The Wolf Within

by Cynthia Eden

  Did the others hear the faint hitch in her words? A dead giveaway for a lie.

  But, no, Pate was nodding his head. Motioning for the others to file out. With slumped shoulders, Elias was the first agent out the door. The others followed suit, with Shane casting a few suspicious glances over his shoulder as he left.

  Then only Pate was there. His gaze studied Duncan like he was some kind of damn experiment. Oh, yeah, I am.

  “Finish the exam, then…” Pate’s jaw clenched. “I’m sorry, McGuire, but you’ll have to stay in a cell for tonight. Just until we’re absolutely sure about you. We can’t—”

  Can’t turn me loose on the humans.

  Right. He knew what happened when a wild werewolf attacked.

  He stared down at his claws. The damn things wouldn’t retract.

  “Holly?” Pate called, and he motioned for her to come closer. Slowly, Holly left Duncan’s side. He noticed that she kept the collar’s remote in her hand. Probably in case he went wild, and she needed to zap him with a high dose of silver.

  Pate bent his head near hers. His fingers slid over her shoulder.

  Duncan growled.

  Pate’s head immediately lifted, and he frowned at Duncan.

  “Don’t touch her,” Duncan ordered, voice lethal. The wolf was suddenly right there, beneath his skin. He could smell Holly, and now…now Pate’s thick scent was mingling with hers.

  Away. Away from her. Now.

  Pate backed up a step. “I was afraid that would happen.” He shook his head. “It’s the reason I wanted you away from the other wolves, Holly. I told you that it was a good idea for your assistant to take the blood samples from them.” Pate tapped his nose. “He’s reacting to what you are.”

  What she was?

  Holly darted a quick glance at Duncan. “I can help him. You know I can. Just…give me time.”

  Since she was looking at Duncan, Holly missed the calculating gaze that Pate gave her.

  Duncan didn’t miss it, and he wondered what game the guy was playing.

  “Don’t be afraid to amp up that silver,” Pate advised her. Then he was gazing at Duncan once more. “I know you’re angry.”

  Duncan laughed. A bitter, twisted sound. “I knew…the risks coming in…” Talking seemed hard. As if it were some foreign activity, and his voice was rougher and deeper than it had been before. “But I told you…always…I’d never wanted to be like this…”

  “Most would have died from your injuries, McGuire. And you know that only about one percent of the population can even become werewolves.”

  One percent. The deadliest one percent. Men and women with DNA that had designed them to be perfect killers. Men and women who were skilled at hunting, at dealing death.

  I was too good at my job.

  “Not everyone can track wolves the way you did, moving almost as damn fast as them,” Pate continued.

  Duncan shoved his claws behind his back.

  “Now we need to see just what you’ll become—”

  Duncan laughed at that. “I’ll become a monster, you know it. I know it.” He inclined his head toward Holly. “She knows it. The collar will hold me for now, but what the hell happens when the full moon rises and I turn?” Because all werewolves shifted into the form of the beast when the moon rose. During the rise of the full moon, a werewolf was at his strongest, most dangerous point. “You just gonna keep me locked up forever? Because that’s what you’d have to do. If you let me out, I’ll kill.”

  “One step at a time,” Pate said, voice flat. “The moon won’t rise for a few days.”

  That wasn’t exactly a whole lot of time.

  “A lot can happen between now and then.”

  Yeah, things changed fast all right. Just yesterday, he’d been a human with a hard-on for the sexy little doc who stood just a few feet away. Now, he was a werewolf.

  And he still wanted her.

  Pate cut his gaze toward Holly. “Give me your report as soon as you’re done examining him.”

  “Right.”

  Then Pate was gone. The fool actually left Holly alone with him.

  Holly stared after Pate a moment, then she headed toward those swinging doors that led out of the med unit. She punched in a series of numbers on the keypad near the left door.

  A bolt slid into place, locking her and Duncan in the room. Locking the others out.

