Chapter 23: What have I gotten myself into?

Jelena:

I open my eyes, feeling my head pounding. This time instead of the lab, I’m in a large empty room. The room is just as barren as the other one I woke up in. I stand up on shaky legs, feeling a little nauseous. Whatever the doctor gave me is still in my system. I slowly make my way around the room and almost fall when I realize that my ankle is shackled to a wall.

Suddenly, the front door opens. The man from earlier walks in. “You’re awake. Good.” I back up towards the wall. He tilts his head sideways, and his eyes narrow. He gives me the once-over with a sneer on his face. It makes me feel like a bug under a microscope. “You know…Traeger saw you. We had to incapacitate him to keep him from killing anyone. Now, here’s a question for you, little girl. Why would Traeger go completely berserk over a girl he barely met?” I swallow deeply, understanding the repercussions of his question. I try to calm my heart, stiffening my spine. “I told you. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He moves forward, backhanding me across my face. But the doctor doesn’t let me fall. He grasps my elbow and holds me steadily. I try to look away, but he grips my chin tightly. “Look at me, you stupid little girl.” He says, moving his face closer to mine. “You want to know what I think.” He says, moving his lips over my forehead. “I think you fucked Traeger and mated him. Unfortunately, this means that we have to punish Traeger.” I shake my head. “No, don’t please,” I whisper pleadingly.

The doctor shakes his head. “Sorry, little Jelena, but it has to be done.” He moves closer. I back up, closing my eyes when his hand moves up towards my face. His finger runs over my cheek, mouth, neck, and further down. His eyes glow in arousal. Disgust courses through me. Before I can say anything, he moves back and screams out. “BRING HIM IN!”

The door slides open again, admitting a man I have never seen. Two guards flank him. He’s in restraints too. He remains quiet, observing my wary posture. His eyes roam over my body, making me realize that I’m still wearing my short white summer dress with no bra on. His eyes heat up as he moves closer. Unfortunately, the guy is probably one of these psychos because he is gorgeous. Upon closer inspection, he has a nice muscular body and a chiseled face. His eyes are the color of amber, and his hair is golden. He’s wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans with no shoes, which I find odd.

The doctor and the guards leave the room. As if by magic, the man’s restraints fall on the floor. He rubs his wrists, never taking his eyes off me. This makes me nervous. He looks around the room, then slowly walks towards me. I back away until my back hits the wall again. He moves closer, extending his hand towards me. I smack his hand away. “Who are you?” His eyes become cold. I can see anger quaking through his body. He doesn’t answer at first. Instead, he grasps my hair tightly. I struggle, trying to lose his grip, but he moves me closer to his chest. I pummel his chest, which only makes him excited. The bastard is seriously strong. Resigned, I stop struggling. Tears begin to gather in my eyes. His face softens as he pulls me closer. He grits his teeth as his body touches mine. “Do not cry; I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice is beautiful. Rough, but gentle. If I had never met Traeger, this man would have made me cream. That’s how beautiful he is.

I nod my head as a tear escapes my eyes. He wipes it, looking at me oddly. I toughen my stance. “Who are you?” He takes a deep breath as if inhaling my scent. He moves back, surprised. “You’re Traeger’s?” My eyes widen in surprise at his words. How did he know? He releases me, moving back towards the other side of the cell. “I can smell him on you.” I nod my head in response. He paces for a few moments, then turns back towards me. “I am Dorian. Who are you?” I slide down the wall. “I’m Jelena. Are you… are you like Traeger?” He gives me a speculative look and, after a moment, nods his head. “Yes, I am like Traeger. Why are you here?” I shrug my shoulders, confused, and whisper quietly. “I was home when these two men came to my house and attacked me. Then, I woke up here. All I know is that they want to punish Traeger.” I gesture towards the barren room. He moves back towards the door and pounds it with an angry fist. Then a thought occurs to me. Licking my wet lips, I let out a nervous breath. “Why did they put you in here with me?” His head snaps back towards me as if the thought didn’t occur to him. Maybe it didn’t.

I remember Traeger saying that none of the Lycans in the facility had ever seen a female. That’s probably why he acted the way he did when he came into the room. He looks back to me, licking his own dry lips. Suddenly his face becomes more intense. His face hardens, making his jaw look sharp and his eyes narrow. “I don’t know…I…” His head moves around the room, wearily. Then he looks back at me, tilting his head to the side. “Traeger and I are both alphas. I…you are the first female that I have ever seen. I think the doctors are trying to use us for something. They obviously know that you’re with Traeger. When I arrived here years ago, I tried to stay out of Traeger’s way. I am not part of his pack. The doctors know that. He and I can’t even be in the same room. If we are in the same place too long, our instincts force us to fight for control. Whatever this is…they must want you and me together…this…it’s not good.” He points his index finger at himself and me.

