Where Am I?
My head aches crazy bad with the weight of that damn bear sitting on my skull, my mouth feels weird and furry like I just ate my own socks and I blink at the bright white piercing light as I slowly try to open my eyes. Flinching at the assault and screwing my face up in reaction. My body is heavy and disconnected as I try to come to and figure out where I am and what happened to me. I feel like I just survived a train wreck and I am not entirely sure I’m not dead, and in the afterlife waiting room. I feel completely disorientated, everything spinning and I can barely move my body as though somehow, I have lost use of anything but my eyelids. I feel vacuum pressed to the surface I am laying flat out on and it’s the most surreal sensation to wake up to.
It takes a minute for my eyes to grow accustomed to the brightness of my surroundings and much like having a torch shone in your face, its painful at first until it starts to level out and an actual ceiling comes into focus. Watery eyes blurring to clarity and blinking repetitively to figure out what I am staring at. White square tiles , and a centre grey wooden fan that is on slow and hitting me with a gentle breeze. The tiles are large, grubby and pull my focus enough to let me grasp at the reality of my situation. That I am inside a building and no longer on the forest floor.
My gut twists and my insides sink as that filters through. It all comes slowly back, the memory of eating dirt and passing out and I try to sit hurriedly, as panic comes kicking back into play. Straining with all I have in me as mild panic sets in.
I can’t move, a tightness across my chest, arms and legs yanking me down painfully and when I attempt a second time, trying to figure out what’s wrong with my body, I realise it’s not me…I’m restrained. It’s not some weird malfunction of my body after being tranquilised at all.
I manage to tilt my chin, still woozy but able to drag the exaggerated weight of my skull up enough to look down my body and exhale at the sight I see. I’m laid out flat on a hospital bed of some sort, dressed in a light medical gown. There are leather straps across me at several points of my torso and legs, keeping me taped down and both my ankles and wrists are shackled in wide black fabric to the side bars of the bed. The guards are up, holding me in place and try as I can to wriggle, I can barely move an inch. They’re tight, thick and impenetrable while I am in human form.
I turn my head to the side, dizziness making everything way, getting a blank white painted brick wall and turn the other way, opening up my view into a small medical room. Brick all around, no windows and one white door closed shut with nothing hut a high square glass panel in the upper half. There are cupboards, trolleys and worktops in here with all manners of medical kits and supplies, some posters on the walls that remind me of the doctors surgery in Radstone and an array of panels up near the door that look pretty high tech. The floor is vinyl tiled in a weird blue grey and apart from the information posters on dressing wounds, the predominant colour in here is white. It’s stark, stinks of disinfectant and has the usual low hum of electrical outlets and the whirring fan over my head. It’s almost eerily silent and deserted but I know that’s far from reality. There is nothing overly out of place for a sick room that causes me any extra alarm. I mean it’s not like I’m waking up mid body slicing in an alien abduction story.
I feel nauseous, my heart pounding through my ears already, even without the added anxiety of me waking up and finding myself captive in some strange place. I am obviously inside the building now; somewhere below ground and I have no chance in hell of getting off this bed. My energy levels are low as hell, I can’t get up, probably not even without the straps while I haven’t come all the way to.
My first attempt at turning is completely futile as with sheer will power, I make an attempt in the hopes of wiping the residue drug out of my system. It’s like I have zero ability and even breaking my own promise to myself to never link Colton’s again, I try, desperate for some kind of help right now. Just his reassuring voice, his always knowing what to do, his words to calm me. I get a black wall of non-penetration meaning something is blocking all of my gifts and abilities and I am right now, no better off than a mere mortal with no gifts at all.
I wonder what the hell they have done to me to subdue all that is supernatural and I don’t have time to ponder it when a tiny buzzing sound draws my attention up above my head, behind my line of vision. I wriggle around until I can tilt my head far enough back, arching the very slight amount I can to see a camera repositioning in the top corner over my head and focusing its attention on me. I guess my movements alerted someone to the fact I am now awake and I glare at it hatefully, visually doing what my body cannot and rebelling in some small way. I try harder than ever to get some sort of movement out of these straps and give up as a wave of fatigue washes over me and leaves me breathless.
