Silenced: Book 1 of the Bound Trilogy

~Leah’s POV~

I do not know how long it has been since the man left. With my memories back, I know that he claimed to be my father. I cannot know for sure, but if he is…then maybe I am home.

My spirits dropped with that thought.

‘Do not give in to dark feelings,’ my wolf whispered. She was still too distant in my mind. ‘Our mate will come for us. He will not leave us here to rot away.’

I gave a mental nod. I know that Devin will search, but I was not sure if he would be able to find us. Once he did, then what? The outer door is coated in silver. If he touches it, he will be burned on contact.

I should know. I remember all the times father would use his silver knife to cut me. My fingers ran along the scar over my left eye.

The shirt I was wearing lifted, reminding me this was the only piece of clothing I had on. I lifted the sleeve to my nose and the wonderful scent of my mate hit me. I sighed in relief. I was still wearing Devin’s shirt. Warmth filled me as I remembered everything we did together before I was taken. My heart ached with the knowledge that he was not here with me.

I need to find a way out of here.

Until then I will have to wait for my wolf to gain strength. I will need her in order to get away from here.

I heard the outer door open and close. My father was coming. I sat up and pressed into the stone behind me. I know I should try to fight him, but the memories of everything he did to me froze me in place.

He was outside the cell door when I felt something prick my leg. My hand automatically reached for the spot and I could feel something sticking out where I felt the sting. The cell door opened and father walked towards me.

“Now, now, Ainia, we don’t want you trying to run off again so I gave you another dose of tranq.” He was kneeling in front of me, “I have a present for you,” his voice rasped. I felt something heavy and cold clamp around my neck.

It was uncomfortable, and I weakly reached up to remove the offending object. My hand jerked away when it met the outer part of the collar. It was coated in silver. Only the outside was silver, I would not be able to remove it unless I burned my hands raw.

My head was getting lighter as a single tear trickled down my cheek. I was about to slip away when my father’s voice reached me.

“Oh, Ainia, we have a lot of catching up to do. A lot has happened in your absence.” His voice was fading. I felt one of his hands run over my hair. I wanted to shrink from his touch but I was unable to move.

Devin…I thought before I slipped away.

~Devin’s POV~

All I could do was stare at my father. “Dad, how do you know all of this?”

He cleared his throat, “I used to be good friends with the previous Alpha.” I saw his throat bob up and down as if he was trying to swallow his pain. “Stan and Tracy were the best Alpha pair. They knew what power they had over all wolves but they chose not to use it.” He leaned back, “You see, a long time ago, White Wolves were the rulers of all werewolves. They have the ability to talk to any of them, whether they have changed or not.

When Stan became Alpha thirty years ago, he decided to abolish the hierarchy. He established the council you know of today. He said he was never going to be a ruler over all, when each pack was capable of governing themselves. He said if decisions were to be made, then all werewolves should have a say, not just one.”

Rubbing his hand over his face, he collapsed into a chair again. “He was a good man. All he wanted was to find his mate, settle down, and run a small pack. He didn’t want the responsibility of holding every werewolf’s life in his hands.” A small smile found its way to his lips. “He got his wish several years later when he found Stacy.” He let out a small chuckle, “She was a spit fire that one. Ah, but she was a great Luna. Always put others needs before her own, didn’t matter if it was the youngest member or the oldest.”

His face dropped again, “It was a great loss when they died. Every wolf felt their deaths.” He looked me straight in the eyes. “If your mate, Leah, is the true Alpha of the White Wolves then the Hunters can try and use her to control the rest of us.” His face looked strained, but held a hopeful glint, “If she was able to resist them using her before, then all we can do is hope she does it again. We’ll find her, and bring her back where she belongs.”

My father left a while ago to make his calls to the Alpha up north. I stayed in my study. I needed to get my head around what I had just found out.

My mate, my Leah, was the rightful Alpha of the White Wolves. More, she had family that was looking for her. I needed to call Jack. Hell, I needed to call her brother. I don’t know what happened to her sister. Dad never mentioned if she made it back or not.

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair for the hundredth time. I hope she is not dead, or worse, with the Hunters. I sat up straight. If she is, we will rescue her along with my mate, and anyone else they have locked up.

