57.

Leo strode purposefully through the dense forest outside the Sanguinari wolf pack's borders, Vincent trailing at his back. The flickering leaves and branches prevent the rays from reaching the forest grounds . But Leo did not slow. He had tread this path enough times lately to know its twists and turns by heart.

At the final iron-barred door, Leo cleared his throat. "Remind me again why we waste our time down here with this mad doctor and his monsters?"

Vincent glanced back, lips quirking wryly. "Come now, Alpha. Where's your curiosity? Maddox is clearly on the brink of a breakthrough with his experiments on the wolves. One that could aid our pack greatly."

"Or doom us all," Leo muttered under his breath. But he stood guard obediently as Vincent unlocked the door and entered the sprawling laboratory beyond.

As always, the cavernous room unsettled Vincent on some primal level. Cages and glass cells lined the walls, housing Maddox's less than willing test subjects in various states of