Chapter 29

(Chapter song ‘Runar' by Danheim)

OLIVER I sit at my desk in the prison, trying to figure out this. Cornell is on my monitor and my wolf rages inside. All of this is his fucking fault, but given the state of Ezra and the findings in London, I can’t help but think he may have had some sliver of good intention or at least a solution to Rogue Sickness.

I look up any information on the mercenary club he’s part of and there’s very little. The names sound fake and there’s no locations.

His backstory is vague, to say the least. He's an arms of war dealer, from what I can see. Helping win battles, if the stories are accurate. Like the Shaman, but he deals in bodies, not potions.

I wonder if the Shaman knows what Cornell is doing? The question is why? An evolved species of rogue would be harder to control than a regular one. Why would Lefu and the Shaman want that?

There’s something much bigger going on.

I rub my hand on my chin when a knock came at my door.

I turn and see a towering guy with platinum blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. His fucking thick and angry looking even though his face barely shows any emotion. His head almost reaches the top of the door.

“Can I help you?” I arch a brow as I lace my fingers on my desk.

He slowly walks in, studying my office. “The lab…Where is it?” His voice is deep, but monotone.

“Excuse me? Who are you?” I tilt my head and give him a confused look.

He looks out my window, then turns slowly to me. “You know my mother. Lainey Spencer.”

I sit up and look him over with question. “Adam?”

He turns. “Yes.” He puts his hands behind he’s back and his enormous chest puffs out. “Where is it?”

I stand and fix my jacket. My wolf is going nuts. “The last time I saw you, you were 10.”

He arches a brow. “I’m sure you are aware of the Lycan growth patterns. Answer the question.”

I nod. “Right. You’re a triple hybrid. I’m assuming the vamp makes you look and smell like that.” He has a stench of death on him.

“It depends on what I eat. Stop stalling.” He grits. His green eyes glow yellow.

I look him over and smirk.

He narrows his eyes. “What?”

I huff a tiny laugh. “I just realized your father’s last name is Adams.”

He bites his lip and scowls. “I don’t honor my father’s name. Only my mothers. My name has traveled with me for a very long time. I choose the womb, not the father. He’s only a catalyst.”

I cinch my brows. “What do you mean? Traveled with you. Catalyst for what?”

“Not! Important!” He barks loud.

This gets my back up. “Listen, you are in my place. You keep that up and we are going to have more than words.” I growl as I unbutton my cuffs and start to roll up my sleeves.

“The lab!” He yells.

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, buddy.” I tick my jaw as I stare him down.

He leans his hands on my desk. “Your father had an empire called Alliance Labs. Where…is it?”

I turn my head slightly and eye him. “How do you know about that?”

“I know much more than any of you believe.” He eyes me back.

I stuff my hands in my pockets and raise my chin. “Adam…Seriously, even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you.”

I watch his shoulders rise and his eyes glow yellow, green and blue.

He grabs my desk with one hand and throws it out of the way.

He lands a punch on my cheek and stars explode behind my eyelids. I answer back with a powered punch to his jaw.

I swing again and he blocks it. He grabs my throat and pins me on the wall.

He glares into my eyes as his lip snarls. “If you don’t tell me where the Lab is…WE'RE ALL FUCKING DEAD!!”

I wince as his voice feels like he’s punching my fucking brain. His power is crazy and my body is being flooded with senses of rage, fear and despair.

I fight his grip and flare my eyes as I realize how much stronger this kid is. “I only know one…It’s empty.”

“Where?!” He shoves me.

“Red Rock.” I grit. “It’s dead. You won’t find anything in there. Why do you need in?”

He drops me and clear throat. I rub my neck as he stands with a stoic look. “You better be telling the truth.”

I stand straight and adjust my shirt. “I am.”

He blinks then looks around my office. “I apologize for the desk.” He raises his chin. “I needed answers.”

“I can certainly understand that. Maybe…try asking a little…nicer.”

He arches a brow. “Nicer.”

“Nicer.” I nod as I rub my neck again.

He blinks and thinks of it. “Thank you…I will try being…nicer.”

He looks just as confused as I am and he turns sharply. He walks over the mess of my desk and out the door.