Its futile, I have no strength at all, still groggy enough that my little amount of energy wanes fast and I jump internally when the door across the room beeps loudly, reverberating through my ears and clicks to signal someone coming in.
“I see you are awake , dear girl. I have been impatiently poised and ready to come introduce myself to such a marvel as yourself.” The heavy accent is foreign, almost like the queen of England that I have heard on television in the orphanage and I screw my face up at the man who strolls in towards me, smiling weirdly as though eyeing up a special gift someone has left for him by surprise. I’m momentarily taken aback by the almost caricature way he has of talking.
He’s in his older years with greying fluffy hair, glasses and a balding head. His midrift is round and portly which makes his white lab coat look restrictive and emphasizes he’s wider in size than in height. I can tell the second he walks in that he is not wolf, I mean you would never see a wolf in this bad a physical shape and we definitely do not go bald. Grey over time, but none of that human aging flaws like developing weight or saggy bits. Definitely no losing hair. Wolves stay in their prime until they cash out past the hundred and so years we live for, and this guy looks like he’s maybe hitting sixty at a push. He has a striped baby blue shirt on, a peek of green braces but a dark red polka dot bow tie that just adds to his peculiarness.
“Quite.” He says absurdly for no obvious reason as his eyes travel up and down me in the most disturbing way. I am definitely being size dup for some sort of alien autopsy. Either that or he is lost in his own head and marvelling at some wonder that has him smiling like a weirdo.
“Where am I?” I blurt out boldly, not really caring about polite and friendly given my current predicament and the fact this asshole has me lassoed to a bed, while willy Wonka style bobbing nearby. My spine is agony at the point of that damn dart and it feels like I am black and blue all over. I am only just beginning to feel my fingers and toes and despite starting to regain some alert, I feel like I’m not quite here fully yet and this still has an aura of dreamlike to it.
“Oh, of course…silly me. How rude and utterly awful. Let me introduce myself first. I’m Doctor George Willian, Robert Adams, I am the resident chief scientific officer at this facility and you my dear are our guest. Sadly we did have to take some measures for both our safety and yours, given that like my acquaintances you seem to posses a certain wonderful gift, but it’s a temporary arrangement until we become better acquainted. I hope you won’t hold it against us that without knowing your character or purpose for trespassing on our doorstep we acted hastily in a precautionary manner. And your name is?” It’s a whoosh of ridiculously precise, queens English in an exaggerated and somewhat foolish sense. I’m at a loss. I didn’t think people actually talked or behaved like this, let alone ones who survived living among the aggressive low patient temper driven wolf kind, like me. He is a little absurd.
I just blink at him, stupefied at that whole upper crust marbled mouthed mass of weirdness that came out of him. He seems like some eccentric Mary Poppins type character and I’m sure I might still be high from whatever they darted me with. I just stare right back a him blankly, dropping my head back on the semi flat pillow underneath it and say not a word.
“I know, I know…. You must be thinking the absolute worst after Mr Deacon took you down with an elephant dart and they carted you in here and trussed you up like a Sunday roast on an oven sheet. Truly we don’t mean any harm, we would just like to ascertain who you are, where you came from and exactly what you were doing snooping around this rather top secret and out of bounds facility. A boring informality before we can be more hospitable. Please don’t hold it against me.”
He raises his brow at me, still smiling like a demented person and removed his glasses to clean them on his coat, only breaking eye contact for a moment before returning them to his face and renewing that creep smile. I’m starting to wonder if this one is a sandwich short of a picnic and maybe this is what happens when you live in a box underground and don’t see the sun.
“I was passing through; I have no idea what this place is and no interest in it.” I point out blankly, no really willing to elaborate but it only gets a strange hmmmmm noise in return as he nods at me.
“I see. Except the little issue with that is, you were very clearly caught on our surveillance, snooping around and checking Tyron’s truck out before high tailing it into the forest. Oopsy. I believe you but, they don’t, which is rather disastrous. May I add though…wow, just wow, I have never seen, literally ever, in the real flesh and bone myself an actual pure and full white furred wolf. It truly was a remarkable sight, not to side-track the main point and negate the seriousness of your current position, but I just had to put that out there.” He raises his palms in a quirky little jazz hand movement that is perfectly times with the happy wide eyed , lifted brow thing he does. The dude is strange.
