Grey Sky Ch. 02

Lily huffed out a lungful of air as she jumped to reach the ledge of the small, high window in the cell. Grabbing the sill, she wormed her fingers across the thin strip of wood, gaining enough purchase to pull herself up.

Feet scrabbling against the wall, Lily's shoulders almost levelled with her wrists, all she could see was a huge expanse of blue sky; It's horizon jagged with the tips of an evergreen forest.

'Just a few inches more,' she thought with hope, 'and I might be able to see some landmark, or a road, or even people.' For the third time, however, Lily's arms gave out before anything useful came into her line of vision. Sliding down the chilly tiles, she rubbed her hands on the soft jersey of her pants.

"Fuck!"

What had been a small knot of fear, just under her heart, was now a cold panic, seeping into every bone in her body.

"Why do I have to be so short?" Her voice quickly lost in the empty cell. "And so weak."

She thought of all the times she had skipped going to the gym with Jen, to watch a movie or read a book. It made her want to cry. Lily cursed at the barred glass. "You're just there, just high enough to taunt me. What's the bloody point in having a window if no one can reach it?"

She had no idea how long she'd been locked in the room, long enough to notice the sunlight on the tiles creep it's way across one wall to the next. It had shrunk into a small rectangle and was now taking on the tell-tale orange glow of dusk. Lily eyed the bare bulb hanging from the centre of the ceiling. Yellowed with age and covered in dust, it clearly hadn't been used in years. She shivered at the thought of being trapped in the dark.

Storming across to the door, she pulled on the cold vertical bar with enough force to jar her wrist, hoping that, this time, it might do something different. She knew pushing it wouldn't help but Lily pushed all the same. Between her various attempts with the door and window, her palms and fingers had begun to ache, but again she ran them across the hinges and seals trying to find some way to get out.

Crouching down, she rammed her thumb into one of the screws securing the handle to the door. Twisting first with the flesh of her digit then the nail, Lily could swear she felt it begin to give... until her nail broke.

"Fuck!"

She screamed in pain and frustration before thrusting her thumb in her mouth and crumpling to the floor, leaving a bloody smear of defeat behind her. She wasn't getting out unless someone opened it for her, Lily realised with despair.

The severity of her situation dawned on her and Lily's mind became a swamp of dark thoughts. The tiles she sat on froze to her core and the air suddenly became too thick to breathe.

'I'm all alone, and it's getting dark, and I'm probably going to be killed by those sick bastards.' Her heart raced as her bottom lip trembled. Her vision clouded as tears made her blue eyes sparkle, spilling onto flushed, high cheekbones.

"I'm just going to die here," She mumbled around her thumb, thinking of how Jailhouse and Rick would surely get their fun before they kill her.

"And no one will know," Her voice cracked and rasping sobs echoed off the dirty tiles.

"I won't have a funeral," She thought of all the friends she'd never say goodbye to.

"I'll just be left to rot," She thought of the family she'd never get to have.

"In those bloody woods." Tasting the tears on her lips, Lily let out a shaky breath. Then laughed mirthlessly. If her mother could see her now, Lily thought, a grown woman crying on the floor, sucking her thumb, complaining to an empty room. Her mother had raised her single handedly and lived her life by the motto 'A woman is capable of anything she needs to do'. Just the thought of the tenacious woman gave Lily some comfort.

'I'm stronger than this.' She decided, pulling her thumb from her mouth and trying to steady her breath.

"I'm stronger than this."

There was a very good chance today would be her last and even if she was stuck in a dark, inescapable cell, crying away her last hours like a scared child would help her as much as bending over for Jailhouse and Rick. They would love to have her like this too; Weak and vulnerable.

Sniffing back the last of her fear, Lily stood and stretched as tall as her height would allow. She had always found it relaxing to stretch out her worries, it was second only to a massage, but somehow she couldn't see herself asking her captors to rub her back.

'So,' she thought, bending at the waist to loosen her tight neck and shoulders, the ends of her mahogany hair pooling on the floor, 'what do I know about my kidnappers?' She knew they wanted something called the Wulver crest. The blonde woman was their 'alpha', whatever the hell that was. And they had intended to kidnap Jen.

"Where the hell are you, Jen?"

