Chapter 10

Greg fought his way back to consciousness, his brain screaming at him that he was in danger, that his pack was in danger.

Overhead fluorescent lights stabbed into his eyes, causing him to squeeze them closed again.

Opening his eyes more slowly this time, he looked around.

The room was small, more cell than room. The only furnishings it held was the bed he was on, and a small flat screen tv mounted high in the corner nearest the door. The tv was currently off.

Except for the bed, this could have been one of the interview rooms at the police department, since one side of the room had an observation window. This side of the window was mirrored, making it impossible for Greg to see who was on the other side.

Greg?

Relief washed through Greg at Nick's mental touch. I'm here. You okay?

I'm fine. Any idea what the hell is going on? At this point, Nick's mental touch was filled with more anger than fear.

They know what we are. That's all I know.

The click clack of heels on linoleum reached Greg's ears a moment before the door knob turned.

Moving into a crouch on the bed, Greg waited for the door to open. He was prepared to shift and launch himself at whomever opened the door.

The woman who had sedated him walked in, a tranquilizer gun held before her. "Don't try it!" she snapped.

A growl rumbled out of Greg's chest, but he moved from his crouch into a seated position. If looks could have killed, the woman would have already been dead.

The door opened again and a man wearing a white lab coat came in carrying a blood draw kit. The man's lab coat had the name Dr. Bradley stitched on it.

Dr. Bradley was careful to keep out of the line of fire of the woman with the tranq gun as he approached Greg.

Still growling, Greg eyed Dr. Bradley dangerously, but didn't pull away as the doctor prepped a vein in his arm. He had no doubt the woman would sedate him if he resisted.

"Just a little blood. Something you've worked with many times as a DNA technician, I'm sure," Dr. Bradley said as he slid the needle into Greg's vein.

Greg's eyes widened in surprise at the personal knowledge Dr. Bradley possessed.

"You won't get away with this! We have friends who will come looking for us!"

"Don't worry, we've been doing this long enough to know how to cover our tracks. Even against crime scene investigators," the woman said this with a sneer on her face.

Greg couldn't cover up his surprised look fast enough.

"Don't look so surprised. We've been gathering up your kind for years. Satellite imagery has made it easier in recent years, though. We've had our eye on your friend, Nick, for some time, now. When you showed up in the desert with him, we decided it was time to pick him up. It's not often we find two males together."

Brushing off her statement, Greg tried something different, "Can I at least have some clothes?"

"Animals don't need clothes," the woman replied.

Greg burst out in laughter.

"You find that amusing?" the woman's face held an expression Greg couldn't quite decipher. He thought most of it was shock, as if she couldn't believe he wasn't scared of her.

"What I find amusing is the thought that I probably have a higher I.Q. than you, but you think I'm an animal," Greg responded, still laughing. Almost as quickly as his laughter started, it stopped. "What do you want with us?" his eyes bored into the woman's in challenge. She stared boldly back at him, refusing to back down.

"The perfect soldier. Stronger, heightened senses, rapid healing, able to shift into a wolf, and totally obedient."

Greg snorted, "Good luck with that last part!" In another fit of giggles, Greg said, "Oh, I know. Tie a raw steak around your neck, then we'll be happy to play with you!" He sent an image of that to Nick, causing the other man to break into a giggle fit as well.

The woman blinked, shocked at Greg's flippant attitude towards his situation.

Holding up several vials of Greg's blood, Dr. Bradley said, "I've got what I need, Dr. Barstow."

"Good, let's go see Nick," Dr. Barstow said, her eyes narrowing, as she knocked on the door behind her. Before it opened, Dr. Barstow said, "I know you've marked him, but have you mated him, yet?" Now Greg's eyes narrowed, but he didn't reply. She added, "If you don't cooperate, Nick will suffer."

A growl escaped Greg as he stood up. He didn't advance, as Dr. Barstow had raised the tranq gun again, but he snarled, "If you hurt Nick, I swear, I will rip your throat out!"

The door opened and the two doctors exited the room. As soon as the door had closed behind them, Greg shifted and lunged futilely at the door. His front paws hit the door, claws scraping down the metal, taking paint with them. Snarls and growls echoed around him in the small space.