But there’d been no other option. He needed to find the Red Guard headquarters as quickly as possible. He needed to find Dove. This was his best, possibly his only, option.
I would let you leave the pack as a lone wolf. It was more than most alphas would allow, but Wylde would not take this wolf’s life if he could avoid it.
The alpha snarled. I have not lost yet.
It attacked once again, this time aiming for Wylde’s left leg.
Wylde steeled himself and let the animal strike. Sharp teeth bit into his thigh.
For a wolf, the wound would have been debilitating. For a human, the wound would have been deadly.
For Wylde? Well, it hurt like hell.
He swung his right leg around, locking the Alpha’s head between his thighs. He muscled the creature to the ground, careful not to use his hands as anything but paws. This had to be an even fight, not using anything the wolves would construe as human, if they were to accept him as a wolf. Yes, he had his healing factor, but that wasn’t something the pack would be able to see or sense.
Clamping his teeth in the Alpha’s ear, he growled. I could now easily gouge your eyes out. You would not survive as a blind lone wolf. Yield the pack.
Snarling, the alpha went limp. You have bested me. I yield.
Wylde released him. The wolf would not challenge him further. In most cases, he could trust a wolf to act within its nature and instincts.
Raising his head, he howled his victory and challenged the pack. Do any deny my right to lead?
Any of the other wolves could now challenge his leadership. The bite wound on his thigh was already closing, his strength returning. He’d be ready if he had to fight again.
He turned slowly, his gaze catching each of the wolves that circled him.
Most lowered their eyes, bowing their acceptance. A few hesitated, cocking their heads to the side as if in thought.
Wylde met each one in turn, locking gazes until at last they dropped their heads in submission. All but two.
These two wolves stood side by side, and seemed united in their refusals.
Submit, challenge, or leave the pack.
Both bared their fangs. The larger of the two growled. You are not a wolf. We cannot follow a human. We challenge for pack alpha.
We? There could only be one alpha. Something was off with these two.
The old alpha stepped up beside Wylde. Only one can challenge. If you both attack, I will aid the new pack leader.
Rare honor. The Alpha could have stayed back, slunk away. He was defeated, and expected to leave the pack.
This was something beyond anything he’d experienced in the wolf world. Wylde instantly regretted unseating the wolf from his leadership.
The rest of the pack pulled away from the dissenters. The smaller of the two stepped back. I will not fight.
It backed into the pack.
The larger wolf locked eyes with Wylde. Lips frothing, he snarled. I challenge.
The tang in the air around the challenger held hints of disease. Distemper and rabies, not unknown among wolves. What was strange was that this wolf had survived their effects and recovered, to this extent. That spoke volumes to the creature’s strength and constitution.
Take care with this one, the old alpha cautioned as he backed away. I should have culled him from the pack long ago. He is ill.
Wylde spent years among various wolf packs and had never before encountered a wolf that acted beyond instinct and basic need. This alpha was different. He seemed to have cared enough about the members of his pack to protect a sick wolf and bring him back to health. Other packs would have forced the sick one out of the pack to die as a lone wolf.
This one must have been nurtured back to health. But with rabies and distemper still burning inside him, he’d be surly and infectious to other wolves. Here in the wild, there would be no cure. The challenger needed to be put down for the good of the pack.
I am sorry, Wylde growled as the challenger charged him. He’d make this quick and as painless for the poor beast as he could. The disease was not his fault.
The challenger leapt, and Wylde, seeing his opening, twisted, bringing his jaws up under the creature’s neck. Clamping down hard, he shifted his weight, tumbling into the beast and trapping the wolf underneath.
A short whimper escaped the wolf’s jaws before Wylde clamped down, pulled, and tore the beast’s throat out.
The wolf bucked twice then lay still.
Wylde spat out the furry swatch and howled his sorrow. Honor him my pack. He was one of ours.
And the pack howled.
Chapter 9
Dove cracked open the one tiny window in the lab to let in some fresher air. The crispness lifted her spirits, but the bars lining the outside of the casing were a stark reminder of her imprisonment.
Eerie and sad, the sudden, distant howling of many wolves raised gooseflesh on Dove’s arms. What had upset them?
A flutter of wings behind her drew her attention from the window. The animals in the cages were creatures she could use as test subjects. A variety of different birds and rodents, a fox, two turtles, and a shy Siamese cat. All she wanted to do with them was set them free.
The birds and some of the smaller animals she could fit between the bars of the window. It was tempting to set them free now. But she’d bide her time. Wait. She might need them to string Dr. Wylde along a bit until she knew exactly what he wanted.
Dr. Wylde had told her he could secure just about any animal she wanted, if she would work for him. He’d showed her some intriguing experiments he’d been running and outlined the benefits he hoped to develop from them. But in each case, as Dove pondered the path to the next logical step, the true significance of those experiments crystallized. Weapons and human enhancements to aid a criminal organization.