I reached for the phone on my desk. I needed to get a hold of Jack and let him know what is going on. I know he is on his way to find his mate, but I may need to call him back here to help me out once again. God, he was going to be pissed if I do that to him again.

I listened to Jack’s phone ring, and ring, and ring. Finally, the voicemail picks up and I leave a message saying, “Call me.”

I disconnected and went through my contacts. Every Alpha has numbers for all the others in the world. It may seem as though there would be hundreds of numbers, but unfortunately, we are a dying breed. There were only sixty packs spread around the world. I was not sure if I had a number for the White Wolf pack. After all, I was only hearing about them today.

After going through all my contacts, I realized I did not have their number. Not a big surprise, sighing I scrolled back through until I reached the number for the only other pack in Colorado, the last known whereabouts of the White Wolves.

I dialed the number and waited for the Alpha to pick up the other end. It seemed like hours before the line picked up, but was only a few seconds.

“Alpha Matt,” was the short greeting. The man on the other end had a deep gruff voice. It brought to mind images of giant warriors ready to defend against all evil.

“Alpha Matt, this is Alpha Devin from the Silver Lake Pack in Washington. I was wondering if you could help me with something.” I tried to keep my voice calm, but every minute I spent on the phone was another minute I was not out searching for my mate.

“Certainly, Devin, what can I do for you?” The man did not seem surprised that I would be calling. “Does this have anything to do with your Beta coming out here?”

My Beta? Why would he think I was calling about Jack? Then I remembered. Jack was heading to this Alpha’s territory to find his mate.

I shook my head and cleared my throat when I realized I had been quiet too long. “No. No, this does not concern my Beta, although if you could have him call me when he arrives I would appreciate it. No, this is about the White Wolves.” The line went silent.

I heard the other Alpha clear his throat, “What do you need with the White Wolves?” His voice sounded tense. My eyebrows furrowed. I did not have time to wonder about his issues with them, I needed to find out how to reach their Alpha.

“I need to know how to get a hold of the new Alpha. I have reason to believe that my mate is his sister.”

“What!” was shouted over the line before I could continue.

“It’s true. My mate is a White Wolf. The thing is...she was abducted early this morning. I need to get a hold of the current Alpha so I can let him know what is going on.” I rushed out.

Alpha Matt was taking deep breaths over the phone. I’m assuming to calm his wolf down. “I’m sorry, but their pack left years ago after they were attacked. I do not know where they are now.” My heart dropped into my stomach. I need to find my mate’s family! They could help in the search for her.

My thoughts were getting frantic. I took a deep breath and realized Alpha Matt was still talking, “Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to get a hold of the White Wolves. There may be someone I can get a hold of who will know where they are now.”

Before I could say thank you he continued, “I’ll also let your Beta know what is going on. I do know that he said he scented his mate in my area so he may not come back right away. I will stress the issue with him. Just find your mate. Good Luck.”

I barely got out a, “Thank you,” before the line went dead.

I hung up my phone and rushed out of the office. I needed to find something of Leah’s with her scent and I needed to find my dad. We had to leave, now. I was not going to wait around anymore to search for my mate.

It was time I found the bastards that took her and made them pay.

~Leah’s POV~

I was back in the black abyss. I remember this place from before I awoke in the hospital. I hated it here. Images kept flashing by, but they made no sense. They were of people I had never seen before, mothers holding children, fathers holding mothers, and children running free.

One image caught my attention. It was Devin. I saw him running through the woods in wolf form with others following him. At first, I thought he was being chased down, but I soon realized they were part of his pack, our pack.

I could hear the thoughts racing through his head. He was on his way to find me. I tried to call out to him, but he could not hear me. I was stuck in the darkness, while he was in the light.

The image soon faded and others took its place. So many people, so many wolves, and so many lives I have never known.

An image of Alia and Ehren sitting on a couch crying came into focus, there was another woman with them. I had never seen her before, but they all had the same thoughts running through their heads. They all wondered if I was still alive. I wanted to comfort them. Let them know that I was ok. Let them know I would be home soon. I wanted to hold that little girl in my arms again and hear her talk about things I did not understand.

They too, soon faded away.

Suddenly, the all the images disappeared, and the voice of my wolf rang through the stillness.

‘Wake up! Wake up! There is danger coming! Wake UP!’

I did not know how to wake up though. I was stuck in the nothingness. I could not find my way out.

