The First Wolves

7. OTTO AND HOLDA

Otto had been rotating his totems in his hand all day, praying for the sun to give way to the moon, so he could venture up onto the streets. Granting his request, he found himself staring at the pleasure house: Voluptas’ Virgins. He’d been watching the steady flow of people enter since the sun had set. Throngs of men had been staggering through the doors continuously all evening, each set on achieving their profligate pursuits. Clenching his fists, Otto struggled to restrain his wolf, desperately fighting the instinct to check on his mate by tearing down the walls of the building. Instead, he was left hoping she would be there, and that his agony would soon abate. He tried to ignore the laughter, jeers and commentaries from the men loitering outside, boasting about their licentious lifestyles, and extreme experiences. Otto could only hope that most of it was fabricated from their degenerate dreams, and told them to impress their friends as oppose to an insight into the repulsive realities of the brothel. Reminded once again, that he had never felt the pain of the mating bond being violated, his thoughts circled back to the question that was chiselling at his sanity. What would he do if she wasn’t there? Amos, his wolf, who had been his only steady support for all his years in captivity, until Luna Fidella had stormed into their lives, soothed his human.

“We will find her, we will never stop looking.” His adamant belief calmed the panic of Otto’s mind.

The wooden door opened once more, polluting the air with the scent of s****l secretions. Disgusted, Otto began to turn his head away to dilute the disgusting denotation, when the sweetest scent of citrus darted through the thick hue of debauchery.

“MATE!” Amos cried out in his head.

Holda, his mate, was inside.

Otto’s relief made him stumble. It seemed as though the marrow in his bones melted at the realisation that he had found her.

“Alpha, she’s in there. My mate, my Holda. I can smell her.” Otto mind linked, wrestling against his compulsion to run to her.

The pause in response was frustrating.

“We are very happy for you. The other groups are launching their rescues now. I was just confirming their infiltration. The customer intake seems to have settled a little now, so we will enter as one group. Send four warriors to the back, to trap anyone who tries to escape and prevent an alarm being raised. Fidella will free any she-wolves that want to join us. It would be better if it was her. She could put them at ease. Any wolves we find, we will give them a choice of if they wish to join us or find freedom on their own. The aim is to subdue and apprehend as many humans as possible. We will tie them up and leave them. The only exception to that rule will be if they attack us and are skilled enough to cause damage, or if they are a danger to the wolves inside.” Conri sent his orders to the entire group who had volunteered for the rescue.

“Why don’t we just kill them all?” one of the more fractious wolves asked.

His question resulted in an array of growls, harshly muffling the clarity of the mind-link.

“Firstly, it is my decision as your alpha. Additionally, the ultimate objective is to rescue Holda and it will be more difficult if you m******e everyone. Lastly, we don’t want to gain a ruthless reputation, we are the Goddess’ children, not mindless animals.” Conri replied, ending the defiance.

Slipping out of their hiding places, the men surreptitiously moved towards the building. Conri had planned to open the door, assessing any potential danger, but it was Otto’s hand that clenched the handle. Taking one deep breath, a momentary pause, he pushed the door open and was horrified by the sight that awaited him.

Insidious scenes were being depicted in an open-plan forum, it was like a human gallery of exploitation. Some she-wolves were strapped to the wall using silver chains. In some of the smaller rooms, both male and female wolves were crouched on the floor with silver collars round their necks and leads that connected to the proprietors' wrists. They were treating them like pet dogs. One older human had his feet atop of a wolf’s back as he kneeled in front of him like he was a piece of furniture, a living fur rug delivered from the man’s hunt. The heads of all the wolves were so low, their noses were scraping the floor. Strangely, Otto and his group hadn’t been noticed yet, because it seemed everyone was transfixed by the humiliation of the werewolves in front of them.

“Follow me,” Iselda said through the mind link, seeming a little paler than usual, but as assertive as ever.

Otto wanted to cry when he thought of his shy, reserved mate being imprisoned in such a place of ill-repute. There was no doubt that she would have changed from the woman he knew. He wondered how much he would have changed to her.

“Focus!” Amos chastised him.

“Do you know why it is so quiet?” Fidella mind linked to her Gamma, but included the entire group in her link.