Who the hell is this guy and did he swallow a thesaurus in his formative years? He sure takes the long way to say anything and it totally throws you off. I honestly can’t tell if this is a tactic to disarm you and pull information or if he really is conversation starved oddball and tends to offload. Maybe he’s just weird, he has the whole odd outfit thing down to a T for being a weird one.
I also am quite shocked to be told my fur is now fully white although I did have hints and suspicion it was turning but he just sort of solidified the fact for me. It’s not like I have had a mirror or an ability to take my head and use it to look at my full body when turned. I have no idea why my turning white is happening and I wonder if mother experienced the same thing. A flaw, just like everyone said it was , maybe some kind of disease that spreads.
“I thought he might have food.” I add, eyes darting around the room past him as I continue to come back to the land of reality and start looking for something useful to help me get out of these straps. I also try and muster up the will power to turn again but nothing happens. Something is seriously screwing with my abilities and this individual doesn’t seem like an imminent threat. Unless talking you to death is possible. My nerves are quickly dissipating in his presence.
“Oh, so you’re hungry. Oh lord, how thoughtless of us. Well we can do something about that can’t we. No need for us to be rude and inhospitable. It makes perfect sense you would be drawn to a manmade building in search of supplies in the centre of this green utopia if you were out here lost. I just would like to know your name for a start, and possibly where you originated form and maybe, if you have anymore friends lurking out there. A pack, a mate. Someone who might not be very discreet about the whereabouts of our sensitive location. I know it’s a bothersome formality but they won’t let me feed or untie you without it.”
I ignore him completely, too occupied with the why of the fact I can’t seem to muster any kind of ability and even my strength is no more than a regular human. It’s beginning to frustrate me as I can now move my toes and feet and rotate and wriggle them to test the strength of the straps. My strength and speed I have even in human form is absent.
“What have you done to me? Why can’t I turn?” I snap it at him aggressively, temper rising as it really sinks in but it isn’t helpful in terms of ability at all. I hit him with a pointed look under lowered browns and his happy little face drops to an almost impressed ‘oooh’ look.
“Ahhhh, well caught. You are an observant one, aren’t you? This facility is a life-sized isolation tank so your kind can’t use any unwanted force or abilities on my staff when we require your presence or when we have guests such as yourself. It’s quite remarkable how they make a building completely capable of dissolving any kind of supernatural ability, isn’t it? I don’t have the engineering science but I can assure you it’s quite ingenious.”
He talks way too much. He also get’s way too excited over the smallest things and I eyeroll and shake my head at him, trying to draw him back to the intel that I need.
“Once again…Where am I?” I am losing my cool quickly, annoyed at being held down and I start wriggling manically; more to attempt to escape this crazy one, not giving a crap he is standing right there. The noise of the door beeping and clicking behind him though snaps my attention back to it and the dark uniformed figure that comes stalking in as he pushes a trolley with what seems to be a food tray to one side.
“Pipe down princess. You know where you are because you hauled ass up to our door and tried to take a peek. The question he asked ….Are there more of you out there?” It’s a commanding deep almost growl like tone from a serious looking man with a foreboding glare. My inner intimidation returns, as he makes a brave pipe down and I just return to still and cool mannered and look directly at him.
He’s a scary one and most definitely wolf. Not that my sense of smell is working either. Tall, broad, physically hunky and good looking in that boring typical dominant wolf way and unnervingly very Santo. Which in itself is weird. He’s Latino, dark, tanned , handsome and I swear he almost has Colton’s darkest chocolate eyes although his have hints of green that lighten them overall and it somehow kills the whole smouldering thing. He has an arrogant look to him and a slight downturn to his mouth where Colton’s turns up, that just gives him an aggressive superiority air. Colton even when being an arrogant ass, always had a smiley quality to his face. Pretty boy…cute…dimples….
God, I miss him.
