They allowed the poison to wear off, and he could feel his wolf stretching for release. His muscles tensed, knowing they only allowed him to shift when they wanted him to perform. His only hope was that Andrea had gotten away, making his crimes worth everything.
His handler shoved him forward a step. Alfred looked back, then stepped again into the light. He winced. It was almost too bright after being blindfolded for who knew how long.
The stadium was crawling with people coming and going. Security guards and police alike were stationed around the building to keep the unruly sports fans in line. He hated to admit that this plan seemed more likely to reveal the existence of shapeshifters better than the occasional scared camper in the woods.
“Hey! Look at me!” He shouted to the crowd spilling out of the gates. He hopped up and down, waving his arms in the air.
Groups started to notice the naked man yelling for attention. Police spoke into the radios attached to their shoulders, and began walking towards him.
“Hey!” Alfred shouted again. He dodged one police officer who made a grab for his arm. He trotted forward, still wildly waving his arms and avoiding anyone who grabbed at him.
Cameras and phones were pointed at him, which was exactly what Joel wanted. The more coverage, the better. Alfred’s cheeks flushed. Nudity didn’t bother wolves; they all shifted naked. Nudity for on public display was shameful.
He hoped he judged the amount of attention correctly. He let his wolf loose.
His hands stretched to their limits, human bones cracking under the skin to fit the shape of wolf paws. Hair sprouted all over his body, thankfully covering his nakedness. He dropped to all four paws. His back arched as he changed shape. He lifted his snout to the sky and howled.
Chapter Seven
Andrea popped a berry into her mouth and flicked on the television. It’d been only a couple weeks on the mountain, but she was already starting to go stir crazy. She’d liberated a truck from AmWo on her way out, but hadn’t stopped to grab anything. The bag she left the lab with was the only thing she took during her wild escape, and she regretted it.
She’d gone to the mountain where she’d taken Alfred. Joel had said the homes were ransacked, and she believed him. Alfred refused to tell anyone where the feuding pack lived, but she knew it had to be close by. Not knowing where else to go and having no money or ID, her only hope had been that some of Alfred’s pack had gone back home. Perhaps they could assist her in rescuing Alfred.
She found the place empty, but not as destroyed as she expected. With a few hours work, she had gathered up a considerable amount of food from the abandoned homes. Gas and generators were able to supply her with power when she needed.
An antenna planted on the roof of a house gave her access to the local news. The first reports of nearby campers harassed by rabid wolves was her first clue that Alfred was still alive. The reports were more common over the next few days.
She couldn’t be the only one to understand that those reports meant werewolves. Surely someone connected to the pack would come check the mountain, where the troublesome wolves lived.
She settled in to wait.
The local newswoman talked on and on about an arts festival. Andrea wanted to scream. No new reports of rabid wolves had aired in days. She was beginning to lose hope. Her options were limited, but perhaps she could get to an embassy and explain all her identification had been stolen and could they please just send her back home? Not that that would help Alfred.
Sports scores rolled across the bottom of the screen, and the sports newscaster recapped some of the more interesting highlights of an ongoing game. He paused, and held a finger to his ear. The breaking news logo flashed on screen, and Andrea sat up.
Alfred was running naked in front of a stadium.
She swallowed hard. The footage was rough, and the caster said it was cell phone footage. But it was definitely Alfred. And he was very naked.
He stopped in the middle of a crowd, and the cameraman ducked between bodies to get a better angle. Once clear, he focused on Alfred again. Alfred, crouched on the ground and in the middle of his transformation.
Andrea covered her mouth with her hands. She’d only seen him shift twice before. The sight was shocking and made her stomach roil. Human bodies shouldn’t bend the way they did, shouldn’t suddenly grow fur to cover everything. Humans shouldn’t turn to wolves. But Alfred wasn’t fully human. He was a werewolf.
The screen flashed again, and new words appeared under the Breaking News tagline. Real or Hoax? Sports Fans See Mystery! Andrea knew it was real, and knew the footage wouldn’t end with just the local station. It would be picked up, cleaned up, better footage found. She knew at least one station covering the game would have found a way to film the streaking man turning into a wolf.
Joel made his move. He’d exposed werewolves to the public eye. With just the right words, he could start a witch hunt. She didn’t trust the trust the rest of the world to handle werewolf existence calmly.
Andrea settled in to wait. With this footage, someone would have to come looking for Alfred.
***
Lights flashed across the dark room, and Andrea jerked awake. She could hear the low rumble of a truck rolling through the narrow space between homes. She eased out of her chair. Someone had finally come.
She picked up the handgun she’d found in one of the homes. She’d carefully stocked all the weapons she’d found in the mountain homes into her base, just in case someone tried to sneak up on her. She’d learned to fire weapons as part of her AmWo assignment, but it still felt uncomfortable in her hands.
Her heart felt too large and in her throat. With her pulse racing, she pushed back the curtain and get a better look outside.
A small woman and a large man hopped out of the truck. She thought they could be werewolves from the graceful way they moved. The girl lifted her nose to the air. Andrea’s heart stopped beating. She was familiar with Alfred, but encountering another of his kind made her palms sweat.
