Page 18 of Redeemed Wolf (Grim Wilds #4)

Chapter 18

Carter

I’d promised Silas I’d wait a few days to see how I felt, and it was proving to be the right decision. I’d been drinking the herbal tea every morning and evening, and while the flavor tended to be a little on the spicy side, Silas added a teaspoon of honey to make it more palatable.

My mind was so much clearer now, my thoughts sharp without any lingering fog around the edges. Honestly, I hadn’t felt this good in a long time—maybe ever. Well, except for the return of the voice in my head, but I was honestly starting to get used to it. It almost felt like having a best friend in my pocket, who only spoke in growly monosyllabic commands. His favorite words tended to be “Silas” and “mate,” which I assumed was encouraging me to have sex with Silas, and I was obviously more than willing to do. Although more recently, he’d added the word, “pup.” I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but I would figure it out eventually.

My dad kept asking me how I was feeling. I told him I was feeling great, which was true, and that I didn’t need a new dosage for my meds, also true. The only headaches I got these days were when I spent too much time under the red lights in the hallways. The nightmares still made their appearance almost nightly, but sleeping next to Silas tended to help with them more than any sleeping pills did.

In the mornings, I’d been waking up feeling fresh and rested, but instead of forgetting the dreams, I was starting to remember bits and pieces. There was a metal table and a tray of surgical instruments, a splash of bright red accompanied by biting pain… That was usually when I woke up.

It felt more like a memory than a dream, and it scared me to think about that too hard.

Along with the other symptoms of being sober, I found the lab was an entirely different place. I was constantly being bombarded with all kinds of new stimuli, scents and sounds I couldn’t really understand. It was almost like I could hear colors or taste emotions. Connections were being made in my brain, like my wires were crossed, but when I did what Silas had suggested and experimented with my instincts, I found I was able to see a lot more of what was being shown to me.

I was standing at the counter in the lab, my ears perked to catch a snippet of conversation as a pair of guards walked past the lab, even though the door was closed.

“No way, man. I helped last month. It’s your turn,” one uniformed guard was saying.

“What, like I have a death wish? You couldn’t pay me enough to set foot in that cell,” the other replied.

I frowned, my eyes trailing after them as they passed out of earshot. What were they talking about? What cell?

The door to the lab pushed open and Dad came in. He smiled at me, but it didn’t quite look right, like there didn’t seem to be much genuine happiness behind it. I’d been noticing that lately, like he was wearing a mask most of the time. Had it always been like this and I simply hadn’t noticed, caught behind the drug-induced brain fog? Wasn’t it strange that my father wasn’t happy to see me?

“Hey, kiddo,” he said in greeting. “I’ve got some work for you to do in the back today. Do you mind?”

“Yeah, sure. No problem,” I said, and he turned toward the door, eager to get somewhere.

We did this about once a month or so. We had a large cooler at the back of the building where we kept all our tissue samples, and he had me go through them and take out all the outdated samples to make room for the fresh ones.

Silas’s voice flitted through my head. “ Where do you think he’s getting these samples from, and what does that have to do with what’s supposedly making you sick? ”

“Hey, Dad? Where do you get the tissue samples?” I asked, and he swiveled to look back at me, a sharp frown pulling his mouth down at the corners.

“What?”

“Well, do we have animals here on the premises or do you order them in from somewhere? I’ve never seen any bunnies or… wolves around here,” I said, picking animal species off the top of my head. “But I haven’t seen deliveries being made either.”

He stepped back toward me, watching me closely. “You’ve never asked before,” he drawled slowly, suspiciously, and it sent up a little red flag, warning me to tread carefully.

“I just want to be sure that the animals are being treated humanely, that’s all.”

Dad’s smile was tight and hard. “Do you really need to ask me that? Do you think I’m some kind of monster?”

Those instincts I’d been learning to trust told me I needed to run, but I forced my feet to stay rooted to the floor. “Of course not.”

“All right then. Get to work.” He stalked out of the room, and I noticed he hadn’t answered my question.

Adrenaline flooded my system as that voice in my head whined in fear, so loud that I almost clamped my hands over my ears—as if that would do any good. Shh, it’ll be okay , I soothed the voice, and it tapered off to a mere whimper. It wasn’t as if my own father would actually hurt me… right?

I could feel Sandra watching me, so I kept my movements slow and steady as I closed up my workstation and headed for the back cooler. As soon as I was out of sight, though, I gasped for breath and clutched a hand to my chest where my heart was bucking inside my chest. I continued walking down the halls, feeling the gaze of each and every security camera. Why would a lab working on a cure for a fairly benign virus require this much security? It wasn’t like we worked with infectious diseases or anything.

