Page 120 of Wanted

A growl I can’t control crawls up and out of my throat. My mother looks on at me in horror as she jumps back into my father’s arms.

“She’s a lively one,” Dr. Lee says. “Maybe, unlike her sister, she’ll survive the experiments.”

Unlike her sister.

I think back to Ashley’s empty bedroom. The packed boxes in the corner and a pair of her colorful running shoes in the corner. All of the furniture, the decorations Ashley had put on the wall, all gone. As if they knew she was never coming back.

“Where is my sister!” My yell is so loud that it rattles the cage.

The cocky smile on Dr. Lee’s face drops. “She’s gone,” he says.

“No.” I shake my head, tears coating my eyes. “No.” The finality in his voice terrifies me. I refuse to accept what he’s saying.

“No.”

“Yes!” My mother’s vicious tone bites through the air. “She went asking questions and that little brat got exactly what she deserved. If she would’ve just shut up and did as she was told, she might’ve survived this. But that beast inside of her just made her too rebellious for her own good.”

My mother’s expression shifts from vicious to relieved in less than a second.

“At least we no longer have to live with the presence of beasts in our lives. Once we walk out of this door, you’re out of our lives for good.”

She looks over me, turning up her nose.

“Good riddance.”

“Shut up!” I yell. “I hate you. Where is Ashley? Give me my sister!” Tears stream down my face. I can’t comprehend anything right now beyond the fact they keep telling me Ashley is gone.

She didn’t survive.

Survive what?

What the hell had they done to her. Where is she?

“Give me my sister.”

I shake and rattle the cage, doing my damndest to rip the door off its hinges. I feel the bars loosening and I see a dent in the metal lock from my shaking. I hesitate in shock that I’m actually strong enough to slightly bend metal.

Yet, encouraged.

I have to get out of this cage.

Chance remains unconscious. Though, they’ve moved his body from the cage to one of the metal tables. There’re metal chains on the corners of the table. As soon as one of the men in the hazmat suits ties the chain around his wrist a searing pain courses through my arm.

The smell of something burning courses through the air.

It’s silver. They’re tying him up in silver chains.

“No!” I bellow and rattle and shake the cage door even harder.

The lock bends even more. Just a few more hits and I can break out.

“I’m going to kill all of you,” I swear to them all. “I’m going to rip your throats out!” My wolf invades my voice as I shout thevicious words at the people who raised me, Dr. Lee, and those despicable men in hazmat suits.

A tingling sensation starts all over my body and my wolf’s fur springs out of my skin. The change is happening.

“Ahh! That beast is back. She’s going to break free.” I hear the woman who I thought was my mother yell for someone to get the tranquilizer gun.

A second later, I’m standing on all four of my paws. I throw myself with all of my weight against the metal bars.