Chapter 35

I was in Dylan's carriage, traveling the road through the forest back to Featherwall. Any steps closer to Ryan soothed my constant anxiety. I could not stop wondering about his safety.

Dylan had done everything he could to ensure I was comfortable, even so, I was becoming irritated whenever he'd ask, "Are you doing ok?"

Ryan was far away and potentially in great danger on my account, so of course I was not ok. But I told him, "I'm fine."

"I can't wait for you to meet my family." He said.

It sounded nice, but it was also going to be difficult for me to enjoy anything for a while.

On the second day of out traveling, I thought I heard someone crying distantly, a female voice, had to be a she-wolf. The sound echoed around me, my ears perked up and once I'd heard it, that was all I could hear.

"Do you hear someone crying?" I turned to Dylan who looked sleepy as he dosed.

"What?" He woke up and listened.

I confirmed what I heard. It was definitely a female voice, and there were men taunting her. I heard a whip lash against flesh, and I knew the sound from my past life. My body tensed as if it expected to feel the lash.

"I have to find her," I said, opening the carriage door and springing out even as we were moving.

"Find who? Alyson!" Dylan called behind me. He was cursing as he followed me out of the carriage.

I sniffed the breeze, and followed the sounds of pain, and scent of blood. We turned a corner to a clearing of trees. There had to be at least seven men standing around a girl in a shabby dress that had nearly been ripped off her body. One man was holding her arms, while another was lashing her.

I stopped in horror, analyzing the scene for a moment. Her pale face was bright red and puffy from tears. They were laughing at her pain, she had lashes down her bare back, one of her breasts were exposed from how they'd ripped her clothing.

"Please, keep your money," She was crying. "Let me go."

Her arms were floppy and weak as if maybe she'd fought them but there were too many, and she'd lost hope. Her only hope that they would stop was up to them, and there was nothing she could do. It reminded me of my past life, and how I'd given up, powerless against the daily cruelties.

"Stop. Now!" I shouted.

All the men turned, their eyes glazed over in wolfish and cruel glee. They might be men, but they were animals, and I hated them.

"Who's this?" One perked up, and I knew his wolf looked on me as another victim. "Are we lucky today, lads?"

"Let her go!" I screamed at them; I couldn't stand it. The pain on her face, the swollen gashes on her back, the limp arms of someone who'd given up fighting for her life.

"She's just a whore! This is none of your business," One of the men said as he grabbed her hair and cranked it back on her neck. "We'll pay her after we've done what we wish."

Her glazed over light eyes met mine, she pleaded without words.

Ariana took over, all of our anger at the injustice overwhelmed me. I shifted and tore into the first man, as I'd learned in the fight games, I ripped out his throat. His limp body dropped to the ground. The others were surprised at first, obviously they had not expected me to shift and react so abruptly.

The one that held onto the other she-wolf let her go and she ran from them, out of the circle. They surrounded me.

I was snarling and lunging after the next man. Two others shifted to fight me, and I was outnumbered. They grabbed me neck to pull me down, and then others were upon me, forcing me to the ground. I flailed and struggled, biting and tearing at one of their paws.

There was a loud whack. I looked up, the girl had returned with a large stick, and she'd swung it with all her might straight into the skull of one of the wolves that was on me. He yelped, but then lunged at her, yanking the stick from her hands.

Suddenly, Dylan stumbled out from the forest, "Alyson? What? Who?" He shifted to his large brown wolf, and grabbed the back of one that was on top of me.

There were five remaining wolves that were fully intact, and the spread back away from me, circling Dylan and snarling. The wolf that I'd killed lay beside me on the ground, and another with a large bloody swell on his head pinned the other girl to the ground, where she was using the large stick to shield herself.

Dylan snarled; I had never seen him so fierce. He radiated dominance compared to the others, and they lowered their head, but still growled in defiance. That must mean we'd entered Featherwall territory already, and they recognized Dylan's status.

One of them shifted back to a bald man, with hands up in surrender. "We mean no trouble with you," I was angered how they showed more caution and respect towards another male. He pointed over at their victim, "She's a whore, selling her body, and we're just having a little fun." He said it as if that made sense, and now surely Dylan would understand and let them do anything to her body.

