Page 58 of Wolf's Gambit

Home? Shit. This was worse than I thought.

I rattled the cage again and was about to shift when the one-word command stilled my movements.

Sleep.

When I woke, I quickly realized my cage’s bars had changed. Springing to my feet, I realized I was no longer in the cage Cannon had put me in when he caught me. I was in a much larger cage in the middle of a barn.

A cell.

The cell’s roof was also bars like the four walls currently holding me in. The cage was high, the square floor enough for six to eight paces. Turning slowly, I took in my surroundings. The cell was elevated from the floor, and I wasn’t sure why.

A large spotlight shone on the cage, making it hard to look too far into the corners, but I sensed something was there.

From what I could tell, they had stripped the barn of everything except this cage.

I eyed the small cot I’d been lying on. How long had I been here? Looking down, I saw I was in the same flannel shirt, but a pair of sweatpants and underwear were in the corner of the cell.

“You look confused, pup.”

My head snapped up at hearing his voice.

“Call me pup one more time…” I half growled at Cannon as he stepped out of the shadows.

“You don’t like being called a pup, pup?”

My instinct was to throw myself at the bars, but I refused to let him see how much he pissed me off. “I’m not a child,” I said instead. With my head held high, I returned to the cot and sat. “Why am I in a cell?”

“Alpha.”

I looked at him with what I hoped was disdain, and I saw his top lip curl slightly in a semblance of a smirk. “I wasn’t aware that I was, but if you think I am…”

Cannon’s head tilted to the side as he gave me a full mocking once-over. “You’re definitely not an alpha,” he said with a head shake. “But you will address me as one.”

“As one? One what? Bastard?” I sneered. “Easy. Why am I in a cell, bastard?”

Cannon stepped closer, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Be very careful, Kezia. You’re on thin ice, and I’m the only thing keeping you from falling through.”

Standing, I approached the bars. “Let me fall…I can swim just fine.”

Cannon held my defiant stare for a long moment. I felt my mouth go dry as his green eyes bore into mine. The hairs on the back of my neck raised, and I felt a single bead of sweat trickle down my back. More than anything, I wanted to look away and break his heavy stare, but I refused to show him such weakness.

“You killed three humans, pup.”

Swallowing hard, I shook my head, finally able to look elsewhere. “It was self-defense.”

“You’re a shifter.” Cannon folded his arms across his chest, the biceps bulging. “Your strength is already superior to theirs. Tell me what happened.”

How did I tell him I didn’t know? How did I admit that weakness to an alpha who was part of the pack who killed our parents?

Looking at the canvas floor covering my cell, I refused to meet his enquiring stare. “They attacked me. I fought back.”

“Did you shift?” When I refused to answer, he stepped closer. “Kezia.”

The commanding tone had my head snapping up in answer. “Stop trying to force me,” I snapped angrily. “I told you what happened. They attacked me, and I defended myself as is my right.”

“You killed three men,” Cannon snarled. “That is not your right. Your right as a shifter is to bring the least attention to yourself amongst humans.” Cannon shook his head as he looked away. “It is not to be on every national news channel. It is not to be in their newspapers. It is not to be a fugitive being hunted by their law enforcement!”

“Hunted?” Rubbing the back of my neck, I refused to let him see my fear. “I thought I was just missing?”

---