Caged Wolf
Chapter Five: Hayley

Song of the Chapter: Lose of Control by Meduza, Becky Hill, and Goodboys

I sit in the medical win holding my best friend, Joey’s hand. Joey took his normal position above the fights today and today it cost him as he lays with one leg tightly bandaged and a cast on his cracked wrist. It seems Penny underestimated just how violent the Hellhound would be and how she would direct her pain at humans instead of other Wolves. Joey’s face is so pale that he could be dead, the idea causes flashes of pale faces to enter my mind and I desperately push them away. Joey blinks, his eyes momentarily vacant before he grimaces coming back to me. I stare at him, at on point in my life I loved him and thought he and I would grow up to be together. I was very mistaken, now I stick with him because of what I caused, because of my guilt.

“I’m okay Hal, I’m alive.” Joey’s voice is shaky as he tries to reassure me.

I don’t say anything as I imagine a million ways to end the she-demon that did this. The Hellhound deserves a horrible death, she attacked an innocent person.

“That black-wolf is one mean bitch, she’s different than the others, angrier.” Joey states and I blink realizing Penny and Draco have entered the room.

“Today was a day of underestimation. I underestimated the Wolves’ violence and animalistic need to kill humans. The Hellhound came to close to killing you today Joey, she has paid for that. The Reaper was also underestimated for he briefly escaped after killing a human. Today is about loss and lesson, we will do better.” Penny declares in an even voice.

“Today was also a showcase of power, power worth harnessing. The Hellhound killed Allister in her room and withstood an immense amount of electricity.” Draco states and I contain a grimace of my own.

I will never let that happen, this power is one deserving of destruction not harnessing. My pager begins to flash blue on my hip and Joey’s eyes flicker to it. I don’t want to go do my job, I don’t trust myself to stay objective right now.

“It’s okay Hal, go do your job.” Joey urges me pulling his hand gingerly from my own.

“Heal up,” I tell Joey giving his arm a light pat and he smiles up at me as I stand.

I excuse myself from the room though Penny’s eyes track me as I go making me nervous. I walk down the hallways replaceing my way to the Wolves rooms until I replace the blue flashes door I was looking for. When I come to it I use my keycard to let myself in. Instantly I blanch as green eyes meet mine from where a she-Wolf sits in her own blood, her right arm is a crisscrossed mess of deep cuts that will scar.

“I guess Jack perfected his suppression of our healing abilities before I killed him, along with his collar design.” The she-Wolf growls her piercing green eyes staring into my white-contacted ones.

“You deserve worse for your violence.” I snap before I can hold my tongue.

“For my test of this place today or for the men, women, children and Wolves I killed for Jack in order to keep this place funded?” She questions as she smartly lets me stitch up her arm.

“Test? You attacked an innocent human.” I spit out and I want to smack myself, why do I keep speaking to her?

“No one is innocent. Besides if I wanted to kill him I would have it happens to be what I do.” The she-Wolf prods me and I try not to rise to the bait though her gazes makes me uncomfortable.

“You have blood on your hands, you all do, it’s in your nature to be violent.” I point out simply my eyes flickering to hers.

“I am not the only one in this room that has blood on my hands. At least I admit my sins, you hide behind those contacts but you are no different than I am, then we are. At least I can say the majority of my sins occurred due to Jack.” The she-Wolf speaks to me in a calm tone and her words cause my blood to run cold as I freeze up.

How did she see through my facade? I shuffle through the potential ideas and possibilities coming to the conclusion that she truly knows nothing about me, she guess-baited me and I feel for it by freezing. I finish up her arm in silence even though her eyes bore into me. I cut the string, clean up my supplies and prepare to leave when she lets out an audible burdened sigh.

“I can understand that all-consuming hate you feel towards yourself, I once hated someone beyond measure too. Until you move past such hate and guilt I’ll hold onto your secrets for you, I won’t tell that human boy you’ve attached yourself to that it was you who did it.” She tells me, something about her voice reassures me, something about her allows me to trust her even though I don’t want to.

I don’t want to trust her, I want to hate her as I hate myself, as she hates herself. I have to look past her smooth words and into her actions, she attacked Joey for no reason. She brings unnecessary violence and death in this world. Picking my things up and heading for the door I pause briefly. I want to turn back but I shouldn’t, I have so many questions but I don’t want to want to ask them.

“You’ll be back, you have questions. Better run along to the next patient before your facade crumbles.” The she-Wolf whispers behind me before doing what I couldn’t, she walks away from me heading into the bedroom closing the door behind her.

