Taming the Beast novel Chapter 55

(Caroline’s POV)

The first thing that registered was the pounding headache I had. I didn’t like it and it made me feel really uncomfortable. I coughed and tried to press a hand to my head. I felt something restraining me. I looked down to see zip ties. I could probably get out of these easily now that I was a wolf. I froze. They couldn’t know that. If they did, they would restrain me even more. It would be even harder to escape, and they would know that I can contact people.

Keegan, I tried mind-linking him. I was greeting with nothing. I tried again. Keegan, please hear me. No answer. I sighed and went for Aiden.

Aiden, can you hear me? I tried.

Caroline, thank God! We were so worried! Keegan is passed out upstairs. Do you want me to wake him? Aiden answered.

No, it’s fine, let him sleep. Look, I’m restrained in a dark room. I don’t know where but it seems to be underground. They don’t know I’m a wolf yet. They don’t know about the change.

Just pretend that whatever they do hurts you. If they ask about the scars, tell them Keegan gave you a blood transfusion to get rid of them. They have no point of reference so they’ll believe you. Hang tight. Keegan and Danny have their best guys on it, Aiden assured me. I coughed and tried to see where I was more clearly.

“Oh good, you're awake,” I heard. I blinked rapidly to adjust my eyes to the sudden bright light. I couldn’t tell where I was, but it was a blank room with no windows and only one door. There was no furniture except the chair I was strapped to. I looked up to see a very sinister looking Natasha. She was holding a thick piece of leather and standing with her hand on her hip.

“What do you want from me?” I asked. She only smirked.

“Oh sweetie, I don’t want anything. You ruined my life and caused me pain so I’m going to do the same to you,” she said. She stalked towards me. “Tell me… why are your scars gone?” she asked. I kept my mouth shut and looked down. If I gave the answer too willingly, she wouldn’t believe me. I felt the thick leather slice into my arm. I yelled out in pain before I glared up at her.

“Keegan gave me a blood transfusion. It got rid of the scars and it gives me the healing ability of a Lycan,” I answered through my teeth. I could feel the welt on my arm healing. There was a glint of happiness in her eyes.

“Oh goodie! That means I can torture you more,” she said with a sinister smile. I sighed and looked back down at my lap. I cried out again when I felt the leather sting my arm again. “You might as well get comfortable, Caroline. No one’s going to come running to your rescue this time,” she said before I walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding.  I needed to figure out where I was if I wanted to be saved.

Caroline, I’m so sorry. Please tell me that you’re okay, Keegan’s voice reached me. I felt my eyes water with relief.

Keegan, where were you? I asked. I knew that he could hear my crying through our mind link. I didn’t want to make him feel bad but I was tired and scared and I wanted nothing more than to be with him at this moment.

I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I’m doing everything I can to find you. Your brother is too. My mom is taking care of Preston for a while. Do you know where you are? He rambled. I sighed and looked around the blank room.

I wish I did. Where would Natasha bring me? Do you know?

NO baby, but I’m going to find out. Hang tight; help is on the way, he tried to assure me. I sighed as my tears finally fell.

I love you, I said after a while.

I love you too, he replied before I shut off the mind link. The door opened again and a guy walked in with a tray. I tried to silent my tears.

“I brought you some food,” the guy said. I looked up to see a guy who looked younger than me. He had a baby face and wild curly brown hair. He had big blue doe eyes and he was actually kind of tall.

“Why are you helping her?” I asked hoarsely. He sighed and set the tray down beside me. It was just then that I noticed that he had a fold-up chair under his arm. He unfolded the chair and set it in front of me. He picked up the tray and sat it in his lap.  “Why are you helping her?” I asked again louder.

“I’m a rogue. I don’t have a home. Natasha promised us that if we helped, she would let us join the pack when she becomes Luna,” he explained. I sighed and chuckled as I shook my head. He watched me curiously. “What?”

“You do realize that I’m currently going to be Luna right? Keegan’s going to be pissed. Actually, the entire Alpha family is going to be pissed. They’re probably already pissed and looking for me. Do you really think that Keegan is going to welcome you into the pack when you helped kidnap and kill his mate?” I said with an eyebrow raised. He gulped as his neck started turning red.

“But… Natasha said that you were human,” he said confused. I nodded.

“I am,” I answered. “I’m Caroline, by the way,” I introduced myself. He gave me a shy smile.

“I’m Derek,” he said. I looked around the bare room before I looked back to him.

“I’ll tell you what, if you help me. I will let you join the pack, and Keegan will have no choice. He’ll let you in after he hears how you helped me escape. Because he will find us, and he’s going to kill everyone involved unless I say differently,” I offered Derek. He gulped and became noticeably nervous. He thought for a moment before looking at the tray of food.

