Twelve

Zazriel was awoken in the middle of the night by something she could not explain. There was no noise. There was no scent. But she felt the need to go somewhere. It was strong and made her shake, but she didn't have the energy. She huffed and closed her eyes again.

The next morning, her captor dragged her along again, not stopping for anything. Zazriel was cut and bloody, but she didn't care. Her heart, broken and agonizing, felt like it was slowing, like it was shutting down. She didn't care. Pain, as horrible as it was, was preferable than anything else. She would not allow any other emotion to-

She heard a squawk from above and lifted her head, her thoughts scattered like leaves. Nyx! She was circling above, trying to find a way to help Zazriel. She didn't want the falcon getting hurt. So she swallowed what little saliva she had and whispered, "Heli."

Immediately, Nyx flew off.

Zazriel only had the strength to watch for a moment, then dropped her head to the ground again.

Hours passed, silent except for Zazriel's dragging body through the dirt and grass. There was nothing left in her to try anything, not even blow the whistle at her throat.

Orion and Jasmine were leading the other three through the forest when Jasmine suddenly stopped and looked up. Orion paused to see what was wrong, but only saw a falcon, squawking and circling. Jasmine howled, and took off towards the bird. Confused, but allowing the other male to lead, he followed. The bird swerved through trees, ducked branches, and called out every once in a while.

Then, Orion caught Zazriel's scent. He also spotted blood. And another scent. This was feminine. Different from Zazriel in that it was bitter tasting. Orion put on a burst of speed, dashing around obstacles to reach his alpha's female.

Then, they burst through and came to a meadow. Ahead, he saw a figure, dragging something heavy. Nothing else. The bird flew towards the figure and circled. Orion looked around to make sure the others were with him, then howled. They ran forward to attack.

Mourgent was half crazed. He didn't know where he was going or why, but that he had to go. It was mid afternoon when he found a scent and followed it. It was familiar, but in his mournful mind, he didn't know why.

He ran, speeding through the forest with one mindset: find the owner to the scent. And he did. He thought. But who's was it? There were seven figures ahead of him. One on the ground, barely moving, while five surrounded the last. He recognized the five wolves, but knew they weren't what he sought. He didn't know the wolf they surrounded, so he turned his attention to the one on the ground. Immediately, he jumped forward and put his body over it, protecting it with growls and snarls. The six wolves looked at him, startled. Then the unfamiliar wolf darted past and disappeared into the distance. The other five stayed staring at him, ears back and tails between their legs.

He growled again, a warning to not come closer, then turned to the wolf underneath him.

It was a female. Two short front legs. White. Dying. Her coat was covered in dirt and blood. Her chest barely rising and falling. Her eyes closed.

He nudged her muzzle, whining softly. Barely, she opened her eyes. They were blurry, unfocused. He licked her and laid down, resting his head on her side. He flicked his tongue over her ear then closed his eyes, allowing himself to rest finally.

Zazriel saw the figure above her, but didn't know the details. Her vision had gone foggy. But she began to relax. Why? She wanted to curl up against this figure and sleep. She felt safe.

She slept, the heavy weight of something on her side a comfort and a relief.

She woke a few hours later. There was no weight any life, and she whined. Her vision still wasn't working right, so she couldn't see. It terrified her.

A lick to her nose made her still, her body tensing. Then, a lick to her cheek. Then a head under her chin. She relaxed and sighed. She felt safe again.

Mourgent began to calm after hearing the whine from the female who caught his attention, who now looked a bit healthier. But not much. She was too weak. Too fragile. He wanted to take her away and hide her from the world.

"Zazriel?"

Mourgent snapped his head around to look at the male who spoke. But his mind finally cleared. Zazriel.

He looked to the white wolf beside him and had no idea how he got here. He didn't know where here was. All he knew was that Zazriel needed help. "Orion, what happened?"

"The night you were attacked, she disappeared. Carlotta and I got a group together to find her. We got here right before you, and she was being dragged along by a shewolf. We attacked. Then you came…" his voice trailed off.

"Where is the shewolf?"

"She escaped."

Mourgent growled low, making Zazriel whimper. He quieted, but felt anger burning his throat. "Fine. Help me get her home."

Hesitation by the five wolves of his. Then, Zelda stepped forward. "Alpha, maybe we shouldn't."

He began to growl again. "Why?"

Zelda whimpered, which made Orion step forward. "We will set up camp and I will tell you. But, you must hear me."

Mourgent felt like ripping out throats, but gave his agreement. He lay with Zazriel while the others set a perimeter and hunted. Orion came back, having told the others to keep watch. He didn't want to have everyone hearing about this.

As he sat, Zazriel squirmed in her sleep, giving little tips and whines. Mourgent nuzzled her gently, and she calmed. Finally, he told his alpha.

Mourgent listened to his friend and felt his heart stop several times, but everything made sense now. All of it. And he wanted to tell Zazriel that what she saw was nothing! Nothing at all! He wanted her to trust him again, to give him the chance to prove himself to her as her male, not anyone else's.

Orion finished his explanation and tilted his head. "Tell me you aren't with Eva."

"I'm not!" Mourgent growled. "She came onto me! She didn't stop when I asked! She wouldn't leave me alone!"

"Then why didn't you say anything, or banish her?"

Mourgent didn't know. However, he now had a reason for keeping the other female. "Don't worry, Z will be able to get revenge once she is strong enough."

At the thought, he licked her ear affectionately

Zazriel blinked her eyes open and looked around. She had no idea where she was, or how long she had been there, but she did recognize all the wolves surrounding her. Including the black one beside her. She instantly tried getting up and moving away, but he growled low and demanding.

She whined and laid down, ears flat and head between her paws. She didn't want to be near him. She didn't trust him. She didn't want anything to do with him.

"Zazriel?"

She snapped her eyes to the female voice of Zelda.

"Zazriel, there's a lot of explaining to do, but right now, you're hurt. We need to get you home so Matilda can help you."

She scrabbled to back away, as frantic as a lost puppy.

"Zazriel, you are pack," Orion said gently. "Let us help you."

She wanted to tell them that they were kind but she didn't belong, that everything from the start had been a lie.

But then, a tongue flicked her ear. She growled and snapped at the black wolf beside her, glaring. He whined, giving her an apologetic look. Her heart leapt, but she didn't-couldn't- believe he was sincere.

"Zazriel, if you don't believe him, then believe me," Orion said. She glanced at him. "He didn't know and didn't initiate it. You two must talk about it, but right now, trust that I would not lie to you."

Orion she did trust. But could she trust him with this? What if he was manipulated? What if she was betrayed again?

She gave a long, depressed whine, and laid her head down. The black wolf laid his own down and looked at her, eyes big and sad. She looked away, unable to look at him and not feel something.

It was silent for a long time until he lifted his head again and growled. Then, she knew they were discussing something with the pack bond. She felt cut off from them, more so now than before. She wanted a bond now, if only to know what they were saying.

Then, Zelda looked at her. "Zazriel, Mourgent will give you some time to heal if you give him a chance to explain whatever is going on."

She gave a growl.

Zelda gave a sympathetic smile. "I know you don't want to, but Orion thinks it's crucial for you to hear what the alpha has to say."

Zazriel sighed then glared at the black wolf, wishing she could be alone. But Orion had been right about his pack. She nodded.