“That was the training room, it’s where they break the wolves to make the pliant, and the ones already prepared will be in the biggest room at the back of the house. When it’s this quiet, there is usually a show, or an orgy being performed.” Iselda explained, but none of them had the heart to ask how she knew so much.

They followed Iselda, and the sounds coming from the room confirmed Iselda’s answers. Conri was about to open the door, when Iselda pulled him away, gesturing to the wall further down. She ran her fingers over the smooth wood until she found the indent and slid a section of the panel across.

“The voyeur’s viewer,” Iselda explained, “for those who only want to watch”.

The thought made Fidella snarl.

“No matter what happens, we are freeing these wolves.” She insisted to Conri, in a tone that tolerated no disagreement.

Otto was in total agreement with his Luna. He prayed that Holda had been spared from this, but it made no difference. He was hers, and she was his. The past wouldn’t matter. He looked through the hole, thankful that he didn’t find her.

“Take Rufus, and look for her, we will end the horrors down here,” Conri told him.

Otto brought Amos forward, and latched onto the fresh citrus scent his Holda always exuberated. Cautiously, he advanced up the stairs, ensuring there were no guards. There were only four rooms on the upper floor that were barely covered by a thin material. The merciless pounding of flesh hitting flesh with such vigour that it sounded more like manic clapping made Otto’s stomach turn. Rufus’ usual stoic expression was tight with a mix of anger and sympathy. If Otto entered one of these rooms and saw anyone touching Holda, he would rip them from chest to c**k regardless of the Alpha’s orders. His nose led him to the room at the furthest end of the corridor, and the recent stench of s*x was mingling with his mate’s scent. Amos continued to remind his human that they would know if she had been hurt, but Otto knew there were many ways to hurt people without touching them. It was this thought that sent his wolf apoplectic. In his anger, and prepared to fight, he pulled the futile veil from the door frame, causing the woman inside to flinch. She didn’t look up at the disturbance, but kept her eyes fixed on the dirty sheets she was pulling off the bed with urgent tugs.

Inhaling deeply, Otto took what felt like his first deep breath in years, and the sharp pain of separation eased a little. He reached out to touch her, his hand trembling, but as his fingertips brushed the sleeve of her tunic she pulled away from him. Shaking in the middle of the room, she kept her eyes fixed on the floor.

“I’m just the cleaner, Dominus. I can find a prepared room for you,” She murmured quietly.

Otto realised that she hadn’t noticed it was him, and couldn’t detect his scent. Even worse, her reaction to him was so rehearsed that he knew this situation had happened many times before.

“Holda.” He gently breathed, gaining her attention.

Bravely, she raised her head to dismiss the lies her ears were telling her. The lie that, after all these years, her mate had miraculously turned up to rescue her and find their children. She told herself that when she looked up and there was no-one there, she would have to accept her fate. Like in the mornings, when the vivid dreams of his embrace lingered, or when she imagined his face on her neck as she stirred the cooking pot in the evening, but every time she turned she was alone. Firmly deciding that when she saw that the doorway was empty this time, she would have to accept that the mate sickness had finally found her. Contrary to her expectations, Otto was there. He was different to how she remembered him, but undeniably, unmistakably it was him. Her mate.

Holda hurried to him, wrapping her arms around his waist as if he would vanish if she let him go. He nuzzled into her neck, and the nostalgic habit brought them both solace. He placed gentle kisses on her forehead and in her hair, determined to make her believe that he was real, and she was safe. Her face was pressed against his chest, breathing him in. His scent was becoming slightly more detectable now she was so close to him, the sweet rhubarb that he always complained wasn’t a masculine scent. She looked down at the anklet that was preventing her wolf exploring her senses properly, and Otto followed her gaze. Kneeling down, he went to touch it, but she pulled her leg back.

“It’s silver,” She expanded, and he looked again to see the red welts that looked sore against her pale skin.

Before he had a chance to ignore the pain, and pull it off her, they were disturbed.

“Sorry to interrupt, but the noises down stairs have stopped. I think we can deal with the humans in these rooms and then finally leave this cesspit.” Rufus coyly told them, feeling guilty for cutting their reunion short.

Thankfully, Otto nodded in agreement, before tentatively raising his mate’s chin until she looked him in the eyes. He could see the silver scar around her eye and it incensed him. His thumb pad brushed over the mark, remembering it for when he was allowed to release his rage on the humans.

