"What are you doing here?" I asked her as she came to stand beside me.
"I've come to see if it's true," she said, peering closer through the bars that kept him caged.
"It's true," I confirmed to her, watching her to see her reaction.
"Wow," she murmured as her eyes drifted over the prisoner.
"I need to go and check something," Uncle Nate said before leaving me alone with her.
Bay and I stood watching like two kids at the zoo watching the gorillas with fascination.
"Good to know I'm not the only freak around here."
"You're not a freak," I said, still watching her. I didn't like knowing that was how she saw herself.
Her eyes hardened. "Tell that to my parents."
"They're not perfect." In fact, they were far from it. Even I could see the mistakes they had made with Bay and the reason why she felt that way. "They love you, they just don't know how to show it."
Even though in their eyes James had been their golden child, I could tell her parents loved her even though at times that love was conditional.
She scoffed at me. "Yeah, right."
I looked back to the bed, shifting my focus away from Bay. I had tried many times to talk to her and tried to get her on the right track. James had tried as well, but nothing seemed to work. No amount of words could penetrate the walls she had set up as a defense.
"One day they'll realize how special you are."
"Aww, you're such a sweetheart," Bay said, giving me a one-handed hug. I smiled as I briefly returned her embrace.
She was a childhood friend whom I cared for like family. Through my childhood she had tagged along with us determined to be included. To make up for the shortcoming of her parents, James and I had ensured she was always a part of what we did.
But the older she got the more strained the relationship with her parents became. It seemed to make her more determined to not fit in any aspect of life in a pack of werewolves. I could only protect her for so long.
When I looked back to the bed, I caught the faintest movement of the prisoner's fingers.
"He's waking up." I watched as he shifted, rolling onto his side, turning to face us. His eyes opened before closing again. His hand lifted and touched his forehead.
I looked to Bay and she had her eyes fixed on him. She was fascinated.
"And the freak awakes," she murmured softly.
'The freak' opened his eyes. They were dark, almost midnight-black. Beside me, Bay stepped back slowly as her eyes locked with his.
The power that rolled off him was off the charts, stronger than anything I'd experienced.
I reached for her hand to take it in mine to reassure her I was with her. It pulled her out of her trance and she looked at me, still looking a little dazed.
Go get Curtis, I instructed her. She nodded.
The drugs Curtis had given him were wearing off and we needed to give him more. I didn't want him to be unconscious but he was too strong to leave him alert. We had no idea what he was capable of. I didn't believe he was strong enough to get past the steel bars but I didn't want to take any chances.
Before she left, she gave the 'freak' one last look. The door closed behind her, leaving us in silence.
I watched as his eyes followed her out. Then he tried to sit up. He swayed slightly but persevered until he had his back propped up against the wall.
"What have you done to me?" he asked, his eyes accusing.
I remained silent. He glared at me. Hatred mixed with power emanated from him. I held his stare, refusing to back down. I was an alpha; I bowed to no one.