No, she’d never be a part of that.
Her dad had taught her long ago to respect nature and the wondrous creatures it provided. They’d always been humane in their research, never pushing the boundaries of animal cruelty for the sake of discovery. Their work offered benefits to people and animals at the same time, and their test subjects were cared for, nurtured, and released back into the wild when they were done.
Her heart warmed, remembering how many of her animal friends hadn’t wanted to leave when they’d been released. How many times her dad had to coax them to return to their natural homes.
Dove checked the food and water of each animal in her care. She would at least offer what friendship she could to these poor creatures.
She played with some of the equipment, instruments she’d have died to have access to in her dad’s antiquated lab, but she refused to delve into any true experimentation. Anything she did here would be twisted and corrupted to aid William Wylde’s vile purposes. She wasn’t fooled by him. He was evil to the core.
The door opened behind her.
Dr. Wylde’s charismatic tone sent a slither up her spine. “Ah, good. You’re getting to work. I’m happy to see that.”
A chill slithered up her spine. Snake charmer and snake all in one, Dr. Wylde could beguile with his words and then strike with deadly precision. She needed to weigh her words carefully with him.
“Not working, just playing with the new equipment. Getting to know the lab.” She’d keep it light. Not commit to anything, but not lie either. Perhaps he’d divulge something she could use to her advantage.
His smile would have seemed genuine, if she hadn’t known the man. “Did you hear the wolves? He’s here. I know it. My boy has come home.”
John?
“What makes you think that was John? It just sounded like a wolf pack howling.”
He huffed. “You still don’t see the two-fold reason you are here, do you?”
“I’m not sure I know one reason I’m here. You haven’t been very forthcoming. Care to enlighten me?” She’d dig for any piece of information he’d disclose.
“Your knowledge, of course, is the first and foremost reason. You’re familiar with all your father’s work, and I’m led to believe you’ve surpassed him on many levels. I’ve laid out the areas I’m having problems in my research. You will fill those gaps, and together we will move ahead.”
He seemed so sure of that.
“I originally sent Lennie to kidnap your father, you know. But you became the better target because of your superior knowledge and your attachment to my son. I’ve been looking for John ever since he escaped me. It was so grand to find out you two had reconnected again, thanks to Xi Force.”
So, she was also bait. Oh John, please be careful.
She wasn’t sure if she wanted that howl to have been John or not. “What makes you think he’d come after me?”
“You know that with canines, it’s all about control. The whip and the treat. That’s why, as a child, I kept him out of school. You were his only friend. You were the treat.”
Her stomach tightened. “And you were the whip. I never took you for such a heartless soul until you left with John all those years ago.”
The side of his mouth twitched up as he moved closer, his eyes mere inches away from hers. “Well, now you know, and I don’t have to play games any more. You will work for me, or you will suffer the consequences. And they will be severe. You know me well enough to understand that.”
She wanted to stand up to him, give him a piece of her mind. Make him realize what he’d done to John was wrong, evil.
But that smug look on his face. A chill slithered through her gut. He knew. And he didn’t care. She stepped back. “You’re a monster.”
His mouth tightened to a thin line. “You’d do well to remember that. Now, get to work.”
~ ~ ~
The wolf pack gathered around Wylde, their amber eyes shifting between him and the other wolves.
Uncertainty for sure, but he’d proven his leadership, proven himself a wolf despite his appearance.
The old alpha lowered his head toward Wylde. I will leave you now. Take care of the pack.
So unlike other alphas Wylde had encountered. This wolf carried an empathy beyond normal. Defeated by Wylde, it would be expected the old alpha would become a lone wolf and leave the protection of the pack.
Wylde caught the alpha’s gaze. Stay.
The alpha cocked his head.
Standing up on two feet, Wylde spread his arms wide. He didn’t need to lead this pack, they already had a good leader, but he did need their help. And he knew now he could trust the old alpha. Not a trick. Not a lie. I am wolf and man.
Ah. The alpha nodded. Those in the stone den have changed you.
Do you mean the place of men with high white walls? The stone den had to be the Red Guard headquarters.
A long time ago, men took me there. Hurt me. But they let me go. We stay far away from that place.
That would explain why this wolf was so different. He’d been experimented on. Tortured. Poor creature.
Still, also lucky. Few test subjects were ever released from there. They must have found the wolf’s empathy an unusable by-product of their research. That made some sense.
And that same empathy made the alpha the perfect leader of his pack.
I must go to the stone den of men.
The alpha’s growl was low. Fear and hate emanated from him. Bad place. We stay far away. They capture us if we get close.
Still, I must go there.
You are alpha. The pack follows you. I will stay if you want me to. But I warn you. It is bad there.
Wylde dropped back down to all fours. No. You are alpha once again. I submit.
The alpha’s eyes widened.
