The Wolf Within (Purgatory 1)

“Family…” A dark mutter from Connor. “Can’t erase their sins, can’t claw them to pieces.”

Duncan frowned at him. Connor had risen and come to stand less than a foot away from the silver bars of his cell. Connor was the only prisoner housed in Containment Area Five.

Connor was rumored to have killed dozens of paranormals and at least eight humans in the Seattle area. All within the last year.

Psychopath? A psychopathic werewolf was a living hell on earth.

“Though I have tried the clawing technique a few times,” Connor added as he glanced down at his hands. “Pity werewolves heal so fast.”

Elias edged away from the cell. “Holly? You coming with me?”

“She stays,” Duncan said immediately. He didn’t want Holly out of his sight. No, more than that. He needed her close.

Wanted her close.

Elias’s gaze darted between them. He and Elias had worked well together just days before, but in that moment, their camaraderie seemed long gone. Maybe it was due to the fear that lingered in Elias’s stare. The hint of terror that he couldn’t quite hide.

He didn’t see Duncan as a man anymore.

“Ten minutes,” Elias finally said, giving a hard nod. “And I’ll…I’ll make sure that no one gets through the door until you’re done.”

Duncan inclined his head. “Thank you.”

Elias’s hands fisted. “It could have been me. It should have been me. You saved my ass, and now look what you’ve become.”

The thing he hated.

Only he didn’t hate the power he could feel coursing through his veins, and even the wolf that lurked within him didn’t seem so foreign now. It was actually as if he’d finally found a part of himself that had been missing.

“I’m sorry,” Elias told him and turned away. “So damn sorry.”

“Don’t be.” The flat words broke from him and caused Elias’s shoulders to stiffen. “We all dig our own graves in this world.” He’d made the decision to jump in front of those wolves. Elias hadn’t forced him to do anything. Neither had Pate. Every decision had been his.

Elias’s footsteps were soft as he left the containment area.

Holly’s breath expelled in a rush when the door shut behind him. “Pate will know we’re here. He’ll see us on the security cameras.”

True enough. “He wants us here.” Why else would Pate have told him where to find the alpha? Pate never said or did anything without a reason.

Holly nodded. “All right then. It’s your show.”

His freak show, yeah. He turned from her and paced toward those bars. Connor stared back at him. Eyes narrowed. The guy should have been looking at him with hate, with fury, hell, maybe even with fear—the way Elias had been doing.

But there was no emotion in those golden eyes.

Time to make some emotion come out. “How do I know you?” Duncan demanded.

Connor shrugged. “Maybe I’ve got one of those faces.” He smiled, but the smile never reached his eyes.

“When I look at you,” Duncan said, standing just inches away from the cell. “I hear screams. A kid crying.” Connor looked like he was close to Duncan’s age. Maybe a bit younger.

“I can’t help what you hear.” But Connor’s smile had slipped a bit. “Can’t help you at all.”

Holly’s footsteps padded closer. “I could…I could make him tell you what you want to know, Duncan.”

Connor’s stare drifted to her. Sharpened. “The vampire. The sweet bite I’d hoped to enjoy.” He inhaled. “Don’t you smell nice, just like honey and—”

Duncan’s hand flew through the cage bars. His claws hung inches from Connor’s throat. “I already warned you about her.”

Emotion finally flashed in those eyes. Rage. “You think you’re gonna mate with a vampire? Think you’ll get all of that power to control?” He shook his head. “Better rethink that. You’ll just make the same f**king mistake he did. And you’ll leave the same bloodbath behind.”

Duncan’s heartbeat drummed in his ears. “Who are you talking about?”

Connor’s gaze searched his. “Maybe you need to get the vamp to bite you. Get her to make you remember.”

Connor was just jerking him around. Duncan yanked his hand back through the bars and barely felt the singe of the silver on his fingers.

“You believe you were the good guy, don’t you?” Connor mocked as he rocked forward onto the balls of his feet. “The human out there, fighting the werewolves. Putting us in cages and sending the worst of the lot to rot in your Purgatory.”

“I was saving humans.” He wouldn’t regret what he’d done. He’d never taken down any paranormal without proof that the man or woman had been killing humans. Never. “I don’t throw innocent paranormals into cages. Every single one I captured was a menace. Someone who had to be stopped.”

Connor’s gaze was on Holly once more. “Are you going to be able to stop him, do you think? When the moon rises and the alpha werewolf really comes out, I don’t even know if someone like you can control him.”

Another one singing the song about him going moon crazy. Sure, it was a fear that Duncan had, but he was tired of everyone throwing it in his face.

“I trust Duncan,” Holly said, voice clear. “He will keep his control.”

Connor shook his head. “You’re a fool. The werewolf in him will come for you because he wants your blood and your body. And he’ll kill anyone who comes between the two of you.” He tapped his chin. “That’s the way for mates, and whether your special agent werewolf wants to admit it or not, he’s marked you as a mate.”

Duncan could feel the glance that Holly cast toward him. He didn’t look at her then, couldn’t. Connor was telling the truth, and there was no point denying it. I want her. “I have ten minutes, and you’re wasting my time.” And not answering his questions. Deliberately, Duncan was sure. “Why do I see you and hear a child begging for help? Screaming my name?”

A muscle jerked in Connor’s jaw. “You don’t know me.”

“I know your face.” He just didn’t know how. “I’ve seen it before.”

Connor shook his head. “Let me guess…in your nightmares?”

Yes.

“Not all humans can become werewolves,” Connor murmured. “You have to possess the DNA that will let you transform.”