Page 48 of Locke

Locke

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know he was coming out. I thought he was with her—”

“How could you not know, man? Everyone stopped talking!” Hawke snapped.

Sizzle cleared his throat. “The music was playing, I couldn’t decipher voices and the music, I just—shit.”

I groaned, rolling my head from side to side. My body was soaked, and there was a chill entering the room from the open window. I blinked several times, rubbing the heel of my hand on my right eye. “Ugh, why am I wet?”

“Bones threw some water over you,” Grim mumbled. “Said you were overheating.”

“We’re wolves, of course we are going to overheat.” I sat up on the cold exam table and shook my head. Water droplets flewthrough the air, propelled by the force, and landed on my closest comrades. The room echoed with their groans as they hastily wiped the wetness off their faces and clothes.

“He was fevering. He was far warmer than he should have been, even for a wolf. He had to be cooled down. I swore there was smoke coming off his body. You smelled the cinder, right?” Bones ran his hand through his salt and peppered hair. Worry lines were etched in his face, and long gone were the playful smiles he threw at me when he talked to my mate earlier the week before.

Sizzle laughed, “Hey, it would be awesome if he was a fire wolf, huh?”

Hawke groaned, “Those are old fairy tales. No such things as elemental wolves.”

I waved my hand at Bones and steadied myself, resting my elbows over my thighs. “It’s fine, don’t worry about the water. I’ve never flashed back like that before. It was so vivid, damn near felt like I was there.”

The lingering sensation of heat radiated on my face, mingling with the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. I could almost see my old pack’s eyes, once brimming with life, abruptly vanish by my claws. The weight of their deaths, though justified, would relentlessly haunt me. I derived no pleasure from taking lives, especially those of the innocent. But, for those deserving, a surge of adrenaline coursed through me as I witnessed their blood staining my hands, fur and chest. Their anguish was a twisted satisfaction that got me hard when it shouldn’t.

At night, I still hear their screams, an after-effect I didn’t care for at all.

“Maybe it’s the bond? Now that you are getting better?” Hawke offered his piece of advice.

Grim gave a shake of his head and crossed his arms. “A bond heals, a healthy bond anyway. He shouldn’t have flashbacks, or so my mate says.” He rubbed his chin pensively.

Journey’s direct line with the Moon Goddess has given us more information than we ever could have obtained alone. Sometimes it’s a pain in my ass, because Journey could only give us small pieces of information, as the Goddess slowly dealt it out.

Bones slowly retreated, his steps echoing against the cold linoleum floor. He sought solace by leaning against his cluttered medical counter, cluttered with an array of tubes, sterile medical supplies and various items I’d paid for. He rested his weight against the counter and his head sank. The look of remorse was etched across his face, as clear as day. “I know why your dream felt so real.”

Sizzle, Grim, Hawke and I stared at him, curiously, waiting for his explanation.

“Those shots that your mate has been giving you aren’t just antibiotics. They have steroids in them. It’s a drug that humans use a lot in their health care. It’s used in a wide range of physiological functions, including growth, development energy and metabolism.Since we are part human, and we are all waiting for Locke to gain his human form, I thought he would be the perfect specimen to try it out on. He’s the strongest, even if he was rabid, and look what it did.” He held out his hand and waved it up and down my human form.

I stared at Bones in shock; the pieces falling into place in my mind. The intense sexual feelings even in my wolf form, the bond between Emm and me developed far faster than I could have imagined, coming from a rabid state, the flashes of memory - it all made sense now. I clenched my fists, feeling a mix of anger and betrayal swirling inside me.

“You drugged me without my consent?” My voice was low, dangerous.

Bones held up his hands in a placating gesture. “It healed you faster, Locke. I didn’t mean for this side effect. Half the club will be leaving, soon, going on a mission and members were hoping you would be human by then. I was trying to help!”

Hawke stepped forward, his eyes blazing with anger. “You put our pack at risk with your experiment! What if Locke went crazed after reliving that nightmare? You don’t know what he fucking lived through! What were you thinking?”

Grim’s expression was stone-cold as he spoke. “You will tell us everything about these shots, Bones. And, we will decide what to do next.”

Sizzle stood silently in the corner, watching the scene unfold with a mix of worry and disappointment.

As the tension in the room thickened, I felt a growl building deep in my chest. The betrayal cut deep, and I knew things would never be the same with Bones. He had crossed a line.

I stood up abruptly, the hair on my neck bristling with anger. “You are out of your damn mind! Drugging me without my permission is unforgivable. I trusted you, and you betrayed that trust for the sake of an experiment?”

Bones held up his hands defensively. “I didn’t mean any harm, Locke. I was only trying to help our pack and to help you. I promise I had your best interests at heart. I wanted our leader back, I worried—”

Hawke snorted in disbelief. “That’s rich, coming from the man who experimented on our president without our knowledge. You’re supposed to be our healer, Bones, not a mad scientist. You should have come to us, not decide all on your own.”

Sizzle stepped forward, the dragon still hanging his head from his own mistake. “I trust Bones.” I eyed Sizzle suspiciously. Sizzle doesn’t trust just anyone. He’s a grumpy ass at times,doesn’t talk much to anyone since Grim had his mate now. “I believe he wanted to help. It’s been hard, Pres. He shouldn’t have gone about it the way he did, but he helped you. He got you to shift, he got you with Emm. I’m sure he calculated the pros and cons of this drug.”

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