Doubt trickled through my veins, and even though I swore the air felt warmer in here today, I felt a chill all the way to my core. Why hadn’t I ever considered these things before? It made no sense! I wanted to believe I was a fairly logical person, but it was like I’d been asleep this whole time, going through the motions but never stopping to wonder why.

Every fiber of my being told me that I needed Silas. It wasn’t like I’d be able to tell him what was wrong, not when I didn’t understand myself, but I somehow knew that he would be able to make everything better. What did he know about the lab and what went on here? What hadn’t he told me?

Stepping into the back room, I dropped into a chair, clutching my thighs hard. Everything was so loud . The cooler fans grinding away, my breath sawing in and out, my blood rushing in my ears. My bones ached, my skin itched. What the hell was wrong with me?!

My impending panic attack was interrupted by a blaring alarm, the lights overhead switching to emergency lighting. The ground beneath my feet shuddered, a violent vibration that shook the whole structure. I jumped off the chair, reaching for the door and whipping it open. The halls echoed with shouting and the clomp of boots as guards took off running, their guns in hand.

One of them stopped and pointed at me, shadows thrown over his face from the bright white spotlights illuminating the halls. “Go lock yourself in the lab,” he shouted. “Don’t come out until Dr. Taylor tells you it’s safe.”

I nodded, and he ran off, but I never had any intention of listening. The only place I was going was to find Silas. I felt him there in my chest, a beacon, and I crept along the wall, trying to keep out of sight.

What kind of emergencies required guns? I tried to swallow, but my throat had closed up tight. When I peeked around the corner, I saw Silas jogging down the hall, a set of keys jangling in his hand. He was unlocking all the doors.

The way he was looking over his shoulder, crouched and furtive, it looked to me like he was doing something he shouldn’t. This was my father’s lab, so shouldn’t it have been my responsibility to stop Silas from doing something illegal?

Frowning, I stepped boldly out from hiding. “Silas, what are you—”

He spun around to face me, a war of emotions flashing across his face. He held his hands out in front of him. “Carter! You can’t be here, it’s not safe.”

But then a young woman stepped out from one of the unlocked rooms, wearing nothing but a thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Not a room, I realized, but a cell. These were the cells the guards had been talking about. But… there were people in them? That made no sense. Where were the animals?

Without giving myself a chance to second-guess my actions, I peeled off my lab coat. The girl’s first reaction was to step back from me, mirroring my actions in a way that was almost familiar. I stopped right where I was, keeping my distance.

“Here,” I said softly, holding my coat open for her. She met my eyes, her lower lip quivering, before she sniffed the air once, twice, nostrils flaring. Whatever she smelled, it seemed to embolden her, and she straightened her spine and tilted her chin up, before she stepped closer to slip her arms into the sleeves.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice husky, as she pulled the sides closed to cover her nudity. She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. I swore I could feel her strength, her resilience.

Other people had emerged from the cells, emaciated, squinting in the bright light. The alarms were still blaring from all directions, and I instinctively turned to Silas who drew me closer, bringing his mouth close to my ear. His scent filled me, grounded me, along with the voice in my head vibrating with comfort at being so close to him. “We need to get these people somewhere safe. I promise, as soon as we get out of here, I’ll explain everything.”

I was already nodding, and Silas gestured to the people to follow him, leading the way down the hall toward the door.

This was my father’s lab, and I’d always just done my job, but suddenly if felt like I wasn’t doing enough. These people needed help, and there was no question that I would do whatever it took to give it to them—and if my father had anything to do with this, he could go straight to hell.

With Silas at the front, we hurried down the narrow hall in a huddle. There were over a dozen figures, mostly men, though a few women, ranging in age, the youngest looking no more than five or six. I slid to the back of the group and did what I could to corral them. Adrenaline choked me. It was like being penned in on both sides, leaving the group defenseless. I didn’t know what my father had planned for these people, but I had no doubt that he wouldn’t want them walking out the door.

Movement caught my eye, and I saw a guard emerge from the hall behind us, carrying a massive automatic rifle, like something the SWAT team might carry. We locked eyes for a moment, and then he brought his gun’s stock to his shoulder, aiming down the sight. “Stop or I’ll shoot!” he shouted.

It was like lighting a firecracker and throwing it into a crowd. Utter panic exploded from the group, all shoving to get away from the threat, the dangerous press of bodies knocking several people off their feet. The young boy at the back screamed in fear, and I scooped him up in my arms, shielding him with my body. I expected pain, braced for it, but instead, I heard a loud roar, followed by the guard’s shout, a wet crunch, then nothing but a gurgle, muffled by the alarm’s klaxon.

