The Wolf Who Played With Fire: New Adult Paranormal Romance (Cry Wolf) (14 page)

Mia had counted on me to pick her up after work. Now I wouldn’t even be able to call her. They couldn’t hold me forever, I hoped, but if I showed my true strength, they would know I was a werewolf, and not just a wayward soldier on the way to the restroom.

“What’s going on here?” a man in a lab coat hissed. He walked down one of the adjoining hallways. When he had a better look at me and the men clutching me, he threw his hands in the air. “Heaven help me. Can’t anything go right here? What is the meaning of this, soldier?”

“Sir, I was only searching for a bathroom.” I held myself at attention, which was hard with the mercs holding my arms.

“You shouldn’t have come in here.” The scientist sighed. “You were strictly briefed before you arrived here. Did you not pay attention?” He nodded to Baldie.

I had no good counter. I did know we weren’t supposed to leave our posts. Anyone with half a brain knew that. My idiot wolf had royally screwed things over for us.

If I made it out of here alive, I would spend time with Chad figuring out how to control my urges. My anger and resentment had encroached on our time previously, but now those emotions were gone. What I cared most about was survival and seeing Mia again.

The men shoved me down the hall with Baldie leading the way. They didn’t have their guns pointed at me, but there were enough of them to know I wouldn’t make it out unscathed if I tried to fight.

A female’s agitated cries rang out from somewhere deeper in the labyrinth of hallways. My gut clenched in fear for her. What was going on in this place? We took a few more twists and turns, traveling ever closer.

The woman had long unwashed brown hair. Even through the hospital gown, I could tell she was too skinny. Something wild shone about her that reminded me of the werewolves I’d seen at the Pack meeting.

I wanted to help, but I’d screwed that up.

She froze in her full-blown thrashing when she saw me. She blinked as if I was some kind of ghost. How long had she been here? “Jacob.” The name slipped from her lips in a whisper, but it punched me in the chest. I’d been right.

My heart broke seeing the female in such poor condition, and I knew who Jacob had been protecting. It was
her
.

“What’s going on here?” I asked, tugging at my arms. The men at my sides didn’t budge. I could break away from them, but now I had a reason not to run. I wanted to help these people. However, if I was locked in with them, we were all in trouble.

Mia and the Pack would never know where to find me, and I would add to the casualty list of whatever experimentation they were doing here.

“Shut your mouth, soldier. You should’ve stayed at your post.” The merc beside me did his best to keep stride with Baldie, but we stopped, waiting for the feral female to be hauled off down the hallway.

She resumed her fierce struggles, but her fight was unorganized as if she was in some kind of drugged haze.

I clenched my jaw and squeezed my hands into fists. They had no compassion for human life here.

The merc on my left side nudged me a little to get me moving again. “She’s not what you think. She’s dangerous. We’re doing the world a favor.”

“Jed, keep your lips sealed, or you’re going to be sharing a cell with him,” the rude merc tossed at the other guy.

I shook my head, irritated with all of them. “You guys are crazy. The military will see that I’m not back at the off-site location. They’ll ask questions.”

“And we will tell them their soldier disobeyed a direct order.”

I closed my mouth, not even willing to waste any more words on them. They were right, which was the worst part about all of this. Damn it.

Baldie glanced back at us as if he was bored of all the conversation, then he unlocked a door to our left. The room held a large cage with a small cot, a bucket in the corner, and that was it. Home sweet home.

Fuck.
This was the stupidest thing I’d ever done.

The cage door was already open, as if they were expecting to put someone in there. Unfortunately, that just so happened to be me. Faint scents caught my attention: fear, urine and blood. I cringed, not wanting to go into the cage. For a moment, I didn’t care how strong they thought I was.

The ventilation drew away any other smells and the low hum of the air conditioning prevented me from hearing too much else of what was happening within the building, which was pretty odd. If there were a bunch of shapeshifters, I would’ve imagined I might be able to sense them, but then again, I wouldn’t be a full-blown werewolf until tomorrow.

Dread and a cool bead of sweat snaked down my spine. I prayed the werewolves or Mia had figured out my disappearance, because I had a day before the mercs and the scientist realized just how good a catch I’d been.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Mia

Chad led the way into the Pack Alpha’s elaborate mansion. My eyes nearly bugged out when I saw the size and scope of this place. I had assumed they might be in some shack out in the middle of the woods, but not this. From the way Chad dressed and acted, I never would have guessed he’d grown up in the lap of luxury.

Thankfully, the tea had worked wonders, even though time was running out. Werewolves metabolized faster, so he could come to his senses at any moment. I was still impressed with my magical talents, though.

Chad carried my large bag that barely passed as a purse. It held everything I’d need to scry for Ethan’s location, granted the werewolves hadn’t found him already, which I hoped against hope they had.

Jessa’s potion had worked to the point where I didn’t need the crutches, but they were still preferred. This was ridiculous. How would I be able to help? I bemoaned my injury, wishing we’d just told my family about our relationship in the first place.

Nolan would have a serious hissy fit over it, but he needed to realize that Ethan and I were adults. We had our own lives and we wanted to live them out together.

First I needed to convince the Pack of that. Even if I found Ethan, they couldn’t believe they had a monopoly over our future. He should be with me, and not with a female werewolf who wouldn’t love him nearly as much as I did.

Perhaps by helping with this, they might realize my potential. I only hoped that didn’t mean biting me and making me one of them. But if what I’d heard was right they wouldn’t stoop that low, since the Alpha didn’t want new werewolves to be made.

Chad held the door to what looked like a conference room open for me. Several men and a couple women stared and glanced between Chad and me. One man in particular leapt to his feet. He slammed a fist on the massive oak table and watched us with wild eyes. “What is the meaning of this, Chad?”

