Chapter 2 #2
Luna scoffed. “Alex doesn’t appease anyone.
You’re either a bribe or a spy. And I don’t even care which.
” Luna hugged her one last time then ducked into the bathroom and undressed.
Dawn handed her the backpack, which Luna had neglected to grab, then Luna handed her the dirty clothes.
“Thank you for all of this,” she said, shielding herself with the door. “I’ll see you later. I hope.”
Unsure when her next shower would be, Luna took her time in the bathroom.
She vigorously washed her hair and slathered her entire body with the cleansing liquid.
She was squeaky clean and fresh smelling by the time she stepped out of the enclosure.
The jeans fit well and the shirt wasn’t her usual style, but it was clean so she buttoned the front with a contented smile on her face.
She was pulling a comb through her damp hair as she stepped out of the bathroom.
Alex lounged on her bed. His back pressed against the wall and his long legs angled so his boots rested off the edge of the mattress. “Evelyn has been returned to cabin four,” he informed her. “Are you ready to cooperate?”
He’d opened with a concession, so she paused to strategize. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of the night before. “I’d like to cooperate with you, but I will not behave as reprehensively as Eugene Babcock.”
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, but remained seated. “What are you willing to do?”
She wasn’t sure why he was being so reasonable. Intimidation and bullying seemed to be his strategies the night before. “I’ll analyze the formula and run simulations, but I will not test it on any female unless she volunteers for the procedure.”
He looked as if he would argue, then heaved a sigh and stood up. “Fine. I’ll convince some of the women to volunteer. Unlike my predecessor, I am capable of compromise.”
Luna had never met Elias, but she’d witnessed the brutality he sanctioned. She’d put Alex in the same category, but this development gave her a flicker of hope.
“I brought you some boots and a coat.” He motioned to the table. The boots rested on the floor and the coat was folded on one of the stools. “Finish dressing and I’ll show you to the lab.”
The lab, like the stockade, was a converted cabin. It was located near the center of the village, unlike the stockade, which had been set apart from the other cabins. Luna had been in all three villages and found the common characteristics fascinating.
She noticed the size and shape of the lab as Alex unlocked the door. “Do you guys only have one floorplan?”
He glanced at her, but a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. “There are three, but construction is clearly not our strong suit.”
No, raising hell is. She kept the thought to herself, but everything she knew about the wolf shifters reinforced the conclusion.
They’d instigated nearly all the attacks and had been responsible for murdering hundreds of human males.
Granted, the village had been under the command of a different alpha at the time.
But that didn’t excuse their brutality. They were much more like ancient Vikings than peaceful settlers.
She stepped into the living room and froze. “Was this Babcock’s cabin?” There was nothing unusual with the compact scanners or sample analyzers, but the arrangement was familiar. She’d seen a lab set up like this at the Nuevo off-world complex.
“We had it fumigated after he died,” Alex claimed with another half-smile.
“It might be wrong, but I’m glad he’s dead,” Luna muttered then forced his ghost from the room and looked at the setup objectively.
“If you hated him so much, why did you continue to work at Nuevo Biotech?” Alex challenged, his expression suddenly cold.
She faced him, hands on her hips, and boldly met his gaze.
“My objection to the Griffen Project should be obvious. I don’t give a shit if the program was illegal.
Scientific advancement has always broken rules.
I hate that Babcock and all his minions forced their will on captives.
If you had volunteered—as everyone claimed—I would have been proud to be part of the project. ”
His features gradually relaxed and he studied her with new interest. “How long did you work there?”
“Eleven years. Three in a different department and eight on Babcock’s team.”
His jaw clenched and his gaze narrowed again. Apparently, he wasn’t a fan of brutal honesty. Well, that was too bad because it was standard operating procedure for her.
“When did you know we were unwilling?”
“All of my interaction with the hybrids was indirect. I was told you had volunteered and I had no reason to doubt it.”