The girl nodded toward the house before starting toward her. The man caught up with her. Quiet words were exchanged, and then he took the lead. Andrea almost smiled at the little gesture of protection.
She sprang into action before they could surprise her. She flung open the door and pointed the gun toward them. “Who are you?” she shouted. Luckily her voice didn’t quaver.
The man blinked and stopped mid step. The girl looked around his body, and Andrea nearly dropped the gun. She looked almost exactly like Alfred. Her dark hair was the same shade as his, though she let it hang long around her face. Her eyes were the same color and shape, and each had full lips.
“Where’s Alfred. He has to be here. Who are you?” The girl demanded.
“Put the gun down.” The man urged. Under his breath, he said, “I really don’t want to get shot again.”
“Where is my brother?” The girl demanded again. She stalked forward.
Andrea took a step back. The girl was a werewolf, she was sure of it. She was also not dosed with any of the serum. She could transform at any moment, and the thought made her heart race again. “He’s… he’s not here. I don’t know where he is.”
Tears she’d held back since Alfred punched Joel, since she ran with the dread of death on her heels welled in her eyes. Tears of her abandonment of a man she’d quickly grown to cherish leaked hot from her eyes. Finally, someone was there who appeared to care as much as she did. She caved in on herself, and let the gun droop in her hands. “You have to help save him! He’s in trouble!” she cried.
The man stepped forward and circled her with his strong arms. She sobbed. All the tension left her body. All the worry she’d felt tore at her throat and cried out into the night. “He’s there because of me!”
The woman hung back. Andrea didn’t know what to think of her hesitation. She wondered if this was the sister Alfred spoke of, the one he seemed to think he betrayed. She choked back her fear and anger at herself. She n
eeded to be the scientist now, and give them all the facts if they stood a chance of saving Alfred. She sniffled loudly, and stepped back from the man.
“Please,” she said in a shuddering breath. “Come inside.”
She took several deep breaths as they settled into the sofa. She lingered by the door, still contemplating making a run for it. She didn’t think she’d get far, especially if they were both werewolves. She’d only taken Alfred by accident, and she’d stitched up enough wounds taken by AmWo members to know exactly how dangerous werewolves could be. Finally, she closed the door behind her and stepped into the tiny living room she’d inhabited for the past couple weeks.
“Who are you?” The woman demanded.
“Marie, please.” The man shushed her gently. He held a hand to his chest. “I’m Isaac. And this is Marie, Alfred’s sister. You said you were the reason why Alfred was in trouble?”
Andrea nodded. Her glasses slipped from her nose, and she pushed them back up again. “I’m Dr. Andrea Lambart. I worked with the American Wolf Protection League. I captured Alfred months ago.”
Marie growled. Andrea sat on the edge of her seat and tried to calm her beating heart. Isaac put his hand on Marie’s knee and gently squeezed.
All her instincts told her to run. They were wolves, even if they looked like humans at the moment. She took a calming breath and continued. “I just wanted to help. I made a serum that would allow for those infected with lycanthropy to avoid their transformation. Alfred defended me against the leader, and they forced me out. I didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I came here. I hoped someone who knew Alfred would be here and help me get him out.”
“So you don’t know where he is currently?” Marie asked.
“I know he was at that stadium on the television. I know where the AmWo base is, if they haven’t moved it or him.”
“You’re going to tell us everything you know or else—“
“Hold on, Marie,” Isaac cut off her threat. “I know you’re worried, but I think Andrea is, too. We can work together. We’ll call in Cameron, and see what he has to say.”
“How can you say that?” Marie burst. “She obviously did something to him! He wouldn’t risk shifting in front of humans, especially not when there are cameras around! He knows the risk of exposing the otherworld.”
Isaac turned to Andrea for an answer, and she didn’t know what to say. “I don’t know what happened after I was driven out. But you’re right. I did this to him. I put him in that situation, and I’ll do whatever it takes to help him.”
“You’ve been doing a lot, cozied up here in the mountains.” Marie grumbled.
“Sorry I wasn’t going to go in without a plan and let myself be killed.” Andrea snapped back. She understood she’d done wrong and Marie was worried about her brother, but the woman was offering no solutions. She’d done what she thought best.
Marie looked taken aback. She slumped in her seat, and eyed Andrea. Andrea felt like she was being sized up, and she didn’t know if she’d been found lacking.
“Can I trust you two to stay here while I call Cameron? I can’t get a signal inside the house.” Isaac stood, looking from woman to woman. He fiddled with the cell phone in his hands, and trying to find a signal from his position. He nodded once, and slipped outside, leaving the woman in an uncomfortable silence.
“Who is Cameron?” Andrea asked. He sounded important. She recalled what Alfred said about packs having alphas. Perhaps this Cameron was one, and would be able to help.
“He’s our pack leader. An alpha. Don’t you get any ideas about using him.” Marie bit off her words. Her eyes flicked over Andrea. “So you made that disgusting poison that keeps us locked in one shape?”
