The Lost Wolf's Destiny (The Pack)

by Karen Whiddon

  Heart racing, Lucas pulled out his cell phone. “I’m going to call Kane.”

  Looking at him askance, the officer didn’t appear convinced. “And tell him what?”

  Swallowing, Lucas struggled to control his fury. “I’ll let him know I believe one of Jacob’s people—maybe even Dr. Silva herself—was hidden somewhere in the building. And that I believe they’ve taken Blythe.”

  With that, he punched in the number and made the call.

  The instant he’d been reassured that Kane was on his way, Lucas began searching every square inch of Sanctuary. Obviously, Dr. Silva or one of Jacob’s other people had managed to hide from the joint searches of the FBI and Texas State Police.

  But they wouldn’t stay hidden from him. If he had to, he’d shift to wolf and use his efficient lupine nose to sniff them out.

  They had Blythe. Damned if he was going to let them hurt his mate.

  His mate.

  Stunned, he said the words out loud. Earlier, Kane had intuited the truth. Blythe truly was Lucas’s mate, the other half of him. He’d heard somewhere that Shifters, like their wild counterparts, mated for life.

  He could well believe this. He refused even to consider the possibility of a life without Blythe.

  Gut instinct told him she hadn’t left Sanctuary. Whoever had taken her hadn’t had time to get her past the authorities and off the compound. He’d find her, before anyone caused her further harm.

  Weapon drawn, he began searching the top floor. That was where Kane found him, cold determination fighting off panic, a scant thirty minutes later.

  “I’ve called my unit back in,” Kane said. Lucas appreciated the way the other man moved right back into search-and-rescue mode without questioning.

  “Thanks. I’ve been doing a search, room by room. I’m reasonably sure they haven’t left the building.”

  Kane nodded and drew his weapon. “Sounds good. We need to see if we can find blueprints of this place. I know there are a ton of hidden rooms, much like the area we used for a base.”

  “There are.”

  Kane snapped his fingers. “Did you say you and your sister used to explore them as kids?”

  Lucas nodded. “We did. I can even remember a few of them. I’ve been looking for hidden entrances while I searched the obvious places.”

  “Let me help you finish up on this floor. I’ll take the west side of the hall, you take the east.”

  They’d nearly finished searching the top floor by the time the rest of Kane’s team arrived. Kane barked out their orders, letting two of his men check the last few rooms on that floor. “Lucas and I will take the bottom floor. Several of you need to search the basement,” he said.

  Taking off, his team skipped the elevator and went for the back stairs.

  “Do you remember any hidden rooms down there?” Kane asked. “Other than the labs, that is?”

  Lucas thought for a moment. “No. The basement wasn’t used much back then. Other than where Jacob locked up me and Lilly once he found out what we were.”

  Shooting him a considering look, Kane grimaced. “My men will still check it out,” he decided. “And while we’re searching this floor, how about if you try to remember the location of some of those secret rooms? We’ll start there.”

  Lucas took a deep breath, trying to settle the mounting sense of urgency building inside him. He needed to keep cool, calm and collected to have the best chance of saving Blythe. “I can remember two. Let’s try and find the entrance to the one that used to be my favorite. It’s here on the main floor, so whoever abducted Blythe could easily have taken her there.”

  “Fantastic,” Kane said and grinned at him. “I’m assuming it’s like the pantry, with a hidden switch that opened an entrance?”

  “Exactly.”

  Kane touched his arm. “Show me.”

  Lucas led the way. Taking the steps two at a time, he then hurried down the hall. “There’s a seldom-used study at the very end of the hall. I remember a secret entrance inside the closet door,” Lucas said, yanking it open and pressing hard against the baseboard until he heard a click.

  There was a sigh of air as the door opened.

  “Here we are.”

  “Excellent.” Once again, Kane had his weapon up. “We go in together. Be ready for anything.”

  * * *

  Head aching so badly the pain made her want to vomit, Blythe struggled to open her eyes. She couldn’t remember what happened—not exactly—though her intuition told her it wasn’t good. She came to in the dark, her eyelids fluttering as she woke. Her first thought was to wonder how she’d gotten this splitting headache; her second was to gradually realize what had happened.

