Caged Wolf
Chapter Nine: Noah

Songs of the Chapter: Fight by All Good Things and I’ll Keep You Safe by Sleeping At Last

I calculate the passing of three weeks as I add another tally to my bathroom wall behind the mirror, three weeks since Dusk joined us here. Every day I have fought and won to get back to Dusk. She is ranked top female and I top male, the notion excites me. Our packmates aren’t far below us and everything seems to be falling into place. I’ve received several messages from Dusk through our new friend the Reaper, though I don’t trust him nearly as much as Dusk seems to. Pairs should be picked soon and if we’ve played our cards properly we should end up together, from there we can set the skeleton of a plan we’ve come up with into place. My heart aches and I yearn for Dusk, it’s been too long since I’ve held her in my arms. I barely sleep for lack of her by my side, this place is running me ragged.

“Noah!” Garth’s voice comes from the couch behind me and I turn to see him watching the TV with Danny, Reaper and Lily.

We just recently re-connected with Garth, they moved him to our cafeteria after he nearly killed the red Wolves beta in his other cafeteria. Reaper, him, Danny, and Lily have been living in my room for the most part. Reaper is the only one who can freely come and go as he pleases due to his powers, we tried to use him to get to Dusk ourselves but it didn’t work out very well. We all care for each other in the absence of our partners, we are all wrecks without our other halves even Reaper. I turn my mind to the TV, an announcement is being made by Penny.

“Good evening Wolves, tonight we have one last fight before dinner than the fights will be concluded, the pairings will begin after dinner,” Penny speaks and I’d love to get my hands on her, I’d snap her neck if I could.

Suddenly the arena lights flash on and two Wolves of similar size circle each other.

“Dusk.” Lily gasps out, we all clutter to watch closer.

The other Wolf is one I know all too well, he is a guy called Red for his fiery red-fur. A growl escapes my lips for Red is a strong alpha who constantly brags about how he will be the one to tame and fuck Dusk. He got that idea into his mind when they broadcasted Dusk and Reaper’s meeting life, at the time they thought they’d kill one another. I hate Red with a full-body passion, he’s one strong fucker as the scar across my thigh proves. He almost beat me once. My heart kick-starts at the notion of him fighting Dusk and my eyes automatically begin to glow with rage.

“She can beat him, right?” Reaper questions clearly concerned, he knows just as well as we do how strong Red is and how unpredictable he can be in combat.

“She can,” Garth answers his voice mostly positive, confident in his alpha female.

The slight hint of uncertainty bothers me as I press one palm against the glass. A ding sounds, Dusk attacks first splitting Red’s ear with her claws angering him. He lunges and they roll snarls ringing out until his body flies smacking into the wall.

“He’ll try to play her mind and provoke her into being stupid the same as he does to you,” Danny suggests causing my heart to squeeze in my chest because Dusk isn’t as level-headed as she used to be.

Danny’s right as Dusk shakes her head furiously before snapping her teeth at Red’s tail ripping fur out that she spits from her mouth. Claws rake down Dusk’s side and she growls deeply as blood splatters the floor.

“They aren’t monitoring this fight. They don’t care if Red kills her.” Reaper points out and I have to agree with him as this battle is exceptionally violent.

Raising onto her hind-legs Dusk rakes her claws across Red’s nose before he sends her sprawling. They both come-back hard as their jaws and paws lock in the air their bodies colliding with a resounding thud. It’s almost like a graceful dance for a few moments before Dusk overpowers him rolling him onto his back getting a good scratch in at his soft-belly. Red pushes with his hind-legs flipping her hard into the wall, she whimpers and I flinch feeling the impact in my own bones. Red moves a smirk on his lips as Dusk struggles to right herself shaking her head. Dusk gets her paws under her just as he mounts her from behind. How dare he? Dusk lets out a guttural snarl snapping at his legs and bucking like a bronco her hind legs catching his jaw sending him tumbling. Dusk’s eyes are Wolf’s eyes as she moves quickly taking a chunk out of his hind for his attempted actions. They whirl and circle both clearly enraged as they grow wilder. I watch Dusk calculate coming across a possible winning move, a risky move.

