The younger one looked at Thane once and blushed.
Other than a slight stirring behind his zipper, Thane felt nothing.
The situation was a good example of why Thane needed a mate of his choosing, not someone chosen for him.
When you had the title of Alpha, your Pack expected you to take a mate. It was customary. Traditionally, other Pack Alphas would send their best girls along in hopes that a needy Alpha would mate one of them, making a stronger alliance between the two Packs. Word had probably reached far and wide of Thane’s break from Area S2 and subsequent wolf hunt ordered on Gavril.
As a wolf who could not shift, Gavril could not rightfully hold the title of Alpha, which was why he’d been given the mantle of CEO of Silex Pharmaceuticals until the rightful owner, Danika Silex, reached adulthood. But Gavril still had power. He could strip titles, disband Packs, and claim territory. Gavril had achieved all of the above already, in addition to other crimes and treachery against his kind. Where Gavril lacked the strength of a wolf, he possessed the persuasiveness of a career politician. And if any man or wolf could stop Gavril in his tracks, it was Thane. There were not many Alphas that wanted to get in the way of a debacle such as this.
Thane took another quick glance at the beautiful virgins standing before him and made a quick decision that they weren’t what he wanted. He didn’t make alliances by accepting every gift sent or taking every woman offered up by neighboring Packs to bed, and he certainly wouldn’t start now.
“No, thank you,” he told the women, and then turned to Brant. “You can send them back untouched.” He pulled his shirt over his head, threw the garment across a chair, and headed toward the bathroom. “I’ll be down in half an hour after my shower.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
CHAPTER THREE
For the dozenth time, Kalena shut the leather-bound book she had been trying to read and let it drop to her lap. She tried to keep her mind off of all the scenarios running through her brain and remain occupied by reading. It was no use. Her eyes just skimmed the tiny black letters while her thoughts ran rampant, every one of them leading back to Thane.
Why hadn’t he come to her yet? Was he going to come? Had he saved her because he knew she had the information he needed? What were these changes in her body? Was she going to die if she never took the shifter DNA again?
A half day had passed since they’d arrived at the big Silex mansion, and the only answers she’d been given were that the Alpha wanted to give her ample time to think and process the situation before her. Now, night was sure to fall within a matter of hours, and Thane had yet to present himself.
Upon arriving at the estate, both she and David had been promptly split up and assured that they would be accommodated and fed well while they stayed onsite. Kalena had thanked David for helping her navigate the rocky terrains of Area S2, and they hadn’t seen each other since. But she’d only exited the room once, and after venturing down a winding hall that led to nowhere, she’d closed herself back up inside.
If this were Thane’s intention…to keep her alone in an enormous room the size of her whole apartment while he ran around as if nothing had happened between them, then she should’ve just gone home.
But go home and then what? What would await her there? Did anyone know she had been missing for nearly a week? Would the perpetrators who’d put her in Area S2 in the first place come back and haul her off to the remote wilderness once again? Would they kill her this time instead of trapping her inside a shifter’s prison?
Kalena blew out an exaggerated sigh, rose from the chair, and poured ice-cold water into an empty glass. She took several sips before her anxious pulse returned to normal again. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much energy this close to bedtime. Her anxiety made sense. How could she fall asleep without answers…and without Thane?
The house staff and the maid that had brought food, drinks, and other toiletries in for Kalena were nice enough, but she wasn’t used to all of the attention. Every so often, she’d hear voices come and go out in the hallway, and doors open and close. Thane’s family and Pack members must have been excited about his return. They deserved to reunite with him. He deserved time with them.
There was a soft knock at her door and she jumped. Two maids were helping her, so the knock could have easily come from one of them. She walked over to the door and turned the knob.
She wasn’t expecting to find her friend from Silex Pharmaceuticals on the other side.
Kalena’s mouth dropped open as she stared at the tall, beautiful lab tech that she’d come to think of as her only friend at Silex. “Tracy?”
