Damien’s Dilemma

by Cohen, Julie K.

  Damien and Callen crossed paths as they approached the lodge from different directions. “Secure,” Callen said and kept walking.

  The urge to call him back and apologize was in Damien somewhere, but his anger and his wolf prevented him. The images of Aloe being beaten and especially of Tess, his sweet Tess, desperately cutting into her arm, trying to bleed out whatever the intruders had given her, were too fresh in his mind. He needed to kill, and not some defenseless deer running through the woods.

  The wind changed direction. Human. The scent was weak, but definitely human. Damien dropped to the ground as he shifted, his claws digging into the dirt and propelling him forward until he reached Aloe’s house. Callen and Mason were standing at the back of the house, talking in low whispers.

  “We’re secure,” Callen said, anticipating Damien’s next words.

  Damien shifted to human form. “I scented—”

  “It was this,” Callen said, holding up a small, metal gadget that looked like a miniature video game controller. “Mason found it in the bushes. One of the humans must have dropped it when Aloe attacked him.”

  “What is it?”

  Callen flipped a switch, and a display lit up. He turned with the device and started walking. “A tracking device.”

  They followed the signal to Damien’s house. Tess was sitting on the sofa, talking with Alex, when they entered. Damien could see the tension in her face the moment he and Callen approached. He held the tracker outstretched toward her in his hand.

  “It’s in Tess, isn’t it?” Damien said in disbelief.

  The terror in her eyes gutted him. He had sworn that he would never put her through another experience like this. But here he was, pushing her hair to the side, exposing the scar at the base of her neck in back: the only scar that didn’t match any others on her body.

  Green eyes filled with tears when he turned her to face him, so Callen could inspect the site.

  “It’s shallow,” Callen said, prodding her skin with his fingers.

  Now Alex was examining her neck. More prodding. Silent tears flowed down her cheeks, and she began to shake, but she said nothing. His brave Tess.

  “I can get it out,” Alex said. “Done it once before. On another one of you pack, I believe. A female five years back, when the WSSO was still posing as an organization dedicated to helping shifters. Called themselves the WSO, Wolf Shifter Organization, back then.”

  “Takara,” Damien said with a slight growl, angry at both himself for not thinking of what Takara had gone through back then. It should have been fresh on Damien’s mind, given that Frank had recently been released from prison.

  “Yes, that was her name. Takara. Cute girl.”

  “Less talk, more cutting,” Callen said, handing him a knife.

  “I need to sterilize the knife and get something to clean and numb the area.”

  “I don’t care how you do it, just get it out!” Tess said, her breathing ragged now.

  “Do it,” Damien ordered.

  “You may be alpha here, but I’m the doctor. At the very least, I need thread and needle, to stitch up the wound afterward and rubbing alcohol to sterilize the needle, her skin, and the knife. Tess is more prone to infection and can’t heal herself, like a shifter. She’s effectively human now.”

  Tess winced at that, but she said nothing.

  Damien went to the kitchen and poured whiskey on the knife. Then he handed the bottle to Tess. “Drink.”

  She did, first coughing and choking on the whiskey, clearly not a drinker, but she persisted until he decided she’d had enough. While they waited for the alcohol to take effect, Damien sent another shifter to Aloe’s to retrieve needle and thread, which was then boiled.

  Damien hated that this entire process was slow, that he had to get Tess drunk, and that someone would be cutting into her, yet again. She’d been through enough. Now she was scared, and he couldn’t do a damn thing to make her feel better. His wolf was clawing at him, demanding blood, and it was taking all of his focus not to kill Alex, right now. Alex was the outsider, not one of the pack, and he had his hands all over Damien’s female. That alone was enough to justify a kill, according to Damien’s wolf. But Tess needed Alex—and that was yet another reason Damien’s wolf wanted to kill the little doctor. Damien’s female shouldn’t need or rely on anyone, other than Damien.

  Tess leaned against Damien as they walked to the kitchen, her whiskey breath hitting him like a wall, as her fingers walked up his chest. Alex was laying supplies out on the table.

