“I need to be in charge right now,” he explained.
Sebastian didn’t see anything wrong with that. In fact, he was happy Viggo could take charge of the feral werewolves if it meant they got out of there sooner.
Ash, Jordan, Fred and Thomas stepped cautiously out of their cells, tiptoeing past Viggo before rushing toward Bart and Marge with desperate eagerness. They crowded up against them, whining and making snuffling noises as they made sure they were okay.
“Get these collars off, please,” Marge said, looking perfectly at ease being manhandled by four massive werewolves.
The biggest one, Thomas, immediately reached up and took hold of the collar and ripped it apart, the locking mechanism giving way after a loud grunt of effort. He went over to Bart and did the same thing, after which he bent down and grabbed both collars and smashed them into the wall.
The battery-powered shock box shattered and Sebastian took a second to be grateful he hadn’t been put in one of those collars. He wasn’t good with pain at all.
The next thirty minutes were chaos. Viggo and Bjorn used their claws to cut the moonrock implants out of the four other werewolves’ backs, but only Thomas and Jordan managed to stay awake after they were removed. No matter how much they slapped and cajoled Ash and Fred, the two men lay slumped on the floor, dead to the world.
“What’s the plan?” Bjorn asked, giving up on his attempts to wake Ash and rising to his feet.
Viggo clenched his jaw. “We don’t know what security systems they have in place. We need to neutralize the guards before they can call for backup, and if they do get backup, we need as many wolves up and ready to fight as possible. I want you and Sebastian to go out and start unlocking as many cells as you can while Thomas, Jordan and I deal with the guards. Focus on removing collars. It doesn’t matter if half of us are feral, as long as no one is being held back because they’re worried about their humans.”
Sebastian expected Bjorn to argue about splitting up, but Bjorn just nodded.
“What about us?” Bart asked. He looked nervous but ready to help however he could. Marge had an identical expression.
“Go with Bjorn.”
Marge and Bart looked to Thomas, who nodded. “He’s in charge.”
After that, Sebastian was just along for the ride. Bjorn opened the door out into the hall, all seven of them filing out into the outer hallway, the mood tense. Bjorn unlocked the main door leading out into the warehouse, Viggo, Thomas and Jordan slipping out without a word.
“Won’t they need an access card?” Sebastian asked Bjorn as they tapped the access card on the first door in the hall, typing in the code on the keypad.
“We need it more,” Bjorn said, pushing the door open. “They’ll figure it out.”
The room they entered was identical to the one they’d just come from, with six cells on either side of the room separated by a wide aisle. There were five werewolves and two humans in the cells, werewolves on one side and humans on the other, and none of them seemed to know what to make of the procession that filed into the room.
“We’re escaping,” Marge announced, which had the mood shift instantly into hopeful anticipation. “We have an access card and we know how to reverse the procedure to turn you feral.”
“Marge?” one of the humans said, pushing up against the bars. “Is that you?”
Marge looked startled. “Penny? Yes, it’s me. I didn’t know you were here. How long have you-”
“No time to chat,” Bjorn growled, getting to work opening Penny’s cell and then the one next to hers. He walked into each cell and ripped the collars off their necks.
“You have a piece of moonrock implanted in your backs.” Marge had moved over to the werewolves, explaining things to them. “Bjorn here is going to take it out so that you can help us escape. You need to try very hard not to fall asleep after.”
Sebastian opened his mouth to contribute, feeling useless where he stood by the door next to Bart, but he had no idea what to say and so he closed it again.
“If you sleep, they’ll hurt your humans,” Bjorn growled, unlocking the first cage on the werewolf side and beckoning for the woman inside to come out. She glanced at Penny and the other human, clearly yearning to go over to them, but Bjorn’s stern glare kept her from giving in to the instinct.
Bjorn spun her around and, in two quick moves, sliced into her skin and squeezed the rock out. He pushed her toward Penny and the man.
“Don’t let her sleep!” Bjorn barked, moving on to the next cell.
“Cleo, you need to stay awake,” Penny said, crying out when Cleo leaned too heavily against her. The man rushed to help her keep the werewolf from sinking to a heap on the ground. “We’re escaping!” the man whispered, voice so hoarse it sounded painful. “If you miss it, I’ll color all of your shirts pink and throw away every jar of plums in the basement, I swear to god.”
“My head,” Cleo whined, her breaths turning harsh and ragged. She put her hands on her knees and swayed, Penny and the man steadying her with a grip on her shoulders. “I’m awake.”
Bjorn pushed another werewolf toward them, back bleeding where the moonrock had been unceremoniously carved out, leaving him to stagger and fall as Bjorn moved on to the next cell. Penny and the man jerked forward to help him, but the second they took their hands off Cleo, she started to sag.
Sebastian rushed forward, Bart following. “We’ll help,” he said, and together they helped the werewolf stand. He was incredibly heavy, standing six and a half feet tall and built like a tank, and Sebastian’s arms burned from the effort of holding him up.
