Page 40 of Redeemed Wolf

“So far, they’re hanging in there,” I assured him, but I knew that most of what I had to say wouldn’t go over well. “Look, I’m sorry to have to tell you like this, but Carter is my mate.”

Jesse gasped, choking on a sob. “He is? That’s… that’s good, right? No one else will protect him like you will. Is he… is he okay?”

“Yes, for now, and hopefully, we’re close to getting them all out of there. Is Joe still there? I need to talk to him.”

The phone was passed back, and we got down to business. “Look, Carter doesn’t remember that he’s a wolf, but he will soon, and when he does, I can’t predict how he’ll react, but I have a feeling we don’t want to wait and find out.”

“Well, what do you have in mind?” Joe asked, his voice hardening. This was the man I needed. Not the father or the mate. I needed the mobster, the criminal with the right connections who didn’t mind getting his hands dirty.

“The way Dr. Taylor does his research, he times collecting samples around the full moon when our beasts are at the surface. But that also means—”

“That it’s when we’re at our strongest,” he finished the thought for me, already jumping on board my train of thought.

“Exactly. You and I need to find a way for us to sync up, so that you can provide a diversion at the same time I’ll be in the cell getting the sample. Something loud and preferably violent.”

He chuckled, the sound dark and full of promise. “Oh, I’m sure I can come up with something.”

“I know I can rely on you.” I was painting the image in my mind, trying to think ahead to Eric’s procedures. “Amelia’s smart, and they tend to bring non-lethal weapons into her cell, so it would be easier to get her out first, but Isaac is… well, he’s a powerhouse and he’s very,veryangry.”

“You think he deserves a little payback?” he asked with malevolent glee.

“Oh, I know it.”

We spent the next few minutes going over plans, but in the end, it was more a matter of hitting them hard and fast and then getting the hell out of there. We couldn’t give them a chance to mobilize their defenses.

“Trust me, Silas. I’ve been collecting my own information on the lab and its employees, and I have a very reliable source. You take care of what you can on the inside and know that I’ve got your back. Whatever you need, it’s yours.” I took that to mean muscle and firepower.

It wasn’t in my nature to accept help from others. I’d stood alone for so long, been screwed over so many times, that it hadnever come naturally to me, but I was surprised to find that it felt kinda good to have people I could trust to watch out for me and mine. And then, to watch out for them in return.

This was what I’d always thought being pack Alpha would be like.

Chapter 18

Carter

I’d promised Silas I’dwait a few days to see how I felt, and it was proving to be the right decision. I’d been drinking the herbal tea every morning and evening, and while the flavor tended to be a little on the spicy side, Silas added a teaspoon of honey to make it more palatable.

My mind was so much clearer now, my thoughts sharp without any lingering fog around the edges. Honestly, I hadn’t felt this good in a long time—maybe ever. Well, except for the return of the voice in my head, but I was honestly starting to get used to it. It almost felt like having a best friend in my pocket, who only spoke in growly monosyllabic commands. His favorite words tended to be “Silas” and “mate,” which I assumed was encouraging me to have sex with Silas, and I was obviously more than willing to do. Although more recently, he’d added the word, “pup.” I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but I would figure it out eventually.

My dad kept asking me how I was feeling. I told him I was feeling great, which was true, and that I didn’t need a new dosage for my meds, also true. The only headaches I got these days were when I spent too much time under the red lights in the hallways. The nightmares still made their appearance almost nightly, but sleeping next to Silas tended to help with them more than any sleeping pills did.

In the mornings, I’d been waking up feeling fresh and rested, but instead of forgetting the dreams, I was starting to remember bits and pieces. There was a metal table and a tray of surgical instruments, a splash of bright red accompanied by biting pain… That was usually when I woke up.

It felt more like a memory than a dream, and it scared me to think about that too hard.

Along with the other symptoms of being sober, I found the lab was an entirely different place. I was constantly being bombarded with all kinds of new stimuli, scents and sounds I couldn’t really understand. It was almost like I could hear colors or taste emotions. Connections were being made in my brain, like my wires were crossed, but when I did what Silas had suggested and experimented with my instincts, I found I was able to see a lot more of what was being shown to me.

I was standing at the counter in the lab, my ears perked to catch a snippet of conversation as a pair of guards walked past the lab, even though the door was closed.

“No way, man. I helped last month. It’s your turn,” one uniformed guard was saying.

“What, like I have a death wish? You couldn’t pay me enough to set foot in that cell,” the other replied.

I frowned, my eyes trailing after them as they passed out of earshot. What were they talking about? What cell?

The door to the lab pushed open and Dad came in. He smiled at me, but it didn’t quite look right, like there didn’t seem to bemuch genuine happiness behind it. I’d been noticing that lately, like he was wearing a mask most of the time. Had it always been like this and I simply hadn’t noticed, caught behind the drug-induced brain fog? Wasn’t it strange that my father wasn’t happy to see me?

“Hey, kiddo,” he said in greeting. “I’ve got some work for you to do in the back today. Do you mind?”

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