The Alpha's Mate (8 Sexy, Powerful Shifters and Their Fated Mates)

by Lynn Red

  Chloe set her brother up against the tank, walking carefully over next to Jackson.

  "Dr. Hulsey, was it?" She smiled shyly. "Do you know where their clothes might be? It's awful cold outside, and I think it would be nice to have them in something more than a lab coat."

  Jackson wished he could kiss her right then. She had caught on to his tone and technique, using kindness to get the man to open up instead of threats.

  "Oh, of course!" Herbert beamed at her. "They're in that storage bin over there. I'll get them for you!"

  "Thank you, but I'll get them myself. I think that he has some more questions for you," Chloe responded quickly. She gave him a friendly smile before turning and hurrying to a bin along the wall. Jackson watched her for a moment, and then turned back to Herbert.

  "Herbert," he said, making sure he had the scientist’s attention again. "This is important. How many times have these men shifted?"

  "Twice. They weren't conscious for it though. They've never been awake for a shift." Herbert's face dropped as though he had done something wrong.

  Jackson let out a quiet sigh. His own transformation had been terrible and deadly. Now, he was going to have three, highly-trained soldiers, shifting into a primal state. Tomorrow night, they were all in for a brutal evening.

  "I hate to be a bother, but are there any other uniforms?" Chloe interrupted as politely as she could. "These seem to have shrunk in the wash."

  Jackson looked over at Blake. The man was barely contained by his uniform. Muscles pulled at the seams and his pants were an inch too short.

  "What have you been feeding them?" he said softly.

  "Growth hormones. Per the Colonel's instruction," Herbert answered. Jackson gave him an incredulous look. Herbert blushed, shame filling his face. "In addition to activating the Lycan gene, I was to make them more effective in combat."

  "Well, this is going to be the best full moon ever," Quent snorted under his breath.

  "I did it to save our species!" Herbert shouted back at him, his eyes glowing for a moment.

  "That is something you should have brought up with the Council," Quent snarled back.

  Jackson held up his arms between them, trying to keep the peace. He opened his mouth but before he could speak, the main lab door flung open.

  Standing with a pistol pointed directly at Jackson, Colonel Bronn filled the doorway. The man's rage was palpable. Even from across the room, Jackson could see the veins in his neck popping out. Jackson reached for his gun before remembering he had given it to Chloe. He could see it laying on the floor next to Blake's empty tank.

  "What the hell is going on here?" The Colonel roared. Jackson couldn't see any men behind him, and he hoped the Colonel had come to check on his pet project by himself. The last thing they needed was base guards coming to join in.

  If Herbert had looked frightened at Jackson, he looked absolutely terror-stricken by Colonel Bronn. Jackson could barely breathe for the stench of fear radiating off the man in tidal waves.

  "Put them back and hook them up," Bronn commanded. He aimed his gun.

  Herbert took a step toward where Blake rested in front of his tank, but Jackson put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Jackson took a step in front of him, looking Colonel Bronn in the eye.

  "These troops are mobilizing." Jackson's voice rang out across the lab. Herbert cringed.

  The Colonel sneered. "Your career is over, Captain. Over. You have no idea what you are messing with here."

  Jackson took another step toward the Colonel. His gaze fell on Chloe tending to her brother. Her hair was mussed in its ponytail, but she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Now that she was in his life, his military career didn't seem important any more.

  "I was looking for something more civilian anyway," Jackson replied, shrugging. "You should just leave now, Colonel."

  "If anyone is leaving, it's you." The Colonel cocked his gun. "Dr. Hulsey, hook them back up."

  "No one is putting my brother back in there," Chloe said, rising to her feet. Colonel Bronn's face twisted with anger and he swung the gun to point directly at her head.

  Jackson's blood went cold. There was no way he would ever reach her in time if Bronn fired. Chloe stood defiant as Bronn's finger trembled on the trigger. Jackson started to move, smelling the gun powder as he heard the bullet release from the chamber, barreling straight for Chloe's head.

