by Eva Gordon
Nik raised a brow. “You know of her?”
“My father and I searched for her as well. She is the niece of the Nazi werewolf Wolfram. The only member of his pack to escape the explosion. Trust me, we followed every lead of bodies found drained of blood. Most turned out to be the victims of various serial killers.”
Nik shook his head. “After she is done, she eats her victims. And if not, she hides their bodies.”
“That’s what we figured, but even so, she must have a voracious appetite,” said Emma.
Rylee scoffed. “In alpha werewolf form, that’s not so difficult.”
Nik stood. “Which is why I must leave.”
“Not so fast, Nikolay,” said Rylee.
“Why?”
“Sit down.”
Nik nodded. Not happy. He’d gotten Emma here and in one piece, despite almost getting herself killed.
Rylee turned on a screen. “We have something more pressing that needs investigating.”
Nik swore in Russian on seeing the gruesome pictures.
Emma swallowed. “Holy shit.”
The images showed the bodies of naked men twisted in agony while undergoing the change. Their hideous faces frozen in death. Part human part monster wolf. None turned wolf.
Emma turned to Rylee. “The change killed them.”
“Not our change,” said Rylee. “Rather than wolves becoming men, these are human men becoming werewolves. The intermediary human-wolf monster form.”
Nik shook his head. “That’s not possible.”
“Our genetics research team believes someone is using reverse genetic engineering to cause men, mostly former soldiers, to become werewolves.”
“Looks like they failed,” said Nik.
“We don’t know for sure,” said Rylee.
“Do we have their bodies?” asked Emma.
“No. One of our wardens found the bodies while in wolf form. He returned with a camera to take pictures. Then he went straight to his office and sent us the photographs. However, when Lev and his team arrived, the remains were burned beyond recognition. Fortunately, the warden brought back an arm. It’s in the lab. We analyzed face recognition and found they were soldiers either missing in action or AWOL. Most served in the Middle East. Not all American. Some were British and a few Russian.”
“So Lev is working on it?” asked Nik.
“No. He and Slade are stalking a terrorist group that obtained a nuclear weapon, which has taken precedence. Emma, we believe whoever is experimenting with this might be deep black ops, so we’re putting you in the field.”
“Too dangerous,” said Nik.
“Would you like to partner with Emma on this one?”
Yes. No. “What about Saskia?”
“Once we get a lead on who is using soldiers as lab rats, then you can return to follow Saskia. I’m sure she’s laying low knowing you were tracking her.”
Emma furrowed her brow. “Where did the warden find the bodies or what remained of the men?”
“In Croatia. Have you been?”
Emma smiled. “Last year, I went undercover following a rogue Russian agent known as Igor.”
Rylee tilted her head. “Did you get him?”
“No. He got away. Unfortunately, he took out three agents during our botched attempt to apprehend him including…”
Rylee finished. “Your fiancé.”
“Yes.”
Nik felt cold jealousy penetrate his soul. Yet, losing her fiancé must have broken her. “I’m sorry.”
Emma snapped. “If you help me catch his killer, after we trace whoever is testing wolf DNA on humans, I’d owe you.”
“I would be happy to help.”
Rylee shook her head. “Ms. H., you now work for us. All ties to the CIA are secondary to our needs, understood?”
“About that, ma’am—”
Rylee cut her off. “We’ll talk privately after I brief you on your assignment.”
Nik wondered if she would decide to quit working for the LIA. If he was human, he would. Hell, even as a werewolf he preferred his human comrades to the pack.
Emma shrugged. “I suppose we can start with interviewing the warden. I take it he’s in Croatia?”
“No. He’s on his way here. His plane should arrive in a couple hours.”
Nik frowned. “I don’t think soldiers would have volunteered.”
Rylee smirked. “They might have jumped at the idea of becoming super human mercenaries.”
“My father had files on all bioengineers with the means for working on wolf hybridization experiments,” said Emma.
