24. Darius
DARIUS
My office wasn’t small, but with the amount of people and new equipment, it felt claustrophobic.
The hum of computers filled the air as I looked over the information that Astrid had gotten from Bentley.
It had been confirmed that the wolfsbane was the same as what grew on the island.
There had to be more about that secret lab that we didn’t know.
I was tempted to go back, but I knew we didn’t have that kind of time today.
Moving over to my computer, I pulled up all the files that we’d gotten off the computers and sorted through them again. I’d gone over these so many times, but still, I couldn’t seem to find that one thing I was looking for. What connected this all together?
Turning to one of my men, I waved him over. “Bring Bentley here, if you could. I believe he’s in the medical wing.”
I knew there was a change in the information being input, but it wasn’t like handwriting where you could see the style change.
It was much more subtle than that. There was a change in preference of solutions being used, amounts, and binders.
Never had I Googled so many medical terms and chemical names, but I had to understand if I was going to see the difference.
The next time I looked up, I found Bentley waiting patiently for me to notice him.
“You could have said something,” I grumbled.
Bentley raised a brow at me. “I did. You didn’t even bat an eye.”
Waving off his accusation, I pointed to the screen. “Did you notice the change in the process starting after subject seventy-three left the program?”
“Of course, but I assumed it was because whatever he did that one time didn’t work again. Every female is different, and it would have surprised me if the exact same concoction worked on every woman,” he said, walking around to look at what I was reading.
“That makes sense, but would they have changed both the chemicals and the amounts so drastically? I feel like this is a different person picking up where Dr. Faulk left off,” I pointed out.
Bentley leaned in and seemed to look at the information with new eyes.
“You actually might be onto something with that. I just assumed it was for a similar but different study. It would be impossible for them to find enough viable DNA from the remains of pure werewolves to make this a reliable system. Truthfully, the fact Vivianna exists is a modern-day miracle.”
I snarled at hearing her full name, thinking back to how Viv reacted to it when we said it. “Don’t call her that. It’s Viv or Dama. Never Vivianna. She hates it.”
Bentley took a step back at the force of my words, blinking at me. “Very well. That name is stricken from my memory.”
I grunted, turning back to the screen. “If they aren’t trying to recreate what they did with Viv, then what are they doing?”
“I haven’t a clue. This isn’t all the information. Some is missing, and there were no test subjects recorded, even though it says the treatment was administered. None of this makes sense,” Bentley said, shaking his head and frowning in irritation.
Knowing that I had other things to handle before getting ready for the night, I exited out of the file. “Thank you for your help. Seems we just don’t have all the information yet.”
“Certainly. Anything I can do to help figure out who would wish any harm to Viv,” Bentley said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You have feelings for her.” There was no question in that, I could see it written in his expression.
“Even if I did, I don’t believe the sentiment is returned,” Bentley admitted. “I will be here by her side for as long as she needs me, helping in whatever way I can. Never will you have to question where my loyalties lie where she is concerned.”
I felt for the guy. I knew that she trusted him and leaned on him, but I didn’t see the same spark that I did with that Tristan guy. Having had my own journey of torturing myself with denying my need for Viv, I was impressed he would own it, even if he didn’t get anything in return.
“You never know, Bentley. Viv is a woman no one can put in a box. She trusts you, and in some ways, that is a stronger bond than attraction,” I said, shocked that I, of all people, would be giving this guy a pep talk.
He gave me a half-hearted smile in return before leaving me to deal with the security for tonight.
“Chaz,” I called out, knowing he was in the hall.
“Yes, Alpha?” he said, standing at the ready before my desk.
“How many men did we get from Rik’s pack?”
“Thirty are here with another fifteen in the air, due to land any minute,” Chaz rattled off.
I drummed my fingers on the desk as I went over the blueprints of the castle in my head.
“Keep the bulk of the men in the area around the dining hall, but I want pairs of two guarding the halls surrounding. We need a group stationed by the private wing just in case someone thinks they can sneak in there and lay in wait.”
Chaz didn’t speak, he just let me talk and took notes on his tablet to put everything into action.
“Let’s keep the castle guards outside to keep an eye on the surrounding area. They know the lay of the land the best, so spotting any changes will be easy for them. Have we had any word about what Ambassador Beck is up to?”
“Our men have been tracking him, but there is nothing abnormal about his visit other than the fact that he hasn’t reached out to The Collective at all. It’s as if he’s there on holiday,” Chaz said.
“Right. A holiday. Just after news that his wife is divorcing him breaks in the media. Totally normal behavior for him,” I growled, rubbing the back of my neck. “Keep him under watch until further notice. That man is up to something.”