Is he kidnapping people now? What type of maniac was I born into?

"We should call the police." Bora grabbed my shoulder to keep me from dialing the 911 emergency line, confused. He pointed to himself, telling me without telling me he was all the help we needed. "I know you are, but this has gone from werewolf escapades to human abduction. If our faces appear on the big screen as wanted fugitives, they would chase us down and throw us into jail, or even worse. God forbid they catch any transformations on breaking news. It will turn from hunting down Cage to a military laboratory facility with a thousand needles. It won't end well." I placed my hand on his chest to infer.

He relaxed, thinking for a moment, but Miska's importance came blurting out her nonsense. "Are you dense? You just gave us a reason not to call them. She is a potential danger. We don't know what that woman has seen or what they did to her. She will spill everything."

"There is only one way to deal with a threat." Carina whistled to wake up the lifeless girl having a dual-edged blade held out. She didn't flinch in her fetal position from the nose. She did a double slash swing at the glass enclosure, but Bora blocked it with a backrest, knocking her back into operating tables bursting with the loudest ruckus.

He stood tall to everyone in the room while the tension grew thick in my breast. "You wait for my command or suffer a beating." His expression chilled my spine, standing up the hairs on my arms. His words puzzled me, reacting to that energy he gave off.

Her raspy voice grunted and barked frustration, fingers through her ninja stars puffing up her chest in his face. That bold redhead stallion with intense green eyes stared at him for a momentary pause, but he didn't flex a muscle, waiting for her to pounce. She relaxed, falling into the crowd of us. "Remember, Bora, I am not your bottom feeder. I have my village."

"You are a terrible leader if you think your tribe is a bottom feeder. Learn something. We recover what she knows to give her a chance. If we're lucky, she won't recall anything from possibly being drugged many times. Then we can report her to the police, but there is zero communication. We drop her off and go."

"And if she remembers?" Miska caught his attention.

"Then we find another way."

My brother shakes his head. "Things are getting messier."

"It's because we are in the city." Wooly stares out the window into the Olympics of millionaires. He was right. A place where you will never be free. At least not the freedom they get. They may hate it, but I still have my favorites.

"Since Gemma and I are the only normal-looking individuals here, it is best we talk to her." Quinn threw his hat on the table of ideas. Hesitating, they decide to nod off to let him handle it.

I could see these wolves are not used to taking suggestions from humans. They wouldn't want us to lead them because it would be similar to them feeling like obedient pets. A species that sees themselves as much higher than what they will turn them to. I get it. But we are not them. I trudged to the mirror, noticing she hadn't budgeted while lying asleep. I place my palm on the cold flat surface, fogging up the glass. It was soundproof. The luminous green open button displays an invitation. I pressed the screen, and it rolled the opposite of what I thought. It is jam-locked and lit up red.

Fascinating. If my father wasn't a monster, I would have joined him in his work. It was very impressive, but I changed my mind and became an astronomer in the making. There is something about the universe that calls to me and most in my weakest moments. Even more, I don't want to bother with following in his footsteps.

The Sun and the Moon. I looked at Bora. It's starting to all come together. I questioned our connection for a brief second when Miska showed up. Maybe I interfered with the timeline that wasn't meant for me, but I am his timeline, and forever will be.

"Any ideas?" Qu snapped me out of my daze.

I pucker my lips to think. "Yeah." But the girl freaked out about the blackout with her room lit red before I could decide.

She scrambled to the corner like a child running from a threat behind the bed. "Who are you? Where's your quarantine gear?"

Quinn and I studied at each other, wondering. "Um, could you tell us more about them?" I stepped closer while Bora and him tried to pry open the door.

"I haven't seen a face in a while. These suits come in and gas me, and the next thing I know, I am back in this prison. I try to fight them off, but." She slid down, disappearing behind the bed.

"But what?" I stood on my toes to see her, but she was hidden to where it appeared no one was in the room. "Hey, we are here to help you." No response. "We gotta get her out there."

"Yeah, but how?" Que gyrating the handle.

Bora expected the glass. "It's the same material they had me in. Useless."

"I'm sure we'll figure out some way to open it." Wooly opened the double steel doors to another hallway.

Carina clutched Miska's arm from following him. "Do you feel that?"

My mate guarded me. "I do."

Quinn held up the shock gun he stole from the office, making it electrify with a worried gaze. "What is it? Michael Myers, Freddy Kroger? Come on! What? Say something?"

"It's your knees knocking." My wolf man glanced back with a sly smile.

Que smacked his lips. "I ain't that scared."

"Whatever it is. It isn't good."

"It can't be that bad. Wooly left first." Carina put away her weapon.

"That's because curiosity kills the cat, as the saying goes." Miska entered the hall.

"You should stay behind me," Bora warns with a gentle push to the rear of him.

I peeked over his shoulder, staring into the dark opening that everyone else went into. "What do you think it is?"

Quinn checked the juice on the gun. "Whatever it is, it has three of the strongest supernatural creatures on high alert." He squeezed the trigger, manipulating the static electricity spark. "Yeah, this baby is ready to burn off some skin."

"Or fur."

"Don't get yourself killed." Bora patted his chest.

My brother brushed him off. "Ay! I'll use this on you." He rubbed his rib cage in discomfort. "Damn."

We pace the halls of flickering lights and flip over equipment. I am sensing what the wolf's senses are. There's a foul penny smell in the air. The acid ascended in my throat, making my cavity water while I tried to fight it from reaching its goal of splattering all over the floor. "Breathe out your mouth to avoid inhaling." Bora helped me overcome the nausea building that I barely can withstand. Unusual stinks rarely get to me, but this is sickening.

"Good thing I am not you guys, or I'll be waiting out back if it smells that bad," Que said.

"We should stay quiet." He halted, making everybody follow suit. Everyone hunched the same as you would do when ducking an angry bird. We hear grunting, and wet sloppy chews at the door we walked upon. He tapped Carina and thumbed at me. Protect her, he mouths to her while he goes.

I pushed Quinn ahead to support him. "Have his back."

"What am I going to do?"

"Use the electric gun, stupid."

"Oh, right?" He put his finger on the trigger, aiming upwards, prepared for an attack. He went on and so did Miska. The eyes of worry wash over Carina. She wants to join them after watching her live alone with my brother.

She checked the empty scenery, then focused on me. "You will be safe here."

"You are leaving me?"

"I have to protect her and Quinn."

"What? They got it."

"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right. And I am not talking about the eeriness of this place, but my gut is telling me to go."

"Okay. I'll wait here."

"You're strong now. You got this. Plus, I'm not the coddling type." She has a brief cocky smile mocking Bora and my relationship. She is so petty. "Stay alert and you should be fine." She raced off to locate them as I contemplated what to do next because bad stuff happens when you settle still. Maybe I'll head to the area and figure out how to unlock the door. I doubt they will find anything wherever they're headed. I skipped back to the opposite direction and ran full speed down the dark hall into the room where the girl was.

The lights were on, and it was wide open. "What?" I jogged inside, searching for her, but she was gone. "Where did she go?" I pivoted to head out the door, but a bone-chilling presence filled the doorway and halted my footsteps - a nightmarish being, its snout moist from constant licking. Its burnt brownish fur appears like someone ran an iron through it, burning it to a crisp, but it remains intact. The eyes are bloodshot red, following my fingers as I wiggle in uncertainty.

Staying put was the better option.