Eric stayed awake throughout the truck drive to Perkins, his mind amok with several thoughts. A part of his heart was still in Beacontown, with Lauren and all the memories they had shared. How he terribly wished things could go back to that period of time, those moments that seemed alive only in his mind. He wondered if Lauren still thought about him, if at all. It seemed that the only part of her heart that wasn't populated by thoughts of her villainous father was taken over by that overbearing Aidan boy.
Eric sighed and closed his eyes as the truck flashed past the large sign that declared that they were now in the town of Perkins. He wished he'd told Lauren more about how he felt before leaving Beacontown. Right now, with the prospect of death before him, he wished his words had been enough.
He'd had a crush on her ever since he'd seen twelve-year old her in the playground with those bullies. She'd looked small and inconsequential, and yet her dark eyes had blazed with a fierceness that had drawn him to her. It was as though even she wasn't aware of the power she held, like a lion cub who would grow to be the fiercest lioness. At that moment, he'd sworn to himself that he would always protect her, no matter the cost.
As he was about to do now.
He wasn't sure he would ever see Lauren again, and he'd left her with the idea that he hated her.
He never hated her, nor will he ever. He just wanted his best friend back.
The truck screeched to a stop and the beefy driver turned to him, all grins on his red, sweaty face. "Hey, human! We're here!"
Eric sighed. "I am about as much a human as you are."
The driver shook his head in amusement and came down from the truck. He circled the vehicle and opened the large door at the back, causing blinding sunlight to spill into the truck. "And what makes you think you're not human."
Eric slowly climbed down from the truck, then raised the edge of his hoodie up, revealing his heavily bandaged midriff. "One of your kind did this to me. I'm only waiting for a full moon to appear before i tear off my own skin and howl at the sky."
The driver laughed, a raspy sound that made Eric shudder with revulsion. "Ha! It doesn't work that way, kid."
He folded his arms. "How would you know? Have you ever met anyone who was almost torn to shreds by a rabid mutated werewolf?"
"No," The man replied. "But from all wolf lore, you have to be bitten with fangs, not attacked with claws."
"Well, I mean Dr Makovsky broke everything anyone believed to be wolf lore, didn't he? All his werewolves aren't bitten, are they? And besides, I feel...different, for someone who had been "attacked", not bitten...."
"I have no answer to that, kid. I'm just doing my job as a wolf messenger." The driver replied gruffly, then pushed Eric forward. "Come on."
It was noon already, the sun burning the back of Eric's neck. The truck had stopped in front of a shady-looking pub with a broken neon sign at the front. The windows were closed up, but he could see some movement behind them. Apart from that, the entire street on which they stood was deserted. Only a woman stood on the other end of the street, peering into the front glass windows of a small boutique. Unusual for a bright afternoon, Eric thought.
The driver knocked on the door of the pub twice. A pair of bloodshot eyes glanced from behind one of the blinds of the closed windows. A few moments later, the door swung open, revealing a strange, bald man with a dirty beard and a cigar bouncing in his mouth. 
The man's pale blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Whoever you're looking for is not here. Scram."
"It's Doctor Makovsky." The driver replied. "He's expecting us."
The pub owner's eyes narrowed even further—if that was even possible. "And who might you be?"
"Tell Doctor Makovsky I'm from Alpha Lyall. And that I've brought the package."
The pub owner raised a bushy eyebrow. "Come in while I go check in with him, then."
The driver walked in, followed by Eric. His eyes roamed around as they moved to a nearby seat.The pub was dimly lit—as he supposed all pubs were—the light bulbs turning the room a cool shade of blue. On the opposite end, he could see a bar, stools arranged before it. There was a door behind the bar, through which the pub owner went in. They waited for a minute or two, and then the pub owner stepped out again. 
He walked over to where they sat with a grumpy expression. "Go through that door, you'll find another door at the end of the corridor. He's there."
"Right." The driver replied, then stood to his feet. "Let's go, kiddo."
Eric was filled with a minute's hesitation as he stood up. What if Lauren's father refused him his proposition?
He had to do this for Lauren. He had to try, at the very least.
Stupid plan! His head screamed. 
He swallowed his fear and walked towards the door.
The door behind the bar led them to a corridor with broken lightbulbs, crates and storage boxes. At the very end of the corridor was another door, towards which the driver led him.
