As we peer down into the hole, anger floods me. This man is covered in deep slashes and bruises, his arm is bent the wrong way, and there is so much visible damage to him that I shudder to think what internal damage there is. I have no idea how the hell he’s still alive, let alone upright and growling at us.
His eyes are his wolf’s, and his jaws are snapping at us despite being in human form. The growls that are coming from him are absolutely fucking terrifying.
“It’s okay, we’re going to get you out of here,” I say softly, and the growls briefly pause. “He’s dead, Derek is dead.”
The growl that he releases next is truly feral, and he reaches up to the bars, his fingers burning as he grips them, and continues to snap and growl.
“River, you need to use your alpha voice on him. He’s hurting himself, he’s being attacked by the spells, and he’s already so damaged I have no idea how much more he can actually take,” Ransom says urgently.
“But I couldn’t use it on Rana because her mind was too delicate,” River points out worriedly.
Griff’s eyes flash black, “He’s held onto his mind, you won’t break him by giving him an alpha command, but it is the only way that he’s going to get out of this alive. He needs to calm down, and since the only person who ever visits him is Derek, he won’t calm down by himself.”
River nods. His alpha command snaps out, “Enough. We’re here to help you, not to hurt you. I killed Derek and unmade his soul.”
I glance at him in surprise. He hasn’t told anyone else that, and there must be a reason why he’s told this wolf. His instincts must know something that we don’t.
The Voices stir, although they don’t say anything, and I have to assume it’s because my thoughts were on the right track.
“He’s dead?” the wolf asks, surprisingly coherently, his voice deep and rough.
River nods, “Yes. Will you let us help you?”
Defeat covers his expression as he leans back against the dirt-lined pit, “You can’t. Only he can undo the spells on the pit. The witch who put them on was incredibly strong, and she layered hundreds of them on top of me and had them wrap all around the edges and underneath me just in case I tried to dig my way out. Then the cunt added some bottled spells that he got from fuck knows where.”
“You’re pretty coherent considering what you have been through,” Reed says, echoing my previous thoughts.
The guy smirks, and I have to admire the pure fucking strength that he must have in order to endure what he has and not have completely lost himself. His eyes are still his wolves though, and they haven’t changed back.
“I thought you were him, I know you’re not now,” he replies simply.
“Can’t fault that logic,” I agree, and he smirks again. “Alright, let's get you out of here.”
“You can’t,” he repeats simply.
“Right, Ransom, you start working on the spells. Let us know if you need anything from us. Doc, be prepared to heal him when he comes out. It looks like he’s going to need a lot. River, be on standby in case he freaks out again,” Evander orders.
“I’m not going to freak out again,” the guy says, sounding amused. “I know you’re not him now.”
I grin, “What’s your name?”
“Merrikh, what’s yours?” he asks, curiosity sparking in his wolf eyes.
“Neith, it’s weird, I know,” I reply. While I’m talking, Ransom’s magic swells, and he starts to work on the spells.
“No weirder than Merrikh,” he shrugs. His eyes suddenly widen, “Whoa, how the fuck are you doing that?”
I frown, entirely confused about what he’s talking about until Doc answers him.
“I have no idea. I wanted to start healing you, and my magic decided that it was a command,” Doc replies with a frown.
“You’re healing him without touching him?” Griff asks incredulously.
“And through several layers of spells,” Coen adds, with an impressed smile.
Doc shrugs, “Apparently. There’s a lot of damage. How are you even fucking standing?”
“I’m not, I’m leaning,” Merrikh retorts, and I snicker. He continues, “Pure fucking stubbornness?”
