Seventeen

Zane and Nico returned to the pack after a long day of discussions with Will and the woman in prison. They had to talk over the woman with Anton to see if they could find anything about her pack and get a hold of them. If what she said was true, then they'd figure out how to help her escape.

They only barely reached the area where all the shelters were distributed when he heard a long, painfilled howl. Zane stopped, narrowing his eyes. Beside him, Nico shifted and sniffed the air, growling softly. When he was human again, his jaw was clenched. "Intruders."

"Of course," Zane sighed.

Both men started towards Zane's shelter, but before they could Anton ran up. "Alpha, we have a huge problem."

"Does this have to do with the intruders?" Zane asked wearily.

"Partly, but no."

Now, Zane became alert, wondering what could be so important. "Tell me." he growled.

"It's Whisper." Anton said carefully. "I saw her running away."

"What! Why in the hell didn't you go after her!"

"Because, she snarled at everyone who came close."

"Where is Wren!" Zane was furious. He stormed into his house to find Wren with two unfamiliar wolves on the couch, glaring at each other. "Wren, where is she? You were supposed to be watching her!"

"It's his fault!" she snarled, pointing to the unfamiliar male who had a female on his lap. "If he hadn't shown up and started growling at everyone, she would still be here!"

Zane snarled, "Nico, Thaddeus! Take them to the prisons until I get back!"

The male got up to protest but Zane glared at him, so he sat back down. Zane left the house, undressed, and shifted. Bounding into the forest, he searched for Whisper's scent. She had to be close! She can't be too far! She couldn't have gone back, could she?

He never caught the scent, but he did find her. As he got deeper into the forest, he was so busy on tracking Whisper that he didn't see or hear the thundering paws getting closer. When he finally put his head up, it was too late. He got knocked down by a gray blur, licking at his face and whining every now and then. Shifting, he pulled her down to him and held her close, listening to her thunderous heart. "You're okay, little wolf."

She whined, digging her snout into his neck for more comfort. Her claws dug into his chest, but Zane never noticed. All he cared about was that she was safe and here.

Still holding her, he sat up, carefully pulling her closer so she was flush against him. "Were you looking for me?"

More whines, then a bark of agreement.

"I'm here now, little wolf. Relax and calm down."

She did that as well as shifted, right in his lap. Now that she was smaller, Zane wrapped his arms under her and stood, running home so she didn't get too cold. Her eyes were shut against his chest and she shook slightly, but was all the while silent.

Once they got home, Zane dismissed everyone and went upstairs to the bedroom. He sat Whisper on the bed and got her a shirt from the closet, then put it on her. When he finished, Whisper threw her arms around his neck and held on. Zane couldn't figure out what was wrong, but he was relieved she only ran away to find him and not anything else.

Picking her up, he carried her back downstairs and into the kitchen. He sat her down on the counter then reached over and opened the fridge, grabbing the milk. He proceeded to grab a mug and poor the milk inside then heated it up for a few seconds, Whisper never letting go of him. When the milk was finished, he took it out and set it on the island, then sat on a stool with the female still clinging to him.

"Here, drink this," he said softly. Finally, she looked up and let go with one hand, obeying him. Her eyes fluttered closed as she sipped the warm substance. Zane pushed her hair away from her face and rubbed her back soothingly. Whisper finished the mug then leaned her head on Zane's chest, this time wrapping her arms around his torso. "What happened?" he asked softly.

"They were acting mean to each other. Luc was mean to Wren and Wren was mean to Luc. Then his mate called me a Runt!" Whisper tightened her grip around him, and squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears. "I tried to stop them, but no one listened to me! I didn't like it! I had to find you because I knew you'd make them stop."

"Who is Luc?"

"He was my friend from when I was with my mom. He and I played together all the time." She paused. "Now, he is different. He is not my friend anymore."

