Chapter 16: Can’t get you off my mind

Traeger:

After I leave Jelena, I meet up with Arsenal and Grey. They are both standing nearby, waiting for me. “What happened?” I ask in my most authoritative alpha voice. Arsenal gives me an awed smile. Grey must have told him about Jelena and me. “Sorry to interrupt you, Alpha, but something is about to go down at the Institute, and I wanted to warn you before you came back. For some strange reason, the doctors take pack members in for questioning, and they won’t say why. However, I caught up to Blade after they questioned him and gleaned some information from him before they took him to his room. He said they were asking a lot of questions about you. Some questions having to do with you and your behavior lately. They are also planning on ordering a search of the facilities. Who knows what they’re looking for? Unfortunately, we don’t know because we haven’t been able to talk to anyone else. They put the whole pack in isolation. We were barely able to escape before they herded us too. You know this is not good.” I nod my head worried. “We better go then.” They both nod their heads.

Within moments we are back in the Institute. Everything is quiet─ too quiet. Before we go in, I decide that we should split up and sneak in. It’s best if we’re not seen walking in together. We learned many years ago to block out the cameras and manipulate them so the scientists cannot keep tabs on us, but you can never be too sure. We continue in quietly, not calling attention to ourselves. Once we make it into the building, we head to my room. After I close my door, Arsenal turns to me and whispers. “You found a female. Why didn’t you tell me?” I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. We just met, and I didn’t want anyone involved in case things did not go as planned.”

Before I can say more, there’s a knock on the door. The others and I look at each other. It’s one of the scientists. We can smell him. Feigning a casual air, we manage to find a comfortable spot in my room. If someone walks in, they can only assume we are just talking. Arsenal stretches out on my bed, and Grey sits in my chair with his arms crossed over his chest while I open the door. Dr. Monroe works closely with Dr. Shepard and Dr. Spencer. He’s the one that placed the receptors inside our heads. The man can be very cruel, so we avoid him as much as we can. Sometimes, I’ll catch him watching us during our sparring drills in a speculative manner. He has always disliked me, and I don’t know why.

Leaning against my door, I observe as he gazes at my men from over my shoulder with a frown. Focusing back on me, he narrows his weasely eyes. “Traeger, we’ve been looking for you for the past few hours. Where have you been?” I shrug my shoulders. “I’ve been around. What can I do for you, Dr. Monroe?” The doctor scowls. “We need you to come into the center. Some of your tests have come back inconclusive, which means we need to reevaluate. I suggest you two…” he says with a sneer on his face, “…go back to your rooms. We have some tests to run on you too.” Arsenal and Grey both nod their heads and give me a commiserating look before they walk out.

Keeping his eyes on Grey and Arsenal until they leave his sight, Dr. Monroe turns to me, gestures for me to follow him into the hallway. “We should go.” Not responding, I follow stiffly until we reach the testing room. The room is as white and sterile as always. Instead of leading me to a nearby testing chair, he leads me to another room. I observe nonplussed as he punches in a code and waits for the door to slide open. The room is just as stark as the other one. But unlike the other examination rooms, this one has a variety of computers and equipment that I’ve never seen before. What makes my heart speed up is an oddly shaped chair in the middle of the room. Unlike the others, this chair is made of all metal with straps and some kind of helmet hanging where the head would be. There are needles placed carefully on a tray, organized in sequence. I hesitate when the doctor leads me to the chair, keeping my gaze indifferent even though fear is crawling up my spine. Dr. Monroe points to the chair and roughly states. “Have a seat, Traeger.” Hesitating, I move to the chair. What are they going to do to me?

Keeping a wary eye, I take a seat and wait for what is to come. Because I know that whatever happens, I need to endure. Unaware of my morbid thoughts, Dr. Monroe takes a seat in front of me. “Okay, then, Traeger, I need you to lean back and place your arms on the armrests.” I hesitate for a moment and carefully ask. “What kind of tests are you doing, Dr. Monroe? I thought you had questions.” Dr. Monroe’s face puckers up into a sneer. “Well, since your tests were inconclusive, we thought that you should be given a more thorough exam.” His tone makes me think that there is more than he’s saying. However, I cannot argue further without arousing his suspicion. So I take a deep breath and lean back on the seat. These doctors don’t seem to understand that they have trained us to withstand a great many things─ barring death. And as the Alpha, I will take any torture they dish out and walk out of this room without making a sound.

Lying pliantly, I observe as Dr. Monroe straps my arms and legs on the chair. Once he’s done, he stands up and walks behind the chair. I can hear him pressing buttons and adjusting something above me. He’s about to lower the helmet onto my head when suddenly all of the alarms in the building go off. Red lights begin flashing around the room, creating an eerie effect.