  “You sure that’s…wise?” Duncan muttered. “You just locked yourself in—”

  “With a big, bad werewolf?” Holly finished and turned toward him. Surprisingly, there was no fear in her eyes. “Don’t worry, I can handle you.”

  Because she still had her little fingers curved around the remote. “And what if the silver stops working?” That tiny little remote didn’t seem so all powerful to him.

  Her gaze went to his neck. “Then I’ll come up with a Plan B. I’m pretty good at coming up with backup plans.”

  He wanted to smile. If his life hadn’t gone straight to hell, he probably would have. “You’re too smart for this. You know that you need to get away from me.”

  The woman who’d spent so long blushing and avoiding his gaze now tilted her head back and stared him straight in the eyes. Then she began to walk toward him with slow, but sure steps. “Why? Because you might decide to take a bite out of me again?”

  He’d be honest. “Because I don’t have a whole lot of control right now, and, doc, in case you missed the little show earlier, I want to fuck you.”

  The blunt words made her hesitate, just for a moment. She rallied pretty quickly though. “I…um…didn’t miss it, no.” Holly motioned to the table behind him. He’d glanced back at the straps he’d shredded. Duncan didn’t really recall ripping them apart. “Can you get back on the table? I need to finish my exam.”

  Because he was the new science project in the Para Unit. He turned away from her and faced the table. She closed the distance between them, the clicks of her high heels filling his ears and her seductive scent wrapping around him. “Dammit.” His hands slammed down, and his fingers curled around the side of the exam table. He was pretty sure that he was about to dent the metal.

  “What is it?” Then she made a mistake. She touched him.

  He whirled toward her and grabbed her hand. Careful, careful. Her wrist felt so delicate in his grasp that he was afraid one wrong move from him would shatter her bones.

  “Why do you smell like that?” Duncan demanded as he inhaled deeply, desperate for more of that scent.

  Her eyes were wide. Darker than the night. “Like what?” Her voice came out as a husky whisper. The kind of whisper a woman used when she was in bed.

  “Like honey and sex. Sin. Fucking temptation.” And resisting temptation was becoming harder with every second that passed.

  She tried to pull her hand away. “I-I don’t know what you mean.”

  Her scent was driving him crazy. His temples began to throb. So did another part of his body.

  “You’re senses are heightened. All werewolves have sharper senses than humans. So maybe my…ah…scent just seems different to you because of that.”

  Maybe. But he was also starting to think her sweet scent might be making him a bit drunk.

  When she tried to break free again, he let her go.

  She quickly put about three feet of space between them.

  And he realized that she still had the remote in her left hand. “Why…why didn’t you use the collar then?”

  She gave a faint laugh. The sound slid right over his skin like a caress. “Because you caught my hand? Duncan, you’d have to do a whole lot more to me than just that. I’m not going to hurt you for a touch.”

  But he wanted far more than a touch.

  “Climb onto the table,” she said, her voice still with a faint huskiness that he liked too much. “Let me finish my exam. I need to get some blood samples. Check your wounds.”

  “I don’t have any wounds.” The truth. He’d felt the skin stretching. Mending.


  Any wounds that he’d gotten during his attack were gone.

  “Werewolves don’t usually heal that fast,” she said, brows pulling low. Holly attached the collar’s remote to her belt, then she came forward once more and put her hands on his chest as she studied his body.

  Her hands were slightly cool. Her touch was probably meant to be the impersonal one of a doctor but…

  He had to grind his back teeth together to hold back a moan.

  “They’re totally healed. Amazing.” She reached for a needle. Pushed it against the vein near his elbow. The needle snapped. “I was afraid of that.” She reached around him. Lifted a second syringe. “This needle has silver elements in its composition. It will penetrate your skin, but it’ll hurt.” Her lips tightened. “It’ll burn.”

  He appreciated the warning, but… “I’m already burning.”

  Her gaze snapped up to his. “What?”

