Chapter 43 - Life and Death
Brent's POV: A MONTH AND A HALF LATER
My beautiful mate lay sleeping on my lap, a perfectly lazy Sunday. So far this week had been good, really good. A far cry from the nightmares that had plagued her the last few weeks. Up until a few days ago, she had awoken almost every single night thrashing, kicking, and screaming for him to leave her alone. Even in his cell, he still haunted her dreams but the only signs of his torment now were the ghosts of the dark circles that were fading under her eyes as she continued to catch up on lost sleep. I brushed the hair back from her cheek, twirling it around my finger and leaving it to rest on her neck, the flashbacks of the day it all changed flowing into my mind.
Flashback to Dalton's death:
I rushed out of the house the moment Caitlin and Jess arrived in the middle of the night to comfort my mate, who had awoken screaming in terror for what felt like the 100th time since being home from the hospital. She begged me, once again, not to go, terrified he was going to show up and take her or Tenley. This had happened every time I attempted to go and follow through with his sentence, or to even leave the house in general. I was currently working from home due to her hesitance to be alone, she was completely terrified of me not being right there with her. It had gotten worse and worse every day since she'd been discharged. I was beginning to regret not killing him the moment she asked me to. I had been patient long enough, I was only enabling her fears now by keeping him alive, it was time for him to die. Time to end this torture for my mate. Even if that meant physically pulling away from her as she begged me to stay, her tear-stained face etched into my mind. Only deepening my fury for the man I was paying a visit to, and it would be his last.
I stepped into the bitter, January air that bit at my bare chest, but not for long as the black paws of my wolf met the ground, shifting in mid-stride and continuing my run to the cells. I thundered onward, paying no mind to any of my surroundings, my destination finally coming into sight.
I made quick work of every checkpoint. Each one was necessary, but each one pissed me off more than the last with the need to get down there. This was long overdue. To be honest I was in shock that the infection hadn't killed him yet. I had hoped that alone would kill him, not wanting to waste another ounce of my energy on the pathetic excuse of a man.
But now that I was down here, walking toward his cell and hearing his heart rate rising in fear as he saw me, knowing what I must be here to do, I couldn't help the feelings that entered... I was going to enjoy every, fucking, second of this.
I walked to his cell, pressing each button on the keypad at a painfully slow pace, laughing maniacally when he crawled backward away from me, dragging his injured leg and pressing himself as far as he could go into the corner. As if he was willing the cinder block wall to provide him with protection.
I coked my head to the side in amusement, "and here I thought you were ready to die?" I asked sadistically, my wolf pressing further through as my claws and canines grew with a half shift, "oh well, my wolf does enjoy a chase."
He looked pathetic. His eyes and cheeks were hollow and his lips dry and crusted from lack of water. The only source was the ice cold water that automatically blasted through twice a week to "clean" the prisoners and the cell floors .
I got to him, grabbing his arm before he could even blink, snapping it in half as his raspy scream filled the space.
I clamped down on his now broken arm as he squeezed his eyes shut in pain, panting and groaning, "look at me," I growled.
His eyes remained shut as he writhed, "OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES!" I roared at him.
Complying this time he opened them, breathing heavily, "you are a spineless, disgusting excuse for not only a werewolf, but a person. What you've done to the two most important people in my life, and the danger you placed my unborn son in is unforgivable," I growled at him, spitting in his useless face.
With that I stood and drug him behind me to the prison interrogation room, throwing him against the wall where his body landed in a crumpled pile. I quickly crossed the room and picked him up by his throat, chaining him to the shackles on the wall, forgoing the blocks under his feet so that he would hang like the trash he was.
I released his neck and his body jolted downward from the lack of support, causing him to roll his head back. Screaming wildly once more at the pain that ripped through his arm that was now secured above his head. His screaming only fueled my rage as I landed my first punch, tearing easily through the flesh of his abdomen with my claws. My fists came to land one punch after the other as I slashed through him over and over, each hit calculated to cause pain, but not yet death.
I paused for a moment, deciding what to do next as his eyes rolled back in his head, gargling out some kind of useless bullshit. The idea formed quickly as I stepped forward once more to grab him by the hair and pulled his head back, exposing his throat, "enjoy hell," I growled out, and with that I took a claw and slit his throat, slicing through his artery as he sputtered and thrashed .