“She asked to come to the meeting. She can help find them.” Chad didn’t sound like his former grouchy self; instead, he appeared oblivious to the severity of the werewolves’ reactions.

I remained behind him, hoping he would protect me if someone attacked. Fear gathered in my throat, threatening to cut off my air, but I shoved it down, knowing I would look weak in front of the werewolves who had been contemplating killing my boyfriend.

That thought sent anger burning inside me, renewing my strength. I stood a little taller, or as much as I could on crutches, and assessed the group. I kept my eyes at a level where they’d know I wasn’t challenging them, but not low enough that they thought I was completely docile.

“That’s the witch who nearly killed our Alpha, isn’t it?” one of the wolf men shouted in rage and surprise. A greying pencil thin mustache lined his upper lip and he was seated a few spots away from their leader, meaning he had to have influence in the Pack.

“I am standing right here.” I took a step to left so I stood beside and a little behind Chad.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters are your crimes against our Alpha.” This man was dressed in a black suit and had sleek blond hair. He darted toward us, reaching for me. “You should be punished for your actions.”

Chad blocked the blond man with ease. “Get away from her. We both...” He waved to the rest of the room. “We all know this witch crafted the salve that nearly killed my father, our Alpha. However, she didn’t realize what she was doing.” My eyes widened. I couldn’t believe he was sticking up for me. “When I came to her to fix what she’d done, she readily agreed to concoct the remedy for me. We can’t fault her solely on what Jared forced her to do for him. He’s the true villain.” He pushed the other werewolf back a few steps, nearly making the sleek blond man fall.

I remained in place, unwilling to move or even breathe. With these crutches, I was useless at running, so why did I think coming here was such a grand idea again? That’s right... to save Ethan.

“Jared
was
the one who ordered the salve, but if she hadn’t created it, we wouldn’t have had the problem,” the man with the mustache piped up. The other wolves spoke in hushed tones, as if unsure which side to choose.

“Are you going to listen to the excuses from these men, Father?” Chad took a step toward the long conference table where everyone sat, except the Alpha who stood at the head of the table. His chair lay on its side after he stood so quickly.

The Alpha snarled. “You can’t expect me to believe you want my thanks for bringing in a human...no...a witch to our meeting?” Before I could comprehend what was going on, Chad was sailing across the room, then he smacked into a wall.

The distraction prevented me from defending for myself from the impending attack. A hand clenched my throat and I was slammed back against the door. My feet dangled several inches in the air.

The Alpha stood before me, his eyes cold and calculating. He inspected me like prey.

I clasped my hands over the Alpha’s, struggling for air. What had I been thinking? Barging into the Pack’s meeting like this had been crazy. Now I’d die, and Ethan would remain in danger.

I only hoped he’d release me and realize I could help. Jessa had agreed I’d make the salve for Jared on her behalf. I hadn’t known what I was getting into. If there was anything I could go back and fix in my life, that would be it.

While changing that event might mean not being with Ethan, I knew he would’ve been safe and not turning furry once a month. Also, the group of werewolves wouldn’t have known I existed, so they wouldn’t want me dead because I’d had a lapse of bad judgment and been suckered into doing something because of my mentor.

The Alpha didn’t look like he was going to let me go. I wanted to use my magic on him, but I couldn’t breathe, let alone whisper the words necessary to protect myself.

“Father, let her go.” Chad stood, but he didn’t come any closer. Blood trailed down his cheek from an open gash. I couldn’t believe how bad the cut was, but his father was a werewolf who could put a lot of force into his punches. Now I knew why Chad hadn’t spoken so well of his father before.

He respected the man, but his father wasn’t the type who listened to what others thought. There were probably others in the Pack who stroked his ego even further. Maybe some of the wolves who had worked with Jared were here. Could that be why Jessa hadn’t received justice yet?

Black spots marred my vision, and my body grew heavier. I wished I could speak to cast my magic. Maybe that was why the Alpha had me by the throat. I tried to whisper the words, but I didn’t feel the slow build of magic inside me. My lungs burned with the need to breathe.

The Alpha frowned at me, considering me closer. “What are you trying to say, girl?” He released me, and I dropped to the ground like a sack of flour.

My injured foot hit and I bit back a scream. No, they wouldn’t get the pleasure of seeing me in pain like this. I sucked in a deep breath, then whispered a spell under my breath. While normally I might cast protection, I was far too upset to do that. I’d rather error on the side of aggression if they weren’t going to take me seriously.

Within moments, a fireball brightly burned in my palm. Heat scalded my hand, but I didn’t care. I wanted to throw the fireball at the Alpha, but I held it between us like a shield.

“Witch, put it away.” Chad inched closer to me as if afraid I’d turn it on him. “You don’t want to do this.” I was grateful he was now considering helping me; however, it was a little late. His father didn’t back off, instead he watched me as if he didn’t believe I’d do anything.

There was no way I’d get out of this alive with the way things were going. I wanted to just curl into a ball, but I’d come here with a mission. I wouldn’t let these werewolves ruin that. “You need my help. I can help find Ethan.”

A low rumble of voices came from the people still sitting at the table taking in our spectacle. Wasn’t that great? They thought we were some kind of entertainment for them. If I’d been braver, I would have screamed at them.

“How would you hope to accomplish that when some of my best trackers haven’t been able to establish a location for our missing?” One of the female werewolves spoke up from the table. She was tall, blond, and looked bored by the whole thing as if we were wasting her time.

“The...” My throat cracked as I tried to talk and I cleared it to try again. “The same way I would do anything. Magic. I have my tricks. You need me.”

The female werewolf sighed. “We don’t need you, but if you’re the best hope for finding my son, then we should consider accepting her help, Alpha.”