HUNTED-Chapter 434: New Acquaintances (1)

More gunshots rang in the distance, making Keira flinch. "Let’s get out of here." Ahren stepped forward, his large body hiding Keira’s view of the field. It was then she also realised another drone hovered nearby and was drawing closer to her.

She swiped at it and lost her balance. Ahren and Dylan caught her by the waist, glancing at each other in concern. There were no visible injuries on Keira, yet she was acting like someone who had lost a lot of blood.

Keira straightened, murmuring a thanks with heated cheeks. The guys’ hands slipped away, but they didn’t back away, both observing her.

"Here." Dylan crouched down onto one knee before her. "I’ll give you a piggyback ride."

Ahren snorted. "You can barely stand yourself." He stepped closer to Keira. "Here, lean on me."

"I’ll be fine. Thank you, though…" Keira trailed off as she took a few steps, and the black dots returned around her vision, forcing her to stop.

"You are not," Ahren growled. "Look, I know you don’t want to appear weak, but let me help you at least until we get to the doors."

It was a long hallway. She nodded, gratefully accepting. "Alright. Thank you," she whispered. Ahren’s arm slid around her waist as he ducked, his body brushing against Keira’s as she slid her arm along the back of his shoulders, overly aware of how hot his skin was.

She kept her gaze ahead, ignoring the fact that Ahren was naked. He was helping her, just like he did before the game. They walked slowly through the dark hall, dropping the golden eggs into the box as they passed.

"You saved my life," Dylan said quietly, looking down at her through his wire-rimmed glasses that somehow added to his good looks.

Keira shrugged or tried to in the awkward position she was in with Dylan. "Anyone would do it."

"No, they wouldn’t," Ahren and Dylan argued simultaneously, their voices harder.

"I owe you my life, and so I will pay you back for the rest of it." Keira tried to interrupt Dylan and tell him it was nothing, but he placed his large hand over her mouth and shook his head.

"It’s different in this place," Dylan added, his voice softer, dropping his hand once he knew Keira wouldn’t try to reject his oath. "And not all packs are the same as the one you must have grown up in. Not everyone is your friend or will look out for you."

"It’s surprisingly nice to see. If a little dumb," Ahren commented with a smirk.

"I won’t change my morals. No matter where I am or who I’m dealing with. If someone tries to kill me, so be it; I will defend myself, but I won’t be the one to make the first strike." Ember nodded along to Keira’s words. She felt even stronger about it now, especially after seeing the deaths of so many.

’This place won’t break me." Keira then dropped her voice to the softest of whispers that Ahren and Dylan barely caught onto her words. "And we will escape this place. Whether it’s us or those trying to find me."

Ahren and Dylan exchanged glances but didn’t comment further. Once they were at the double doors leading back to the cafeteria, like promised, Ahren slowly released Keira.

"Why are you so weak?" Dylan asked, shocking Keira at his bluntness. He came off as quite the easygoing guy. "I mean… You have no injuries that I can see."

Ahren, too, was watching her curiously, waiting for an answer. But the doors opened to the cafeteria, and she held her tongue. Those from before with the coloured wristbands were gone, but the werewolves that survived were in the hall, all lining up eagerly for food again.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on freeweɓnøvel.com.

"I will tell you when we are alone," Keira muttered. She didn’t know who to trust, and although she didn’t really know these two men well, she felt safer with them and their smiles than those glaring at her or trying to assess what type of threat she was.

’Be careful,’ Ember warned again. It was not a wolfy instinct but one of vigilance. They didn’t know what else might happen in this place. If it came between them, then it would be every wolf for themselves. It was a saddening thought, but for now, she would be at ease, if only a little for a while.

"Alright, let’s grab some food. I’m starving!" Dylan brightened up as he adjusted the glasses on his nose. They were finally resting on it properly.

They passed one of the tables and were stopped by a guard who pointed at the yellow wristbands scattered on the table. Each of them grabbed one before joining the end of the queue. Keira felt a little underdressed, only wearing Dylan’s shirt, which was like a dress on her, but it could be worse.

Most of the others were either in their shredded clothing or returned in new scrubs, but their faces and arms were still dirtied with blood and mud. They were allowed to return to their rooms?

"What now?" Keira asked, glancing at the yellow band in her hand. "What do these bands mean?"

"That we’re safe," Dylan commented. "For now."

⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆

Unlike the morning, when they’d only had muesli, Keira’s plate was full of tuna pasta and a bowl of fruit. Bottled water had also been given out. The trio sat at the end of one of the tables. Keira glanced at some of the others who’d been sussing her out.

Katrina, the scarred she-wolf, had returned with wet hair and clean skin and was dressed in new scrubs. She sat with her food, eating quietly by herself at the other end of the table where Keira was on, and surveyed her surroundings as if she couldn’t relax. It put Keira on edge more.

The she-wolf was rough and cruel but she did have good instincts and although she had it out for Keira, she did actually help her and Ahren in this hall earlier. She alerted them when their discussion roused the attention of the guards. There had to be something good deep down inside her.

’Deep... Deeeeep, deep down inside that wretched-’

’Alright, I get it. Why don’t you rest a little? Recharge?’ Keira interrupted her wolf’s commentary. Ember muttered some incoherent grumblings before settling down again. It was better for both of them if she rested.

The quicker they recovered, the longer they could shift into wolf form again, and hopefully, this time, Keira might be able to give it a try.

"This is so much better than the broth they served us," Dylan commented lightly, gobbling down most of his food just as quickly as Ahren. Keira was hungry, but she was a little more refined. She was clearly the odd one out among quite a few people in the hall.

"Broth? That’s not filling," Ahren said, his mouth full, but he still hid half of his face with his hand holding the fork, aware of Keira’s table manners. He had no problem sitting on the bench beside her, totally naked, while Dylan was shirtless across from her.

The rumbling of Ahren’s flat, hard stomach made it obvious he cared more about eating than any decency right now. Keira internally shook her head. They were all werewolves, and being naked from time to time was a part of it. This just wasn’t shown to Keira much because of her status and age. Many had clothing readied and changed back into it instantly in her pack.

"The wristbands dictate what we are allowed to eat," Dylan explained, pushing his glasses up. "The better we do, the better rewards we get."

"So, the different coloured wristbands mean something," Ahren stated, looking at his food pensively. "Who’s the strongest?"

Dylan swallowed his food. "Purple or Red. I can’t remember. They seem to be like rivals."

"Blue and purple banded people sat together as did red and orange," Keira added as she sat back a little with her water bottle.

"Correct!" Dylan pointed his fork at Keira with a broad grin. "Observant little thing."

"Have to be," Ahren and Keira murmured at the same time and glanced at each other.

"If there’s a plan to escape," Ahren continued quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "This badass is probably the one who will lead it."

"You keep calling her badass? Why?" Dylan then looked to Keira apologetically, holding his hands up. "I don’t mean you aren’t! I heard him say it earlier before I saw your… badassery."

Keira snorted and covered her nose and mouth, shocked at how unladylike she’d acted. The guys grinned, uncaring, and Ahren proceeded to tell Dylan how he had seen Keira pointing a gun at a guard the first day he was there.

"Badasssss!" Dylan whisper-shouted with a grin brighter than before, revealing two dimples that made him look even cuter.

Keira shook her head. Having a bit of company was certainly making this place more bearable, pushing aside the sadness that clutched at her heart for those who had died and the many more who probably will in this research centre.