“Yes, we got the intel thanks to him. However, there might have been others with secret labs, hidden from our noses,” said Rylee.
“Do you think the Keep is working on a lethal way to reverse the change?” asked Nik.
“We have someone on the inside and as far as he knows, the Keep vowed to stop any type of lycanthropy. My instincts say this experimentation is run by a rogue werewolf group working with a human biotechnologist. Could be someone in the government working on creating an elite group of soldiers,” said Rylee.
Nik narrowed his eyes. “Or Russian government.”
“I could see that,” said Emma.
“This is not the Cold War, Emma,” countered Nik. Did she hate Russians?
“Not cold, but lukewarm,” she said.
Nik shrugged. “Have there been any missing werewolves?”
“I’m having all the wardens report any missing lycans, but as far as we know even the ones in Croatia are accounted for.”
“Well, they must be getting DNA from werewolves, either living or maybe from the bones of the departed,” said Emma.
Rylee nodded. “That’s what we need to find out.” She turned to Nik. “Return to your station, while I talk privately with Emma.”
Nik didn’t want to leave, but obeyed. “Yes, ma’am.”
Chapter Three
Emma swallowed as Nik left the room. Alone with Rylee who, as the alpha’s alpha, intimidated the hell out of her.
Rylee sat across from Emma and smiled. As much as she could strike the fear of god in everyone, her smile reassured that she had one’s back. “Not so long ago, my father sat across from your father, Lawrence York, our key human, our Mr. H.”
Emma’s eyes threatened to fill with tears. “Father was thirty-nine years old and second to my grandfather.”
“And you are twenty-eight years old, thinking you had another ten or more years before your father retired.”
“Not necessarily. My grandfather died in action. Once I learned the nature of my father’s work, I feared losing him as well.” Emma’s mother had died when she was five. Her live-in nanny, Mara had been in Rylee’s pack. She taught Emma survival skills. At age twelve, Emma had to survive in the Canadian Rockies for a week with nothing but a small pack of five essentials she had selected. Naturally, Mara had watched her from a short distance, although, at the time, she didn’t know it. The experience nonetheless built confidence in Emma. Her former nanny now lived in England and she visited her at least once a year.
“Shall I formerly introduce you as the new Ms. H. or do you need to think about it?”
“You mean you would let me go if I chose not to serve the LIA?” She hadn’t expected a choice. Part of her was duty bound to her family’s legacy and the other part felt as though she were betraying her government, her kind. What if she and Danny had gotten married? Permitted to tell a spouse, she still would have hesitated. Would he have taken the lycan blood vow? Her father told her he never told her mother. Knowing Danny was a brilliant intelligence officer, he would have learned her secret.
“You didn’t know your father had the same choice?”
“No.”
“Lawrence never re-married and with a daughter to raise, we thought he wouldn’t join us. He did. Enthusiastically and said you would follow in his steps.”
Emma had been groomed as a member of Rylee’s pack. As a traine
d CIA agent, she already knew not to reveal her real occupation. Telling people she was a spy would land her in prison or worse, dead. “I understand if I refuse the job, my memory of knowing about the lycan society would be permanently erased.”
“That is correct.”
This was the life she’d trained for. Her father put Mara in charge of teaching her lycan behavior, similar to real wolves, but with more human influence. She learned their werewolf culture varied from wolf or even human behavior. Growing up, she spent more time with Rylee’s pack than her human relatives. Mara even took her to live with a pack of real wolves not far from LIA headquarters. When Emma joked with her friends she’d been raised by wolves, she meant it.
The life as an agent for the LIA was exciting, but dangerous. As much as she loved being a CIA agent, this was far better. She had the skills and deep-rooted loyalty to the pack. “I’m in.”
Rylee smiled. “I thought you would be.”
Emma straightened her shoulders. “One thing.”
“Yes?”
