He trotted along beside Robert as they searched for Dr. Mallory’s office.
A nurse told them Dr. Mallory was in the lab and directed them down a hallway.
Robert knocked on the lab door.
“Come in,” Dr. Mallory said.
Dr. Jessup sat on a stool, observing them.
He snarled, baring his sharp fangs. He took a step forward, his claws clicking against the hard tile.
Robert gripped his scruff.
He growled then barked, his jaws snapping wildly.
Robert’s arm snaked around his neck and chest, pulling him back.
“I know. Believe me, I know. But we need him alive. He might be the only one who can help turn you back,” Robert said.
With a final growl, he turned away from Jessup and focused on Dr. Mallory.
“I can’t believe this is the same wolf. I had no idea his fur was white,” Dr. Mallory said.
“Do you think you can turn him back?”
“I heard you shifted the night you were brought here. What made you shift back?” Dr. Mallory asked.
Dr. Jessup slid off his stool.
“You shifted into a wolf, Robert?”
Robert took a deep breath then turned around to face Jessup. Jaw clenched, he nodded.
“What was it like? How did you feel? Did you think like a human or—”
“—Dr. Jessup, I realize that the serum you gave Robert is something you’ve been working on for some time,” Dr. Mallory said, stepping past Robert. “But that research will never see the light of day. Your project is finished, doctor.”
Dr. Jessup’s lips pressed into a fine line.
“You accidentally discovered the serum that transformed Robert successfully,” Dr. Mallory said. Her brow rose. “I highly doubt you could come up with an antidote.”
Dr. Jessup’s cheeks colored and his nostrils flared.
“I’m sure I will come up with the antidote before you, doctor,” he said.
Dr. Mallory turned her back to him so he wouldn’t see the smirk on her face.
“You were able to shift back without an antidote. How did you do it?” she asked Robert.
“I’m not sure,” Robert confessed. “Serena was hurt and I knew the only way I could help her was if I was in human form.”
He shrugged.
“I concentrated on my human form, and this time, it worked.”
Human form?
I barely remember what I looked like.
How long have I been trapped like this?
“We’ll need blood samples,” Dr. Jessup said. He led up two syringes. “From both of you.”
“He’s right,” Dr. Mallory concurred.
“You take a sample from the wolf. Jessup can take it from me,” Robert said.
Dr. Mallory stuck him with a sharp needle and withdrew his blood.
“I’m going to do everything I can to reverse this. But you need to try and shift.” She ran her fingers through his fur. “Concentrate. If you want it badly enough, I think you will shift,” Dr. Mallory said.
Dr. Mallory stood as Robert joined them.
“So how do you feel, now that you’ve claimed your mate?” she asked.
“I think it’s easier to control my wolf,” Robert replied.
Mate?
How does having one help control the wolf?
“I know this is a personal question, Robert, but given you’re making an excessive amount of testosterone—”
Robert laughed nervously.
“My only complaint is that I’m horny all the time, Doc, but Serena doesn’t seem to mind.”
“Still, I’d like to take a sample to make sure—”
“—Sample? Dr. Jessup already took a blood—”
Dr. Mallory held up an oddly shaped cup.
Robert’s cheeks turned a curious shade of red.
“You can go in that room,” she said, pointing to a door. “Do you need a magazine or —”
“No,” Robert replied, snatching the specimen cup from her hand.
A short while later, Robert returned with the cup and handed it over Dr. Mallory. Without a word, Robert turned and walked out of the lab.
He followed Robert out of the hospital.
A strong scent caught his nose. He trotted toward the scent.
His pulse quickened.
“Where the hell are you going?” Robert demanded.
A tall blonde put her bags in the trunk and slammed it shut.
His heart pounded in his chest.
The blonde walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door.
Every muscle in his body was taut.
The tall blonde seemed to shrink.
As if she sensed his presence, the petite blonde turned around.
She screamed.
He reached for her, stunned to see his hand instead of a furry paw.
“What the fuck?” Robert said.
She backed away from him, nearly falling into her car.
He shoved her legs over the gear shift and slid into the driver’s seat. He slammed the door shut and grabbed the keys dangling from her hand.
Robert yanked the door open.
With a snarl, he turned and punched Robert.
Stunned, Robert stagged backward and fell on the ground. He returned to her car, shut the door then locked it. He started the car and drove off, weaving left and right as he tried to control the steering wheel.
The blonde pulled at the door handle. The door swung open.
His stomach twisted sharply.
He stomped on the brakes.
Her face slammed into the dashboard.
Moaning, she pushed against the dashboard and fumbled with the door handle. She pushed the door open.
Half her body was out of the car before he grabbed the back of her shirt. With a sharp tug, he pulled her back into the car. He closed the door and took off, tires squealing loudly on the quiet street.
Somehow he managed to drive out of town without hitting anyone. He followed the road toward the forest.
Leather smacked into his face, momentarily blinding him. He swerved and braked, the contents of her purse spilling on his naked body.