Startled, Dr. Monroe moves to his computer, presses a few buttons, and says, “This is Dr. Monroe. I see that the alarm has gone off. What is the emergency?” The guard at the other end responds. “Sir, there has been an issue with one of the Lycans. The guards were searching his room and discovered contraband in his room. And whatever the guards found incited the Lycan to attack and wound four of our guards. Dr. Spencer was wounded during the scuffle. Dr. Shepard ordered us to engage in a high alert protocol and that you join him in the holding room. What do I tell him, sir?” Dr. Monroe looks at me, clearly frustrated with the interruption, and presses the communicator again. “Tell him I will be there in a moment.”

Pulling back, he reaches for his bag and walks back to me. “Well, Traeger, it looks like we will have to reschedule our session for another time. For now, I want you to go back to your room and stay there until further notice.” He mutters forcefully as he unstraps my arms and less, angry at being thwarted. Rising from the chair, I look around the room, taking notice of several computers on top of a nearby table. I need to get to one of them and see what this is about. Unaware of my thoughts, Dr. Monroe opens the door and gestures for me to go ahead. Look like I won’t get an opportunity to search the system. Giving the room one last look, I walk out the door. Dr. Monroe stops a guard, then turns back to me. “Colton, please walk Traeger to his room. The Institute is in lockdown mode.” The guard nods his head without a word, then leads me away. As the guard walks me to my room. I can see other guards rushing towards Dorian’s room.

Dorian is what you would call a lone wolf. He came to the Institute about 15 years ago. We are about the same height, with a similar build. He’s a year younger than me. I remember the day he came. He was wild. His blond hair was long, and his face was ragged. His eyes are the oddest part of his appearance. They are the color of deep amber. Lycans usually have blue, gray, or silver-colored eyes. According to some information we were able to dig up, Dorian was part of some other research center, but they sent him to the Institute because they couldn’t handle him. Dorian is an alpha, which means he’s the only one who would be able to fight me for my alpha status.

I tried to befriend him once, but he wouldn’t say a word. He never bothers anyone, but he isn’t a sociable guy either. Sometimes at night, we could hear him crying out in rage. I remember a few days after he arrived, the doctors forced him to take a shower. I guess he refused because the doctors dosed him with a relaxant and dragged him to the showers. We were made to watch. It was a way to show us what happens to people who turn against the Institute. When they stripped him down, we saw a bevy of scars on his body. It looked like someone tried to carve him up. At some point, he came awake and killed a few guards. The guy is a total psycho. We gave him his space after that.

Some of the guards are now fighting with Dorian. He seems angrier than the day he came to the Institute. As I pass by, he stops and gives me a narrowed look. He nods his head as if sending me a silent message. I continue walking, pretending not to see what is happening. When I get into my room, the guard steps back, locking the door. I move towards my bed, trying to think of what to do. An idea suddenly occurs to me. Resolved, I close my eyes and concentrate. You see, what the Institute doesn’t know is that I can communicate with my pack telepathically. Being the alpha has its perks. I try not to do it too much, though, because there is a cost to this ability. I realized this after the first time I did it. I was thirteen years old at the time. I was in my room feeling lonely and thought of Arsenal and Grey. Then, as if I called them, I heard their thoughts. I sent a message, and they responded. After that, I would contact them as much as I could. After a few days, I got a massive migraine that lasted for hours. It practically debilitated me. Now, I just do it when needed.

Arsenal…Grey. How is everything going? I wait for a moment, then Arsenal replies. “We’re fine. After we left your room, we went back to our rooms. And when the alarm went off, we were placed on lockdown. What happened with Dr. Monroe?” I think for a moment. “Something is definitely up. He took me to a private room with some very high-tech gear. Right now, he’s dealing with Dorian. I need your help. I want to go back into that examination room. There were some things in there that I want to check out, along with Dr. Monroe’s personal computer. I don’t think he was going to run regular tests on me. I need to know what he was going to do.” They both agree readily. “Just tell us what you need, Traeger.” Giving them instructions, I get up from my bed, walk to the door, and disengage the locks. “Meet me near the testing room in five minutes. The majority of the crew is dealing with Dorian right now. This should buy us some time to do a little bit of searching.”

Several years ago, I hacked into the Institute’s security system and created a passcode for all the doors. Stepping out of the room, I give the hallway a perfunctory glance. I can hear screaming and banging on the other end of the hallway, but otherwise, it’s empty. Dorian must still be giving everyone a hard time─ Good.

As casually as I can, I stroll towards the testing room until I reach the door. Arsenal and Grey meet up with me a moment later. Giving them a cursory grin, I punch in the door’s code. Our luck holds when we open the door, and no one is in there. Striding inside, I gesture to the steel doors that I had gone through earlier and punch in Dr. Monroe’s code into the keypad. I memorized it when he entered it in earlier. The door instantly opens with a swish, and without another word, we get to work.

It takes a few minutes, but we finally break into Dr. Monroe’s computer. He has several files on each of us. Personal things, but nothing too revealing. Grey points to a file. “Check the one that says, Institute Lycan.” I click one of the files revealing videos of Lycans being experimented on and scroll through the files. My name instantly pops up. Curious, I click on that one. A video journal opens with at least a dozen videos of me. It doesn’t really surprise me that they have video recordings of me during my training sessions. However, I am surprised by what I find in the journals. As soon as I choose a file, Dr. Shepard’s voice resounds through the room.