“Nik wants to return to the mission he left. Is there another team member I can work with?” Being around him brought out distracting erotic thoughts, which elicited guilt from being attracted to another only six months after Danny’s murder.
“He is perfect for the job. If need be, you can convince your CIA superiors he is the rogue Russian agent you are chasing.”
“How do you know about that mission?”
“Your father kept me abreast of everything you did.”
“Actually, my superiors think I’m on a long vacation.”
“Contact them and tell them you have a lead and you’ll go dark.”
“I still need to obey orders if they say no or send me on another mission.”
“Trust me, they won’t. We took care of that.”
“Oh?”
“You might be our top spy, but you're not the only one we have on the inside.”
“As the new Ms. H., I need a list of all our people on the inside.”
“Naturally, human and lycans.”
“Really?” She tried to think of agents who might be werewolves, but couldn’t think of one. Then again, she didn’t know everybody in the huge agency. If Emma had bumped into a lycan, she’d have known. She’d learned the subtle mannerisms of lycans posing as human. Of course, there were exceptions to the rules. Cricket, born a runt, acted more human than wolf. Although an alpha, Nik had socialized more with humans than his own kind. In fact, he acted more human than lycan.
“Jesper will meet with you and go over the details.”
“When will I meet with the council?”
“I’ll convene with the king and a few key members of the council. It’s not necessary that they meet you. Other than them, you’ll only be known to Team Greywolf and members of the LIA.”
“And my status?”
“Within my pack, you’ll have beta status. However, amongst other packs, you remain below an omega.”
She held her tongue. No point arguing about her low status outside of Rylee’s territory. “Right.” Humans were the lowest members of any lycan pack with the exception of Rylee’s.
“Just know your father was regarded by the LIA as a hero. Any team member would have given their life for him. You are more than an asset. You are a beloved pack member.”
Emma bowed her head. “Good to know, ma’am.”
Nik and Emma entered the situation room, which reminded him of a small theater. The oval table faced the large screen that was connected to computer. Jesper, the archivist, an almost albino omega, attended the meeting. Next to Rylee, he knew just about everything about the packs. Actually, rumors were Jesper knew far more than the alphas. Not that they knew the whereabouts of every known lycan, but damn close.
Rylee greeted them. She stood in front of the screen that took up most of the wall. “Welcome, Emma, to your first Team Greywolf mission. Both of you come in and introduce yourselves.” She signaled the warden who stood.
Nik sniffed at him. A beta with the scent of old foreign forests. “I’m Nicolay Sokolov and this is Emma York.”
He turned and bowed low to Nik. “I’m Warden Duko of Croatia.” He straightened and smiled at Emma. “I’m in charge of four lone werewolves.”
They took their seats.
“Only four in Croatia?” asked Emma.
“Most of the packs have moved into isolated forests in Russia or moved and joined European or American packs. Actually over the years, they’ve been pressured to do so.”
“Encouraged,” said Rylee, matter of fact.
Duko looked down at his hands. “Yes, ma’am.”
Nik enjoyed being part of Team Greywolf, but he too felt pressured by the all mighty Rylee. She was a force to reckon with. More powerful than any royal lycan and respected by the lycan council. “But you remained.”
“Yes. Only the stubborn remained. I’m sixty-years old and like my four charges, prefer living without a pack.” He frowned. “Now for our own good, Rylee and the European packs ordered all remaining lone werewolves to leave Croatia. So here we are.”
Dr. Howard Becker, their top scientist in the field of Luponomics, walked in. He bowed low to all since he was human and then sat.
Rylee turned to Duko. “Tell us how you learned about the dead men.”
