Chapter 39 - Dark
Brent's POV:
I lunged forward, but Alyssa's screams stopped me in my tracks. Dalton had dug his claws into her skin, applying just enough pressure to cause her pain, as small trickles of blood dripped down her side from the flesh wound.
I was shaking with fury, "let. her. go."
He glared at me unrelentingly, "give me the girl."
"Never," I grumbled back.
He smiled at me, the silence stretching between us, broken by him speaking, "you sure about that, is that your final answer? I thought you were smarter than this. You're seriously willing to lose your mate and child for a child that's not your own? How pathetic," he spat at me, "aren't you supposed to be some sort of feared Alpha?" He laughed darkly, "all I see is a weak man who can be brought to his knees with something as pathetic as so-called true love."
I took his soapbox moment to try and form my plan. I had to act now, my precious mate was running out of time. I had to get to her.
'Jared,' I linked , 'get in formation, now.'
'You got it, boss, we're moving in,' h e responded.
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Alyssa's POV :
'Alyssa, I'm here, I'm back.'
My wolf softly spoke to me, she had been ripped from me with the silver they injected into me back at the pack house. It hadn't been enough to kill me, but it was enough to make my wolf dormant for the past however long.
'I can help you, let me help you,' she pawed at the back of my mind.
'How…I can barely stand,' I whispered through the faint link.
'You are not strong enough for a half shift, but just let me have your right hand. I can do this, I can get us out of this,' s he reassured me and I was in no position to argue.
It wasn't that I was ready to give up, but with claws directly over my stomach, I didn't see how I was making it out alive. He would slice through me like butter before Brent could reach me on the porch from where he stood on the ground. He would kill Dalton, but not before Dalton killed me and our son…
I drew in a ragged breath as the two men stared each other down. I wanted nothing more than to be in Brent's arms and for this horrifying nightmare to end. Even in a half shift, with his claws and canines protruding, I could still see the pain etched into his face and it killed me. His pupils were blown with fury and cheeks sunken from lack of sleep. His usually neat, pulled back hair was wild and framed his face, making him look dark and menacing. His bare chest heaved with each anger filled breath. If I weren't looking at the love of my life I would be terrified.
I closed my eyes, my body swaying with weakness as I prayed for some sort of miracle when Dalton took his claws and began to prod deeper into my side. The white hot burn of my skin being torn made me scream and writhe in pain. The need to protect my son overpowered my current state.
'Not our pup!' My wolf howled in agreement, and before I knew what was happening the claws in my right hand elongated and by sheer willpower alone I lifted my hand quickly and dug my claws straight through his leg. Effectively ripping through his thigh, causing him to wail in pain and slash at my stomach as I fell to the ground on all fours when his arms released me. Muscles and ligaments hung from his profusely bleeding and mangled leg, causing bile to rise in my throat in my already nauseated state.
I wrapped my hand around my abdomen as blood coated the front of my torn clothing, willing myself to stay conscious, "NO!" Brent yelled as he ran to me.
"Not today and not my Luna!" a voice I recognized as Jared, my guard, threw a silver coated chain over Dalton's neck and detained him as Brent picked me up from the porch and cradled me in his arms.
"Alyssa, baby, I am so fucking sorry. I had help coming in. You're gonna be okay. I'm going to get you to the hospital, the car is here. It's okay, it's going to be okay." He soothed me the best he could, words tumbling from his mouth in succession, one thought right after the other as I lay my head against his chest and focused on each shallow breath.
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Brent's POV:
I ran her to the awaiting SUV and laid her across the back seat that had been folded down to make a larger working space. The medical warrior immediately placed oxygen on her and began to clean and wrap her wounds for the trip back to the pack as a second medic began placing an IV in her arm to begin fluids. The moment the IV was placed I yelled for the driver to step on it.
She was whimpering in pain, clinging to my hand. I was doing my best to soothe her with the bond, but it didn't offer her full comfort with her weak body and wolf.
"We're gonna be there soon my love, just breathe. Just breathe. I've got you," I whispered.
I caressed her dirt and bruise covered cheeks, all of the pent up stress and anxiety I'd felt the last two days flowed out of me as I ran my hand through her hair, whispering words of encouragement our entire way to the pack hospital.
After what felt like hours, we finally pulled in and the medical team met us at the back hatch, "okay, baby, we're going to get you out now, okay?" She nodded slightly, the pain and loss of blood making her skin pale and ashen.
Once she was securely on the stretcher she was whisked off to the Alpha wing to begin their assessments. I stayed at her side the entire way down the hallway, but Dr. Greer met me at the door and asked me to remain in the waiting room so that they could begin working on her without distractions.
I argued, but Dr, Greer made a valid point that due to her current state, I may not be able to keep my wolf in check. I didn't want to make anything harder on her so I begrudgingly agreed and let the door shut in my face. I stood there for several minutes, my body anchored to the spot, letting the events of the last couple of hours wash over me in waves.
"Alpha..." Anderson walked up behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder. I brought my hand to my face to wipe the remaining tears, sniffing back what was unshed and turned to face my Beta .
"How is she?" He anxiously held his breath, waiting for the update.
