17. Gray

17

GRAY

“I’ll see you later, after work?” I asked Spike.

He nodded and I could tell he was restless to leave this place.

Despite his protests, I had spent every night at the clinic with him since the incident in Blue Vale Valley.

It seemed like he appreciated the gesture, even if he didn't say it outright.

Today marked his last day at the clinic, and we had plans for dinner at my place.

"We'll have dinner," I assured him as we parted ways. "Carbonara, your favorite.”

Spike kissed me, and I savoured the slow and sweet kiss.

“Looking forward to it,” Spike said, grinning.

With that, I left the clinic and made my way to my car. The drive to town was uneventful, and as I found a parking, I caught sight of a familiar raven.

Still in my car, I waved to Julian, perched on a nearby tree.

Spike had insisted I take a watch with me, a precautionary measure that I only accepted to ease his worries.

I doubted anything would happen to me, especially with the heightened security around town.

Even Jack wouldn't risk another attack on Moon Burrow, not after the last debacle with the mercenaries.

At least that was what I had been thinking, before the sky darkened. I wondered if it would rain soon.

As I peered out of my car window, my heart lurched in terror. Above me stood a monstrous creature of nightmares—Jack's dragon, its wings outstretched and scales glinting ominously in the dim light.

Paralyzed with fear, I was rendered immobile, unable to comprehend the danger that loomed before me.

With a deafening roar, the dragon swooped down with incredible speed, its massive claws gripping the roof of my car with a vice-like grip.

In an instant, the vehicle, along with me trapped inside, was lifted off the ground, dangling helplessly in the air. Julian shrieked nearby but he couldn’t do anything but watch.

My mind raced as panic threatened to overwhelm me. What was I supposed to do against such a foe?

Should I try starting the engine again? What if the dragon dropped me by accident?

As the dragon soared higher into the darkening sky, I could only watch in horror as the familiar sights of town grew smaller below me. Any hope of escape was crushed.

We traveled farther and farther away from Moon Burrow, and panic threatened to consume me entirely.

I had to find a way out of this dire situation.

But before I could formulate a plan, the dragon began its descent, landing in a familiar wooded area—the Blue Vale Wolf Valley compound.

As soon as the dragon touched down, I seized the opportunity to escape, bolting out of my car with only one thought in mind: to flee.

But the dragon shifter, sensing my desperate attempt, moved swiftly to block my path.

Its massive body loomed over me, intimidating and imposing, as it flashed its razor-sharp teeth and flicked its tail in warning.

Trapped between the dragon and the compound, I felt a surge of frustration and fear wash over me.

Two werewolves appeared and I recognized one of them—Clive. I shoved down the fear threatening to overwhelm me. The last thing I wanted to show these werewolves was weakness.

"We got it from here, Draven,” Clive ordered.

Draven, presumably, the dragon shifter, didn’t budge from his spot.

The second werewolf nervously jumped when Draven emitted smoke from his nostrils.

"Are you going to come with us quietly?" Clive asked me. "Or will you make it difficult?"

The glint in Clive's eyes told me he would enjoy it if I chose the latter option.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" I replied, resigned.

"Let's go,” he said.

But I couldn't leave without at least attempting to reach Draven. Honestly, it was a last-ditch attempt to try to convince Draven to somehow see reason, although I had a feeling it was useless.

Not completely futile, I realized, recalling Spike telling me Draven had hesitated attacking them when he saw Colin.

"I might not know you, Draven," I addressed the dragon shifter, "but I do know you're being controlled. Don't stop fighting."

Clive and the other werewolf marched me into the main building of the compound.

Last time, I was a guest here; this time, I was clearly a prisoner. We passed by frightened faces. Some of the werewolves avoided looking me in the eyes.

They were afraid of Clive, I realized, afraid of Jack's group. Fear was probably the only reason they were following Jack.

Clive led me downstairs to a basement which held cells. It was half full, I noticed, some containing werewolves.

Unruly pack members who didn't agree with the new change in leadership, perhaps?

I swallowed, hesitated when Clive stopped in front of an empty cell, and without warning, unceremoniously shoved me inside.

"You'll wait here until Jack's ready to see you," Clive said with a sneer. "I hope you have all your affairs in order because you'll never see your grizzly protector again."

Despair hit me at those words, but a spark of defiance still lit inside of me.

"Will Jack really risk a war with the Grizzly Reapers MC?" I asked. "Because make no mistake, my mate will come for me, and he won't be alone."

Clive scoffed. "Let them come. We have a dragon."

"A brainwashed dragon," I muttered.

I was tempted to tell him we also had Colin, but hesitated at the last second. A wild idea came to me.

What if Draven neglected to tell Jack and the other werewolves about Colin’s existence? After all, Spike mentioned he didn’t see any of Jack’s wolves in the woods, only Draven was there.

Was Draven not completely under Jack’s control as we initially thought?

I remained silent and Clive and the other werewolf finally left. Alone in my dark and dirty cell, Clive's words played repeatedly in my head.

