The three adults followed Lim out of the forest as she ranted to herself. Mike had frankly never seen any young girl so aggravated. She was making a lot of noise as they trudged through the woods, her sneakers kicking twigs and dead leaves around.
“Aaargh!” Lim screamed “I am so done with that pack!”
“Easy, girl.” Beth tried to calm her “Don’t do or say something you’ll regret. You’re still accountable to your Alpha, whether you like it nor not.”
“No I’m not.” Lim cut in “I’m a rogue werewolf now. When you openly confront your Alpha the way I did you’re automatically banished from the pack, and the only way you can return is if the Alpha himself wills it. I cannot believe him, though. What kind of an Alpha Is that?”
“Lim,” Beth said in a warning tone “Calm down.”
Lim kept calm and tried to walk as quietly as possible, then after a few precious seconds of silence she spoke again “Why wouldn’t he help us? It’s a member of his pack in danger, for crying out loud! Will he just watch while something bad happens to Lauren?”
“That’s how things are, kid.” Axel said “People desert us when we need them the most.”
Lim stopped “But what can we do now? We have to save Lauren. We have to try.”
“We would have to do this ourselves, won’t we? There’s no help now.” Axel added.
Lim looked up at the moon casting its milky light on them. “It’s too late. We’d have to set out tomorrow.”
Mike watched as the three of them made plans, saying nothing. His bearded face showed worry in every of its corner. Worry for Lauren, Worry for Katherine, even worry for these two people who had taken care of Lauren all these years. He sighed in sadness and shook his head slowly. If only they could realise what was coming for them. If only they knew.
☆
Aidan stood on the roof of the Russian facility, his hands on the metal railings around the roof, staring down at the guards patrolling the entrance. The sheer twenty-foot tall height would have made any other person feel dizzy, but he stood there, unfazed. The soft breeze ruffled his raven-black hair and he sighed, a deep sigh full of regrets.
The last time he’d been on this roof was when he’d brought Lauren to the facility some hours ago. He cringed, remembering the fright and hatred in Lauren’s face as he’d given her to Dr Makovsky. Something in him had shriveled up and died after he’d turned her over, and ever since then her face had haunted his waking moments.
Everything he had done, he’d done it for himself. Dr Makovsky had promised to give him the antidote to lycanthropy in exchange for spy duties. He’d agreed, readily. He was ready to fix his lycanthropy, one way or another.
Even if it meant betraying a girl he really liked.
He cursed silently and bent his head, touching where Lim had hit him. Liked, really? He thought to himself, fighting the emotions that coursed through him. Did he really like Lauren? His inner voice asked. Wasn’t it all a ruse just to make her fall for him? Was their kiss more than just a kiss? He shook his head, trying to evade the answer to those questions.
“That was a nasty knock to the head you got in the forest.” said a cold voice. He turned abruptly and saw the Doctor standing on the other side of the roof. “How do you feel?”
Aidan swallowed the bitterness that pooled in his mouth “The pain is gone, of course. But I still feel like shit.”
Dr Makovsky smiled. He was wearing a neat blue suit and tie, his hands buried deep in his pocket. Aidan gave him a once-over, silently admiring his style. The Doctor definitely had a rich wardrobe. He was an impeccable dresser and there was nothing of the crazy lunatic-scientist in his stance.
“Well, be sure to give the werewolf who did this what she deserves.” He said, walking closer to Aidan and placing a fatherly hand on the boy’s shoulder.
Aidan snorted and propped himself against the cold metal railing. “I’m not sure if we’ll ever meet again.”
“I wouldn’t say that categorically.” The Doctor replied “Do you think my daughter’s friends will sit around and watch her be taken by me and not storm here to try and rescue her?”
Aidan took in deep breaths of clean, cold air “So you’re saying…”
“I’m saying there’ll be a battle. Here, in my lab, and very soon too. I know it.”
Aidan looked at Dr Makovsky with a bewildered stare, wondering how he could know all of this and appear unbothered. But then this was Frank Makovsky. He looked at everything closely, studying it, analyzing in what way it could be turned to his advantage. In a way he reminded Aidan of a cobra snake, slowly scrutinizing its victim before lashing out with all its venom.
Aidan thought of Lauren and a shiver of apprehension moved over him. If this man truly was her father, he could understand why she had been hidden from him all these years. The man simply oozed with a cold, calculating viciousness.
“So what if they attack the lab? What if they actually win?” He asked.
The doctor smiled, a small curving of the lips “Do you know how many changelings I have under my control? How many dozens of them? They stand no chance.” Aidan saw his hand twitch, like it was itching to touch a part of his body, and his own hand moved almost involuntarily to his neck, touching the ring of inflamed skin there.
“When would you remove it?” He asked, swallowing hard and massaging his neck “It hurts sometimes.”
Dr Makovsky’s eyes traveled to Aidan’s neck “It’s not yet time. Your purpose hasn’t been fully achieved.”
“But you specifically said you’d remove it after I bring Lauren in.” Aidan protested, his hand gripping his neck. “That’s what you said!”
“That’s what I said, son. And i don’t intend to go back on my promise. But you still have a lot to do for me. So it’s either you wait, or…”
“That’s bullshit!” Aidan suddenly flared up “You promised me the antidote! You said you’ll give me the antidote. I need it!”
The doctor’s nose widened in anger. His wrist twitched, a small, almost unnoticeable movement, and suddenly Aidan found himself on the floor, on the other side of the roof. He got to his feet shakily, his lips pulled back in a snarl, his eyes glowing green. He felt the blood pound in his ears and yelled “I’m gonna kill you!”
He charged at the doctor but the doctor yelled “Stop!” and Aidan found himself back on the floor at his feet, whimpering in pain. The sheer power of that single word from the doctor was enough to pin him down. The tissue at his throat glowed blue, the flesh stinging painfully.
“Dr Makovsky, please.” He pleaded, his body still pinned to the floor “I can’t be like this forever.”
“Oh, but you can.” The Doctor said coldly “Lycanthropy is a gift, Aidan. Embrace it. Use it. There’s so much power in you.”
“Please.” He whispered, tears rising in his eyes as he raised his head to took at the doctor “I need to be free.”
The doctor crouched to his level, the fabric of his trousers creasing. He raised a hand and touched the boy’s face, smiling coldly as the boy flinched.
“Only you can free yourself. I have no power over that. There is no antidote for you, Aidan.” He said, his frosty eyes staring deep into Aidan’s. He patted the boy’s cheek twice, then stood up with a groan and walked out of the roof, leaving the young boy to his scattered emotions.