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Word Count: 2439

~Lexia

I don't know how long I've been tied here. I'm dehydrated, hungry and extremely tired.

Perhaps this state between sleep and consciousness is the real torture. Fighting at the haze that constantly surrounded me was exhausting. Maybe the neglect was too.

I began counting the days by the amount of times one man walked in. He would take advantage of my weakness, and drug me, so the nights and mornings would slip by unconscious and useless.

The next time the door opened, Reilly walked in. I expected him to drug me, and keep me here even longer...

"Pig," I mutter, salvaging enough of my hoarse voice to throw an insult at the red head. He smiles crookedly, strolling is casually with someone in tow.

"Delightful as ever," he muses, kicking the door closed behind him.

Escaping might have been a possibility. The rope around my wrist seems to have loosened over the course of the past few days, but the drugs render my limbs useless.

My mouth still works though.

"There are two things I hate about you," I mutter, looking up at him through the curtain of hair sticking to my face. He raises an eyebrow in amusement.

"Your face. Now shut both of them..." I snap.

He grins. "I don't think you're in the situation to be saying those things to me."

He stands directly in front of me, looking down as I sat in the chair. If my arms still had feeling, maybe I would have lashed out and punched him straight where the sun doesn't shine.

"Why am I here? If you think for a second I'll help you with this uprising, you need to stop smoking," I growl.

He stoops down, bringing himself to my level. My vision slightly spins, making me contemplate whether I might end up throwing up all over him. Just the look on his face does makes me feel nauseous....

"Obviously you don't have much of a choice. Tell me what you know of the uprising..."

"As much as you do. We worked together Reilly! And you lied...I'm no help to you, so let me go," I beg, my voice a pleading mess. I want nothing more than to get out of here.

Is Grayson looking for me? Does he even care?

"I can't. They all know...Your Pack knows, other Packs know. They know you're leading this thing, and they won't stop until they win," he tells me. I jump as he rests his hand on my knee.

"I'm not leading anything! I wanted to take down Kaden, yes. But I don't want every Alpha taken away. You think I can help you? You're mental," I say, shaking my leg back and forth so his hand would fall off, feeling as if it's weighed down by lead.

Reilly's hand slid further up my thigh, despite how pressed together they are.

"You may not know anything, but you're going to help me," he murmurs, leaning further over me. "In more ways than one."

I swing my head forward, smacking him in the head also. Not expecting my retaliation, he stumbles backward, much to my pleasure, despite the instant splitting headache that began to form. It's better than Reilly's hand.

"Why don't you just kill me instead. That would be better than working with you," I snap, wishing my hands would work as well as my head just did.

"I'm not the one behind all this, Lexia. One man wants you, and he will get you," Reilly says.

Suddenly his persona has changed. Sullen, stern and serious. The mention of this 'man' must have had both of our hearts skipping a beat.

"A man? Who?" I find myself asking.

I don't have to hear his name, but by the agitation on his face, I can tell that he is nothing but frightening.

"Let's hope you never have to find out. Accept my offer to help me, and you won't get hurt. And neither will Grayson," he tells me.

My hearts stops at the mention of my mate. Would he hurt him? Would whoever is behind this mess hurt him? If those death threats were followed through, then I would never forgive myself. Especially since it's my stupid idea that started this.

"Please don't hurt him..." I whisper.

"We won't have to. The uprising you started has gotten a lot of attention already. All I need you to do is restart the fire in the Vengeance Pack-"

All of a sudden, Reilly was cut off, as something whizzed past, and hit the wall behind us.

Twisting as far as my tied, weak body would let me, I caught the sight of a bronze stemmed arrow sunk deeply into the wall. Was that meant to hit me?

As I turned back around again, my eyes met a shadowed figure in the doorway. How whoever this is got in without either Reilly or I hearing, is a mystery to me. And as they step forward, the silhouette of a bow tucked neatly by their side, that this may be the 'man' that Reilly was talking about.

But only a second had to pass for my mind to completely change.

In a swipe of a moment, the stranger had loaded their bow, and pointed it directly at the man Reilly first brought in with him. The exact man that has drugged me for the past four or five days.

Before the man could do anything, the shadowy figure in the doorway sent the arrow straight into his chest.

Reilly and I didn't move, completely stunned.

And then they walked forward, the sliver of sunlight from the small barred window close to the roof revealed their identity. And I realise I've never seen this man in my life.

Dressed as if he's about to commit some vulgar crime, the stranger expressed nothing but fear invoking emotion. And his face...So young, handsome and smooth, but etched with maturity and experience.

He stares directly at me, and something sparks within the warm irises. A lighter brown than anything they have seen before. It matches beautifully with his hair, and for a fleeting moment in time, I consider the fact that despite his attraction, there's something else dark about him.

"Cal," Reilly growls.

They know each other. Cal, the bow welder and possibly my savour's jaw clenches tightly. Whatever relationship they have, it can't be very good...

"Didn't think we would have to see each other again," the man muses. Instantly, I'm faced with an accent I've never heard in my life. It's so exotic, the way it melts smoothly together, curving around your senses with a quiver.

"And in such an unfortunate place," Reilly muses.

I glance between Cal and Reilly. Both glare directly at each other, probably waiting for the other to waver.

"You know why I'm here," Cal days smoothly, motioning to me with his forehead. If I wasn't so stunned into silence, then maybe I would have said something snarky in reply. Instead, I sit on this chair mouth hanging open slightly.

"And you know why I can't let you take her."