Zane nodded and held her some more, feeling how she relaxed once again in his presence. After a while, he stood and carried her to the couch in the other room. He sat down then turned so he could lay sideways, then proceeded to lay Whisper on top of him, keeping his arms securely around her middle so that her face was in the crook of his neck. He stroked her hair sometimes and her back other times, but mostly, he just made sure she wasn't able to be taken away from him.

By the time night fell, both Zane and Whisper had taken a nap, relieving themselves some of the stress put on their shoulders with the peaceful sleep. Zane made dinner for them, then sat with her as he turned on a movie, letting Whisper cuddle as close as she could. Multiple people knocked, called Zane, and tried to get the attention of one of them, but Zane let no one in and told Whisper to ignore everyone. And she did, quite well except for the slight stiffening in her body that soon melted with time.

When the movie was over, they went upstairs and Zane had Whisper shower while he put stuff away down in the living room, but Whisper held tighter to him, saying how she did not want to be left alone anymore. Not too reluctantly, Zane followed her into the bathroom and helped her into the shower, closing the curtain for privacy once she was inside. All throughout the shower, Whisper asked him simple question so she knew he was there, and Zane willingly replied.

Once she was finished, Whisper dried off and dressed, then replaced her arms around Zane, letting out a sigh once he wrapped his own around her. They walked back up and went straight for the bed. Zane laid Whisper down, then got in on the other side and pulled her to his chest. After a few minutes, he heard her breaths even out and slow, signaling she was asleep. He closed his own eyes and did the same, content to be like this for the rest of his life.

In the morning, Zane woke Whisper up a little earlier than he would have liked, but decided it was for the best. They were going to go shopping for her clothes today, and he wanted to get it done sooner than later. He didn't want her out too long in the town, and didn't want anything wrong going on.

Half hour later, as Zane drove down the road, Whisper was fidgeting in her seat, and the male heard whimpering. He slowed down and looked over to see her eyes fogged over and her face pale. Her hands were clenching into fists, but she looked ready to snap at any moment. Zane pulled over and shut the truck off, turning towards her.

"Whisper?" he said cautiously.

She whimpered louder this time, making incoherent words as her body started to shake.

"Whisper, can you hear me?"

Whisper flinched as if she was just struck by something or someone, then let out a long sob. "No! I want to go home! I want to go home to Zane!"

Zane unbuckled her seat belt and pulled her into his lap, sliding his seat back to give him more room. "Whisper, it isn't real. You're safe," he said into her ear.

Her hands clenched at her sides and she started shaking her head. "No! No! No!"

"Whisper, snap out of it."

Suddenly, she screamed and it took all Zane had not to throw her away and jump out of the car. She started thrashing as if someone was attacking her, screaming, "Stop! Stop! Please!"

Zane grabbed her wrists and held them to his chest with one hand, then moved one of her legs so she was straddling him. Her head continued to go back and forth, nearly hitting the car door window. The male grabbed the back of her head and forced it down onto his shoulder, not letting go or loosening his grip.

"Please!" she sobbed desperately. "I didn't mean it!"

Zane sighed, kissing her shoulder and closing his eyes. "Little wolf…"

They stayed like that for a long time, every now and then Whisper would start trying to fight, but always ending with giving up. Her body shook violently with whatever she felt in the hallucination, goosebumps arising on her skin. Her fists were so tight, her fingernails cut into her palms, drawing blood. Zane would have done something about it, but he had to concentrate on her not beating other parts of her body against the car.

Whisper kept screaming things like, "I didn't mean it!" and "Stop!" or like, "Just let me be with Zane! I want Zane!" Every time she said his name, Zane would press her harder against him, enough to the point it could have broken ribs, but he was careful.

Eventually though, Whisper passed out in his lap, going limp as a rag doll. He didn't relax though for another few minutes just to make sure she wouldn't start struggling again. He was afraid of what would happen if she did, of what might happen if he hadn't been there this time. Zane also wondered how she was going to be when she woke up, what she would say and do. Her dream made her want to run away to safety in case he threw her back to the facility. So, what would this hallucination make her want to do?