  She’d been attacked. But why? And by whom?

  Slowly, she opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the lack of light. When she tried to move, she realized she’d been strapped to a metal table, similar to those in hospital operating rooms.

  Immediately, she thought of Dr. Silva.

  The only body part not tied down was her head. As things came into focus in the dim light, she knew she had to do something. Moving painfully from one side to the other, she tried to get a better idea of her surroundings.

  What she saw made her gasp. Dr. Silva perched cross-legged atop a tall counter, unmoving and staring at her.

  Blythe cleared her throat. The sound caused no change to her captor’s unblinking regard. In fact, the other woman seemed totally out of it, as if she’d gone into some sort of trance.

  With all the weirdness that kept happening in the place, this possibility seemed entirely feasible.

  Blythe tried to determine exactly how securely she’d been tied, wincing as she attempted to raise her neck and shoulders up off the table. Judging from the tightness of the straps at her wrists and ankles, pretty securely indeed. She couldn’t move except to wiggle her hands and feet.

  “It’s pointless to try and escape,” Dr. Silva spoke, sounding robotic and lifeless. Either she’d gone into a deep, deep depression, or—more likely—had taken some kind of drug.

  “Why are you doing this?” Blythe asked. “Everything is over. Jacob Gideon is in federal custody and the children have been freed.”

  “They cannot stop me,” Dr. Silva said, with a complete lack of enthusiasm or energy.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Blythe figured she may as well ask. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

  The longer she kept the other woman talking, the more chance she had of being rescued before the doctor took it upon herself to finish Blythe off.

  She could only hope. Eventually, Lucas had to realize she was missing. He would find her. She had to believe it wouldn’t be too late.

  “I know what you are. Tell me how you do it.” Dr. Silva spoke again, her voice ragged and hoarse. Still unmoving, her eyes burned with a feverish intensity as she stared at Blythe. “Before all this ends, tell me how you do it.”

  Aware she had to tread carefully, Blythe eyed her back. She didn’t immediately reply, afraid the wrong answer might send the other woman into a furious frenzy.

  Dr. Silva began rocking in place, her slight shoulders hunched. One hand crept up and began pulling at her short hair. Clearly, the recent events culminating in Jacob Gideon’s arrest had been too much for Dr. Silva’s sanity.

  When Blythe didn’t answer, Dr. Silva began muttering to herself under her breath, an anxious and breathless sound.

  Dread began building in Blythe, making perspiration trickle between her breasts. What should she say, how could she respond? Though she felt 99 percent certain she knew what the other woman was asking—the mechanics of how Blythe shape-shifted—she wasn’t sure exactly how to explain a complicated genetic process.

  And with this woman, clearly driven mad by her sadistic research, the wrong answer could have dire consequences.

  “Tell me,” the doctor screamed, spittle flying. She slid down from her perch and stalked over to Blythe, circling, eyeing her with an off-the-charts in
tensity that was horrific.

  But Blythe remained calm. Dr. Silva’s entire belief system had to be grounded in the science she’d studied in medical school. Therefore, she had to understand there was no magical answer.

  “It’s how I’m made,” she said, her voice steady and sure. “Isn’t that what all of your...experiments revealed?”

  The other woman’s eyes narrowed. “I found nothing. No anomalies. Oh sure,” she waved her hand in a jerky motion. “The genetic code was a bit off. But not enough to indicate how such a thing is possible. Your bones change shape! How can that be?”

  Sensing the question was more than rhetorical, Blythe knew she had to proceed with caution. Rather than take a chance with the wrong answer, she lifted her shoulder in a shrug, then winced at the sharp stab of pain.

  Dr. Silva slapped her hard across the cheek. If Blythe hadn’t been tied down, the force of the blow would have propelled her backward. Blythe bit her lip to keep from crying out.

  “There has to be something to indicate how you are able to change from human into wolf. I need to learn the secret before I am arrested. Tell me. Now.”