“Guess you will find out soon enough.” I remark bitchily, not willing to give them any information until I know what’s going to happen to me. So far it does seem that tests and experiments and pulling my insides out is unlikely. I’m probably more in danger of ben fan girled by the dude in the white coat who has a serious leg hump for my whiteness.
If they know I am alone and have no one tracking me or with me they might think nothing of disposing of me. He did say this was a tope secret facility and I am guessing making promises not to tell doesn’t really hold a lot of weight with these types. I shouldn’t tell them anything and just pray they believe I’m a no one and let me go on my merry way.
“Not the sensible response , sweetheart. Name…Pack name. Don’t get smart. The quicker we know who you are, the faster you might get out of here.”
I snort at that, half laughing sardonically and roll my eyes, noting how much emphasis he put on the word might.
“Sure I will. I mean it’s totally normal to be an asshole, drug people and tie them up, right?”
Now is probably not a good time to realise I developed bad attitude and sass while living in the wilderness but something about him really riles me up. I’m guessing it’s the Latino look and that hint of accent, reminding me of so many smug dickheads I grew up around, and his tone is getting on my last nerve. Sick of being pushed around by these alpha type wolves and their damn superiority complexes.
“Deacon here, is our head of security and you must excuse his abrupt manner, he is just very concerned that the delicate nature of our work might be compromised if some random yet very pretty, rebel wolves should happen to disrupt our facility. We have sensitive materials that require the utmost protection. I beg you to understand our predicament and disregard my friends hostility in such an unfortunate matter.”
“Doc…too much intel for a bratty girl who is giving nothing in return. How about go polish a stethoscope over in the corner and leave this to me.” He snaps and the poor little doctor reddens in the cheeks at the verbal tell off. His eyes dropping to the floor in submission and it’s no surprise to see which one rules this roost.
Deacon is not that much older than me physically, and yet he acts like he could totally be of Juan’s arrogant nasty bloodline with a massive chip on his shoulder. He probably got stationed here against his own will and takes it out on everyone around him. He looks like the type to love pistol whipping people and probably gets off on the power trip.
“Maybe if I wasn’t chained to a bed, I would be more inclined to talk.” I point out sarcastically, raising one brow to drive the point home and showing none of the fear that is still simmering in my belly. I guess being out there alone for weeks on end gave me a sense of fierce and confidence I never knew I could ever get back and this time it’s Deacon who eyerolls.
“She does have a point though, it’s not very polite of us, especially when she cannot do any physical damage within these walls.” The doc seems to be the soft touch and the dark glare deacon spins and throws at him makes him pipe down immediately. He almost turns crimson from the neck up and shuffles back slightly away from the big brute at his side.
“She gets loose when we get some answers!” He digs his heels in, turning back to me with an unamused frown that signals him throwing his dominance around and I sigh heavily, knowing I have no choice but to give them something if I want the use of my limbs at least. It’s not great being interrogated by two men standing over me while I’m set out like a sacrifice to the gods. Mentally it makes me feel at a very huge disadvantage and being free would make this less intimidating.
“Fine!!! Carmen…my pack comes from the east and I am just taking a little trekking g holiday break from them after a fight with my mom and stumbled across your little building. I was curious that’s all.” I lie convincingly and stare straight at Mr Security long and hard to drive the point home. My stomach is starting to tremble, my nerves getting the better of me and I can’t tell if the waves of cold are the aftereffects of the drug or my anxiety peeking. I have no idea why I chose her name. I guess on some level if I do get free then I want her name to be the one they cast to the shoot on sight if seen again list. I mean I do blame her for a huge portion of how I got here.
“Carmen? Hmmmmm. Nope.” He replies and crosses his arms across a muscular chest, trying to appear in the know but it only serves to irritate me further.
“Umm why Nope? Carmen is my god damn name, I’m sorry it doesn’t meet your expectations. Freak.”
I huff, wriggle aggressively and exhale heavily when I make no headway in loosening anything.
“You’re not a very good liar…. You have about fifty tells, and the only part of that which was true was that you stumbled across us. The rest was bullshit. Look, we just need to know who else is with you and who you linked and told about this place before we took you down?”