  “It feels like my blood is boiling. Everything is heating inside me.” He waved his hand. “So drive the damn needle in me. It won’t make any difference.”

  She bit her lip. I want to bite it. Instead, he yanked his gaze away from her. Tried to look anywhere, but at her. Because he didn’t want her to see the wild lust in his gaze.

  The needle pushed into his arm. Yeah, he barely felt that little sting.

  Then she was pulling the needle out. Rubbing his arm lightly with her gloved fingers.

  “Stop.” Because he couldn’t handle anymore then. The beast was snarling inside of him, and the silver collar didn’t seem to be holding the wolf in check much.

  Want.

  It was her scent. Honey and sex. Calling to him. Tempting.

  Kiss her. Strip her.

  Fuck her.

  “Am I hurting you?” Her voice was that soft murmur that she’d probably use after sex.

  “Get. Away,” Duncan gritted. Because his claws were still out. If he touched her again, he’d hurt her. Cut her skin. Make her bleed.

  Wasn’t that what monsters did? And hadn’t he become a monster?

  “I-I didn’t meant to hurt you.” She stumbled back and her elbow banged into an instrument tray.

  “You didn’t hurt me.” He held his body perfect still, fighting the urge to literally pounce on her. “But if you don’t get away from me, I’ll hurt you.”

  He knew a containment cell was down the hallway to the left. Cell A was separated from the other prisoners.

  “Go unbar the door and let me out.” Definitely more animal growl then.

  “Where will you go?”

  “Cell A.” Maximum security.

  She hurried toward the door. A few seconds later, the bar slid back. He didn’t look at her as he nearly ran out of the med unit. He had to get to Cell A. Had to be contained. Before it was too late.

  His cock was aching. His muscles trembling. And if she came close to him again, with that scent, with those dark eyes…

  I will hurt her.

  Because it wasn’t just the man who wanted her. He’d been right about that fear. The beast he was becoming wanted her, too.

  Maybe he wanted her even more.

  “Duncan!” She was rushing after him. He didn’t stop. He entered Cell A. Slammed the door behind him. Then he took five quick steps away from the door.

  Her breath was panting out. Her breasts rising and falling.

  “Lock it,” he snarled.

  “What’s happening? Are you—”

  “Lock it, or I’ll be on you.” He couldn’t get any more clear than that. Or maybe, he could. I’ll be in you.

  Her eyes widened. She yanked a keycard out of her pocket and swiped it over the electronic lock. The lock engaged and bolted.

  She stared at him. The bars of Cell A were thick, reinforced, and supposedly designed to keep even the strongest of paranormals inside.

  There was a cot to the left of Duncan. A toilet. A sink.

  She wrapped her hands on the bars. “Duncan, I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

  He stiffened. “I don’t need your pity.” Was the woman missing the whole bit where he was close to ripping her clothes off? “You need to get away from me. Stay away. Get another doctor to—”

  “There is no other doctor here. Just me. You know that.”

  But she usually had an assistant who came in. At least during the days. The man who actually took the blood from the other werewolves.

  Wait, before, Pate had said…“It’s the reason I wanted you away from the other wolves.”

  What was the reason?

  But the heat inside of his body started to build even more. It felt like he was being ripped apart by that fire.

  Like…like the wolf was coming out.

  “Get away.”

  She let go of the bars, and her fingers skimmed over the remote on her belt. “Maybe I should adjust the silver intensity.”

  “It’s not the fucking silver! It’s you!” And, in an instant, he lost control. He leapt across the cell. Freaking leapt and was in front of her in less than a second’s time. “I can smell you. I can taste you. And I want to fuck you.” As if she’d missed that part before when he’d been driving his tongue into her mouth. “So you need to walk away. Walk away now. Run away. I don’t know how strong this thing is inside of me, and if something should happen, if I got out of this cell…”

  Don’t want to hurt her. Don’t ever want to hurt her.