  Blythe said. “You’re asking me to explain the unexplainable. That’s like asking a bird how it learns to fly.”

  Dr. Silva slapped her again. This time, Blythe saw stars. As the edges of her vision grayed, she thought she might pass out. In truth, she’d almost welcome going unconscious if it would stop the pain.

  But she fought to stay awake. She didn’t dare let down her guard. Who knew what the crazy doctor might do then?

  When she could see again, she licked her cracked lip and tasted blood. “Why?” she asked, her voice a croak. “Why is this so important to you?”

  Her question appeared to startle the other woman. Tilting her head, she watched Blythe with a cold eye, all the while continuing to yank on her hair. “Because I want to become a wolf,” she finally said, and bared her teeth in a menacing snarl.

  Blythe’s inner wolf responded in kind. For the first time, Blythe realized she might have a chance to escape her bonds if she shape-shifted.

  As Blythe watched in horrified fascination, Dr. Silva snarled again, then got down on all fours and howled. Did she think somehow magic would strike and change her into a wolf?

  Blythe inhaled deeply. This was her chance. Despite the pounding ache in her head and the throbbing of her split lip, she had to go for it.

  Closing her eyes, she willed herself to change and set her inner wolf free.

  As the tingling began, she saw the familiar sparkle of the fireflylike lights. At the sight, the doctor only howled louder, the sound filled with an insane mournful longing.

  Glad she made no move to stop her, Blythe felt her bones begin to lengthen, her face begin to change form. The shackles fell from her now much more slender body parts, long before they could stretch her into an unnatural shape.

  Free, fully wolf, she bounded from the table. Crouching over the now groveling doctor, Blythe as wolf contemplated ripping out her throat.

  At that moment, Lucas and Kane burst into the room.

  * * *

  Lucas took in the scene, immediately realizing what must have happened. With her clothing torn and left behind on a steel table, Blythe had become wolf, most likely in self-defense. She’d gone on the offensive. And Dr. Silva had rolled onto her back with her belly exposed, adopting the submissive posture known to all wolves and dogs. Except she was neither. She was human.

  Still, she’d clearly surrendered.

  Though Blythe, with her fur bristling on her back, seemed to be so enraged that she didn’t care. In fact, it appeared to Lucas that she was on the verge of slaughtering the other woman, who clearly appeared terrified.

  “Stop!” Lucas shouted, the voice of authority and reason. “Back down, Blythe! Right now!”

  Though the huge she-wolf froze, she didn’t move away from her stance over Dr. Silva.

  Chapter 18

  “Blythe,” Lucas said, his tone much calmer and full of all the love he felt for her, love he’d never known would be his. “Don’t kill her. You aren’t like that. Let Kane arrest her.”

  At his voice, wolf Blythe raised her massive head and looked at him, her curled lip and snarl disappearing. Then, moving gracefully, she backed away from Dr. Silva. Not retreating, not at all.

  “Thank you,” Kane said. Turning, he went over to the doctor, keeping his pistol aimed at her. “Dr. Silva, you’re under arrest.”

  Sitting up, she hung her head and didn’t respond. Kane helped her to her feet and cuffed her, before beginning to read her rights.

  Both Lucas and Blythe—as wolf—watched this in silence. Then, he went to her. Crouching low, he buried his hands in her fur, his heart full of relief and love. “You can change back now,” he said. “You’re safe.”

  At his word, she lowered her head. Then she backed away. Turning a circle, wolf Blythe found a spot and lay down. And then she initiated the change back to human.

  As soon as the thousands of firefly lights disappeared, he went to her, snagging her torn and ruined clothing on the way. “These are mostly destroyed, but they’re better than nothing.”

  “Here.” Kane passed him Dr. Silva’s white lab coat, which he’d evidently taken from her. “She can wear this.”

  Lucas took it, appreciating how the other man, even though he was Pack, kept his back to Blythe’s nakedness.

  Clearly drained, Blythe allowed him to help her put her arms into the lab coat. Then, once she’d buttoned it, he brought her to her feet, keeping her up against him for support.