As he says these words, a hole opens up in the ceiling. A nondescript voice comes on. “Hello.” The voice says with a sickly sweet tone. “I see you two have met. If not, let me introduce you. Dorian, this is Jelena. Jelena is Traeger’s little toy. She’s quite beautiful, isn’t she Dorian?” Dorian looks at the hole with complete and utter hatred. Then he growls out. “What’s your point, doctor?” The person on the other end lets out a sardonic laugh. “Well, Dorian. It seems Traeger had been a bad boy, and he needs to be punished. So we’ve come up with a way to help him out.” I rise up from the floor, agitated.

Dorian and I stand there, shocked. I look around worriedly. “WHAT DO YOU PLAN ON DOING TO US?” I scream, feeling trapped. The voice comes back with a condescending tone. “Well, my little Jelena. You’re going to show Dorian here a good time. If you know what I mean.” I look at the hole, horrified. “Are you out of your mind? I’m not doing anything with Dorian.” I look towards Dorian, who is looking as horrified as I am. I turn back to the hole, determined. “I don’t have to do anything.” A laugh resounds around the room. “Well, my dear. Unfortunately, you will have no choice. You see, Dorian here is an alpha. When alphas feel the urge to mate, they take. Now…all I have to do is inspire the mating scent for you, lovely girl.” I look at Dorian, who looks as confused as I am. He prowls around the room, looking like a caged animal. Suddenly a few other holes open up on the ceiling. A mist begins to fall over Dorian and me.

Dorian holds his breath, trying to move away from the mist, but it continues to fall over him. I try to avoid the mist, but there’s nowhere to go. His eyes begin to look around wildly. He starts sniffing the air. Then he stiffens and closes his eyes. It looks like he is trying to control himself. A strange scent begins to permeate through the air. My manacles fall to the floor. Suddenly, my vision begins to blur, and my chest begins to rise erratically. Heat courses through my body and my breasts begin to feel heavy as wetness collect in my panties. I shuffle my feet uncomfortably, which makes things worse. Dorian’s head snaps at the sound of my shuffling. His eyes open, but they’re not the warm amber from before. Instead, they glow a deep gold. Breathing unevenly, he begins to stalk towards me. I try to keep my thoughts on Traeger, but something inside draws me back to Dorian.

I feel so strange. Somehow, I am ensnared by Dorian’s gaze. He is so beautiful. I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. This is not happening. I love Traeger. But my body does not seem to listen. I close my eyes, trying to concentrate on Traeger. I look anywhere I can, trying to gain some focus. Suddenly, I feel Dorian’s breath on my face.

I raise my eyes until the clash with his. Dorian is standing over me. He’s very tall, about Traeger’s size. I watch, entranced as he licks his lips. We are now chest to chest. His hand moves to my waist. Pulling me closer. I can’t seem to control my reaction. His body is incredible. I lay my hands on his shoulders as his lips seek mine. “I’m sorry.” He growls before he crushes his lips against mine. The kiss is very good, but not compared to Traeger’s. I open my mouth, meeting his tongue. My mind screams out in rejection, but my body won’t listen. The kiss deepens. We are both breathing hard at this point. My body is no longer my own.

Letting out a sound of pain, Dorian tightens his grip, releasing my mouth and falls to his knees. He puts his forehead over my chest, groaning. “Please don’t cry.” He whispers forlorn. I didn’t realize that I was crying, but now I can feel tears run down my face. I pull his head close to my chest, trying to control my body. After a few moments, he pulls back and looks over to a wall. His eyes narrow. His head tilts to the side as if he’s listening to something. Then he turns back to me with a determined look. “Stand away from the wall.” He urges me through gritted teeth.

He reaches out, pushing me away from the wall. Just as he pushes me behind him, something crashes through the glass on the wall. It’s one of the guards. He’s dead. Shocked, I look towards the broken glass. I’m surprised to see Traeger standing there with predatory eyes. His claws are retracted, and his fangs are bared. I take a deep breath and slowly move towards him. Shaking like a leaf, I hold my hand out calmly. I feel like I’m calming a wild animal.

