Chapter 18
Josh
There was no way to distinguish the passage of time in my cell.
No windows to show the sun making its daily rounds across the sky.
No clock on the wall. Even my bio-ware was jammed.
A painful lesson I’d learned when I’d tried to dial out and met with ear-piercing static.
The physician arrived as promised on that first day, examined me, said nothing, and left.
Food manifested at regular intervals on the sole table that was magically bolted to the floor.
And I had an enchanted pitcher of water that never ran out.
If it weren’t for the change, I’d have no idea that I was coming up on two months of being here.
Even though I couldn’t see the moon grow fat, every cell in my body sang with the pending full moon.
At my current state of restlessness, I estimated I had three days before my next turn.
I glanced at the wall that had withstood the fury of a caged wolf with scarcely more than a scratch and rolled my shoulders.
Since I couldn’t work off all of my excess energy on Elijah like before, I did the next best thing and focused my energy into near-constant exercise.
Sweat ran down my body as I ran through the forms yet again.
I froze mid-attack sequence when the opaque wall suddenly became translucent.
It wasn’t the first time someone had come by, but it was the first time a full regiment of soldiers didn't accompany them.
I straightened from my fighting stance and watched curiously as two figures appeared to argue.
The man with his hand on the reader was noticeably taller and older than his companion and had faint smile lines around his eyes, though he was definitely not smiling now.
His lips pressed into a grim line as he turned to confront a shorter woman with a fiery mane of hair who was easily ten years his junior.
Abruptly, he removed his hand, but not before the wall began to open. The inch-wide gap was more than enough to hear what was definitely the middle of an argument.
“You can get off your high horse already,” the man said, slicing his hand in a gesture of finality. “I’m well aware of how you detest getting involved. But it’s not my fault you racked up a debt you can’t repay.”
She glowered darkly at him, and the whole corridor seemed to darken in kind.
“Do not test me. Getting you in here without drawing attention was harder than you can imagine. Especially since I’m supposed to be banned from any Council proceedings.
Don’t even get me started on what it took to get you the level of clearance you demanded. ”
He rolled his hazel eyes and returned to opening the wall. “You act as if you never meddle. If memory serves, you have quite the reputation as a meddler.”
“I did what I thought was best at the time.”
“And we all see how that turned out. Small wonder the first thing the Council of Supernaturals did was prohibit you from ever holding a seat. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a patient to attend to.”
Her nostrils flared with an indignant fury that somehow remained absent from her scent. I took a deeper breath. The dank smell of the adjoining corridor filled my nose, but much to my surprise, nothing came from the two strangers.
The man stepped into the room and activated the perimeter that would prevent me from walking out while the door was open.
He glanced back at the woman and released a soft sigh.
“I know I give you a hard time, and I do understand your difficult position regarding the council. Thank you for making this happen.”
She sniffed and moved her still-angry glare to where I was patiently waiting to be acknowledged. “Just don’t forget your name, or it will be more than our asses on the line.”
“Yes, Auntie V.” The man replaced his hand on the scanner, and the wall separating us resumed lifting. While I had no intention of attempting escape, I couldn’t help but wonder why the man was so confident that he could be alone with me.
She curled her lip in obvious distaste, then stalked out of sight, the sound of her movement disappearing almost as abruptly as she did.
Finally, the man turned to face me and walked into my cell. He set down a sizable black bag and walked over to the self-filling water jug. “Good, I see you’ve been avoiding caffeine.”
Rather than address the fact that not only was coffee not provided, but it would be imprudent to consume it in my current state, I focused on a more relevant topic.
“May I ask who you are and why you’ve come unaccompanied?
” On the surface, at least, the man was not imposing.
However, his lack of an armed escort warranted concern.
“Of course. Where are my manners? You can call me Yanesh.”
I raised an eyebrow at his word choice and accepted the handshake. I’d been mistaken before. He had a scent. However, it was so faint as to be practically nonexistent.