  Chapter 25

  "No one is putting my brother back in there," Chloe stated, rising to her feet. She had just spent the last six months of her life searching for her brother, and now, after finding him hooked up like a lab rat in a tank, there was no way she was going to let him go.

  The gun swiveled in slow motion to point directly at her. She squared her shoulders and raised her jaw. She looked Colonel Bronn right in the eye and saw only a lust for power. She wished she could have had more time with Jackson. A muscle in the Colonel's cheek twitched as he pulled the trigger. Chloe closed her eyes.

  A heartbeat later, she was still standing. She almost didn't dare to open her eyes, afraid that the bullet would just be closer, but she did.

  Standing in front of her, snarling, was Blake. His brown hair grew longer by the second and fur erupted along the edge of his shoulders, poking out from the now ripped seams of his jacket. She could see the fear in Colonel Bronn's eyes as a beast of his own creation stared him down. He held a bloodied hand to his chest, the red streaks leaking onto his uniform. Her brother had swiped the gun out of his hand and it had skittered across the floor and under one of the tanks. Blake made a horrible howling noise, something trapped between human and wolf, and lunged for the Colonel.

  The Colonel dodged the wolf-man with more dexterity than Chloe would have given him credit for, but with one smooth motion of his clawed hand, Blake sent the Colonel flying across the lab. Bronn landed with a heavy thud against the wall, sliding down like he was made of spaghetti and landing in a crumpled heap on the floor. Blake took a step toward the wall, ready to finish off his sister's attacker, but his body wasn't strong enough. He stumbled to the floor, his claws clattering on the white cement.

  Chloe knelt by her brother, her heart pounding and adrenaline coursing through her system like a drug. She had stared down death in the eye and lived. She smoothed the tousled hair on her brother's forehead and felt Jackson touch her shoulder. She looked up at him. His eyes were golden and full of concern. He touched her shoulder and she could feel the relief at her safety flood through her. She gave him a soft smile and the lines around his eyes relaxed.

  Quent had his hands full on the other side of the tank keeping the other two soldiers under control. Even in their just wakened state, they wanted to go to Blake's side. The smell of blood, fear, and urgency was riling them up. They whined as their eyes went golden, trying to get past Quent and Herbert to help their fallen comrade.

  "I've got him," Chloe told Jackson with a nod. He straightened to his full height and went to check on the Colonel, walking slowly across the room.

  Blake struggled against the floor, trapped between man and beast. His eyes were amber and his teeth pointed from his mouth like oversized Halloween vampire fangs. With every second he seemed to lose more of himself, but yet wasn't finding his way to the wolf. It terrified Chloe to see him like this and she wasn't sure what she needed to do.

  "He doesn't know how to control the change," Quent yelled at her, trying to keep control of the other two soldiers. "You have to get him to calm down!"

  Chloe frowned and bit her lip; concern and fear rolled in her stomach and she closed her eyes to try and control her emotions. Determination finally found her and she opened her eyes and grabbed her brother's shoulders. Just because he was something new didn't mean he wasn't going to listen to her. She had always been his guardian and voice of reason; she still could be.

  "Blake, look at me." She put her hand under his elongating chin, the fur spreading across his skin prickly and soft at the same time, forcing his gold
en eyes to look up at her. "Look at me. I need you to breathe."

  Blake whined quietly, but kept his eyes glued to hers. She smiled encouragingly. "Come back to me, Blake. Let the wolf go for now."

  Blake took a deep breath and green replaced the gold in his eyes. His shoulders relaxed and the fur receded back into his skin; his teeth disappeared back into his mouth and he resumed his human appearance.

  With Blake calm, his fellow soldiers relaxed. Quent grinned at her and Herbert leaned against one of the tanks in relief.

  "You've got skill, Chloe. Good job."

  Jackson returned from looking at the Colonel, kneeling down beside Chloe and putting his hand on her back. His warmth made her feel stronger.

  "The Colonel's out cold. We need to get out of here before any guards come." Jackson moved to help Chloe lift her brother to his feet. It was only a matter of time before someone came looking to hear why a gunshot had gone off.