“Holda, I’m going to rescue the wolves and she-wolves on this floor. Our pack is down stairs saving the others. Before I enter, I need to know…are our children behind any of these curtains?” He braced himself for the answer he was hoping he didn’t hear.

“No, they were captured, but they aren’t with me, I think they are in a different city, and I think I know which one.” She answered.

Leaving Holda in the corridor, Rufus and Otto interrupt the turpitude acts in each room, incapacitating each human, and liberating each wolf. Rufus carried one human over each shoulder and Otto carried one on his left shoulder, and held his mate’s hand in his right hand. The wolves were nervously following behind. The corridor was eerily quiet, and the rooms in the open-plan section were empty as well. Apprehensively, Otto opened the door and reassured himself that there was no danger. Upon seeing them, Fidella smiled at his mate, before looking down at her silver anklet. Using her ability to resist the burn of silver, she reached down and snapped the offending item. Holda’s mouth dropped open in shock.

Looking over at the unexpected commotion, Conri had a wolf pinned against the wall, and the humans were huddled on the floor in a state of disarray, glaring arrogantly at the pack that had subdued them. Some of them had very minor injuries, bruises began to appear like a purple and blue mosaic, Otto couldn’t help but feel a little satisfied at the treatment they had received. The wolf pushed against the wall and continued to struggle in a futile fashion.

“Why are you loyal to them? They see you as their slave.” Conri tried to reason with him.

“I am his servant, it is an honour to protect my human, not that I expect you to understand duty,” The wolf retorted.

“A great protector you have been!” One of the humans sarcastically called out, resulting in a collective growl.

“He doesn’t seem to be thankful to you for acting upon your duty, even though you were injured while trying to protect him.” Conri replied, but he was ignored.

“Very well, chain the wolf with the humans” Conri ordered, but the protests from the humans surged, like a wave of complaint.

“I won’t be chained next to a filthy wolf!” One called out, but stopped speaking when Iselda stepped forward.

The stench of fear suffocated the air in the room. Otto noticed that Iselda’s knuckles were scraped and red, her clothes had splashes of blood on them, more than any other wolf present. While she stood there, the humans were tied together, and no argument arose. She crouched down to the wolf who was now tied to his master.

“You have just given up your chance of freedom to a human who doesn’t want to sit next to you. I don’t think this choice will bring you happiness.” She taunted him cruelly, before making her way out of the building.

Conri and Fidella both looked at Iselda as she led the new pack members out. The Alpha and Luna had an expression of concern and criticism on their faces.

“She very nearly shifted, her anger completely guided her at some points. We need to watch her closely until we move away from the human town. I think these circumstances were too close to her own experiences. We should have considered that before we brought her here.” Fidella linked Conri, who nodded in agreement.

“We can only help her now, be there for when she wants to share her feelings. The next destination we go to, we will talk to her about it. After she has had space to understand her own reaction. I was surprised. It’s not in her character to be so excessively violent,” Conri replied.

Otto couldn’t stop looking at his mate. He wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone how they returned to their underground hideout. The buildings blurred and the steps melted. The only vivid details he could see were those belonging to Holda. She seemed quiet, as if she couldn’t tell what was real. When they returned to the pack, the laughter of the wolves was warm and welcoming, but even this response was strange to her. There were some new faces already there, easily spotted by their nervous expressions. Overall, the rescues were highly successful. Food was distributed to the new members, and Otto took Holda over to the corner he had claimed for them. Not long after, Andre returned from his mission, but paused on his way down the steps. Frantically, his eyes skimmed the crowd, trying to locate where the divine smell was coming from. Fresh bread on a cold morning was all he could identify, until his eyes fell on the Goddess’ masterpiece. Carefully, he approached her, and to his surprise she burst into tears before hiding her face in his chest. Carrying her bowl of food, he led her to his section, staring at her in disbelief. Holda watched as the fated couple took turns to eat the stew from the same spoon. Andre tenderly wiped the tears from her face, as he waited for his turn again. Holda turned to look at her own mate again. She seemed even more confused, and Otto was worried that the time that had passed had affected her more than he initially realised.

“Otto, is this Elysium?” She asked him, a little embarrassed.

“No, my darling, you haven’t died. You’ve just come back home,” he comforted her, holding her in his arms until sleep claimed them both.