“What does it matter for fucks sake? No one, okay. I’m alone and this bullshit is getting old. Untie me if you’re all so fucking nice and friendly as it might make a god damn difference to this conversation! If you want me to talk then get me off this god damn uncomfy infernal fucking bed you have me strung out on like I’m awaiting dissection!!” I lose my cool, my temper snaps with sheer frustration at him, riling in away only Colton ever could and I blame the fact that he resembles him somewhat and has that same pig-headed stubborn ass manner that used to make me crazy hate the Santos. That know it all, bull crap mind game shit and ordering me around.
“How alone?” He completely ignored my femme tantrum. Deacon steps closer, pressing his hands to either side of my head on the bed and it dips as he leans into me, bringing his face close enough he locks me on him, eye to eye and blocks out most of the light over my head casting his face in darkness It has the effect I guess he was going for, in that I lose all fight, recoiling back inside myself completely affected and a little fearful and lift my chin in a bid to not show it. Backing down subtly but not without a little fight.
“Like all the way alone….my pack isn’t with me, but I can’t be sure they aren’t far behind. “ It’s not really a lie, as I don’t actually know if any of my pack have ever caught onto any kind of trail and followed me. I doubt it as they would have caught up by now but I’m not going to say I know for sure they haven’t. I just don’t know and it seems to be a believable statement as he leans up and pushes himself away from me after a minor scrutinising of my face at close quarters.
“No one with you? No mind linking?” He repeats sternly and as stupid as I am for admitting it, I shake my head. Deacon seems satisfied I am not lying and turns back to his submissive oddball.
“You can untie her doc; she can eat but she stays confined in here until we decide what should be done with her. I still want a name and pack. I need to know what kind of threat she is, or they pose. I’ll be back soon; I need to contact Alpha Santo and get direction concerning our intruder. He’ll want to be informed.”
My heart literally stops beating in my chest and I have to stop myself from gasping out loud at the words that come out of his mouth. I swear my insides self-combust and my blood freezes in my veins as my mind comes to a complete standstill on those two little terrifying words.
Alpha Santa - Juan, there is no other Santa pack in these parts, and his resemblance isn’t coincidental. Why Colton kept coming to mind is now glaringly obvious. This is Juan’s facility which can only mean one thing. Deacon is a Santo and it explains the assholes bad attitude and shitty behaviour and two, Sierra was not just an invading dream because of Colton’s telling me about her before I left him. She has been calling me somehow from these four walls and led me right to her. There’s no other explanation for how this all ties up like this. The fates wouldn’t just let this casually tie up.
I don’t understand how or even why or that she managed to do it from inside an isolation tank but there’s no other logic for this kind of crazy coincidence. This is a Santo building, a facility, so many miles and days away from the mountain but close enough for Juan to have his reach. I doubt he has many facilities in our lands and I didn’t just come upon this by chance. I start wondering how much of this was orchestrated by the fates. And I don’t just mean from the second I turned East. I mean all of it and how I was led here from the day of y turning.
I am so screwed though. Once Juan knows I am here it’s going to be game over. He might actually send me to the same fate as Sierra wherever she is and leave me to rot in here along with her for the next ten years. It will be the answer to the dilemma of my pairing with his son. Keep me locked up and keep Colton safe, it’s not like anyone will miss me if I too disappear for a decade.
The doctor moves over me as soon as Deacon leaves us alone, his face apologetic and a softness to his grey eyes that I didn’t notice before. He has a kindness in the wrinkles and lines around his eyes and mouth that suggest he has smiled a lot in his life. With a worried glance at my face and a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes he whispers in a shaky voice, revealing his own fears.
“Please don’t react when I remove these, I don’t want to have to sedate you again and I don’t know if I have a strength to match you even in human form. I swear I mean you no harm. Let’s keep this civil. You play nice, we play nice. It doesn’t have to be hostile.”
He doesn’t trust me and even though in here I have no gifts, he is wary. He’s human for sure and he knows what we are capable of, which means he has probably seen it to be this kind of scared. I find it weird they even have a mortal here, but I guess the wolf world has a shortage of crazy doctors to keep Juan’s mate hidden with. Packs are family and it’s rare to find sub packs who keep secrets from the rest among one as big as the Santo’s. I guess humans are easier to keep quiet.
