Red {Wolf Rebellion I}

Chapter 27~Universal Deceit~

Dedicated to @radioactiveme_ for the lovely comments and motivation!

During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.

-George Orwell

Chapter 27~Universal Deceit~

It was late morning when my team woke up for a second time. I'd stayed by the door since Cas left, refusing to move as I watched them sleep off the drugs. Kat had come in a few times to check on them, but other than that, Carmine and I were left alone with them.

Earlier, when Cas and Shani had struggled to sedate Phoenix, I'd had to wait outside. I couldn't handle seeing how animalistic they'd become, the way they seemed to have no sense of themselves.

It was difficult to accept the idea that Claret had done this to them, to her own agents. It only made me more determined to stop her.

Scarlett was the first one to wake up, and I could feel Carmine tense beside me, ready to get Cas and Shani at the first sign of trouble. I stood up, taking a few cautious steps forward. I could tell almost immediately that something was different about her, she didn't seem as agitated.

She groaned, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the low light. She seemed to notice me at the same time that she realized she was restrained.

"Ruby?" Her quiet voice cracked, and I closed the distance between us, somehow knowing that the old Scarlett was back.

I dropped to my knees beside her, studying her eyes. While they were still red and irritated, her pupils had shrunk back to normal and I could no longer pick out the individual capillaries. Though her eyes were physically healed, there was something else in them that convinced me that she hadn't taken those drugs knowingly- confusion.

"What are you doing, Ruby!? How did we get here?" She glanced sideways at the rest of our team. "Why are we tied up?"

She hadn't even mentioned the fact that they'd been Hunting us, or that we were now considered Rogues. "I can explain, Scarlett. Everything's fine," I told her, though I knew it wasn't. A sudden realization was beginning to form in my head, and I didn't want to think about it's implications.

"What do you remember last?" I asked, needing to know exactly what was going on, and how my team fit into it. I tugged at the end of the rope at her torso, loosening it to let her relax.

She closed her eyes, swallowing thickly. "I-I don't know. We were-" she paused, grimacing, "Claret was briefing us on a Hunt. Wolves had been spotted downtown. I remember Cherise interrupting to ask Claret a question, but-" she stopped, "why can't I remember?"

I frowned, apprehension filling me as I turned to glance at Carmine. We'd never been near downtown Chicago. I could understand the drugs causing confusion, but it was as if Scarlett hadn't ever known she'd been Hunting us, let alone the fiasco this morning.

"How did you find us? Why did you leave, Ruby? Claret told us you went Rogue." Her eyes searched mine, pleading. "Why would you do that? We trusted you. I told Claret it had to be a mistake, that you'd never do that, but weren't even allowed to look for you." That was the protocol that Claret should've followed. Team members were never allowed to get involved in a Hunt if it was personal.

I glanced at my other team members, "Once they wake up, I'll explain everything, I promise." I reached back to undo the ties binding her hands, unable to keep myself from wondering what the hell was going on.

Later, after similar results with the rest of my team, I'd finally been forced to accept what I didn't want to believe. Neither Adam, Phoenix, or Ginger could recall the club, being drugged, or their episode earlier. It was like it'd been wiped from their memories. Ginger couldn't remember knowing about Claret experimenting on wolves, and Adam couldn't remember supposedly reading my file.