You Wouldn't Dare (Khaos Trilogy Book 1), стр. 33
As I approached The Cage, I could feel the anger and hatred radiating off him. I glanced around to make sure no-one had followed me and entered the small, dingy room that contained his prison. As I strained my ears, listening for the sound of footprints, I was almost positive that I heard a very wolf-like growl coming from inside The Cage. I swallowed hard, ignoring the lump of fear that had appeared in my throat.
It shouldn’t have been possible. His wolf should be well suppressed under the silver collar that he wore, but still, the sound unnerved me enough that I hurried forward.
If I was correct and that was Khaos’ wolf I had heard, then I had to move quick or we were all in immediate danger.
“Khaos? Can you hear me? It’s your... it’s me.” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word “mother”. I hoped he would think it was because I was riddled with guilt, unworthy of such a title, but really it was because even after all these years the thought of being an actual mother to this abomination sickened me to my very core. “Khaos,” I repeated, this time in a sharper tone.
“I’m here, mother, of course I can hear you.”
“Don’t you dare take that tone with me, mutt. Not after everything I’ve done for you, everything I’ve risked!” He let out a single, sharp, barking laugh in response. I ripped open the lid of The Cage and scowled down at him. He was covered in blood, every slight movement causing the razors underneath him to rip into his skin. As more and more blood pooled around him, the flooring became slippery, causing him to move more. It really was a horrific punishment for him. I grabbed a fistful of his hair and helped haul him out.
He stood before me, tall and proud, despite the open flesh wounds covering his legs and backside. For the first time in his life, he met my eyes and refused to break contact. He smirked at me and I felt my heart skip a beat - something in him really had snapped.
“Wolf?” I jumped as my wolf spoke inside my mind. She was sensing it too.
“I’ve come to help, Khaos. I promise.”
“That will be a first. Are you offering genuine help, mother, or just something that will please you?”
“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. I can easily have you returned--”
“Do it,” he interrupted, “I’m used to it.”
“Whatever, Khaos. I’m extremely busy so do you want me to remove your silver collar and heal you, or not?” His head snapped back with shock, and pathetic happiness burst over his face. He looked at me in both amazement and gratitude. How easy it was to gain his favour!
“Do you mean it?” He all but whispered.
“Why would I have said it otherwise?” I opened my hand to reveal the key I had clenched in my fist, pulling it out of reach as he grabbed at it. “I need to do something first. I can’t have your father suspecting anything, not yet. Your wolf is strong. He always was. To unleash him now would be catastrophic. I need to give you a bit of Wolfsbane - it won’t kill you or your wolf, but it will weaken him. I must do this the first few times you shift whilst you complete the bonding, or he will destroy you both. Do you understand me?” He nodded quickly, holding out his arm to accept the small needle. I grabbed his wrist and injected him in the crook of his elbow. Once I was satisfied that it had taken effect, I unlocked his collar and stepped away from him.
Almost instantly he fell to his knees, clutching at his head as various wounds knitted themselves closed, his eye healing and opening for the first time in years. The slash across his neck from the collar biting into his skin completely disappeared. I sank down next to him and stroked his head, swallowing down the bile that rose up my stomach at being this close to him.
“Shhh-shhh,” I murmured in what I hoped was a comforting tone. “It’s okay, I’m here. Your body is finally healing. When you’re ready, let your wolf take control, he’ll know what to do. Let the shift come naturally and your bones will fix themselves,” I continued to offer small bits of encouragement and advice as he went through his first-ever change. The prediction I had made all those years ago had been correct. He was a powerful wolf. Even at the tender age of fourteen, he was huge, if not a bit underweight. He whined out in pain and I had to stop myself from shouting at him. Usually, I would kick him for being so weak, and it really was hard to break the habit of a lifetime. Instead, I moved away, standing up to put some space between us as he rose onto his paws with unsteady, shaky legs. I watched him stretch out, his belly low to the floor, his legs still shaking with the unfamiliar weight he had to support.
“I can only give you a few more minutes, Khaos, understand? You must shift back and re-enter The Cage before anyone becomes suspicious. I will not reattach your collar and you can spend the rest of your confinement mentally bonding with your wolf. Your father never looks at you close enough to notice anyway. I’ll give you a shot of Wolfsbane every morning, slowly lowering the dosage as your relationship with your wolf intensifies. I will come and get you whenever it’s possible for us to both sneak away, and we will start training you. It’s time for us to trust each