HUNTED-Chapter 437: A Deal

"You know I do find werewolves fascinating creatures."

Keira stared at the mad scientist’s back as Carter shoved her into a chair, hand remaining on her shoulder, silently ordering her to stay seated. Distracted by the monitors full of flickering images of bedrooms, corridors, the hall and arenas, one including the field and forest she’d been to earlier, Keira didn’t move.

"Good girl," he whispered in mockery by her ear.

It snapped Keira out of her daze from the wall full of screens, and she looked at him with a sardonic smile, eyelashes fluttering. "If you didn’t hold my friends hostage right now, I’d create a matching scar down your face."

Carter was expressionless besides the flash of anger behind those dark eyes. "I’d like to see you try." Dark and deadly, his voice should have made her shudder, but it didn’t. Instead, it made her heart thump harder, intensifying the need to follow through with that threat.

Keira leaned closer, her eyes glimmering a light silvery blue, Ember coming to the surface at the challenge. ’I’ll do more than leave a little scratch.’

Carter scoffed, aware that Keira’s wolf had surfaced yet did not hear her words. She was sure he understood.

’And yet he does not fear for his life…’

Carter slapped the back of Keira’s head and pointed at Octavius, who was scowling at both of them. Keira was not a violent person but since her wolf’s awakening and being thrust into this situation, she was discovering a new side of herself. Or perhaps it was her need to survive.

Keira’s attention finally flicked back to the mad scientist who glared in Carter’s direction. "There is no need for violence. Stop hurting my-"

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"Pet?" Carter added snidely, looking down at Keira like she was the dirt on his shoe.

Octavius sighed. "If you are here only to annoy me, then please leave." When Carter remained silent, Octavius gestured to the wall. "Then step aside and guard from afar."

The moment Carter’s steps retreated, Keira’s shoulders relaxed a little. Once Octavius scraped a metal chair across the floor to sit across from her, that minuscule moment of relief vanished. Although Carter was a pain in the ass, always hurling out insults and handling her aggressively, at least she knew what to expect from him.

With Octavius, every warm smile meant to calm and comfort you was followed by a creepy look that matched his eerie energy.

The man was certainly mad, and Keira was definitely his latest obsession—if there was anything to go by, it was his far too bright eyes.

Keira gulped, trying to lubricate her dry mouth and figure out the best play here. Before she could do that, Octavius gestured at the screens. "What did you think of your first trial?"

"What do you aim to do here, Octavius?" Keira asked, keeping her voice soft-spoken, acting submissively to this madman. It sickened them both to act in such a way, but survival came first.

Carter had been right. From the way Octavius looked at Keira, she was like a pet or toy to him. She could try to use it to her advantage.

"I see you shifted multiple times in the game," Octavius stated, ignoring her question. "You did well. Many were eager to see what you would do next. Fighting the rogue and helping Dylan is exactly what I’d expect of a Princess. Taking the egg from Katrina… Now that none of us expected."

"Us?" Keira looked to the screens. She had been right. The drones recorded them to entertain others. She probed further, "The games… They are watched?"

A corner of Octavius’ lip slanted up as he watched her. "Live."

Keira blinked back at him. "The.. guards?" Who was watching the games?

"And others who pay for the entertainment. How do you think we can keep funding such an establishment? Funding my research?"

Nausea squeezed at her stomach. "You mean… People outside of the Order? Like normal citizens?" ’They pay to watch us die in brutal ways.’ Her words made her wolf snarl, anger surging towards Keira. She had to block her out to concentrate and hide her disgust from someone who did not see an issue with what they were doing.

Octavius sighed, seeming to lose patience with her. "That is beside the point. You shifted in the game, which apparently is unheard of to do so quickly after awakening your wolf, correct?"

Keira stared at him, wondering where he was going with this. "Yes…" How much did they know about her kind? She was sure they knew more about them from the years of hunting them down in the past.

At her questioning stare, Octavius answered, "A lot of data was lost or kept by the Hunters Association. I want to know more about how werewolves shift. It really is fascinating. And you would be the perfect test subject."

A chill swept across Keira’s body, leaving goosebumps in its wake. She refrained from crossing her arms to warm up. She couldn’t show any weakness. "It’s obvious your men want the world to be rid of supernatural beings." She gave a pointed look in Carter’s direction. "Yet you are here in this research facility wishing to learn more about my kind?"

"Don’t get it twisted, princess. The old man here is doing his own thing while the centre gives entertainment to those who hate your kind and allows others to relieve their hatred by shooting any that don’t make it through the games," Carter snarled from the wall, giving a little more information than he probably intended.

Octavius was acting on his own? There were higher-ups in the Order. Octavius was allowed to do as he pleased and probably in return for something he does for them.

"Be quiet," the mad scientist snapped. Clearly, he’d also seen the flaw in Carter’s angry statement.

"What do you want from me?" Keira asked, staring back at Octavius too bright eyes, obviously eager to get his hands on her.

"Your consent to go through tests. I do not wish to force you…"

’It certainly won’t be voluntary either,’ Ember growled.

"If you give your consent, the centre will withhold any games for five days, including any brutality by the guards," Octavius added quickly. Clearly, he’d seen how Carter used Ahren and Dylan against her.

"And," Keira began, her stomach already dropping at his eager expression, aware that she was agreeing and adding another condition to the deal. "You won’t kidnap others and bring them to the research centre."

"That is not up to me, I’m afraid dear." Octavius patted her leg and held her gaze, waiting to see what else she might say.

It had been a long shot, but Keira couldn’t think of anything else she could ask for that was within ’reason’. "Fine." She didn’t want to do any of this but there really wasn’t any choice in the matter.

"Excellent." Octavius sprang up, suddenly energetic for an old man. He ushered her out of her seat and through another set of doors back into a white room, empty of bed but full of machines on the side.

Ten minutes later, she was plugged into half of the machines, and the mad scientist observed her from behind a window. Carter was beside him, waiting for her to shift into her wolf form.

’If only they stayed in the room,’ Ember snarled. ’I’m in need of a snack right now.’

’That’s why they’re well protected behind that wall,’ Keira commented. ’This not only gives others some sort of semblance of peace but also gives us time to come up with a plan.’