  “You need to be away from me,” he finished.

  Her gaze held his. Then she gave a slow nod and backed away from the cell.

  He sucked in a deep breath. Dammit, he still tasted her.

  Holly turned away. Her dark hair brushed over her white lab coat. She took two steps, then paused. “I wasn’t saying no.”

  He didn’t know what in the hell she was talking about.

  Holly glanced over her shoulder. “I was kissing you back. And I bet I left more marks on you than you left on me.”

  His jaw wanted to drop.

  “You told me what you wanted.”

  I want to fuck you.

  “Maybe next time, you’ll ask what I want.” One dark brow climbed and she smiled. Wait, smiled? “Could be that it’s the same thing you want.”

  It felt like she’d just punched him in the chest.

  “Get some rest,” she told him with a small nod. “The change is going to keep pumping through your body. It’ll drain your energy. So just…rest, okay?”

  Then she was heading down the hallway.

  Leaving him alone in the cell—in the cage.

  Leaving him with her scent still around him.

  And leaving him with a wolf howling within him.

  ***

  It was the snarls that woke her. Holly jumped when the sounds pierced her consciousness. Her eyes flew open, and she realized that she was half-sprawled over her desk. She’d been waiting for the results of the screen on Duncan’s blood, and she’d fallen asleep.

  The snarls came again.

  She leapt to her feet.

  The clock on the desk said it was nearing 6 a.m. A fast glance toward her blinds didn’t reveal the trickling light from dawn, not yet, but the fact that she’d fallen asleep told her that sunrise must be getting close.

  Holly hurried toward the swinging doors of the med unit. With every step that she took, she heard—

  Snarls and growls.

  The sounds were getting louder. And she could hear yells. Screams? The cries weren’t coming from Duncan’s cell, but from the containment area on the opposite side of the base. She grabbed for her master remote, one that she kept as a precaution in case any of the wolves ever got loose.

  I do believe in having a Plan B.

  She ran toward those growls and screams.

  When she shoved open the doors that led to the main containment area, the scent of blood hit her. Blood and—beast. Because wolves were there, wolves not in any cells. These weren’t wolves that they had captured. She knew because there were no silver collars on the giant,
snarling beasts. She counted four fully shifted wolves running near the cells, wolves that were attacking the guards who’d been stationed at the main containment area.

  Not just attacking them…The guards were dead. Their screams had stopped.

  How had the wolves gotten inside? How had they even found the base? The place was supposed to be secure, with guards on the exterior of the perimeter and—

  The wolves were closing in on her.

  Holly froze.

  The remote wasn’t going to do her any good. The three collared werewolves were still in their cages. They weren’t moving at all. Just watching the carnage, still in human form.

  Silver didn’t bind the beasts coming toward her.

  “Don’t try to run,” this came from the man in the first cell. His light green eyes locked on her. “They like it when prey runs.”

  So she was just supposed to stand there and let them eat her? Hell, no. She stumbled back a few steps—then slammed her hand on the alarm. The guards hadn’t been given the chance to ring that alarm. Backup hadn’t come for them.

  Please, let that backup come in time for me.

  The sound was high and shrill and designed to have the extra benefit of including multiple frequencies when it was activated. The techs had created the alarm after they’d studied canines for months. Humans couldn’t hear the part of the alarm that would send a werewolf to his knees.

  The Para Unit had wanted to be able to fight back against the beasts.

  The wolves started to howl and snarl. One ran blindly forward and shoved his head into the wall.

  They were distracted. Hurting. The alarm was driving them crazy—just as it was supposed to do.

  “Don’t!” The sharp order came from the green-eyed man. Saul. A werewolf who’d ripped the throats out of six homeless men in Seattle. “Don’t run!” Saul said again. His face tightened with pain as he slammed his hands over his ears. Her frantic gaze locked on him. He was sagging to the ground as the alarm echoed through the facility. “They’ll…kill you…”