Disorientation washed over me, knocking me over like wave after wave as my eyes held on to anything, anything at all to maintain some semblance of consciousness.
Scanning my surroundings, I began naming objects in an attempt to remain present and aware of my situation.
Glass.
Scan to the left.
Partition... Toilet.
Blue lights... flickering.
White.
I was in some sort of glass room. Glass cage.
I didn't know how much time had past. My mind was a blanket of fog, my vision spinning as I focused on my breathing.
Stay calm. You can do this. You are alive, you haven't been hurt. Just breathe.
But I couldn't.
Gasping for breath I heaved myself off the cold, hard floor. Each muscle twitched with strain, my palms pressed under me in an effort to get upright. Pushing through the pain, I managed to shift my hands to my knees, crouched over as I slowly and tentatively shuffled to the glass door that was keeping me captive.
Resting my body against the glass, I noticed the surroundings beyond my immediate vision. Desk lamps upon pristine benches, white cupboards, I didn't have to be a scientist to realize I was in some kind of underground laboratory.
I winced with the realization. I was utterly fucked. But if they, whoever they were, wanted me dead, why was I still alive?
Encroaching footsteps pulled me from my thoughts. Although I hadn't shifted, my senses were stronger than ever, seeing the best in others despite all logic not withstanding.
I closed my eyes, honing my attention to the footsteps.
Two sets. One male, one female. The slower gait of the male seemingly tentative in his approach.
As they stepped closer, I braced myself not know what to expect. Would they hurt me? Kill me?
A woman. Mid forties I'd suspected. She was definitely a werewolf. Tall, lean, sculpted, just like them all... except me.
Her expression was twisted into smile gone awry, a sinister gloat, that had I not been in the throes of mate sickness, I'd have wiped from her wretched face.
"Hello Edith."
Being incapacitated couldn't prevent me from huffing in disgust. A slight chuckle escaping from my mouth between short breaths.
"Forgive me... but I'm not one to feign niceties, what the fuck... am I doing here?"
The female werewolf took mock offence.
"That's no way to treat a host. I'm hurt."
Clicking heels came into my peripheral as my head hung low, focusing on the door seal to prevent myself from feeling unsteady.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Leila, I work for The Guild... have you heard of us?"
"You mean the piss weak werewolf cult that can't handle a half breed unless they're incapacitated? Yeah, I've fucking heard of you."
I heard her sigh as she leant against the glass wall, showing me her back. The dramatics this bitch was employing was next level.
"We've never seen such a prospective talent since, well, your mother. You must understand our reasoning, no?"
She fixed her blouse into her skirt before she continued her rambling, the purpose of which I could only assume was to pour salt into the proverbial wound.
"What makes you... you? Could you imagine the possibilities of you fell into the wrong hands? Rampant hybrid wolves roaming... uncontainable, uncontrolled? We need to ensure you aren't a risk to our kind Edith."
Her ploy was working. I felt my face flush with anger.
"That's fucking bullshit. Hale works for you... humans work for you. You want to know how to make more hybrids, create a pack you can control because every other fucking one on this continent can't stand you. You control through fear, but we are all waking up to you..."
"Interesting theory, but unfortunately for you, no one else is going to hear it so... Anyway, I'm leaving you with William. I'm sure you can understand... there's lots to get started on."
With that, Leila left the room, not even bothering to turn around. I wondered how such a wretched woman had such a pretty name... it was wasted on her.
I was still leaning against the door when the man's voice pulled me from my thoughts. His words were softly spoken and cautious. "Watch out, I'm not going to hurt you, but I need to come in."
I didn't really have a choice. I was in no position to argue, or fight... I had to pick my battles and this wasn't one of them. With my arms wrapped tightly around my stomach I stepped back away from the glass door, shuffling my frame to the center of the room as he unlocked it.
"I'm sorry Edith. You must be scared..." his voice trailed.
"You think? Who are you and what are you doing here, you don't seem like that bitch before you..."
He didn't answer.
I peered up as I observed him. He was tall, lanky, middle aged... his worn out, tired face sunken and weathered... and he was one hundred percent human. My curiosity piqued.
