Page 57 of Wolf Forgotten

It had been a long time since I'd had a good sleep. Sleeping under fallen logs, abandoned buildings, and wherever else I could find didn't help with my nightmares.

A cage didn't help either.

The whine left me before I could stop it, and I sat down heavily. I just wanted to go home, if home even existed anymore.

"I wasn't going to stay in there with him." Eli took the blanket from her and put it through the bars, straightening it out in a nicely folded rectangle.

They left me then, stopping somewhere upstairs and having a hushed conversation I couldn't hear before the door shut softly.

Alone again.

* * *

I woke to warmth.My head was resting on an outstretched arm and a hand was resting on my belly, buried in my hair. I hadn't slept so well in a long time.

Grunting, I rolled onto my belly to find the man from the night before asleep on his side, his head resting on the same arm I'd just been on.

Confusion washed over me at the pain I suddenly felt in my chest. He said I was dangerous, yet he'd slept by my side?

He looked peaceful as he slept, his long eyelashes brushing his tanned cheeks. I couldn't recall the color of his eyes—I hadn't really been paying attention the night before—but I imagined they were a dark brown.

Why did it matter?

Getting to my feet, I tried to not move too fast. My mouth was incredibly dry, and I needed water. The plate was still on the floor with water on it, so I lapped that up, but it was quickly gone.

Damn. The bottle was right out of reach of my muzzle. Whoever designed the bars of this cage deserved an award because it was hard as a wolf to sink my teeth into anything.

A soft snore came from the man—I think his name was Eli—and I knew I couldn't wake him. I could just shift for a second, grab the water, then be back in no time.

Yeah. I could do that. My wolf was thirsty enough to let me out.

I didn't anticipate how painful shifting would be after not having done it in a while. A garbled cry fell from my lips, and my entire body felt like it had been stuck with a million needles. I collapsed onto the ground, unable to hold my weight with my shaky, malnourished limbs.

Shift back, you idiot.

I tried, but my body was not having it, so instead I curled into a ball.

"Oh shit." Eli was awake and jumped to his feet, grabbing the blanket from the ground. "Welcome back."

He put the blanket over my body, and I pulled it tightly around me. I was a fucking mess and probably looked like the guy at the end ofCastaway. I felt like I had been stranded on an island for years.

"I need to check with my alpha to see if we can free you. What's your name?" He reached outside the cage and grabbed his cellphone.

My mouth was so dry that my name got part way stuck in my throat. "Xander." Damn it. I tried to say Alexander again, but nothing but air came out.

"Xander, we're going to take care of you, okay?" His voice was so soothing that my eyes closed. I'd just woken up, but shifting took everything out of me.

The last thing I remembered before passing out is looking up at Eli's worried brown eyes.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Eli

Xander was in bad shape, and Cole wasn't answering my texts. It was barely six in the morning, and I didn't want to wake him. Making an executive decision to go with my gut, I unlocked the chains and opened the cage door.

Rolling Xander onto his back, I wrapped the blanket around him and then scooped him up. I wasn't going to leave him lying on a cold floor when he looked like he'd seen better days.

I carefully climbed the stairs and went to my room, shutting and locking the door behind me. Really, what the guy needed was an hour-long shower, a haircut, and a shave, but I wasn't about to wake him. I could wash my sheets later.

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