Saturn

Luna VII

Hadley sat alone in the cell for hours, her only entertainment the shifting of light on the walls from the sun peeking through blades of grass outside the window. She had mulled over Xavian word's and offer of safety within the numbers of the pack.

While the idea of never starving again or braving a fierce winter was tempting, to join the pack that made her suffer alone in the first place was incredulous. She felt it might be better to just let them kill her, then maybe she could be with her family again.

She watched the light outside the window grow dimmer, her cell turning to almost complete darkness aside from the sliver of orange light peeking from the top of the wall. She missed the sunsets. It had been one of her favorite times of day, watching the sun lower over the horizon or filter through the leaves of the trees as it sunk into its slumber.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud buzz of the cell door unlocking. It slid open and Xavian was there again.

"What do you want?" She growled. She pulled the blankets to her chest and backed into the corner of the bed. It gave her a false sense of security.

"To apologize." Xavian stepped through the door with his hands tucked in the pocket of his jeans.

"For what?" Hadley eyed him with caution.

"Everything that happened to you."

"You don't know what happened to me. You don't know what these seven years have been for me. How can you apologize for something you don't understand?" Hadley snarled. "You capture me, threaten me, then offer me a place alongside the ranks of those who hurt me and my family. Your loyal subjects hate me and what I am. I would never be treated the same, always looked at like an outcast, like I am lower than them."

Xavian took another step forward, the door closing behind him with a metal clang. "I understand it seems that way. I talked to one of the wolves in the patrol that killed your parents. He told me... everything."

Hadley's eyes held an unbearable amount of pain, and an equal amount of hatred. "The one that took advantage of my inability to fight? The one that I hoped every second of every passing day would choke and die and slow and miserable death? To be part of his pack would mean I have betrayed myself and my family." She turned her gaze to the wall, refusing to look at him now, the blanket still fisted tightly in her hands. 

"I cannot make up for what he did to you and pack law does not allow me to do anything to him while you are a rogue. You are not protected by the laws here, but if you were one of us..."

"Are you deaf? Just kill me already, get it over with," she spat. "Maybe this suffering will be over if you just killed me now." Her eyes met his again, cold and blazing at the same time. She was pissed he would come in here to remind her of the moment in her past she so desperately tried to bury for the last several years. 

Xavian sighed, "I can't do that. It's not that easy. Is that really your choice?" He was heartbroken that he could not convince her. She was too determined to stay away from this pack. While he could understand her reasoning for hating them, it still hurt that he would have to make the final call and give the order for her death. He had killed in the past, by his own hand, but it was different. It was fighting in the field, acts of self-defense or battle. This was an unfortunate circumstance that someone fell into and was only given two options.

"Yes. Now leave."

He lowered his head and stepped back to the door, opening it and leaving with one final glance back at her.

Alone again, Hadley finally took a moment to cry. It had only been maybe two or three days here, but the toll it was taking on her was immense. In those few days, she had been reminded of the trauma of seven years ago and the heartbreak seemed to happen all over again. She wanted to go home, to her family, to the forest and the lakes. She let herself cry until she fell asleep. Maybe tomorrow would be the day she could see her family again. She could only dream.

☾

The light from the window illuminated the cell once again. It was bright and hot and shown directly on the steel door. The grass outside cast shadows that swayed in the gentle breeze. Hadley was awake again, watching the blades.

She strangely felt a sense of peace at the possibility of leaving this plane of existence. It was a relief. It would finally mean freedom, peace, warmth, comfort, silence.

Her brain had felt fuzzy all morning and the effects of the suppression medication had been weaning away slowly. Her senses increased as her wolf came back to her. She could hear now the footsteps of guards down the hall, someone humming as they walked past the cell, the guard outside her door letting out a soft cough every once in a while. The room smelled stale now, the carpet almost smelling damp. She could smell the cleaning chemicals used from the last time someone was here; bleach and dish soap. It reminded her faintly of her mother who spoke of when she lived in human society and had an apartment.

It was nice to have it all back. Her wolf made her feel even more at peace, like everything could be normal again. Though her wolf was still silent, she felt her presence.

The cell door buzzed open and a guard stood outside. "Come with me," he said briskly. "Put this on first." He threw thin black cotton pants and shirt at her.

Hadley stood, trying to hide her body the best she could from the guard as she removed the hospital clothes and put on her new uniform. It felt like a funeral outfit... and maybe it was. Hopefully.

The guard stepped forward and took her arm once she was clothed and led her out of the cell. Another guard waited and took her other arm as she went past. They were both taller than her, broad shouldered and smelled like leather and earth. They went for the elevator, the same one that brought them here. Again, she watched the screen above the buttons as it ticked up to Level 1. Ground Level.

The elevator doors opened to what could almost be considered a lobby. There was a large room with white tiled floors, better kept than those in the basement. The ceiling was tall, the floorplan open. There was comfortable seating scattered around on pretty little area rugs. The guards escorted her to large sliding glass doors. Parked outside was a black van, completely enclosed. The back doors were open. The seats were empty. She was shoved inside, and one guard followed her in and sat near the doors. She sat as far away from him as possible.

"Where are we going?" She asked. She had an idea, but it would be nice to know for sure if these were her final moments.

"The pack house. Home base. Alpha Xavian has requested final visitation before execution." The male made no attempt to look at her, his eyes focused on the metal side of the van. She noticed a pistol on his side, no doubt equipped with a silver bullet -- a bullet that could kill her. 

Hopefully.

Hadley's shoulders were tense despite her hopes earlier about this being the day she went home to her parents. 

She surveyed the guard as the doors were slammed shut and the van started moving. He was dressed in all black, heavy boots, a bulletproof vest and his pistol. For being a werewolf guard, he looked an awful like human military.

The ride was brief, but enough to allow Hadley to think about her family, what the Alpha could want with this "final visitation," and how she was about to be put to death. She hoped it was quick. A bullet maybe. Would the Alpha be the one to do it?

The doors of the van swung open and bathed the back in sunlight. They were parked in front of a massive house with tall white pillars, huge windows, and a mahogany front door fit for the entrance of a king. The guard who accompanied her stood and took her arm and led her out of the van and onto the grass in front of the building. 

"The home of Saturn Pack," he announced.