I stepped back, hands on my hips, breathing heavily. His blood splattered all across my face and chest as even more dripped and flowed into a pool below him. Each drop a satisfying sound as life began to drain out of him.
His death was quick after this, mere minutes as I pulled him down from the shackles, dragging him once more as I exited the room and walked around the curve of the prison that led to the incinerator. No funeral was ever offered for these low lives, they didn't deserve it.
Tossing him in easily I pressed the button that would ignite his worthless body, watching as the flames quickly engulfed him. Feeling satisfied, I gave one last glance and let the door slam behind me.
End of flashback.
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Brent's POV: Current
I shook the images from my mind as Alyssa began to stir, bracing myself for the panic, but thankfully, once again, it never came. She was doing so much better and I was beaming with pride.
"What are you smiling at? Is there something on my face?" She asked, her voice thick with sleep and slight confusion as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
I shook my head and pulled her to me, pecking her nose with my lips, "I'm just proud of you is all."
She snuggled closer into my side and I wrapped my arm around her and rested my opposite hand on her stomach, rubbing circles over the fabric that covered her bump .
"Is Tenley still with my mom or did she make it back?" She asked, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand.
"She's still with your mom, she linked about thirty minutes ago that she'll bring her home after dinner."
She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear, looking at her phone, "that's three hours from now, and I think I know what we could do to pass the time.." She smiled up at me as she climbed onto my lap, placing one leg on either side of me.
I gripped her thighs in my hands, "I can't tell you how much I want this, but are you absolutely sure?" I swallowed heavily, my desire for her quickly outweighed anything else. It had been so long since I had touched her, waiting for her to give the green light.
She nodded, "I'm positive, I know things have been difficult but-"
I cut her off with a kiss, grabbing the back of her head and crashing my mouth to hers. It was in no way graceful, but it had been literal weeks since I had touched her this way, and grace was not what I was going for.
I grazed my tongue across her bottom lip and she responded easily, letting me take the kiss deeper, moaning into my mouth as she rolled her hips against me and I swear I saw stars. Kissing this woman was on the level of maddening. The way she overtook every single one of my senses, making nothing else in the world matter was something I never could have imagined but was grateful to experience.
She pulled back slightly, but only to pull my shirt up over my head and I discarded hers just as quickly. There was nothing slow about this exchange, just the burn of passion between two people desperately in love and desperate for each other .
At some point, the rest of our clothes had been discarded. My mind could barely keep up with anything as I was completely lost in every touch and feel of my mate. Every moan and whimper urged me on, nothing else mattered but her.
I pulled away from her lips, moving to the crook of her neck to kiss the sensitive skin just above her collarbone where my mark proudly lay. Pecking softly at her mark as she melted further into me. I nipped at her skin, and my name tumbled from her mouth, making me groan in return.
I gripped her hips tightly and lifted her just enough to place myself at her entrance and pulled her back down over me, Alyssa screamed my name in return as her movements became fast and erratic, but still completely in sync with my own, pushing both of us completely over the edge. I held on as long as I could, feeling her climax clench tightly around me and I gave in to my own release.
We sat and held each other for a while, neither of us moving except for my hand that was running softly up and down her back, while her head rested in the crook of my neck. Her heavy breaths fell upon my skin, her hands still knotted in my hair.
"You good?" I asked, just barely above a whisper, no one was here, but it felt wrong to speak any louder.
"So good..." She whispered back, making me laugh lightly in amusement. I couldn't be more grateful that she was finding her way back to herself, back to who she was prior to the...event. Her resilience knocked me off my feet. She was so damn strong, everything she'd been through, everything she'd had to endure, but each and every time she found her way back. I was the lucky one.
She pulled back slowly, and I reached out to run my thumb across her swollen lips, evidence of the love we'd just made .
"Want to finish this up in the shower?" I asked, smirking at her. Apparently, I was now the insatiable one.
She smiled softly, looking at me with hooded eyes, "yes, please."
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Alyssa's POV:
Brent jumped up suddenly and I quickly locked my ankles behind his back, yelping in surprise at his sudden movement.