When I dared to turn around, I saw the guard lying in a heap on the floor, the blood almost comically red as it pulsed from his torn throat, his eyes already glassy. Standing over him was a man, entirely nude except for the blood that smeared his pale skin. His fingers seemed to be hooked, ending in long claws, and his muscled back heaved with his panting breath.

I wasn’t afraid, though I probably should’ve been. I was standing just ten feet from a killer and his prey, but there was something familiar about the man—the way his long, disheveled hair curled around his ear dug a long-lost memory from the recesses of my mind.

“Isaac?” The name burst past my lips before I could even register who he was. He was my… brother? That couldn’t be right.

The man whipped around, taking a defensive position, but the moment he saw me, he straightened, cocking his head to the side, almost in confusion. “Carter?” he asked, taking an involuntary step forward.

The alarm cut off without warning, leaving us in a startling quiet that left every other sound somehow magnified. The drip of blood, the whimper of fear from the child still clinging to me.

“There’s no time for a reunion,” Silas shouted. He’d pushed his way through the packed group. He grabbed my hand in a tight grip and dragged me back to the front. I kept a firm hold on the child, barely noticing his weight in my arm.

Silas charged through the security door and out into the front hall. I heard an explosion, the ground shaking again. There was the distant pop of gunfire, but Silas didn’t even hesitate before barreling forward.

I heard that other man, Isaac, shouting for people to keep going from the back. The front door was in sight, and it was shocking to see sunlight through the glass. It felt like some kind of nightmare in here, but outside, it was a beautiful day.

The guard who manned the desk was standing in front of the door gaping out at whatever was transpiring outside, but when he heard our stampede headed his way, he turned to see what the noise was. His eyes widened, in fear or shock. “Wait, stop!” he yelled, grappling with his holster to get his gun free and running toward us, trying to cut us off.

Silas didn’t even slow down, simply lowered his shoulder and bowled him over. Before we could reach the door, an earsplitting bang cut through the air, and Silas let out a grunt, his right leg folding under. He let go of my hand as he dropped.

“Silas!” I shouted, reaching for him.

“Step back, Son.” My dad stepped out from around the corner, a handgun held steadily out in front of him. “Wouldn’t want someone to mistake you for part of this mob. You might accidentally get shot.” His blue eyes were like steel, cold and unfeeling.

“D-Dad?” I stuttered, frozen in shock. I slowly set the child down onto his feet and shuffled him behind me, away from my father. I felt one of the others take him from me. Silas was kneeling, bracing himself with a hand on the floor. He was breathing hard, his pants soaked with blood. “What the fuck? You shot him!”

“Haven’t you figured it out?” he asked, not even sparing me a glance as he closed the distance, aiming his gun at Silas’s head. “Your boyfriend here is a terrorist. He’s been using you to get information about my lab. You didn’t really believe that he had feelings for you, did you?”

“But…” For a fraction of a second, I let his words hit home in my heart. I let myself feel the betrayal, the hurt, let myself believe that I had been so na?ve to be taken advantage of. But then that moment passed and logic rushed back in. Silas hadn’t even asked me questions about the lab. He loved me, wanted me. And my father… “Dad, what are all these people doing here? Why do you have humans locked in cells?”

I saw the tic of his jaw as he ground his teeth, drawing a deep breath. “You should’ve kept taking your pills, Carter. Now you’ll have to join the rest.” His upper lip pulled up in a sneer. “As for you, Silas, there’s no coming back from this. I never should’ve trusted you…”

I no longer recognized the man who called himself my dad. There was no sign of the person who had cared for me, told me he loved me, as he raised the gun and pointed it straight at Silas’s forehead.

Silas didn’t flinch, didn’t argue or bargain. He simply rose onto his knees and kept his eyes open and fixed on my father, glaring. My brave, strong alpha. My mate…

The word I’d been hearing repeated in my head for weeks now finally made sense. Silas was more than just a boyfriend, more than some crush or even obsession. He was my mate , and I knew with absolute certainty that a connection like we had didn’t come more than once in a lifetime.

There was no conscious decision to stop my dad. I saw his finger tightening on the trigger, and I simply exploded into action. That little voice that had been lingering in the back of my head for months was suddenly front and center, taking control—and I let them.

My lips curled back, my mouth suddenly full of fangs. An inhuman snarl snaked its way out of my throat, my vision sharpening, the scent of blood and sweat and fear and anger overwhelming me. It was like being a puppet, with someone else pulling the strings as my body lunged forward, somehow morphing in midair. Joints popped, fur sprouted, and my clothes tore.

I saw the moment my father caught movement from the corner of his eye, his face registering shock as he turned in slow motion toward me, swinging his gun around in an arc. But he was too slow. His human speed was no match for the monster I had become.

