Page 21 of Alpha’s Hated Mate (Shifters of Clarion)

G etting out of the infirmary was the easy part. Just as Chad and Yarra had said, there were hardly any staff around the back exits. I slipped out without so much as an alarm, and once I was outside, I changed to my wolf and ran toward the woods. I imagine someone might have seen a white wolf running across campus but probably wouldn’t give it a second thought. However, if anyone saw me running around naked in my human form, I’m sure the dean would definitely be notified.

Besides, it’s faster to run on all fours. I reach the canopy of the woods within minutes. And now that I’m here, I’m in tracking mode. Picking up Saffron’s scent is challenging. There’s only the faintest of hints of it between the smell of pine needles and bark.

But at least the scent is there, and I’m not picking up the smell of death or her blood. She may be hiding in the brush, or she may have been captured. Either way, she’s alive.

Curiously, I’m not picking up Nadia’s scent at all. I wonder if she managed to escape. If she did, she might be heading to campus now. We could have missed each other. If that’s the case, I hope at least she’s safe.

As I move along, I realize that I’m nearing where we saw the giant Scarlet Wolf. A grove of bent and broken trees from the place it first emerged is right before me. I pause to observe paw prints in the ground that are almost as big as my entire body. It’s amazing that a beast like that hasn’t been seen before now. As large as it was, I wonder how long it’s been out here or where it came from.

A breeze picks up and swirls around my head, and suddenly, I catch the sweet scent of jasmine. It’s Nadia.

Well, hello, dear brother.

I look up to see her wolf standing a few feet away. White fur like mine, but she’s smaller, and her eyes are crystal blue. She’s sitting there as if she had been observing me this whole time.

Nadia! Thank the Goddess! You’re all right , I mind-link back to her. Have you seen Saffron?

Yes, she says. I have.

There’s something wrong with her tone, even in the mind-link. Her inner voice sounds deeper and more resonating. It’s almost foreign to me. Where is she?

She’s safe for now.

What happened? Are you all right?

Oh, Aydan. I’ve never been better. And now that you’re here, you get to see what I’ve been working on. I’ll explain everything. Come on.

She bounds away, heading into the brush just behind her. I follow her, chasing her white tail as she rushes through the trees. We’re only running for a few seconds before she reaches the large boulder that Saffron pointed out to me. She circles it for a moment, then changes back to human form.

“I’ve been waiting so long to show you this.” Her tan skin is radiant as she beams with pride against the darkness.

She places her hand on the boulder. A second later, a trap door opens at her feet. She looks toward me and smiles, then starts walking downward through the door.

I change into my own human form and follow her. Beyond the door is a ladder leading into darkness, then the warm amber light of a room with white tile floors. I turn just in time to see her tossing me a simple t-shirt and sweatpants.

“First,” she says as she reaches into a trunk behind her and grabs clothing for herself, “forgive me for hiding this for so long. Father told me that it had to be a secret, however. With you being the Alpha presumptive, he didn’t want to risk any scandal reaching you.”

This room is just . . . a room. Four cement brick walls and a tile floor with nothing in it but a chest full of clothes. “What is this place?” I ask her. “What are you doing in here?”

“Don’t worry.” She pulls a t-shirt over her head, then ties her long blonde hair back into a ponytail. “I’ll explain everything and it’ll all make sense.”

I feel like I’m being pranked. She’s acting like this is just another day and she’s eager to show me one of her nerd projects. Is it weird that Father had a secret lab that I know nothing about but she does? Absolutely. But I don’t have time for this right now.

I need to bring her back down to earth and fast. “Nadia, there’s a monster in these woods. It’s not safe for us to be here. Where’s Saffron? We need to—”

“Right, right. Come on.”

She opens a door and walks through, so I follow.

“Remember how I told you I was working on something out here,” she says, almost giddy, as we walk down a hallway leading to another door. “Well, I’m almost finished! Wait until you see it!”

“Nadia, we don’t have time right now to talk about your little extra credit project.”

“Oh, I disagree, Aydan. This is the perfect time.” We’ve reached the door at the end of the hall. She puts her hand on the knob and pauses, smiling up at me as if she’s about to reveal a surprise party. “Just wait. You’re about to be the first wolf to see the beginning of a new world order.”

