finger upward, indicating the kidnappers.

I chewed my lip, considering. If I could get a hold of something thin and straight, I could probably pick the lock. If I got out, I could bring help back. Or maybe I couldn't. Not in time to do any good, and not without being able to shift.

I let out an exhale of frustration, my mind still spinning. "What are they planning on doing with us?"

Up until now, I'd avoided thinking about it. Part of me didn't want to know, except I needed to know what I was up against. I wasn't going to give up without a fight.

Rachel opened her mouth to answer, but clamped it shut when a door somewhere above opened and closed and footsteps echoed down the stairs. She shrank back against her cage, pressing against the bars as if trying to get as far away from the newcomer as possible.

"Who is it?" I hissed, but Rachel shook her head.

The footsteps sounded lazy, as if their owner was taking their time, unconcerned. I stayed where I was in the center of the cage, folding my arms and waiting.

The scent of leather and dirt filled my nostrils as the footsteps grew louder. I waited, eyes narrowed.

There were two of them, it turned out. The first was the large shifter Viktor from the woods. He stood in front of the cell and waited, a faint smirk on his face as he eyed me up and down, his gaze lingering on my breasts. He leered at me.

I forced myself to stay my ground, taking strength from my wolf, who snarled and growled, wanting nothing more than to tear his throat out.

The second man, his long hair as dark as ink, came to a stop in front of me. The scar on his cheek somehow managed to enhance his handsome looks rather than detract from them. He regarded me in silence. Unlike his counterpart, as his eyes swept across my body, there was no lust or lechery. Instead, it was like he was evaluating a piece of meat.

"What's your name?" he asked.

I didn't answer.

"I asked you a question," he said, an edge of warning in his voice.

"You have no idea what the hell you've gotten yourself into," I snarled. "Let me out now, and there's a chance you'll get out of this alive."

A slow, unpleasant smile spread across his face at the words. "Fiery, I see," he mused. "You know, I haven't come across many absents, but the ones I've met have all been on the meek side. But that fire is easily broken, if necessary. So I'll ask you again. What is your name?"

"Go the fuck to hell," I snapped.

The man exhaled in annoyance, then said, "Viktor?"

Viktor nodded and marched forward. He unlocked the cage, and before I could do anything, jerked at the chain, yanking me forward with such force that I stumbled and nearly fell to the filthy cement floor. The instant I was within arm's reach, he grabbed me by the back of my head and held me in place.

"I asked you a question," the dark-haired shifter snarled. Something sharp pressed into my stomach. I didn't need to look down to know it was a knife. "What's your name? I won't ask again."

I had been kidnapped before. But that time, it had been to keep Astrid in line. This… this was different. I had no doubt that the man holding me at knife point wouldn't hesitate to kill me if I didn't comply.

"Thea," I spat.

"Thea. Good." The knife stayed against my gut. "Now, was that so hard? I'm Damien."

"What do you want with me?" I asked.

"All in good time," he said. "I have a couple more questions to ask you. And you're going to answer them honestly. Don't lie to me, because I'll know." The knife pressed deeper into my stomach. "Do you understand?"

I glared at him. His hazel eyes betrayed nothing but the utmost sincerity, without a shred of empathy anywhere to be seen. My stomach churned. I nodded.

"Good." He smiled, his teeth sharp. "First question. Is it true you're an absent?"

I shook my head.

"With words, please. I would appreciate a little respect."

"No," I said. He couldn't prove it, not with the collar on.

His eyes darkened. A stinging pain blossomed across my face as he backhanded me, and I saw stars. I would have staggered backward if Viktor wasn't still gripping my head.

"I told you not to lie to me," he said. "Next time, it will be the knife. Are you an absent?"

"Yes."

"Good. Age?"

"Twenty."

He nodded. "Good. Final question. Are you a virgin?"

My mouth dropped open, heat washing over my face. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?" I asked, my mouth dry. Because I had a sinking suspicion I knew exactly why he wanted to know. And if I was right, I was in more trouble than I thought.

I wanted to struggle and worm my way out of Viktor's grip. But where would I go? I was still chained to the bars of the cage.

His smile vanished. I hissed as the knife pressed deeper. "Answer the question."

I thought about lying. The lie was on the tip of my tongue. But the pain on my cheek and the pressure of the knife against my stomach made me think better of it. I couldn't explain why, but I knew he would be able to tell if I lied, and he wouldn't hesitate to cut his losses and gut me if he thought I would be more trouble than I was worth. I didn't want to cooperate, not with these creeps, but I also knew it was the only way I might find a chance to escape.

Gritting my teeth, I bit out, "Yes."

He smiled. "Excellent." The pressure of the blade vanished. I breathed a bit easier, even though I could feel my hands trembling against my will.

"Now, Thea, here's what's going to happen," Damien said conversationally. "In a few days, we're going to have a little auction. You and the rest of these girls will be lucky enough to go home with the highest bidders."

The words rang in my ears, my mouth dropping open as my stomach twisted in horror. I stared at him as he smirked down at me, the smile not reaching his hazel eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out.

"You're going to cooperate or face the consequences," he hissed. "Do you understand?"

My breath went shallow as I looked from Damien to Viktor and back again. They weren't joking, and there was nothing I could do about any of it.

Glaring, I nodded, knowing it was my only option even as my wolf snarled in protest and every ounce of self-preservation in my body screamed at me to fight back. But how the hell was I supposed to fight back like this?

"Good," Damien said.

Viktor pushed me back into the cell, closing and locking it behind me. Damien strolled up to the bars.

"You have a few days to get used to the situation," he said. "And trust me when I say that complying is your best option." He turned and began walking away. "Until then, I suggest you get comfortable with your surroundings."

I started laughing, causing Damien to stop in his tracks. He walked back to my cage and stood in front of it, frowning as he watched me laugh.

"Care to share what's so funny?"

"Your guys fucked up," I said. "If they had thought about it for one second, they would have asked where I was from before dragging me back here."

Something like alarm flashed across Damien's features, but otherwise his expression remained impassive.

"And where is it you're from?" he asked.

"Brixton," I said. "The Obsidian Pack."

He went still.

"You know, the Obsidian Pack, where the Silver Wolves are from?" I asked. "Famous black-ops group? I should probably mention that one of them is my sister's mate. My very protective sister. So out of everyone you could have grabbed, I was just about the worst option you could have picked."

I watched with smug satisfaction as the color drained from Damien's face.

"So you do know them," I said, stepping forward. "They're some of the best trackers in the world, and they know what they're doing. The instant they realize I'm missing—which is probably going to be any minute now—they'll be coming for me. You'll be dead, if you're lucky, and your little operation here disbanded."

I got a savage satisfaction out of watching Damien's face contort with panic and unease as he tried to get control of himself. He knew I was telling the truth, and he knew the danger. I didn't expect him to let me go, but seeing him squirm made me feel a little better.

But then the horror vanished from his face.

"Very well," he said. "I guess we'll just have to expedite things." He turned to Viktor. "We'll have a special auction tomorrow. Her, only. Round up whoever you can get."

Viktor nodded, and the two of them marched off, leaving me locked in a cage, marinating over those final words, realizing that I had just made things a lot worse for myself as fear gripped me.

An auction. Tomorrow.

I was going to be sold tomorrow.