Andrea spread her hands wide. She thought it best to answer the other woman as truthfully as possible. She didn’t think she could hold anything back from a werewolf who didn’t like her, anyway. “I didn’t think of it as poison when I began my research. Alfred clarified some things for me, and while I don’t think every werewolf needs it, I do think it would be helpful in some cases. When a feral wolf needs to be controlled, for instance. Or if someone was bitten against their will and doesn’t want to be a werewolf. I think it can help.”
Marie weighed her words, then nodded grudgingly. “I guess on a case by case basis, it could serve some purpose.”
Andrea smiled, feeling like she’d come out on top for the first time since Marie and Isaac arrived. It was short lived.
“Why are you so concerned about my brother?”
Andrea blushed. She’d wondered the same many times. At first, she thought it was purely guilt over leaving him behind with AmWo. It wasn’t as if she had a long relationship with Alfred. She’d been his doctor, and she had serious reservations about blurring the lines between doctor and lover. But she’d been drawn to him from the beginning, even if she didn’t want to admit it then. There was something about him that she couldn’t dislodge from her heart.
“Oh. I see.” Marie said. She looked confused, and studied Andrea’s face closely. “I thought he liked men.”
“He said something like that. But I think that gets into a whole other mess of varying scales of sexuality. I’m not certain that’s important right now,” she said quietly.
Isaac poked his head through the door and motioned for them to step outside. He had a map spread across the hood of his truck, and propped his cell phone between his ear and his shoulder. “Andrea, can you point out on the map where the base it?”
She looked, and couldn’t immediately identify where they were. Isaac pushed his finger on a point. She followed the road running to the small community back to the interstate. From there, she was able to get her bearings. She searched her way backwards, remembering the twists and turns she took in her escape. She planted her thumb on an open area, just a few hours north of the mountain.
“She’s saying it’s the land abandoned to the north of the city. Were there going to be some new developments built out there?” Isaac told the listener. He took the phone from his ear and punched a button.
“I think so. That would have been business handled by my father. You don’t think he and Claude loaned the land out to hunters, do you? This couldn’t go that far back,” the speaker said.
Isaac shrugged. “I don’t know, Cam. I never thought a werewolf would ally himself with hunters to begin with. There’s no telling the craziness they were into. We can follow the paper trail later. What do you want to do now?”
The speaker, Cameron, sighed. “I can get some of the others gathered up. I’m looking at a map now, and we could be there in a couple hours. I don’t know if they’d still even have Alfred there, but we can check it out.”
“Please!” Marie interjected. “We can’t just leave him to hunters. Not with what the world has seen.”
“I agree, Marie. Isaac, you said you have the doctor there?”
“Yes sir?” Andrea answered hesitantly.
“Good. I want her there with us. She knows more about the base than we do. Don’t get too close until we meet up, understand?”
“Will do, boss,” Isaac said, and ended the call. “All right, ladies. Time for a road trip.”
Chapter Eight
They rode in silence. Marie sat in the back with Andrea, to make sure she didn’t get cold feet. Isaac drove, consulting the map now and again. Andrea didn’t have an exact knowledge of AmWo’s security; they pulled off the road well away from the base. Isaac popped the hood on the truck while they waited. Any passing patrols could assume they were just having car trouble.
Andrea’s nerves jangled. She wanted to move faster. She felt that Alfred was nearby, and couldn’t stand waiting to see if she was right. Marie made her anxious, as well. She would flit from bouts of near friendly communication to dark looks. Andrea thought Isaac was the only reason she hadn’t yet been torn apart.
She almost cried with relief when another truck pulled up behind them and flashed their lights. Isaac studied the d
river through the rearview mirror before stepping out of the truck. Andrea glanced back, and saw the door on the other truck open. She held her breath as another man stepped out.
“That’s Cameron,” Marie said, with something close to pride in her voice.
Andrea couldn’t see him well enough to make out any features until he stepped in the headlights. He was nearly as tall as Isaac, and looked just as strong. She didn’t think he was as bulky as the other man, but he carried himself with an air that spoke of strength.
A woman joined the two before Andrea even noticed another door opening. She thought she’d be taller than herself and Marie, but she had the same sort of curves. Andrea kept a smile to herself. It seemed werewolves had a type of woman they liked, and she fit the description. The woman glanced toward the truck, and Andrea saw a flash of night shine in her eyes. Her fire red hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
“That’s Tiana, Cameron’s mate and our female alpha. She has a temper, so watch out. She doesn’t take well to threats to the pack.” Marie offered gleefully.
Andrea gulped. From the way Marie had acted, she could definitely be seen as a threat. She needed to find a way to convince the werewolves that she meant no harm with her serum, and that perhaps she had even done some good in creating it. If Alfred and Marie could see the benefit of it, maybe the pack leaders would as well. She could only hope.
Isaac and Cameron approached the truck, and Andrea held her breath. Isaac opened the door, and Cameron stuck out his hand. “Andrea Lambart? I’m Cameron Ross, alpha to the Cutthroat City Wolves.”
Her eyes went wide. The name wasn’t what she expected. How did she stand a chance of survival when they flaunted how strict they were in their own name? “H...hello,” she stuttered.
Cutthroat City Wolves Volume 1: BBW Werewolf Shifter Paranormal Romance Page 16