"I don't particularly like you at times either, Ryan." Ryland mocked. "But catching you in these kinds of situations always seems to make my day." He laughed.

"This is the only time you've caught me in this type of situation." I reminded him as I slowly set Malia on the ground, making sure her legs were strong enough to hold her up. He all but shrugged in the corner of my eye.

"Anyways," He started and kicked a stray rock away from his foot. "a meeting had been adjourned by my trackers and your presence is needed." I gave him a nod and waited for him to take his leave, but he didn't even move. "Though it was entertaining to see you guys get it on, seeing you naked would be a sight for sore eyes, my friend."

"Oh really?" I tested him as I rolled my eyes. "What about that time-"

"Don't you dare speak of it." He snapped, face turning as red as his hair. "It was one time!"

"You still seemed to enjoy yourself and what you saw." I turned my attention back to Malia. "Will you be okay while I'm gone?"

"Yeah." She still sounded breathless and I could hear her heart race in her chest.

"Alright." I tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear, her pony tail had become messy and loose. "But you better eat a big lunch."

"So what is this meeting about?" I asked as I pushed open the door.

"I sent some of my best trackers out to follow the Gordon when he showed up here." His footsteps staying close behind me as we walked up the stairs. "They managed to follow their scents all the way to their campsite. I told them to remain there and get as much information as possible. They only just now returned."

"Smart, but very dangerous. They could have been easily spotted and outnumbered if they were seen."

"Ag, but you see, they weren't. You always look at the bad side of things."

"No, I always look at every possible outcome." I corrected him and sat down in my chair behind the desk. Only two other men occupied the room, not counting myself and Ryland.

"Sir, their campsite just shy of twenty miles North from here, inside the unclaimed territory." One of them began to speak. "They always head West to go hunting and they always travel in large numbers if they leave. Their numbers are fairly large by with our packs combined, we have dozens on them."

"That great but have you seen them fight? How does their training look?"

"A majority of them know how to fight but not particularly well at that. Most are young and not at their strongest point yet, not having been connected to their wolf for a while. They're- they're savages."

"How do you mean? What did you see?" Ryland butted in, noticing the distress of his pack mates.

"They're horrible." The second man spit out as the other struggled to find his words. "They are foul and cruel."

"Yes, I understand that." I said, them being cruel not being new information to me. "But what we they doing, I don't understand unless you tell me."

"They are keeping women on chains." The first man that spoke finally said. "They are bound completely so they cannot move their hands or feet and their necks are chained to rocks and trees." He swallowed harshly, his Adam's apple moving up and down. "They rape them, continuously. They are littered with blood and bruises from what we could see." He shook his head, unable to say his next words.

"Some of them were dead." My throat closed up as the second make uttered the words. "They didn't even bother to unchain them or bury them, they just left them there."

"Thank you." I croaked, clearing my throat before speaking again. "You are dismissed."

I sat there in total silence, sitting back in my chair with complete astonishment. Never in my life had I heard anyone be so inhuman to another human being. The though of them defiling women whenever they wanted, disposing them without a proper burial had my stomach churning.

"That's what happened, isn't it?" Ryland asked, putting a hand on my shoulder, his strong grip giving me a form or comfort. "That's what happened to Malia."

Images of Malia lying there, naked and helpless as they defiled her had the contents in my stomach return to my mouth. Forcefully swallowing them down, I was left with a burning in my throat.

"I-I don't know."

Night had fallen before I had seen Orion again. While I was eating dinner with Kai, he rushed down the stairs and out the door, slamming it shut behind him. He was moving very quickly, jaw clenched and fist coiled so hard that his knuckles had turned white.

"I would go check on him if I were you." Kai pointed her fork at he door. "I haven't seen him this angry in a long time."

"I-I don't know if that's such a good idea." I spoke apprehensively. The idea of being around him while he was this angry made my hands shake. Kai sighed beside me before taking my shaking hands in her own.

"We've been over this before, Lia. He hasn't hit you now and he's never going to. He may shout, throw somethings but he will never raise his hand to you, I promise."

Taking her advice, I exited the house, watching as his large figure plowed into the woods. Trailing behind him, I hopped that he would blow off some steam before I came into any close contact with him. I watched in the distance as he entered his home, leaving the door open as if he knew I was behind him.

Walking through the threshold, I quietly closer the door behind me. Peering my head around the wall, I saw his form hunched over on the couch, his head in his hands. Seeing that he was now mellowed out, I walked towards him and sat on the opposite side of the couch that he was.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, gripping his hair tightly. "I'm sorry if I scared you." Sliding over, I uncurled his fingered from his hair and interlaced then with mine, his grip becoming much more gentle.

"It's okay." I gave him a weak smile. "You didn't mean to."

Nothing was spoken after that but I could tell something was bothering him because I could feel his hands shaking in mine, could see his foot bouncing on the floor. I didn't want to bother him so I kept my mouth shut. His hands let go of mine before wrapping around my waist, pulling me sideways onto his lap and letting his head fall on top of mine.

"I'm sorry to bring this up again, but what did they do to you?"

"What do you mean? I asked, bewildered. "I already told you."

"Did they," He paused and took a deep breath, moving my body along with it. "Did they ever touch you?"

"I-I'm not sure what you mean."

"Did they ever rape you?" His words were forced out of his mouth, quiet but firmly spoken.

"No! No, that was the one thing he didn't do to us. He had his fighters and then he had his pets." He let out a long sigh and his body went slack beneath me.

"Just so you knew, I wouldn't have been angry with you if he had. I'm just relieved that he didn't." I nodded my head against him, my eye lids drooping. A soft chuckle shook my head, the alluring sound relaxed me even further.

"Let's go to bed."