I release the breath I was holding and reach into my pocket. “What the hell…” I dial the phone and put it to my ear.

“Jackson…shut up…Listen…You know Hunters kid, Adam…Yeah…he’s not so cute…He just showed up at my office…He’s looking for the lab, Luke…All Enforcers…I mean all…This is one strong mother fucker and he wants in…Evacuate your pack and lock your shit down!...I don’t know…He’s looking for whatever the rogues were, I think…He’s pissed and he’s coming your way…OK…Call me when you shut him down.”

I hang up and look around my office. I find my chair and grab my coat and run out of my office.

Whatever Adam’s looking for has to be connected to whatever is going on with the Rogues and Lefu.

I run into the science wing and to Rivers office. He’s just coming out and I stop him. He looks panicked. “Hey. I need everything you have on the Dire Wolves.”

“I can’t talk right now.” He shrugs on his lab coat. “Emily’s just been brought in. The venom from her mark is stopping her heart.”

“Oh shit. Where’s Mike?” My brows shoot up.

“They’re securing him now. I’m hoping him seeing her will snap him out of whatever Lefu did to him.” He pushes past me. “My computers open. Help yourself.”

I nod as he runs down the hall with his lab coat flying behind him like a cape.

I stride into Rivers office, walk around the desk and pull his chair up to the monitor.

I search the files for London’s biological profile on the dire wolf genetic experiment.

I find the file and open it. The screen fills with hundreds of documents. I run my cursor through them and find one that looks like it might be what I need.

‘Dire Wolves were the force that was once ruled by the High Council.

An army that needed very little food, water or sleep. Once target was acquired, this army was devastating. From what the scientific studies have shown, this creature did not typically process pain as other creatures. This made their fighting techniques hard to overcome.

The Dire wolf itself, was a solid creature. It’s hide was twice as thick as any natural shifter and it’s 6 inch canines had the strength to destroy a car in seconds.

It's speed and stamina rival that of the newly discovered ‘Super Wolves.’ Which leads the scientific community to believe the two species existed at the same time.

One group of anthropologists even suggest the Dire Wolf shifter came from the creations of the Firsts when a natural Dire wolf was bitten thus changing the animal to what we are now discovering to exist.

Its human counterpart is driven and stubborn. It was found to be said that they can determine the character of a person just by reading the energy.

A Dire wolf army is easily controlled, unless the leader of that army is not deemed worthy of their submission. If the leader appears weak, according to writings, the Dires would think it insulting and leave or overcoming the leader to command themselves. This has led to a few instances where the Dire’s went rogue to abandon the one who tried to control them and failed.

They will then find their own battles to fight. Even creating their own wars at will, for no other reason but to fight and kill.

The mating habits and traditions of the species are unknown. Dire Wolves very rarely talked. It’s not that they couldn’t, but according to the High Council, they found talking to be a waste of energy.

Biologically, shifters and dires are similar in structure, but DNA testing on the fossils, found the two are very much separate. Just like the human world, scientists are trying to classify them. For now Dire Wolves will be the classification for this mysterious creature.’

I twist my lips as I read.

‘…easily controlled, unless that leader of that army is deemed not worthy of their submission…’

I lean on Rivers desk and fold my hands in front of my mouth. Is this what’s happening? If Ezra is turning into one of these things, her new found attitude toward me has me thinking that maybe she sees me as weak. She’s trying to take over because I’m not worthy of her.

I nod and shut down Rivers computer.

“Let’s show her who’s worthy.” I leave his office and head for home.

****

I get out of my truck and walk to my pack house. Before I get to the door, I check my phone. Deacon called. I hit dial and call him back.

“Oliver. Thanks for getting back to me.”

I stop. This is the forth time he’s called in three days. Better find out what he wants. “What’s the urgency?”

“You know that wolf you lost?”

I look down at the ground and toe a pebble. “You lost.” I grit.

“Whatever Ollie.”

“What about it?” I look at my front door and stuff a hand in my pocket.

“I ran into her during the Blue Moon.”

This stops my heart. “Where?”

“My pack. She broke into Jenny’s store.”

