Chapter Three

(Time skip, ten years. Ember is now 16)

"Listen up mutts. We've got an auction to go to tomorrow. I expect all of you to be well behaved and acting like obedient, well trained wolves. If you don't and you act up, you'll be severally punished when we get back." Andrew spat out as he walked around the cages, filling their food and water bowls with some kind of mush and dirty looking water.

Once Andrew left the room, Ember turned to the little pup who was fearfully huddled with his sister in the corner of the cage next to hers. She slowly moved over to the side of her cage and got down to their level. Before Ember could speak, the male pup positioned himself between her and his sister and began to growl.

Ember let out a soft laugh. "Relax kiddo, I'm not gonna harm you or your sister. What's your name?" Ember whispered softly as she reached out and lightly tapped the top of the boy's head. "His name's Travis, he can't talk." Said his younger sister. She shifted in her corner until she laid her head down on her paws. "What's your name?" "Piper." The little pup replied. "Well Piper, my names Ember. How old are y'all?"

"Eight, we're triplets." "Where's your other sibling?" Ember questioned. "She.. didn't make it when they took us. They.. said she would never sell because of her leg so they.. killed her.." Piper said quietly. "That's awful, I'm so sorry. Did they also kill your parents?" Piper shook her head no and sniffed. "What happened to them?" Ember asks softly, making sure she keeps her emotions in check.

"Daddy was a werewolf like us and mommy is human. Mommy said she planned to sell us and Daddy disagreed and tried to tell her not to. When Mommy said she already had someone wanting to buy us, Daddy tried to get us somewhere safe but.. they caught up to us and.. killed him.." Piper cried, wiping her tears quickly and taking deep breaths. Piper's brother placed his paw on her tail gently to calm her down.

Travis looked up and noticed a tear roll down his sisters face and moved to lick it off her cheek. She nuzzled her nose into his fur and held onto his fur tightly.

"I am so sorry that happened to y'all.. " Ember said as tears started forming in her eyes as well. She knew how horrible it felt to lose someone you love... and it only got worse when you saw them die. She's still having nightmares after she watched her mother die.

She sighed loudly as the tears rolled silently down her cheeks. All the while the small pups huddled as close to Ember as they could.

"Eat up, they only feed us once a day and remove the bowls at night." She watched closely as the two pups sniffed the bowl. "Yuck! What is that?!" Piper exclaimed as her little nose wrinkled and she began to gag slightly. "It smells! I'm not eating that!"

"If they notice you're not eating, they'll think your sick and they'll kill you." A voice spoke up behind Ember. She quickly turned around and glared at the man who entered through the front door, with his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. He wore a tattered leather jacket and had dirt stains on his jeans and dirty white sneakers. Ember didn't recognize him. He had light brown curly hair which was combed over his forehead. His bright blue eyes shined with amusement at seeing the reaction of the two pups. "It smells so disgusting!"

"Eat the food Piper." Ember said while keeping one eye on the strange man.

"But.. I really don't want to eat that.. " Piper whimpered as she clutched at Travis' fur tighter than ever. He licked his nose in concern and nudged his head forward to console her but she refused, whimpering even louder.

"If you don't eat it, they'll kill you." The man said, continuing to stare directly at Ember, keeping a smile plastered on his face. It was unsettling. It made her feel like someone was peering right through her soul. He then walked over to them, crouched down and ran his hand through the fur on her head, causing her to shudder.

She didn't want him to touch her. But she wasn't allowed to pull away or hide. So she kept quiet and stayed rooted to the spot, refusing to meet his gaze or even glance his way. He then stood up and crouched in front of Piper and Travis' cage. He was about to reach in to pet the pups when a voice called out to him, stopping him in his tracks "Can I help you?"