Her nonchalance clearly pissed him off even more. His voice was so rough when he spoke again that it didn’t sound human. “You didn’t want to know.”
“I saw teams of hybrids leaving the complex with loaded weapons. They were holding the weapons. They weren’t being threatened with them.
They would be gone for a day or two and then return.
They weren’t supervised. They didn’t appear coerced in any way.
I figured you were mercenaries, hybrid super soldiers.
Earth’s militaries have been trying to create them for centuries.
And my experience with military organizations is that it’s foolish to ask questions.
Unlike the medical teams, I never saw the restraints.
I had no idea you were being held in cages. ”
His amber gaze moved over her face. His expression was still tense, but he seemed less angry. “If all of the women volunteer, can you actually do this?”
“I’m not sure,” she answered honestly. “I need time to study the formula.”
He motioned to the compact computer on the desk across the room. “All of his work is on that.”
She walked over to the desk and sat down. Twisting around so she could see him, Luna said, “Let Dawn talk to the other women. She’s subtle but compelling. They’ll respond better to her than to you.”
He nodded and left her alone in the lab.
* * *
Nate looked up from the arrowhead he’d been sharpening as Alex walked into the cabin they shared.
“Was Luna any more reasonable this morning?” A sleepless night left Nate restless and edgy.
His hands shook and he found it hard to sit still.
His wolf prowled within him, ready to tear something apart.
After closing the door and shrugging out of his coat, Alex joined Nate at the table. “Dawn did a wonderful job of calming down Luna. Hopefully, the other women will be as receptive to her message. Luna is currently in the lab assessing the new formula.”
“Really?” Her stubbornness the night before had indicated a longer struggle. Nate was pleasantly surprised by the development, but he wasn’t sure he believed her acquiescence. “Are you sure she isn’t going through the motions so you’ll let her out of the stockade?”
“I think that’s exactly what she’s doing,” Alex admitted. “She gave in much too easily.”
Nate nodded and set the arrow aside. Alphas and betas operated as a team, but there was a definite hierarchy.
Nate’s analytical mind and calm demeanor balanced Alex’s more volatile nature.
Their transformation, and the mutual trauma surrounding their captivity, deepened their friendship, making it feel almost familial.
“What’s our next move?” Nate asked.
“We give her a few days to produce results, and when she accomplishes nothing,” Alex predicted, “we move on to a stronger motivation.”
Nate hoped to hell that motivation involved sex because his cock had been hard ever since he caught Luna’s scent.
He’d been fantasizing about her for days, imagining all the ways they would enjoy her soft body and sassy mouth.
They would touch and taste her, fill her so completely that she would never think of another male.
Alex was clearly interested in her, but he didn’t seem to burn as Nate burned.
Nate couldn’t purge her image from his mind and sensual dreams filled his sleep.
He thought about her all day and woke up each morning aching to claim her.
“You can interact with her as often as you like, but we fuck her together,” Alex stressed, apparently guessing the direction of Nate’s thoughts.
“I understand.” He wasn’t happy about it, but there were certain lines he would never cross.
It wasn’t just an honor to be chosen as beta to the village alpha.
Nate genuinely liked Alex. Respected the hell out of him.
They’d met in the Planetary Defense Force and their years at Nuevo Biotech solidified and strengthened the bond previously formed by years of combat on and around Earth. “What are your plans for today?”
“If the birds are going to join forces with the cats—and we both know they are—we need to lock in our alliance with the exotics. I’m meeting with the other alphas, so I need you to go talk to Soko.”
Nate cringed, pressing back into his chair. “Soko banished me from Shadow City last time I was down there. You better send someone else.”
Alex shook his head. “I can’t trust this to anyone else.
You’re my beta for a reason.” Nate started to argue, but Alex silenced him with an upraised hand.
“Take Paul with you. Everyone likes Paul. Besides, you’re going to offer Soko a gift so valuable that he’ll embrace you like a brother.
” He handed Nate a datasheet without further explanation.