  “You weren’t nice to Callen,” she said.

  “I know.”

  “Not his fault.” She tried to rise up on her toes to reach Damien better, but she stumbled, and he had to catch her.

  “Time to sit, Tess,” he said, pulling a chair out for her.

  “Put your head on the table, Tess,” Alex instructed, as he pulled her hair to the side. “Hold her still, Alpha. She’ll still feel this, though hopefully not as much.”

  Tess teared up but didn’t move as Alex cut into her, removed the tracking chip, and stitched her up. Without delay, Callen pulverized the chip with a kitchen mallet. Damien was proud of Tess, and his wolf calmed as soon as he lifted her into his arms. It was a simple procedure, less than five minutes, but Tess was drunk off her ass. Damien carried her upstairs to sleep it off.

  “No sex, Damien,” she said, slurring her words. “Not with me. With Aloe.”

  “What are you talking about?” he said as he laid Tess on his bed.

  “You should boood-bound… blooood-bonnnd. Aloe’s strong.”

  “So are you,” he said, lying down beside her. She didn’t push him off the bed, which he was sure she would have done, had she been sober.

  She started laughing. “The bastards chipped me. Like a dog.”

  She was right. They’d chipped her like a damn dog. He couldn’t wait to rip their heads off for what they’d done to her, for what they continued to do to her. And he couldn’t stop them. No matter how many shifters Callen put on security, how many raids Damien sent Blade on, it seemed the enemy was always one step ahead. They wouldn’t leave her the fuck alone.

  “Not even a pure breed,” she said. “Dad was a gray wolf, mom a red. I was a wolf shifter, but they think I’m a dog. Wolves aren’t dogs.”

  “No, they aren’t.” Damien pulled Tess against his side and held her close, as she probably needed it. He sure as hell knew he needed it, after the day they’d had.

  “I’m not shifter anymore, Damiiyen.”

  “Go to sleep, Tess.”

  “That’s right. Sleep. Sleep with Aloe. You’ll like her. She’s nice and strong. Good for bloooody-bondy.”

  “You’re drunk, Tess. Go to sleep.”

  Her hand went up to where the bandage was on the back of her neck. He pulled her hand down, kissed her palm, and pressed it against his chest.

  “You’re sweet,” she said, her eyes finally closing. He could feel the tension draining out of her as she settled in next to him. “Don’t let it hurt when you kill me.”

  “No one’s going to kill you,” he said, trying to keep calm for her sake, despite the fear creeping into his bones.

  “They said you would.”

  “Who said?”

  “The humans said you’d kill me. Called me a bitch. I’m not a bitch.”

  “No, you’re not, and I’m not going to kill you.” Damien pulled her tight against him and kissed her forehead. “Why the hell would I kill you, Tess?”

  “Because you have to kill me to kill the virus.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  DAMIEN

  “Good, I see you got rid of that shifter you call your second,” Drake said as Damien entered the meeting place in the hills near the ranger station. The area technically didn’t fall into any of the three pack’s territories. The bear shifters controlled this area, which made it risky for both Damien and Drake, but still neutral. After what happened the last time, Damien didn’t want Drake
or his shifters anywhere near his pack, especially Tess.

  “You would be lucky to have a second as good as Hayden. In fact, you were, but you threw him away.”

  “You would have too, had he betrayed you like he did our pack.”

  “Damien,” Frank spoke up, trying to cut this pissing match off before it went too far. “Our time here is limited. The bears could pick up our scent at any time.”

  “Fine. Frank said he caught you up to date.”

  “Not much I didn’t already know.”

  Liar.

  “Who’s this? Another stray you found?” Drake asked, pointing his chin toward Alex.

  Damien moved between Drake and Alex. “He’s neutral, but we need him. All of us, Drake. This isn’t only a threat to my pack, but yours, Liam’s, and every other wolf shifter out there.”

