The Wolf Within (Purgatory 1)

“Easy.” Pate put his hands up. He could have just shot Duncan, so she appreciated the guy’s restraint. One blond brow rose as Pate darted a glance at Holly. “I’m guessing that’s our guy in there?”

Somewhere in the beast, yes, but she just didn’t know how much of the man remained then. Her fingers slid around his neck. The collar was designed to automatically contract or expand to match a werewolf’s transformation. A rather clever bit of technology that Pate was particularly proud of—since he’d designed it himself.

“Can you control him?” Pate asked.

She didn’t want to use her remote to increase the silver levels hitting him. It just didn’t seem right to hurt him when he’d come racing to her rescue. Holly wasn’t exactly sure how he’d managed that escape from his cell, but she was grateful to him. So, instead of using the remote, her fingers stroked his fur. “Duncan?”

His head turned. His eyes—wild, shining so brightly—met hers.

“Can you shift back?” Holly whispered. “The agents are here. I’m safe now. Can you—can you shift?”

“You’re not safe!” Saul yelled. He was getting on her nerves. The alarm had stopped shrieking, and he had gotten stronger. “That wolf…he’s your biggest threat. You think I’m bad?” He laughed. “Wait until you see what an alpha can do to you.”

At that, the black wolf pulled away from Holly. Rushed toward Saul’s cage.

And growled.

Saul growled back.

Then Saul’s eyelids flickered and he…lowered his head? Holly sucked in a gasp of surprise as Saul dropped to his knees in front of Duncan.

Wolf dynamics. They were scaring the crap out of her.

She glanced around the room once more. Saw the bodies. The dead werewolves were shifting back to human form. One woman. Four men.

Pate eased closer to Holly as the other agents went to check on the guards. Checking would do no good. They were dead. “You’re bleeding.” Pate’s voice was tight. He didn’t touch her. Probably because he was afraid of Duncan’s reaction. She was a little afraid of it, too. “Did you get bitten?”

Holly shook her head. “It’s just a scratch.” From some very big claws. Her head turned. She met his gaze. “They attacked just after dawn.” If they’d come sooner, she would have been able to fight back more.

He nodded, immediately understanding what she couldn’t say with so many others close by.

“How did they get in?” Holly whispered. The facility should have been secure. “The guards outside—”

“Are dead.” Flat, but emotion blazed in his eyes. “Slaughtered. These wolves came here because…fuck, I think they tracked him.” The him in question…well, Pate was staring at Duncan.

Duncan’s head turned toward them. She knew he’d heard what Pate had just said. With his enhanced werewolf hearing, the guy could probably hear a pin dropping to the floor.

But why would the werewolves come for Duncan? Why—

Saul was still smiling.

Her eyes narrowed on him. She marched toward him, aware of throbbing in her arm from the werewolf attack. “Tell us what’s happening here,” she demanded. Because the guards inside were dead. The ones outside were dead. And the whole mess was nothing more than a bloodbath.

Saul kept grinning. She felt like giving the jerk something to grin about. If it wasn’t dawn…

And then…Duncan let out a low howl. He tossed his head back and started to shift. The sound of the transformation was horrible. Muscles seemed to rip and tear. Bones broke. Snapped back together. His body contorted, and she had to lock down every muscle in her body so that she wouldn’t run to him and try to help.

Because there was no help that she could give, and if she got too close during the shift, Holly knew he might attack her. Wolves lost control of their bodies during the shift. Their arms flew out, their legs kicked. She didn’t want to chance another swipe from a werewolf’s claws.

Then he was on the floor. Naked. Sprawled face-down. The muscles of his broad back were so strong, but trembling, and his ass—

Wow.

Great ass, and it was a very bad time for her to be noticing it.

Duncan pushed up to his feet. Pate tossed him a pair of sweats that he’d just pulled from a nearby storage locker. Duncan caught them, yanked them on, and had to put a hand on the cell’s bar to steady himself.

When his fingers began to smoke, he lifted that hand away.

She couldn’t stay back any longer. Holly took a step toward him.

But Duncan shook his head. “Don’t.”

The one, clipped word felt like a slap in the face.

Then Duncan moved in a lightning-fast lunge. His hand shot through the side of the cage, sliding right between the bars. His fingers wrapped around Saul’s neck, and he jerked the guy forward. Saul’s head slammed into the bars. Smoke rose.

“She wants to know…” Duncan said, voice so rough and deep, “what the hell is happening here. Why did those wolves attack?”

Saul couldn’t speak, mostly because Duncan seemed to be choking him. Saul’s face had turned a dark shade of purple.

“Uh, you need to ease that grip,” Pate muttered as he came closer to Duncan. “You know the dead can’t talk.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Sometimes they can.

Holly fisted her hands and refused to reach out again to Duncan. He’d already shot her down once in front of Pate and the others.

Duncan’s grip on the werewolf eased. Saul sucked in a deep breath. Another.

Then he started talking. “They can…smell you.”

A faint furrow appeared between Duncan’s brows.

“Alpha scent,” Holly whispered, understanding.

Pate gave a barely perceptible nod.

“When you changed, they knew…” Saul’s breath wheezed out. He still wasn’t free of Duncan’s grip, but at least he was getting oxygen now. “But a human doesn’t just get to be…top dog…you have to…fight for it…”

“I don’t want to be the damn top dog,” Duncan snapped, “I don’t want—”

“Not about what you want. About what the…beast inside wants.” Saul’s gaze darted to Holly. “He’s gonna…take what he wants.”

The words seemed like a threat.

Saul’s gaze returned to Duncan. “You’ll have to fight…prove your worth. Then you can lead the pack.”