Chapter 22: Plans
Traeger:
It’s late at night. Arsenal, Grey, and I are sitting in my room discussing what the council proposed. I narrow my eyes thoughtfully while Arsenal begins to pace. “We have to get back in that room.” He mutters in a determined voice. I nod my head. “Yeah, there has to be some way to get this done.” Grey settles himself on my bed. “Maybe we can set some kind of distraction. All of the doctors went on red alert when Dorian went berserk.” I slump down in my chair, placing my thumb and index finger over my forehead. “Yeah, we need to figure something out.” Has anything happened today? They both look at each other in question. “No…I mean, the doctors have been pretty quiet today. It’s actually weird because they haven’t run any tests or anything.” I nod my head, feeling a sense of unease.
My thoughts go back to Jelena. I wasn’t able to see her today due to the council’s visit. I wish I had, though. Something suddenly doesn’t feel right. Grey interrupts my thoughts. “I saw the doctors taking Dorian to his cell. Maybe we should do this now.” I let out a resolute sigh. “Let’s scope it out first.” I take out the device that Mathias gave me and hand it to Grey. “Here, take this. If they catch us, I want you to take care of this. It will look suspicious if I am seen going into the room after Dr. Monroe took me there.”
They both agree, moving towards the door. The hallway is empty. Which, to be honest, seems unusual. It takes a few minutes to get near the testing area. This part is just as quiet. We look around suspiciously. Suddenly a scent invades my senses. I fall to my knees, shocked. It’s Jelena. I smell Jelena. Arsenal and Grey give me a questioning look. My body begins to shake and shudder as my Lycan becomes agitated. I struggle with my wolf trying to stop the change. The men move closer, but I shake my head holding my hand out to halt their inquiries. “No.” I grit my teeth. “I smell Jelena. I think she’s here.” They look around in surprise. Leaving them behind, I follow Jelena’s sweet scent to the test center. Suddenly, the doors open, and a few men come out carting a covered body. The scent becomes stronger. The men stop in shock when I let out a pained howl.
Dr. Spencer rushes out at the sound of my anger. A red haze comes over my eyes. My breathing speeds up. I don’t know how, but suddenly all of the men are flying all over the place. I can hear alarms going off in the distance, but it’s as if my body is in control. Some of the guards move towards me, trying to restrain me. All I want to do is find Jelena. The men can do nothing about it. I move towards the covered body. I pull back the sheet seeing Jelena’s body. A cry of pain rushes through me.
I close my eyes and let my Lycan takes over. Several guards begin to attack me, but I’m stronger. I begin to claw and rip at anyone who comes near. I’m about to claw another man’s chest out when I feel a pinprick on my back. The world begins to blur, and my head becomes hazy. I can feel my body slowing down. I try to move, but it feels like my feet are made of lead. Then I fall to my knees and blackout.
When I come to, I find myself in one of the holding rooms. Dr. Spencer is standing on the other side of the glass door, observing me. He has a tablet in his hand. I rise up from a cot and walk towards the door. Remembering Jelena’s still figure. I let my rage out. “Where is she? What did you do to her?” Dr. Spencer seems unfazed by my anger. “Well, Traeger, it looks like you’ve been a bad boy. Going behind my back to screw a human female.” He snickers before he turns the tablet to face me. Shock reverberates through my body when I see that it’s a video of Jelena and me in her bedroom the night I snuck into her room. Seeing my expression, Dr. Spencer turns the tablet back towards him and watches the video for a few minutes. He smiles slyly, then he looks back at me. “I can see why you risked the Institute’s wrath. She’s quite talented.”
Tightening my hands into fists, I wince when my claws slice through the skin. Dr. Spencer narrows his eyes taking notice of my heaving chest and seething silence. “Don’t worry, she’s alive—for now. Tell me, Traeger. What made you think you could get away with this? We’ve given you a home and trained you to fight like a good soldier. Why would you go behind our backs?”
I shake my head, maintaining an even tone. “I didn’t expect to meet the female. It just happened. Why do you keep females away from us, anyway? Just…let her go. I will never bother her again. I will do anything the Institute wants.”
Dr. Spencer moves back and places the tablet on top of a nearby table. After a moment, he walks back to me, laces his fingers together and calmly states. “I’m sorry, Traeger, but you broke the rules. You know how the Institute feels about rule-breaking. That’s why we have to punish you.” I move forward, aggressively slamming my fists against the glass. “What do you want? I’ll do it. Just don’t hurt her.” Before he can say another word, the office door opens. Dr. Monroe and Dr. Shepard walk in with a few guards.