I sprung at the wolf who was on top of the other girl. He backed off as Dylan was quickly reacting and right behind me. She stood up and retreated behind us.

We had all of them facing us. "Give her back. Come on now. We weren't quite done." The one who's shifted back to man said.

I heard her whimper behind us.

"No, she's coming with us." I said as I shifted back to human form, looking at Dylan for a second, but he stayed a wolf, so I was the voice.

I worried that they considered fighting us again for her i, but they kept eying Dylan who was standing beside me, his head held high to indicate his rank. He was more dominant than they were. Even if we were outnumbered, they must know that who he was to Featherwall, and that they'd be inviting more trouble if they survived this encounter.

"Let's go boys," The bald man said, turning away from us, "Let's not fight Featherwall." The others followed him away as wolves.

My whole body was still tense, and wherever they touched me itched and burned. I was not injured more than a few bruises and scratches, but that was lucky. I looked over to Dylan, who had turned up at the right moment because it could have gone bad for us.

Dylan shifted back to a man, he was looking at me as if I had obviously lost my mind. He'd acted so bravely and immediately that I never would have guessed that he was concerned or scared, till I saw him sigh in relief when they were gone, he had been willing to fight with me or for me, but there had been a lot of them.

"Are you hurt?" Dylan asked me, also extending his concern to the other she-wolf with her ripped clothes, black eye, swollen lip and whipped back. For her the answer was obvious.

"I'm ok," I said. "No major injuries." Once it was clear they were truly gone, I looked back to the half-dressed she-wolf behind me.

"I can't promise that, what if you're slow again," I teased a little. "But thank you."

"It's not really funny, this time," Dylan was staring at the dead body sprawled on the ground. "Next time you go running off to save the day, please don't. Not without me."

I realized his fear had been based by coming onto the scene and seeing four wolves on top of me as I fought for my life. I thought of the other she-wolf coming back to assist me and whacking her attackers with that large stick. I respected that. She had probably been very scared, but she hadn't abandoned me.

Looking over at her, she looked a little frozen in fear and unsure what to do or say. I wondered how Donna would act in this situation, and make her feel comfortable, I was not practiced in acting like that.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"I'm Michelle," she wiped her face, her back was hunched from the lacerations.

"Let's get you back to our carriage, I have some extra dresses." I said.

She was a bit taller than I was, but she somehow managed to appear as if she looked up to me. Her beat up body was trembling with fear.

Dylan was taking off his jacket and lay it over her shoulders so that she could cover herself better.

I patted her arm to soothe her, "It's alright, you're safe now. We she-wolves need to watch out for one another." I believed that fully, after being betrayed by my sister who should have looked out for me, my instincts to protect those that were treated cruelly was a high priority.

We walked with her back to the carriage so I could give her more clothes.

"What are you doing out here alone with those men?" Dylan said, a lot more accusatory than I liked, I shot him a lethal glare.

Michelle whimpered, "I was… I was trying to get money." She broke out in tears, "For my brother, he's so sick, and we can't pay the doctors. He'll die soon without medicine."

"We can send some money for your brother. You shouldn't have had to do that," I said.

I nudged him with my elbow, and glared at him as if he had made her cry, he looked a little flustered. "Yes, if it's money you need."

"I was handing her a dress that looked like it might be a little short on her, although she was plenty thin to fit the same size as me.

She nodded and whimpered something inaudible.

"Maybe you should ride with us for a while," I offered. "That way I know you're safe in case they come back. And then we can know where to send the money for the doctors to help your brother."

"Oh, thank you," She was crying again.

Dylan looked taken aback, but he said kindly, "Yes, of course. That is a good idea."

We climbed into the carriage, and Michelle sat close to me.

I was happy to have her company even if she traumatized and quiet the rest of the trip, reminding me of my younger self in my past life-too giving, perhaps too naïve and trusting that bad people would do right by you. She had seen an ugly side to the world that I imagined she'd never witnessed before, and it trampled her spirit. Plus, she seemed like a giving and sweet girl, who would sell herself to try to help her brother. This was the type of person who's loyalty could be very valuable.

I wondered what Ryan was doing now as I settle back down, allowing that we were safe now. I longed for him to pass me a mental image or anything to know how he was. My heart ached for him, and I worried that this lack of knowing could mean he'd already been captured or worse, killed.