Wild at Heart

I left Alan outside of Nick’s room as a guard. I wasn’t sure I needed it, but I felt better knowing he was there. Alex and Daniel led me to the basement where Natalie was being held. The basement was set up as more of a police station than the creepy hallway of cells I was kept in the bunker. There was an interrogation room with just a few cells side by side. Two Omegas stood outside the doorway to make sure no one uninvited was getting in or out. They both nodded at me as I walked by. I recognized them from around the pack house and the training center, but I never officially met them. We had so many Omegas, I only knew a handful of them.

“I had them move her to the interrogation room.” Daniel said as he showed me the way. “They said she hasn’t spoken a word since we put her in here.” We walked by an empty cell with a tray of food laying on the floor. A flashback of a murdering spree with a food tray sent shivers down my spine.

“Is that where she was kept?” I asked. He nodded. “She hasn’t eaten?” I questioned.

“We tried to give her food and water, but she refused both.” He seemed saddened by this. Why shouldn’t he be? This was unusual for our pack. We hardly ever had traitors we had to punish. Except Derek. Something in my chest tightened at the thought of his name.

“Will you get me a bottle of vodka please?” I asked him. He raised a brow at me. “And some Sierra Mist.”

“Uh—sure.” He rubbed the back of his neck, but he disappeared to grant my request.

“I’ll stand right outside the door if you need me.” Alex said. I nodded and entered the room. I didn’t know what I expected to see, but the Natalie in front of me wasn’t the Natalie I knew. Natalie was always very put together, not a blonde curl out of place. Her makeup was always slapped on her face whether she was going out to get milk or going out on a date. This Natalie in front of me was a hot mess. Her hair had clumps of dried blood from Chase matted inside it. Her cheeks were stained with makeup smeared from her eyelids. She looked up at me from the table when I walked in, but she stayed silent.

“I’m sorry about Chase.” I started.

“No, you’re not.” She spat back at me.

“You’re right.” I said as I sat across from her. “I’m not sorry for what happened, but I am sorry for how you’re feeling because of it.”

“What do you care about my feelings?” She asked as tears welled up in her eyes again.

“You’re my friend, Natalie. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love, and I don’t wish that feeling on anyone.”

“Your mother?” She asked. “Or Derek?”

“Both.” We stared at each other for a long time until Daniel broke the silence by entering with my request. He set them on the table, and I thanked him before he left us alone again. I poured some of the Sierra Mist into a plastic cup and topped it off with the vodka. I slid it over to her and half expected her to throw it back in my face, but she took the cup and drank it. “Thank you.”

“For what?” She asked.

“I know you knew what Chase did was wrong.” I said. “You wouldn’t have told me about the wolfsbane if you didn’t know that.”

“I guess I didn’t want both of our mates to die for nothing.” She said before taking another drink of the mixture.

“I want to help you, Natalie.”

“I know what I did, Emma. I know the consequences.” She chuckled. “There is no helping me.” Natalie committed treason. She conspired with a wolf of another pack to kill Nick. Her consequences would be death.

“Nick isn’t dead, Natalie.” She looked up at me, a slight look of surprise across her face. “He’s in the pack hospital, but he’s going to be fine.”

“I’m glad to hear it, but that doesn’t change anything.”

“What did you do, Natalie?” I asked.

“I just—” Tears welled up in her eyes once more. “I just wanted him to love me.” I reached my hand across the table and took hers as the tears began to flow onto her cheeks. “Whatever he asked of me, I did it.”

“Oh, Natalie. Why would you do that?” I asked her. “You’re a strong wolf, why would you let any man manipulate you like that?”

“You don’t understand, Emma.” She said with a sob. “You had three powerful men fighting to be your mate at the Mating Ritual. You’re mated to the strongest Alpha this pack has ever seen! You would never understand it!” I stayed silent, not knowing how I could possibly respond to that. “I had no one.” She sobbed again. “Not one wolf stepped up. Not one male wanted me.” I gave her hand a squeeze as she continued to sob. “Chase said he loved me, he said he wanted to be with me forever.” It pained me to see her like this. She was always so confident in herself, but deep down she was hurting, and I never noticed.

“I want to help you, Natalie, but you have to tell me everything. You have to tell me what he made you do.” She wiped her face of her tears and sniffled.

“I can’t.” She sniffled again.

“Natalie, I can’t help you if you don’t let me.”

“You don’t understand!” She screamed to me and I leaned back in my chair, not expecting the outburst.

“Then help me understand, Natalie.” I responded calmly. She laughed and I wondered how far Alice had fallen down the rabbit hole.

“If I tell you, I’m dead. If I don’t, I’m dead.” She laughed again and I raised a brow at her in confusion. If she doesn’t tell me something worth wild, she’ll be sentenced to death for treason and there’s no amount of begging in the world I can do to make Nick spare her. This decision would be up to the elders and Nick wouldn’t be able to stop it. But if she wasn’t offering up any information knowing that she would be killed, it meant someone had threatened to kill her who she was far more afraid of than our pack.

“I can protect you from whoever is threatening you.”

“You think you can save everyone, Emma, but you can’t.”

“Natalie,” I began. “I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye. We’ve been friends for a long time, but we both know how different we are. I thought for a second that we could mend our differences that night you helped me get ready for my date with Emmett. You were so sweet, even when you were trying not to be. You always gave it to me straight, even when I didn’t want to hear it.” I stood up from the table. “So, let me return the favor.” I pressed my hands against the table flat and leaned towards her. “You conspired with an outsider to kill the Alpha of your own pack. The pack will be told that you committed high treason and that is what you’ll be known for. What your family will be known for. You’ll have no burial ceremony; you’ll have no stone to be remembered by. Your body will be burned with the rest of the traitors of the pack. Your soul will never be at rest. But because we’re such good friends, I am giving you one more chance to tell me what happened before I walk out that door for good.” Natalie opened her mouth like she was going to speak, but nothing came out. Suddenly, the door to the interrogation room opened and Daniel popped his head in. I turned towards him, giving him permission to speak.

“Doc needs you, Emma.” He said. I turned back to Natalie.

“Last chance.” I stated. She turned her head from me to look at the floor and I knew her mind was made up. “I wish things could be different, Natalie, I really do.” I turned from her again, walking out the door knowing the next time I saw her would be at her execution.