“Don’t do it,” I whisper and all eyes turn to me as I know this move could leave her crippled, it would already be her scarred leg she would be injuring.

Dusk’s eyes meet mine as if she can hear me before darting back to the male before her. I see no other option and I know she sees that too. I suck in a breath preparing myself just as she does it. She steps her left leg forwards and Red takes the bait chomping down. A snap fills the air and nausea eats at my gut as I pale feeling faint as if it were truly my leg that just got snapped in half. I lean hard against the wall not wanting to leave Dusk but needing some support. My eyes refocus and mere seconds have passed as a groan leaves Dusk’s mouth but she moves quickly chomping her jaws down around Red’s exposed neck holding tight. I can see Red panic and white-hot pain shoots through our bond as he jerks on Dusk’s leg hard trying to cause her to free his neck. Pain radiates from the arena as blood flows from both Dusk and Red sprinkling the ground in red. Red struggles manically but Dusk has him held tight. Slowly Red begins to crumble, he goes to his knees then he goes crashing down as his jaw slacks and his conscious swims in the flutter of his eyes. His head slumps and muscles slacken in defeat as he goes still. Dusk lets him go and his head slips to the ground banging back to consciousness. Dusk stands tall over him her eyes never leaving his hazy ones. Red groans and lifts his head causing Dusk to snap her teeth near his head as a primal growl rings out. This growl turns into a snarl as it shifts from a warning to a command. Around me, Danny, Garth, Lily, and Reaper shiver as their muscles ripple hearing the command. Red places his head back on the ground and lets out an understanding whine, he accepts his defeat. Dusk continues to snarl as if she’s forgotten herself, then her eyes turn human and she quiets closing her mouth. Dusk moves to let Red up, they share a respectful shoulder brush before leaving the arena. As soon as Dusk hobbles out of the arena and my sight my heart clenches painfully causing me to gasp. The last fight is over, I have to believe that I’ll be paired with Dusk after, we have proved ourselves. We have earned each other. If this doesn’t work than I don’t know what will happen, I’m running low on reasonable ideas, I’m starting to think it might be best just to kill my way to her.

“She’s straight-up crazy,” Danny suggests breaking the silence that had built as pride fills his voice for his alpha female.

“Crazy to get her pack and mate back,” Garth adds his own voice full of wonder at the extent Dusk would go to get back to us.

“We’ll see if that craziness pays off,” I state just as the door slides open allowing a familiar boy to enter the room.

Even wearing contacts I can tell this is the same boy Dusk attacked her first day, I can tell this is the same boy we’ve dealt with many times now. He freezes when he sees us all in the room. He doesn’t speak as he leads us from the room. I pick up the scent of an unknown female Wolf on him and it surprises me though I have smelt it faintly around before. Sniffing deeper I gather several other scents from him, beneath them all is the faint scent of Dusk. I breathe it in deeply taking every drop of it into myself that I can.

“The she-Wolf that attacked you, have you seen her again since?” I question causing the guy to flinch as I increase my stride so we walk side-by-side.

“Why the question, Wolf?” The guy throws a question back at my face as he uses the word Wolf with disgust evident in his tone.

“She’s my mate,” I growl my patience shorter than normal and my claim seems to surprise him.

“You’re mate gets around. She constantly had a white-haired male and the Reaper over there with her in her room.” The guy taunts as if he’s hoping to get a rise out of me.

I don’t react as this isn’t news. Reaper is our ally, I can see him rolling his eyes off to my left, and the white-haired guy can either be Crane or Tucker unless she’s made another ally. Either way, I’m not jealous, I trust Dusk in every way.

“You wouldn’t understand.” I finally sigh knowing I won’t get any answers out of this guy.

It is clear that he hates us Wolves.

“Why do you hate us?” Danny questions him stepping up on his other side as if he read my mind.

Reaper and Garth close in behind him with Lily as we walk and I can smell the nerves and fear pouring off him.

“Your all murderers.” He spits his eyes taking on a crazy edge to them as we go.

“Lily, Garth, and I have never killed before,” Danny states as we walk and the guy falls quiet thinking.