Cal smirks a little. The act lights his entire face up, even though I see it's more out of spite for Reilly. And as I look at him, I'm torn. What does Cal want? To help me escape, or is there another reason?

"Get me out of here," I decide to say, using the strength in my voice to my favour. It doesn't matter anyway, because both men ignore me completely.

"How many strings did your boss have to pull to get you here? Huntsman..."

The words Reilly say are so snake like and evil. Hatred drips from the sentence; especially when he said Huntsman. When I look at Cal it makes sense for him to be one of the typically strong Wolves hired by Alphas to hunt down specific individuals.

Did Grayson send him?

"How much I am paid is none of your business. Now you can either hand the girl over, or I shoot you in the heart," Cal says.

Obviously Reilly feels the weight of the threat. Cal has displayed his skill with an arrow beforehand, and with no way to protect himself, Reilly has nothing to do but obey the hired Huntsman.

"And piss him off?"

There is is again. Him. Who is this man no one is telling me about?

"I have a job. Hand her over," Cal says sternly, unmoving from his objective.

Not sure if I should trust Cal, I try move my arms enough to free of the rope. They are sluggish still, but at least I've gained control over them again. And maybe I can slink out of here in the shadows...

"And if he comes for her?" Reilly asks. Cal sighs deeply, strolling forward a few steps. I know he sees me pulling at the thick rope loosening around my wrists. His gaze is as sharp as his wit, and if I don't get out of here, I'll end up experiencing something else.

"It is not my job to care..." Cal mutters, callous as ever. Waiting for Reilly to say something else, the Huntsman loads up his bow, mainly as a threat.

The moment Cal swings his aim toward Reilly, he was quick to put his hands up in defeat. "Take her then. And watch your work be in vain."

At that exact moment, the rope finally gave way, falling to the floor. I stumble to my feet, but my legs wobble and sway drunkenly, despite my brain trying its best to command it to walk.

Without a word, Cal swiftly sends an arrow into Reilly's thigh, causing him topple to the ground. Positioning the bow away from me, Cal holds his hand out.

"In going to take you back to Grayson," he tells me, obviously noticing my hesitation to take his hand.

At the mention of my mate, I can't help but take his hand. And it didn't matter anyway; I saw the sincerity and truth in his eyes when he shot those two men.

And he freed me. I was being kept underground, and as he pushed me through the hatch and onto the forest floor of the Freedom Pack, I almost screamed my joy.

Perhaps if my limbs were working well, I would have danced and thrown leaves into the air.

"Why did you do that?" I question Cal, as he clambers out after me, kicking the trap door that once concealed me closed. He turns, looking at me.

In the light, he is so much more handsome. But something painful and deep set lies within his gaze, and I feel mildly sorry for whoever the woman is that has to crack him. That's why I decide not to question him on who he is.

"It's my job. What my boss says, goes."

"Who's your boss? Grayson?"

When he shakes his head, light brown hair swaying against his forehead, I frown. Who else do I matter to?

"Look, we need to get you back home," Cal says, glancing at the sun. My eyes stay on the Huntsman, knowing my eyes would burn if I looked at the sky, after being locked up for so many days. I estimate though, the sun will be setting soon.

"What Pack are you from? Your accent isn't familiar," I note, causing him to chuckle. The sound is almost musical.

He leads me down a beaten path, knowing exactly where he is going.

"These little things you want to know are useless. I hope we never have to meet again," Cal tells me seriously. I narrow my eyes at him.

"Because I chase danger. It's my job. And I hope you aren't in that position again," he explains before I can get offended.

Of course. But does that make him my Guardian Angel or something? Because I'm not sure how Grayson would feel about this man hanging around...

"When you get back to the your mate, I want you to tell him you escaped. There is no need for him to be interested in my presence," Cal orders. He wants me to lie to Grayson?

"But I'm weak, I'm hardly walking on my own," I point out.

It's true. My arm clutches Cal's as we walk, trying to keep my feet from slipping out from under me.

"You're stronger than you think. He won't doubt it."

We walk for awhile in silence. My mind is trying to gather that some man who doesn't know me was sent by someone from another Pack to save me. I'm struggling though. Is it because of the uprising?

"Does this mean I owe you?" I ask meekly, glancing sideways at Cal.

He stares down at me, eyes glinted by sun. "No. Consider it my parting gift to you."

Right. Never to see each other again.

Suddenly we stop. "Here is where I say goodbye. Grayson will smell my if I get any closer."

After a few mild directions, that basically suggested I go straight ahead, I was confident I would make it back. And being tired, hungry and thirsty, I want nothing more.

"Thank you. I probably would have died had you not saved me," I tell him.

Mentioning to him about the threats to Grayson, and about this man Reilly was referring to pokes at the back of my mind. Should I ask him? But as I stare more at how foreign his face is, I decide to keep it to myself.

He picks up my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing it softly. The gesture is bitter sweet, as he backs away a few steps.

"Go home Lexia. Your mate is waiting."

💚••💚

Well, that's Cal, a Huntsman relevant later in the series. He's the first sneak peak of the new Packs I've been dabbling with from your suggestions.

Cal is from the Independence Pack. (Shout out to the Queen who brought this idea to the table)

I'm not sure if I want him to make another appearance in this book, but if you guys like him, then maybe I will!

I have TWO Packs I want to introduce, but I'm not going to tell you the other one, until later. But I may or may not be messing around with the idea of a female Alpha for the Independence Pack. *Shrugs innocently*

Snapchat: midikacrane

Radish: Midika

YouTube: Midika Crane

~Midika 💜