  Quent helped the other two soldiers to their feet, the two of them leaning against one another like sapling trees. Since they hadn't changed as much as Blake had, they had more energy, but were still weak as kittens.

  "You are coming with us. You have to face the council," Quent informed Herbert. Herbert paled and shook his head. Fear blossomed in his face.

  "No!" he screamed, running past Quent and toward Chloe. Quent snarled, spinning to catch him.

  Herbert ran past Chloe to where the Colonel now stood. Bronn had removed his jacket and had a needle and one of the red IV bags. He gritted his teeth, in obvious pain but still proceeding. He was feeding the werewolf serum into his arm, squeezing the IV bag to force it in as fast as possible. Herbert skidded to a stop in front of him, going to his knees and putting his hands over his face at being too late to stop him from injecting himself.

  Jackson shifted Blake's weight onto Chloe, stepping forward to face the Colonel. Quent was right behind him. Their faces were hard and ready for a fight. If that red substance had made Blake and his friends into werewolves, Chloe could only imagine what it was going to do to the Colonel. It made her shudder to think of the possibilities. She started walking her brother toward the back of the room, grouping the three new Weres together and hoping they would be able to protect themselves from whatever the Colonel was going to change in to.

  Colonel Bronn let out a sinister laugh. "I can feel it!" He flexed slightly, the veins in his arms and neck pulsing. "The strength! The power!"

  Jackson licked his lips and growled. Quent's eyes already glowed. The Colonel looked at them and laughed again. The red bag was already almost completely emptied into his system. His eyes were turning red, as though he were a demon summoned from the pits of hell. Herbert sat on his knees, looking up at the mutating Colonel with fear in his eyes.

  The red bag was empty. The Colonel roared, raising his arms above his head. The seams on his shirt split open as his muscles expanded. He ripped the IV from his arm, flinging it across the room where it landed with a splat. Little red drops fell to the floor as though it had been murdered.

  The Colonel growled, rolling his shoulders and feeling the fire of the serum rip through his veins. He howled his dominance, taking a step toward the shaking Herbert.

  One step was all he took. The Colonel's body shuddered, and he shook his head. He tried to move, but his body refused to respond. A look of panic passed through his eyes before they rolled up in his head and his body collapsed.

  He was dead before his head hit the floor.

  Herbert shook his head at the dead man, sadness in his voice. "I told you, the serum will only work on those with the gene."

  The room was silent except for the hum of the lights and the computer. Chloe clung to her brother, unsure of what was going to happen next. Everything already felt like a dream, so she was mentally preparing herself for the Colonel to come back to life as dream monsters always seemed to do.

  Herbert rose from his knees. His shoulders slumped forward for a moment, but then seemed to find an energy. He turned, squaring them before facing Jackson and Quent. He took a set of keys from his pocket and undid the ring, pulling a brass car key from the set. He handed it to Jackson.

  "That goes to the supply van outside that door. Get them away from here. I'll take care of things," Herbert told him.

  Jackson took the key and slid it into his pocket. "What are you going to do?"

  Herbert looked back at the fallen Colonel. He seemed less afraid now that the man lay dead at his feet. "He was the only one who knew the true extent of the experiments. He wanted all the glory, so he made sure to keep the exact reasons for my research a secret." Herbert turned back to Jackson and Quent.

  "As far as the government knows, I was working with these soldiers, of their own accord, to work on healing and regeneration via the Lycan gene. There is going to be a tragic accident that will destroy the servers with the information and the entire supply of the cross-gene formula." Herbert looked down at his hands.

  "And that will keep them from investigating?" Quent asked.

  Herbert nodded. "As far as anyone will know, the experiment was a failure. The Lycan gene is just junk DNA and trying to activate it is a fruitless endeavor."

  "What about him?" Jackson pointed his chin toward the Colonel. Herbert turned to look at the dead man with pity.

  "The truth. He didn't believe me and took some of the formula himself."