She opens the door to what looks like a full lab. White counters with beakers filled with colored liquid, computer monitors with numerical numbers listed on blocks. At first, I’m just confused. But, then, I spot a bigger table with tufts of red fur in clear square containers and trays with surgical instruments gleaming under a large overhead light. A twist of fear rushes through me.

“What is all this?” I ask.

“It’s Father’s lab. He had one back in Claymore, but he realized that he needed to be closer to Scarlet wolves to work on his experiments. Thanks to Moonhelm’s inclusive policies, all wolves are welcome, which means this is one of the few places with a good number of Scarlets.”

My stomach turns. “Dad was experimenting on Scarlets at Moonhelm?”

“Not on them , per se,” she says. “He would never hurt them, of course. Just collected things from around campus, like a hairbrush with fur on it, DNA from a toothbrush, or a tossed drinking cup. As we learned from the other night, missing Scarlets would’ve drawn too much attention too early in the game.”

I stare at her. “What the hell are you talking about, Nadia? Too much attention to what?”

Nadia walks over to one of the computers and taps a few keys. A digital diagram of a wolf appears, with glowing red nodes scattered throughout its body.

“Father made an incredible discovery,” she explains with excitement. “Scarlets have these unique energy nodes throughout their bodies—see these points here?” She gestures to the red markers. “Normal wolves don’t have them. These nodes are what allow Scarlets to use powers no other wolves possess.”

Her explanations come at me in rapid fire. I’ve never been a science whiz and can’t even comprehend it fully. I shake my head, trying to focus. “That’s fascinating, but where is Saffron? Is she okay?”

Nadia waves her hand dismissively. “I’ll get to that. But first, you need to understand Father’s work.” She retrieves an old notebook from the desk, flipping to a specific page and pointing it out to me as if I would recognize it. “After years of research, he nearly perfected a serum that would unlock these natural abilities in any wolf. The formula worked, but . . . ” Her voice drops. “Father was unable to manage the beast he became.”

“I already know this,” I cut in, my patience evaporating. “Saffron had visions of it and told me everything. Dad isn’t the saint you think he is. He held Natasha of Hino against her will, experimented on her, and then on himself. He turned into a monster and killed her in cold blood.”

Nadia’s eyes widen momentarily before she composes herself. “You don’t understand the full picture, Aydan. Father had good intentions. The serum wasn’t just for him—it was for the benefit of all wolf-kind. He wanted to elevate our entire species.” She shakes her head. “Sometimes in the pursuit of greatness, things go wrong. Scientific progress isn’t without its casualties.”

Her cold dismissal of these atrocities makes my blood run hot. I clench my fists, trying to keep my wolf from surging forward. “Casualties? We’re talking about murder and kidnapping!”

Listening to her, I realize I have to restrain her somehow. As her Alpha, I should be able to overpower her. I just have to wait for the right moment. I can drag her back to Moonhelm and have the dean call the authorities. But I don’t think I can do that to both her and my father by myself. Speaking of father . . .

“Am I an acceptable casualty too? Father attacked me and Saffron last night. He could’ve killed me. Where is Dad now? I need to talk to him.”

Nadia’s expression shifts to confusion, then she lets out a sharp laugh that echoes through the lab.

“Don’t be silly, Aydan. Father is dead.” She says it slowly, as if explaining to a child. “You know that. We buried his body together last year after his heart attack.”

The memory hits me—standing at his grave, Nadia sobbing beside me while I remained stoic, the family pillar of strength.

“Then who—”

“I’ve been continuing his research for the past year. I will not let his legacy die with him.” Her bright, expectant eyes gleam with pride, like she’s waiting for me to congratulate her. “Oh, and I finally made a breakthrough.” Her lips curl into a smile. “Ironically, thanks to you sneaking around with your little Scarlet girlfriend.”

A chill runs through me. I don’t like where this is going. “What are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you ever wondered why Scarlets can only mate with Neutrals?” She leans forward, excitement making her voice rise. “And why are you able to sleep with her without catching on fire?”

My silence seems to please her.

“I realized something Father never did—Neutrals also have special powers.” She taps a diagram on the screen. “They can ‘neutralize’ Scarlets. Neutral DNA is the key to controlling the beast and all Scarlets for that matter.”

Horror dawns on me. “Did you kidnap Neutrals too? Experiment on them?”

