Chapter 78: Work or Die

(MAYA)

It all happened so fast.

One minute, Jerry was talking to me, his back to the door, and the next, he was on the ground, bleeding.

Nobody should have been able to enter the lab, especially not Cassian, Corrine’s assistant on the task force investigating the kidnapped shifters. Only a select few had their handprint registered on the door’s lock.

But it opened. And there he was. And then there was so much blood.

I remember Jerry’s shocked cry as he went down. I remember Cassian grabbing me by my arm and digging his claws into my neck. Just the tips. But they must have been laced with something, because it only took a few seconds for my body to begin losing strength. I heard the crashing around me as I collapsed to the floor, unable to so much as twitch my fingers.

My lab! He was destroying my lab! But why?!

I can’t believe I ever thought that jerk was cute!

I don’t remember much of what happened next, but I recall being forced into this car, unable to fight back. Corrine!

But my friend, the queen of the North, didn’t respond to my silent cries. Nobody did.

It has been hours now. I’m teetering on the edge of consciousness, the effort to stay awake draining me. I can’t even move my arms. It’s as if all the life has been sucked out of me.

My head is spinning as I’m dragged out of the vehicle. When did it come to a stop? Whatever Cassian gave me, it has affected my entire nervous system. My muscles are trembling and feel like jelly. My vision is blurred.

But that doesn’t mean my brain has stopped working. I can make out a stone hallway.

Ten steps. No, thirty steps. A swift right.

Down a staircase. Fifty stairs. More than that. One hundred twenty. The sound of a cage door opening, a metallic one.

I see something swinging in my field of vision, but I can’t quite make it out. I’m being tossed into the air, and I hit the ground hard. My shoulder hurts.

The amused voice of my captor says, “Stay away from him. He’s known for ripping off limbs.” Who?

I hear a low growl, but I can’t move. The floor is cold, with an uneven surface. My brain is trying to remember the steps and the turns we took. I have to remember it all. I have to escape.

Just like I did once before.

The throaty growl reaches me once again. The menacing sound should have me trembling, but I can hardly think straight, exhaustion overtaking on me. My last thought is of my mother.

What will she do without me?

***

It’s cold when I wake up.

My body shivers, and I wrap my arms around myself, legs curling up toward my stomach. For a few minutes, I don’t understand where I am. Then I hear loud footsteps and a voice yelling, “Wake up! Breakfast!”

There’s the sound of a latch opening, and then something hard is thrown at my face, causing me to flinch. Alarmed and panicked, I retreat till my back hits something warm and soft. My heart is pounding as I finally open my eyes and look around.

I’m in a room with no windows, only a metal door with a small opening. There is a bread roll lying on the ground, along with a bottle of water. My stomach rumbles, but I just stare at it, my pulse racing.

A low growl has me looking to my right, and my breath catches in my throat in horror.

I’m leaning against a wolf, a very large, very scary-looking wolf that seems ready to take a bite out of me.

A terrified scream leaves my mouth, and I scramble to the other side of the cage, covering my head with my arms.

I expect it to attack me, but when nothing happens, I cautiously lower my arms. That’s when I realize the wolf is shackled. There is a large, iron collar around its neck with a very short chain that limits its movements. I begin to relax and take a good look at it.

Its fur is silver but matted and dirty. There are wounds all over its body, and in certain places, chunks of fur have been ripped out. It looks like this wolf has been through hell. There’s a glazed expression in those amber eyes, almost as if it’s not all there.

This is a shifter, and judging from its size, it’s definitely male. Female shifters, according to my knowledge, which is limited, are slightly smaller in stature.

The wolf is no longer growling at me but watching me.

“H–Hi.” I wave slightly with my fingers. “I’m Dr. Maya Sorin, or just Maya. I would really appreciate it if you didn’t kill me or eat me. I have a very bad diet. I mostly eat junk food, so I know I will taste awful. And I’ll probably give you diabetes. So, you don’t want to eat me. Not even part of me, as a snack.”

The wolf just stares at me. I edge toward the dry bread and water bottle, but as soon as I move, his hackles rise, and I freeze. Our eyes maintain contact, and slowly, I move my hand inch by inch to grab the supplies. The water bottle is sealed, so I’m pretty sure it has not been tampered with. I break the seal and take a sip. The wolf watches me as I drink, and my eyes take in his form. He’s been starved. It’s more than obvious. His ribs are showing.

I hold the bottle out to him. “Do you want some water?” He doesn’t respond.

“Can you shift to your human form?” I ask slowly.

Again, no response, but his eyes are glued to the bottle in my hand. I look around, but there’s no bowl into which I can pour the water. The wolf doesn’t seem crazy, just on edge. I would be, too, if somebody suddenly decided to become my roommate and barged into my home. Prison cell, whatever.

I don’t know if I’m making the right decision in trying to help him. But then, everybody else in this place may well be an enemy. And the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?

“Don’t bite me,” I tell him cautiously. “I’m just going to give you some water.”

I take the chunk of bread and dig out the center, making a hole big enough for his tongue to reach in. Letting out a long breath because I was really thirsty, I pour the rest of the water into the makeshift bowl, leaving just a sip or two in the bottle for myself.

Using my foot, I nudge the bread toward him. He doesn’t move. When I get too close, he snaps at me. I immediately jump back.

