brown mop. He smelled like Griff a little. Still, I whispered to Griff, clinging closer to him when the man took a step into the room. Griff’s chest rumbled with a cautious noise.
“It’s alright, Griff. Stop your growling. Your dad is here, too. Well, half the pack really. Your mom wanted to come inside, but Uncle Isaac made her wait in the car. Said it might be too dangerous.”
While this stranger talked, he moved to unlock Griff’s door.
“Get Colette out first,” Griffin said.
The stranger, was distinctly avoid looking at me up till this point.
“This is Colette?”
His voice and eyes softened when he looked down at me.
“Hey, sweetie, don’t worry. We’ll get you out of there.”
He reached over and casually popped the lock on my too small cage with just his hand. The door drifted open and a couple more men filtered in. I whined, wanting to stay in the cage. If I left the cage I’d have to let go of Griffin’s hand. And letting go hurt too much.
“Colette, you have to let go of Griffin.”
I whimpered and shook my head. I didn’t ever want to let go of Griffin. I held even tighter instead.
“It’s okay, Lettie. You can let go. It won’t hurt.”
I shook my head.
“Colette, look at me.
“It’s okay. I promise.”
Griffin motioned to the three men who had entered. The first newcomer to enter was a red haired man with a scowl on his face. He stood tall, and rigid. His dark eyes swept over the room taking in all the details. His fist tightened along with his lips when he caught sight of spattered blood on the ground. The second man stood about a few inches shorter than the red-haired man, but taller than the first. He had the same blond hair as the first one. Their eyes matched Griffin’s black ones.
“This is Keith, Teddy, and Johnathan. My Beta, my uncle and cousin. They’re here to help. To take us home.”
Keith, the serious red haired man with a scowl on his face nodded when Griff said his name, he stood off to the side, closest to the door. Teddy, who’d freed us, tipped his head at us. Johnathan was an older version of Teddy, only with much kinder eyes. He stood next to Teddy, close to our abandoned cages.
I shook my head, still resistant. I looked back to Griff. He mouthed a silent ‘please’ to me and I felt my insides twist. I had to trust him. He was my only friend in the whole world.
I let go. There was no pain this time. I sighed and, crawled from the cage. I cradled my fractured arm to my chest, careful not to jar it. Teddy gently helped me out then handed me to Johnathan, who looked gentler than the rest.
“Hey, sweet child,” Johnathan said. “All will be well.”
He hugged me gently. His scent was similar to Griff’s, like those green trees that reminded me of daddy. His heat warmed me outside in.
Griff crawled from his cage, and when he stood, he was taller than I’d thought. He came over to me right away. He still limped, but his bruises had healed much faster than mine. They were barely visible.
“Lettie.”
He reached for me, and his Uncle let me go. For the first time, Griff wrapped his arms around me. I held onto him as tightly as I could.
“Griffin why haven’t either of you shifted?” Johnathan asked.
“The beatings would’ve been worse. You were so brave, Lettie.”
He squeezed too tightly, jostling my broken arm. I cried out. Griff pulled away looking stricken.
“You should shift, Lettie.”
I looked at him blankly and shook my head slowly.
“It’s okay now, Lettie,” Griff said.
“I don’t understand.”
“Shift to your wolf, baby,” Johnathan said.
I shook my head, and they exchanged puzzled glances.
“She smells like a wolf, doesn’t she?” Teddy said.
“She has to be one of us. Why else would they take her?” Keith looked down at me, a sickened expression creeping into his face.
“Well, we’ll figure out which pack she belongs with,” Johnathan said, “and return her just like the rest of the boys.”
Griffin growled.
“No. She’s mine.”
The three men looked at him confused.
“No, she isn’t, Griff. She belongs to another pack, she isn’t yours to take,” Keith said.
“She. Is. Mine.”
Griff’s eyes changed from black to yellow, and his grip tightened. I tried to back away, startled. I knew what it meant. My father’s eyes did the same when he was mad. When he was getting ready to change.