Dr. Monroe glances at me and smirks. “He’s awake. Good. Everything is ready.” I look at all the men feeling dread crawling through me and warily ask, “What are you going to do?” The men look at each other but remain silent.
Dr. Monroe is the one that responds. Lips quirked into a sneer, he leans close and replies, “We have a little surprise for you, Traeger. Since you broke the rules, you need to be punished. You need to suffer the repercussions of your actions. This is not a decision we take likely, but you mated a female knowing that the Institute does not allow it. You know the rules. You’re not allowed to do anything without the permission of the Institute. That’s why we’ve decided that as punishment, you will need to take care of a few “problems” that the Institute has had to deal with lately.” He nudges his head to the other doctors, signaling them. As if on cue, they all turn towards their computers and begin to type on their keyboards. Dr. Monroe turns back towards me and evenly states, “You’re the pack alpha, Traeger. Your men chose you as their Alpha. But you forget that you are replaceable. What if I told you that you’re not the only alpha here? You remember Dorian, don’t you?” I nod my head, unsure of where this conversation is going. Of course, I know about Dorian. “Yes. I know about Dorian. Why?”
The doctor puts his hand in his jacket pocket and gives me a fake, chagrined smile. “Well, it seems that Dorian has become a little aggressive as of late. After giving it some thought, we’ve come up with a solution. You do know that two Alphas cannot live nearby without eventually challenging him? It’s the rule of survival of the species. Two alphas cannot live in the same place. So we…” He turns back to the doctors pointedly. “…we’ve decided to let you fight it out. You and Dorian are going to fight for control of the pack.” I shake my head. “No. I refuse to fight.” Dr. Spencer approaches the cell with a cruel grin and slyly retorts. “That’s unfortunate, Traeger. Because if you don’t fight Dorian, we will have to turn on your receptors and order you to kill your mate. Don’t worry, we’ll ensure that you fight, though. You see, Traeger, we’re going to let Dorian get a little taste of your mate first.”
My heart beats faster at his words. Even though I’m seriously angry and concerned that they have Jelena, I feel some relief knowing that they have no clue about the council. They don’t know that my receptors were disabled. Right now, I just need to get us out of this situation alive. Hopefully, Arsenal and Grey have been able to install the devices on the computers. Enraged by his words, I slam my fists against the door. “You can’t do this. Jelena is mine!” Undaunted, the doctor stands impassively in front of me and smirks. “Oh, but I can, Traeger…and I will. Now, I want you to take those restraints against the wall and put them on.” Turning back, I look at the manacles near the wall and fume. The manacles are made of silver, which weakens Lycans. The doctor stands there and waits patiently for me to do what he asked. “Put them on Traeger. If not, I will make sure your little mate suffers your consequences. Do you understand?” I grit my teeth and place the manacles on my wrists and ankles. The strength instantly begins leaving my body, weakening my powers. Once I am restrained, the doctors open the door.
A group of guards take ahold of my forearms and usher me out of the room. Without a word, the men lead me down to the Institute’s chambers. The further down we go, the stronger Jelena’s scent gets. My chest begins to rise and fall with agitation, but it gets worse when the scent of another male mingles with her. Dorian! Dorian is with my mate.
The men finally stop near a dark corridor blocked by iron doors. I hadn’t been down there in a long time. Not since I was a young pup. Dr. Spencer stops in front of one of the doors and places his hand on a digital scanner. The door slides open, revealing a sparse office. The men guide me to the center of a platform, then turn around to vacate the room.
My senses instantly awaken to my mate’s scent, but I don’t see her anywhere. That is until a wall opens and reveals a large double-sided mirror. When I look through it, I see Jelena. She is standing in the middle of a room with Dorian on the opposite wall. His eyes are hungrily glued to Jelena's form.
Looking over Jelena, I notice that there’s a chain tied around her ankle. My nostrils flare at the sight of the woman I love tethered to a chain in the wall. I look towards Dorian, who also looks like he wants to move towards Jelena. Upon further inspection, I notice that he, too, is restrained. “Jelena!” I scream, banging on the window. However, she doesn’t look in my direction.
Dr. Spencer’s voice breaks through my screaming. “There’s no use. She can’t hear you. This is a double-sided mirror.” I look around the room. The voice is coming from some communicator on the wall. I pace around the room. “What do you want, Dr. Spencer?” He lets out a sardonic laugh. “I told you, Traeger. You have broken the rules, and you must be punished.”