The stranger turned around to face the owner of the voice. There stood Jace, an older man with gray streaks running through his jet black hair. "Just looking around." The man said as he stood up. "I see.. Well, you can't touch the animals, so I'd suggest you leave now." "Right, I was just about to leave anyway." The man nodded. He stared at Ember and the twins for a few more moments before leaving, not without throwing a smirk over his shoulder at Ember. Once the man was gone, Ember let out a sigh of relief. The man was terrifying. Even looking at him sent shivers down her spine. She quickly turned back towards the two pups who were watching her nervously.

"Get to sleep you stupid mutts!" Jace yelled whilst walking towards the stairs, making them jump slightly.

~~~~~~~~~

"Only get the ones in top shape, no fur missing, no ribs showing, no scars and none of the basic fur colors" Levi instructed while grabbing a box full of chains and muzzles. "Got it boss." The men then began going through the cages, gathering the wolves that fit the criteria and loading them up into the trucks outside. Jace and Jordan then approached Ember's cage, stopping and looking at her.

"What about this one, we've had her for a while." Jace asked. "She's pretty.. would make for a good breeder. She looks purebred, healthy, and young enough to produce healthy puppies." Jordan replied. "And if the pups come out purebred, they'd sell for good money." Levi walked over to Ember's cage and looked inside.

"I suppose you're right however, think about how much she'd sell for." Jordan and Jace looked between each other and nodded. "And the two little ones?" Jace asked. Levi looked over to them and smiled. "Bring them too." He said walking away. "Alright, hold still girl.." Jordan said as he opened Ember's cage and slipped a muzzle over her snout. Ember pulled back slightly in protest but stopped immediately when Jordan grabbed hold of her neck and pulled her closer. "I said hold still." He warned, tightening his grip slightly.

Ember closed her eyes tightly, trying not to flinch and give away any indication that she was struggling. After a few seconds, Jordan finally loosened his grip and Ember opened her eyes and took a deep breath. Jordan then slipped a heavy looking collar around her neck and adjusted the size of her collar and tightened it a little bit, smirking as he clipped the chain to it. "Let's get you loaded in the truck" Yanking on the chain, he dragged her out of the cage, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud.

Ember hissed under her breath as she pushed herself to her paws. Once up, Jordan was leading her towards the front door when Piper screamed out for her. "Ember, what are they gonna do to us?! Don't let them take us!" "Shut up bitch!" Jace yelled as he lashed Piper across the face with the chains. Ember flinched and growled slowly. "Watch it, Ember." Jason warned her. "Don't want to end up like your mother, now do we?" Ember stiffened and her hackles raised but she stayed put.

Jason pulled Ember outside and as soon as the sun hit her eyes, she winced at the brightness. "You'll get used to it." Jason says as he continues pulling on the chain. Ember hasn't been outside in years. She couldn't remember the last time she felt the wind through her fur or the sun on her back. It saddened her. She hadn't left that cage in years.. She missed being outside.

"Get moving mutt!" Jason spat out as he dragged her towards the truck and shoved her roughly into yet another cage. But this time, the cage was in the back of a truck, surrounded by other caged wolves. "There's no more room for another cage, are those two pups the last ones?" "Yeah, Levi's just locking up the back then we can head out." "Alright, throw those two in with her." Jason said while pointing to Ember. They tossed the two pups beside her and locked the cage.

Piper and Travis nuzzled up close to Ember, hiding their faces in the fur on her chest. "Let me see your face.." Ember whispered softly, hoping to calm the two pups who were shaking slightly due to fear. Piper lifted her head from the warmth of Ember's belly and looked her in the eye. Piper had a gash on the top of her head from where the chain struck her. She looked absolutely terrified, her large hazel eyes widened and her eyebrows pushed together. Tears flowed uncontrollably down her soft cheeks as she looked up at Ember. "Please.. don't let them hurt us.."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you Piper.." Ember said quietly, placing her face in the curve of Piper's neck. The two girls sat there for a while longer before they heard the roar of the truck engine revving and the sound of gravel crunching beneath tires. Everything but the purr of the engine and crunching beneath the tires was silent. Not a single chirp of a bird or rustling of leaves could be heard. It was unnerving.