Lily begins to whistle as she swings between Garth and Reaper, who wears his gloves. I don’t miss the rise of the guy’s heartbeat upon hearing Lily.

“You really hate the children as well?” I poke and his eyes flit to mine in response allowing me to catch a glimpse of his true eye-colour, a deep blue.

“Why would I not hate the children, after all a Wolf killed my family. It slaughtered my sisters younger than that girl. So, yes I hate you all, I hate you for taking my family from me.” The guy explodes, his voice and body filled with raw pain.

We fall silent around him until he brings us to the cafeteria doors. He goes to leave but I grab onto his arm gently.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” I say before I let him turn and walk away.

I turn and enter the cafeteria, as usual, all eyes flit to me recognizing my atmosphere as dangerous. I get my ribs before settling down beside Garth and across from Reaper. A groan leaves Reaper’s lips as it has for the last three weeks as small female parks herself in the seat beside me so close that our shoulders are brushing. Kiki, my female stalker who demands that she is certain I am her mate no matter how many times I deny it. A soft growl leaves Reaper’s lips as Kiki smiles sweetly at him, he’s become very protective of me knowing Dusk wouldn’t be happy about this persistent female. I move away putting space between us as I eat.

“Oh come on Noah, admit your my mate, we are both alphas!” Kiki speaks sweetly to me but her voice is annoyingly high-pitched.

“I already have a mate,” I state as I do every time, and she ignores me per usual.

“I’m so hot and powerful, I know you feel the same pull to me that I feel to you,” Kiki suggests and my patience draws thinner.

One day I’m going to snap and hurt this female, or worse. At this moment I really wish Dusk was here, she would know exactly how to handle this persistent female. I growl when Kiki touches my thigh suggestively and move as close to Garth as I possibly can. She follows me so I pick my chair up and slip it between Reaper and Danny who snicker at Kiki’s annoyed expression.

“Playing hard to get, I like it.” Kiki smiles at me and I really just want her to leave me alone.

Suddenly a girl shows up in the room and calls out my name. Relief washes through me, anything to be rid of the nuisance sitting at the table.

“Thank you.” I murmur under my breath as I leave the room with the girl in tow, there is something off about this girl, something I can’t place.

I notice a smile flicker over her lips as if she noticed my struggle. We walk on in silence until she takes me to an area I haven’t been to. This hallway is completely white and lined with doors. I’m genuinely curious when my ears hear a commotion behind one of the doors. Suddenly a male body crashes through one of the doors followed by two people. Her scent hits me right before her voice does.

“You seriously think that beta is my damn mate?” Dusk’s voice reaches me and she is clearly frustrated to a breaking point.

A male human stands to her side and a female on the other with dyed-black hair and green contacted eyes. This female is clearly the leader here, but that doesn’t matter right now as all I can think is Dusk. Her scent engulfs me causing my body to react even as my feet freeze in place and my eyes eat her up. The moment my scent rolls over her she slowly turns away from the two humans her eyes wide and brimming with tears. When she sucks in a breath my feet move and we run meeting each other. We embrace as our lips meet and I want to devour her as I’ve been deprived of her. Her touch heats me and next thing I know her legs are wrapped around my waist firmly and my shirt is torn from my body. Our lips disconnect as we breathe heavily our foreheads pressed against one another. I drink the sight of her in and anger eats at me as I see the scars crisscrossed up her left arm.

“I love you,” Dusk exclaims as she holds me lightly.

“I love you too,” I reply and our hold returns to sexual kisses and touches.

I am heated with need as we move away from prying eyes that stare and into a room like the one Dusk came from. Once alone the rest of our clothes are ripped from our bodies and we love each other with such a ferocity that I’ve never felt before. As I touch Dusk I can feel everything that happened to her, everything that Jack did to her and I try to replace it with my own healing touches. It’s as if Dusk burrows her way into my soul and leaves a piece of herself there, I can feel her heartbeat in my chest and sense everything she is feeling. I can sense her pleasure as it heightens my own. This is what I’ve been missing, my mate, our bond. I’ve been missing Dusk. Now that I have her back I will never let her go again, they will never take her from me again.

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