I nod and relax my body in a bid to show him I will behave and he seems to pick up on it, his smile strengthening and his face relaxes. I can almost taste the tension as he leans into undo the first buckle.
He makes fast and light work of releasing me from the bed and almost jumps back when he unties the last ankle strap, eyeing me from a distance as I slowly sit up and regain my bearings. It takes a minute and my head swims as I level up, aware I have only this gown on to cover my modesty and it falls forward off my shoulders as I move, telling me its not even tied at the back. They must have thrown it on before restraining me and I reach back to pull it together again.
“Just let me go. I’m not interested in this place or your work. I had my own plans and route. I will happily get back to that.” I point out, trying to sound sincere but the old man’s eyes narrow and he frowns at me shaking his head apologetically.
“Oh, my dear, I’m afraid I am not the one who makes those kind of decisions or I would show to the door with a wave and a sandwich. The problem is, we can’t let you go without being sure all of that is true. No one has come up here in ten years and yet here you are, not just a regular silly trekker or lost hiker….but a wolf. A solitary femme, which is quite unusual in itself given pack hierarchy and the female role in your world, but a white rare form at that. Remarkable. I’m afraid it’s all just a little too suspicious given the circumstances.” His voice is hushed as I guess he doesn’t want Deacon or whoever watches the camera to hear and the real serious concern etched in his eyes shines out. He has a trusting quality about him.
“What circumstances would that be?” I match his expression; a little churning of suspicion of my own as I take in his manner and the way he seems to be deflating a little, his posture sagging as he turns towards the wall. He stops at the food trolley and pushes it towards me with a fake smile.
“We’ve been testing such unusual DNA for years, and a rare specimen falls right in my lap. It’s almost like the fates ordained it, or maybe a little spy came to gather intel for a rival pack? My work up until now has been a secret and protected, but you found us….” He rises his brows and I fiercely glare at him as his tiny accusation filters through and offends me on a serious level.
“I’m no spy and I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m white because much like my mother I lack a pigment…it’s not rare because it’s special, it’s a flaw! Diluted bloodline or some nonsense and not actually desirable at all. In MY world, I’m an outcast because I’m inferior so screw your theory. No one cares about that kind of intel, least of all me.” Its an angry outburst with a basis in old wounds and heartache and I croak with a raw harsh tone in my voice, biting back a surprising tear as it comes out. My own inferiority issues peeking and take the form of rage.
The doctor begins to laugh, like I said something ridiculous and his wide eyes and startled expression completely unnerves me and throws me off.
“A flaw? By whose standard, dear child? Hybrid blood is spectacular and a masterpiece of engineering science my dear. I don’t know who has been keeping you in the dark all these years with such nonsense but white…it’s not a flaw. In a breed where you own physical perfection and can selfheal the worst of wounds and illness. You don’t think your DNA would allow such atrocity by defect? No, of course it wouldn’t, it couldn’t. Your own gifts work out the kinks in your make up from the second you are born. It’s perfection between two species and happens only when the biochemistry of a particular set of genes lines up in a magical way. Two species, two blood types, merging beautifully in one captivating dance that produces a new third equally magnificent species. You my dear…are what I have been dying to test for the last decade!! It’s a near impossible combination to make stick without awful deformities or even loss and your kind are few and far between. Whoever first engineered your astounding DNA must have been incredibly talented. Tell me are you a first generation or are you a natural born?”
That grand speech and whooshing of over excitable words , floors me. I try and absorb half of what that word junkie threw at me and am still sitting blinking at him as my brain catches up the translation from freak talk to plain English.
“You’re lying. I don’t know what you are talking about, or half of what you said, but I know hybrids aren’t a thing.” Terror overtakes me as his words filter in and my mind refuses to digest what he’s saying because it’s simply wrong. The wolves pride their bloodlines and purity, it’s a massive part of our being and hierarchy. Mixed breeds don’t exist because if they did, the pure bloods would destroy them. They don’t want dilution and mongrels among our blood. They are bad enough when weak DNA like my families infects a pack and they people become calm land workers with no urge to fight and dominate. It’s why the Whyte pack never had any kind of claim to the mountain as a ruling pack and the Santo’s own it. Our kind thrives on dominance, we need alphas and purity to survive.