Lily rose, staying still as the blood rushed from her head. She was getting worried about her friend, 'but then again,' she thought, laughing at the irony, 'at least you've not been locked in a dingy room by some nut-jobs'.

Closing her eyes, Lily focused on what she could actually do. She could either tell the blonde tart everything she knew about Jen, possibly endangering both their lives, or... what? She could try to lie. Lily discounted that option immediately, she was a terrible liar and anyway, she thought, what good would it do?

Staring at the tray of uneaten food, she conceded there was nothing she could do for herself other than rest up and be ready for whatever tomorrow might throw at her. If it came at all.

*****

"Papa said we have to be strong."

"I don't care, I'm not movin'."

"But Papa-"

"We can't hear Papa any more, they took us too far away."

The little black wolf was just as unsettled as her brother was that she couldn't 'talk' to her father any more. This was the first time they had ever been so far away that they couldn't hear their own family, let alone the rest of the pack. She'd hadn't realised how reassuring it was to just think the words and have her parents or any of the grown-ups in her extended family hear her. Trying to ignore the fear threatening to overwhelm her, she decided they needed to do something.

"Tyler, Papa said we need to remember everything, the smells, the colours, anything that sticks out, and we can't do that hiding under our paws."

Beth thought back to last night when they were taken. They were asleep in the common room of the Alpha's house, Papa had been in a meeting with him and it ran late. When she woke up, they were in the back of a van, bouncing in the dark as it sped them away from their home.

The first thing she had done was call for her father but when he replied she could barely make him out. She remembered her shock at feeling, for the first time, fear coming from her father through their bond.

Tyler had woken then, distraught that they had been taken so far. Her father had tried to comfort him as much as he could. Then, when he realised they were about to leave the pack range, he told them;

"OK my little dominoes, I know you're frightened but you need to be strong for me and your Mama. Soon, you're not going to be able to hear us or the pack. You need to keep your ears and noses open, anything you see, remember it. You two take care of each other and the first chance you get, you fur up and run north. Run until you can't breathe. We're coming...you...love...so much..."

Then they were alone.

Beth saw her brother shake violently . His small white frame curled in on itself and the pungent stain on the papers below, painted a picture of fear and defeat. She nudged repeatedly at his side, trying to get him to move. Beth couldn't bear for Rick to see him again like this. The last time he'd come in, he'd laughed harshly at her brother, calling him a girl and unfit to be a Beta's son. That had resulted in the stain. Beth knew they just had to hold it together until their parents or the Alpha came for them, then they could cry all they want. But right now, she decided, we need our wits about us. Guilt seeped through her as an idea started to form.

Butting against her brother more insistently, she jumped around him. Moving away then skipping back, playful barks filled the office. With growing hope that her plan was working, she saw her brother's ears rising a little in response to her energetic game.

"Oh man, just you wait 'till we get back. I'm tellin' everyone you pee'd on the floor like a scared little coyote."

Tyler's unusual blue eyes bored into hers with malice. "You wouldn't dare," he growled.

Darting back after nipping his paws, Beth saw Tyler's hackles rise. When Rick had insulted him, the little pup had no choice but to sit and take it, but his sister's teasing? 'Well,' Beth thought, 'I can't see him letting me get away with that!'

Before she knew what had hit her, Beth was on the floor, squirming away from her brother's strong attacks. High-pitched growling, snapping jaws and occasional yelps punctuated the blur of black and white fur rolling across the carpet. Beth was struggling to keep up with her brother's charges. Although they were the same age and height, the white wolf had started to form more muscle, giving him a stocky appearance and an advantage in a fight. The black wolf held little bulk, her lithe frame and skinny legs more suited to running through the forest.

Crashing loudly into a filing cabinet under the large window, both pups froze as the brown unit fell to the floor. With a deafening crash, it hit the grubby tiled carpet. Two of it's three drawers pushed open on the first bounce and on the second, they spewed their contents into the room. Old invoices, letters and reports all in various shades of yellow and all with the same meat cleaver letterhead, flew through the air before covering what seemed like every surface from the window to the door.

Beth and Tyler's identical blue eyes met as, in unison, they thought to each other, "That was your fault." The pups barked out their amusement and continued their scuffle, all thoughts of reconnaissance gone.

