Page 53 of Betrayed By the Alpha Wolf

It’s just so gross-looking. Ugh.

“I think we’ve got a bit used to it now. I mean, we always have a little bit of it going just in case, and the lab has kind of just absorbed some of the smell.”

Forrest shrugged as he took a spot next to me at the table. We took the distilled chemical and mixed it with the stabilizing compound in small batches so that the Alphas could ingest it more easily.

“Well, I think I’m glad I didn’t hang out in there for long. Because this,” I gestured to the stuff on the table, “wreaks.”

Willow left the antidote to do its thing at the distilling station and joined Forrest and me at the table.

“Your sense of smell is likely heightened right now as well. You’re pregnant, and a lot of pregnant wolves experience a greater level of sensitivity to light, smells, sounds, and even temperatures.”

I was aware that would likely be the case, but being reminded of my condition wasn’t the stress-easer Willow was going for.

“Yeah, it’s been a joy.”

“Well, then. How about we take your mind off it a bit?” Forrest smiled at me when I glanced up at him. “We’ve learned a few more interesting things about wolven fertility and species-borne illnesses thanks to your samples.”

Humoring him, I offered my own gentle grin, sighing as I stretched my back, which ached from sitting stooped over the table.

“Yeah? Like what?”

Willow stepped up at that, shuffling through the papers that had been stacked up at the end of the table just past the microscope that she’d somehow managed to bring with her. That was still a mystery to me, but I knew that she’d lucked out when it came to ingredients because a lot of this lab—Eli’s lab—was filled with the stuff he’d used to make the drugs in the first place.

“Well, as we mentioned, the markers are different on shifters, humans, and V?lva.” Willow handed me one of the printouts she’d brought with her, always the worker bee. “They have appeared to be leaning toward better chances of fertility and survivability. Well, I can all but guarantee that now. The markers that I found in Senna’s blood, as well as yours and Kaiden’s child, are also reflected in Kaiden’s DNA and…my own.”

I furrowed my brow at her, trading glances between Willow and Forrest. “Umm, I’m sorry. I’ve seen you shift. Are you saying that…What are you saying?”

She ducked her head for a moment, clearing her through as she straightened the stack of papers. “I’m half human, Kenzie.”

“What?! Does Kaiden know this? Who are—”

Willow held up a hand, halting my words. “The Alpha has been informed, yes. I hadn’t told Eli for…obvious reasons. But I trusted Kaiden to be understanding, especially considering who his own mate was.”

My mouth hung open, and I had to forcibly tell myself to clamp it shut again. I nodded slowly, gesturing with my hand so that Willow would continue.

“When I arrived at the Williams’ compound as a child, I’d just lost my parents. My father was a…hunter.”

Eyes flaring, I flicked my eyes to Forrest—who nodded solemnly—before returning my attention to Willow.

“He’d nearly killed my mother, but when he’d seen her there, injured in the snow, he couldn’t bring himself to shoot her. I’d been told the story of how they met several times. He’d been chasing an all-white wolf who miraculously turned into a beautiful woman. They fell in love and then had me.

“I spent a blissful fifteen years with them before the gang of hunters that my father used to be a part of caught up to us. They murdered my family and left me an orphan. The Williams’ territory was the first I’d found. I had no idea how wolf packs were supposed to operate, so I had to assume that his cruelty was the norm.”

“And Eli never knew? He never questioned?”

Willow scoffed. “Oh, he questioned. I just gave him the answer he wanted. I told him my rogue wolf parents had been killed, and I was on my own. I was also very skilled in medicine and science, my father being a chemist in his previous life. So, Eli had use for me.”

I put my hand on her shoulder. “Willow, I’m so sorry. Losing your parents…I understand. Explicitly.”

She eyed me, and in a silent connection, she knew what I was getting at. Kaiden and I had lost our parents to hunters and were raised by Jet, after all.

“Thank you.” She nodded. “Well, anyway. Even as a half-wolf, I have heightened fertility and resilience markers. Though I imagine that the only reason most wolf markers are so low is that they’re essentially purebloods. Not spreading the genetics around is never a good idea.”

The wheels in my head churned. “So, it’s not that our markers are higher. They’re where they’re supposed to be. The other wolves are…”

“Genetically inferior because of isolation. Yes.” Willow pulled up the DNA results again. “There’s also a higher susceptibility to disease and mental health issues.”

“Well, fuck.” A hard burst of mirthless laughter left me. “That explains a lot.”

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