Tracy grinned. “Yeah, it’s me.”
Her black, thick-rimmed glasses were gone. She was no longer hunched over in a black lab coat. She was graceful and lean, wearing a short mini-skirt, and her dull brown eyes were now suddenly green. The black hair she’d always kept tied in a bun haphazardly on top of her head was now cascading down her back.
“What—?” Kalena felt lightheaded and she pressed her palm against her forehead.
“Whoa.” Tracy reached out and grabbed Kalena’s elbow. “Before you pass out, let’s sit down. Okay?” She pressed the door shut and they headed over to the window bench.
“Tracy, what happened?” Kalena’s inquiry rushed out of her mouth before she could gather her thoughts.
“I was going to ask you the same thing, but I hear the drug has effected your memory a bit so I guess I should go first.” She folded her legs under her and her shoulders hunched almost like she’d done back in the labs. “I’m still the Tracy you knew. O’Neill is my family name. I’m a wolf shifter and member of the ShadowRock Pack. One of several Iotas.”
“Iotas?”
Tracy shrugged. “Kind of like a Pack nurse or doctor, but I was inducted into Thane’s mission involving D996. While working at Silex as spies, my crew and I were responsible for altering the formulas and ultimately ruining the production.”
“How?”
“I double-majored in college. Chemistry and Biology. My grandfather also sent me to med school.”
“That’s impressive, Tracy. I knew you were extremely smart, but I meant how were you altering the formulas in the labs?”
“Ah,” she nodded, “unfortunately, that’s all classified.” Tracy chuckled. “Well, we thought it was until someone ratted us out.”
Tracy had shredded the nerdy-girl look, but her personality had not changed. She was still spunky and said whatever the hell she wanted. It must have been hard on Tracy to keep her secret.
“What happened to your eyes?” Kalena asked. “I thought they were—”
“—contacts. A disguise,” Tracy supplied.
“So your crew got caught and I somehow ended up at the prison?”
“I’m sorry about that, Kalena.” Tracy frowned. “I wanted to tell you, but…I…if I could change things, I would. They went after Becca in the storage room. When I got there, she was threatening them with a knife. They called her a spy and killed her. I fled. You must have walked in shortly after. What did they do?”
“They knocked me out. I had your badge in my hand from when I’d picked it up off of the floor. They must have thought I was you.”
“They injected you, so at some point they figured out you were human,” Tracy said slowly.
“How could they order use of the drug on a human and then turn around and throw them in a prison meant for the lowest of lows, shifter and human alike? It’s despicable. This Gavril person is selfish and destructive. He should be the one spending the rest of his days in Area S2.”
“How did you end up on Area S2?” Tracy asked.
“I thought the injection was to make me pass out and prohibit me from fighting them, but I later realized it was to wipe my memory, so I don’t exactly know how I got there. When they tossed me through the gates, I saw other women there. I couldn’t tell then if they were humans or shifters. Thane fought some wolves, and I was given to him. I
felt a little strange then, like I’d taken meds that caused drowsiness. A few hours later, I woke up in his hut. Thane questioned me, of course, and discovered the connection I had to Silex Pharmaceuticals. It was obvious to Thane that they’d given me the D996 drug after I passed out again not long after that.” Kalena exchanged solemn glances with Tracy. “He helped me. Even if the drug weren’t in the picture, I don’t think I would’ve lasted in Area S2 a day without him. We met by chance, and if we hadn’t…”
“Yes, I know. As terrible as all of this was, your timing was superb. When I escaped from the labs, I managed to find Brant and I told him what happened. That’s when he sent out Ulrick and Zeff to monitor Area S2. They were in place to breach the prison on Brant’s command and deliver the message about our mission being interrupted, but then Thane reached outside of our Pack for help. There’s a rumor going around that he pushed that button for you, so you could get out, even though he didn’t plan to escape right then.”
