Page 26

26

KELLY

J ust when I thought Garrick might finally leave, a familiar man’s voice echoed from deeper within the dungeon. “Bring her on up.”

My claws and fangs withdrew painfully, leaving me defenseless. I blinked at Garrick, surprised he wasn’t moving. He remained in place, his gaze still focusing on mine. Obviously still trying to understand the problem that was sitting before him.

“Come along and bring the girl,” he yelled again.

“Heard you the first time, Ron.” Garrick shook his head and extended to his full height from the crouch. “Come now, special one,” he muttered. “Don’t make trouble.” He slid the keys from his pocket to my cage and waved me forward to the opened door.

He knows. Somehow, he knows.

I shook my head, not wanting to be anywhere near him. “No, please…”

With a huff, he snapped forward, lightning fast, and grabbed me by the upper arm. My legs buckled as he yanked me up. His hard grip tightened, sending sharp jolts up my arm. A sense of dread rolled through me, and I’d bet anything he could break my arm with just a little more pressure.

My throat tightened as a scream threatened to escape, but I cut off the sound, refusing to show him my pain. I pressed my lips together and managed only a soft moan. The cage door slammed shut behind me. As he dragged me along, I tripped for the third time, my legs failing to keep up as his long strides chewed through the distance.

“Where are we going?” My foot slipped on a stair, only his firm grip kept me upright.

He glanced down at me with a rumble. “Changed your mind about talking? Too late. You’ll see the Pack Council. They advise our Alpha on laws so fewer humans enter this world.”

My lower lip trembled, and I frowned. “But I haven’t broken any laws. This isn’t my fault. I didn’t ask for this.”

“I know.” Garrick frowned, patting my shoulder. “You’ve said as much. You’re new.”

And then we continued up the stairs.

The doors opened before us, and we stepped into a regal-looking, masculine boardroom. A long, solid oak conference table ran the length of the room, surrounded by people in business attire. At the end of the table stood a man with blond hair and blue eyes, towering over the rest. Was this the Alpha? He looked pissed off, a snarl curling his lips.

“I’ll remain here,” Garrick murmured, and I nodded to him. He leaned next to the dungeon’s door as I stepped forward.

My gaze drifted to the people around the table. A man with a greying, pencil-thin mustache wrinkled his nose at me, while another guy in a suit with slicked-back blond hair inspected his nails like I wasn’t worth his time.

Several other werewolves mirrored that reaction, but not a blonde female werewolf. She leaned forward and drew in a deep breath. Her eyes narrowed as though something about this clicked. She pursed her lips. Who was she? She clearly wanted to speak, but maybe protocol prevented her? I didn’t know.

The Alpha rounded the table and stopped a few steps away. The intense wave of power sweeping from him was worse than Garrick’s, if that was even possible.

I backpedaled toward the basement, but Garrick’s hand on my shoulder kept me in place. If these were the people Garrick spoke of, then I didn’t feel comfortable with my chances. All of this felt like an awful mistake, but it was going to happen. Part of me wanted to collapse, curl up, and cry.

Don’t show weakness.

I lifted my chin, remembering how Garrick had responded to the strength I’d shown. Maybe attacking was a bad idea, but otherwise, I needed to rely on my beast. If we were going to get out of here, we needed to prove ourselves, not whimper. But I wasn’t who they thought I was. I didn’t know Jared. I’d been changed in the research lab.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself, girl?” the Alpha said.

My mouth opened and closed as I struggled to find the right words. Should I mention Jacob? I didn’t have much choice. They were going to kill me if I didn’t do something. “I’m Jacob Armstrong’s mate.”

The Alpha lifted an eyebrow at me. Behind him, an immediate uproar of conversation exploded at the table, and he whirled on them. “Silence!” A few grumbles filtered through, but the Alpha narrowed his eyes at me. “Who are you? How do you know Jacob?” I sensed he believed me, but he needed proof I wasn’t making things up.