Sure enough, looking down my pager is flashing again. I let myself out but the she-Wolf’s words have burrowed their way into me distracting me from the goal. I believe her words to be honest even though I don’t want to. I hurry off down the hallway moving quickly and quiet until I reach the next flashing door. Using my key card I open the door and slip inside. Upon entering I run into a wide naked chest that causes me to stumble back dropping my supplies in the motion with a loud clatter. My eyes connect with the dark green ones of the male-Wolf in front of me and all I can see is a deep wilderness surrounded by a feral terror. I can’t replace the signs of humanity in his like I could in the she-Wolf’s just moments ago, this male is on the verge of being completely feral. He steps away from me and the black and blue bruises lining his jaw, shoulders and ribs catch my attention as well as a long crooked scar running along his entire torso. Something within me quakes as I recognize this male-Wolf as the one I was confused by so I labelled him as an omega. Clearly, the label was a mistake from the beating he has taken, the true omega’s can sense he isn’t one of them and perceive him as a threat because of it. He lunges for me and I dodge away from his claws just in time. He bares his canines at me emitting a low growl that causes pain to sear through me unexpectedly. My eyes zero in on his raw bleeding neck and I spot the twisted-gnarled remains of the collar on the floor. Nothing is holding him back from shifting, attacking and killing me, so why doesn’t he? My buried instincts kick in as I take on a stance that makes me appear larger than I am, large is good. If I appear weak he is more likely to attack me again. He circles me before lunging again this time his claws rip the fabric of my pants at my thigh but don’t draw blood. I make a quick decision as I hit my emergency button on my pager causing it to flash rapidly, the flashing only enrages the Wolf as he lunges quicker than I can dodge taking me down pinning me beneath him against the floor. His chest vibrates with a growl as the contours of his body press into mine, I’m surprised at the excitement and need that slams through my system. The male wolf’s eyes flicker uncertainly to mine as if he is about to regain his control, his breathing lightens before he lets out one heavy breath. His eyes relax when suddenly the door opens to the room and the control is gone. He shifts standing over me, one paw still pinning me to the ground but his attention on what or who-ever just came into the room. A growl rumbles through his system causing a weird thought to enter my mind as he moves to almost stand over me, is he protecting me?

“Hayley!” Joey’s voice cries out and I tilt my head to see him hobbling into the room attempting to push past Draco and the powerful gun he holds.

Draco has to put his gun aside to restrain Joey which causes me to groan because if this Wolf isn’t protecting me than Joey just removed my last line of defence against an attack from him. The male-Wolf stands taller above me, I can feel his muscles coiling preparing to pounce on his newest prey. Weird thoughts pop through my mind, I know this Wolf isn’t thinking properly, I know I need to stop him or he will pounce and kill both Draco and Joey. I reach an arm out digging my fingers into his fur twisting, his attention diverts back to me as his growl grows quieter. The moment his head turns down to peer at me Penny appears in the room carrying a high powered rifle that she aims at Wolf’s head going for the kill shot. I scream as she pulls the trigger, at my scream the Wolf becomes re-enraged. Something moving too fast to see burst into the room stepping into the path of the bullet taking it hard in the shoulder. Suddenly the Wolf above my lunges with a powerful howl and the blurr catches him mid-air meeting his lunge head-on. I roll uprighting myself, everything appears clearly now. The male-Wolf slashes his claws over and over down the green-eyed she-Wolf’s back as she holds him off from attacking Penny who has dropped the rifle in surprise. Blood leaks from the bullet wound in her shoulder and her knuckles are swollen where she must have used them to beat down her door. I squat unmoving as the Wolves struggle against one another, the she-Wolf clearly stronger.

“Crane!” The she-Wolf finally shouts, her voice an animalistic command as her eyes flash animal, the command causes the white-male to fall away from her his head shaking.

I see it, the moment his eyes return from Wolf to human, from feral to clear. He quickly returns to human form his head bowed in shame as he stands before us. It is then that the she-Wolf collapses, he moves quickly to catch her.

“Dusk?” His voice is a choked sob as they crumble to the ground together.

“I’m here Crane.” The she-Wolf, Dusk, whispers as he pulls her to him.

“I’m so sorry, I...I.” The male, Crane, starts but he trails off his eyes averting from our gazes.

“Hey, this isn’t your fault, you know going feral is something that only happens when a Wolf is put into an extreme condition or under extreme strain,” Dusk tells him grabbing his chin to return his eyes to hers, she is reassuring him though I feel like her words are also meant for us.

After all, Dusk is the Wolf who lost it and went feral on Jack killing him. Is it truly because of something he did to her or was it just because she is a violent killer?

“I was labelled an omega Dusk, an omega. I’m not an omega and they all knew it. They all tried to kill me for it and I had to protect myself. I had to hurt some of them, I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore.” Crane cries a lone tear slipping from the corner of his eye.

