21. Unexpected Aid #2
I made quick work of drinks and finger foods while our guests looked over the living room.
“You have a lovely home,” Teagan said politely as she took a seat and picked up a cookie.
“Hmm,” she said, taking a bite. “The humans make such wonderful snacks.” We shared a smile, and I was grateful for the icebreaker.
“As I said outside,” ívarr picked up from his earlier comment.
“Our oracle made a prophecy that answered the questions of many elves for the last hundred years.” He paused to take a sip of the green tea he had requested.
“This is very good, thank you.” He placed the cup down gently.
“Over the last hundred years, much like the shifters and the fae, we have seen a sharp decline in elven birth rates. In fact, there have been no elven young born in almost fifty years.”
My mouth had to have been gaping open. How had we not known what was going on with the elves? My shock had opened the link. Shocking, right? Blake must have been listening to our conversation from upstairs.
“Naturally, this is not well known information. Tribes often keep to themselves, but by elven law, all births have to be registered with our rulers and the babe taken to our healing waters and baptized under the moon.” He took another sip of tea, unsettled.
Huh, I hadn’t known that. It made sense that anyone other than the government or council wouldn’t notice the problem that way.
“Of course, we believed rebels were not recording births when none came for a handful of years. We elves are long lived, much like shifters, and every so often a group tries to overthrow the government.” ívarr chuckled.
“I think they get bored. Not much changes, which is why more and more have left our lands for the human realm in the last century.” He gave me a significant look.
“Though we do not always integrate well.”
I thought back to the elves on the board of Mercury Delivers. No, they had not.
“There are some that have deep-seated beliefs that they are superior to humans. Shifters too.”
“Anyone not elven or fae.” Teagan interrupted.
“Quite.” ívarr settled back into his chair.
“This is related to the prophecy. According to our oracle, ‘the elves must assist the shifters in their time of need to unlock their future.’ Which is why we are here.
There is something in this ‘beta sickness’ that is important to us both as a species and together we have to find the answer.
We elves have many scientists studying fertility because of our own sharp decline.
I have redirected them into studying this sickness.
Together, we will have the resources to help gather the data we need.
“By data, you mean blood samples, observations, etc.”
“That’s right,” he said approvingly. “Do you have a scientific background?”
“No, but my father is a healer and a trained medical doctor. He also has four PHDs, two in biomedical science, one of which is shifter biology. My papa is a nurse and also has the same PHDs.”
“Ah, this is perfect, isn’t it, ívarr?” Teagan said, almost bouncing in her seat.
“Indeed.” ívarr agreed. “Have they taken any samples?”
“They weren’t going to, but I insisted. I think they are at the clinic in deep storage.”
“Wonderful!” He exclaimed, then turned to his team.
“Teagan, you will be in charge of the main house. Hakeem with you since he is capable of taking samples. I want the pair of you to monitor the shifters, make observations and assist where you can. Teárlach, you will stay with me and assist Dakota and myself where needed.”
The elves all agreed and stood to make a move.
“Shall we take the vehicle?” Hakeem asked, clearly ready to be gone.
“No, we must wait for the young alpha to finish his visit.” ívarr took his seat again, chuckling. “We are all eager to get to work, but we must be patient. The young alpha has been apart from his family and pack for too long.”
Dakota! Chase is waking up!
“My alpha—“ I stood. “He needs us. One of the twins is waking up!”
They followed me as a group upstairs to the room next to the master. Inside, a doctor was taking notes as Chase squeezed Blake’s gloved hand. Blake was lit up with his joy at seeing his brother awake, his eyes twinkling over his mask.
“Hey, what’s all this fuss?” Chase rasped out.
It was Teárlach that stepped forward to set a cup at the beta’s lips, though I noticed that his full attention wasn’t reserved for Chase, but Axel, in the bed next to him.
“Is Axel awake?”
Blake, the doctor, and I exchanged a look. It was Blake that broke the news. “Not yet.”
Chase being awake was both a cause of celebration and concern. We were relieved to hear his snark, but worried that none of the others had woken. There was no change in their condition.