I close my eyes to contain my anger. I open them and slowly raise my head to the second floor.

“Ollie?”

“Thanks for letting me know.”

I hang up and stand in my driveway, running my tongue against my teeth as I look down and stare at my phone. I tick my jaw and walk into the pack house.

I slam the front door and my boots thud on the stone tile of the foyer. “IAN! WHERE ARE YOU?!”

He rushes out of the back offices. “What?” His brow comes together and he’s holding his hands out. “What the fuck’s your problem now?”

I point upstairs. “Is she here?” I say low, tilt my head to him and clench my teeth.

“Yeah, of course she is. What’s…” He says.

I don’t even let him talk. I turn and take huge steps up the dark wood stairs. “EZRA!!”

I storm down the hall and stop at her door.

I raise a fist, look at it, then raise a boot instead. Yes, I’m that pissed and the bond has lit the fuse to the explosion I’m about to unleash. She can misbehave all she wants at home, but when she starts to attack other packs, that’s where I draw the line.

I kick her door open and she doesn’t even flinch. She just narrows her eyes and shoots me a glare. Her hair hangs down her front as she paints her nails.

“What do you want?” She grumbles.

I cross the floor to her bed. “The Blue Moon…Where were you?”

“Nowhere.” She glances up.

“That’s bullshit. I just got a call from Deacon saying you were in his pack. Why?” I stand at her leg that overhangs the edge of the bed.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She inspects her nails.

I bite my top lip, reach down grab her hair and pull her to her feet. She holds my hands with a growl and tries to fight me as I pin her on a wall.

I throw a finger in front of her nose. “Don’t fucking lie to me, woman. What were you doing in Deacons pack?”

“Nothing!” She grits.

“You broke into his Lunas store. That’s not fucking nothing, Ezra.” I get close to her face.

“You think you fucking scare me? I may be your mate, but I don’t owe you explanations. It sure as fuck doesn’t mean I give you an ounce of loyalty. The last thing I’ll ever be loyal to is a pathetic, pissant Alpha with a superiority complex.” She bites every word and I can see her attitude hasn’t changed since the other day.

I get even closer. Her hot breath is on my lips. “You know, I have taken a lot of shit from people, but when you open that smart mouth of yours, I want nothing more than to shut it up.” I snarl.

The bond fires between us and I’m up to my neck with this fucking dire wolf shit.

“Go ahead…if your balls are big enough.” She sneers.

Oh, she has a steel set, I swear to God. “You really want me to, don’t you?”

Her lip curls and she juts her head to me. “I would love nothing more than to see you try to shut my mouth. Better be good because if it’s not, I’m going to get even louder. Not in a good way.”

She’s testing me now. I can feel it in her.

I thread my fingers into her hair, fist it and I pull her lips to mine. “Oh, you’ll be loud because I’m just that good at shutting up bratty birds.”

Her eyes turn to slits as a small growl vibrates her chest. “Prove it.” She grits. “And I’ll prove how wrong you are.”

I would just love to make that pouty, evil mouth suffer.

“One…More…Time. What were you doing in the store?” I play with her lips as my voice tickles her skin. Her shaky breath warms my lips.

Her heat and arousal rise and it feeds mine. The want grows as this challenge of power intensifies.

“Looking for a cook book.” She smirks.

I press my lips together and with a growl, I grab her throat under her chin, pick her up and throw her to the bed. She bounces off it and lands on the floor.

I stride to the door as she picks herself up. I stop and turn, throwing a finger at her. “Your runs are cut off! You leave this house and I’ll kill you myself!!”

“You don’t own me, Oliver!!” She stands and yells back.

I take steps to her. “NO! I’M SAVING YOUR GODDAMN LIFE, EZRA!!”

“WHO FUCKING ASKED YOU?!” She screams back.

I walk out the broken door and slam it shut. I’m fucking heated and pissed that she’d be so disrespectful when all I want to do is protect her. She’s just such a bitch!

I need to find a way to control her and get past the fact that I want to pin her down, tear all her clothes off with my teeth and mark the hell out of her.

This is her battle. She’s choosing this. I have to come to a very real conclusion…

She’s now a Dire Wolf.