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"Xylon, do you think there's any chance of turning off this Dire Wolf gene?" Jeff had been studying DNA and gene therapy for the last week and used every opportunity to ask questions. And no one knew more about this than Xylon, except maybe Gary. That thought made him shudder. "Do you think Gary's right that the gene was what made those cubs evil?"
Xylon had been staring at a computer screen and was slow to respond. "He could be. But if I'm right, I may have found our solution." He looked up at Jeff and smiled.
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Karen paced the floor, talking loudly to herself. "I hate when he leaves me alone and tells me to stay put." She had a feeling of being in a cage. She'd never been claustrophobic. Why did it bother her so much now? She felt like running in the open, feeling the wind in her hair. She wanted to be free.
"I mean, I know I can't shift in front of people for the first time, but this is ridiculous. There must be somewhere I can go other than this room." She talked to herself like she was talking to another person. In a way she was. She could feel another presence in her head, like she was sharing herself with someone else.
She heard the birds singing outside and walked to the window. She breathed deep and took in the amazing scent of the flowers, the trees, the air. Everything smelled so much different now. She had no idea that air could really smell this fresh. She just thought it was an ad campaign, but it really could. The colors were all brighter and she noticed so much more than she used to. Like the movement at the edge of the woods. Two women with red hair were walking away from the compound. Something looked strange though. Why did the taller one look like she was trying not to be seen? She kept glancing behind her and ducking. Strange.
Karen strained to see better. Something just didn't seem right. She could feel a voice telling her to go after them. Was that Cole? She couldn't keep these voices straight. She knew her wolf was starting to talk to her. But sometimes the voices just seemed like alphabet soup in her brain. She seemed to feel them more than hear them. But sometimes she just couldn't straighten them out. There definitely was someone telling her to follow them. There weren't that many red heads in the pack, in fact there were only two, Katy and Cheryl. And the idea of Cheryl being anywhere near Katy made Karen's blood boil.
She looked at the door. If she went through the house Cole might catch her, and then he'd just march her right back up here. No, a better way would be out the window. She was a good climber, it'd be easy. She opened the window wide and took off the screen and slid right out the opening in one fluid movement. One thing she'd noticed lately was that her athleticism had definitely improved. She shimmied down the lattice work quickly and fairly easily. She smiled to herself. This was kind of fun. Wait, she wasn't climbing down from a third story for fun, she was making sure Katy was safe. She shook her head. That must have been her wolf. Fun later, look for Katy now.
She hopped down the last ten feet and landed on both feet. She looked around her for anyone watching and when she saw no one nearby she snuck across the open area to the edge of the woods. She could smell the two women. How odd. But it certainly made it easier to follow them. She could just barely make out their voices. She tried to be as silent as possible as she attempted to catch up.
"Why would Rhys want me to meet him way out here?" Katy was confused. Rhys had always either come for her himself or sent Karen or Sarah to get her. He'd never sent anyone else. "Are you sure he wanted me to come this far from the compound?" Katy turned around to face Cheryl. There was just something she didn't like about this Beta. She'd heard about the fight Karen and she had the day Katy and Rebecca arrived here. She could see why Karen had lost her temper. This woman was grating.
Cheryl put on a saccharine sweet voice. "The Archivist just asked me to bring you to the well. He wanted to surprise you he said. Maybe he's going to mate with you tonight." Cheryl had a fake smile plastered on her face. It was so hard to pretend to be friendly to this human. She couldn't wait to make Niklas proud of her. "It's just over the rise there." She pointed to nothing in particular and kept walking. She glanced behind her be sure Katy was following.
Katy shrugged her shoulders and continued on. Guess it wouldn't hurt to go the well. If she was playing some kind of joke Rhys would see to it that Carr took care of her. A few minutes later the well was in front her, but no Rhys. She looked around and saw no one. "When will he be here? I didn't bring a coat, it's cold out here." She held her arms around her body for warmth. The temperature was much colder underneath these tall trees. It must have dropped a good twenty degrees from out in the open. She could feel the goosebumps, and her teeth were starting to chatter.
Humans were so frail. Why would any self respecting wolf want to mate with one? Niklas couldn't possibly deny her after she did this for him. She smirked to herself as she walked closer to Katy. "Have you looked down there? The water is so clear. You can see your reflection. Take a peak." Cheryl was right behind her as Katy looked into the old well. It was totally dry but Katy wouldn't know that until it was too late.
Karen had caught up to the voices and was watching from behind a tree. She saw Cheryl standing behind her friend and saw the look on her face. No, she wouldn't allow it! Karen felt the leaves between her feet and saw her clothes loose on the ground. What the hell? She didn't have time to think about it, she only had time to help her friend.
Cheryl gave a good shove between Katy's shoulder blades and saw her tumble over the side. She was so entranced by the vision of Katy falling into the deep hole she didn't see the auburn blur beside her until it was too late.
Katy felt the hard push behind her and couldn't control her fall with her hands holding her elbows. She screamed, "Ahhhhhhh," and managed to scramble at the last minute to grab the edge of the well. "Help!" Her voice echoed back at her as she yelled and struggled to keep her hold on the crumbling side of the hole. "Help!" She couldn't even see the bottom of the shaft and knew if she fell she'd probably break her neck. She tried to find a foot hold and dug her fingers into the tiny nook they were holding. She could hear the growls and snarls of a wolf and the screams of a woman she hoped was Cheryl. She said out loud, "Please, please, Rhys, I can't lose you so soon." The tears streamed down her face as she prayed she could hold on long enough for someone to help her.
Cheryl screamed with every slash of the sharp teeth and claws. She didn't even have a chance to shift to defend herself. "Let go of me you bitch! I'm here on Council business." She shrieked at the top of her lungs to try to get the offending wolf off her. She didn't recognize her so figured she had to be part of the visitors' entourage. She grabbed handfuls of fur and tried to pull the wolf's head away from her, but she was strong!
The wolf was able to turn her head and bit down hard on Cheryl's forearm, tasting the blood as she heard the crack of the bone. All she could think was "Protect. Kill." The blood tasted good in her mouth. She wanted to taste more. She wanted to make this bitch suffer the way she made her friend suffer, she wanted to make her beg to die.
Cheryl howled in pain. She was afraid if she tried to shift she'd be at an even greater disadvantage. Her arm was useless and just hung loosely from her body. "I don't know who you are but Niklas Metzger is a member of the Council and this was by his order. You'll pay for this!" Cheryl desperately fought for her life. Niklas had to know she was in trouble. He had to come and save her. She was just sure of it. They were meant to be mates.
Carr groaned as he straightened up from the maps strewn around the table. The Alphas had been arguing strategy for hours. He almost wished this wasn't his territory so he could leave the responsibility to someone else. But this was his pack, his duty to protect these women and his kind. He accepted that, he just wished the other Alphas did. Crane acted like this was his operation and was issuing orders to the others like they were Omegas. Carr had to assert his authority several times. Luckily he was being backed by the Council who agreed that since this was occurring in Baxter territory, it was Baxter who would take the lead.
Carr heard a sound at the door and looked up at Cole, white faced and frantic. He quickly excused himself and went to his brother. This had to have something to do with Karen. "Cole, what's wrong?"