****

"You know the place?" Vicky spat out, "...11pm then." Growling loudly and nearly throwing her phone in anger, she ended the call.

Grateful that she had wanted some privacy, Vicky had left the packing floor through the door opposite the office. The empty delivery bay gave her a good view of the approaching road and was enough of a distance from the red brick building so that Dan and Rick couldn't overhear her.

scraping her hands through her, now dishevelled, ponytail, she ripped the band out in frustration. Shaking out her long blonde hair and rolling her shoulders, she focused on calming her wolf.

Everything was starting to unwind. All Dan had to do was get the Toovey girl into their hands and he'd mucked it up. Her wolf paced in her mind, baring her teeth in anger at his incompetence. Both her and her beast were frustrated that they had to trust in him, The Association had guaranteed his worth but she was starting to question that now. She simply couldn't believe that a mere human could be so hard to trace and she was quite certain her employers wouldn't believe it either. She'd be lucky to keep her head for this.

And now, what should have been an easy ransom of hostages is starting to look like a nightmare. She had to get the old man to give up the pack's birth records. The Association had been quite clear on that. Acquiring the pups hadn't been part of the plan but it should have made things easier to get the information, not harder. McCloud always put his pack before possessions, she knew he'd trade almost anything to get the twins back but Grey, not only was he was too shrewd for that; He had too much to prove. He'd try to get his young pack members home safely and capture her while he was at it.

Her steps were measured and thoughtful as she crossed the empty yard. Green eyes darted over the bare brick walls and cracked concrete paving, not seeing any of it. Her first plan may be out the window but an idea was beginning to form in Vicky's mind. Grey's a sneaky bastard, she thought, but he has nothing on a woman.

Her wolf stopped it's growling, becoming less distressed. The beast seemed pleased that it's human was taking control of the situation again. Failure meant death, success would give her the power she deserved.

Looking for Rick, Vicky pushed open the small door set into the rolling shutters of the packing bay. She found him sitting on the bottom step of the metal stairs leading to the office. He was smiling grotesquely as he pulled the legs off a beetle in his palm.

"Rick, change of plan, you're not going to the drop off."

He frowned in confusion, "I was supposed to drive the brats?"

"Like I said, change of plan. Dan and I will go meet with McCloud and his boy wonder-"

"I thought the ransom was supposed to be with the old man alone?"

"Change. Of. Plan." Vicky stressed each syllable through gritted teeth. "You will stay here with the pups. And the girl."

At this news, Rick smiled again. Vicky's eyes swirled with amber at his stupidity. "Leave the girl alone, that's an order."

Rick pouted his lower lip, "But you said-"

"I said you could have her AFTER we finish the interrogation. She'd be useless to me if you got your paws on her first."

Somewhat appeased, the large man shrugged and looked at the squashed bug in his hand. Vicky turned to leave but hadn't taken a step before a loud crash came from the room above.

Turning smoothly back around, she noticed papers sticking to the window then glared at Rick, who only shrugged again.

"I wasn't supposed to wake them up."

"Of course, shall we be quiet as mice and let those little darlings sleep some more?" Vicky said sarcastically

Rick shrugged again, not understanding. "Um, maybe."

Shaking her head, Vicky tried to calm her wolf, who wanted to attack the stupid man. "Move the pups and clean up the room. We need to leave the building without a trace of our presence."

She crossed the room to find Dan but as Vicky neared the corridor leading to the old stock rooms and meat cellars, she became aware of the distinct lack of action behind her.

Turning again she found Rick, still at the bottom of the stairs, his face in an expression that could only be described as painful. Having seen this look too many times since forming their mercenary pack, Vicky realised he was thinking.

"What?"

"How do I clean the room if the pups are in there?"

"How do you manage to successfully clothe yourself?" Vicky asked, the disbelief clear in her voice. "I don't care how you do it. Put them in another room."

"But how can I guard them if I'm tidying here?"

Vicky snapped, "Lock them in the cell with the human then!" she screamed, "Is there anything else I can think through for you or can I use my mind for my own tasks?"

Rick opened his mouth to reply as she shot him with a cold, emerald stare. Thinking better of it, he closed his mouth and shook his head.

As Vicky waited, to make sure he moved, she heard him mumble to himself "That's not a bad idea." Rubbing the dead bug onto his pants, Rick climbed the stairs with a grimace on his face.