No doubt Jack's plans for me would end with me dying agonizingly slow. And Spike... my mate must have noticed my absence by now.

I knew Spike. He would come right for me... and what then? Draven would burn him and any other grizzly shifter with Spike to a crisp.

The thought was unbearable to me. Exhausted, I dozed off, only to be awakened by the sound of my cell door opening.

A tall, dark-haired man with gold and black eyes entered the cell. Not one of the wolves.

I backed into a corner, but he only set a water bottle and a plate with a sandwich on the floor.

This was my only chance to see if Draven was truly Jack’s creature or if he still had a mind of his own.

"Draven?" I asked in hesitation.

Draven kept his distance from me, watching me rather cautiously. Was he only here to talk? Talking was something I could do. In fact, it was a welcome distraction from my depressing thoughts.

"You know the grizzly intruders who entered the wolves' territory," Draven began.

"One of them is Spike, my mate," I answered.

"And the white dragon with them...?" Although Draven tried to sound neutral, I could hear the hunger in his voice. He badly wanted to know who Colin was.

"His name is Colin," I replied.

Draven's gaze darkened. "And is Colin a captive of the grizzly shifters?"

"No," I blurted out. "He's happily mated to one of them."

Draven seemed to relax at those words.

"I had never met one of my kind before," Draven murmured, and I detected a hint of sadness in his voice.

Spike was wrong about this dragon shifter, I realized. Draven wasn’t dangerous, not really. He was simply…lonely and I knew a thing about that.

Before Spike entered my life and changed my entire world, I felt terribly alone especially after my dad passed away.

"Never?" I prodded.

Draven nodded. "I lived on my own, far from civilisation for a very long time and was minding my own business until..." He trailed off, looking angry now.

"The Payne witches came?" I ventured.

Draven snarled. His fangs elongated, glinting in the dim light of the cell, and his eyes took on a reptilian glint that seemed to pierce through me.

I recoiled instinctively, my heart pounding in my chest as I backed away from him, desperate to put some distance between us.

Every nerve in my body screamed with terror as I watched him, unsure of what he might do next.

The air around us crackled with tension, and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

But just as quickly as the transformation had occurred, it was over. Draven blinked, and his features softened, returning to their previous state.

"I apologize; lately, my temper gets the best of me," Draven said.

He grunted, touching his chest, and I could see the faint glow of the rune under his shirt.

Draven seemed to be in a tremendous amount of pain. Eventually, he stopped touching his chest, panting and looking a little winded.

"Draven, you don't have to do what Jack tells you to," I said.

"You don't know me, but you told me to fight them," Draven said, his gaze narrowing. “That tells me you’re kind, but you don't know what it feels like, having this tainted mark on you. I easily forget myself. All that matters is Jack's will.”

"You're right, I don't know anything about your pain," I acknowledged. "But still, you held off from killing my mate and his friend when you saw Colin. That’s something.”

Draven looked thoughtful, then shook his head.

"That was a fluke. Colin's appearance surprised me, and I had control of my body for a few minutes, but that might not happen again,” Draven said.

"Draven... it's only a matter of time before Spike tracks me down. He probably intends to kill Jack, and if he succeeds, we'll both be freed.”

I paused, wondering if it was crazy, trying to bargain with Draven.

I had just met the guy, and yet, I sensed plenty of good in him. It didn’t hurt to try, I thought, even if no good came from this.

"What exactly do you want from me?" Draven finally asked.

"Just to stay away while Spike handles Jack. Once Jack is gone, the rest of the pack will no longer follow him, and Olaf could--"

"Olaf is gone,” Draven said in a hollow voice. "Jack ordered me to burn him alive in front of the pack last night.”

"Oh," I whispered, recalling the blank looks of the werewolves we passed as Clive took me to the cells.

That explained the widespread fear. Jack really was evil, I thought numbly. Draven gasped, touching his chest again and I knew our time was up.

"Jack wants me," he said, turning to leave.

I swallowed, wondering if my last gambit had failed.

Maybe I could have put more thought into this conversation. Then again, I didn’t really know what exactly I was doing. I could only hope my words got through to Draven.

"I will think on what you have said,” Draven said.

"If we both manage to get out of this alive, I can introduce you to Colin," I said and for a moment, Draven looked hopeful.

All the guy wanted was to get to know more dragon shifters like him. I knew Colin had living relatives, but right now, I decided not to divulge that information yet.

For all I knew, Jack ordered Draven to come talk to me, to see if he could extract anything from me. But my inner wolf told me Draven came to me out of his own accord.

Long after Draven was gone, my stomach finally rumbled. I drank some water but didn't touch the food in case it was poisoned. In all likelihood, it wasn’t. Jack wanted me alive.

Leaning my head against the wall, I thought of Spike. I realized I missed him terribly.

What if I never saw Spike again? What if the last conversation we had was about the dinner I was supposed to make that night?

"Spike," I whispered to the empty cell. "What are you doing now?"