CHAPTER 89: THE BOY WHO WAS TRAPPED

The same dream.

A boy with red hair and amber eyes hopelessly running through a maze. He was without a shirt or shoes, and his feet hurt from running all the time, but he was just desperate to find a way out. It feels like he’s been trapped in here for a very long time, and every breath came with a gasp.

It was horrifying. The maze was dark, and he couldn’t feel his wolf.

Thaddeus opened his eyes slowly, as weak as always. It was the same sight that met his eyes - the same one he’s been seeing for weeks now. Dark ceiling covered in black stains.

He was lying on something soft but firm, and his hands and legs were strapped down by something metallic. He could hear the same faint noise of something howling in through the vents - the suppressants that kept his wolf down since he was brought here.

His heartbeat felt weak, and whatever the suppressants were doing to him was about to put him back to sleep, back to that cold, empty maze that never ended.

He couldn’t. It was messing with his head too much. He desperately wanted to escape from whatever this was.

Just then, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching his door. Two people whispered among themselves as they stepped closer, and he let his eyes fall back closed.

Thaddeus’s heart stuttered. He didn’t move, didn’t breathe louder than necessary. He was lying still with the straps biting into his wrists and chest, but the faintest twitch of his claws told him he was alive and aware.

The door creaked open, and two figures stepped in, their voices low.

"Sleeping again," one murmured, his tone slightly amused, "It’s been what, three days since the last time?"

The other chuckled softly, "Yeah. Same room too. Every three days, they move him. Alpha Darius doesn’t like leaving him in one place for too long. Keeps him... hidden,"

Thaddeus’s ears flattened against his skull. Hidden. Moved every three days. Alpha Darius?

His muscles twitched beneath the restraints.

"What for, though?" the first asked. "He’s strong. I mean, even restrained... if he figured out the vents...,"

"Experiment," the second interrupted, voice low and sharp. "That’s all we know. The Vents keep him sedated or weakened most of the time, moves him around, same room, just... rotated. No one knows why. Keeps him quiet, safe from... outsiders,"

Thaddeus’s jaw tightened. He felt rage and fear twist together into something sharp, and hot inside of him. His wolf whimpered faintly inside, sensing the tension that was rising within Thaddeus.

"Do you think he knows we talk about him?" the first whispered.

Thaddeus heard something like leather being torn open, "It doesn’t matter. He can’t do anything,"

That was the last fuel.

Hearing Alpha Darius’s name was the biggest fuel that got adrenaline pumping through him.

With a burst of anger, he pulled his wrist up so hard the metal bit hard into him but he didn’t care. The strangers turned just in time as Thaddeus powered through the metal, freeing his arms.

Both men were in lab coats, and the first one approached him with a syringe, about to inject his neck when Thaddeus grabbed the man’s arm, twisted it sharply and shoved the needle into the man’s neck instead.

The other gasped, panicked and ran out of the room.

Thaddeus tore the leather straps off his leg and stumbled out of bed. The floor felt cold against his bare feet, and he almost lost his footing. His knees trembled, but he held onto the edge of the wall and used it as an anchor to walk himself to the open door.

Suddenly, alarms went off everywhere in the building. The sound had him flinching for a second, but as soon as he stepped out of the room, the effect of the suppressants waned.

He could feel his wolf emerging again. The ache at the back of his head lessened drastically and strength began flooding his body again.

He sucked in a deep breath of relief, glad he was feeling like himself again, before he took off running.

Thaddeus barreled through the hallway, searching for the nearest exit out of this hellhole.

A guard stepped into view, gun raised and eyes flashing.

He quickly ducked left as bullets ricocheted, sparks flashing bright behind him. He skidded around a corner, heartbeat shaking his ribs. The suppressant still ate at him somehow. He wasn’t moving his fastest, but at least he was breathing in uncontaminated air now.

More wolves appeared from the corner up front, and more dashed in from behind. Thaddeus snarled at them and jumped into the wall, his claws digging into them.

He shot out and landed on the first wolf, his canines sinking into his neck and tearing out. He was instantly on the next wolf too, quick and agile. He was no longer the weak boy who had staggered out of the room seconds ago.

Soon, he was running away with a pile of bodies behind him. Thaddeus desperately searched for the exist, kicking through steel doors and fighting off any wolf that walked into his path.

Finally, he approached what seemed like the exit. Slamming through a rusted metal door, he stumbled into the moonlight.

The Cold night air hit him like salvation, and he sucked in another deep breath of pure relief.

He sprinted across gravel and headed into the forest that surrounded the facility. Behind him, he could hear the roaring noise of lights, shouts and howls of wolves, quickly on pursuit of him.

He looked feral. His eyes were too bright, his skin was too pale and his body was still shaking. The blood of the wolves that had suffered under his cruel mercy stained his teeth and body.

Thaddeus refused to be caught, so he ran like hell.

Not without answers.

And not without revenge.

Alpha Darius would pay for kidnapping him.

And so, he disappeared into the trees, like a ghost they’ve never cage again.