"Good boy." Vicky said icily and left the packing floor before he could display some other idiocy and make her lose control.

*****

The human, he could have fun with, Rick smirked to himself. But children, what use are they?

Reaching the door, he yanked it open to stare into the dark interior of the office. His eyes, although better than human, still took a few seconds to adjust to the dim room. There was paper everywhere and an acrid stench of piss. Growling at the work he'd have to do, he looked for the culprits.

"Stop hiding or it'll be worse when I find you."

Two noses, one black and one pink, poked out from a particularly large pile beside the overturned filing cabinet. Crawling forward on their belly, the pups silently obeyed.

"I should tie you in a bag and throw you in the river," Rick spat with disgust "Yer just lucky Vicky can use you."

He stepped toward the frightened pups, who instinctively shuffled back, until they hit the wall. Seeing their fear, Rick laughed, his mean eyes shining.

"You're gettin' moved. Now change."

The pups didn't know what to make of this, glancing nervously at each other. The white wolf was the first to comply, his fur melting back into his body, revealing a little boy with hair so blonde it was almost white. Sitting cross-legged without a stitch of clothing on, his skin had a uniform tan from six summers spent playing in lakes and forest. His eyes, such a dark brown they were almost black, focused on the pup next to them, widening in surprise then showing annoyance.

The black pup sat back on two legs and with far more speed, her fur melted away too, becoming a little girl. She was almost identical to her brother in every way apart from being a little smaller, a little more lithe.

Rick noticed none of this as he idly scratched his head. "Move it then. You're goin' in with the human" he said, reaching for the twins to drag them to the door.

Recoiling away from him, confusion clear on his face, the boy stammered out with a small voice, "But, shouldn't we have clothes if we're going near humans? They never walk about naked."

Rick looked at them as if seeing them for the first time. "Vicky never said..." He started, then remembered the look on her face as she left. Maybe he shouldn't bother her. "You'll get clothes."

With that he pulled them by the arm to the door. "I want none of your crap or I'll beat ya. Don't care what she says, if I got a reason to..." He trailed off, mumbling to himself.

Stumbling down the stairs behind the monster of a man, Beth gave a reassuring smile to her brother.

*****

Vicky walked down the corridor, past the warren of small rectangular rooms that had been used for holding stock, archives and other various necessities of the factory. At the other side of the building was the sturdier meat cellar that she had put the girl in. Dan, she knew had taken one of the empty rooms nearer there.

It dawned on her, as she approached his 'room', that it should be him coming to her. She should be summoning him. Her pack may be newly formed but there was no question in her mind, she was the Alpha. The Association had made it so. But, in her eyes, Rick and Dan seemed to be showing a distinct lack of respect. Constant questioning, having to order them twice before they'd act; An Alpha doesn't tolerate that. Old man McCloud was never treated that way by his subordinates, he commanded respect and loyalty.

Her wolf was all for a show of strength to get Rick and Dan to submit. While it would be noble, Vicky knew she couldn't beat them in a fair fight. Right now, she was too weak.

Their attitude irked her though. Both of them were cretins with no appreciation for her intelligence. Once she handed over the information The Association needed, she'd get enough power to rule her own pack with an iron fist. For now, however, she'd need to keep them in line using her other talents.

Rick was easy to manipulate, a little tough love then a compliment or two and he was putty in her hands. Dan was smarter than that, but he wanted her. She'd seen the way he looked at her and thankfully, he wasn't as ugly as Rick. She rearranged her small pert breasts in her bra, and unbuttoned the top of her shirt to make full use of her perfectly formed cleavage. Shaking her hair back over her shoulders, she thought to herself 'A girl's gotta do...'

Dan was biting into a mouthful of steak as Vicky turned the corner. He had claimed an office with a tatty sofa taking up most of the wall to the right of the door. She was sure he'd heard her coming from the other side of the building. Standing in the doorway, she parted her full, pink lips slightly and smirked confidently. He watched as her teeth scraped the soft flesh to bite down on her lower lip. He was entranced by the small movement and she could almost see the connections his mind made. Just to emphasise her point, she licked her lips sensuously and sighed as she sashayed over to sit beside him.