  Drake glared at Alex, probably to unnerve the shifter. Then, Drake turned back to Damien. “The virus you were asking about is SEV-2, otherwise known as Shifter Eradication Virus. From what my source tells me, the WSSO has been working on a virus to wipe us out for years, but only recently made a breakthrough. The virus kills wolf shifters, which is the only reason I’ll consider working with you on this, Damien. But you’ll get nothing more from me until you hand that traitor over.”

  “Hayden’s off the table. Who’s your informant?”

  Drake’s smile was the type that told Damien he wouldn’t like the answer, which meant this so-called informant probably wasn’t a willing source.

  “It appears your human, the pretty brunette with the big tits and curvy ass…”

  Damien couldn’t contain his growl. This was Tess that Drake was demeaning.

  “Struck a nerve, did I? Had I known you were doing her, I would have traded her for that traitor. Ah, my short-sightedness. Next time.”

  “There won’t be a next time, because if you ever go near her—”

  “Save it, Damien. You and I both know she’s nothing in the grand scheme of things, except to the WSSO. All the other test subjects died from the virus. Only she survived. Her immune system fought off the virus.”

  “The WSSO sent men in, injected her with something. They didn’t try to kill or take her. Why?”

  Drake’s face grew tight. “You don’t see it, do you? Because you’re involved with her, you can’t see it.”

  “See what?” Damien asked, not liking where this conversation was going.

  “She’s the carrier of the plague that will wipe us all out.”

  “No. Alex checked her. He saw traces that she was sick at some point, but like you said, her immunity kicked in. She’s not a danger to anyone.”

  “Shit,” Alex said. “There’s one thing I didn’t check, can’t check. If the virus went dormant.”

  “Explain,” Damien said, working really hard to contain his wolf. Divulging new information in front of Drake was risky, especially when it involved Tess.

  Alex thrust a hand over his scarred face. “We know she was infected at one time. The antibodies in her blood are indicative of a recent illness. I assumed the virus died out when she recovered. That’s what usually happens. But some viruses remain dormant, hidden in cells. I didn’t consider that here. Given the right conditions or stimulus, the virus could awaken, make her sick and—”

  “Contagious,” Damien finished the thought.

  “Yes.”

  “What would trigger it?” Drake asked.

  “Hard to say. Every virus is different, but it could be a hormone or even a small amount of the virus itself. Specific proteins can reactivate a virus by blocking interferons, a set of proteins that help the immune system. Block or destroy these defending proteins in the immune system, and there’s nothing to hold the virus in check.”

  “She can’t infect anyone while the bug’s dormant, right?” Drake said. “And the sole purpose of the attack was to get to her, not kidnap her, but to inject her with something. I think it’s clear the attackers injected her with something to awaken the virus.”

  “That would be my guess,” Alex agreed.

  “Why risk breaking into our camp and losing so many men over one shifter who survived the virus?” Frank asked. “Wouldn’t it be easier, smarter, to grab and infect a shifter away from the pack, like on a trip to town?”

  “If the virus is fast acting, the shifter might not make it back to the pack to infect anyone,” Alex answered. “Tess survived it once. She’s likely to survive it again or at least long enough to infect the rest of the pack, maybe before showing symptoms of the illness.” Alex was turning pale. “A carrier can spread a virus to hundreds, thousands, without even knowing it, before falling ill herself.”

  Drake stepped up to Damien. “Kill her.”

  Damien pushed his fear aside. “This is nothing more than conjecture. She’s not sick.”

  “Not yet, that we know of,” Alex said.

  “She’s a threat to us all,” Drake said.

  Damien lunged for Drake, but the other alpha shifted and leapt out of the way. Frank and Mason quickly pinned Damien to the ground.

  “No one touches her, especially you,” Damien yelled at Drake.

  Alex turned to Drake. “This is all theory. We can watch her, isolate her until we know for sure if what the WSSO gave her is meant to reactivate the virus.”

  “She could contaminate his entire pack by then,” Drake spat back. “And I won’t risk it spreading to mine.”