  Jackson and Quent looked at one another, their eyes holding a silent conversation. Herbert took a deep breath and walked past them, going to one of the filing cabinets along the wall. He punched in a code, unlocking one of the files and pulled out a USB drive. He held it in his hand for a moment, then wrapped his fingers around it and turned to the two me.

  "On this drive is everything I learned. It's the only copy." Herbert took a step and opened his hand, offering the USB drive up to Jackson. Jackson took it carefully from the scientist's hand and placed it in Quent's.

  "What about the Council?" Quent asked, pocketing the research.

  "I will submit myself to them at the next moon," Herbert said. His voice held a dead calm. Quent nodded his approval.

  Herbert nodded and walked over to one of the tanks. He hit a button and it filled halfway with water. The scientist closed his eyes, moving his lips as though saying a prayer, and then pushed the tank over. The heavy cylinder fell with a horrible crack that made Chloe jump. Water splashed out of broken glass, lapping up against the other two tanks. Electricity began to jump from the cords to the water, humming and buzzing with destruction.

  "We need to get out of here before anyone comes asking questions," Jackson said, turning around to face Chloe and the three soldiers. They both stepped forward, careful to avoid the sparking water. Jackson put a hand on Herbert's shoulder in a quiet gesture of understanding. The man didn't respond, just staring at the complete loss of his life's work.

  Quent lifted the blonde soldier's arm over his shoulder while Jackson did the same with the other. Chloe held onto her brother, coaxing him forward with small steps. They reached the door to escape out of the lab and Chloe looked back. The lights flickered slightly as the computers continued to short circuit. The last thing she saw before they disappeared out into the night was the back of Herbert's white lab coat as he destroyed his work.

  Chapter 26

  Chloe struggled under her brother's weight, but she didn't slow down. She followed Jackson and Quent as they carried the other two soldiers down a short, dark hallway and out into the snow. Jackson found the van easily enough, and they quickly pushed the tired soldiers into the back.

  The cold night air burned her lungs as she gasped for air. It wasn't just the exertion from carrying her brother that had her gulping down mouthfuls, it was everything that had happened in the past thirty minutes. She glanced at her watch, shocked that it had been less than a half hour for everything she had just seen to happen. Thirty minutes ago, she was still looking for her brother and the Colonel was still alive.

  "Get in the van,
Chloe," Jackson coaxed, putting a hand on the small of her back and helping her into the open back. The three soldiers sat with their backs against the side of the van. Chloe stepped inside and Jackson carefully shut the door behind her. She could hear his feet crunch in the snow as he went to the driver's side door.

  "Drive out and I'll get the car. We can come back for my truck later," Jackson told Quent. The front of the van was blocked off from the back, but she could hear Quent open the driver door handle and step inside.

  The van gave a low groan as it struggled to start in the winter cold, but soon it was running. Chloe sat down in the small space left against the back door, wrapping her arms around her legs. The Weres’ breath fogged the inside of the vehicle, their heads bobbing as they tried to keep from sleeping. Chloe put her hand on her brother's back, just to feel him breathe. She still couldn't believe everything that had happened, and just having a physical connection made her feel better.

  The van pulled to a stop after a short time, and Chloe could hear Jackson's voice talking to Quent.

  "We're off the base. The guards barely even looked at you guys." He sounded amazed at their relatively easy escape. "Quent, since you know where we're going, you should probably drive. The car's parked just off the road at the bus stop. I don't think it will make it much further with the weather coming in."

  Quent agreed, and a moment later, Jackson opened up the back of the truck. Thick white flakes blew in as he stepped up into the van's cargo area with Chloe and shut the door behind him.

  "You're shivering," Jackson said softly, pulling Chloe closer to him. She wasn't sure if she was shaking from the cold or the fact that she was sure her body was still pumping pure adrenaline. Jackson wrapped his strong arms around her, settling the two of them on the van floor. She was instantly warmer, and she pressed her head against his chest. His heart beat out a steady rhythm and she matched her breath to his. He seemed so calm. He must do stuff like this all the time in the military, she thought to herself as she relaxed into him.