Chapter 25

Aria's POV

I woke up to another day of pain. The wolves from the pack jeer and the guards poke the silver, causing a wave of pain to flow over me, but I was still alive, that means they were still alive.

From my position on the top of the mound I could see most of the pack. The trees and woods, my home, the cells, and the pack hospital where my family lay recovering.

My 'favourite' guard came over every day at midday and whipped me, with silver, in front of some of the pack who found it a sport to watch. I had cuts running from my neck to my knees which refused to heal because of the silver, it reminded me of my dad and that notion, however true, scared me because I thought I had left that all behind months ago.

Skye and Ash came to see me at dusk, they gave me updates on Atlas, Isla and Forest and told me what the pack were thinking, the atmosphere and the underlying worry and fear that no one wanted to say out loud, the alpha family kept them safe, without the alpha the pack would go into ruin.

I was worried, I wanted to see them myself, last time I saw them they all looked so close to death, Isla was deathly pale, Atlas had just collapsed next to her and Forest, my wolf kept whining out for him, wishing to be next to him, hoping he would be ok.

-----------

Some of the warrior wolves I'd met at the pack house came up to me holding a pail of water, they poured some into a bowl for me which I licked up thirstily, not caring about my dignity to lap up water from a dog bowl, soon to spit it out as the dissolved silver burnt my throat. They sneered at me, laughing at my pain, I couldn't find it in my heart to hate them because, behind the hate in their eyes, I saw fear.

They were scared, scared for the alpha family and not knowing who to trust, they blamed me because the only other people who it could be would be in the pack, and they didn't want to believe someone in the pack would do it.

The days stretched on, not really because of the ever constant pain, the packs hate filled gazes or the fact that my life has become laying on the floor with a metal collar around my neck as I waited for death or freedom, but because of the constant waiting, hoping, wishing they would get better and it could all go back to normal.

I fell into an almost sleep, my mind needed to rest but my thoughts were whirling round at a million miles an hour, never stopping or letting me rest.

-----------

I woke up waiting for the daily torture to begin, waiting for the pain, but also comfort in knowing I wasn't dead and that means nether were they.

But today was different. The pack wolves came walking past with their heads bowed and tears in their eyes, the guards came past, glaring at me as if all their problems were my fault, but hurrying me past without raising a hand to me.

This worried me, it meant change. Change could mean they were better, or worse. The suspense was killing me. No one would tell me anything, I wasn't free, but I wasn't dead.

It was Skye who finally put me out of my misery. She came up to me with red eyes but a relieved smile on her face.

"What's happening?" I asked, "Are they ok, are they dead, are they awake?"

She shook her head before telling me, "Isla nearly died this morning," I gasped, tears pricking my eyes before she continued, "she pulled through and now the doctor said they are all much closer to waking up."

I let out a relieved sigh, as Ash came over, "The pack doesn't know what to do, some want to kill you right now, some are willing to let the Alpha wake up and do the honours himself, which of course won't happen, but they think it will."

I nodded, it had been pretty much the same every day, the pack wanted to kill me, Atlas, Isla and Forest still weren't awake, and every day I got more and more worried that they may never wake up, or I may be dead before they do.

------------

I was woken out of my sleepy daze by a sound in the night. Not a normal sound. I was used to normal sounds, but this, this wasn't normal.

I looked around, looking for the source of the sound. I had heard it every night at midnight,

I never found the source of the sound and I never got used to it, it always woke me from my daze, my wolf, though now weak from the silver, wouldn't let me rest again until the sound was gone.

I never found the source of the sound, until now, and I wish I hadn't.

On the edge of the treeline, grinning madly, was the man, the one who was in the garden, the one who was in my room, and the one who threatened me. He was staring at me, his head tilted to the side, his mouth contorted into an impossibly wide grin and he was laughing.

The sound. The sound I could never place. His manic laughing. Every day for an hour he stood on the edge of the treeline, smiling and laughing, laughing at me.

Today though, now that I had seen him, he walked over, slowly, He shuffled over, head still at an angle, still laughing.

He stopped a meter away from my chain and stopped laughing. He looked me over for a few minutes before he spoke, "You see how easy it was to get to you, how easily your family was hospitalised, no one would even notice you were gone, your own pack hates you."

It was him, he brought the rogues to hurt my family and now he was in front of me, and I couldn't protect myself, I could do nothing except cover my head with my arms, curling up in a ball and waiting.

"I could take you now, but where would the fun be in that, I like a challenge, I'll wait for your wolves to be back, then take you from right under their noses, show them just how powerful I am, it will stop them coming after me."

How cocky of him. He could take me, make his life easy, no one would, or could stop him. But instead he wants a 'challenge' and that will be his down fall.

----------

The next morning my life went back to 'normal'. The wolves woke me up with pelting me with rocks, as they hit my skin I thought back to what Skye said, they were closer to waking up, I would be home soon.

Skye came running over, knocking the wolves flying like bowling pins, "Aria, Aria, they're waking up!!"

I just stared at her, not believing my ears, "Are you sure?" I whispered, my throat protesting to being used after a few days of screaming in pain and no water.

"YES! I was going to check on them this morning when the doctor came over and said they were all out of a coma and should wake up today, if not maybe tomorrow." I looked at her, not believing what I was hearing.

She nodded once more before rushing off, "I forgot to tell the pack, that's the reason I was sent over here!" I laughed at her back as she rushed off, the silver still hurt like hell but knowing they were recovering put a smile on my face.

-----------

Nothing could dampen my mood all day. Not the pack members jeering at me about how 'The alpha will be awake soon, then your hell will really start,' In fact I wanted to laugh at that, not even my 'favourite' guard coming to me for my daily dose of public humiliation, because I knew it would be over soon.

Knowing I would be free soon, and knowing I would be back with Forest soon, made the silver burn less, I smiled at everyone who passed me and freaked out at least half of them, I knew the man would be laughing from the tree line again that night, but I couldn't bring myself to care, I would be home soon.

---------

All night I waited, but they didn't come. They weren't awake. Net yet. The man came, laughing and grinning, I ignored him. I waited, as the minutes ticked by, I started to lose hope, maybe I wouldn't be going home soon.

But as the sun rose in the sky I heard and angered growl from the direction of the pack hospital. I couldn't hear much of what was going on, but I did see five figures standing at the doorway.

Ash, Skye, Isla, Atlas, and Forest.

Atlas, Isla and Forest looking murderous.

Skye and Ash looking smug, a 'told you so' ready on their lips.

I just smiled. I was more than ready to be out of this collar.