3.1 | Animal Instinct ✓

02 | found

0 2

f o u n d

I AWOKE TO hushed whispers and shuffles of feet. As my vision aligned, everything returned in flashbacks. Killing a black wolf. Diego and a woman forcing their way into my home. Almost getting strangled to death. Lightning reflexes. Regenerative healing.

Obsidian eyes.

A chill ran down my spine as I remembered that final bit, just before Diego had knocked me out. I pushed myself up, feeling a tug on my arm. An IV drip was lodged into my veins, and I jerked away in alarm.

Immediately, one of the monitor screens began to beep. A man rushed into the room. "Quinn, I need you to stay calm."

"Don't touch me!" I wrenched away from him. "What are you injecting into me?"

"It's just glucose," he quickly assured me, the expression on his face calm. He showed me the label on the bag and lifted his lips in a faint smile. "Keeps you hydrated and energised. You seemed very weak when Bianca and Diego brought you here."

I eased back a sob as he hooked the IV tube back into place. "Who are you?"

He pulled away. "No one important."

"Then will you at least tell me why I'm here?"

"I'll leave the explanations to Bianca."

"I'm not talking to her," I said, meeting his gaze squarely. "She and Diego tried to kill me – "

"They were protecting you – "

" – by kidnapping me!" I finished angrily, before pausing and looking up at him with raised eyebrows. "Wait, what do you mean 'protecting'?"

"Quinn – " the man paused, and he seemed to be having a mental debate with himself before he finally sighed. Reaching for the nearest chair, he pulled it over and sat, shifting it closer to the bed. "Quinn," he repeated, looking me in the eyes, his expression grave all of a sudden. "You are an eyewitness to a very important murder case. And it's our job to look after you, and ensure that no harm comes to you until the Hearing."

"What are you – " A sudden thought came to mind and I looked at him in disbelief. "You mean the wolves? I already told Diego, it was an act of self-defence – "

"No, Quinn, not what you did. What the wolves did. The black wolf killed the brown one."

I paused, my eyebrows shooting up high on my forehead. "You need a court hearing for the death of a wolf?"

To my surprise, he chuckled, shaking his head at me in evident mirth. "Put like that, it does sound plain ridiculous; but I assure you, it's not. That wolf, the brown one, was really important to our community."

"Your community," I repeated in confusion. "I don't understand."

"You will, Quinn. Soon."

His words were so ominous that I suddenly felt afraid, and abruptly drew away from him, shifting myself closer to the wall. "Who are you?" I asked again.

His laughter ceased and, after a moment's hesitation, he inclined his head politely, stretching out a hand for me to shake. "I'm – "

But the door was flung open that moment, and a familiar woman strode into the room, her eyes narrowing when she saw his outstretched hand. "Clayton, now is not the time to fraternise with our eyewitness," she said coolly, and he quickly stood up, scraping the chair back against the floor. Dipping his head briefly to acknowledge her, he quickly left, but not before smiling at me faintly on the way out.