CHAPTER 17: WRONG

I was sitting in a study. A rotating leather chair lay across me behind a large glass table. A cup of steaming hot coffee was placed on it near the chair. Floor-length windows on the walls facing the rest of the city.

The room was cold with a cool scent of mint and musk.

After Darek took me to the testing lab, I was treated as a guinea pig for the next one hour, being scanned and tested on, wires being stuck to my head and body, kept under different conditions, heat and cold, until I was pretty close to losing it.

When it was all over, I was escorted through a side hallway to a quieter, more remote part of the building where the rooms were warmer and lined with bookshelves and art relics. I was asked to wait in the office. They said I would be meeting the Head Scientist.

But that’s all I knew.

After about another five minutes or so, the door to the room finally opened, and a tall man entered the room. He looked to be in his early fifties. With slightly messy black hair greying at the edges, square glasses perched on his nose, the face behind it ruggedly handsome, hinting at even more in his prime. His eyes seemed kind as he walked in, his face breaking out in a smile as he saw me waiting for him.

He sat down on the rotating chair, across from me behind the table.

"Maeve, right?" He smiled, taking a sip of his coffee. "You’re smaller than I expected."

I was five feet four inches. Sure, Darek and Valden had always towered over me but I couldn’t be that small.

"Not that it’s a bad thing. Small girls are statistically more energetic. Spirited. Difficult to break. Helps in your line of work, I suppose."

Spirited.

Spirited enough to kill people? I guess that would help. Haven’t been working out for me yet.

"I’m Kinley Fowler. Head Scientist and also President of the Neural Link and Mutation Abnormality Centre. You can call me Kinley, though."

"That’s...a lot of title."

"It is." He chuckled. "Makes me feel more important, I guess. But unfortunately, it comes with even more paperwork. So how are you finding things at Parthenn? I hope it’s a better change from working at the periphery."

"It’s only been three days. And a lot has happened for me including ending up in the infirmary, then shifting for the first time after showing unnatural strength, then being treated like a lab rat to check if I was an anomaly. So forgive me if I haven’t figured out the perks yet."

I conveniently left out the mate part.

His eyes lit up for a second as if my bitterness fascinated him before it turned serious again as he leaned forward, his arms crossing.

"Yes, I understand. It must have been hard for you, what with the shifting and power changes. It’s ok. We’ll figure everything out. I just need you to know that everything is fine after all the tests. In fact, it’s more than fine."

He beamed, waiting for me to ask about what was so great about my situation. But I was still stuck on what he said.

Everything is fine.

Which means I’m not a Varcolac. Which means there’s no need for Darek to contemplate killing me. Which means I could probably go back to being an Omega.

But then, did I really want that anymore?

"Where are your parents, Maeve?" Kinley asked suddenly.

"Oh," I was startled at the sudden question. It was also something that twisted my heart in knots every time I thought about it.

"They’re dead. They were too old for the mist."

"I see," he said, his tone solemn and genuine. "I’m sorry for your loss."

I nodded. Their death was the first experience I had of the mist.

The memories stabbed into me. Three years ago, as I watched my little sister claw at her throat until it ripped open, my mother collapsing right in front of me, my father bleeding out of his eyes and mouth until his body went still.

The mist didn’t kill everyone because that would have been an unjust mercy. The children and the older population were devoured but some of us got left behind, soulless and broken.

"Anyway, I’ll get straight to the point now Maeve."

He took a deep breath.

"I know that I said that this was going to be good news. But that all depends on what you think of it. What do you want to do with it? What we found out...it’s complicated. But very interesting to me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, already suspicious.

"We checked your mutation levels, your blood, genetics, everything. Everything was off the charts. As much as it is for a Varcolac. But not in a bad way," he added quickly as he saw the startled look on my face. "In simple terms, you’re powerful but not at the expense of losing your mind and becoming the kind of monster out in the mist. But what we need to find out is the extent of that power. I need to know more."

I didn’t know how to respond to that. Everything he said was overwhelming. How could I be so powerful and yet not be a Varcolac? Does that mean I was an Alpha?

"So what am I?"

"Something more valuable than you think possible. Something we can’t really put a name to right now."

I exhaled.

"Don’t worry about it," he said lightly. "I’m not here to poke your brains just yet. I just needed you to know what you’re dealing with. And how it could help all of us. Right now, what I need to know is how you’re feeling about all of this."

I hesitated for a moment. "You’re seriously asking me how I’m feeling? That’s a trap right? No one cares about that."

He smiled sadly. "No traps today. I promise. I understand you’ve had a hard time but you don’t have to go through that anymore. It’ll get better."

I let out a slow breath. "I guess I’m overwhelmed. A bit angry at the world. And honestly? Terrified."

He nodded thoughtfully. "I understand. I know this isn’t what you signed up for. But it’s all about survival. If you want to survive Parthenn you might as well listen to Darek. And if you want to stay yourself, then listen to me too."

"You want me to stay myself? But staying myself means being away from all this. It’s not what I wanted."

"You think so now, Maeve Lester. But you are much more than this. So much more."