  &quot;I thought he might have food,&quot; I add, eyes darting around the room past him as I continue to come back to the land of reality and start looking for something useful to help me get out of these straps. Trying up muster up the willpower to turn again, but nothing happens. Something is seriously screwing with my abilities, and this individual doesn t seem like an imminent threat. Unless talking you to death is possible. My nerves quickly dissipating in his presence.
  &quot;Oh, so you re hungry. How thoughtless of us. Well, we can do something about that, can t we. No need for us to be rude and inhospitable. It makes perfect sense you would be drawn to a manmade building in search of supplies in the center of this green utopia if you were out here lost. I just would like to know your name for a start, and possibly where you originated from, and maybe, if you have any more frien

  &quot;You can untie her, Doc. She can eat, but she stays confined in here until we decide what we should do with her. I still want a name and pack. I need to know what kind of threat she, or they, pose. I ll be back soon. I need to contact Alpha Santo and get direction concerning our intruder. He ll want to be informed.&quot;
  My heart literally stops beating in my chest, and I have to stop myself from gasping out loud at the words that come out of his mouth. My insides self-combust and the blood freezes in my veins, as my mind comes to a complete standstill on those two little terrifying words.
  Alpha Santo! Juan? There is no other Santo pack in these parts, and his resemblance isn t coincidental. Why Colton kept coming to mind is now glaringly obvious. This is Juan s facility, which can only mean one thing. Deacon is a Santo; it explains the asshole s bad attitude and shitty behavi

  My head aches with the weight of that damn bear sitting on my skull. My mouth feels weird and furry, like I just ate my own socks, and I blink at the bright white piercing light as I slowly try to open my eyes. Flinching at the assault and screwing my face up in reaction. My body is heavy and disconnected as I try to come to and figure out where I am and what happened to me. I feel like I just survived a train wreck, and I m not entirely sure I m not dead and in the afterlife waiting room. I m completely disorientated, everything spinning, and I can barely move my body as though, somehow, I ve lost the use of anything but my eyelids. I feel vacuum pressed to the surface I m flat out on and it s the most surreal sensation to wake up to.
  It takes a minute for my eyes to grow accustomed to the brightness of my surroundings and, much like having a torch shone in your face, it s painful a

&quot;I thought he might have food,&quot; I add, eyes darting around the room past him as I continue to come back to the land of reality and start looking for something useful to help me get out of these straps. Trying up muster up the willpower to turn again, but nothing happens. Something is seriously screwing with my abilities, and this individual doesn t seem like an imminent threat. Unless talking you to death is possible. My nerves quickly dissipating in his presence.
  &quot;Oh, so you re hungry. How thoughtless of us. Well, we can do something about that, can t we. No need for us to be rude and inhospitable. It makes perfect sense you would be drawn to a manmade building in search of supplies in the center of this green utopia if you were out here lost. I just would like to know your name for a start, and possibly where you originated from, and maybe, if you have any more friends lurking out there. A pack, a mate. Someone who might not be very discreet about the whereabouts of

chapter 37