3

She carries me away from my savior swiftly and directly into a cave. I don't see much of the landscape around me before everything goes dark, but there isn't one tree in sight, just flat earth. 

I guess they are aware of the dangers from above, unlike we were. 

"Simple rules. You will never learn," she grumbles to herself as she walks in the dark. 

I tense up as I feel her annoyance being transferred through her grip. She is angry about my actions, just like he was. But we didn't ask for them to save us. We knew the rules...I knew them. Nathan wasn't saved, but he knew what could happen. They chose to save me. I didn't force them or even ask to be saved. They could have let me die with him. My heart wouldn't be shattered right now if they had. This crippling pain and grief wouldn't be twisting my stomach. 

"I knew what going outside meant. Your people didn't need to save me," I snap suddenly, and before I can react, she drops me on the floor. 

I cry out as my butt-bone rams the compacted earth. It's pitch black, so I can't see a thing, but I would bet money she is smirking right now. 

"Ow," I yell, and she growls. 

"Silence. Your voice is too loud. Our ears are sensitive," she snarls viciously, and I freeze. 

My rescue could quickly turn into a murder if I don't control myself. She is a beast. Her physical strengths are quadruple to mine, and any damage I manage to inflict would heal in a few hours. 

"Fine," I mumble softly before a flame a few feet away flickers to life. 

I gasp as I realize I am in a room with a crowd of beasts all in true form. I am in the center of what looks to be their main living area, and they are all looking at me. 

"Alpha chose to save you. We did not plan to," she replies before throwing me a rabbit that has been cooked rotisserie style. 

The other beasts all glare at me as I stare at them in terror. I can't even bring myself to pick up the meat in front of me. 

They look so hostile and uninviting in their beast's forms-nothing like when I see them in human form. 

"Eat. Then we get you clean. Then you go to the hole. Alpha must make decisions," she says brokenly before she grabs a rabbit hanging on a cord surrounded by about ten others. 

Unlike mine, her's looks freshly killed. It is still covered in fur and definitely not cooked. I watch in horror as she eats it practically whole. Bones crunch as her jaw chomps down on the tiny creature, and blood oozes from the corners of her mouth. Her eyes are half closed, and I can tell she is enjoying her gruesome meal. When the final crunch sounds and she swallows down the last remnants, her long tongue licks her muzzle clean. 

"I will force you. Alpha ordered. You must eat," she says as she sees I'm not eating the food she gave me. 

I fight back a gag as I look at my cooked bunny. Any chance of eating went out the window when I saw the raw insides of her meal dripping from her fangs. All the blood reminded me of the bloodsuckers and how Nathan looked in his last moments. 

"I still feel sick," I mumble, and she steps toward me aggressively before freezing. 

Her eyes don't even blink as she stares down at me. I instantly get even more nervous. The hairs on my arm rise as I realize someone is behind me. The air in the room gradually gets thick, and the beasts go from aggressive stances to submissive poses. Their pointy ears flatten against their skulls, and their eyes glue themselves to the floor. 

"I gave you specific orders. None of them included threats, Giulia," a deep rich voice states from behind me, and a rush of satisfaction skates over my skin. 

I want to turn around so I can see his eyes again, but I am too afraid. My curiosity has caused enough disasters for today. 

The female, obviously named Giulia, whines a little as she backs away from me. She keeps her eyes down the entire time she moves, and I almost feel sorry for her. She looks absolutely terrified of her leader. 

"I want everyone in human form when they are around the human. The humans already refer to us as beasts. We will not encourage her to use the title," he states with a slight hint of annoyance in his voice, and the room fills with the sounds of bones being broken. 

I flinch and squeeze my eyes closed, but that does nothing to save my ears from the horrific sound. 

"Forgive me, Alpha. I was only trying to ensure your orders were fulfilled," Giulia answers sounding proper and well-spoken right in front of me.

Her gravelly voice is long gone and now that I think about it, so is his. I guess when they are in their other form, words are harder for them to say. 

"She is still in shock. She witnessed her mate's death. Humans are delicate...as we know. Get her clean, and then lock her up," he says, and I can't help but notice the way the word delicate rolls off his tongue. 

He said it as if the word made him sick. As if being delicate was a curse. He most certainly loathes the fact that humans are weak. 

I feel his presence drift away, and the room's tension leaves with him. 

"Come human," Giulia says, and I allow my eyes to flutter open. 

As soon as I see her naked form, I gasp, and my eyes snap closed again. 

"We do not have clothes, human. The material is pointless to us. We do not suffer from temperature changes unless they are extreme, and in the case of that happening, we have our fur. Now come. My body is female, and it should not offend you," Giulia says sternly, and I shake my head. 

"It's not just about temperature changes...It's about modesty. Your privates are showing...only...umm...only your mate is supposed to see those parts," I reply as I use the Alpha's terminology. 

She chuckles, and I peek up at her through my lashes. My curiosity once again gets the better of me as I let my eyes look her over. 

She is a beautiful beast with long muscular limbs, small breasts, and wild brown hair that goes to her waist. Her eyes are brown, and her lips are full. She sees me looking at her, and she shakes her head at me. 

"Humans are silly creatures. The body is a natural thing," she says, and I shake my head. 

"It's about only sharing your body with someone special... You probably find males attractive, right? And they find you attractive...Well, the privates are to be shared with that special someone you have a mutual attraction with. Otherwise, how is anything you do with them actually special? Males who find you attractive, but aren't in a relationship with you, can ogle and see what you give your mate. I am uncomfortable with seeing parts of you meant for that special someone," I explain nervously, and she looks at me curiously. 

"Interesting concept," she replies after a second, and I nod. 

She looks toward the males in the room that I am avoiding looking at, and then she looks back at me. 

"I will carry you. Keep your eyes closed. When we get to the bathing room, I will leave so that you may have privacy. I am aware that your mate has died, so you have no one to share your "privates" with, but I will respect your custom. While you clean your skin, I will ask Alpha if we can send someone to retrieve more clothing for you," she says calmly, and I smile even though my heart pinches at the mention of Nathan. 

"Thank you," I whisper, and her eyes widen a little bit before she gives me a single head nod. 

I close my eyes again as her arms wrap around me. She lifts me quickly, and I can't help but notice the change in her grip. When she carried me the first time, she wasn't careful with the placement of her hands or arms. This time she is more aware of her grip. 

As she walks, my mind drifts back to Nathan, and my heart begins to ache. 

"Where is his body," I ask softly, hoping she will know. 

"Where he died. We killed as many of them as we could, but the area around the city is thick with the thirsty ones. Lingering there is too dangerous even for a pack our size. The humans' numbers within the city are getting high, and the scent of rich blood is too alluring. Alpha plans to ask for reinforcements soon," she says, and I shiver as faint memories of the last breach play in my mind. 

"There are more of you in other areas," I question to distract myself. 

"Yes. Each pack is now in charge of protecting one human city. It has been this way for hundreds of years. Too many of us were dying when your brethren roamed free on this Earth, so for your protection and our survival, the current system was put into place," she says, and my brain explodes. 

"There are other cities," I whisper yell as my eyes fly open. 

She halts in her tracks and nods. 

"Yes, of course. This world is big. Your city is small in comparison. If you were the last humans, the thirsty ones wouldn't be controllable. They would be desperate to get inside your walls," she says, and I just look at her. 

Anger toward our leaders begins to glow through my veins. They lied to us.