The Lost Wolf's Destiny

Chapter 8

The rest of the polygraph test was comprised of a mix of questions, from ordinary to completely bizarre. Blythe did her best to answer without inflection, though she wasn’t as skilled at controlling her respiration and heartbeat as she would have liked.

For the remainder of the session, Dr. Silva stayed expressionless, once again the controlled, icy woman she’d first appeared to be. Actually Blythe didn’t mind; she took her cue from the other woman’s actions. She thought she’d done a pretty good job.

Of course, she didn’t know for sure since Dr. Silva didn’t comment on the results.

Instead, the two goons appeared to lead her back to her room.

“Get some rest,” Dr. Silva told her. “There will be more tests later.”

Blythe nodded. At this point, she knew better than to inquire about those. Instead, she asked the only question that mattered. “When will I see my daughter?”

The other woman’s dark gaze remained steady, but emotionless. “I don’t know, Ms. Daphne. I honestly don’t know.”

Clenching her jaw, Blythe forced herself to nod. Again, she had to fight the compulsion to shift into wolf and start kicking some ass.

As her guards led her down the hall, Blythe kept her eyes open for the slightest hint of her little girl. At one point, she considered calling out Hailey’s name on the off chance she would respond, but thought better of it.

After returning to her room, Blythe listened to the click as they locked the door. Suddenly utterly and completely weary, she went to her mattress to retrieve the cell phone so she could call Lucas and let him know what was happening.

But when she dug under the mattress at the spot where she’d hidden it, the phone wasn’t there.

Frantic, she lifted the entire left side, then the right and the bottom. Nothing. Obviously, someone had discovered her hiding place and taken away her only means of contacting someone outside Sanctuary.

She dropped onto the bed, her shoulders slumped, temporarily defeated. Inside, her wolf stirred, reminding her of her inner strength. Failure wasn’t even an option.

Too exhausted even to shower, she curled up into a ball and tried to sleep. She had no idea when the next round of tests would come, but they would get her out of this room and maybe closer to her daughter, so she’d welcome them.

She must have fallen asleep. The next thing she knew, a sharp rapping on her door woke her.

Groggy, she sat up and dragged her fingers through her hair. What she’d give for a rubber band. As she stood, the room spun. She was dizzy. And her arm ached.

Glancing down at herself, she was stunned to find a large bandage around the crook of her arm. What the... She lifted one corner of the bandage and saw a large black-and-blue mark and a puncture wound. Had she been given a shot of some kind? When had this happened?

Abruptly, her door opened. Another bodyguard walked in, followed by Dr. Silva. As Blythe blinked up at the other woman, the second bodyguard came into focus. Arms crossed, he stared directly at her.

Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized who the man with the close-cropped hair and wire-rimmed eyeglasses actually was. Lucas, in one of the worst disguises she’d ever seen, had gotten in.

As their gazes connected, she blinked and looked down, hoping when she raised her head, she’d be hiding her feelings. She couldn’t let them know that adrenaline was pumping through her blood like a white-hot jolt of electricity.

He’d gotten in. And he’d clearly taken a job with Jacob Gideon’s security force, which gave him the freedom to move around the grounds and building. They could prevail.

While she stood quietly, trying to keep herself still, her inner wolf, energized by her rioting emotions, became a predator preparing to leap out and rip apart its prey. She sensed Lucas’s beast responding in kind.

Blythe’s heart skipped a beat as she tried to clamp down on her dual nature. The doctor and her machine mustn’t know. Somehow, for Hailey’s sake, she had to fool them all. She had to appear normal. She had to be strong, no matter what they did to her.

Dr. Silva glanced at her, brows raised.

“Is this going to be painful?” Blythe asked, making her eyes wide and her voice tremble. Actually, she didn’t have to fake the last. Her fierce resolve drove her, and in her determination to endure whatever they might dish out for her daughter’s sake, she found a deeper well of strength than she ever would have guessed she possessed.

“Maybe a little,” the doctor allowed. “Do you want something to help ease the pain?”

Blythe shook her head no, wincing as the motion made her surroundings appear to move. “I’ll be all right.” Raising her chin, she stared at the wall and braced herself for whatever was to come.

Eyeing a semi-lucid Blythe, Lucas’s first thought was guilt. He reminded himself that he hadn’t failed her, at least not yet. He kept his face impassive to mask his concern. What had they done to her? One of her arms sported a huge bandage and she gave every appearance of being drugged.

Every instinct screamed at him to move forward and yank her out of the room into his arms, pulling her close and shielding her with his body as he rounded on the female doctor and demanded answers.

Of course, he could not commit public suicide for both of them, so he stood stock-still and looked down, allowing his senses to absorb every sight, smell, emotion—looking for Hailey, and trying to get a feel for Blythe’s well-being.

