Page 13 of The Wolf's Secret Baby

Ambrosia rose up and looked down her nose at us. “I am Dr. Ambrosia Hart. If you were in my office, then you would see all the qualifications and certifications hanging on my wall. I have made a career out of studying the mind and human behavior. I know more about this than you could ever know, and I have seen people in your position before, people who strive to earn the respect of someone else, when such a thing is never possible. Vance grinds you down, insults you, belittles you. You do realize that there is nothing to say that life has to be this way, right? Just because you have been treated this way your entire life does not make it right, or the natural order of things. This entire pack has never given you the basic respect that every living thing deserves. Frankly, I don’t think it should matter how you were brought into this world. Life is life, no matter what shape it takes. It wasn’t as though you chose to volunteer for this procedure either. Why should you be punished for the actions of other men? You are being judged for things outside of your control, and you are never given the opportunity to be more than you are. He may be the Alpha, but he is holding you back, and nothing is ever going to change as long as you stay in this pack. I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. It must have been a hard life.”

I furrowed my brow. The words she spoke made sense and yet I did not want to hear them. It was anathema for me to think that we were victims, or that it could have been different.

“You wouldn’t understand. We are wolves, not humans,” I snarled.

“It’s perfectly fine to be angry. It can be difficult to challenge the beliefs that have been with us all our lives. I know you think that this is normal because it’s what you have been used to. You may be wolves, but I think that there are similar thoughts running through the minds of people in this pack as there are back where I’m from. People can be cruel and judgmental. They can let their prejudices get the better of them, even when the people they’re prejudiced against are children. All of that abuse you suffered at such a young age has taken its toll and shaped your view of the world. It’s going to be hard, but we can change that. I can help you accept it.”

For a moment my mind flashed back to my earliest memories. I was in a room with Kull, being tested over and over again. I could hear the disappointment in the voices of the scientists. I wanted to do better. I wanted to please them and make them proud. I was tired of them looking at us as though we had let them down, but there didn’t seem to be any way for me to do what they wanted. Instead, they left Kull and I alone, cold and deprived of touch. That was until the day when they let us leave, saying that they had no more use for us. We were allowed to join the pack, but people looked at us strangely then and it had been that way ever since. We had always been picked on, taunted, and generally seen to be the worst of the pack. Was Ambrosia right?

“What if we do not wish to accept it?” I asked in a low voice.

Ambrosia placed her hands on her knees and exhaled slowly. “Then you are always going to be the people they think you are. You’re going to define yourself through their opinions of you and you are never going to be your own men. I doubt you will ever find peace, because they will never give you what you are searching for. The true kind of peace and happiness can only be found within. It’s not an easy path but it is one worth walking. You deserve a chance to heal,” she said, shifting hergaze between both of us. I was still skeptical, although Kull was clearly considering it.

“What you say makes sense,” Kull admitted.

I curled my lip. “We are not victims!” I cried out.

“There’s no shame in admitting that what you’ve been through isn’t something anyone should go through. I have dealt with many people who have suffered through traumatic upbringings, and it is never too late to confront the damage and try to heal, but it will get harder and harder the more time that passes. None of these people value you, so you do not value yourselves and that is not the way anyone should live. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about. This is my area of expertise.”

I wasn’t sure I could trust her. She seemed knowledgeable but she also wanted to escape. What if this was some trick designed to twist our minds? I didn’t have a chance to think about things as we were interrupted.

“Typhon, Kull, reveal yourselves,” a demanding voice uttered from beyond the entrance to our alcove. I bristled at the sound and my nostrils flared. The last thing I wanted was his company.

Chapter Ten

Kull

My stomach churned when I heard Siv’s voice. I gritted my teeth and rose to my feet, as did Typhon. For the moment we had to ignore Ambrosia’s words, although she had given me a lot to think about. Of course, Typhon was going to deny everything because he didn’t want to think that the precious Alpha could ever do anything wrong, or that they were treating us unfairly. He still believed we were playing by the same rules as them, when we were playing a different game entirely.

“Go away, Siv,” Typhon and I cried out in unison. He ignored us and took our words as an invitation to come in. He swept away the blanket and strode into our alcove. He was bigger than us, always had been. Seeing him made tension prickle beneath my skin. My thoughts were filled with memories of him hitting us over and over again, taunting us for not being the warriors we were supposed to be. He used his superior strength to belittle us, always reminding people that we were failed experiments. His mocking laugh often echoed around my mind, haunting me in my nightmares. I could still taste the metallic tang of blood that his fists always caused.

“That’s no way to greet an old friend,” he said, spreading out his arms. It didn’t take long for me to realize that he wasn’t here for us, as his gaze quickly fell upon Ambrosia; and he became intrigued immediately. “I heard about your little plea to Vance. It’s funny that you keep trying to make this happen, when it’s never going to. You should be happy with your lot in life.”

“We don’t need you to tell us that, Siv,” Typhon said.

“You don’t know what you need. That’s always been your problem. So, this is the human,” he said, ignoring Typhon andapproaching Ambrosia. She stiffened with fear, and I started towards her, not wanting Siv to take liberties. He touched her hair and looked her up and down. “What a fine specimen she is. You’re not completely without your uses, are you,” he murmured. “I think there’s a lot we could learn.”

“Vance doesn’t think so,” I said.

“Sometimes he can’t see the true potential of things. I could imagine many uses…” he trailed away, and the implication of his words made me sick. They had the same effect on Ambrosia as well, who looked towards me for help. I sidled up to them and glared at Siv.

“It doesn’t matter what you can imagine because we found her. We brought her back here. She’s ours.”

Siv laughed. “Have you already forgotten that whatever you bring here is for the pack? You don’t deserve to have belongings. You especially do not deserve a prize such as this. You wouldn’t know what to do with her anyway, or how to appreciate her properly. No, I think it’s best if I take her off your hands,” he took Ambrosia’s wrist. As he did so, I stepped forward and hissed at him.

“Get your hands off her,” I said, feeling a protective and possessive instinct surging through me. Siv arched an eyebrow.

“Are we really going to do this dance again? I’ll take what I want, or do you need to be reminded of what happened when we were younger?”

“She is ours by right, Siv,” Typhon said, flanking Siv. “If you want to try and take her you will be breaking the rules of the pack. You may not think we have any rights, but are you willing to put that to the test?”

Siv narrowed his eyes and gazed at us in turn. Eventually he let go of Ambrosia’s wrist. “I will speak with Vance, and you will be left in no doubt about your rights,” he hissed. “Perhaps you could use a timely reminder about your role in this pack.I shall return, so keep her safe,” he jabbed a finger towards Ambrosia and spoke as though he already owned her. Then, he turned on his heels and marched out of the alcove.

Typhon and I cursed at him.

“Who was that?” Ambrosia asked.

“An old childhood friend,” Typhon replied ironically.

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