  “I know how to handle this. I’m a virologist. If we’re correct and the WSSO injected her with something to reactivate the virus, then the virus is likely short lived and can’t live outside a body for long, if at all. Otherwise, they would have weaponized the virus through another delivery system.”

  Drake circled Alex. “Why should we risk the virus waking within her at all? Better to put her down like a rabid dog.”

  “Unless you have access to all the research notes, she’s the only source of information I have. If the WSSO has another way of spreading the virus, or another shifter who’s a carrier, you will have lost your only lead by killing her.”

  * * *

  The entire way back to his territory, Damien kept reaching for another explanation that fit, one that didn’t have Tess as a carrier of a deadly virus. “Alex, does this virus target wolf shifters or all shifters?”

  “Not sure. Why?”

  “I want to know if I have to worry about other shifters trying to kill her too, or just my own.”

  “You want me to guess?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wolf only. Our genomes are drastically different. If the WSSO didn’t customize a virus to target the wolf-shifter genome alone, then the researchers risk wiping out all life on the planet. What I’d like to know is if the virus works on pure wolves. If it does, that means the virus targets wolf DNA, and not shifter. If it doesn’t kill a wolf, then it’s possible the WSSO isolated a gene specific to all shifters. So, I guess I’ll have to reverse my initial guess, and say, I don’t know.”

  “Terrific, fucking terrific.”

  Hayden met them on the trail. “Welcome back.”

  “Your brother’s a dick,” Damien said.

  “You’re just seeing this, now?”

  “I’m slow. I’ve got too much going on in my head, and my wolf has been clawing at me every chance he gets. I need to blood-bond, and—”

  “Absolutely out of the question,” Alex piped up. “At least not with Tess. No exchange of any bodily fluids with her.”

  “Hell.”

  “Did I miss something?” Hayden asked.

  “I’ll fill you in, when we have everyone together. I’m glad to see you’ve healed, but I’m not sure why you’re here. We settled this days ago. I don’t want you near Drake at this point. There’s too much at risk to aggravate him. Or were you afraid I’d go feral on my way back?”

  “I came to find you, to see if you could return early.”

  “Why?”

  “Tess is sick.”

  * * *

/>   TESS

  Tess thought she heard Damien cursing, though with her human hearing she couldn’t be sure. But when both Callen’s and Aloe’s heads turned toward the door, Tess was sure.

  “I take it he’s not in a good mood,” Tess said as she struggled to sit up on the sofa.

  “No, and you should be upstairs in bed.”

  “And miss all the fun? Forget it.”

  Aloe pushed a single finger against Tess’s chest. It was enough to make her collapse back on the sofa.

  “Not fair,” Tess protested.

  “Just making a point.”

  “I’ll go up in a few. I want to hear how the meeting with Drake went.”

  “Asshole,” Blade mumbled.

  “Excuse me?”

  Blade turned red. “Sorry. Not you. Drake. Never mind.”

  Tess couldn’t argue that, especially considering how tired she was. She was sweating like a pig, but both Aloe and Blade wore long sleeves, as if it was cold in the house.

  The door banged open, and Damien stopped short, causing Alex to crash into him and Hayden to quickly jump to the side to avoid plowing into both of them. Frank casually strolled around the trio, shaking his head.

  “Hi,” Damien said.

  It was such a sweet, endearing greeting that it felt like no one else was in the room with them. Tess hadn’t realized how much she’d missed him, and he had only been gone a day. His brows knitted together with concern, but all-in-all he was calm, as if he was in total control of his wolf. The meeting must have gone well.

  Tess started to rise from the sofa, and then the room began to spin.

  “Don’t touch her, Damien!” Alex screamed, and she hit the floor, hard. She felt the pain shooting through her left side, but it was the sudden snarling in the room that struck her as odd. She opened her eyes to see Frank, Callen, and Blade pulling Damien away from her. Why were they holding him back? Damien wouldn’t hurt her.