Chapter 16 - Prisoners

• Brian -
• After dropping all of us down that strange chute that was hidden in the caves, the bastards that were taking us to what I assume is the camp where Ace is staying, hit us all in the head one by one, I know this because I was the last to be knocked out, Mark was still out cold from the earlier attack so they didn’t need to hit him, I’m not sure I could have handled that, as it is I could have sworn I saw him flinch when they hit me the first time. I have a feeling he is faking, that he is pretending to be unconscious, but to what end I have no idea. I just prayed we would all make it out of this alive, I don't think I could live with myself if anything happened to the others, if I had trusted my mate they wouldn't even be here.
• I don't know how much time has passed and because I was knocked out I have no clue where we are, how we got here or how to get out. I look around at my fellow pack mates and the guys from Twin Lakes and curse our luck, Ace is better than I thought, more organised. We are all in cages in the middle of a clearing, two to a cage in most cases, looks like Ace tried to ensure mates were separated as Aria and Harry are in cages as far apart as possible. But he did make one mistake, Mark is with me, which gives me pause, we were clearly being watched if they know Aria and Harry are mates, but Mark and I have not been acting like mates, guilt consumes me at the realisation. I have been so focused on the mission I have neglected our bond. Mark is watching me, observing me take in our surroundings, a sheepish, slightly guilty look on his own face. I open my mouth to speak but he shakes his head subtly then rolls his eyes towards the edge of the clearing. On closer inspection I see we are surrounded by at least 10 guards, though they are all chatting among themselves, clearly not on high alert. A faint scratching sound pulls my attention back to Mark, he is using his finger to write something in the dusty ground. I lean forward slightly for a better view and also to hide his movements from the so called guards.