“I’ll do it,” he agreed. I smiled at him and nodded once.

“Then you have my word that you will not be killed and you can join the pack,” I promised him. He gave me a sheepish smile.

“Thank you,” he sighed in relief. He looked to the tray again and then back to me. “I’m supposed to feed you, but I think Natasha put something in the drink to slow you down. Everything else is okay though,” he said. I waited patiently as he fed me. He left and grabbed an unopened water bottle before letting me drink it.

“Thank you,” I said after I’d finished eating. There was a moment of silence before I looked back to the boy. “Where are we?” I asked him. He looked around the room before he looked back to me.

“Natasha had a family house outside of town. I think it was west of the Red Sun Pack; not far from them actually. It was like a large cabin in the woods somewhere. I couldn’t tell you exactly how far, sorry,” he tried to explain. I shook my head.

“It’s perfectly okay. I thank you for helping me out in the first place. You will be rewarded, I promise,” I smiled at him. He smiled back.

“I think it took us about half an hour to run in wolf here,” he shrugged.

“You can’t tell anyone that you’re helping me, okay?” I said softly. He nodded eagerly and pretended to zip his lips. I let out a small chuckle.

“Thank you,” he whispered before he stood and left. I sighed.

Keegan, Aiden, there’s this boy here helping me. He says that Natasha is rounding up rogues and promising them spots in the pack if they help her. They think she’s going to be Luna soon if she gets rid of me. Oh, and his name is Derek. You can’t kill him, and I kind of promised him a place in the pack for helping me. He says that we’re at a family cabin about half an hour west of the pack house running wolf. By the looks of the room I’m in, I’d say that I’m underground, I explained.

I’ll spare his life. Can you try and find out how many rogues are there? Keegan asked, all business.

I’ll ask him when he gets back. Please hurry, I asked softly. I felt Keegan click out but Aiden was still there.

I’m so sorry, Caroline. This is all my fault, he said sullenly. I could hear the self-pity seeping through his words.

It’s not your fault, Aiden. Just come find me quick because I know Natasha plans on torturing me, I said. The door opened and in walked Natasha with two mutts at her heels. She wore her favorite smirk as she eyes me like a toy.

“Oh good, you’re awake still. We’re going to play a game,” she said. He eyes sparkled with anticipation. I didn’t like that look.

Keegan is getting the trackers together now. I’m supposed to distract Danny until the wolf part of everything is over. We all love you, Caroline and we’re doing everything we can, okay. We’re coming for you, he said. I sighed and looked up to Natasha.

“What kind of game?” I asked reluctantly. Her smile only widened.

“I thought you would never ask,” she said. The two buff rogues that were flanking her suddenly stepped forward and undid the zip ties from around my wrists and ankles. They grabbed either of my arms and stood me up roughly. “I’m going to ask you a question. If you don’t answer or maybe even if you do, Rocky and Tuff over here are going to beat you,” she said.

“What?” I squeaked out. She chuckled.

“Wrong answer,” she said simply. She motioned to one of the guys and I was punched in the stomach. I doubled over and fell to my knees as I tried to get air back to my lungs.

“What’s my favorite color?” she asked. I guessed pink. I was wrong and I got hit in the head. I fell over before coughing and sitting up again. She asked 21 pointless questions and I had to take a beating each time. I hated how vulnerable I felt. I hated the fact that I couldn’t fight back. After she tsked at me, she left with Tuff and Rocky following behind her. I was a little surprised to see Derek walk in with a bucket of water and a few towels. He picked up my huddled figure off the ground and set my back in the chair. He kneeled in front of me and used a rag to start wiping the blood from my face and arms.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly. I gave a small shrug and let out a sigh.

“I will be when Keegan comes,” I answered.

“How are you going to tell him where you are?” Derek asked. I hesitated slightly.

“He’ll know,” I said vaguely. Derek sighed as he pressed the wet rag to a cut on my cheek. I hissed in a breath as I jerked away from him.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. I sighed and let him clean the cut.

“It’s okay, thanks for the help,” I shrugged it off. I remembered Aiden’s words from earlier. “Hey, about how many rogues would you say are working for Natasha?” I asked. He sighed and rinsed the blood out of the rag in the bucket before wringing it out.

“Probably about 20-30 of them, including me. She found as many as she could. They run a 2-mmile perimeter and guard the outside and inside of the house. There’s about five who just stay in wolf form all the time. It’s weird really. But most of them are trained or being trained by the ex-warrior recruits,” he explained. I thanked him before I relayed the message to Aiden. Keegan seemed to have shut off lately. Like he was there, but he wasn’t really there. Aiden thanked me and told me that they were on their way. Finally, they were coming for me.