“I didn’t need to.” She smirks. “We were never tested, but why would we be? Our father was an Alpha, and you are too. There are no Neutral Alphas . . . until now. You sleeping with Saffron proves you are a Neutral, which means Mother likely is one.” She touches her chest. “And so am I.”

My head spins as I try to make sense of what she’s telling me.

She walks to a refrigeration unit and pulls out a vial of dark red liquid. “With my new version of the serum, I can create an army of controlled Scarlets with Neutrals, like us, as their generals.” Her voice drops to a reverent whisper. “We’ll kill that hybrid posing as the Luna Queen and make the royal line pure again.”

This is crazy. Maybe it’s late on-set grief of losing our father.

“What you say is treason.” I shake my head, bile rising in my throat. “This wasn’t what Dad wanted. You said so yourself. His goal was to benefit all wolf-kind—including Scarlets.”

Nadia’s face hardens. “And look where that got him.” She clutches the vial to her chest as if her heart hurt. “He was too short-sighted. I won’t make that same mistake.”

My throat constricts as I stare at my sister—or whoever this stranger is wearing her face. “I need a minute,” I say to buy time.

“Of course,” she says, placing the vial back into its refrigerated case with delicate precision. “It’s a lot to absorb.”

My sister has completely lost her fucking mind. Gone is the girl who used to cry when she accidentally stepped on bugs, replaced by this . . . zealot talking about armies and assassinating the Luna Queen.

Shit. She could be executed for treason. If we argue that she went insane from losing our father, maybe the Alpha King will take pity on her. I need to subdue her as quickly and painlessly as possible so I can take her back to Moonhelm. Then, we can get her the help she needs.

But I need to keep her talking so I can find out where she’s keeping Saffron and the others first.

“I’m not the academic type, like you, so help me understand,” I force my voice to sound confused, rather than horrified. “How do you know that your formula works better than Father’s?”

“I used it on myself, of course.” Nadia beams.

“You’re behind the missing Scarlets?”

She nods rapidly.

“You kidnapped them?”

“No, I called them to me. They just have no choice but to listen.”

“Because you can transform like Father did. You’re the monster from the woods?”

“Monster?” She chuckles, straightening her posture. “I prefer ‘super wolf.’ And yes, I can shift into my normal wolf and then into the super wolf but, unlike Father, I maintain complete control.”

“But why attack me ?”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m still learning the strength of my super wolf but I had to put Saffron with the other Scarlets. We need her as part of our army.” She steps closer, eyes bright with fanaticism. “Don’t you see? We’re meant to lead this revolution together, you as Alpha Commander. We will usher in the new age of wolf-kind!”

“Hmm . . . Alpha Commander?” I force my features into contemplation. “Where’s Saffron and the other Scarlets now?”

“Contained. Safe. Ready for our orders.”

“Well, if I’m going to be Alpha Commander, I want to know what I’m working with. I need to see our army.”

“Yes, of course!” Nadia practically bounces with excitement. “Follow me. They’re in the containment wing.”

She turns toward another door, punching a code into a keypad. As it beeps, I assess my options. I could attack her now, but if she transforms into that beast, I’d be outmatched. I need to get Saffron and the Scarlets first. We’ll have a much better chance to take down Nadia together.

“After I show you our little army,” Nadia continues as we walk down a flight of stairs and into a short hallway, “we’ll need to discuss strategy. You’ll command the Scarlets once they’re under our control.”

“And what’s our first target?” I ask, playing along.

“Moonhelm, obviously.” She throws a conspiratorial glance over her shoulder. “It’s only a matter of time before Dean Fowler and his security team discover this facility. If we can take over the academy, its location and resources make it the perfect staging ground.”

Stay calm. Play along. Find Saffron and the others. My heart pounds against my ribs as we approach another door at the end of the corridor.

“My brother, the Alpha Commander of Claymore, leading an army of Scarlets.” Nadia sighs dreamily. “Father would be so proud.”

No, I think, clenching my jaw. He wouldn’t. And neither am I.

She opens the door and turns on the light. We walk into what looks like a small office. The same white floors and cement walls, a desk in the corner of the room with a computer and notebooks. Father’s photo is here, too, looking at us from the desk with his stern glare. On the other side of the room is a cell. Iron bars split the room in two.

But there’s no one on the other side.

Nadia’s smile drops as she sees the empty cell. “Where . . . where did they go?”