“Oh no. What happened?” Greta asked, rushing to Graeme’s side.

“She was about to get up, but I—I don’t know.”

“Okay, um… Put her back under the quilt. It’ll help,” Greta reassured him as well as herself. Hopefully the girl would calm down before that psychopath Marius made his way up to them.

Graeme picked her up in his arms and placed her back on the bed to be covered by the sheets and quilt that Greta made herself busy arranging.

“Can you make her look less… less…” Graeme stammered, running his hands through his hair like he had dozens of times over the course of the night. His sister looked at him bewildered as he gestured toward August. ‘Less like an injured bird. Less damn appetizing.’ Marius was a monster if he got even the slightest whiff of weakness. Like a shark with blood in the water.

“What do you want me to do? Put a damn bag over her head? Hide her in the closet?” Greta hissed back. “He’s here for her.”

August stopped trembling now, and she looked up at both of them, steadying herself. Her eyes appeared focused and clear again, but she looked like she’d seen a ghost.

Greta grabbed August’s hands and bent down to look at her. “August, what happened? Are you okay?”

The girl nodded. “I felt, um…” She looked up at Graeme, her eyes golden and brimming with emotion. “I-I saw…” she furrowed her eyebrows, looking down and shaking her head, “um, something.” Greta looked up at her brother in confusion. Graeme had never transmitted through touch to anyone else but her.

“Shit, he’s coming,” Greta whispered. She straightened up next to August and touched her gently on the shoulder before walking back to the door. Greta’s face smoothed into a calm expression before she looked down the hall. “Marius, what a surprise,” she called sweetly.

“Miss Greta Hallowell,” a low voice called back. Slow, heavy steps approached, “How wonderful to see you again, dear girl.”

A dark figure appeared in the doorway and greeted Greta with a kiss on her hand. She forced a smile as loose peach tendrils brushed her shoulders. “I heard something rather unusual happened yesterday.” He walked into the room and turned to look at Graeme leaning against the wall, appearing casual with his hands in his pockets.

“Graeme,” Marius greeted him.

“Marius.”

“It’s been awhile,” Marius said curtly.

“Indeed it has,” Graeme smirked.

“Tell me, why is it that every time your name reaches my ear, it’s always regarding some disaster?” Marius smirked back. “I thought you had enough of us, but somehow you keep returning.”

“Have you forgotten that I’m a council advisor, Marius?” Graeme responded with little emotion.

Marius ignored him, turning now to look at the young woman in bed. “And this time, you broke one of our most sacred rules. You brought an outsider.”

“She was in trouble,” Graeme said simply.

Marius scoffed, “Trouble.” He tried the word out. “Since when does that concern us? It’s certainly not in the job description of an advisor even if it is regarding the university’s experiment,” Marius glared at him. “Regardless, the council will take over from here.”

The university?! August’s face fell. Jonathan meant the university would be tracking her? Eliade?

Suddenly she felt Marius’ eyes on her as she watched her hands on the quilt. She was still trying to process what she saw when taking Graeme’s hand, and now this new guy’s intimidating presence was searing into her with words implicating her university in last night’s horror show. What was happening here? Didn’t Greta say she was safe?

“What’s your name, child?” Marius asked coldly.

August glared up at him. His black, vacant eyes met her, and a shiver ran down her spine as she recalled the last time she had seen eyes like that. When Alan was standing over her mother’s body.

Marius’s lips curled evilly. Finally Graeme had done something truly unforgivable. Due to Graeme’s lineage, the elders had been lenient, letting him remain as a token ‘advisor’ to the council. What a joke. Everyone knew the designation was in name only—affording Graeme passage through the land as he wished. It was that or label him a traitorous stray, which people would surely rebel against. The elders couldn’t kill him. But this was different—no one would be understanding about him threatening their secrecy. And better yet, the outsider in question was a subject from Eliade.

“Your name doesn’t matter I suppose,” Marius smirked, turning back to Graeme. “I’m taking her with me. Don’t run too far this time, Graeme. We’ll be in touch.”

Greta piped up, “But Marius, this girl survived the effects of Eliade’s catalyst—”

“And? She doesn’t appear to be extraordinary in any other way,” he waved at August dismissively.

“With all due respect, Marius. Looks are deceiving. I still have some tests to run—”

“We will run them back at the pack house, Greta,” Marius sighed, bored. “Enough with this. Secure cells, medical staff, officials who can monitor her 24/7,” he turned to August again. “And if Eliade’s experiment fails, I’m sure we can find other entertaining things to do with the human,” he snickered, trailing the back of his hand against her cheek. August’s eyes unfocused suddenly as if she were in a daze, and they watched as she started trembling again like she had in Graeme’s arms. Greta shot a surprised look at her brother.

“Don’t touch her,” Graeme growled as he sprang from his position against the wall. Gone was the relaxed demeanor from a moment ago.

Marius paused with his hand on August’s cheek, “Is that an order, young advisor Graeme? You must have forgotten—you have no real standing in this pack any longer. And it seems to me that this girl is the pack’s property now,” Marius smirked, grabbing August’s chin as she continued trembling. “Aww, isn’t that sweet. She trembles just like a little leaf in the breeze.”

Lucas entered the room now, arms crossed. “Lucas, good,” Marius turned, finally letting go of August. She stopped trembling as her eyes refocused on the room. She looked up at Marius who had now turned away from her, and she scrambled back against the headboard, panting and pulling the covers to her chest protectively. Whatever she saw had terrified her.

“I need you to take the girl to the car. She shouldn’t be much trouble.” If it were possible, August’s eyes went wider with fear.

“I said don’t touch her,” Graeme growled as he stalked forward, broad shoulders rolling as a threatening aura engulfed the room, which suddenly appeared darker from it. Marius and Lucas both looked at him in surprise.

“Graeme, what is this?” Marius chuckled. “Are you so tired of your own meaningless life that you brought this human here to bait me into ending it for you?”

Graeme didn’t answer, but all the angles of him seemed to sharpen. His eyes darkened. Suddenly Marius worried that he had been too presumptuous. He gave Lucas a questioning glance before looking back at Graeme. Why would Graeme adopt a threatening posture for this human girl?

Marius would never back Graeme into a corner purposely. There was no way he could win a fight against him himself, but there wasn’t any apparent risk of that happening unless… He glanced toward Greta curiously who stood frozen in place. ‘Why isn’t she talking sense into her beloved brother?’

He looked back at the human again who was cowering behind him. Marius sprang across the bed and pulled her head back by her hair. She instinctually reached behind her to claw at his arm, but he shook her roughly until she cried out and stopped.. A deep growl rumbled through the room, echoing off the walls.