The door opened and she bolted.
With a snarl, he climbed over the seat and rushed after her. He chased her along the road.
Afraid she would escape, he lunged, tackling her to the ground. They scrambled on the ground. He flipped her onto her back and covered her with his body.
“Please,” she begged. “Take my car. My purse. Just don’t hurt me,” she sobbed.
Tears streamed down her face.
He wiped a tear away, caressing her cheek.
I would never hurt you, he wanted to say. He tried, but the words wouldn’t come.
All he could do was grunt.
She sobbed harder.
With a low growl, he stood and pulled her to her feet. Tossing her over his shoulder, he headed to the safety of the woods.
Chapter Twelve
Remington of the Tarchannen Werewolf Pack scowled as he got into his SUV, slamming the door behind him. He still couldn’t believe he had lost his mate to a human. His cheeks burned with humiliation.
He hated humans.
Humans were inferior to his kind.
They were weak.
Soft.
He started the SUV and drove out of Tarchannen.
Knowing that his father, the previous Alpha, would decide on his mate, he had been very careful with the wolves he had bedded, all from a different pack. He had managed to slip away only a handful of times in his thirty years. He had been celibate for well over a year, ever since his father had declared that Serena would be his mate.
The day before the mating ceremony, Serena had run away.
From him!
His wolf still bristled at her public refusal of him, her betrayal by giving herself to another male. Knowing how jealous females could be, he hadn’t touched another wolf even after she had left. He wasn’t going to
give her a reason to refuse his touch. He knew once he found her, he would bring her back and after punishing her for her disobedience, he would mate her.
Then they would start their lives with a clean slate.
He had planned on having his mate in his bed, planned on fucking her every night.
His fingers curled around the steering wheel. His claws itched. The need to slash something lingered just below the surface.
Remington had secretly dreamed about falling asleep in the soft arms of his woman. He wanted to wake up in the arms of a woman who cared for him. He had hoped that over time, Serena would come to love him. He even had the ridiculous hope that Serena would want him because he was her male, not because he was the Alpha.
“Fool,” he muttered to himself.
What had he done to be denied a mate? He had been a dutiful son to his father, the Alpha. He helped keep his pack safe and guided them as needed. He had even denied himself a normal, healthy sex life in the hopes that once he had his mate she would be worth the sacrifice. What did he have to show for his sacrifice?
He had lost his mate.
To a human.
Unless he killed her unworthy male.
***
Grimacing, Robert wiped the blood from his nose and stared at the back of the peach Honda. It disappeared around a corner.
FUCK.
He ran back to the hospital.
“I neeb to call Lucien,” he told a nurse.
“Your nose—”
“Phome,” he demanded.
The nurse handed him a phone.
He stared at it.
“Number?”
The nurse rolled her eyes, dialed the number then handed him a tissue.
“Tanks,” he said, taking the tissue.
“Lucien.”
“Sir, I hab a problem,” he said.
“What the fuck happened now?” Lucien demanded.
“After we left Dr. Mallory, the wolf shifted back into his human form.”
“He broke your nose?”
“Yes Sir.” He cleared his throat. “He carjacked a woman.”
“Is she all right?”
“He kidnapped her.”
“Fucking perfect.”
“I’ll find him, Sir.”
“If he harms the woman, I’m taking it out of your hide,” Lucien vowed.
So much for getting pack protection for Serena.
His shoulders slumped.
He returned the phone to the cradle and jogged back to the street. He continued along the street, stopping periodically to ask if anyone had seen which direction the peach colored Honda went.
A pickup truck pulled up beside him. He recognized the wolf. Nicolas? Nicolai?
“Get in,” Nicolai said.
“I hab to find—”
“You going to chase a car on foot?”
He shook his head and ran around the front of the pickup. He got in the passenger side then said, “He’s headed out of town.”
Nicolai drove out of town. It wasn’t long before they found the abandoned car at the side of the road.
One door was wide open.
The woman had left the car. In a hurry.
His stomach tightened.
Nicolai parked behind the car then followed two sets of footprints along the side of the road.
He stared at the disturbed patch of soil.
His stomach roiled.
Nicolai hunkered down then sniffed the air. He checked the area around the patch of dirt.
“One set of footprints over here. Large, so they must be his.”
He nodded.
“Don’t see her footprints,” Nicolai said.
“He carried her,” he said.
Bile rose to the back of his throat.
Nicolai studied him.
“Come on, it’s getting late. We’ll come back in the morning.”
“Morning? You know damn well the danger she’s in. I’m not going to leave her out here,” he shouted.
As he walked past him, Nicolai grabbed his arm.
“You don’t scent it?”
He sniffed the area. It smelled of the woods. Pine. Oak. Animal musk.
He sniffed again. Beyond the scent of the woods, there was another scent. It was something sweet. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it was a familiar scent. Something pleasant.
“She can handle him,” Nicolai assured him. “Let’s go.”
He followed Nicolai back to his pickup.