“It’s a family name. As for why I’m unaccompanied, consider it doctor-patient privilege. The more important question would be why I feel confident to be so.”
“Okay then, why?”
He smiled and retrieved a pouch from his bag. “I’m not going to answer that.”
I scowled openly. “What kind of doctor are you?” He certainly didn’t act like any doctor I’d ever met.
“A very specialized one.” He measured out what smelled like fresh herbs and poured hot water into my only cup.
I watched as steam curled in the air, and a hint of rose tickled my nose. “You are aware of why I’m here?”
“Yes.”
“And what I am?”
“Yes. On both counts,” he replied without meeting my curious gaze.
“Both?”
He dug into his bag. When he straightened, he held two syringes and a small cube. He sat the latter and one syringe on the table. Then he pressed the top of the cube with his index finger. It pulsed red before turning blue. “There, now we can talk without too much worry of being overheard.”
“Aren’t you concerned I’ll attack you?”
He gave me a level gaze. “Are you a danger to me?”
“I can’t confirm that.”
His eyes brightened, not with fear, but with excitement. “That’s right. Lycan Detectives can’t lie. Fascinating. Should make this very interesting. It’s very rare that I can actually take my patients at their word.”
“Who are you?” As much as I longed for any company beyond my thoughts, his enigmatic responses put me on edge.
“I already told you. I know you’ve been in isolation, but try to keep up. Now, I’m going to draw your blood, and you’re going to drink that tea while we talk.”
“I’m not typically a fan of tea.”
He laughed softly. “You sound just like my husband. Well, he got over it, and so will you. Drink up, fluffy, I’ve got a lot of questions for you.”
I accepted the cup as he made himself comfortable in the room’s sole chair and gestured for me to sit on the bed. The move effectively confirmed my growing suspicions. “You're a therapist.”
He smiled broadly and didn’t dispute the accusation. “Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?”
Elijah
I focused on the ceiling and tried to regulate my breathing. The bed had never felt too big before I’d met Josh, but now without his body warming the other side, it felt like it could swallow me whole. Much like my anxiety. Weeks had gone by without so much as an inkling of whether he was okay.
My breathing picked up again, and I had to forcibly slow it down again.
Eric had already had to rescue me from one panic attack, and I was not eager for a repeat.
Eric’s methods could be a tad… unforgiving.
So I stared up at the ceiling and took one measured breath after another, letting each one out slowly.
There was one consolation amidst all the uncertainty—wherever Josh was, he was alive.
I clung to that knowledge with the desperation of a dying man.
If only the bond were a little stronger, then I’d at least have a heading.
But I didn’t. The bond was so stretched that the only useful thing I could glean from it was that Josh wasn’t dead—yet. I shuddered at the horrible thought and did the same thing I’d done every night since he’d vanished—I called him.
The line rang as it always did, a soft, purring promise of an answer, then… nothing. No recorded response, no automated reply, not even the option to leave a message.
My chest heaved with a sob I struggled to contain. He’d said I could reach him on his personal line anytime. I’d hoped the encrypted–and likely secret–line would survive. That it hadn’t served as a daily reminder that he was gone.
Where are you, Moonbeam?
“Again?” Eric’s sharp question jolted me out of my stupor. I quickly wiped my face and sat up.
“What do you want?”
He sat on the edge of the bed, and his tone softened. “I understand this is hard for you, but you can’t keep wallowing like this.”
“No, Eric, you don’t understand. You don’t have any idea what it’s like to be literally missing half of your soul. Now why the hell are you here?” I grumbled bitterly.
My best friend visibly recoiled, and guilt flooded me.
“I’m sorry.” I hung my head in my hands.
“It’s just… Remus hasn’t been able to come up with anything.
Seven weeks and not even a hint. I feel like I’m waiting for our connection to sever, and it’s killing me.
I never thought I’d wish for the days he was stuck, but at least then I knew where he was, could still see him… touch him…”
“No, I’m sorry. You’re right, I don’t know what you’re going through. I may never know. But it doesn’t change that I’m here for you. Thick and thin, Red, that’s us.”