He nodded. “I was surveying one of the forests for any new or undocumented werewolves. I noticed a sign that read, Danger Agricultural Pesticide Area. I thought I’d return later.” He shook his head. “But, I didn’t detect the scent of pesticide or any other type of chemical. I caught the scent of wolves, yet not real wolves and not our kind. Something different. Abhorrent. I shifted to wolf form and followed the scent. Armed men surrounded the dead deformed men. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought our kind had been caught in the middle of their change and then somehow killed. Yet, when we die from the change, it’s always in human form, not as a half-wolf half-human creature. I am embarrassed to say I threw up at such a horrific sight. After I recovered, I shifted to human form and grabbed a camera from my backpack. I took the pictures from a distance and then returned to base. Once I determined I had not been followed, I contacted you.”
Rylee narrowed her eyes. “And when you returned the next day, what did you find?”
“Their bodies burned beyond recognition.”
“And the armed men?” asked Nik.
“They were packing to leave. A white van arrived and they loaded two dead wolves into it. Real wolves.”
“That’s where they get their DNA,” said Dr. Becker.
Rylee lifted a brow. “Why not just take samples?”
Becker turned to her. “Likely, they kept them frozen, so they’d have access to them for further biochemical study.”
“And leave no evidence,” added Emma.
Nik frowned. “Why real wolves, when they have us, or for that matter, Lev’s magical bite?” Lev was known as Chernobyl Werewolf. His radioactive bite accidently turned his human wife into a werewolf. Fortunately, Rachel never underwent the change. They all thought it was an anomaly because she had Stallo’s gene. An exception to the rule. There were no other cases of a human turning lycan from a werewolf’s bite.
“That’s what I wondered.” Dr. Becker sighed. “However, they use specific groups of wild wolves for their experiments, not werewolf DNA.”
“Why not just buy wolves?” asked Emma.
“The packs in that area are genetically related to the strain of wolves with the Stallo gene, only they were never part of the original alpha wolves that underwent the change,” explained Dr. Becker. “I’ve mapped the DNA of known packs of the area near Stallo’s mountain.”
“You would think they would try werewolf DNA first,” said Emma.
Becker nodded. “I’m sure they did, but I think they found out that our gene shifts from wolf to human and never the other way around.”
Rylee sighed. “At least they didn’t get a hold of wolves who were once werewo
lves.”
Becker continued. “Those given the wolf lobotomy and set free have all been accounted for.” Criminal werewolves were often given a choice between death or a wolf lobotomy, a drug that erased their human mind and kept them in wolf form.
“How can you be sure?” asked Emma. “Even in wolf form, they still have a gene for shifting. It’s just turned off.”
“No, what the warden recorded is due to a retrovirus found only in a few real wolves. What is known as an endogenous retrovirus or junk DNA.”
“So they are working on some sort of wolf human chimera, but with an adult human?”
“Yes, according to our data, even with wolves related to our ancestors, only a fraction carry this rare human retrovirus. And even then, someone needs special lab facilities to find the right wolf junk DNA and then to somehow manipulate it to cause the change in a human.”
“We know of a secret lab that created fierce dogmen,” said Rylee.
“The tissue sample I have indicates the lab created dogmen from dogs and human DNA. They never shift and always remain dogmen,” explained Dr. Becker.
“How many packs do you think have this retrovirus?” asked Rylee.
“We looked into that question. We traced a single ancestral pack with the retrovirus that migrated to Siberia long ago.”
Nik wrinkled his nose. “Like the packs in my, as you say, neck of the woods?” There must be at least a hundred throughout Siberia. They would have had to sample dozens. Nik wondered if his pack was originally killed to obtain their DNA. As far as he remembered, the secret squad of killers had massacred three normal packs near his family’s pack. “Siberia is big, where exactly?”
“Eastern Siberia, Verhoyansk Mountain Range.” Jesper turned on the screen and went to the map of the isolated area.
“Inaccessible to most humans,” said Nik mostly to himself.
Dr. Becker nodded. “According to our wolf gene pool data, there might be one or two wolves in that region with the retrovirus. Less than one percent.”
Emma furrowed her brow. “Even if they injected the wolf DNA directly into these men, I don’t understand how that would cause the change?”