“I’m Kelly Lopez, sir. Jacob and I attend the same university. We were studying together during finals week when we got into an argument. He left. There was a knock on the door, and I’d thought maybe he returned…” My voice faltered, and I lowered my gaze to the floor, my nails biting into my palms. Tears threatened to spill, but I fought them back. Now wasn’t the time to start sobbing. Garrick’s hand on my shoulder gave a soft squeeze. “But these mercenaries took me from my apartment. I…” A tear swept down my cheek, and I brushed it away.

“I see.” The Alpha waved Garrick away to stand by the door once more. “Come, sit down.” He gestured toward a leather armchair opposite the intimidating group.

For a few seconds, I glanced back at Garrick, who nodded subtly. Why was I looking for guidance from the wolf who’d said he would be my executioner? But I followed the Alpha and perched on the chair.

“Why didn’t the Pack know about you sooner? Were you hiding from us?” the man with the pencil-thin mustache asked. The way he steepled his fingers matched his cold, calculating gaze.

I swallowed hard. “Um?” My mind raced as I glanced between each councilmember, trying not to look at any of them for long. “Before that night, I was a human, sir.”

“Is that so?” A middle-aged woman with brown hair cascading over her shoulders tapped a long, manicured nail on the oak table. Her red lips pursed with irritation. “How did you become one of us then?”

My mind pulled me back to that night, and I fought off images of the man I’d nicknamed Baldie pushing me against the cage.

“My abductors told me their scientists had uncovered a way to turn humans into… shapeshifters. They weren’t after me but this wereleopard named Caitlyn, so when they realized I wasn’t a shifter, one of them decided to ‘fix’ their mistake. He pinned me to a cage and…” My hands trembled in my lap. “I thought I was dying. There was so much blood, and I lost consciousness.”

My gaze slid to the Alpha, who nodded for me to continue. “When I woke up, I felt different. Violent, almost feral.” I shook my head. “Jacob risked his life to save me. He’s the best mate I could’ve asked for. I would’ve lost my mind if it hadn’t been for him.”

Any boredom on the councilmembers’ faces disappeared with my declaration. The blonde woman leaned forward, watching me. I still wondered who she was. Something about her facial features felt familiar.

“You are the woman my son cares for?” the female werewolf asked. “The one he says is his mate…”

Son? It took a second to click. “You’re Jacob’s mom?”

“I am. You must be special for him to have risked his life.” She turned to the Alpha. “Aaron, I believe we should?—”

The door opposite the conference table burst open causing the councilmembers to shout objections and jump to their feet. I stiffened in my seat as fear clenched at my stomach. What was going on? It took all my strength not to glance back.

“Kelly! Are you okay?” Jacob’s voice washed over me, instantly easing my fear. Maybe I’d be fine after all. I hoped so.

I turned in the chair and saw Jacob a few feet away, flanked by two men. My nostrils flared, catching a familiar scent. Could one of them be his brother? The other man looked like a younger version of the Alpha. Were they related?

“I am,” I said. Or I was now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Garrick watching me. He straightened, the flicker of recognition in his expression fully formed. He gave a small nod, then returned to his usual blank, feral stare.

A low growl reverberated across the room, pulling my attention back to Jacob.

He hadn’t moved, but locked his eyes on my face, dark and unreadable. His lips were pressed tight, the muscle in his cheek ticked like he was holding himself back. His gaze traced the damage—the split lip, the bruises… then dipped to my throat.

The skin there felt raw. I didn’t need a mirror to know Garrick’s fingerprints were still visible. My jaw throbbed from the punch, but the ache dulled under the weight of Jacob’s fury. I touched my neck without thinking, as if to cover the bruises. Too late.

Oh shit…

The possessive gleam in Jacob’s eyes was back. And then some. If he had his way, I knew he’d fight Garrick.

No, no, no… Don’t be an idiot for me, baby.

“Jacob, it’s good to see you.” The Alpha’s calm voice cut through the tension. “I’m glad you’ve finally decided to chat with me and the Council, especially with what we now know.” He leaned a hip against the conference table and nodded past Jacob to the other men. “Chad, Shane, you may leave. The Council wishes to speak with them alone.”

The man who I suspected was his brother patted his shoulder, then they left, closing the door behind them.

