Whispers From the Moon (Complete - Editing)

Chapter 16

Blake

The stench of carrion was overwhelming as I made my way down the rough stone stairwell into the repulsive holding area. Old blood was splattered all over the walls and floor of the place, brown with age and a heap of bones lay in the corner. I strode forwards with Flint, my wolf, right at the forefront of my mind. The first wolf we came across was sprawled out on the floor, its eyes were glazed over and its breath gargled in his throat. Its pelt was matted and filthy with blood and its own waste and the stench was almost unbearable. 

"He might be too weak for the serum, sir." Trent, my Beta came up beside me. I glanced over to him, his amber eyes glowing in the dim light. Although not as large as some of the other wolves in my pack, Trent was the best non-hybrid fighter in the pack.

"Was it injected with the female's DNA?"

"No, we've done two other tests, but the strength of her powers were too much and drove them to insanity... their systems eventually shut down." I nodded, my mind racing from this recent discovery. Nyra's powers were stronger than Keith's then... something I hadn't expected to see.

"And the specimens with Keith's DNA?"

"They have survived, but have no control over their transformation." 

"What would happen if we injected Nyra with Keith's DNA?" Flint asked.

"Not sure, that would be interesting to find out. And anyway, once we have enough samples from her, she's expendable." I replied. If Nyra did die from the experiment, Alpha Thorn would be ruined, it was a win-win situation either way.

"Trent, get the prisoner and chain him in my office. I'll be over in an hour." Trent nodded and strode off.

I wandered deeper into the suffocating darkness, my eyes adjusting to the inky darkness so every detail was almost crystal clear. Wolves in varying states of death and decay were scattered randomly, lying there in puddles of their own blood and waste. However the serum seemed to be working as they were still breathing, the terrifying gargling noise echoing in the confines of their prison. Each wolf I found was further into the turning process than the one before, and before long I finally came to the holding cells. 

Each cell was only just large enough for each wolf, with just about enough space to turn around and lie down. The inhabitants were a thing of nightmares. Their dead eyes stared off into space, black saliva dripped from their jowls, rotten teeth protruded from diseased gums. The stench of death and decay hung in the air like a stifling blanket, leaving a sickeningly sweet taste in the back of my throat. I paced in front of them, looking for any with Keith's DNA. When I finally found one, it couldn't be called a wolf; or any other animal for that matter. 

It was stuck in a half shift between what looked like a wolf and a bird of some sort. One leg was shrunken and stunted, with the beginning of a bird talon protruding from the flesh. It's face was half muzzle half beak and it had two different eyes. Feathers sprouted randomly along its body and the beginning of a pair of wings jutted painfully from its back. The creature was crying out in pain as it writhed on the floor, unable to stand. Flint regarded the creature in disgust before pulling me away from the horrific scene before us.

"Let's get out of here, we need to talk to Thorn."I was more than happy to get out of there, the place left me with a weird feeling. 

When we left the confines of the holding area, I was almost instantly drenched. Torrents of water thundered down from the heavens in a solid, ice-cold wall. Taking advantage of my initial shock, Flint took over and we shifted into our large dark grey wolf. It had been so long since we shifted, and the power that ran through my veins made me remember why. Flint was strong like this... too strong. I'd never admit it, but we were abnormal, just like Nyra and Keith, but our power was so much worse... and it was a power only Flint could control. And when we were in Flint's form, there was no stoping him.