Chapter 99

Dawson POV

"What do you mean there are pups in jars?" I asked.

"Someone killed newborn or very young werewolf pups and put them in jars of formeldahyde. I think they were doing tests or research of some sort. The whole room smells like death. There is a skeleton of a woman as well, chained to the wall," Ashlynn told us.

I opened my eyes wide in disbelief. "How do you know it was a woman?"

"Well for starters, the shape of the pelvic bones, the size of the skull, and there is still hair present. It's long." Ashlynn stopped and drew a shaky breath. "I think someone should come catalog it, take samples for DNA testing, who knows who those body parts belong to. Maybe someone who has been missing for a while. I'm sure someone would want to know at any rate. I just can't believe you guys didn't find that when you were here before." She stared at me as if I had all the answers to her questions, waiting patiently for my response.

"We walked these tunnels, although I wasn't the one that went down that tunnel. I think Alpha Gabe had this place searched, or someone from the council," I looked over at Michael wondering if he knew. The guy was like a vault but he had a lot of secret information in his head. He spent a lot of time at council meetings as Alpha James Protector.

Michael stared back, a blank expression on his face. For a moment I thought he wasn't going to say anything, but then his eyes shifted to Shawna's face and he softened. "I might know who was in charge of the search, but I doubt they would have left something like what you are describing untouched. Maybe we should all go take a look," He suggested.

"Sure, that sounds like a great idea," Natalie muttered.

"You can't be scared Nat," Michael said to her.

"I'm not scared. It smells horrible and it is super creepy, that's all," She said tossing her long pony tail over her shoulder and giving him a glare. The two of them were amusing and I could imagine them as kids, teasing each other. It reminded me of my younger sister and me.

"Well then lead the way," Michael replied. "You have a handkerchief covering your nose. We don't," He motioned to himself, then to Carl and me. "Let's get moving, I want out of this place."

"Fine," Natalie marched a head of us and Carl joined her. I wrapped my arms around Ashlynn as we followed down the tunnel behind everyone.

"You good?"I asked her as we walked quietly.

"Yeah, just concerned about what's in that laboratory. It's strange and fasinating all at the same time. I don't understand what they were doing to be honest. Did the Godsend pack have a scientist?"

"Not that I am aware of," I admitted. Then again, what did I know. They had created arrows dipped in wolfsbane and had shot me with one, nearly killing me. They probably had a lot of secrets and from the sounds of it, we were about to uncover more.

"Well they were clearly up to something. It was more than the torture they were inflicting on these kidnapped werewolves, Dawson. It looks like a science lab met a torture chamber in that room. Just wait until you see it," Ashlynn was bubbling up with emotion. "I've seen some things during my schooling that were bordering on gruesome. This is different. This was evil. You can feel the weight of it all when you step inside the room." She shivered in spite of my arm being wrapped around her shoulder.

"Okay, we will do whatever we need to do. I think it's best to get out of here sooner rather than later. We can let Alpha Gabe and the council look into this," I told her.

"But what if someone in the council already knew about it and decided to keep it secret? It seems odd that there were people down in these tunnels and they didn't see them," she stated.

"I agree. How hard was it for you ladies to find the door and open it?" I asked her.

"Oh we found the door without any problem, opening it was not easy though. It took a bit of work and a strong donkey kick," she laughed with that.

"Donkey kick?"

"Yes babe, all these years of riding horses have made my legs very strong. I may have given the door a final kick to get it open. A donkey kick," she laughed.

"Doc, can you stop talking about your strong legs," Carl yelled from ahead. "Either that or tell me you have a sister," he joked. I heard what sounded like a slap and then Carl muttering "what was that for?"

"For your perverse mind. We are in a dirty dungeon and you are asking to hook up with Ashlynn's sister that she doesn't have," Natalie said in the dark ahead. "Look, here is the room," she noted as we approached an open door with light beaming from it.

"It has electricity?" I asked.

"That's not all it has," Ashlynn muttered as we walked into something that could only be described as an evil laboratory, complete with putrid smells, just as the girls had warned us.