Jacob lowered his head, momentarily flustered. “I’m sorry?—”

“I’ve wanted to speak with you for a while now,” the Alpha said. “Where have you been?”

“It didn’t feel like the right time.” Jacob stepped behind my chair, placing his hands on its back. “I needed space to get my head on straight after—” His thumb brushed over my shoulder as I looked up at him. “I was concerned about her. Didn’t want anything happening to her. She’s innocent. They mistook her for someone else, and?—”

“We know her story.” Aaron crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s not a satisfactory reason to hide from your Pack. You acted selfishly, young man. I think you know it too.”

Jacob bowed his head as if ready for an axe to fall on his neck. His voice dropped to a mere whisper. “I know, and I apologize to all of you.” His gaze met mine, and a shiver raced down my spine. He didn’t need to say sorry, especially when he always forbade me from doing the same. I placed a hand over his. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be dead.

The Alpha cleared his throat. “Your apology is duly noted.”

“I don’t know how much you’ve learned about the scientists, but they were trying to build super soldiers from shifters.” He pulled a familiar folder from an inside jacket pocket and placed it on the table beside Aaron.

The Alpha’s brows lifted, and he glanced at the other councilmembers, sharing his apparent surprise with them. The others looked intrigued by the research too.

“We took that during our escape. It has some of the information they had on us. Somehow, they knew I wasn’t a changed wolf. They thought I was their best hope for producing a super soldier, with Kelly being the one to carry it. The scientists conducted so many tests. They pushed us to our limits. Food was scarce, barely enough to keep us alive. We almost escaped the night I called Shane. While fighting the guards off, they tranquilized me. I could barely keep my eyes open, much less focus on driving.”

Jacob placed his hand on my shoulder, and I nuzzled into his arm. “I keep letting you down.”

“Don’t say that. You’ve done the best you could for me. For us.” I glanced up at him, brushing the unbruised side of my face against his arm, happy to have him close.

“This new information is impressive, son. It will help us combat whatever the scientists have spread to their contacts in the government.” Aaron set the folder aside, shaking his head. “However, you shouldn’t have hidden her away. That wasn’t your decision to make, Jacob.”

Jacob froze, and I could tell he was holding his breath. My lower lip trembled, hating the scent of fear that emanated from his pores. It seemed like he was waiting for a death sentence. I blinked, feeling my heart skip a beat in my chest. Or was he waiting for mine?

The Alpha kept going. “The Council makes decisions for the betterment of the Pack as a whole… and the individual members. Ms. Lopez could have died. She also could’ve caused irreparable damage to another.” His nostrils flared as he looked between us. “The uncontrolled nature of her beast is easy to see. We must teach her how to live like us. If she wishes, I’d like to welcome her to join as a member of this Pack.”

Jacob breathed out a sigh of relief. He all but collapsed against me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. Tension still lingered in the grip of his hands on my biceps, as though he wasn’t yet able to forgive himself. “Thank you, sir.” His gaze met mine, an almost pleading note in them as he waited for my response.

“Yes, sir. I’d like that.” I nodded to the Alpha, even as I hugged Jacob’s arms to me. “Thank you, sir.” The words felt right, even if part of me still felt overwhelmed at the thought of becoming enmeshed in their world. But with Jacob, I could face anything.

Aaron inclined his head toward us. “Good. We’ll reconvene at a later time. Normally, I would discipline you for your actions, but I think you’ve learned your lesson, kid. I’m sure the Council recognizes the immense stress you were under when you made that poor decision.” A rumbling agreement came from the members around the table. “Consider this your warning. Never keep secrets from us again.” The Alpha picked up the folder, then sauntered to his high-backed chair at the end of the table. He sat for the first time, leafing through a few more pages. His impassive face hardened, eyes narrowing like he understood exactly what he was looking at, though I couldn’t begin to guess how or why. Whatever he’d found, it was dangerous. Worse than we’d imagined. He closed the folder and set it aside again. “Go now. You’re dismissed.”

“Once I’ve finished my business here, I’ll swing by your place,” Jacob’s mom said, a small smile on her face. “Go rest.”