Meanwhile, a slow rage built inside of him. Mingled with his guilt was a fury he had to suppress.

His wolf had other ideas. The beast snapped his powerful incisors, attempting to surge forth and force the change from human to wolf. Lucas pushed his other self back down into the dark recesses of his psyche. There would be time later. Now, he had to play nice until the right opportunity came along.

It had better be soon, he thought, clenching his jaw so hard his teeth ached.

“It’s time for more tests,” the doctor, whose name he hadn’t gotten, announced.

Swaying on her feet, Blythe nodded.

“I need some assistance here,” the doctor barked. “Each of you take one of her arms and help me get her to the lab.”

Immediately, Lucas and his coworker, a grim-faced man named Stan, moved to flank Blythe. She didn’t resist as they each took her by the arm and half carried, half forced her toward the doorway.

If not for the startled glint of recognition that had flashed into her green eyes, Lucas would have wondered if she’d even recognized him.

Down the hallway they went, toward an elevator. The doctor pressed the button, tapping her toe soundlessly on the carpeted floor as they waited.

Finally, a soft ping sounded and the doors glided open. Moving in unison, Lucas and Stan lifted Blythe into the elevator. The doors closed as the doctor punched a button marked with only an L.

And then they began to move. Down. Past the ground floor and still they kept going. Which made no sense, as Lucas knew from personal experience that Sanctuary did not have a finished basement. All that had been on the lowest level were two large, unfinished rooms, with concrete floors and walls. Back then, the basement had been a dark, dreary place, and where Jacob had often sent Lucas and Lilly as punishment.

Apparently now the basement was used for much, much more. At least that explained where everyone in Sanctuary had disappeared to.

After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator came to a stop. As the doors opened, Lucas dealt with another wave of guilt. He tried not to appear too curious or concerned. Given the way he’d spent the past fifteen years, acting like he didn’t give a damn should have been second nature to him. It terrified him that it wasn’t.

Gripping Blythe’s arm as lightly as he dared and hoping he wasn’t accidentally hurting her, he stepped out, following the doctor. Together, he and Stan herded Blythe down the hall. She glided along without looking left or right, her expression blank and unfocused. She’d definitely been drugged.

As they neared a door marked Laboratory, he realized this was a facet of his plan that he hadn’t completely thought through. How in the hell could he simply stand by and pretend not to care while they tortured Blythe?

As the doctor opened the door, Blythe coughed softly, making him look. As their gazes connected, a stern expression of warning shone through the grogginess. Then, for just a second, he swore he heard her voice inside his head.

“Don’t give yourself away. Hailey matters here. Not me.”

Dumbfounded, he jerked his chin in a nod and looked away.

“Gentlemen,” the doctor barked. “Do try to keep up.”

They were on the move again. Into the laboratory.

As they pushed through the double doors, the first thing that hit him was the odor—strong antiseptic mingled with what smelled like human sweat and chemicals. Through it all, he detected a lingering scent of urine, the same sort of thing he’d gotten when he’d worked in a nursing home in his late teens.

What the hell were they doing here?

Looking around, he saw no other victims, just white-coated lab technicians. And of course, he and Stan and Blythe and the doctor who clearly ignored her Hippocratic oath to do Jacob Gideon’s bidding.

Every nerve jangling, again he glanced at Blythe, striving for casual. She blinked, silently demanding to know if he’d gotten the message.

He gave a slight nod. How on earth she’d managed to communicate to him telepathically was a feat she’d have to explain later. Right now he’d have to work on controlling himself, especially if this lady doctor started hurting Blythe. He honestly didn’t know how he’d react.

Think of Hailey. He took a deep breath, reminding himself why they both were here. Saving a little girl trumped enduring anything Jacob Gideon could do to either of them.

Lilly’s death had sat like a lead balloon on his conscience for fifteen years. Damned if he’d let any other child come to harm.

His resolve hardened him. No matter what happened now, he’d remember the ultimate goal.

After they released her, and Blythe had folded bonelessly into the chair that the doctor indicated, one of the technicians pressed a button and hand and leg cuffs clicked into place. Once Blythe was strapped in, she didn’t struggle.

“You two may leave,” the doctor said coolly. “The door will automatically lock behind you. I’ll send word when I need you again.”

Lucas met Blythe’s gaze. Though she revealed nothing on the exterior, her relief and worry flashed in his mind. This time, he didn’t react to the intrusion. He got what she was feeling, because he felt exactly the same. Relieved that he wouldn’t have to stand by and do nothing while experiments were run on her and worried because he wouldn’t know exactly what they were doing to her. Plus enraged, because he had absolutely no control.

