Caged

Chapter 31

**| Sang's POV |**

"Sang, can you tell us about your time in The Gallows?" Councilman Duncan asked as the others came into the room and found places to settle in.

"Everything?" I asked and felt the blood leave my face. I didn't want to think about it. I'd been working extra hard to not think about.

"That might not be a good idea," Dr. Green said, giving them a warning look. They ignored him and stayed focused on me.

"Yes, as much as you can. We need to know what you know and even the smallest details can help. We hope to find those the Blackbourne pack couldn't get and you're the key to this. You know how they work, how they think. You'll be able to help us find them."

And we can save the rest, the female said. There is reason to believe there are more shifters waiting to be saved. Not everyone is as lucky as you are.

I winced and someone growled.

I glared at the female, not liking her more and more. She just smiled her sweet smile as if she didn't just say something that cut deep inside of me. Lucky?

"Luck does not exist in The Gallows," I said. "Luck is a word that should never be used there."

Oh, did I offend you? I apologize.

"Enough," Councilman Buble said with sharpness. There was a moment as they mindspoke to each other and the female just nodded before settling back in her chair.

Councilman Duncan focused back on me. "If you please. If it becomes too much, let us know."

I glared at the three of them, my body growing sore from being so tense. Blowing out a breath of air, I began.

"I was already in a cage when they came," I said. "Two men. They came into the garage with my stepmother and exchanged money right there. I was worth thirty grand apparently."

"Where was your father?" Councilman Duncan asked.

I shrugged. "Work? He seemed to always be away at work. That was why I was in the cage. Why I was always in the cage. When he was around, she wasn't as mean, but when he was gone, which was more often than not, I was treated like the animal that I am."

"You're not a fucking animal," North growled out.

I ignored him.

"They just left me in the cage, threw a heavy blanket over me, and then put me into a van."

"Did you fight back?" Councilman Buble asked.

"Not really. They shot me up with silver, so I was too busy in pain. And frankly, I didn't care. I had hoped they were going to bring me into the woods and just shoot me at that point. I was already weak. That human woman enjoyed poisoning me, beating me, giving me rotten food. I just wanted to get away."

How long was the drive.

I met the female's eyes. "Maybe a day? It was hard to tell. Once we got there, they carried me into a large warehouse and left me there alone for a couple of days. Then more men came and got me, moved me again. Same thing, heavy blanket, drove for a long time, I was full of silver. Then we got to another location and there were other shifters there. They put me in a room of them."

"What did you smell?" Councilman Duncan asked.

"Death, blood, anger, the forest. I stayed there for a few weeks. The first week, they just left me alone. The second week was my first match. I was tossed in a massive cage with another shifter, male. We fought, I barely won. The next match was a couple hours later. I lost that one. I had hoped they'd kill me, but I think they saw potential in me. After that, we stayed there for a couple of months. It was a string of matches, I lost a couple, won more."