The driver stopped before the door and raised a beefy hand to the wood, knocking twice. Through the door, Eric could hear the muffled voice of a woman talking. Over this voice, another called out. "Come in."
The driver pushed open the door and the both of them walked in. It took Eric's eyes a minute to adjust to the dim lights of the room without his glasses, but finally he did. The muffled female voice he'd heard was coming from the TV that was mounted on the wall.
A white-haired man sat on the other end of the room, in a leather armchair. Eric could feel his calculating eyes on him as they stood on opposite ends of the room, and his skin flooded with apprehensive goosebumps. This man...the man who had populated all of his nightmares since the night he'd returned from Perkins....now sat before him, his cold eyes fixated on his face.
He shuddered, fighting the urge to bolt out of the dark room. How the heck had Lauren lived with the idea that this man was her father?
The room was filled with a tense silence. Unease settled heavily on Eric's shoulders as they all watched each other, before Doctor Makovsky shifted slightly on his seat and spoke.
"Bring him closer."
Eric was pushed forcefully by the driver, and he stumbled forward. He forced himself to look at the man's eyes, and what he saw made his heart race with fear. 
Doctor Makovsky turned to the driver, who was still hovering by the door. "Tell Alpha Lyall I said thank you. And tell him...that his wishes might be granted."
The driver bowed deeply to Doctor Makovsky, then turned and left the room.
The doctor stood to his feet and strode over to a line of cages in one corner of the room. Eric could see about six or seven wolves in there, with glowing red eyes and razor-sharp fangs. As Doctor Makovsky approached the cages, the dogs began to snarl and snap their teeth, eager to meet their master. The cages rattled violently, and Eric's wounds throbbed as he remembered how he'd been torn to shreds by these creatures.
"What, won't you tie me up or something?" He called out to the doctor, surprised that his voice was still steady. "I am, after all, a hostage."
The doctor didn't answer—he merely squatted before the beasts, stretched out a hand through the cages and stroked their pitch-black furs.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm not screaming in fright and scrambling to get out of this room." Eric muttered. 
"I am not wondering, boy." The doctor said, his English heavy with his Russian accent. "I know."
Eric cocked his head. "You know...?"
"You do not appear scared." The doctor continued. "Most of the people who walk in here never walk out the same way. And yet, you walk in here so brave and ready. Lauren must be proud."
Eric swallowed hard. "Well, I suppose now you must tell me why I'm here?"
"No." Doctor Makovsky said and rose to his feet, turning to him. "You tell me, boy."
"I had planned to come to Perkins, regardless of being taken hostage," Eric admitted, his eyes never wavering from the doctor's gaze. "Lauren is....she's my best friend, and I need to protect her at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing my own protection."
"Brave boy," the doctor commended, but his words made Eric's skin crawl with revulsion. Every fibre of his being was pulling him towards the door of the room, and yet he stayed put. He couldn't afford to let Lauren down.
Dr Makovsky reached his leather armchair and sat on it. Then he leaned forward, his fingertips joined together as he stared at Eric. The cunning manipulator, Eric thought. He knew the doctor knew what he was truly here for, and yet his face held a curiosity that made Eric's mouth turn to ash.
"And what, pray tell, is it that you seek to gain from me?" the doctor inquired, his voice laced with menace.
Eric took a deep breath, then continued. "If you agree to leave Lauren, Beth, her mother and the rest of them alone, I will willingly volunteer to be one of your....experiments."
Well, damn. Now his plans sounded absurd, even to his own ears.
For a moment, the room fell into an oppressive silence, the weight of Eric's proposition hanging heavily in the air. Dr Makovsky's expression was unreadable.
"Interesting," the doctor mused, his voice betraying a hint of amusement. "None of my wolves ever came to me willingly to be the subject of my experiments."
"Well, that's because you never gave them much of a choice, did you?" Eric muttered bitterly.
"But you underestimate the complexity of my plans. I did not have Alpha Lyall kidnap you for me, just because I wanted to make you join my ranks, did I?"
Eric's suspicion deepened at the doctor's response, his instincts screaming for him to take caution. But he shook the suspicion away and continued.
"What do you need me for, then?" He asked. "I'm sure you didn't kidnap me to keep you company, did you?"
The doctor's lips curled up in a smile. "You sure do love your wisecracks, don't you, Eric? I kidnapped you to lure my daughter and my wife here."