Page 6 of Redeemed Wolf (Grim Wilds #4)

Chapter 6

Carter

Silas .

I blinked down through the microscope viewer, trying to focus on the blood sample on the slide, but I was having trouble concentrating. There was this buzzing sound, and at first, I’d thought it was the fluorescent lights overhead, but when I looked up, it wasn’t that. Then I realized that it was all in my head. I shook my head, trying to dislodge it, but it was no use.

Silas…

I’d been repeating his name over and over all afternoon, and I didn’t know why. Sure, he was nice-looking, with striking ginger hair and brilliant green eyes, smooth freckled cheeks, probably only a few years older than me. But I’d seen plenty of hot guys before. This was different.

He was different, though I couldn’t have told you why. And for some reason, I’d had the momentary urge to tilt my head to the side, exposing my neck for him, like he was some kind of vampire and I’d been held in his thrall, offering him a taste of my blood. It was the weirdest thing, but the urge had passed as quickly as it had come, so at least I hadn’t embarrassed myself.

A throbbing had begun in my temples, a pressure building in my skull. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, willing it to go away. I recognized the signs of an episode coming on. It had been so long since the last one, I thought I’d been doing okay.

Sighing, I pushed back from the microscope and scrubbed my palms hard over my eyes, trying to see through the fog starting to envelop my brain. My thoughts had a texture, a taste.

Silasssss…

This time, I swore the voice repeating it was not my own. It was low, rumbly, as if spoken through a growl. Wild… familiar… If I reached for it, I could just about remember…

“Are you okay, Carter?”

I jolted in my seat and tore my hands away from my eyes, blinking through the glare up at my dad, standing above me. “W-What?”

“I asked if you’re okay.” He approached me warily, before reaching out and putting a hand to my forehead. “You’re warm.” Then he peeled back an eyelid and checked to see if my eyes were clear. He grunted, a crease forming between his eyebrows. “Have you been taking your medication?”

For the briefest moment, I was tempted to lie. “I… I might have forgotten this morning,” I finally admitted, my cheeks burning. I knew better than that.

His lips pinched, and he nodded. “Well, take one now then. You know what happens if you miss a dose.”

“Right. Yeah, of course.” I pushed with my legs, my wheeled chair sliding across my workstation, and I pulled open the top drawer of my desk where I kept my personal belongings. Grabbing the pill bottle, I popped the lid and shook one of the black-and-yellow capsules into my palm, then tossed it into my mouth and swallowed it dry.

My dad watched me, his concern foremost in his expression. “Do you think that will be enough? If you need, I can get a shot prepared.”

“No, no. I’m sure it’ll be fine. I was only just starting to get a headache.” I wasn’t about to tell him I was hearing voices. I sighed as the pounding began to ease, offering Dad a small smile. “I’m already starting to feel better. You don’t have to hover. I promise I’ll be okay, you can go back to work. Sandra’s here,” I added, pointing to my fellow lab tech, but she didn’t even look up from her work. She might not have been the best choice of babysitter, with her earphones tucked into her ears, no doubt playing her favorite death metal band at full volume.

“Hmm,” he murmured, unconvinced. “All the same, I’d feel better if I stayed nearby, kept an eye on you. Just as a precaution. You know, the day’s almost over anyway, and I’ve got some paperwork to catch up on… Don’t mind me. You won’t even know I’m here.”

I gave an exaggerated roll of my eyes, and he laughed. “I know, I know,” he said, waving a hand as he made his way to his desk in the corner. “I’m such a stereotypical overprotective father, so sue me.”

He was, in fact, exactly that. Nobody could blame him for it, either. My illness had almost robbed me of a normal life, but thanks to this very lab, he’d been able to create a treatment to allowed me to function. I barely remembered what it was like, the pain, the hallucinations, the volatile emotions, I was so young, but I knew my dad had put his entire life on hold for me. To help me reclaim who I was. I was so incredibly grateful for everything he’d done for me, all the sacrifices he’d made, in both his career and his personal life. I would do anything to repay him, even allow him to hover.

