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It hurt. Everything fucking hurt and honestly Alex was over it. Alex was over hunters in general and God did she wish she was back in Montana where such bullshit was illegal. Illegal and thoroughly enforced, surprisingly. But she wasn’t back in Montana, instead she was in some hunter lodge in California, being tortured by idiots who wouldn’t know ass from elbow. Unfortunately, they knew how to use shock collars and cattle prods and were very good at using them. The only blessing was that she was still fully clothed, meaning the intricate patterns of ink covering her skin would remain intact. Getting tattoos redone was a pain, literally.
“The bitch is back with us, it looks like. Ready to tell us where the rest of your pack is?”
Alex spit at the hunter, saliva mixed with blood hitting him in the face. It helped that, even if she wanted to talk, she had no idea where Derek or McCall were. Hopefully they weren’t making a hare-brained scheme to come rescue her. They probably were.
(They absolutely were)
Her train of thought was cut short as a prod was shoved into her ribcage and engaged, the voltage making her jolt and she swore she could feel her heart change pace. Another hunter yanked at the makeshift leash attached to the shock collar, making her head bang into the bars of the cage she was in. Horribly undignified for a wolf of her pedigree but it was better this way. Derek and McCall would disagree, but she had the least skin in this game and the least knowledge. If anyone was to get captured, it was best for the Montanan alpha to be the one.
“Hey, Casey, gimme the big stick why don’t ya?” The hunter with the prod called out, tossing it from one hand to the other. A tall, lanky man appeared from the shadows. Casey, Alex assumed. A modified nightstick was handed over, the air charged with electricity as it was turned on. Alex braced herself for impact.
Nothing could have prepared her for this. She could feel herself shift, her claws extending and teeth elongating. The sound that tore from her throat could have been classed as a scream, but there was something more primal to it. More wild. As awareness came back from the agonizing shock-pain, Alex realized that the noise wasn’t all her. The leash was slack, the hunter holding it now flung across the room. The man holding the prod was slumped over, claws poking through the front of his shirt from behind. Derek, then. McCall was too soft for this type of carnage. Alpha red eyes met electric blue, Alex managing to nod as Derek pulled his hand from the hunter’s innards.
A head popped between them, the human who hung around wolves making quick work of the lock on the cage. Skittles? Skyler? Style? Alex couldn’t remember, her brain fuzzy and nerves still stinging. It seemed the door was the only thing keeping her upright, for as soon as she pitched forward into Derek’s waiting arms. It became clear very fast that she wasn’t able to hold herself upright, and Derek easily lifted her into a bridal carry. It was all very cliche and she would mock him for it later. As it was, she allowed such an indignity and let herself be laid in the back of a Jeep that had a worrying amount of duct tape around it. The human - what was his name!? - started the engine and they were off, leaving the corpses to be found by scavengers. Or perhaps other hunters. Alex didn’t care at this moment, it would be a problem for another day.
“Go to sleep, Rey.” Alex couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face, painful though it was on chapped lips. She raised a middle finger in response and Derek barked a laugh. She would be fine, he would make sure of it. Such a good baby cousin. She couldn’t wait to make fun of him later.