Page 6 of Freed Wolfsbane

It’d be cool if anyone here would tell me what’s going to happen next. I’m a little sick of them just dropping me in rooms without any explanation.

With a moment to myself, I try to check in on Dido.Hey, Dido?

I don’t get a response. Panic tries to claw up my throat, but I force it down. I’m weak and exhausted. I’m sure Dido and my wolf are just resting right now. I’ll have to try again after I get some sleep.

Deciding I might as well rest until they retrieve me for the next phase, I lie down. As soon as my back brushes the crinkly paper, the door the doctor exited through slams open. I bolt upright and see the guard duo from earlier.

“Come with us,” the stocky one demands.

I reluctantly get up from the table and make my way over to them. “Where are you taking me?”

Instead of responding like a normal person, the guard backhands me across my face. I stumble backward from the blow. My lip stings, and I can taste the copper tang of blood in my mouth.

Rather than cry or show him that he hurt me, I just straighten up and stare him down with a blank face. I learned from Patrick that what people like this hate most is when you don’t show any reaction. They get off on your fear. While I can’t stop him from smacking me around, I can steal the satisfaction he gets from knowing he hurt me.

The shorter guard’s lips twist in a frown at my lack of reaction. His eyes narrow, and he takes a threatening step toward me. I can’t help my flinch at the sudden movement. He barks out a laugh and gives me a vicious grin dripping with satisfaction.

“Any other questions, cur?” he taunts. I tilt my chin up but don’t answer as I stare him down. His smug amusement drains away when I don’t say anything further. He steps close enough that I can smell his rancid breath. “Where you’re going, that hit will look like a gentle tap compared to what they’re going to do to you.”

With that warning delivered, the guard grabs my arm and drags me out of the room.

CHAPTER4

BRIAR

My knees crack against the white tile floor as the guard shoves me into another room and slams the door behind me with a loud bang. I hide my wince at the sharp pain radiating up my legs as I struggle to my feet.

Unlike the past two rooms, this one isn’t empty. There are three people in lab coats buzzing around the room. As I stand there awkwardly, they all ignore me as they check on various equipment scattered about. The only sound in the room is the quiet humming of the machines and their shuffling footsteps.

The scientist-looking people complete their assessment, each standing by one of the three machines. The man who is ordering the others around and seems like he’s in charge nods at the two-way mirror on the right side of the room.

A moment later, the door next to the mirror soundlessly opens and a large man steps out. As soon as I see his salt-and-pepper hair, brown eyes that are so dark they’re almost black, and scarred face, anger surges in my chest. He’s the same man who planned to kill my mates and ripped me away from them.

“You,” I growl, the sound hollow without the power my wolf usually injects into it.

He rolls his eyes at me. “Yes, me. Now if you’re quite done with the dramatics, I would like to move this along.” The man strides over to me, his long legs eating up the distance in no time. His hand whips out and snags my bicep before he drags me over to the center of the room. I grit my teeth to keep from yelping at his punishing grip on my already bruised and sore arm.

Jesus.

What is it with all of them manhandling me? Have they ever heard of, I don’t know, asking? Not that I’d listen, but that’s really not the point.

When we reach the center, he pushes me to the ground before backing up a few steps. As soon as he moves away, a sickly brown circle flares to life around me. By the electricity skating over my skin, I’m going to take a wild guess and assume I’m in a mage-containment circle. Mages typically use these to prevent volatile spells from spilling outside their work area, but they work to keep just about anything, including people, inside them.

Awesome.

With my super-strong hybrid magic, I should be able to break out of it, but I’m still getting the hang of calling on it, and I’m pretty drained right now. Even if I can summon my magic, it probably won’t be strong enough to do anything.

“As you see, you are trapped in here. There’s no point in attempting an escape. Should you touch the boundaries of the containment, fifty thousand volts will course through your system. It’s not enough to kill you, probably, but it sure will hurt. Let’s avoid that unpleasantness, shall we?” He waits for my reluctant nod before continuing. “You can call me Ryker. Any questions before we start?”

Just one. How do I get out of here?

I assume that question won’t go over well. Instead, I ask, “So, what do you want me to do?”

Ryker grins at me. His smile is edged with malice, and I shiver from the promised pain in his expression. “Eager to get started, I see. It’s simple, really. You just need to shift.”

I squint my eyes at him, wondering what the trick is. My distrust just makes his smirk grow, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he watches me with his dark, calculating eyes. Since he isn’t giving me any more information, I decide to do as he told me to. Being in my wolf form will also make me stronger, so it seems like a win-win for me.

Closing my eyes, I blow out a breath and try to call my wolf to me. Unlike usual, neither Dido nor my wolf appear in my mind, and I don’t feel myself transforming.

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