Since he had no choice, he turned. Following the other guard’s lead, Lucas went to the door. Once outside, he looked at the other man. “So what are we supposed to do now? Guard the door? Or can we return to the room I was told is the break room-slash-command post?”

His companion glanced at his watch and grimaced. “We have to hang around so we can be here the instant she needs us. But I’ll tell you this. After they start doing that kind of testing on them, sometimes it’s hours before they call you back.”

“What kind of testing is that?” Lucas asked, trying to sound as though he didn’t really care about the answer.

“I don’t know.” The other man removed a cigarette from a pack in his shirt pocket, rolling it between his fingers. “They hook them up to machines is what I think. Sometimes I can hear the screams—gives me the creeps.”

Lucas didn’t have to fake his shudder. The pain of leaving Blythe back there as specific images of his own torture at his father’s hands had him wanting to punch something. “What about the legality of this stuff? Do they just assume guys like us won’t care?”

“You’d better not care.” The other guard’s gaze sharpened. “If you want to keep your job, you’ll keep your mouth shut.” Glancing around, he leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “I heard some guy once tried to go to the police. He disappeared, and no one ever heard from him again.”

Lucas jerked his chin in acknowledgment of the subtle threat. “Gotcha.” He swallowed hard. “So what are we supposed to do until the doctor calls us again?” With free time, he might be able to find out where they were keeping Hailey.

Again he thought of Blythe, but forced his thoughts away. He needed to be strong like her and keep his focus on what mattered—Hailey.

This time, when the familiar guilt threatened to envelop him, he was able to resist. Maybe rescuing this child would help him pay back for being unable to save Lilly.

The other guard eyed him. “Are you okay?” he asked, his tone indifferent.

Lucas nodded. “Yeah. Just trying to decide if I have time to grab something to eat.”

“Better not. Like I said, it’s best to stick around. You never know when something might go wrong and they need you.”

Cocking his head, Lucas pretended to consider. “Something goes wrong? What do you mean?”

The other man looked away. “Well...when they start screaming...once in a while, the doctor can’t resuscitate them.”

Them? How often was Jacob performing this type of testing? And on who? Horrified, Lucas stared. “Are you saying she can die in there?” Shades of the past flashed back, haunting him. His sister’s lifeless body lying on the floor, him trying to reach her. They’d dragged him away and he’d never gotten the chance to touch Lilly one last time.

“It happens.”

“More than once?” Lucas pressed. “How many people go through there?”

“I’ve seen a few. Hey, I’m sure they’re all sick to begin with,” his companion said defensively. “This is probably their last hope. I mean, why else would they sign up for the free drug trial?”

Drug trial? Was that what Jacob was telling his employees? Lucas guessed that only Jacob and his doctors knew the truth.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” Lucas said, aware the other man would find his self-centered desire for food both familiar and a relief.

“I could eat.” His companion glanced at his watch, clearly debating. “Eh, what the hell. We’ll just have to be really quick. They usually bring in sandwiches around lunchtime. Let’s head on up to the break room and see if they’re here yet.”

Several other men had already gathered in the small break room, clustered around a short, Hispanic man pushing a tray full of wrapped sandwiches and canned soft drinks.

A few others greeted them. Lucas ignored them, pretending to focus on the food. He snatched the closest sandwich off the tray, along with a can of cola, and retreated out into the hallway. Unwrapping it, he shoved a quarter of it into his mouth, barely chewing. To anyone watching, whether on a security camera or in person, it would appear that he hadn’t eaten for days.

In reality, he had better things to do with his time.

The instant he’d finished the sandwich, he drained the cola and tossed the wrapping and the can into the trash bucket near the door. All the others were either eating or bickering over the selections. No one seemed to notice when he slipped away from the break room and down the hall toward the elevator.

If stopped, he had two possible scenarios. He could say he was looking for the bathroom, or—and this one sounded better—he’d been afraid to leave his post for too long.

He made it to the elevator without being accosted. Pressing the button to go to the lowest level, he desperately tried to think of a plan.

Since he already knew where the lab—and Blythe—were, he needed to explore the rest of this level. If Hailey were here, he would find her.

And then...what? As the elevator coasted to a stop and the doors slid open, he figured he’d have to wing it.

Blythe had no memory of what happened after she started screaming. She remembered a mask coming down over her face, and the next thing she knew, she was back in her room, lying on the bed.

Without Hailey.

Pushing herself up on her elbows, she blinked and tried to stop the room from spinning. Her head pounded and her mouth tasted as if it was full of ashes.

But she’d survived.

Still, what had they done to her? If these tests continued this way, she’d be far too weak to save her little girl.

Then she remembered Lucas was here, and the tightness in her chest eased.