Log Date February 5, 2003

“Subject Traeger, age 10, is showing signs of superior strength. It has been speculated that he’s the possible alpha of the group because of how easily he beat several of our most seasoned fighters. My suspicions are confirmed when other Lycans show submission towards his strength. There seems to be no show of strength from the others…”

I click out of the file, moving on to another file.

Log Date October 27, 2006

“Subject Traeger, age 13. It has been observed that the subject has been acting erratically. It may be due to the subject reaching sexual maturity. Lycan males can become very aggressive during sexual peak. However, when female Lycans are available, they have an outlet. The subject has no such outlet. We have placed inhibitors in his body to inhibit the mating need. The mating need is one reason the Institute has decided to exclude females from the program. All Lycan males will be barred from any female contact in this center. Scientists reason that males need to center their aggression to be more effective in battle than sex. Their mating instinct will only interfere with their fighting. Therefore, we will never allow them to find a mate. Inhibitors will be placed in all males when their sexual peak is reached.”

The recording ends. Looking at my packmates, I don’t know what to say. Grey, however, looks like he’s about to explode. “THOSE BASTARDS! HOW DARE THEY DO THAT TO US?” I shake my head and click on a more recent video. It’s about a week old.

Log Date June 25, 2015

“Subject Traeger, age 22. The subject has been showing odd behavior. He is still aggressive in training. However, we have observed a restlessness that has not been there before. There have been long periods away from the Institute. He appears changed in some ways. All tests run on him have been inconclusive. It’s time for some deeper testing. It is recommended that we do a more thorough analysis of mental and cognitive functions.”

I cut off the journal. “The scientists have been watching me.” I take a deep breath analyzing the data in front of me. “I wonder what they mean when they say, mate. I mean, they said it’s instinctual. Are we meant to be with females?” Arsenal moves forward. “I don’t know. I would assume that as Lycans, we are very much like real wolves, and wolves have mates. They mate for life. It would be completely probable that we also would mate.” Grey nods his head. “That makes sense. They said they had to suppress our desires. The only way we would need to suppress it is if it is a deep-seated, innate Lycan quality. Let’s check out the other files. Time is running out, and we need to collect what we can.”

I continue to look through the files when I stumble upon an encrypted one. After several moments the file opens. It is labeled “Project Lycan War.” If I thought I was shocked by the Institute file, I am even more so by this one. The project catalogs all of the institutes that hold similar Lycan soldiers. The projects retell accounts about their weaknesses and strengths. They have maps labeling target points for an all-out Supernatural war. It’s horrific. They plan on world domination. They want to take over a place called the Supernatural Council, and we are the instruments they will use to get it. They plan on activating our receptors to gain our compliance and our training to brutalize those who oppose the new order. According to the file, the supernatural Council is our species ruling system in charge of enforcing laws and policing our kind. Without the council, there would be disorder and chaos. If we were to destroy the council, the toll on human and non-human casualties would be massive.

We continue to read, appalled by the plans. Beyond shocked, I look at my packmate. “We have to find a way to get out of here. This plan is calling for annihilating all supernaturals and humans. If they set out to do this, it will be catastrophic.” Arsenal and Grey nod their heads grimly. Grey looks at the file, then at us. “What do we do?” I think for a moment, then look back with a determined scowl. “We need to find a way to contact this Supernatural Council. If we can tell them about the plan, they can help us.”

Arsenal courses his fingers through his hair with consternation. “How are we going to do that? I mean, there’s no guarantee that if we contact them, they will believe us.” I gaze back at the computer screen then mutter. “We can copy this file and put it somewhere safe. Let me see what I can do.” I spend a few moments copying the files from the computer and then emailing them to a dummy address for safekeeping. “This is all I can do for now. We’ve been here too long. We better go. There is no timeline for the takeover. However, I’m betting that it won’t be long from now, which means that we need to take action within the next day or two. Especially considering that they plan on messing with my head. I just hope that Dorian keeps them busy enough to buy us time. For now, let’s go back to our room. I’ll see if I can find a way to contact the council.”

Once we agree, we sneak back to our rooms. My thoughts return to Jelena and how much I miss her. Just a few hours ago, I was on the verge of a new sexual discovery. I had her beautiful body wrapped around mine, ready to take her as a man would. Now, I’m worried that everything will fall apart. All I know is that I really need her. My body has been vibrating with need since I left her. Meeting with Dr. Monroe only managed to distract me for a moment. However, now that I’m alone, my need has awakened again. Determined, I sneak back out of my room and go in search of my female.

It takes me a few moments to scent her destination. After a half-hour, I make it to her campground. Fortunately, I spot her right away. She is heading towards a small wooden complex some distance from the camp. Keeping a safe distance, I follow her as excitement churns through my body.