"How's your arm" Zane asked turning to Aria. "He didn't it an artery so that's a plus" she remarked. "Let me see" Zane said kneeling to her. Aria looked at Zane as he looked at her wound. She should be afraid of him. He just turned into a giant wolf and killed a man in front of her very eyes. But she wasn't afraid. Maybe because she knew he wouldn't hurt her.
Zane suddenly ripped a piece of his shirt that was under his jacket "what are you doing?" She asked him, as Zane wrapped it around her arm. tying it above her wound. "Helping you" he told her.
"You seem to be doing that a lot lately" she said leaning her head back on the wall. Zane was silent for a moment. "Your taking me turning into a wolf a lot better then I thought you would" he told her. "You make it sound like You we're going to tell me what you are" she said simply.
"How do you do it?" She asked him. "No more importantly what happens to your clothes? Like in stories they rip when a were wolf transforms but that didn't happen to you"
"That's more important?" Zane laughed. "I don't know how it works exactly, but from what I was told werewolves only exist because a witch cursed an entire village as some sort of revenge" he explained. "At first we would transform only on nights of the full moon and lose control of our sanity but it's said Selene our goddess took pity on us and made it so we would keep our sanity when we transformed and can do so at will" he told her.
"Of course witches and gods exist" Aria said. "I wouldn't expect any less" she added. Zane stood up and walked towards the door. "Does anyone on your side know we're here?" Zane asked. "Yeah" she said. "They'll find us" she added in a low voice.
Aria began to shiver, her breaths coming in shallow gasps. "I... I'm feeling a bit lightheaded," she murmured, her vision starting to blur at the edges. Zane turned to her. She tried to stand up, using the wall as a support but her legs wobbled beneath her. As she swayed, Zane quickly reached out, catching her just before she collapsed.
"Aria, what is it?" He asked. "Stay with me!"Zane urged, his voice a mix of worry and determination. He gently lowered her back to the ground, keeping her head elevated. That was when he notice the blood seeping through the shirt he had tied around her arm. "You're losing too much blood. We need to get you out of here, fast." He said looking towards the door.
Meanwhile, Julia, and Elliot were frantically searching for Aria. The forest seemed to close in around them as they retraced their steps, calling out her name. "Anything?" Jaxon asked through the phone. "Nothing!" Elliot said. "How did she find this place anyway?" Julia questioned as she looked around.
"Aria! Where are you?" Jaxon whispered to himself. Hating the fact that the only way he could be there was through a phone.
Julia glanced at Elliot, her eyes wide with panic. "We have to find her. She should have been back hours ago she could be in serious trouble."
Elliot nodded, his jaw set in determination. "Let's keep moving. She can't be much farther."
They pressed on, their hearts pounding with urgency, hoping to find Aria before it was too late.
Aria lay in Zane's arms. Though the blood coming from her arm had seemed to slow down, her body had only become colder. Being a wolf, Zane's body was naturally warmer. He didn't have to worry about freezing, but Aria was human.
If he were in the territory or at least within a mile range from another member of his pack, he'd be able to mind link them. Their only hope to get out of that room was whoever was on Aria's side and looking for her.
"Zane," Aria muttered, her eyes still closed. "I'm right here," Zane said. "I'm sorry," she said, "this is all… my fault," she added as the shivers that went through her body made it hard to speak. "We're getting out of here," he told her as he gently laid her on the ground. "I should have known this was a trap," she said. "But I was too stupid… too hopeful," she added as Zane began to go through the filing cabinets that filled the room.
"It may not have been, at least not completely," he told her as he began to bag any and all files he found. The dim light flickered, casting eerie shadows around the room, making every movement feel more urgent. The cold concrete floor and the metallic smell of blood mixed with the musty scent of old paper added to the oppressive atmosphere. Zane's heart raced as he rifled through the cabinets, hoping to find something—anything—that could help them escape.
Mark's office was dimly lit, papers strewn across the desk, the faint hum of the things outside barely reaching them. He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident on his face. "I can't just sit here," he muttered, glancing at the clock ticking ominously on the wall.
"He should be back by now" mark said as he began to pace his office.
Stephanie the delta of the pack crossed her arms, watching him. "You're not thinking straight, Mark. You need to trust him."
Mark shot her a look, his brow furrowed. "Trust doesn't mean I have to sit idle while he's out there risking his life!"
"I'm sure he's fine" Stephanie said as she sat against his desk. "I swear he only continues to put himself in more and more danger" Mark said as he continued to pace. "I don't understand why he has to do these jobs by himself when he has an entire pack that can do it for him" he added.
"I'd say with this one in particular it's cuz of the human girl he met" Stephanie said. Mark stopped pacing and turned to Stephanie. "Why do you say that?" Mark asked. "You men really are oblivious" she said standing up straight.
"He's interested in her" she told him.
"No way I'm his beta his best friend he would have told me" mark said. "Honestly I don't think he even realizes it himself yet" Stephanie said. "But considering how much he avoids humans and how he agreed to help her I'm going to assume he definitely had a thing for her"
"You know what none of that matters right now" mark said.
With that, he stormed out of the office, determination fueling his every step. "Where are you going!?" Stephanie called after him, her voice echoing in the empty hallway.
"TO RUSSIA!" he yelled back, the weight of his decision settling in as he pushed through the door.