Mike watched as his daughter stormed out of the kitchen and into the woods, calling after her feebly but she didn’t turn. He collapsed on a nearby kitchen chair, placing his head in his hands. Daughter?! Heck, they weren’t even related! God, what had he done?
Beth and Axel rushed into the kitchen and gaped at the open back door. Beth crossed the kitchen and peered outside through the door, but there was no sign of Lauren. She closed the door securely, then faced Mike.
“What did you do to her?” She demanded “What did you tell her?!”
“That I’m not her biological father.” Mike said weakly “That her mother is still alive.”
“Hell!” Axel swore and folded his hands “Who is?”
“Dr Makovsky is her father.” Mike uttered and closed his eyes in despair.
“My goodness!” Beth said, horrified “That cannot be true! Lauren is your daughter-”
“She’s not, okay?” Mike snapped “She’s not. We’re not biologically related. It’s a long story.”
“We have to get out of here. We have to leave town.” Beth muttered, her eyes staring but not seeing “Does Dr Makovsky know? That Lauren is his-his daughter?”
“Of course he knows.” Mike replied wearily “It’s the reason we’ve been hiding from him for so long. Dr Makovsky is a crazy man, and he would stop at nothing to get what he wants, and this time what he wants is Lauren.”
“But why?” Axel wondered “He has all but ignored her all these years. Why now? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Because,” Mike said, his eyes moving between the two scientists “He’s grooming an army of werewolves, and he wants her to be part of it.”
☆
Inexplicable, Lauren thought as Aidan’s lips locked with hers. His lips were warm and soft, almost silken; his teeth tugging gently and nibbling on her lower lip. A strand of his long hair tickled her cheek and she let out a giggle on the pillows of his lips. Despite the sadness that still clogged her chest she felt herself go fluid and pliant under his arms, stretching upwards to circle his neck with her own arms, her hands dipping into his hair and letting the strands flow through her fingers like silk.
She tugged at his hair and he groaned lightly. Suddenly the kiss became less gentle and more insistent, in a single moment fiery and unbearable. Vaguely, in one part of her subconscious that wasn’t overcrowded with Aidan and this kiss, she was aware of a shift in the environment: the sound of approaching footsteps and a strong, cloying chemical smell.
Aidan ran his palm over her back once, then pulled away. Lauren let out a whimper of protest and tugged at his chest. His eyes were very dark, more black than green. Whether it was the dimness of the woods or the passion that was quivering between them, she didn’t know. He smiled slightly, a crooked smile that sent shivers up her spine, moved forward and positioned his mouth close to her ear.
“Next time,” he whispered, his hot breath tickling the hairs on her neck “Don’t lose yourself to a kiss like this.”
“What?” Lauren frowned, but before she could make any further move, they were surrounded by several people in black hooded security jumpsuits, holding tranquilizer guns. One fired and a barbed arrow whizzed past her left ear. Immediately her werewolf instincts kicked in and she growled in response, turning round as they circled her. Her eyes glowed golden and her canines elongated. As they came closer to her with their weapons, she roared and charged at them, swiping at two of the men and flinging them like rag dolls.
The others cocked their guns and shot, the tiny arrows whistling as they flew towards her. Lauren swerved with precise speed and they missed her, landing on nearby trees. She looked around for Aidan, her glowing eyes searching the trees for any sign of him.
She found him a few yards away, a safe distance from the battle, his hands in his pockets and looking at her with that same eerie smile. “Aidan!” She yelled “What’s this?”
A beat passed before Aidan signaled to the hooded people to back down. He smiled the smile that had once charmed Lauren, but now there was something erratic about it, something out of place, like a red stain on a white piece of cloth.
“Of course.” He said and slowly walked forward “Of course. It’s a little odd that you’re so clueless. Really, what type of werewolf are you, what type of lycanthrope would you be if you can’t pay attention to your senses?”
Lauren shook her head, a dismayed look crossing her face. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about how-aggravating it is to be around you these past few days, having to pretend I could stand you.” Aidan looked at her, and when she saw his face she paled. She could almost see the emotions fighting for expression. Anger, frustration and-weirdly-regret.
“You’re proud, do you know that, Lauren? You act like you’re the only werewolf that matters, like the world is supposed to revolve around you or something, when deep down you know that you’re just plain ordinary. There’s nothing special about you. I can only imagine why Doctor Makovsky would want you in his pack.”
“Pretend you could stand me?” She repeated “Why would you have to pretend unless-unless you were spying on me.” She realised “You were a spy for my-for him.”
Aidan’s lips curved in a sneering smile “And finally she gets it.”
“You bloody traitor!” Lauren swore, her hands curled into fists. “You-”
“Yes, me.” Aidan splayed a hand on his chest “Spy extraordinaire. I played with your wits and emotions and you didn’t have a clue.”
“You shouldn’t have trusted me, Lauren.” He murmured, his eyes dangerously dark as they scrutinised her. “That was the biggest mistake you ever made.”
Weaponless, defenseless, Lauren did the only thing she could think of. She charged at Aidan, to knock him to ground, to hurt him physically as much as he’d hurt her with his words.
But before she could get at him, someone did. Materializing, it seemed, from thin air. One moment the trees were empty, the next moment someone was swinging down from the branches, her mouth open in a high-pitched roar, pupils enlarged and glowing so her eyes seemed like beacons of light.
It was Lim.
☆
Lauren had never seen her like this. Lim used to be a calm type, the calmest among her pack, even. But the Asian girl that swung down from the trees was a madhouse in human form. Lim knocked Aidan down with such force that the boy hit the ground hard and stunned, and stood back on her feet without so much as a scratch. Aidan struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with hatred and rage as he circled Lim.
“Stay back!” He ordered the hooded men that rushed forward. He rushed at the girl and they collided mid-air, two great beasts in full wolf forms: Lim’s fur black with a blue streak at the side, Aidan’s equally black and rippling. Lim pinned him to the ground and swiped at his face. He let out a roar of pain and grappled at her neck, trying to get a hold. She picked him up in her forepaws and flung him to the side, changing back to her human form as he hit a tree and collapsed to the ground.
Lim turned to Lauren and smiled cheerfully, ignoring the several guns that were pointed at her “Wow!” She breathed “I’ve always wanted to do that.” Lauren had never been more grateful to see her.
One of the hooded security men cocked his gun and aimed at her but she snarled at him “Careful, you don’t want to shoot that at me. We wouldn’t want to get me mad, now would we?”
“Where-What-How did you get here?” Lauren stammered and the other girl shushed her.
“I was on my way to your cabin when I stumbled upon this-rendezvous of yours.” She said, rolling her eyes “Now come, let’s go meet the rest of the pack. Alpha Jacob would be-”
Lim was cut short by a hard something making contact with her head. Her expression changed from cheerful to surprised and she crumpled to the ground. Behind her stood Aidan with a heavy stick in his hands and a satisfied grin on his face.
“Now, where were we?” He asked, wiping the blood that trickled down his face.