CHAPTER 5
Jasper
We’ve sat in Braxton’s office for just short of an hour. Yeah, I’ve been clock watching. Between Kevin’s bouncing knee, and my thoughts running back to the kids and Stracey, I’m a nervous wreck.
“Kevin, sit still.”
“Sorry. I’m just…”
“Nervous. Yeah, I get it.” I knock his arm with mine, trying anything to lighten the tense atmosphere.
This is my life. I’m used to being thrown into terrible situations where sometimes my life’s in danger, or I need to make the call where it’s one of my guys’ lives or a pack. This life sucks at times, because no matter what, it’s always survival of the fittest. You either kill or be killed. Well, I choose the former, especially over the coming days, weeks, or months.
Kevin may have been brought up by a rogue and his pack, but this life, this council, the work; it’s all new to him. He will fight to save himself, but he needs to get it out of his head that this isn’t wrong. This is life. This is what we do in order to make the world a safer place for our loved ones. Right now, he’s stuck in his own head. He feels like what we’re about to do is no better than his sick, twisted father. I’m hoping the council will give us jobs that will let me teach him the difference.
I’ve saved more than I’ve killed. I’ll always be a born guardian sent to save my own kind. I will always do what I feel is right to protect myself, my loved ones, and the pack I’ve always slotted into when it suited me. I’m lucky Carlos is a good Alpha, because he could have shut me out a long time ago. All I ever do is take him home more and more waifs and strays. No wonder we need to build more amenities within the camp.
“What’s taking so long? If we were late, they’d have had something to say…” Just as Kevin finishes, the door behind us opens and in walk Braxton and Julian.
“Sorry to keep you, gentlemen. I’m pleased to see you were on time,” says Braxton in his smarmy tone. I really would love to rip out his throat.
Both Kevin and I sit in silence. I hope and pray he won’t open his mouth and say something sarcastic, and luckily for us, he stays quiet, stops bobbing his knee up and down, and stares ahead.
“Okay. Let’s get down to business. I take it Jasper filled you in, Kevin.”
“Yes, he did.” Kevin pauses and silence fills the room. I nudge my foot into his for him to address Braxton properly.
“Sir. Yes, he did, sir,” says Braxton, mocking Kevin’s words. “I see Jasper will have his work cut out with you.”
“Actually, Kevin’s a valued member of Carlos’s pack. He’s going to be missed while he’s here. Yes, he’s young, impressionable, and lacking some skills we need to be streetwise, but he’ll make a good Beta one day, I’m sure of it.” I lift the corner of my lips into a smile and wait for Braxton to say something, but he just glares between Kevin and me before he sits down.
“Right. I’ve been thinking about you two all weekend. I think I’ve come up with the perfect plan. I think we’ll start your training right away.” I raise my eyebrow and cock my head to the side to study both men. “I have two perfectly good cells downstairs with your names on them. For forty-eight hours, you’ll both have a cell. A very simple, dark, cell. Only, you’ll not be allowed to sleep. You’ll get the basic rations and minimal contact with anyone. On Wednesday morning, you’ll be taken to the ring. Jasper, you’ll start Kevin’s training. I want eight hours a day of intense training. I want you to repeat it for ten days. After those ten days, I’m sending you to Canada for three months. While you’re there, you’ll be joining forces with a few of our guys.”
“And what do we do in Canada?” I ask.
“All will be revealed in good time. You need to have patience, Jasper.”
“I’ll have patience when this is over with and I can return to my family for good. Can we make our way to these cells?”
“Always eager to please, Jasper.”
I sigh and shake my head. Looking from the floor to Braxton, I say, “No. I’d say the quicker the job is done, the quicker we’re finished. Don’t flatter yourself that it’s to please you. Those days are well and truly over.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Jasper.” Although his words said one thing, his face and body language said another. “Callum!”
Callum. Really? He’s one of my good friends while I work here. He was with us throughout the search for Lisa, and he’s kept in touch.
“Yes, sir. You called,” says Callum as he stands in the doorway behind me.
“Can you take these two gentlemen to their living quarters for the duration of their stay? I’m hoping that I can trust you to follow these orders.”
“Yes, sir. Let’s go, gentlemen.” Callum stands in between Kevin and me. I stand up and Kevin hesitates for a moment before following my lead.
“One more thing…” We all stop dead mid-stride but don’t turn around. “There are no more chances. Fuck this up and I’ll have no option but to fuck you up. Go!”
We all make our way out of the office and I follow behind Callum until we’re out of earshot. “Are you crazy, Jasper? Fuck’s sake, buddy. This is going to be hell for you.”
“I’ll get over it.”
“For what it’s worth, the wolf communities have heard about this, and to say they’re pissed off is an understatement. How they can do this to you is diabolical. What’s Carlos saying?”
“He’s taken it in his stride. Not much he can do because I told him not to go against my wishes. I took the blame, I should take the time. Why they’ve brought Kevin into this mess is beyond me. If this was just me, I wouldn’t mind much, but an innocent kid changes the game. They’re out of order.” My hands shake with fury over the council’s actions.
“Just stay strong, kid. You’ve got a good teacher here. I’ll drop you some water and supplies when I’m passing. It should help to tolerate the slops they give you down here.”