My jaw clamped down onto his wrist, my teeth sinking deep into tissue, scraping on bone. Blood flooded my mouth, the copper taste somehow… familiar. He screamed, dropping the gun. He tried to pull his arm free, but I refused to let go. My mind was filled with images, memories, of needles and scalpels, of pain and rage.

This man was not my father.

Whatever shift my body had taken, I couldn’t hold onto it. It was all too much. Too much shock, overwhelming emotions, physical trauma. The voice in my head retreated, vibrating with satisfaction as my father cradled his hand to his chest, skin pale with blood loss. He might not have made it far if I hadn’t collapsed onto the floor, curling into a ball. My clothes were nothing more than scraps of fabric clinging to my limbs.

Silas was suddenly there, hovering over me. “Carter, baby, talk to me. Are you okay?”

“Fuck, oh fuck, what was that? What am I?” I sputtered, shivering. My brain was spiraling down the drain, darkness closing in. I couldn’t breathe.

Silas slipped his arms under me, lifting me with ease. I buried my face against his chest and closed my eyes. “Isaac,” Silas called. “You lead. Head for the gate.”

I was jostled as we ran. I felt the sun on my skin, the breeze. The air around us was filled with gunfire, an explosion from off to the right. It felt like a warzone, and I dug my fingers into Silas’s shirt, my breath hitching.

“Let’s go!” someone shouted. “Into the trucks, hurry!”

I felt someone else’s hands on me, trying to lift me from Silas’s arms, but I felt the rumble of a growl through his chest. “No, I’ve got him,” he snapped. “You drive.” He climbed into a vehicle, resting me in his lap, while someone closed the car door behind us, doing little to muffle the sharp reports of automatic gunfire.

The engine was already running, and someone jumped into the front seat and hit the gas, sending us bounding down the road. I peeled my eyes open enough to confirm that we were in a truck as we barreled through the gate, left wide open. It was a small comfort to see Pacey behind the wheel.

When I glanced over Silas’s shoulder, I saw three others crammed into the back seat—Isaac was holding hands with the woman wearing my lab coat, and in her arms, she was cradling the young boy I’d carried. He wasn’t crying or whining, just staring blankly off into the distance, and that was somehow worse than being afraid. He was nothing more than an empty shell. It made me want to be braver for him.

The truck lurched as Pacey spun the wheel, turning sharply to the right. Away from the city. The tires squealed as they gripped the pavement, the vehicle hurtling down the highway at top speed.

“Home?” Pacey asked, glancing at Silas.

Silas looked over at him and shook his head. “They don’t belong at Overlands,” he said. “They need a pack that will let them heal. They need family.”

Pacey nodded. “Grim Wilds it is,” he said.

Silas reached around me to dig his phone out of his pocket, rolled down the window, and tossed it out. “I guess that’s that.”

Pacey kept his eyes on the road, but he fidgeted, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. “Safe to assume they’ll come after us. Will he call the cops?”

“I doubt it. He’s not exactly performing legal experiments in there.”

Silas’s words needled at me. All those people kept in cells, a child , mistreated. Illegal experiments… Was this where the tissue samples were coming from? Bile crawled up my throat, my stomach threatening to purge its contents.

I squirmed on Silas’s lap, trying to get a look out the window, then I gasped, struggling to climb off him. His arms clamped down around me, and he made a soft shushing sound. “Hey, Carter, you’re okay. Calm down. We’re taking you somewhere safe.”

“No, I don’t care about me! Your leg, you were shot!” He let me wiggle off his lap as much as I could in the cramped space, until I found myself kneeling on the floor between his legs. My brain was rapid-fire flipping through my first-aid training. I needed something to use as a tourniquet. Alcohol to disinfect. Was the bullet still lodged in his leg? We needed to get to a hospital.

I whined when I saw the bullet hole in his pantleg, the fabric tacky with drying blood, but when I tore the fabric, expecting to see a gushing wound, I was shocked into silence. The bullet had hit him square in the thigh, but it had already stopped bleeding. I coasted my finger over the wound, noticing the way the edges had begun to heal. “Silas…” I looked up at him. He wore a placid expression, almost apologetic. “This wound looks days old, not minutes.”

“Would you believe the bullet just grazed me?” He winced. “No, obviously not. If you can be patient, we’ll be somewhere safe soon, and I will answer all your questions. Is that fair?”

The list of questions I had was doubling by the minute, but I nodded wordlessly. Silas took my hand and drew me back up into his lap. He seemed desperate to keep his hands on me, and I was happy to oblige.

He was the only place I felt safe.