Chapter 45

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MIA



A few days had passed, or, what I thought had been around a few days. There were no windows down in the cellar, and I had turned to counting, attempting to work out how long we had actually been trapped.

Lorenzo and I tried to keep ourselves busy by conversating, but both of us were far too exhausted to speak for longer than a few minutes, not wanting to fall asleep in case something bad happened to the other while we were under.

Ophelia hadn't returned since she had almost ripped my mark out, Greg having torn her away, pretending he urgently needed to speak with her, which I was taken aback by.

I was aware that Greg had said he was going to help us, but I wasn't expecting him to actually go against Ophelia to do so. It put him in a vulnerable position. It was risky.

She never returned to finish what she had started regarding my mark, and I imagined what Greg had said had immensely distracted her.

He had kept his distance too, although I had heard his voice above us a few times, indicating that he hadn't just packed up everything and left- something that had popped into my mind a few times, scaring me.

I could see how doubtful Lorenzo was with trusting Greg, but we really didn't have any other option. We would be fools to reject the help.

My mouth was extremely dry, and although Greg had snuck us down two bottles of water at some point, we had consumed them in a matter of seconds, our bodies craving more.

I cocked my head at the scientist as he crept down the steps, ensuring to close the door firmly shut after him, gulping as he made his way over to Lorenzo, who, for the most part, was looking a lot better.

He was no longer sweating profusely or looking pale and ghostly, colour returning to his usual olive toned skin, the excess silver having left his body.

However, he still couldn't shift, finding myself watching him intently as he tried to do so on multiple occasions. He would curse to himself each time, flopping his head back against the cold stone wall in failure.

"I need to check your wound," Greg said, and Lorenzo glared at him, grunting and eventually nodding, a small awkward smile making its way up onto Greg's face.

I could see by the look on Lorenzo's that he wanted to knee Greg in the groin and kick him to the ground, but we had agreed to work with him, and even though it was against our instinct, we needed to trust him.

"I think the antibiotics helped," Greg muttered to himself as he pulled up Lorenzo's shirt, humming as he inspected his wound which was practically completely scabbed over. It no longer secreted clear liquid. However, the swelling remained.

"Well it still hurts like a bitch, so don't touch it," Lorenzo snapped at him, and Greg pulled his shirt back down, taking a few quick steps back and clearing his throat awkwardly. His eyes glanced up the staircase briefly before paying his attention back to us.

"What's the plan?" My mate muttered, his eyes hard, and I could tell that he was growing impatient with Greg's lack of proactiveness. We were both waiting for him to do something and take initiative, Lorenzo and I not having a lot to work with down here.

"I've told Ophelia I need to collect the rest of my files from the cabin I had been staying in before we agreed to work together," Greg stated, his voice hushed. "She won't kill me if she thinks there's more information she could use. I've told her it's in a safe."

"Surely she won't just let you leave alone?" Lorenzo spoke, and Greg nodded, holding up his index finger.

"You're right, she's sending one her trainee witches with me, but she's young and inexperienced. I think I can take her."

Lorenzo scoffed, rolling his eyes, shaking his head. "You think you can take on a witch? You're delusional."

Pulling out a syringe from his pocket, Greg revealed what he had been hiding, raising his brows at my mate. "I've got a large dose of diazepam in here. I can put her to sleep in seconds if she lets her guard down. I'll know when the time is right."

"And then what? Ophelia will obviously know something is up when you don't return," I spoke, and Greg turned to me with wide eyes, concerned by my volume, Lorenzo gesturing for me to quieten down behind him.

"I've told Ophelia that my cabin is located farther north than it actually is, so she won't be expecting us back for a while. I will then find your pack and lead them to you, but you must ensure me that they will not kill me," Greg spoke, narrowing his eyes at Lorenzo. "You'll need to keep Ophelia distracted down here while we approach. We need to catch her off guard."

"Our pack is located next to Avern Creek. If you lead them to us and tell them that I have ordered them to keep you alive, they will do so, but you have to return here with them."

