Page 19 of Alpha’s Hated Mate (Shifters of Clarion)

M y eyes open to harsh fluorescent lights and the sterile scent of antiseptic. Every muscle in my body screams in protest as I try to move. White walls, metal instruments, monitoring equipment — I’m in the infirmary.

Professor Robertson’s concerned face hovers above me. “How are you feeling, Aydan?”

Before I can answer, Dean Fowler’s stern voice cuts through the air. “You are fortunate campus security found you when they did. What were you thinking, going into those woods alone at night?”

My mind snaps into focus. Alone? “Where are Nadia and Saffron?” I bolt upright, ignoring the searing pain in my ribs. “We went into the woods together. Saffron and I were attacked—”

“Lie back down this instant.” Professor Robertson’s firm hands press against my shoulders. “Your injuries are severe, even for an Alpha’s healing abilities.”

“ Three of you went in the woods?” The dean scowls and fumbles with his radio. “This is not good. You kids are going to put me in an early grave.”

“I need to go.” In my weakened state, I struggle against her grip. “There was this massive wolf — unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The security team you sent . . . we found torn uniforms. Saffron and my sister could be—”

“We’ll handle this, Mr. Vaultmore.” Dean Fowler’s voice is firm. “I’ll triple the security guards to search for them, as well as the missing Scarlets. But you need to stay put and heal.”

He moves toward the door, muttering under his breath, “We can’t afford another missing Vaultmore . . . “

“Dean, wait!” I call out, but he’s already leaving to mobilize the search.

My chest constricts with panic. The last thing I remember is that creature throwing me through the air like a rag doll, then going after Saffron. I can’t just lie here while she’s out there somewhere. She’s probably hurt . . . or worse.

“Professor, please.” I meet her eyes. “You have to let me help find them.”

Professor Robertson pats one of my hands, her expression softening. “I promise you that everyone who can be spared is searching the woods. Dean Fowler has called in reinforcements from Silver Crest.”

“That thing in the woods . . . “ My voice cracks. “It wasn’t natural.”

She leans forward and smiles, her silver-streaked hair catching the harsh light. “You seem to . . . care a lot about Saffron. Your father would have been fascinated by his own son having a relationship with a Scarlet wolf. Did you know we taught together here at Moonhelm before you were born?”

“Yeah, but he never talked much about it.”

“Alton was brilliant. Revolutionary, even. He sat on the Table — a council of the most influential shifters who helped shape this academy’s future. He was among the first to speak out against discrimination against other Lycans, such as Scarlets and hybrids.” She pauses, as if lost in her memories. “But his research on wolf biology . . . it changed him.”

My stomach churns, remembering Saffron’s visions. “Changed him how?”

“It started with missing a few classes. Some of us tried to check on him but he refused to leave his quarters. After a week went by, the dean at the time summoned your mother to Moonhelm. When she finally got inside, she found stacks and stacks of notebooks and papers, all of his research, as high as the ceiling.”

Professor Robertson’s face dips into a deep frown. “He hadn’t showered, barely eaten. When she tried to talk to him, he just babbled incoherently. His mind just . . . snapped. Your mother managed to get Alton to a healer, but after he recovered, he decided it would be best for him to resign from Moonhelm and return to his pack. Not long after, you and your sister came along. Your family continued to donate generously to Moonhelm financially but I often wonder what good your father might have accomplished for all of wolf-kind if things had turned out differently.”

The gears in my mind began turning. “All that research found in his quarters . . . do you know what specifically it was about?”

“Interestingly enough, Scarlet wolves. Their biology, their abilities.” She wrings her hands. “It appeared he believed they held the key to unlocking extraordinary power.”

Scarlet wolves. This image that she painted of my father, I don’t recognize it. He was always in control of his emotions. Always level with his temper. I can’t even fathom him losing control.

And then, I start to think about Saffron’s reaction to his photo at the dinner party. She said that he was in her vision, torturing Natasha even though she was pregnant. If Saffron’s vision was true and if what Professor Robertson is saying is true, then it’s possible that my father’s obsession grew into something tangible. Maybe he started experimenting on Scarlets himself in secret.

Is this why my father was in Saffron’s vision? Is it possible that my father’s obsession with his research grew into secret experiments when he left Moonhelm?

My heart is pounding in my ears. Everything that Professor Robertson has told me about my father and Saffron’s vision of him . . . none of it sounds like the father I knew. I can’t even fathom the man they describe.

She smiles at me with a delicate, motherly kind of smile and pats my hand gently. “Anyway, I’m glad he was able to find peace again when he returned to your pack. He raised two fine wolves, and you have inherited a strong pack — that is his legacy now.”

The infirmary doors open, and Chad and Yarra rush in. Professor Robertson stands up.

“Thank the Moon Goddess,” Yarra says, coming to my side. “We heard you were awake.”

“How’s he doing?” Chad asks his mother.

“He’ll be fine, all things considered,” Professor Robertson replies. “Another day of rest, I’d say, and he’ll be well enough to attend classes. Until then, he needs to stay put.” She glances at me. “You hear me, Mr. Vaultmore?”

“Yes.” I sigh.

“Well, I’ll let you catch up.”

Yarra touches Professor Robertson’s shoulder. “Thank you, Mom.”

