Chapter Ten
Cade
Of course I’m the last one back.
When my family from the New Moon Pack arrive in Shadow Creek, I’m immediately greeted by Dax.
Apparently, Maverick and Lex arrived a few hours ago—the former first.
That man is determined to show me up any chance he gets. Distance wise, Maverick has the furthest to travel. Yet, he never misses an opportunity to attempt to pull rank.
Foolish, really. We’re on the same level. Just because I was the final mate to be found, doesn’t mean I’m last on Nyx’s roster.
Unfortunately, I’ve had less time to prepare. Even though we deduced that Nyx was my mate when we heard word that a wolf had accumulated multiple alpha mates, and in theory we were fully prepared, putting everything into motion takes a little more time.
Nyx was only in Silverpine Meadows for a brief few days before the others arrived to take her back.
Most of our short time together was me chasing her through the woods or dodging things being pelted at my head.
Then, once the rescue crew arrived, I grabbed my own security detail and headed to Shadow Creek.
My pack is obviously well aware of the situation, and we’ve had it on our radar for some time about the disappearing wolves. Marie has worked with Sawyer and I tirelessly to put pieces together, finding out what we could.
Part of my delay in getting back was sorting through the journals for Nyx.
There’s so many of them that it seemed unproductive to bring all of them.
I know she’d like that, but with the looming deadline approaching, I don’t want Nyx to feel as though she has to read all of them.
Her time is going to be better spent with us, preparing and planning for Orson and the Seventh Circle Pack.
Plus, it took me a little time to convince Marie to join us.
Have you ever tried to negotiate with a witch? Stubborn as hell. Even more so than my sweet Nyx.
I know Marie secretly loves us. I mean, who wouldn’t? But asking her to leave her home, travel through unfamiliar territory and stay at a foreign pack? Yes—that took a bit of time.
But like I said to Nyx… I can be very persuasive.
Well, basically it meant I had to hand over some New Moon artifacts and ask her son to join us on this journey. He was keen. The words had barely left my mouth and he agreed. But then the discussion on ancient items took longer.
Some I refused to part with, especially anything related to Ophelia. If I’m being honest, I no longer feel like they belong to me or the New Moon Pack.
They should go to Nyx.
She’s one of us now anyway.
The other upside to this is having Marie with us gives an advantage if Orson tries anything sinister.
Of course, Marie can’t shift, so she needed to ride on one of the wolves to venture back. It’s not exactly proper health and safety if we sprint with someone on our backs, so it was a slower journey to ensure she was comfortable.
“Dax,” I greet, following him as he leads me away from his beloved training facility.
Night is just starting to creep in, the street lamps and torches being lit as soft warm rays begin to vanish behind the trees.
The warm air is pleasant though, people still moving about in the main street. I notice as we get further into the town center, the number of bodies increases. It’s as if everyone is situated here, together.
It’s kind of like they are forming safety by numbers.
I make small talk with Dax, annoyed when he gives dry, short answers. Surely, I’m not that undesirable. I’m pretty fun to chat with.
When we pass the entrance to his office, I glance over at him in surprise, wondering where he is leading me.
His pace stays consistent, but under my gaze, I notice he tenses slightly.
Short answers.
Tense.
People moving in packs in the safest part of town.
“What’s going on, Daxton?” I ask suddenly, voice stern and demanding. “What happened?”
Dax never has been one to avoid awkward conversations. He’s very straight to the point, no bullshit.
“There was an attack,” he answers quietly as people move to the other side of the street, giving us a wide berth on the pathway.
I don’t like where this conversation is heading. An unsettling feeling of turmoil grows in my chest, my own body tensing.
“Where is she?”
It comes out a lot harsher than I probably intended. But I’m not one to delay discussions either.
There’s two things wrong with this situation. One—Nyx wasn’t waiting for me when we arrived. It was obvious we were there, Dax’s boundary monitors letting him know when we were approaching and the fact he was waiting.
And two… perhaps the most unnerving part of this. An attack.
I try not to dwell on the details. I don’t want to panic until I have all the information at hand. We only deal with facts, not feelings.
Well, I fucking try anyway. My emotions are refusing to take a backseat as I fight to stay calm.
Beside the fact that out of everyone in Daxton’s pack, Nyx is one of the biggest targets, that woman has a special talent for finding trouble. I, myself, am a case in point.
Anytime there is a whiff of an ambush, she’s there. I’ve already been filled in on various prior attacks since this whole Orson ordeal began.
Daxton frowns, another sign that something is seriously wrong. He’s not doing well to reassure me. “She’s with the doctor.”
It’s short, blunt. Almost sounds like it’s not a huge deal.
I’m led inside a building not too far from Daxton’s office, the white tiles and smell of bleach confirming his answer.
Neither of us speak as he guides us down a corridor, past several consultation rooms. Someone emerges from an open door, giving us a sad smile, and I manage to catch a glimpse of another woman laying in a bed, surrounded by presumably family members.
Finally, outside the very last room, I go to rush toward the door, annoyed that it’s closed. But I know Nyx is in there. I can sense her. I can smell her. The bond is pulling me in her direction, screaming at me.
Fuck rationality. Fuck feelings. I just need to see her.
I growl darkly when a hand stops me, my head whipping violently in Dax’s direction. “Daxton,” I hiss, shoving his arm away.
How dare he try to stop me?!
I don’t care about our relationship, our united front. If he attempts to come between me and Nyx, I’ll end him myself.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t appear fazed or upset at my less than warm demeanor toward him. He just gives a tight, forced smile.
“Brace yourself.”