“He said he couldn’t leave because someone else’s life was on the line,” Kalena added.
“Gavril had been holding her hostage. Thane accepted his exile sentence so that Danika could live. She is safe, but now Gavril is missing.”
“Danika is Thane’s kin, right?”
“Yep. At just sixteen years old, she’s the youngest. She hasn’t even reached her prime yet,” Tracy said. “Imagine if those monkeys Gavril hired to capture us spies had found me and thrown me in Area S2 instead of you. I don’t think Thane would have pushed that button for me. What happened out there between you two?”
Kalena dropped her gaze and her entire body heated. “I…obviously I was innocent, and he wanted to help me get out. We spent our time talking about my escape and Silex.”
Tracy passed her a knowing look. “Talking. Sure. Are you trying to hide something from me?”
“What could I be hiding from you?”
“You’re a terrible liar.” Tracy pointed to her nose. “I figured that out the moment we met and you fibbed about having a boyfriend.”
Kalena shook her head. “What boyfriend?”
Tracy threw her a skeptical look. “Uh-huh…sure. Deny it all you want. Well, you can’t lie anymore. Not about Thane, at least.”
“How do you know I’m lying about Thane?”
“I’m a shifter. Thane’s my Alpha. His scent is all over you. He’s imprinted on you.”
“Oh…” Kalena covered her mouth with her hands in embarrassment.
“Don’t be ashamed. Thane is handsome, incredibly affluent and is serious boyfriend material—if only just for a quick roll in the hay…or in the hut. In a cell? Wait…where did you two do it?”
“Tracy!”
Tracy giggled. “Just being nosey. But at least he’s not dumb as a box of rocks like his twin. But seriously…,” her voice grew lower, “…is it true what they say about him?”
“Is what true about who?”
“About Thane. Who did you think I was talking about?”
“Um…” Kalena shook her head. “What about him?”
“His package…his cock,” Tracy smirked. “Is he hung? Was he skillful in bed…or whatever you did it on?”
Kalena laughed nervously. “So there are rumors about him? Something tells me Thane is quite popular with the ladies in this neck of the woods.”
Tracy’s left eyebrow rose and she smiled. “He is. Well, I don’t know personally because I’ve never slept with him and I wouldn’t because he’s the Alpha who commands me, but he’s…well…an Alpha with no mate. They usually take one within a year of ascending to the position. Thane? Nope, he didn’t. He seemed uninterested in that regard. Before he got mixed up in Gavril’s dumb bullshit, he’d have title-holding wolf shifters from dozens of Packs throwing their virgin daughters at him. Did he mate any of them? Nope. And we all know he likes women based on what he selects to satisfy his appetite…and he has a healthy one, or so I’ve heard.” She slipped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, I should keep my mouth shut. This was all before he went to Area S2, of course…and before his parents were killed.”
Kalena’s gaze wandered off and lingered on the flickering decorative lights in the garden below the bedroom window.
Things were so different in Thane’s world. He wasn’t a human. He didn’t live by human customs. She’d have to accept that.
“What are you thinking about?” Tracy asked.
“A lot. A whole lot.”
“I wanted to come out to see you as soon as I found out you’d escaped with Thane. I was ecstatic when he called and asked me to answer any questions you might have…about us and our kind and what will happen as it relates to you.”
“Why doesn’t he answer my questions himself?” Kalena asked before she could stop herself.
“He said he thought you could use a woman’s perspective, but I’m certain you will get his viewpoint very soon if you haven’t already. You took his life-altering DNA, so you can probably feel the subtle changes in your body. Heightened sense of smell. Sharper vision. Better reflexes. A feeling that you can take on the world and still have enough energy to conquer a planet or two.”
“Yes.” Kalena rubbed at her arms. “I feel somewhat different, but I don’t understand it.”
“It’ll take years to understand these changes. And it’ll take even longer for you to learn how to use and control your new skills.” She winked. “I can help you. I’ll be around whenever you need me.”