She looks at Yarra and says, “Of course. It’s good to see you, dear,” before walking away.

As soon as she’s gone, Yarra says, “Where’s Saffron? Is she—?” She stops herself, and I notice her eyes are damp and rimmed with red, evidence that she’s been worried sick.

“I don’t know,” I say, the panic creeping back into my mind again. “We went into the woods together with my sister but we were attacked! I need to go back and find them.”

They exchange a worried glance. Chad says, “Did you tell anyone you were going? Or see someone follow you?”

I shake my head. “It was a monster . . . “ My ribs ache as I shift position. “It was massive — bigger than any wolf I’ve ever seen. It had red fur, and when it howled, it affected Saffron, made her weak. It has to be the one mind-controlling the Scarlets.”

“Another rogue Scarlet, like Cole?” Yarra gives Chad a worried glance.

“I doubt it,” I add. “If it is, it’s a super-powered Scarlet that I’ve never heard of.”

As my mind processes what Professor Robertson shared with me, my chest tightens. I begin to connect the dots. “Professor Robertson told me something disturbing about my father. He believed Scarlet wolves had some kind of extraordinary power and did extensive research on them when he taught here. So much that he became obsessed with it and had to leave Moonhelm before I was born. And then . . . ” I swallow hard. “Saffron realized that it’s my father that’s torturing Natasha in her vision.”

“Your father?” Yarra repeats.

“The timing fits.” Chad paces in front of the bed. “The coup and Natasha’s disappearance would’ve happened around the time your father left Moonhelm.”

“It has to be connected somehow to what’s happening to the Scarlet wolves,” Yarra says. “That’s why Saffron is having these visions in the first place.”

Chad’s expression darkens. “If Alton was experimenting on Scarlet wolves, perhaps this creature is one of his experiments gone wrong. Saffron’s visions might have been warning us.”

“But your father is gone,” Yarra says softly.

Another possibility hits me like a physical blow. “Saffron said she saw him inject himself with something. What if he experimented on himself? What if that thing in the woods . . . what if it is my father?”

“Whether it’s an experiment gone wrong or your father, this is bad.” Chad clenches his jaw.

“No kidding,” I say and start pushing the blanket off of my body. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I have to go back.”

“You’re in no condition—” Yarra protests.

“If my father had anything to do with this . . . ” I say, desperation in my voice. “I can’t let it hurt anybody else . . . if it’s done anything to Saffron or my sister, I’ll never forgive myself.”

Chad doesn’t say anything for a long moment. He stands there like the elder Alpha he is, arms crossed, his dark eyes like stone. “It’s dangerous to go alone,” he says.

“They are my pack,” I say through clenched teeth. My eyes fall on Yarra and move to Chad. “Saffron is my Luna.”

Yarra gasps. “You marked her?”

“Yes,” I turn to plead with Chad. “It is my duty to protect them as an Alpha. If anybody understands that, it’s you.”

Chad looks at Yarra for a moment. I can only assume he’s imagining how he would feel as an Alpha himself and if it was his Luna that was missing. “It’s foolish,” he finally says. “But if you were to leave the infirmary, you’d have to take the back stairs and go out the service entrance.”

Yarra smiles, catching on fast. “Totally foolish, but no one would be around during this time of day. You’d have to change into your wolf and head straight into the woods to not get caught. There’s no time to do anything else.”

“In the meantime, we’ll gather reinforcements to help you . . . and to face whatever is out there.” Chad locks his eyes on mine. “It’s a huge risk going out there alone, Aydan. But, I’d never advise another Alpha against doing whatever it takes to protect his own.”

I give him a nod. Message received.

He adds, “Come on, Yarra. We need to discuss some pressing matters with the nurse and receptionist. That ought to take about five, ten minutes, don’t you think?”

She nods brightly, her purple hair swishing against her face. “Right.” She squeezes my hand. “Good luck, Alpha Aydan. Take care of my best friend.”

As Chad and Yarra’s voices fade down the hallway, I ease myself off the bed, gritting my teeth against the stabbing pain in my ribs. The cold tile floor sends a shock through my bare feet. Damn, this flimsy gown leaves nothing to the imagination.

Pressing my ear against the door, I listen for any movement outside. When I hear nothing but distant chatter from the direction Chad and Yarra went, I crack it open and peer into the empty hallway.

My muscles protest with each step as I creep toward the back stairs. The gown flutters around my thighs, making me hyper-aware of how exposed I am. But modesty isn’t exactly my biggest concern right now.

A nurse’s voice echoes from around the corner. I duck into an alcove, holding my breath as footsteps pass by. Once they fade, I slip through the stairwell door.

The stairs stretch below me like a concrete spiral. Each step sends fresh waves of pain through my body, but I force myself to keep moving. Saffron and Nadia need me. Nothing else matters.

My hand trembles against the railing as sweat beads on my forehead. The injuries are worse than I want to admit, but I can’t waste time recovering in bed while that creature is out there with them.

I reach the service entrance, pausing to catch my breath. Through the small window, I can see the edge of the forbidden woods looming in the distance. Somewhere in those dark trees, my Luna and my sister are waiting for me.

I’m coming for you both. Even if that thing really is what’s left of my father . . . I’ll do whatever it takes to end this.