Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

R owan

My body felt like lead, heavy and unresponsive as I lay on the cold, hard floor of the warehouse. The drug they’d injected into me hadn’t just knocked me out—it had stripped away the one thing I had always counted on: my ability to shift. I could feel it, that animal part of me, simmering just beneath the surface, but it was locked down, smothered by whatever they’d pumped into my veins.

They knew who I was. That much was clear.

I opened my eyes slowly, the dim light of the warehouse doing nothing to ease the pounding in my skull. I’d been left in a small room at the back of the building, the metal walls closing in around me. Chains bound my wrists and ankles, pinning me to the floor. I tugged at them out of instinct, but there was no give. The cuffs were reinforced—made specifically for holding someone like me. I’d seen this before, and it didn’t take much to guess who had orchestrated it.

The door creaked open, and I didn’t need to look to know who had entered.

Captain Sorin.

I could hear her boots click against the concrete, slow and deliberate as she approached. Her scent reached me before she spoke—sharp, cold, laced with distrust. I stayed where I was, letting my body rest as much as it could, conserving my energy. There was no point in fighting against the chains. Not yet.

“Well, well.” Sorin’s voice was a mix of disgust and amusement. “Rowan Blackwood. I never thought I’d get the chance to meet the infamous Patient Zero.”

I didn’t respond at first, keeping my breathing steady, eyes fixed on the ceiling. I wasn’t surprised they knew. In fact, I’d been expecting it. For someone like Sorin, knowledge was power, and knowing the history of the wolves meant she knew exactly who I was—and why I was so dangerous.

I knew who she was too. Her reputation had spread far beyond the walls of this rundown town. Captain Sorin wasn’t just a Resistance leader—she was a legend, known for her brutal tactics and her unwavering hatred of wolves. I’d heard whispers about her over the years, stories passed among those who had been hunted and driven into hiding.

Sorin had been fighting for the Resistance for a long time. I’d even encountered her once, briefly. She was younger then, just a soldier—ruthless but efficient, with a mind as sharp as her blade. It was said she lost her family to a wolf pack when she was a child, and it had turned her into the cold, relentless commander she was now.

To Sorin, we were all the same.

Monsters.

“You’ve been alive for a long time,” she continued, her voice cold as she circled me slowly. “Longer than any of your kind should be. One of the first infected.”

I shifted slightly, the cold metal of the chains biting into my wrists. “You did your research,” I muttered, my throat dry from the drug.

Sorin crouched down beside me, her dark eyes gleaming with a mixture of fascination and hatred. “You’re damn right I did. You’re not just any wolf—you’re the reason this all started. You’re the beginning.”

Her words hung in the air, and for a moment, I felt the weight of the past settle heavily on my chest. She wasn’t wrong. I was the beginning. The first human to shift. The first to lose control to the virus that had spread like wildfire across the world. But I hadn’t asked for any of it. I hadn’t wanted this.

She stood again, pacing slowly. “We’ve got you on a heavy dose of suppressants,” she said, almost conversationally. “Blocks your ability to shift, dampens your strength. It’s a nasty cocktail, but it’ll keep you from doing anything… stupid.”

I clenched my jaw, refusing to rise to her bait. I could feel the wolf inside me, clawing at the cage the drug had locked it in, but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me struggle. I needed to stay calm, to stay in control. I could figure out a way out of this.

If I played my cards right…

Sorin stopped in front of me, arms crossed over her chest, studying me like I was some kind of specimen.

“So,” she said, her tone probing, “why don’t you tell me what you were really doing with that human girl? What’s your angle? Why her?”

I looked up at her, meeting her cold gaze. “I told you,” I said evenly. “She’s my mate.”

Sorin scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You expect me to believe that? Wolves don’t just ‘choose’ humans as mates. There’s always an agenda. So, tell me—what were you really planning? Was she bait? A pawn in some game we haven’t figured out yet?”

I let out a slow breath, steadying myself before speaking. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her eyes flashed with irritation, and she crouched down again, her face inches from mine. She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, glaring at me.

“Oh, I think I do,” she said, her voice low and dangerous. “I know your kind. You wolves think you can manipulate us, twist our minds, when really, you’re just waiting for the right moment to strike. So why don’t you cut the crap and tell me what you were doing with her?”

I met her gaze head-on, the anger simmering beneath the surface, but I forced myself to stay calm. Sorin wouldn’t believe the truth even if I gave it to her, but I had nothing left to lose by telling her.

“I was protecting her from those that would hurt her, breed her without her consent,” I said quietly, my voice steady. “I wasn’t using her. I wouldn’t dream of manipulating her. She’s my mate, and I’ve done everything I could to keep her safe. I didn’t want any of this. I didn’t choose to become what I am. But I’ll die before I let anyone hurt her.”

Sorin stared at me for a long moment, her eyes searching mine, as if she was looking for some crack in my resolve, some hint that I was lying. But I wasn’t. I’d been protecting Kendra since the moment I found her in the breeding compound, and I’d do it again, no matter the cost.

Finally, Sorin stood up, her lips pressing into a thin line. “You’re either a great liar, or you’re a fool.”

I smirked, though it took effort. “Why not both?”

She didn’t laugh. Instead, she signaled to the guard outside, who stepped into the room with a tray of medical supplies. My stomach twisted at the sight of the syringe, another dose of the drug that was keeping me in check.

“I’ll be keeping an eye on your mate,” Sorin said, her voice icy as the guard prepped the syringe. “And if I find out she’s in any danger because of you, I’ll make sure you both pay for it. But first… let’s make sure you stay nice and calm, shall we?”

The guard knelt beside me, jabbing the needle into my arm. I felt the cold rush of the drug spread through my veins, dulling my senses even further, trapping the wolf deeper inside me.

My vision blurred slightly, and I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to lash out. But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not like this.

Sorin turned on her heel and walked out, leaving me in the cold, empty room with nothing but the weight of the drug coursing through me and the sound of the chains clinking softly as I lay there, powerless.

But even as the drug pulled me deeper into its haze, one thought stayed at the forefront of my mind.

Kendra .

She was going to need me with what was coming.

I had to find a way out of this. For her.

No matter what.