Wylde bowed, touching his chin to the ground in submission. Show me the way to the stone den and I will leave the pack and become a lone wolf.
The alpha wolf nodded. As alpha, I will not bring my pack anywhere near the place, but I will bring you there myself. Come.
Wylde retrieved his costume and belt, washed as much of the blood off it as he could with snow, then followed the old alpha toward the place of his worst nightmares.
~ ~ ~
Slimy and repellent, unease slithered like a snake through his gut. Wylde pushed it down as he gazed once again on the whitewashed walls of the Red Guard headquarters. Hidden away from the world in the wilderness of Siberia, the organization recognized no government and only followed their own, corrupt set of rules.
Success meant wealth and power flowing into Red Guard’s hands, despite any moral, ethical, or human capital costs. These were some fucked-up assholes.
And his father had fit right in, rising to the upper echelons of the group when Wylde had escaped this place ten years ago. Whether or not the man still lived, Wylde had no way of knowing. Betrayal was a way of life in Red Guard, and anyone who didn’t watch his back could easily find a knife buried in it.
The old alpha stood by his side shaking, obviously as unsettled as Wylde. They both had experienced tortures within those walls.
Wylde had named the wolf, a convention he’d acquired when he became part of his first wolf pack.
Wolves identified each other by scent, and he had no problem discerning which wolf was which in any group setting, but the human side of his brain processed better if he associated a name to each animal. He’d usually pick the secret identity of some comic book superhero. His old pack had been the Avengers, then Natasha and Wanda’s pups drew their names from Superman and Batman. So this alpha had become Charles on their journey to the Red Guard compound. An empathetic leader to his pack. Hopefully the old wolf wouldn’t need a wheelchair any time soon.
Dove had always had comic books at her house, some of his favorites, and he’d read them voraciously when he was there. Occasionally his father would also allow him one as a treat, if he’d been good, probably because they kept him busy and silent. He’d learned early on not to disturb the bastard with his “petty childish concerns.”
Thanks, Charles. I can take it from here.
The old alpha turned and bounded into the thicket and was soon lost from sight.
The forest and underbrush around the walled compound had been cleared a hundred feet in all directions. Ten years ago he’d used a tree growing next to the wall, inside the compound, to escape. His father had been so sure he’d become so much a wolf that he would not climb trees. But desperation had spawned inspiration, and Wylde’s human side had resurged enough to get him to the ground on the other side of the wall.
Now he had to find a way back in.
Curiously, the only tree remaining close to the compound was the one he’d used to escape. Tall and broad, the spruce stood inside the compound, right next to the whitewashed concrete wall, extending broad branches over it.
One of the branches was broken and hanging at an angle over the wall within reach of someone on the outside. Convenient.
Too convenient.
It felt as if his father was extending him an invitation back into captivity. That wouldn’t have been a surprising move.
There also didn’t seem to be any guards patrolling this section of the wall.
He always thought me little more than a stupid animal.
Wylde had learned that there was no such thing as a stupid animal.
Well, squirrels maybe. Skittery creatures too scatterbrained to move out of the path of an oncoming vehicle. Their survival instincts hadn’t seemed to have evolved enough to handle modern technology. Still, they were far from extinct.
In any case, he wasn’t dumb enough to take the offered entry. He knew Red Guard. With them involved, he couldn’t tru
st the easy path.
Keeping to the forest edge, he circled the fortress, looking for an alternative way to get in. With the tree still there, he knew he had at least one way to get back out.
Vehicles entered and left from the compound via an iron-gated doorway in the wall, using the dirt road that snaked into the forest. Most thought it just a logging trail. The rough, muddy connection to the highway, miles away, kept most vehicles from even attempting the trail, though only a few hundred yards into the dense forest, the road was graded and well maintained.
After escaping ten years ago, Wylde followed this driveway, then followed roadways from there to more civilized areas. The busy highways, with their fast cars and big trucks scared the hell out of him. He’d been freed, but in a world he didn’t understand.
He’d lived in the forest, letting his wolf instinct take over, but he also retained some memories of his youth. Especially those precious moments when he’d spent time in a wonderful home, with Dr. and Mrs. Locklear . . . and Dove.
He worked his way to the coast, stowed away on a freighter, and found himself in Taiwan. He used his human appearance and his wolf’s stealth to sneak onto another ship, and then another, eventually ending up in Oregon.
Driven by memories of Dove and her family, he began a cross-country trek to find them. With only a child’s memory of geography and a fear of strangers, he stuck to the wilderness, avoiding roads and cities.
He made it as far as Wyoming before he gave in to the canine, accepted he was lost, and became fully a lone wolf. The human world blurred, and the wolf took over. He met an alpha that he named Tony, after Tony Stark, who accepted him as a wolf, and invited him to join his pack.
He ran with the pack for years before Joel Weisberg pulled him back into the human world.
Wylde (Xi Force Book 3) Page 7