All I could do was shake my head and shrug my shoulders, "man, she's the strongest fucking she wolf I have ever seen... I know she's mine, but I -" emotion clutched at me again, cutting my words off.
I cleared my throat, regaining my composure, and blew out a breath before continuing, "we just arrived, I don't have any updates to give other than she was breathing when those doors closed."
He nodded solemnly, "she's gonna pull through, man. This nightmare will be over soon enough."
I nodded in agreement, unable to speak further about her current state without breaking down again, "take me to Tenley, I need to see her."
"Of course, right this way," he said as he led us down the hall. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been in here. This wing was specifically used for the Alpha and his family, mostly for privacy reasons, but also for its state of the art security system. No one could break in here and that was a fact. Not that there was any fear in that, both Maci and Dalton were now locked up. My cells were nothing like Wolf Moon's, and I had a feeling neither were settling in very well. My wolf grumbled with satisfaction at the thought.
We arrived at Tenley's door, but I stopped before entering, looking down at my blood and dirt coated body.
Anderson paused at my personal assessment, and scrunched his nose, "yeah, you should probably shower first, you're pretty disgusting."
I looked at him with annoyance, "do you ever keep any of your thoughts to yourself?"
Shrugging he responded, "not very many."
"Maybe you should learn," I mumbled as I went into the visitor’s quarters where there was a shower, much larger than the showers at Wolf Moon, that I could scrub away the dirt from the day. The only problem was that no matter how hard I had scrubbed, the memories wouldn't wash away with it.
.....
I had cleaned myself off and changed clothes, even letting the hospital staff bring me dinner when they came to take Tenley's order, who of course got steak bites and pasta with a large glass of chocolate milk to drink. I was elated to see how well she was doing. She had already met her therapist that would be working with her over the next couple of months and from what Alyssa's mother said, they got along wonderfully. Her doctor came in to tell us that other than the need for some IV fluids, food, and some antibiotics for the cut on her leg, she was in great shape. She had been cut by glass from the sliding door shattering, which we now knew was the reason for her blood being on the floor. I was so damn grateful that she was in such good health and would be able to go home tomorrow.
The entire time I was with her she never brought up what happened and neither did any of us. She had already had a short therapy session earlier and I figured there was no reason to press her. She would talk to us when she was ready. We instead spent our time coloring and watching cartoons while she ate every single bite of food on her plate.
She had since fallen asleep, which didn't take her long once her tummy got full and her teeth were brushed. I had never seen her eat so fast, but I was used to seeing her fall asleep easily and I was grateful she hadn't lost that ability in this madness. I kissed her softly on the forehead, the parental bond buzzing with peace and calm as I got up to leave.
I flipped the light off and shut the door behind me, her grandma and Caitlin were staying with her so that I could be with Alyssa and I was very grateful for that, I just needed to be able to get to Alyssa.
I linked with the receptionist in the OR once more but was told they were still working on her so I went and sat in the quiet waiting room, trying to unwind from the events of the day. Which was difficult, to say the least when each passing minute felt like an eternity.
'Brent, we're ready to speak with you,' Dr. Greer finally announced through the link, and with a deep, anxious breath I walked toward the OR at the back of the wing.
"Can I see her?" I immediately asked upon my arrival.
He shook his head, "no, not yet. We need to talk with you about our next steps now that we have fixed the wounds on her stomach. They were slightly deeper than a flesh wound however, none of them reached her womb, and your son is somehow perfectly okay. You've got one strong heir, Alpha."
I stopped him, "because he's got one hell of a mom." My words full of emotion and admiration for my mate. She had somehow managed to keep herself and both of our children alive the last two days. I would never find the words to express my awe of her.
He nodded in agreement, "he absolutely does, Alpha."
He continued with the update, "as I was saying, her wounds have been mended and she came out of surgery just fine, but she was given silver to cut off her wolf and that, coupled with being pregnant, and in such a state of lethargy, she is struggling to heal. I cannot say for certain that that will level out before... well, before her body gives out, so to speak..."
The room began to spin and my heart hammered in my chest as I took deep, heavy breaths, "what can I do to help her? There has to be something?" My mind was reeling with the sharp turn of information.
Emily spoke this time, "there actually is, Alpha. You, as her mate, can give her your blood and it will give her your Alpha healing for a period of time. We cannot guarantee it, but it should hopefully be enough to allow her own body to catch up."
I brightened immediately, ignoring the possibility that it may not work. I just simply could not let my mind go there, "then let's go, yes. Whatever she needs."
I followed them into a room with all kinds of tubes in a rainbow of colors and over in the corner was a reclining chair next to some tubing and empty blood bags. I sat down and after having a tight rubber thing around my arm and a nauseating poke later, I was now filling a bag of blood for my mate, praying that it would give her the effect we all hoped it would.
A short while later I was disconnected and back out in the waiting room where I found Anderson waiting for me.
I entered the room still tugging my sweatshirt over the bandage around my elbow. The spot had already healed with my enhanced healing, but they said something about needing to leave it on for a while for the compression.
I sat down across from him while he stared at me intently and I looked back at him in confusion of his mood.