As she stretched, trying to get rid of the pins and needles in her hands, she realized she needed to make a plan to find her daughter. If she didn’t, they’d both likely end up dead.

But with her head muzzy, she couldn’t think. Weak, exhausted, she abandoned the attempt to figure out a plan of action. Whoever had taken her phone had stolen her only link to Lucas.

She must have dozed off, because when her door opened with a clatter, it took her by surprise. Rubbing at her eyes, she tried to sit up. A burly bodyguard entered, taking up position between her and the door.

Dr. Silva bustled in immediately after.

“More tests?” Blythe asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“Not yet.” This time the other woman smiled, which so transformed her face that Blythe could only stare. “I came here to give you your reward for doing so well earlier.”

Reward? Expecting some kind of medication, Blythe waited. She wasn’t sure she wanted to take it, especially since she wouldn’t put it past them to drug her and knock her out so she’d be less trouble.

“Aren’t you even curious?” the doctor asked, her smile broadening.

Blythe licked her dry lips, struggled to focus. “Did you bring me water? Or something to eat?”

“No,” Dr. Silva said and waved her hand. “You have all that in the mini fridge in your room. This is something you claim to have wanted, so Jacob is allowing it, this one time. Maybe more, if you continue to cooperate.”

Blythe blinked. “All I want is my baby girl.”

At her words, the doctor’s smile broadened.

Blythe’s heart began to pound. Surely they wouldn’t be allowing her to see Hailey, would they?

Something must have shown in her expression. Dr. Silva chuckled. “You see, we are not all bad. Everything we do here is for the greater good.”

Blythe barely allowed the words to penetrate. No way in hell was she taking a chance of screwing this up. She focused on the doorway, every fiber of her being praying that Hailey would walk into the room. And into her arms.

“Go ahead,” Dr. Silva ordered, speaking into a walkie-talkie. “Bring her in.”

Her. Blythe could hardly breathe. Wishing, hoping...

Instead of Hailey walking, a second man came in, carrying the five-year-old’s limp form. Hailey was clearly unconscious.

Inside, Blythe’s wolf roared with rage. Externally, Blythe trembled, aching to reach out for her child, longing to gather her close. Afraid if she did so they’d cruelly snatch her away, she held herself as still as a statue.

After glancing at Dr. Silva and then Blythe, the guard unceremoniously deposited Hailey on the bed.

Unable to help herself, Blythe began weeping. “What have you done to her?” she asked. “Please, Dr. Silva. Do something, anything, to help her.”

Instead, Dr. Silva shrugged. “She has had similar tests to you. Though she was not as well behaved, so we had to drug her. We might have given her a bit too much.”

Horrified, Blythe sucked in her breath at the doctor’s callous admission. “Is she...will she be all right?”

“Probably.” Moving toward the doorway, the other woman looked dispassionately at the unconscious child. “I’ll leave you now.”

Already focusing on smoothing back Hailey’s hair from her limp little face, Blythe nodded. “Thank you,” she managed, though everything inside her wanted to rage rather than placate.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Dr. Silva said, sounding almost normal. “The guards will be posted right outside your door.”

Blythe glanced at the two men, wishing desperately that one of them had been Lucas. As she did, she realized the one closest to the doorway had a visible aura, which made him unmistakably Pack.

How was that possible?

As she opened her mouth and then closed it, the man gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. Pack, inside Sanctuary. Traitor or ally? What could it mean? Did Lucas know?

“You have one hour,” the other guard said, before signaling to his companion. “Then we’ll be back to collect her.”

Hailey moaned, and Blythe gathered her close, her heart aching. She’d give anything, do anything, to protect her child from being hurt.

“Do you understand? One hour.”

Though she barely heard him, she managed a nod as she frantically inspected her daughter. The scarlet, irritated skin around her wrists and ankles made her see red. Not only had Hailey’s hands and feet been bound, but she’d struggled against her bonds, hard enough to rub her skin raw.

Blythe cursed. Damn Jacob. Damn Sanctuary. She had to get Hailey out of here. Immediately. Right now. But how?

Think. She needed to clear her head and think. One hour. She had one freaking hour. Frantic, Blythe made an attempt to rouse her baby girl. “Hailey, wake up. Mommy’s here, sweetheart.”

But when her daughter didn’t react, Blythe realized whatever they’d used to drug her was too strong. She cursed the missing cell phone, then took a deep breath. She needed to contact Lucas and let him know what had happened. Hopefully they had an ally in the other Shifter who wore the guard’s uniform. Lucas would know what to do. She wondered if he was still inside Sanctuary. If he was, how could she contact him, especially since they’d locked her in her room? But Lucas was her only hope. She’d just have to bet he could figure out a way to get them out of here.