  Gently he held her, hoping she couldn’t see how his hands trembled.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  Slowly, she tested out how each leg would bear her weight. “I think so. Yes.”

  Still treating her as if she might break, he tenderly brushed the hair back from her face, sending a shiver through her. Her lip was split and swollen, with a small trickle of blood at the corner. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  She smiled. Though a bit wobbly, the enchanting curve of her mouth made his heart skip a beat. “No, you didn’t. You always find me.”

  Smiling back, chest tight, he tried to speak past the odd knot in his throat.

  “I hate to interrupt,” Kane said. “But we’re all done here.”

  Eyes narrowed, Lucas shot him a look of warning, before turning his gaze back to Blythe.

  Kane continued as if he hadn’t noticed. “Blythe, why don’t you get cleaned up and get ready to go? I know you’re eager to see that little girl of yours.”

  Lifting her chin, Blythe stepped away from Lucas and nodded. “Definitely. Though I need to find something else to wear. I can’t travel wearing only a lab coat.”

  “I’m pretty sure we can dig up something,” Kane told her.

  “Great.” For whatever reason, she wouldn’t meet Lucas’s gaze.

  Confused and, damn it, hurt, he watched her pulling away from him. In a way, he understood. By not protecting her from the crazed Dr. Silva, once again, he’d failed her.

  “Lucas?” The sharp edge in Kane’s voice told Lucas he understood. “I can give you a ride to the hospital to see your sister.”

  Chest tight, he nodded. “Thanks. I’d like that.”

  Though she’d already turned away, Blythe paused. Glancing back over her shoulder, she gave him a tentative smile. “I guess this is goodbye, then? At least for now?”

  Though he knew she really meant for forever, he dredged up a smile in response. He held out his arms and pasted his best impersonal look on his face. “Come give me a hug.”

  With a wordless sound, she crossed to him and wrapped her arms around him. Holding on so tight she nearly cut off his breath, she kissed his cheek. He hugged her back, closing his eyes and inhaling her feminine scent one last time.

  When she released him, he had to blink rapidly to keep his eyes clear. Swallowing, he hoped he didn’t make a fool of himself as he faced her. “Goodb
ye, Blythe. Say hi to Hailey for me,” he managed.

  She waited, as though she expected him to say something more. When he didn’t, she finally nodded, her green eyes alight with what looked like pain. “I will. And you do the same with your sister.” Her tender smile seemed genuine, which oddly enough made it hurt even more.

  A knock at the door had them moving quickly apart, as though they’d been caught doing something wrong.

  Kane cleared his throat. “The rest of my team is here.” He raised his voice. “Come on in.”

  Silent, Lucas and Blythe watched as he handed over custody of Dr. Silva. Once she’d been escorted away, he holstered his pistol and turned back to them. “All right, then. Are the two of you ready?”

  * * *

  Exhaustion warring with exhilaration, Blythe followed the officer down the hall to one of the sleeping quarters. Inside, she would be given clean clothing and then whisked away to begin the several-hour journey to be reunited with Hailey.

  Lucas, on the other hand, had gone with Kane. While she understood the temporary separation was necessary, she’d expected...more. Not promises, not exactly. But something. Maybe exchanging phone numbers. Or a quiet I’ll be in touch.

  The abrupt dismissal hurt. Clearly, he’d done his duty, helped free the children, and she was on her way to being reunited with her little girl. With his insistence on keeping things casual between them, apparently he considered his role finished. She wondered if he was glad to finally wash his hands of her. She wondered...

  Stop.

  Disgusted with her restless uncertainty, she pushed away the thoughts and emotions. She’d been granted a miracle: her daughter had been healed. She’d focus on the joy of that. Though she knew she’d always wonder what might have been, she had been given Hailey back. No one could take Hailey from her now.

  Resolutely, she opened the closet door and grabbed a long dress. Shapeless and plain, it would more than adequately cover her until she could get to her own clothing or a store to buy something in her size.

  A pair of flip-flops completed her outfit.

  Now she was ready.

  Dusting her hands off on her dress, she squared her shoulders and told the officer she would like to get on the road.