Short. To the point.
A warning.
I turn away faster than humanly possible, shoving open the door with too much force. It crashes into the adjacent wall, Nyx’s scent hitting as a brief moment of serenity stills me. But it’s short lived though, my eyes finding her immediately, laying on a bed with Mav and Lex on either side.
They glance over, clearly expecting me. They vanish before my eyes, my attention solely on my mate.
Nyx…
My feet move on their own accord, which is good because my mind has completely seized up.
With the doctor?
With the fucking doctor?
What kind of bullshit answer was that?!
I barge into Lex unintentionally, our shoulders clashing, still not really seeing him in the room.
All I know is I have to get as close to her as possible.
I have tunnel vision, the only thing is her.
I’m like a moth drawn to a burning flame, except instead of fire, it’s fluorescent lights making her glow.
“Nyx?” I whisper, looking down at her still frame.
Pure panic washes over me in uncontrollable waves. I understand what I’m seeing, but I can’t register it. It doesn’t make sense.
Odin is howling in my mind, the sound an agonizing wail for his mate.
Is she even breathing? Why isn’t she moving?
“... Nyx?” I ask again, louder and desperate, reaching my hand out to her body. I place it flat on her chest, eyes scanning her face urgently for any type of reaction.
Nothing.
It feels as though hours pass, but in the reality of seconds, finally, I feel her chest move with a weak breath under my hand.
I let out a ragged breath, but the panic doesn’t ease.
“She’s alive,” a voice says, and it takes me a moment to remember Maverick is across from me.
My head snaps up, finally seeing him. His usual cold expression is gone, replaced by a look I can only describe as devastation.
“What the hell happened?” I ask angrily, shouting the last word as I swing my head to seek out Daxton.
He’s lingering by the door, eyebrows pulled together painfully.
“We’re still attempting to figure that out,” he answers calmly, probably trying to keep the three of us from raging.
“But what we do know,” he pauses, giving me a look as I start to lose my shit.
“One of our boundary monitors was attacked. Her mate contacted us. Apparently, Stevens was already aware and rushed out to help.”
My mind flickers to the other woman down the hall for a second before she’s irrelevant to me again.
“Orson?” I demand.
Daxton nods. “We assume so. Though, we can’t be sure.”
I scoff. “You let them get away?!”
Behind me, Lex’s low voice chimes in. “Nyx killed them.”
That finally shocks me, a current of electricity hitting me with his words. Turning, I face him. “What?”
Lex looks tired, usual light blue eyes eerily murky with dark circles underneath. “There were three attackers. By the time Daxton arrived, they were already dead.”
“How long did it take you to get there?” I challenge. “Why was she there first? You were supposed to protect her, Daxton!”
Maverick lets out a dry humorless laugh behind me. “Yes. He was.”
Ignoring him, I cock an eyebrow at Daxton expectantly. He nods, quietly agreeing with us.
“For some reason, the other wolf’s mate was unable to contact us. He attempted to mind link us unsuccessfully.”
I shake my head in confusion. “That’s impossible,” I accuse. “The only way a pack member wouldn’t be able to communicate is—”
“Witches,” Lex interjects.
Pausing, I let the silence linger. I’m more than familiar with that tactic, using Marie myself a few times to do that.
“We believe Orson blocked his ability to reach us, to ensure only Nyx could be contacted.”
“They drew her out,” Maverick confirms. “And we know she’s too stubborn to wait or think about the consequences.”
I glance over at Nyx, heart squeezing tightly at her pale face. Bruises mark her skin, gauze covering what I can only hope is not wounds.
As I scan her frame, I notice her leg is poking out of the white blanket, a cast around it.
Lines and tubes are coming out and going in her in every direction. She looks uncomfortable, and it dawns on me that she is completely flat. They couldn’t even give her a pillow?
Daxton takes a step forward, his own eyes drinking in her fragile state. “We saw the white light again. Just before we reached her. Her powers are growing.”
I give him a puzzled look. “Come again?”
Lex fills me in one of their journeys, how Nyx began radiating a faint white light when trouble found them. It makes me wonder if that’s how she managed to escape my cells. I knew she had broken the chains, expected it, but between that and the moonstones, she still managed to break loose.
I remember reading about a legend associated with Ophelia, and it starts to make sense.
“So, this white light,” I ask, processing all the information. “It killed the wolves?”
Daxton nods. “We believe so. Though, judging by some of their injuries, I suspect Nyx gave them a hell of a fight beforehand. Perhaps even managing to kill one during the struggle.”
“Why isn’t she waking up?” I ask, unable to focus on any pride I feel. “Wolves heal quickly. And as a Luna, even quicker.”
This time, it’s Maverick who speaks up, voice dangerously low. “They broke her spine.”
“And she bled out,” Lex finishes, reaching over to lift the blanket for me.
Nyx’s entire body is practically covered in gauze, as if someone just wrapped her in a giant roll. Any free skin I can see is red and inflamed, or a dark shade of blue.
“She fought hard,” Daxton says, placing a hand on my shoulder as some choking sound rips from my throat. “And for what it’s worth, she saved her friend’s mate.”
No words form, an invisible force suffocating me.
Lex brushes some hair off Nyx’s face gently, fingers stroking her face. “Red is strong. And she’s slowly healing. You can hear her bones mending back together piece by piece.”
My vision is watery. I blink it away, glowering at Daxton. “We end this now, Daxton. I don’t care what it takes. I’m done waiting for Orson. We go in and slaughter the entire Seventh Circle Pack. And if anyone tries to stop me, I’ll end their entire bloodline too.”