I know I don’t have much time because the bread will soak up all the liquid if I don’t move fast enough. When his eyes go to the roll again, I take a chance, quickly nudging it toward him and then moving away. He sniffs the water and immediately begins lapping it up thirstily.

Not only does he drink all the water, he also eats the bread, tearing at it and chewing desperately. My heart sinks. He must have been really hungry. Why are they starving him? Is he one of the kidnapped shifters?

Once he finishes his sparse meal, he lies down calmly. I watch his eyes flutter shut, and I swallow. He could easily bite my head off with one snap of his teeth. But what have they done to him? I’m only now noticing that there’s a particular stench coming from him. Clearly, he has not bathed in very long time.

Curling up in a corner, I keep an eye on him and finally let reality sink in.

Wolf shifters and humans don’t normally get involved with each other, but eight years ago, when I met Corrine, who was pregnant at the time, I let her share my apartment with me. We were both broke. I didn’t know she was a shifter until she gave birth to a young wolf pup right in front of me. How was I supposed to know that my life would descend into chaos starting from the day I opened my front door to her?

I sigh, missing Corrine and her son, Finn. They must be so worried about me.

And I hope Jerry is okay. The healer was a kind man. He was the one who advocated for me to be brought into the wolf world to help with the kidnapping investigation. I know how proud he was of his nephew, Cassian. To have his own flesh and blood try to kill him…

My chest aches. I hope Jerry survived Cassian’s attack. And I really hope somebody is looking for me.

My mother’s face swims into my mind, and I squeeze my eyes shut, forcing the tears back. She’ll be fine. I know she will be. Someone will look after her. But my optimism is unrealistic, and my heart cracks. She barely remembered me; how is she going to cope with someone new? How will she survive without me around to look after her?

I hear footsteps again. The wolf rouses, instantly on his feet, his teeth bared, fur standing up. I quickly wipe my eyes. The door of our cell opens, and a young man enters.

Cassian Vayne.

With his thick, clunky glasses; tousled, dark curls; and his sweet, unassuming appearance, he doesn’t look like some sort of evil mastermind. In fact, I thought he was totally my type till he stabbed Jerry in front of me and had a psychotic break in my laboratory.

“You seem well.” He smiles at me. “And I see that you’ve regained your ability to move. It certainly proves my theory that the formula has a very mild impact on humans, almost like a temporary paralyzing agent.”

I stand up and face him. “What did you give me? Why did you bring me here, Cassian?” I’m surprised by how calm I sound. “Well, two reasons. I had to convince my uncle that I planned to kill you. He was going to be a very useful witness for me.

By now, your friends are convinced you’re dead. So if you think help is coming, Dr. Sorin, I would advise you to put those hopes to rest. I have it on good authority that you have been proclaimed deceased.”

My lips part in shock. “You’re lying.”

His smile widens. “I’m not. Corrine Hale is in a coma. I expected Princess Ravenna to get the job done, but it seems she truly was useless. However, I don’t expect your friend to make it. Ravenna’s nails were coated in the same substance I gave you and Jerry. I instructed the princess to make sure she targeted all of Corrine’s vital organs. Your friend is most likely going to die in a few days.”

Grief clogs in my throat. “Why? She didn’t do anything to you.”

Cassian tucks his hands into his pockets. “Corrine has a sharp mind. And she was well protected. If we had let her keep going at the rate she was, she would have begun to uncover decades and decades of our hard work. She was already asking questions that we did not like.”

“We?”

“Yes, we, as in the Silver Ring Organization.” He gives me a long look. “You have two choices. You can either work for us or you can die. But keep in mind, choosing the latter is not going to result in a simple death.”

“Work for you?” I stare at him, feeling sick to my stomach. “I’m a human. What could I possibly do for somebody like you?”

Cassian glances at the growling wolf in the opposite corner. “We want you to fix him.”

“Sorry?” I gape at him.

“We want you to create a formula that will force this wolf to shift back into his human form.” A sense of unease builds within me. “What do you mean? Can’t he shift back if he wants to?”

Cassian doesn’t reply immediately, his eyes on the snarling wolf. “He seems to have some sort of immunity. When we captured him, he was in his wolf form. The formula we used was a less refined version of what we have now. The intent is to temporarily stop a shifter from being able to assume their animal form. However, the old variety seems to have done the reverse to this one. He won’t—or can’t—shift to his human form now. Even on the cusp of death, he wouldn’t shift. We believe the reason is the drug we gave him, which was still in its early stages of development. It has done something to him. We want you to reverse the effects of it.”

I shake my head at him, confused and surprised. “Why me? I’m sure you can talk to the person who created the old formula.”

“Because we want to see your potential.” Something about Cassian’s eyes rubs me the wrong way. “You were able to figure out our drug very quickly. We want to see whether you’ll be able to come up with something that will reverse the effects of the initial formula.”

“And if I’m not?” I ask cautiously.

“Then you’re useless,” he replies simply. “And there will be no reason to keep you around. Remember, Dr. Sorin, if you want to survive, you’d better start producing your best work yet. We have high hopes for you. Your continued existence depends on your results. Work with us or die a painful death. Which will it be?”

I stare at him, terrified.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep