Wolf Betrayed (Talon Pack #4)(28)

“I think that would be a good idea,” Shane said after a moment. He ran a hand over his muscled forearm and frowned. “My skin even hurts right now. Hell, this is going to take some getting used to.”

Bram snorted. “You can say that much. We’ll get you through, though. But first, let’s do another sweep because we need to find those vials.”

Charlotte cursed herself. Once again, she’d gotten stuck on other problems rather than the one at hand. She just couldn’t bear seeing Shane hurting, much like she couldn’t bear seeing Bram as frustrated as he was right then.

“The cages are empty,” she said again, her voice hollow. “Do you think they took whoever was in them when they left?”

Bram’s gaze went stony. “I don’t know, Char. I don’t even know which would be the better answer.”

“If Montag took them with him, they’re as good as dead,” Shane growled. “He was always a fierce leader, but I never knew he was a cruel one until it was too late.”

What would it feel like to know everything you’d fought for had been part of a lie? Charlotte wondered. Well, not everything for sure, but so many of Shane’s recent missions had been for Montag. And though she’d called him the enemy when she’d first found out about him, she knew she’d been wrong. There was no way a man could have that bleakness in his eyes at the sight of what his former commander had done and be part of the problem in the first place. Shane was the solution now, and Charlotte could only be grateful for that.

“We need to keep moving,” Bram said after a moment. If she hadn’t known him as long as she had, she’d have thought his words cold, but she could hear the underlying pain and rage warring within him. It did none of them any good to stand here and go through the thousands of different possibilities and outcomes of those within the cages. They had a job to do, and they needed to get on that.

The three of them met up with the others who had found more cages and exam rooms. Charlotte held back a shudder at the memories that came at her. She’d been in a building much like this one before, but she hadn’t been in the same position as she was now. She was far stronger now. She was free. She needed to remember that.

Shane pinched the bridge of his nose before shaking his head. “I think the room they kept me in is this way. It’s all a blur, but I’m getting fragments when I walk around and try to place things.”

She followed him, praying all of this hadn’t been a waste of time and energy. Not only did their Packs need a boost, but she figured Shane did, as well. If people were afraid of what his existence meant within the Pack, not knowing if there were more like him would only put more of a target on Shane’s back. Those people who were at wit’s end needed a place to put their anger and frustration, their fears and uncertainties. It seemed like Shane was the easy choice for now, and Charlotte didn’t want him hurt in the melee.

She followed Shane with Bram at her side, her senses on alert. The place had been empty a few days, it felt like, but there had been guards outside. Just what were they protecting?

When Shane stopped in front of a door and put his hand on the butt of his gun, Charlotte tensed. One day soon, he’d learn to use his claws, not the weapon first. During a fight, wolves were usually faster than the bullets that came at them. And if they were hit, they could still move through the pain and heal, even if it wasn’t easy.

“This is it,” Shane said in a low voice. “This is where they kept me and where I last saw the vials. The computer is in here, too, and Montag said it wasn’t connected to a network so others wouldn’t be able to steal the formula.”

“If it’s still here, then we at least have something,” Bram added. “Do you want me to go in first?”

Charlotte looked between the two men, a charged spark of silence blooming between them.

Shane shook his head. “I can do it.”

He opened the door, and they followed him. When he let out a relieved sigh, Charlotte’s wolf pushed at her, wanting to be closer.

Not yet, she reminded her wolf. Maybe not ever.

Gideon followed her into the room with a frown on his face. “Is it here?” he asked, his voice a growl, but she could tell his wolf wasn’t up front yet. He was just that dominant.

Shane nodded and pointed toward a large box on a counter. “That’s the case where the vials were I think.” He tilted his head toward another counter. “And the computer is still here.”

Charlotte moved past all of them and inhaled, using her senses to see if anything was amiss. She couldn’t scent any traps or extra security measures, but she would be careful when she opened the case anyway.

She slowly lifted the lid and swallowed hard. “They’re still here.”

Nineteen vials of poison neatly tucked away with one empty place where someone had used one. The one that had changed Shane’s life forever.

Bram came to her side and looked down. “So much power in one tiny vial.”

“So much hate,” she added in a whisper.

“It doesn’t work, though,” Shane added in from behind them. “I needed Gideon’s help, remember?”

Charlotte looked over her shoulder at him. “You’re right, but since there is a way still…”

“Destroy it,” Shane bit out. “It’s dangerous in any hands, even ours.”