Olga watched from the other side, the safe side, of the two-way mirror.

Clearly, the pack must have built the interrogation room in the rundown shop. It was out of place. Somehow, the room managed to get as dirty as the rest of the indoor dog zone. Olga felt nauseous eyeing the amount of gum and dried unknown liquids on the walls of the room's interior.

Finally, Jax came out of the room. What seemed like an innocent conversation had left Ulrich thrashing in his seat.

Olga felt disturbed by how calm he appeared to be upon her coming into the interrogation room.

Apparently, the room worked as a holding cell Olga noted. She heard the door lock behind her. There was a mattress in the corner of the room. She watched Ulrich shift and scamper over to it.

"I want to leave."

"I know," Olga said in a waver. She had yet to move away from the door. His snout was buried in the bowl of bloody meat Jax had offered.

You will stay with me, he announced in her head.

Olga wasn't so certain that would be a good idea.

"I can't do that, Ulrich. Regardless of what you dogs believe, I am not convinced turning me against my will is okay! I'm leaving."

She didn't want to get anywhere near him. He had taken a beating. However, Ulrich did admit to turning humans other than her. What worried her the most, at the moment, was that Jax believed Ulrich about the whole mate ordeal, particularly, that the man was in the right to turn her.

***

Jax and Sashka had let Olga stay the night.

There was nothing the pack could do but wait for the weekend when Ulrich promised to guide them to the warlock.

The pack house was huge.

Everything was made out of wood logs. Olga sat up in the twin-sized bed and pulled away the plaid comforter. The entire space looked like something out of a mountain home magazine. The walls of the room were made of long stacked logs and decorated with dead animal heads. The bear head above the fireplace mantle drew her most attention.

"Jeez..." she huffed while slipping out of bed.

She was afraid to walk around in the room for fear of messing up the extreme clean and tidy space. The smell of bacon and eggs was strong. It lured her out of the room.

She gaped, peering down the banister. The house was three stories. A giant elk antler chandelier hung right out over the large living space below. She had no idea her pet could turn out to be some wealthy man living the high life.

Something moved in her peripheral vision. Jax stood down the hallway. Shirtless.

Her mind wandered as her gaze traveled lower to his black sweatpants. Sashka was already dressed and bumbling about the living room on the phone. Downstairs, a stout woman moved around in the huge kitchen.

It must be their personal chef, she thought.

"I know it's a lot to take in."

She crossed her arms as he approached.

"Thanks for letting me stay over."

"You know, it's okay to be unhappy about your mate." There it was again. That ugly word. Olga tried not to roll her eyes. "I'm...not really happy with my own," Jax went on, "It's crazy, isn't it? I don't think love always lasts. Guess it's easy to blame the moon goddess."

As far as she knew, he was speaking mumbo jumbo, but she tried to be polite.

"Yeah."

Jax laughed a little at her response.

"What did he tell you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What did Ulrich say after turning you?"

Olga scoffed. "He didn't say sorry. That's for sure."

Jax rubbed his chin. Deep down, he was furious Ulrich got to be the one to turn her. Of course, Jax thought before about doing it. There was too much risk, even though he wasn't in love with Sashka, he didn't want to wrong her by turning another female.

He wanted to know what Olga thought of his human appearance. He couldn't really tell. She seemed to be making an effort not to look at him.

Down below, Sashka waved her arms. "Good morning, Olga!"

"Good morning!"

She followed Jax downstairs and onto a bar stool. Breakfast had already been placed out on the kitchen island.

"Dig in," Jax encouraged. Sashka walked by Jax without greeting and sat beside Olga chatty as ever.

There seemed to be some unspoken tension in the air between the couple.

Soon, breakfast was finished, and after the alpha told her about the search for Aster, Olga headed out.

***

Olga walked around the kennel. Jax said Ulrich agreed to salvage her belongings from the property. She didn't know what use could be made out of what was found. Everything would be wet from the snow.

All the caged dogs were sleeping in the backyard. The lights were on in the camper. She walked closer. She reached for the door and knocked.

"Ulrich?" she hollered.

Come in, he whispered in her mind.

Olga pursed her lips. The door was already unlocked. She stepped right into the kitchen. It was empty. Blood covered the old white counters in smudges.

Her heart thudded heavily as she looked down the hall where Ulrich sat up in bed watching her.

"Hello, angel."

His smirk pissed her off as she removed her winter coat.

He was holding a huge bottle of vodka. Curiosity tugged her by a string into the crowded space of the bedroom. His stomach looked like a rabid animal had bit and clawed at it. Most of the lacerations were oozing with yellow puss. There was a bunch of dirt in his wounds. His face didn't twitch as he continued pouring the alcohol onto the huge open cuts.

"You look horrible," she whispered.

Ulrich held her gaze. He kept his smile repressed as she went back into the kitchen. She came back with rags and bandages. It wasn't long before he had enough of being fussed over. She leaned over him, wiping the last of the blood from his chest when Ulrich gripped her waist, meeting her with a soft kiss.

One thing lead to another and she was laying in his arms fast asleep. The act was what really healed his wounds.

Newly alert and healed, he pulled the covers over her when footsteps approached from behind.

Ulrich turned to face the betas.

"You know the code. It's time to share her."

"That was not my rules."

Another voice growled, "Doesn't matter. We share. That's how we survive."

"Okay, boys. Wait outside. I want my angel to be surprised."

The animals eyed his mate, licking their lips and ogling her form like monkeys waiting for their treat. Ulrich sighed. He opened the gun cabinet hearing the RV door shut.

The two dogs had turned within the week. They hadn't been around long enough to earn the privilege of the pack's mind-link. They had been neglected and untrained. They were nothing other than ambitious, entitled, runts.

Luca strode out of the kennel, he had woken up to the command of his irate alpha. The scrawny teen was only in his shorts and boots as he stepped out into the snow carrying a long stick.

"Wake up, come on. Feeding time! Get up," Luca grumbled. He wacked the dog cages with the stick, keeping his distance. One by one, the wolves woke up in their cages, ruffling snow from their fur. They hadn't been fed all day. "Damn mutts," Luca grumbled on his way back inside.

Ulrich watched Luca go back in the building for the night.

A tune left the alpha's lips. It came out in a soft whistle. It carried around the cramped space of the RV as he turned music on his phone. He left the device near Olga and then placed the silencer on his AK-47.

"Come wayward souls," he mumbled while cracking the window quietly open.

Two thuds resounded from the heavy machinery. He closed the window after the blasted bodies landed on the ground. Chains rattled violently against the walls outside. Barks quickly filled the air. 

They were the weakest fighters. Runts. Starved, they bounded from their cages, fighting over, and ripping open, the fresh meat. Ulrich watched, satisfied, as they gobbled up the evidence of the two bodies.

He knew it was the only true way to make them stronger. After all, it was how he was raised himself.

❄️