After stomping my boots harshly on the short stairs to rid them of the snow, I opened up the back door and let it slam shut on the arguing behind me. Maneuvering angrily around the people in the kitchen, I shoved through the swinging door and into the living room. Walking past the gremlins playing their video games, I ignored the way that they stiffened slightly at my presence.

Making it to the stairs, I moved around to where the basement entrance was. Pulling open the dark green door I entered the closet like space, where two warriors guarded another door this one pure silver. Clad in all black, the warriors nodded in respect before turning to put in the code that will unlock the door. After a long beep, they pulled open the thick silver door for me to pass through. The clicking and beeps muffled by the thick silver signaled that they had relocked the door after me as I made my way down the spiral staircase.

The basement resembled an old stone dungeon, which considering it had been created by the very first Alpha of the pack made sense. Light from the oil lanterns bounced off the cold stone walls as I made my way down to the bottom. Holding cells lined the walls in a single row down the middle of the room with more interrogation rooms going left and right in a T formation. The basement was a masterpiece as the heavy stone and cement walls kept any noise from being heard above. It also spanned the entire area below the pack house.

Jumping the last few steps, my boots slammed loudly against the cobblestone at the bottom. Straightening up, I searched the multiple guards lining the halls for the one in charge. In the hall straight ahead, a woman sat behind a paper covered desk filling out what looked to be more paperwork.

Approaching her, I asked, “Which cell are the new renegades in?”

Putting her pen down, she responded, “The ones from Phoenix?”

“Those would be the ones.” My temper from the earlier spat with Jasper had cooled since coming down here. Probably due to the fact that very soon I’d be spilling blood.

“One moment,” She informed me while looking through the papers on her desk. “Ah, here we go,” The woman placed the paper down in front of me, “There are four males and one female. Two of them we think are mates. Please sign here, Omicron.”

“Good to know,” I replied as I bent at the waist to sign and date the paper for the records to show that I was the interrogator.

Swiping the paper as soon as I was done, she double checked it and then told me, “You’ll be in interrogation room three with a double sided mirror and viewing room.”

I tilted my head, “Why?”

“The Alpha wanted us to set you up in there.”

Weird but not completely unusual that Otis wanted me in that room, sometimes he or one of the others liked to check in and see how everything was going. Nodding, I turned to the left and headed down the hall.

My boots echoed off the stone floor as I walked down the fire lit hall towards room number three. Silver doors passed by until I reached the third to the last room with a covered steel cart waiting beside it. Peeking under the sheet, I smiled at what it hid and turned to the door with a #3 scratched into its surface.

I flipped all four locks before looking behind me at the bald guard standing against the wall, “Could you hold the door open for me?”

“Of course, Omicron.” Like mine, the words flowed from his mouth on a cloud of white as he moved towards me.

While the guard held the door wide open, I got behind the cart and pushed my way into the lit room. The outside might’ve looked medieval but the inside of the room was very modern. Bright white lights flooded the occupied room hat held five silver chairs. Sitting in those chairs strapped in by their ankles, wrists, and necks were the renegades I had been waiting for. The straps holding them were two inches thick and made out of pure silver just like the doors.

Wheeling the cart passed all five of their chairs, I came to a stop before I hit the wall. “You can close the door and relock it now.” I told the guard.

Leaning back against the wall, I crossed my arms as the door closed with a heavy thump. Silence penetrated the room as the renegades and I looked each other over. All of them smelled of blood and dirt, the signature smell of a renegade, but they also held a lingering whiff of sweat. The two men closest to the door held semi-blank expressions trying to conceal their real feelings.

Their muscular physiques differed greatly from the other two men who sat next to them. One was a middle aged man with sagging muscles and a beer belly. And the last male couldn’t have been much older than myself with little muscle on him, probably one of those shifters that tried to get by on his inherited strength. The one with the fastest heart rate in the room was the woman who was fairly toned but had fear expressed plainly across her face.

“Why were you guys in Phoenix?”

As expected no one answered.

“That’s alright, I think I know why.” I left the statement hanging in the air between us. Eyes bouncing from one to the other while I waited for one of them to crack out of curiosity.

Seconds stretched into minutes as I calmly waited for them to ask what I thought I knew. A shifting sound drew my eyes towards the right where the heavily muscled men were bound. The second one closest to the door was twisting his wrists in pain, the veins in his forearms were raised and turning a charcoal grey color.

“Someone has a weak immune system...” I taunted.

“Don’t speak to him, you feral bitch.”

Brows raised, I flicked my red eyes to the other muscled male. Like the others, his clothes were soiled and torn but his eyes held a fire that wasn’t there before. His face was no longer blank but enraged now and all because I had talked to the male beside him...

Pushing off the mirror, I moved to stand in front of them, “So, it’s you two.”

The men tensed at my words. These were the mates the lady had mentioned when I came in. Reaching down, I grabbed the armrest of the black haired male and pulled him face to face with his mate. As they stared at each other, most likely having a conversation within their personal link, I went to stand before the other three.

The old man sat unbothered, the young man had begun to sweat and the woman was silently weeping. Tilting my head, I stepped closer to the woman and used the tips of my fingers to force her head straight. Brown and black swirling eyes met mine in fear with a quivering lip.

“Why are you crying? Your own actions lead you here.”

The woman sobbed something inaudible even to my ears.

“Speak clearly. You weren’t sobbing when you held that woman down to be raped. So, don’t cry now.” Ripping my hand away from her skin, I let my claws extend and slice two shallow cuts underneath her chin.

She gave a short scream, breaking down into heavier sobs as blood ran down her neck in thin rivets. A mixture of tears and blood soaked the silver collar around her neck while I waited for her dramatics to end. Lifting my hand slightly, I watched her blood roll off my claws to land on the cement with a soft splat. Sniffling loudly, the woman finally pulled herself together enough to speak clearly.

Her heavy exhales swayed the stringy black hair around her face, “We were...on a...normal raid.”

“Were you?”

“It was. Steal...rape, kill...but-”

The old man cut her off, “Shut. Up.”

Moving swiftly, I slammed my fist against the old man’s temple knocking him out cold and then motioned for the woman to continue.