While he was still weak and could hardly talk, his thoughts were only for his twin. He allowed the medical staff to do their tests, keeping his eyes glued on Axel as if willing him to wake up.
“Dakota?” Blake broke me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to stay here with my brothers for a bit longer. I can watch over Angel’s room, too. Why don’t you visit Jasper?”
“Do you think it’s safe?”
ívarr paused in the notes he was making on a tablet that had appeared from somewhere.
When and where did he get that? “If you shower and put on fresh clothing, we can scan you for the contagion. We believe that we have identified the way they pass it on. As an alpha, it’s highly unlikely that your system is carrying any of the spores. ”
“Spores?”
“They mostly cling to biological material and carry the infection. It’s possible that some were on food items. While it is most probable that the infection spread quickly from person to person, food and even some clothing has been identified as having spores on their surfaces and could have resulted in an infection. ”
“So, it’s safe to visit my mate?”
“If you take precautions, yes.”
“Could he come home?”
“I’m very sorry. While I understand the need to be with your mate, I assume that since the contagion separated you, that he is with child.” I nodded at the elf. “Then it would be too high of a risk for the baby. Until the child is born, we cannot know the designation and babies are so rare.”
“No, I understand. I just miss him.”
“Occasional visits are all I can recommend just now. I’m very sorry, Dakota.” The elf’s face was solemn.
“I understand, ívarr. Truly.” Disappointment was a regular feeling for me. I could cope. “It’ll be great to see him.”
“Why don’t you shower at the heat house and head to Kade’s after? I can call them and let them know you’ll be visiting. Kade needs to hear that Chase is awake.” Blake suggested.
“Hell yes he does! How long was I down?” Chase croaked.
“Two weeks.”
Chase’s voice wore out with his creative line of cursing.
The tips of ívarr and Teárlach’s ears both turned pink as they blushed.
I heard the already familiar laugh of Hakeem from outside the door, and the tinkling sounds that could only be Teagan laughing, too.
I already felt better having the beta awake.
I said my goodbyes and grabbed some clothing from the garage room I’d been sleeping in. When I approached my truck, Hakeem and Teagan were waiting for me. “We are to scan you after your shower. We will check your vehicle and cleanse it whilst you shower. Then perform a check on you for traces.”
The elves were going to great lengths to make sure that I got to visit my mate. I’d be forever grateful to them for that, since I was sure that there were far more important things for them to be working on.
“Thanks. Do you want to ride in my truck? The heat house isn’t far and then I can escort you as far as the mansion.”
It physically pained me to think of the betas that I’d grown to care for, like Dalton, Axel’s long suffering assistant, or Winter, the very talented cook and baker that worked wonders in the pack kitchen with his team, wouldn’t be there to look after the elves.
Melody wouldn’t be there with some quick joke to ease the growing tension.
They were at the mercy of the alphas since most of the omegas had retreated to the omega section of the compound. I worried for Roan being stuck with alphas that treated him with disdain because of his past with Rincoln.
Blake had grown concerned, with good reason, that the lack of betas would have alphas taking advantage of the vulnerable omegas.
Between us, we’d arranged for the alpha mates of the omegas to have time off their jobs to protect the compound, sending a couple as guards to any workplaces not in the omega section so that they could run the factory.
We were so shorthanded everywhere that I despaired of ever getting caught up. There was no knowing when this would end.
At first we had all thought it would be like a flu. Information had been scarce, so we hadn’t known to expect weeks of everyone being in coma-like states.
It was like something out of a fairytale, but instead of one sleeping cursed girl, we had hundreds of sleeping betas. Not all of them lived on the compound, but all the Sweetwater pack betas had fallen to the beta sickness.
Our relationship with the pride was okay, but no pack wanted to admit they were vulnerable, so no information was coming from them.
No help either. The aviary was under restrictions, and we were on their shit list for taking in Jake and Sebastian and reporting them.
No hard loss, and it was unlikely they would have offered aid, even if they could have.