Traeger’s eyes remain on mine. I feel his agitation as I move closer. “Traeger…please, baby, it’s me, Jelena. Please talk to me.” Tears trail down my face. I halt directly in front of Traeger. We’re now standing face to face. Cautious, I reach forward to touch his cheek, but he lets out a menacing growl. I don’t let that stop me, though. I run my fingers down his smooth jaw, caressing his lips. “Please, Traeger, talk to me.” His body shudders at my touch. After a few moments, he closes his eyes. He turns his mouth towards my hand and kisses my fingers.

When he opens his eyes, they are once again the beautiful color of gunmetal. He looks at me, confused. “Jelena?” I let out a cry and throw my arms over his shoulder. “Oh, God, Traeger. I was so scared. I’m so sorry.” He places a few kisses over my face and neck. “It’s okay, Jelena. It’s not your fault.” I pull back, looking at his restraints. Before I can do anything else, the doors open. Traeger pushes me behind him.

Alarms begin going off. Several guards run inside the room. The guards are holding several weapons in their hands. Traeger pushes his body over me protectively. One of the men moves toward us, aiming the gun at Traeger. Suddenly, he is lifted by the neck. Dorian tosses him against the opposite wall. Traeger picks up the gun and shoots another man who tried to pull me roughly by the arm. Another one tries to shoot Traeger, but he’s too fast. He punches the man in the face and hits another guard with the butt of his gun.

I cry out in pain when another guard tries to drag me out of the room. Traeger tries to protect me, but there are too many guards to fight. Dorian pulls the man holding me back by the arm. The man cries out. He falls to his knees, holding his arm to his chest. Traeger pulls something from the guard’s pocket. It’s a key of some kind. He turns it on his manacles and unlocks them. He reaches for the man’s weapon and tosses another to Dorian. As if they planned it, Traeger and Dorian flank me. Traeger turns towards me. “Stay between us, Jelena.”

I nod my head frightened. The guards begin to fall one by one. Traeger grips my hand. “Let’s go, Jelena. We need to get out of here.” He hands Dorian a weapon and moves towards the door. Several guards try to get through, but Dorian and Traeger shoot them. Traeger hands me a handgun. I give him an incredulous look. “What am I supposed to do with this, Traeger?” Traeger does something to it. “Just point and shoot at anything that moves.” I blink my eyes nervously. “What?” Traeger moistens his lips, surveying the hallway. “It’s just for your safety Jelena. We need to get out of here.” Understanding his concern, I nod my head in compliance. The alarms are still going off in the hallway.

Suddenly, a mechanical voice reverberates from the ceiling. “Security lockdown in progress. All personnel report to stations. Hostiles in the vicinity… Security lockdown in progress. All personnel report to stations. Hostiles, in the vicinity…” The voice echoes the message over and over again. Traeger reaches for my hand, lowering me down as a bullet zings over our heads. Dorian runs ahead, disabling the guards. We make our way up over the next few levels. I’m amazed by their strength. It’s almost scary to see how single minded Traeger and Dorian are. We finally stop near the room where the doctors had me strapped to the chair. Suddenly, several Lycans come out of the rooms. They stand guard with their arms crossed. Traeger and Dorian shield me protectively.

Traeger growls threateningly to the men. “I am your alpha. If you don’t want me to tear you to pieces, you will get out of the way. Now!” The men remain standing as if Traeger has not said a word. It’s almost eerie. I take a closer look seeing that some of them are straining. Traeger takes a more aggressive stance and moves forward. This time his voice is deeper, more menacing. “DID YOU HEAR ME? AS ALPHA OF THIS PACK, I COMMAND YOU TO MOVE OUT OF MY WAY!” Suddenly, a man falls to his knees. He cries out in pain and holds his hands over his head. He begins coughing out blood and falls face down on the floor. His chest is unmoving. I look over in shock, but the others just stand there stoically. Horrified, I whisper softly. “What’s wrong with them?”

A door suddenly opens. Dr. Spencer and Dr. Monroe step out of a room. They both stand behind the silent Lycans. “Traeger. This is a breach of protocol. I suggest you go back to your cells.” Traeger and Dorian stiffen visibly. Traeger moves forward with a menacing look on his face. “We’re not going anywhere, doctor.” Dr. Monroe moves forward. “This is insolence! You will do as you’re told subject, Traeger! Now hand the girl over and go back to your cell! We will not tell you again.”

Traeger and Dorian clench their jaws and stand firm. Dr. Monroe sneers evilly. “Very well, Traeger. If this is how it is. You leave us no choice.”