"I will, and then you will let me go?" Greg asked, seeming hopeful, and my mate nodded, swallowing harshly.

I was unsure whether Lorenzo was being truthful about allowing Greg to live, because hearing that the pack knew the whereabouts of his family was news to me, something I had never been informed of before.

It made me wonder if I had been kept in the dark about certain things, or, if it was just a plain lie, but, I didn't want to increase suspicion and ask him.

I hated Greg for what he had done to me, ripping me from my home and keeping me hostage, torturing me for years.

I couldn't allow myself to be swayed on my opinion of him just because he was offering to help us, because I knew it was for his own selfish reasons.

He was looking after himself. He didn't want to be killed, and I knew that if his life wasn't on the line, he wouldn't give a second thought on the safety of Lorenzo and I. He didn't really care. He just wanted to keep himself and his family alive.

A part of me wanted Lorenzo to go back on his word if help did come for us, and rip Greg's heart from his chest, but, I also felt guilty thinking so. He had a wife and children, who I bet were in the dark on the depravity of his job.

They were most likely innocent in all of this, and it felt cruel to wish them into a life of despair for my own peace of mind.

But, I was concerned that he would do the same again, setting up another lab and stealing young wolves from their packs to conduct his evil experiments on.

He had been working for years to find out as much as he could on us, and it didn't make sense to me that he would just give it all up in an instant. He lived and breathed to hurt wolves, and I knew he would be tempted to do the same again once he got comfortable.

"I can be back in the early hours of tomorrow with your pack. The journey is a long one," Greg spoke, whispering, looking sick to his stomach with anxiety, worried that the witches were listening in on every word coming from his mouth.

But, I could see the way that Lorenzo's eyes were distant, and I could tell that he was eavesdropping in on the conversations happening upstairs, ensuring that nobody was doing the same to our own.

"What's stopping you from just dosing the witch chaperoning you and then just running off?" I asked, remembering to keep my voice down, Greg chewing on his lip, scratching at his shiny bald head.

"Ophelia will come after me and kill me," he stated simply, shrugging as if it was an obvious answer. "She would search for me day and night until she found me, but you both want her dead as much as I do. It's an easy choice."

"Well don't be an idiot," Lorenzo piped up, snarling. "You make sure you give no indication that you know that Ophelia is planning on disposing of you."

"They already think I'm planning my future round of experiments to try on you," Greg responded, tightening his white lab coat, wrapping it around his skinny body, and it made me wonder if he even slept in the thing. He never seemed to take it off, the fabric seeming to be glued to his body.

"Greg!"

All of us tensed up at the high pitched voice, the wooden door at the top of the stairs creaking open, a young witch with braided butt length hair sauntering halfway down them. She placed her hands on her hips, looking frustrated.

"I've been waiting for you for five minutes now, Greg. Are we going to collect the rest of your files or not?" She questioned, her tone laced with irritation before she furrowed her brows, looking at Lorenzo and I.

"I'll be right up," Greg spoke, quickly stuffing the syringe he was still clutching into his pocket, the move subtle, and I could tell that the witch hadn't noticed, her gaze settling on my mate.

"What are you even doing down here? Ophelia warned you no more experiments until he's better."

"Oh, I know," Greg stated, looking a little red, and I internally cursed to myself. He was an awful liar and looked like a little child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I was just wanting to come down here and check his wound, but he won't let me near him."

"Leave him," the witch grunted, waving Greg up, turning on her heel and making her way up towards the door. "Ophelia will check on them tonight anyway."

Greg gave us one last knowing look before making his way up the stairs, being careful not to slip on the moss and gravel, disappearing along with the witch. The thick wooden door slammed behind them, making me flinch.

I just hoped and prayed that Greg wouldn't be outsmarted.

If he didn't strike at exactly the right time, the witch would be able to overpower him, and our chance at escaping would quickly diminish. Greg would more than likely be killed for it, and Lorenzo and I would be stuck here with nothing but hope to spur us on.

I couldn't rely on just hope anymore.

I had done it for too long.

•••

Someone is coming next chapter, don't panic.

But who will it be?


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