Shaking my head, a smile on my lips, I rolled back over to the microscope. Now, where was I…

The glass slide was a sample from Alpha IP: Wolf, and I’d been trying to see how it reacted to blood samples of other species. It was immediately obvious that any two samples of mutated alpha blood meant almost instantaneous cell death. Just to be certain, I tried it between different species, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. The alpha blood was simply too dominant to share space.

I frowned through the lens at yet another dead sample. Removing the slide from the clip, I filed it in the appropriate slot, then made a note of the result on the tablet.

But what if the blood I added it to was human, not animal…

My thoughts staggered to a halt as I yawned loudly, my jaw popping.

“All right, that’s enough,” Dad declared. “You’ve done more than enough. Time to call it a night.” He stood from his chair and gestured for me to do the same.

“What? But I wanted to try—”

He was already shaking his head. “Nope. You can try it tomorrow. The samples aren’t going anywhere.” As goal-oriented as he was, he always put his family before work. He grabbed the back of my chair and wheeled me away from the microscope. “Up you go. I’m taking you out for dinner.”

I scoffed. “Why? Because I had a little headache?”

“No, because I love my son and I would like to take him out to dinner. I’ll even let you pick the restaurant.”

Pouting, I let him lead me toward the changeroom. “Fine, but I really hate how quickly I gave in. I’m a weak, weak man.”

Dad laughed, nudging me toward the showers. “Not weak, just food-motivated. It’s an important distinction.”

I grunted, stopping at my locker. I hung up my lab coat then grabbed my bag and change of clothes. “Gimme ten minutes.”

“Take your time.” He meant what he said, but I hurried anyway, because I knew he would just be sitting there waiting for me. Maybe he thought I might pass out and drown in the shower if I wasn’t supervised.

By the time the ten minutes was up, I was clean and dressed, dragging a towel through my short hair. “So, where are you taking me?” I asked, tossing the towel into the laundry hamper.

“Benny’s?” he suggested, and my stomach gave a tight pang in approval. They served the best pizza on this side of the city.

“Sounds good.”

We’d reached the parking lot, so I turned to head toward my car, but my dad stopped me. “Why don’t we carpool? Your car will be fine here overnight.”

I frowned, confused. “Of course it would be fine in a guarded, fenced-in lot.” I sighed. “Dad, seriously. I’m okay to drive.”

The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened as his expression tightened. “Carter, listen… I worry, okay? I will never forget what it was like to watch you go through those episodes, to see my son in pain and be helpless to stop it. I know that you’re an adult now, but you’re still my child. Can you forgive me?”

Guilt gnawed at me. The memories were nothing but a hazy blur for me, but I knew how much those years still haunted him. “How about I have a sleepover at your place tonight,” I suggested, walking toward his car instead of my own. He kept a room made up for me, for whenever I wanted to stay over. I suspected he would love it if I just moved back home. He was lonely.

His smile was relieved, his shoulders relaxing back into place as he turned to walk beside me. “Perfect. Movie night?”

“Sure, but only if it’s an action flick. I’m in the mood for some blood and violence tonight.”

Maybe it was just me, but I swore his smile stuttered for a brief second. He pressed the button on the fob to unlock the doors. “We’ll see if I can wear you down for a sweet rom-com instead.”

“Speaking of romance…” I began as I slid into the passenger seat, “tell me about this new guard you hired. Silas? He’s cute.”

That definitely wiped the smile away entirely, in one fell swoop, and I laughed at his scowl. “Just kidding, Dad. You know I don’t date.”

“I’m already dreading the day when that changes. It is inevitable.” He started the car and drove us toward the city.

I sat back in my seat and watched out the window as the landscape shifted from fields to suburbs, and eventually, downtown. Lights blurred, my eyes unfocused, and in that half-aware state, I drifted. Deep beneath the growl of the car’s engine, I almost wondered if I heard a voice whisper…

Silas …