I felt the cold then. Something was bringing me back to reality, and I did not want to face what awaited me.

‘Stay strong,’ my wolf whispered as I was dragged from one form of darkness to another.

My eyes had started to adjust to the blackness around me, and I could see the darker shadow of father standing over me. I tried to stay still, to not let him see how much he startled me, but the cold hit me. I started to shiver uncontrollably as my body registered the ice-cold water that had been thrown on me. Since I am only wearing a shirt, my whole body was soaked instantly.

“Get up,” he rasped.

My teeth were chattering, and I was shaking so hard I could barely move from the position I was in. I saw his shadow move and then I felt his foot connect with my stomach. If I were able to cry out, I would have.

“I said GET UP!” he yelled at me.

I finally managed to make it to a seated position when I felt something burning my arm. I jerked away from whatever was hurting me, only to hear something clanking.

He had chained me to the wall. Not only that, but the chain was coated in silver!

My hopes for escape were dropping by the second. I wanted to cover my face and cry, but I also did not want to move in case I touched the chain again.

My head whipped to the side as I felt a hand make contact with my face. “I said get up. I didn’t say sit, you bitch. Now, GET UP!”

I tried to use the wall to help me stand, but I was shaking so bad by now that my legs were having a hard time supporting me. The chain attached to the collar seared my skin whenever I moved, but I ignored it and managed to stand.

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” he asked as if he had not just been yelling at me a moment ago. “Ok, Ainia, now that I have your attention, you are going to help me with something.”

‘Don’t help him,’ my wolf growled. She was getting stronger by the second, I could feel her presence filling me more and more. ‘Whatever he says or does, you cannot help him!’

I sent her a mental nod. Even without her telling me, I would never help this man. He may claim to be my father, but I know whatever he plans to do I will not be a part of. I will either kill him first or die trying.

“Come, come, Ainia. No need to give me the silent treatment,” he chuckled at his own joke. I felt rage build up inside of me. I wanted to kill him now, but my wolf was still not strong enough. I needed to wait just a little bit longer. “I know you are able to shift now. You did it the night you ran away, which reminds me. I still need to punish you for your disobedience. No matter, I’ll get to that another time.” His shadow shifted and I braced for another blow. It never came.

Instead, my head was yanked to the side by my hair. I felt his fingers run over the mark Devin had given me. My skin crawled in disgust, and I wanted to throw up. He made a humming noise in his throat.

“Tsk, tsk, my little Ainia, becoming a whore to a filthy mutt. No matter. This is easily solved.”

I did not have time to wonder what he meant when I felt a searing pain where my mark was. My body twisted from the pain. I wanted to scream for all I was worth, but nothing came out. The agony went on for eternity before he finally stopped.

I collapsed back to the ground and grabbed my neck. My mark was gone, and in its place was tender blistered flesh.

He burned my mark off.

~Devin’s POV~

I was running with my warriors through the forests north of our territory. My father had gotten a hold of the Alpha here and we were given the all clear to search for my mate un-hindered.

One of my trackers had found tire tracks near my home and we were following them. It was getting harder as the path the vehicle took was getting rockier. All I knew was whoever took Leah was in Canada somewhere, and I planned to find him and rip him to shreds.

I jumped over a branch in the path when an agonizing pain ripped through me. I collapsed to the ground and could not move. I could only lay there and whimper as my father’s wolf came nudged me with his snout.

What the hell was going on?!

I knew we weren’t under attack as none of my warriors were looking around. They all focused on me.

‘Son,’ my father’s voice floated through the pack link. ‘What’s going on? Where are you hurt?’

‘I don’t know,’ the pain made it hard to communicate. As soon as I spoke, the pain left. I made it to my feet panting with the effort. ‘I don’t know what happened. One minute I was fine, the next a searing pain ripped through my shoulder.’

My father’s wolf whined. He sniffed and poked my shoulder checking for injuries.

‘Son, there is nothing there.’

‘I know what I felt. Something is wrong. I feel…off somehow.’

‘Son,’ he hesitated.

‘What? What is it?’

‘I think it was the connection between you and Leah.’ My stomach dropped, ‘I think whoever took her severed your connection with her.’

My wolf was growling, I was confused, ‘How?’

‘He burned her mark off with silver and wolfs bane.’

I stared at him in shock before an agonized howl ripped through my lips.