"Maci has asked to speak with you. "
I didn't react, I just simply nodded my head and stood up to follow him as he opened the door for me and shut it behind the both of us.
We walked out of the pack hospital and took off toward the tree line. Our cells were only accessible by myself, and the Beta. Not even the Luna could have access for fear someone could use it against her. My job among the council, and an unspoken understanding among all four regions, was that Anderson and I handled the worst offenders. We'd been called in on hundreds of investigations. That came with its risks and was one thing we kept under just our lock and key.
After a decent trek, we arrived to a space in the forest that was completely inconspicuous to anyone but us. Walking over to a specific tree, that actually was not a tree at all, we allowed each of our faces to be scanned by the sensor and a door opened up into a hollow cave. We stepped through and the hidden entrance slid back into place. We continued down a set of stairs, passing several more security checkpoints before we arrived at the cells where the putrid smell of dead and decaying offenders lay. Mostly rogues, but a few random offenders also littered the cells.
I passed by Micah's cell where we sat huddled in a corner. His mate had chosen to reject him causing him immense pain. I felt no sympathy for him as I passed by, only feeling angry that I had been such a terrible judge of his character.
I stalked down the halls, ignoring the pleas and sounds from the newest prisoners, eventually, they'd break and be silent like the others.
I stopped in front of Maci's cell, and crossed my arms over my chest, "what do you want?" I coldly asked her.
She looked over at me from the edge of her cot, "what do you plan to do with me? I want to go home. This place is a hell hole and I do not belong down here!" She yelled in my direction.
"Why did you do it?" I asked with no emotion.
"Do what?" She scoffed.
But I waited, they always talk.
She sighed in hot anger, "my sister got the Alpha. My sister got the babies, and the recognition. She's always been everyone's favorite and just once, I wanted to be recognized in that way, too. I had just turned 24 and was still mateless so when I heard you and your men would be visiting our pack I just knew you would be my mate. I just knew that you, a Regional Alpha, would be my way of showing my family I was just as good, if not better than her," she furiously glared at the wall, "but imagine my surprise and disappointment when you showed up and nothing, not a single flicker of a spark. So I got desperate and called my friend who knew a black magic witch and she helped concoct a mixture that would make you my mate and reroute destinies." I fought the urge to enter that cell and show her exactly what I thought of her confession but she kept speaking,
"Being mated to you was weird. It never felt right and I experienced the oddest sensation anytime we touched. I felt void of any feelings toward you and it left an ache in my chest. So I hoped a child would fill that empty space, but we never could get pregnant," she growled in anger, "and when we couldn't have children and you suggested IVF, I couldn't go along with it because my sister never actually did IVF. I just said that..." she stopped speaking and looked over at me, her face dropping as if she'd suddenly realized she said far too much.
She got up and walked to the cell door, unable to touch the bars because they were silver and would burn her skin, but she got as close as she could, "listen, none of this is my fault," she pleaded, "I was just going through some family shit and made some dumb decisions..."
I was fuming. She was confessing what I already knew, but it hit me differently to hear her say it herself. I shook my head in disbelief that I ever had any association with her.
I didn't have it in me to handle such a vile person right now, wanting nothing more than to get back to the hospital, to my mate.
"Maci, I will eventually decide what to do with you at a later time, but right now I must tend to my mate that you two almost killed." I said as I looked between the cells of the two heartless wolves who had ended up being mates. Which I found to be ironic, but also completely expected.
Before turning to leave I addressed her once more, "you could have just stayed away and never touched or injured her, but somehow you have decided that I owe you some sort of pity, and you will never get it. You're sadistic and you will pay," I glared at her, baring my canines, and then stepped away, walking away from her cell and past Dalton when I heard,
"Kill me."
I stopped, "what did you just say?"
"Kill me," he said again, staring at the ground, his jaw clenched in pain.
His leg still looked horrible. I had ordered him to be stripped of his wolf the minute we'd headed to the hospital so it had barely healed. I couldn't help but smirk with pride at the number my mate had done on him. I was positive that he wouldn't have a leg at all if she had been at even half her strength .
I darkly laughed, almost all of my prisoners begged to die at some point, and I was glad to see Dalton was no different, "oh you will die, but not that easy."
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Continued after cell checkpoints:
I stepped out of the cells and back to the hospital. I was filled with relief to know that my blood was working and that I was now allowed to go back and see her. I practically sprinted to her room after stopping in the visitor’s lounge for a fast shower. Ridding my body of the disgusting smells of the cells.
I entered her room quietly, breathing our mixed scents deeply as my wolf and I became more at ease now that she no longer smelled of Dalton. My blood transfusing through her body was to thank for the scent being replaced so quickly with my own.
Her breathing was easy and smooth, the bruises on her face already looked better from having my healing DNA in her system, the red liquid still dripping into her IV.
The dark room coupled with the peace of seeing my mate caused my body to sag heavily with exhaustion. I was thankful for the oversized bed as I crawled into the space beside her, lightly laying my hand across her stomach as I felt the rolling movements of our son. His heartbeat monitor lightly sounded in the room lulling me into a peaceful sleep.