The doctor clutches a flat hand to his chest in aghast. Eyes wide, an expression that translates offence.
“Lie. I never lie when it comes to science, my dear. I am a bio chemist of the highest order with a special interest in your kind. I’ve dedicated my life to it and it’s all I research. Hybrids are my forte!! I would so love to get your samples under my microscope and see if the stories are true and show you for yourself, the absolute wonder of your own genetics. Warring species in one body and yet they seem to have completely bloomed! I mean look at you…..perfection.”
My blood runs cold, my eyes raking him and trying to make sense of what he is saying, so many questions forming and gathering on my tongue. My head scrambling with the uncertainty that he might actual be telling the truth.
Deacon reappears unexpectedly, interrupting with the beep of the door before he enters and throws us both a strange look that suggests he doesn’t like whatever feeling we just gave him. The atmosphere is tense, and the doctor seems to lose his enthusiastic energy and slinks back out of the way, probably afraid to admit he just told me way too much. I can tell that despite co-habiting in this place, there is no real bod between them and the Doctor is wary of my prison guard as much as I am.
“Alpha Juan will be here in two days…. This one…. Her name is Alora and interestingly, from our own mountain, so take from that what you will. She isn’t going anywhere.” Deacon turns to me, a look of disgust rippling across his face as he scowls at me and everything inside of me seems to disperse in a wave of numb. The fear claws through me that Juan knew exactly who I was with just one call and is coming here personally to decide my fate. That’s not a good sign.
“The mountain…..” The doctor whispers is so lightly under his breath I don’t Deacon hears him, but I do and catch that slight hint of recognition that flitters across his brow before he pushes it away and locks his facial expression on blank.
Damn me for being a white wolf! That had to be the defining detail that gave it away.
I just raise my brows at Deacon with false bravado as if to say, ‘so what?’ His eyes narrow at mine and the scowl gets more prominent.
“So…..You’re a runaway from our own pack? Juan said he’s been looking for you, traitor. How coincidental you end up here….clearly looking for something you shouldn’t be! You’re going down to isolation until he gets here and then you can be someone else’s problem. Hopefully his and I am sure he will find the perfect punishment for a flawed failure who betrayed her own kind.”
I don’ doubt Juan has conducted a whole new story about why I am public enemy number one and arguing it is going to be futile. Deacon is a believer, a loyal to Juan’s sub pack and it’s obvious. He was put here probably because he is one of the Juan brainwashed who do exactly as they are told and question nothing.
Deacon grabs me by the upper arm ruthlessly and hauls me off the bed forcefully, my body still a dead weight and I almost fall on the floor with the sudden demand to use my body properly. Grabbing out to catch myself and instantly overwhelmed with dizziness at been bolted upright.
“Careful, careful…. She’s a very special specimen and still a young lady. Kindness does not cost extra, Mr Deacon. Compassion. A little human dignity. If we have her for two days yet then, I need to harvest samples for my studies and could use the time to learn more about her very unique blood! I can’t let this opportunity go to waste and I certainly can’t stand and watch you damage her.”
The doctor is torn between real human concern for a person, and that of a scientist with his eye on a prized lab rat. I can’t even be mad about it but it does open a window of opportunity.
“Doc, she’s our prisoner, not a study volunteer. She’s a betrayer of my blood and I’ll handle her as such. The only place this chick is going is down beside that mindless corpse they keep in bay 2 and out of bounds for you and your quack colleagues in the lab. If we’re lucky she will stay as quiet as her new roommate and be gone before she messes up anymore of my week.”
Deacon is an asshole for sure. He pulls me with him, not waiting for my legs to catch up and despite my inner desire to not touch this idiot, I have to grab onto him or be dragged along behind him.
“Sierra is not mindless. She’s sedated and detained by you thugs and your lack of vision…she’s a work of art, a person with feelings and thoughts and if Juan would only allow me to waken her and….”