“Thank you.”
“If you continue to take shifter DNA, your genetic makeup will be altered. You’ll still be human; you’ll just have a few of our traits. The more you take, the closer you will become to us. Sooner or later, your life expectancy will match ours. People who choose this route aren’t allowed to go to human physicians for obvious reasons. That’s why we have our own doctors. It’s why my grandfather sent me to school so that I could become one of them. I’m not old enough yet, and I still have a decade or so of training before I can start my own practice, but I like being a spy for right now anyway.”
Kalena smiled. “Well, you were obviously a good spy. How long before I’m fully cured and won’t have to rely on the shifter DNA anymore?”
“Depends. Thane’s bloodline is pretty old. Shit, he’s old. He’s strong, and he also bears an Alpha’s mark. Usually, it takes a dozen exchanges for a human to be fully cured. Based on how much you’ve taken already, I don’t think it will take much more in your case.”
“When you say ‘take’…do you mean injections?” Kalena asked.
“Not entirely. With injections, obviously you take them through the vein. With sex, it works differently. It also helps that he’s somehow imprinted on you. Your body has fully accepted what he’s given you without much resistance. In some cases—a high number of them really—the benefactors become sick and are bedridden for weeks. It’s similar to the D996 drug though opposite. You get injected with the D996 agent repeatedly without the reversal, you die. You get injected with shifter DNA repeatedly, and your body accepts it, you live…much longer. But like any other foreign agent entering the body, we expect rejection. When introduced into their system, our DNA alters humans. The human body tends to fight it off like it does an infection. So that’s why it takes many successful injections or exchanges to call someone completely cured or totally altered.”
“Why do you keep saying that he imprinted on me?”
“It means that any of us who know Thane, or have been around him enough can sense that the two of you were in bed together and that his wolf has sincerely accepted you. I can track my Alpha from miles away with my eyes closed. All I need is my nose. If I can track and identify him, then I can definitely track and identify you now.”
“Does it work that way when your kind has sex? You imprint on each other?”
“No. Imprinting is special. It’s like the initial bond between a wolf and its mate. It doesn’t happen unless he’s sincere about what he feels for a potential partner. If you’d had sex w
ith him, but his wolf hadn’t imprinted, I wouldn’t have known without prying. You’re not a very good liar though, so eventually I would’ve known. His imprint on you is how I knew you’d received the shifter DNA primarily through intercourse, too.”
Kalena sighed and smiled. “Okay, Dr. O’Neill, you’ve got me all figured out.”
“Hmmm, I like the sound of that,” Tracy said.
“What’s it about your DNA that gives you all this strength and prolonged life?”
Tracy linked her fingers together. “I’m almost wondering if I should leave that up to Thane to tell you.”
“Don’t you think I’ve waited long enough to find all this stuff out? Can’t you tell me now?”
“We didn’t always have extra abilities. You know, longer life and the ability to heal faster. We were just regular shifters living in this world, minding our business. That was before humans knew of our existence.”
“Thane told me about how Pack families began to out themselves one by one.”
“There are still some very high-profile and prominent figureheads in your world that haven’t outed themselves. It would cause upset if they did. We can conceal our true nature quite nicely amongst the humans. It works out well that way. We can keep the peace much better.”
“You concealed it from me, so trust me, I do believe that,” Kalena replied.
“There was a time when we were on the verge of extinction. Our adult males and females weren’t procreating fast enough. It dawned on our ancestors that as the human population grew and spread out, destroying Pack homes and the forests they once ran in, the life expectancy for a wolf had shortened. They were becoming stressed, weak, and prone to human diseases. Do you know the name of another species that lives just as long? Not hundreds of years, but thousands of years. In very rare cases, sometimes centuries.”
Ascend (Wolf in Exile Part 3): Werewolf Shifter/Vampire Paranormal Romance Page 2