“Fuck!” I look over my shoulder to see Kevin looking around the space we’ve just entered. “It’s like a prison in a dungeon. What the fuck? They can’t do this, surely?”
It’s been several years since I’ve been down here, but the stench hasn’t changed. All around us is a strong smell of urine and damp. It isn’t a good combination. The candle lights on the walls along the hall are dull. The walls are pure black, and with no natural light, there isn’t much to help us see.
“They can. There’s no one above them to stop them,” I explain.
“Just keep your head down, follow orders, and don’t break any rules. Stay off their radar and you’ll be fine,” Callum says to Kevin.
“Which one is mine?” I ask, rolling my eyes.
I’ve been down here to lock prisoners up. I’ve been down here to beat wolves into submission. I’ve been down here to see the guards. But this is the first time I’ll be a prisoner down here.
“Down the end. They’re keeping you apart so you can’t be in contact while you’re down here. The only contact you’ll be getting is from the guards on duty. You’ll see each other at your training sessions, but they’re going to try everything to break you.”
“It will take more than the damn council to break me, Cal,” I scoff.
“I hope so, because I don’t look forward to the fallout if anything happens to you.”
“Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence,” I say, a tad pissed off.
“Sorry. I didn’t think. I know you’ll be fine.”
“I have to be fine. I have a family to take care of. Now I’m going to say goodbye, because I’m going to lie down on my flea-infested bed.” I place my hand on Kevin’s shoulder and squeeze it tightly. “Stay strong. This is only to play with your head, and you can do this.”
“I’ll try, Jasper,” he croaks.
I stand and watch Kevin’s back as he follows Callum to his cell. His body is tense, his shoulders square, and his face like stone. I hate to see kids down here. It isn’t called for, but these goons are old school. They haven’t moved with the times, so hard labour, torturing, and imprisonment in the worst possible conditions are what they still follow.
I walk down the long, damp corridor. The sounds of moaning and sniffling are heard through the doors. Who knows how long some of these prisoners have been down here? On the plus side, I think we’ll only be down here for forty-eight hours. I’m hoping they have other accommodation for us when the training starts, because this is no good when you’re tired and aching. We’ll be like dead men walking when we enter Canada.
Only time will tell what we need to do.
Time is something we have plenty of.
***
Our first twenty-four hours down here is over. We only have another twenty-four to go, but it’s ticking by slowly. It feels like we’ve been down here for months, maybe even years. Every second feels like an eternity. I just want to close my eyes and go to sleep. Every moment I drift off, someone bangs on my door to rouse me. Now I get what Braxton meant when he said we wouldn’t be getting any sleep for the next forty-eight hours. It’s all a lot of fucking garbage, and I won’t forget who follows their orders and treats me and Kevin like pieces of dirt they scraped off the bottom of their shoes.
The bolt on the door makes a clicking noise as it opens from the outside. I don’t move my eyes from the ceiling. I don’t really care who’s walking in. I’m past caring.
“Jasper?” There’s a whisper from the door. “Here, get this down you.” Callum hands me a bottle of water and a pre-packaged sandwich.
I sit up from the mattress I’ve hardly moved from. “You know you’ll end up in one of these if they see that you’re helping me.”
“I couldn’t give a shit. What they’re doing is not right. Those fucking monkeys that have kept you awake should know better. Maybe the broken nose I gave one of them a couple of hours ago will make him see what side he should be on.”
I laugh at Callum’s outburst. I’m a strong wolf, but even I wouldn’t like to tackle Cal, because he can hold his own. I just wish I was a fly on the wall to see the guard getting his nose broken.
“Thanks for making me laugh, buddy. How’s Kev?” I ask while I open the sandwich to give Kevin the rubbish so it looks like I’ve had nothing.
“He’s bearing up. I’ve just left him with the same as you. He told me that his father had a room like this and he was kept in it for six months until he submitted fully to his father’s wishes. This must be hell for the poor kid.”
“Shit!” I yell and stand up quickly.
Now I know why Kevin’s been on edge since Friday. He was terrified in case he was transported back into memories he’s kept locked away. Memories he never wanted to relive. But being down here is going to unlock every piece of physical and emotional abuse he’s worked so hard to forget.
“That’s why I’ve been coming down regularly to check on him. He’s a good kid, Jasper.”
“Yeah.” I sigh and sit back down on the mattress. “You don’t need to tell me that, Cal. Those bastards will pay for this.”
“They’ll get their comeuppance. Right now, I need to be getting off. I’ll come back later to check on you and Kevin. One more day in here. You can do it.” He walks back over to the door.
“Cal.” He peers over his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“No need, Jasper. You’ve been there for me plenty of times. I don’t forget who’s good to me.” I smile at him with my big cocky grin he usually chastises me for. I nod in his direction before he leaves me alone again. There was nothing else I could say to him.
I sit back on the mattress, my back hitting the stone wall. My thoughts drift back to my pack at home. What I would do right now just to see Lisa, Markus, and Stracey.
Stracey. She’s frustrated me so much over the last couple of days, but I can’t get her out of my head. Her long dark hair that looks so soft and silky. Her hazelnut eyes that sparkle when the sun hits them. Her gentle touch that sends shockwaves through my body. Fuck. Even right now, my dick has a mind of its own where that woman is concerned. I feel like a horny teenager going through puberty again. I just need to get through the next few months and get back to my family.
We need to be together.