I rocked Felix in my arms back and forth as I studied the scenery outside through the windows. The inn was run-down, blending in perfectly with the equally shady and unkempt establishments outside that lined the cracked streets. Beside from Dr. Johnson who had been constantly checking in with Felix and I as well as personally delivering my meals, I haven't been seeing anyone else for the past couple of days at least. Being locked up in this room, although undeniably spacious enough to get my daily step count in, was almost making me feel claustrophobic and lose my sense of time.
After confirming that Felix was finally asleep, I gently and slowly tucked him into his crib. He groaned softly and moved to hug his favorite pillow. I smiled at the sight before turning to the now-empty wall facing the bed. The white walls had a few stains and cracks but the drill holes were especially prominent. There used to be a mounted television there but, per Enzo's instructions, was removed. He pr"Stay in contact," Enzo told a rebel, whom Dylan still didn't recognize, while handing him a burner phone. He wondered how many burner phones that werewolf actually has but was not curious enough to ask. "Go to the rendezvous point after the signal."And on that note, the rebel took his backpack and marched out the door. Dylan walked over to Enzo the moment he wrapped the conversation up and gave him the mug of coffee that James had prepared for them earlier. It wasn't as hot anymore but he couldn't care less and just handed it over to get rid of it."Who was that?" he asked.After taking a sip from his stale cup of coffee, he replied, "That was Dave. He's going into the estate disguised as one of the guards to spread some rumor about an attack.""Wouldn't he get caught, though? I mean, I don't think anyone could just waltz in and pretend to be a guard, even with a uniform.""Amelia Crawford knows someone in there," Enzo made a face of disapproval at the mug before se
After excusing himself to quickly throw some clothes on, Dylan headed back to where Enzo stood by his desk, waiting for him while impatiently tinkering with the small metal parts that he noticed were idly placed on the table moments ago. The drawer remained open.He frowned and risked taking one of the knives out of the drawer, carefully as to not make even the slightest contact with the silver. He wrapped his fingers around the leather handle and inspected the weapon up close. He wanted to flip the knife around and weigh it out on his hand but was too nervous to do so. The scar on his chest tingled as if it was reliving the pain that he suffered from."Of course, you will be given guns, too," Enzo told him with a shrug. "But having supplementary weapons like these is important.""How about the scabbards?" he asked while scanning the rest of the contents of the drawer. When he found none, he proceeded to look at the rest of the things in his workstation."Of course
"I don't think I signed up for this."Enzo laughed and handed him a bottle of water. "You're the perfect test subject. Your body conditions are great, and you heal a lot faster than most werewolves."Dylan didn't know what to feel about the sudden chain of compliments so he decided to remain silent as he gratefully took the bottle and downed its contents in one gulp. His insides were starting to burn after transforming back and forth into his wolf and ordinary form multiple times in a row. They also recently discovered that the pills had mild side effects too, and he was experiencing them at the moment—dizziness and slight nausea.He abandoned the crushed water bottle on the floor and tightened his hold on the blanket he wrapped around himself before standing up. Just as what she has been doing for the past few days during the test runs, Amelia stood a few yards away from them with a pen and a clipboard, avidly jotting down notes for data."How many pills did I take?” he
Amidst the bustling in the room, Dylan heard the door swing open. He turned towards the doorway and saw Isabella in a wheelchair with Dr. Johnson standing behind her with his hands on the handles. Her hair was tied into a quick bun with strands of dark locks sticking out of it. "Isabella,” he mumbled under his breath in surprise upon landing his gaze on her. He didn't think he would be able to see her before he left and was glad to be able to do so. With a small smile on his face, he ran towards where Dr. Johnson parked her wheelchair out in the hallway, just right outside the door.Once he reached them, the doctor took the initiative to give them some space and left. Dylan closed the door behind him, drowning out the sounds of shuffling footsteps, Enzo's loud instructions, and the clinking of gears and weapons. He got down on one knee to match her eye level and cupped her cheeks with his palms. He thought about how small her face looked in his hands. "Hey, there,” he whispered while
They walked across the manicured backyard that was just as neglected as the rear gates, but were turning their heads from side to side out of wariness anyway. Dylan rested a hand on the grip of his holstered gun. Amelia noticed this and touched his arm to get his attention. He flinched in surprise."Let's avoid using the guns,” she said in a low whisper. "We don't want to attract unnecessary attention."With a curt nod, he dropped his hand. As he was the one who had been diligently studying the blueprints of the estate, he figured that he should probably lead the way, but Amelia surprisingly knew her way around and walked in front of him. She slowly opened one of the double doors that led into the main living quarters and took a peek inside. Once clear, she stepped in and gestured for him to do so.There was no living being in sight. Everything was as still as a picture and their boots made soft click-clacking noises against the marble floors with every step. The sound made Dylan force
I woke up to the sound of the door being slammed shut. The wound on my lower abdomen stung when I sat up abruptly in surprise. Wincing, I pressed a hand over the bandages while slowly hopping off the bed and onto my feet. Felix stirred from his sleep at the sudden commotion.The sun hung low in the sky, bathing the city in an orange glow. It would've been another breathtaking sunrise if only I didn't see Dr. Johnson and James march into the room with distressed looks on their faces. Wordlessly, James began to pack up our things into the duffle bags while the doctor walked over to me and held me by the elbows. He obviously tried to appear as calm as possible as to not agitate me but failed to do so.I forced to brace myself for some bad news but still hoped that Dylan was safe out there."Doc?” I asked when he stayed silent for a couple of minutes. "What's wrong?"He opened his mouth to reply but stopped before he could utter a single word when I fell onto the floor
Brother.I wouldn't say that I was surprised since their almost identical looks gave it away, but as the door slammed shut, I found myself staring at it with my mouth agape. If it wasn't for James fishing out a clean set of bandages and going over to my side, I would've continued to do just that for the next hour or so."Is it okay if I change your bandages?” he asked in a soft voice, holding up the clean gauze for me to see. I nodded wordlessly and removed the blood-soaked cloth out of the way. Wordlessly, he wiped me off with a wet towel and expertly switched the dirty bandages with new ones. When he was done, he retrieved a wet towel and handed it to me. "I'm sure you would prefer if you clean yourself up?""Yeah,” I took the towel and he held me by the elbows to assist me in standing up. I watched as he prepared some clothes for me to change into. After handing them to me, I noticed that they were clothes that I wouldn't normally wear indoors. Then, I remembered that before all
The metal door creaked open, and I looked back and saw Kai step out with a huge duffle bag in one hand. Tilting my head in confusion, I asked, "What's in the bag?""Gun,” he replied curtly.I remembered that he only speaks in a maximum of one word so I turned to Asher who continued to scout the streets below through a pair of binoculars. He seemed to have felt my stare at him."It's a sniper rifle,” he said without sparing me a glance. I watched as Kai positioned himself beside me and began fishing out parts after another out of the bag. At this point, I've already helped out in the murder of many, seen a literal pile of corpses—including my mother's—and doesn't flinch at the sight of blood, but for some reason, the huge weapon made me squirm in my seat. I peeled my gaze off of him as he began assembling and returned to staring at the city view. The winter air stung my cheeks and I hugged myself tighter. I wasn't dressed lightly but I still shivered at the cold. It didn't help eithe