“Enough!!! Shut your mouth!! That’s is a dead name…. just like you will be if you talk about her again.” Deacon barks at him hatefully, the tone scathing and pins him with a forceful glare.
The Doctor recoils, scolded and red faced but I can feel his simmering anger with the mention of Sierra. The spark in him of real rage before he was shut down and paces off to bubble under the surface, grabbing a nearby rag and twisting it between his hands as we pass him. I can tell he is trying so hard to hold his tongue.
I am speechless though, my mind racing at the confirmation she is here and my mouth runs dry. I don’t fight Deacon as he bodily hauls me out the door at speed, no consideration that his grip is leaving marks on my skin or that I’m tripping over every step as I try to regain control of my walking ability. His fingers biting into my arm as my legs like jelly under me try to keep up with his long fast stride. I end up clinging to the side of him like a needy child, aware my gown is sliding off and I catch sight of the doctor on last time as he follows us out into the corridor and I strain back to see.
He looks sad, defeated and as he watches me get dragged away, I lock my eyes on him one last time as I clutch together a plan of sorts in my head that might give me a tiny hope of getting out of this. I throw him a desperate backwards second glance, an attempt to communicate.
“I volunteer…..take your tests. I want to know why I’m white and I’m not going to be doing anything else for two days.” I lie impulsively. The Doctor is a soft touch and he knows something about Sierra too. Maybe I can convince him to let me go, or to see her to figure out why she brought me here. It’s clutching at straws and my brain is scurrying to try and figure how this will help but it’s all I have in the moment. Deacon falters, stopping us mid step with an exaggerated exhale of annoyance. He turns us to the Doctor fully.
The Doctors face lights up with a glow that tells me he might be my key to getting out of here before Juan shows up in two days or at the least he may be a valuable ally if I can keep him latched onto my unique so called ‘hybrid blood’. I might be able to manipulate him into revealing more, or getting lax with keeping me locked up. Deacon I can tell is a lost cause, but the doctor, he just might be the weak link.
I don’t believe anything he said about being a hybrid though. I think he’s a crackpot scientist who has sampled too many of his own test tubes from being in underground isolation; but if it gets me an angle to lever a possible way out then I’m going to play on it. I will play along and nod my head and let him stick me with as many needles and swabs as it takes to win him around.
“See, see, she has no objections and it’s only some blood and smears and such. I will barely touch her and it won’t interfere with her time here at all. Juan will never know.”
The Doctors enthusiasm and surge of newfound joy is energising and it just solidifies my plan, Deacon scowls at him for the longest tensest moment as I hold my breath and pray.
“She stays in Bay one , you don’t take her anywhere else and you are to be done before Juan gets anywhere near here.” Deacon lays down the law, relenting probably for a quiet life and it’s not like he will have to do anything.
The doctor nods enthusiastically like an excitable puppy and I remain calm and neutral, shielding the sea of nerves rippling up inside of me. MY heart is pounding, my insides trembling but on the outside, I am cool and calm. I have a chance of breaking out and it’s keeping my wits about me.
I allow Deacon to turn me manually and haul me off through the door ahead of us to a second corridor, pushing through the swing door with haste. I blink at the harsh change to lighting, opening my eyes onto a white sterile passageway with glossy surfaces that shine bright, blinding with the force of the daylight LED lights. It creates an optical illusion of a vast white wall less space that blinds your corneas half to death with the intensity of the snow-white environment.
It’s like being in my dream, creepily so. The one in which I saw Sierra and I am dazed a little by the surrealness of it. My heart rate escalates, my eyes raking around us as it starts to piece together and bring back memories and details of that light space where I met her. Being pulled along mindlessly as my thoughts drift over and over to her standing ahead of me with no real sense of boundaries around us. It’s too striking a resemblance to ignore.
The fates brought me here for a reason; they pushed me to run from Colton and they hauled me east so I can’t ignore it. Meadow always said the fates were never wrong and all of this is way too coincidental to be an accident or to keep me as a non-believer. I’m here for a reason and the dreams I have been having about her, it all suddenly makes so much sense.
Save us.
She meant it… she meant us…her…and me…
We’re both here, and I seem to be the only one that can do anything about getting us out.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