I groaned into my hands. What had I ever done to deserve this loyalty? I certainly hadn’t been much of a friend lately.
“Hey,” Eric said, resting a hand on my shoulder. “Remus will come through, you’ll see. You just have to have a little more faith and trust that your mate can take care of himself.”
With a sigh, I straightened up from my hunched position of misery, and his hand fell away. I raked my fingers through my hair before tying it back. “So aside from dragging my ass out of a funk, what brings you here this time?”
“Seriously, Red?” He stood and stared down at me in disbelief.
“What?”
“Were you just planning to change here?” He took a step back and gestured to the room at large. “Don’t get me wrong, your place could use a serious update, but I don’t think wolfing-out is quite how you should go about it.”
“Fuck. That’s tonight.”
Surprised shock dominated his face. “Are you honestly telling me you forgot it was the full moon?”
I avoided answering the question, since I didn’t have a good excuse beyond being so wrapped up in my grief and anxiety that I barely remembered to eat half the time.
“I guess I should get going if I’m going to make it to the reserve before moonrise.
” Just like that, my mind careened off the tracks back into worrying about Josh.
“Shit, how is he handling the moon? Where is he changing? Are they even letting him run? How is he managing his condition? Do they have him sedated?”
Eric rushed to my side, where his hands clamped painfully on my arms as my breath came in shorter and shorter gasps. “Whoa, slow down. Are you trying to trigger a change? Think of it like this: if they didn’t know he was a werewolf before, they definitely do now.”
“That’s… not… funny,” I wheezed. It hadn’t been funny the last time he’d made the joke either.
“Oh, I don’t know. The idea of him mauling some idiotic prison guard is pretty funny. Just imagine it. Bozo sticks his hand between the bars and comes back missing an arm. He’s flailing about, painting a red Picasso on the wall. Meanwhile, your beau is nomming away on his midnight snack.”
I laughed despite myself at the ridiculous image he was painting. “I really hate you sometimes.”
“No, you don’t, but you might after what I have to say next.”
“What are you talking about?” I glanced at him, confusion plain on my face.
His sympathetic look was all the warning I needed and more than I deserved. “Red, you can’t change at the reserve again. Conrad is pulling rank and demanding you run with the pack tonight.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Don’t think of it as running with Conrad or even everyone else. Just come run with me, Tommy, and Kale.”
“I won’t go. I’d rather change here and risk tearing this place apart.”
Eric made an exasperated sound deep in his throat and paced in place.
“Except it’s not just about you, is it? While you’ve been hiding out playing house with your nose up your ass, the pack has been in upheaval.
We’re fraying at the edges, man. After all that shit went down with the murder, Tommy and Keith, and then Josh’s fucking psycho mom, the pack needs guidance, a steady hand. They need you, Red.”
“Running with the pack won’t fix Conrad’s control issues. If anything, it’ll make things worse. If I show up and things magically fall into place…” I shook my head. “I’m not going.”
“Yeah… it’s not really optional. Like I said, he pulled rank.
He didn’t exactly say what would happen if you didn’t show, but hinted pretty strongly that it wouldn’t be good.
I don’t know about you, but I can think of at least three very not-good things he could do.
He’s been gunning for you for years. You honestly think not showing will make things any better? ”
“Eric, why are you pressing this?”
He shrugged. “Sorry, Red, I’m under Alpha orders to bring you to the House, one way or another.” Normally that would mean Eric didn’t have a choice but to obey, much like Remus had forsaken his unit in order to follow Josh’s order at the precinct. Alpha orders were law and non-negotiable.
“We both know Conrad isn’t your Alpha.”
“And when you decide to tell him that, I’ll be right by your side. You really want to tackle that tonight, though?”
My shoulders caved inward again. “No.”
“Does that mean you’re running with the pack tonight?”
“Doesn’t sound like I really have a choice.”
He shook his head. “You’ve always had a choice, Elijah. You’ve just never chosen to exercise it.”