"You're human. Why are you working for The Guild? Do you want to become a werewolf, is that it?" I pushed.
He shut the door gently behind him, a cuff and syringe in his hand as he did so.
"I am a biochemist... I work for them researching hybridity because I am the only one who can."
"So you do it because if you don't... they'll kill you? Or is it a choice?"
I eyed him carefully for his response but he remained closely guarded.
"Something like that."
I wasn't going to relent. I could sense he was different.
"Which one?"
"Does it matter?"
"Guess not. You're going to do what you need to do regardless..."
I didn't object when he took a blood sample. I let his cold, trembling hands fumble as he did so.
"Just get it over with. It won't hurt."
I couldn't believe I was trying to reassure this older man, whose sullen smile in reply didn't go unnoticed.
I knew I wasn't the best at first impressions but something different struck me about this man, William. I tested the name in my head. It suited him. As he took my sample, I examined his features carefully. He wasn't afraid of me, I noted. I smelt no fear. My eyes scanned his forehead, the furrows in between his eyebrows telling tales of a million worries. No crow's feet from laughter were present.
He was calm. Surprisingly so.
I don't know why, but I felt a responsibility to fill the silence. I had this overwhelming urge, that whilst I couldn't pinpoint why exactly, but it was of feeling as if I needed to comfort him.
How long had he been working in servitude I wonder?
It was clear he didn't value what he was doing. Perhaps he found it unethical, cruel, pointless. I didn't know, and to be honest, I didn't know why I cared. But I guess as a biochemist, by chance or otherwise, he fell into the wrong hands. And I knew enough of The Guild to know that discarding a human was of little consequence. He obviously was just doing what he needed to do to stay alive.
"What are you doing with my blood?" I queried.
"They want to measure the degree of genetic similarity between pools of sequences... human, and your own. They haven't been able to do the same with human and werewolf DNA, despite years or trying. The DNA just hasn't binded... which shows there is less than a seventy percent similarity between the two species. But the genetic distance between yourself and humans is probably significantly closer, and one could hypothesize that it will bind to the second DNA strand more firmly."
"Okay, so basically, they are seeing how I became a hybrid, and if my DNA would bind to that of a human, potentially giving them werewolf characteristics?"
"Indeed. Here, press down firmly and fold your arm up."
I did as he said. I was surprised by his frank admissions and what they meant.
"Did you do this to my mother too?" I chastised in annoyance.
For the first time the man looked me straight in the eyes, and I saw something flash in his pools of blue.
"Your mother..." his voice cracked, "I never hurt her... She didn't deserve what happened.. But what she went through, won't happen to you."
This man knew my mother. What was their connection? What could I find out from him?
I held my breath involuntarily, before whispering as if there was risk of being heard. "How can I trust you?"
"What other choice do you have Edith?"
He was right. I didn't have another choice.
And he could sense from my reaction that I knew I was well and truly screwed. My life was in this man's hands. Not The Guild. This man. Because... it was only a matter of time before he would be able to bind double stranded DNA, and once that happened, there would be no use for me anymore.
A tear rolled down my cheek as his gentle voice tried to reassure me.
"They aren't as powerful as they think..."
I was permanently incapacitated. As long as I was away from Phelan, I was no better than a lamb at slaughter. I couldn't fight when I could barely move. It didn't matter how much power they lacked, when it was abundantly clear that either way, it was still far more than me.
"How long do you think it will take you to bind the DNA?"
I wasn't asking because I wanted to know. I was asking because I knew the second he did it, it meant my time would be up, but he knew my intent behind the question.
"As long as I need it to take..." He winked as he put his hand on my shoulder, getting up to leave.
"Can you get me a sleeping tablet please? This mate sickness is kicking my ass." I huffed, a half laugh at my misfortune.
But a moment later the man returned with a tiny pill and a paper cup.
"Just keep your head low and be patient Edith. Not everything is as it seems..."
All I could do was blink in return as I hobbled over to the stagnant bed in the stagnant cage. Everything here felt lifeless. Rolling onto my side, I felt myself begin to drift, not even noticing the fluorescent light flicking off as I was left along in my misery.
Not everything is as it seems...