Why was the wolf speaking to him like that? Blue stared at him with a severe frown on his face, not understanding what it was that was making this wolf so intent on keeping Blue with him. He hadn't known any wolf he had met to do anything for anyone other than himself, let alone something that actively put him in danger to benefit another. Even Alden, who cared for Blue as if he were a prized pet, only did it because he liked the power he felt at having Blue underneath his thumb. After the day that Alden and Lofgren had raped Blue together, it hadn't taken the broken human long to figure out that Alden had used him as a way to get on Lofgren's good side. His manipulations had only served to reiterate the fact that werewolves were careless, uncivilized, and selfish creatures. What did Eivind have to gain from gluing himself to Blue's side, even as the young man stank of wolf semen and illness?<br/><br/>Blue's request to leave him to die seemed to offend the wolf; he reacted angrily, growling at him before calming himself and reassuring Blue that he would live, and<i>he</i>would take him away from Lofgren's pack. Blue laughed derisively at Eivind's arrogant declarations that the alpha wasn't going to do anything were he to try and remove Blue from his territory, though it hurt him immensely to do so. Pearls of sweat beaded along Blue's forehead and dripped down his temples. "If Lofgren wants to stop you, he will. And Alden . . . He's--I don't know what you would call him. If Jamsen is Lofgren's second, Alden might be considered an unofficial third. He and Lofgren fuck me, sometimes fuck each another, and Alden keeps me alive. He is the one who gets to say who fucks me, and I doubt he has approved you."<br/><br/>The human's ears perked up as much as they were able at Eivind's mention of Jamsen. "I see," he replied slowly, tearing his eyes away from the wolf and looking up at the ceiling. So that's what this was all about. Jamsen hadn't liked having Blue around since the beginning; he had been the only one other than Garlan to never have taken a taste of Blue, except his chastity had been self-imposed. Once again, Blue was being used as a pawn, only this time Jamsen had offered him to another pack, placing the responsibility of his life into their paws. Blue wondered what Jamsen had said in order to convince Eivind's pack that Blue was worth the effort. Why travel so many miles to pick up a sickly, weak human? Lofgren's pack had some fixation on Blue, but no other group had any reason to desire him.<i>Maybe I'm just fucking catnip for werewolves</i>, Blue thought, finding himself almost amused at the concept.<br/><br/>Eivind kept talking to him, so Blue was forced to direct his attention back at the wolf and look at him with weary silver eyes. The wolf truly was something to admire, even Blue had to admit it to himself. In another world, another life, maybe this wolf would have been Blue's type. If they had met under different circumstances, Blue would have liked the intensity in Eivind's face, his lean, chiseled body and the smooth curve of his spine that culminated in long, muscular legs. He had always liked older men, and even though Eivind couldn't have been more than maybe seven, eight years older than him, there did seem to be a story hidden behind Eivind's dark eyes. And maybe Blue would have cared about all of that even now, if Eivind wasn't a fucking wolf.<br/><br/>"Why do you even care?" Blue whispered, his statement more rhetorical than anything else. Maybe he was just collecting information for his pack, although why Jamsen wouldn't have already given them that information Blue couldn't say. Whether it was Blue's natural curiosity or the fever that was beginning to claim him, the human decided that he would entertain Eivind's questions for the moment, at least until he got bored or annoyed.<br/><br/>"I was . . . I was walking out here, alone," he began slowly, licking his dry, cracked lips. Blue felt so painfully thirsty. "There are campsites on the eastern edges of the preserve. You're not supposed to go past a certain point, but I snuck around some of the barriers and warning signs." Blue had thought about that day a thousand times since his capture, and as he told Eivind the short tale, he couldn't shake the feeling like he was talking about someone else. That boy, that version of Blue, had died a long time ago. Who Blue was now he couldn't say. "I got into a stupid fight with my parents. Told them I was gay. They didn't approve." He chuckled lightly. It all seemed so fucking mundane now.<br/><br/>"So I came to the preserve to get away and to just think, I guess. I don't really know anymore. I was walking for hours, so I guess I went too far and drifted into Lofgren's territory. He hunted me down. I don't know how long he was stalking me for. He attacked me as a wolf." Blue pointed at the fresh, ugly scars that ravaged his shoulder. "These are from that day. I blacked out and he took me here. He was nice, at first. As nice as Lofgren gets, anyway. But something was off about him, and I didn't trust him, so when he left the cabin to get me something to eat, I tried to run away."<br/><br/>Blue's voice was hollow as he spoke. He had cried over the memory so many times that there was nothing left inside of him. "Lofgren went after me. He found me, and he fucked me. When he was finished, he left me in the forest, but the pack surrounded me. None of them touched me that night, but they made sure I didn't leave Lofgren's territory. The next day, they herded me back to him, and he told them I was fair game. He and Jamsen fought when Lofgren offered me as a reward and Jamsen refused. As you can guess, the old man lost.<br/><br/>"I don't know how long I've been here, to be honest. I started to lose track of the days. Four, maybe five weeks. It doesn't matter."<br/><br/>Blue's breathing became heavier now. Just being awake was starting to wear on him immensely, and his body was dripping with sweat.