“No one wants to hurt anyone anymore Crane, unfortunately, this place, these people have put us into no other position. However, I just got you back three years ago when they took you from me, I won’t let them take you from me again! Let me do the hurting, you do the thinking.” Dusk’s voice is strong but blood has coated her outfit and her face is paling.

“Why aren’t you healing?” Crane questions his voice and posture full of concern as his eyes replace the messy bullet wound in her body.

“Them.” Is the only response Dusk gives causing his green-eyes to flit up to us an accusing glare within them.

Clearly, these Wolves don’t trust us, they aren’t supposed to and we haven’t given them any reason to. He looks back down tears pooling in his eyes and I realize this she-Wolf is dying, she will die because of us. Pain digs into my heart confusing me, don’t I want her to die? I close my eyes memories swirling just behind them as tears threaten to spill from me.

...

‘Stay with me Monica, please, stay with me! No, no, I’m so sorry.’ My voice quivers in my ears ten years old again.

‘Sweety you have to let her go, they are gone, they are all gone.’ A haunting voice coaxes me as the place runs red with their blood.

‘We have one survivor!’ Another haunting voice, deeper and masculine, calls in the distance.

‘What did this honey, what happened here?’ The first haunting coaxing voice questions me.

‘A monster did this, a Wolf!’ My own voice replies defeated and agonized.

…

I open my eyes and the memories, the voices fade, as my eyes meet Joey’s. I see sadness and pain in him, the pain of his own memories from that day. I can’t bear to look at him any longer so I return my eyes to the Wolves surprised to replace Crane’s own eyes boring into me as if he experienced my memories with me. His wrist is pressed tightly to Dusk’s lips as she drinks but his eyes never leave me. I feel odd as if I will be weak for looking away, baring my demons to him. I don’t break his gaze, we stare eyes to eye until his concentration is broken by Dusk’s healed body. His breaking the stare first shows me something about him. Crane clearly loves Dusk, though, it is obvious they have hurt each other before.

“Thank you.” Dusk whispers, her words meant for Crane’s ears only.

“I wouldn’t want Noah to have another reason to want to kill me.” Crane jokes though they don’t smile over it, instead sadness aches from both of them.

Then just as suddenly as this all happened the two Wolves are on their feet moving. Crane approaches me as I rise, he and Joey meet me at the same time. I go completely still as Crane, his eyes locked onto Joey, gently places a hand on my shoulder.

“I am sorry if I hurt you, I know as a Wolf you believe such actions are purposely in our nature, you’re not wrong. However, I’m glad I didn’t kill you, you wouldn’t have deserved it.” Crane’s words pierce me much like Dusk’s earlier words did and the stone’s in my heart shudder.

Damn these Wolves for their words, their actions prove my hate but their words don’t. Their words give me hope that I could eventually forgive myself for my sins. My body zings beneath his fingertips, then he is gone leaving me feeling empty. I can’t help it as I watch him walking away with Dusk, what are they? I push the stupid question away as Joey pulls me into a hug and I allow him. Joey doesn’t fill up the emptiness in which Crane left me with but he does fill me with guilt. We turn and face Draco and Penny as the Wolves leave us alone.

“It’s been a trying day for you two, hasn’t it? It’s not even noon yet.” Draco asks his voice cold as his eyes are calculating.

“The feral Wolf not simply just killing you confuses me, plus their healing abilities go beyond what we first thought. Perhaps we need to re-evaluate all of this.” Penny mumbles clearly lost in her own thoughts.

I watch as Draco’s features darken as his body tenses, he is clearly opposed to any such idea. Beside me Joey also stiffens showing he is against the notions as well, he stands with Draco. I don’t know how I feel about it at this moment. I know for certain I am confused and weirdly longing for Crane worse than I was before. His presence, even in a feral state, was oddly comforting as in my soul I can tell that he would understand me, he would understand my guilt in the way that Dusk understands my self-hatred. Penny turns leaving with Draco moving quickly at her heels. Joey turns to me, his hand reaching out for mine. In this place we are supposed to be promised to one another, to be engaged as a powerful human couple. The notion isn’t true but I do want to protect my best friend from those capable of complete destruction. Joey leads me away him leaning on my shoulder as our adrenaline fades and his leg pain returns causing him to remember his injury. I walk him slowly back to our own suite of a room before placing him on the bed where he quickly passes out from the strain. I look down at his peaceful features once before I turn the light off and crawl into the bed with him though I stay far away from on the edge of the bed. After this strenuous start to the day, a nap before lunch seems appropriate as at this point I try to relax closing my eyes. My mind has other ideas as it brings my body to life by remembering the feel of Crane’s strong body melded to my own. I try not to let myself play on these fantasies, soon my indifference works as darkness takes my mind and I pass into sleep.