On the way back, Nicolai said, “Don’t worry. Lucien won’t make your mate a widow on Christmas Day.”
“Christmas?”
“Tomorrow. You did get something for your mate?”
He shook his head.
“I know the perfect place to find a gift for your woman,” Nicolai said.
Once they reached town, Nicolai parked in front of a quaint shop.
“Let’s go.”
He followed Nicolai inside and browsed, hoping he would find something for his mate.
What if Lucien was wrong and the police are looking for me? The first thing they are going to do is keep a tab on my credit cards. Better stick with cash.
Something shiny caught his eye. He walked over to the display carousel.
“Can I help you with something, Sir?”
His eyes flicked to her name tag.
Anya.
“Yes, Anya. What is this thing?”
He pointed to an antique gold object adorned with dark blue crystals.
“It’s a hair clip. Simply twist the hair up, add the clip and viola! Elegance in an instant.”
He turned it over in his hand.
“It sort of looks like a butterfly.”
He could imagine the butterfly nestled among her curls.
“That one is a butterfly design. We do have other designs,” Anya said.
She spun the carousel.
“How about this one? It’s in the shape of a heart.”
“I’ll take the butterfly. How much?” he asked, reaching for his wallet.
“That will be…twenty even.”
He gave her a twenty dollar bill and returned his empty wallet to his back pocket.
“Thanks. Would you like me to wrap it?”
“Hi, Anya,” Nicolai said.
Anya nodded in greeting.
“You ready to go?” Nicolai asked Robert.
Nodding, he took the small bag from Anya and followed Nicolai out of the store.
Chapter Thirteen
Serena sat in the living room, watching Lanie fill the stockings with small packages. She had stockings for her mate, her daughter, the Tracker and their Soldiers.
“What an odd custom,” she said.
“Perhaps. But I enjoy seeing their faces when they see what’s in their stockings. Even Lucien looks forward to checking his stocking.”
“What kinds of things do you put in there?” she asked.
“Something I think they will enjoy but might not buy for themselves.”
“Like what?”
Lanie laughed. A faint blush colored her cheeks.
“This year Kane and Nicolai have mates, so their stockings are going to be full of sensual items.”
“Oh.”
She glanced at Lucien’s bulging stocking.
Lanie went into the hallway and returned with several packages. She put them under the tree.
“Lanie, what’s it like being the Alpha Bitch?”
Lanie smiled gently.
“At first, I was intimidated. Primarily because I had no idea of what pack life entailed. My reluctance stemmed from ignorance.”
“What made you decide to stick it out with Lucien?”
“I fell in love with him,” Lanie replied.
Lanie sat on the couch next to her. “With Lucien by my side, I knew that I—we could tackle anything.”
“You’re a team.”
Lanie smiled and squeezed her hand.
“We’re pack,” she replied.
/> The door closed gently and a soothing scent filled her nose. She grinned and got off the couch.
“Robert, you’re back.”
Her smile faltered when she saw the disappointed look on his face.
Nicolai asked, “Lanie, where’s Lucien?”
“In his office,” Lanie replied.
Nicolai left and Robert shifted from one foot to the other. He had a small package in his hand. When he caught her looking at it, he shoved it behind his back.
“Robert, have you had dinner yet?” Lanie asked.
“Not hungry,” he replied, reaching for her.
She wrapped her arms around him, inhaling his scent. He hadn’t been gone long, yet she had missed him. She could sense his worry. Though he held her gently, there was a tension in his muscles that worried her.
“What happened with the wolf?” Lanie asked.
After clearing his throat, he answered, “He took the woman into the forest.”
“Why didn’t you go after him?” she asked.
“Nicolai didn’t seem too worried about it tonight. I suppose we’ll have better luck finding them in daylight.”
She frowned.
“Wolves have excellent night vision. There must be some other reason Nicolai didn’t pursue this tonight.”
The lights from the Christmas tree cast a warm glow on his face. The day had taken a toll on him and it showed.
“Are you sure you won’t eat something? Earlier tonight, Lanie, Carina and I baked gingerbread cookies.”
She took his hands and pulled him to the kitchen. She pointed to the island.
“Carina and I made that gingerbread house. It was so much fun, Robert. I can’t wait to start our own traditions with our children.”
Robert’s eyes widened in shock. Then his lips formed a tight line.
Her stomach felt queasy.
“Robert? Don’t—don’t you want children?” she stammered.
He stepped away from her.
“I can’t take that risk, Serena. My genes are damaged.” He shook his head. “You don’t want children with me.”
“Robert, I’m not sure what Dr. Jessup did to you, but perhaps Dr. Mallory—”
“No,” he protested. “You don’t understand.” He ran his fingers though his hair. “Dr. Jessup didn’t make me a monster. My family—”
He grabbed her arm.
“Let’s go, Serena.”
Since they didn’t have their own vehicle, they couldn’t return to the cabin. She followed him down the hallway to the guest bedroom they had slept in before.
Soul Mates Box Set 2 Page 29