"Oh, please, you're in no danger of being dropped, my love," his chest vibrating with laughter at my response.
"Well, you startled me!" I pushed back, popping him lightly on his chest for good measure.
He shook his head, "so fierce, remind me to never rile you up again," he said with a wink, knowing his statement would do the exact opposite and instead made me roll my eyes dramatically at him.
I was grateful for the return of our easy playfulness, but I would never forget the way he had been my rock the past several weeks. Never would I forget the way he had calmed my fears, dried my tears, and allowed me all the grace in the world while I, not so gracefully, healed from this traumatic event.
The memory of the night he killed Dalton would specifically be burned into my mind forever. He had walked back into the house over two hours later, covered in blood. The only clothing he returned in was a pair of what I thought might have been blue shorts prior to all the blood.
He had walked into our room, Caitlin and Jess had been with me, and all three of us simply stared at the brooding Alpha as he nodded in our direction and went to shower. I had attempted to go in after him, still in a panic from being left at home without him, but had been stopped by the soothing sound of his voice and the hand he held up to keep me at arm's length, "my love, let me shower, I'll be out soon."
I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment at the memory. The thought alone made me feel pathetic now, but at that moment my fear had been very real.
"What's wrong, my love?" Brent's worried tone pulled me from my mind.
I quickly shook it off, "It's nothing, I'm fine." I gave him a weak smile as he sat me on the counter to go and turn the shower on.
He eyed me suspiciously, "that's not a face that looks like nothing. You know the therapist said it's not a good idea for either of you to keep stuff bottled up..."
He was not one to let me slack on the work our therapist provided in our family sessions and I loved him for it, even when it made me want to choke him.
"I just can't help but feel so silly about everything... I literallytried to chase you into the bathroom when you were covered in his blood to seek comfort from some imaginary danger..." I huffed out, looking down at my hands as I picked at my cuticle, "I just can't help but feel silly, and yes I already know what the therapist said," I rushed out before he could say it.
Steam started to fill the bathroom and Brent made his way over to me, silently helping me down from the counter and pulling me into the warm spray of water.
He wrapped me in his arms, my cheek resting on his chest, "I will always be your safe space and protector, imaginary danger or not," he laughed lightly at his own joke, trying to lighten the mood. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't working, a grin slowly replacing the frown on my face.
He continued, "I am grateful that I am who you run to in times of need. You were put through hell and you have no need to feel embarrassed," the deep grovel of his voice soothing me along with the warm water that rained down on my skin, "I would have scooped you right into my arms had I been able to." I had no idea anyone could be so validating when it came to my feelings.
I looked up at him, watching the way the beads of water rested upon his eyelashes until they eventually dripped down his face, rubbing my thumbs across his sharp, beautiful cheekbones and staring into those intense, blue eyes. I had no clue how I'd gotten this lucky, but I didn't dare question it.
I reached up on tiptoes, pulling his face to mine, and lightly pecked his lips. He had just pulled me closer when his whole body stilled, his eyes glazing over with an incoming link.
"Holy shit, we have to go," he said, grabbing my loofah and squirting an ungodly amount of soap on it in his haste and began to scrub at my skin.
"What? What is it?" My heart raced with adrenaline, what the hell was happening now?
"Jess is in labor!" He yelled in panicked excitement.
The tension from thinking there was yet another possible danger quickly dissipated, "then what the hell are we doing? Give me that! Wash your own body and let's go!"
I snatched my loofah from him and scrubbed down my skin quickly, forgoing my hair because one, it would take too long, and two, I had dry shampoo .
I hopped out of the shower, slipping as I went to grab my towel from the hook, "Alyssa, don't you dare hurt yourself, be careful," Brent worried behind me.
I waved him off and all but ran to my closet, with Brent once again grumbling something about we're not gonna make it at all if I ended up hurt.
I ignored him and pulled on my undergarments and threw on some black leggings and one of Brent's shirts for comfort. Having zero reasons to look presentable to go two houses down.
One of my jobs as Luna was to help care for the home/children of the birthing woman while in labor. A task that I was most excited to see was on my list of Luna duties. Because this was her first child I would simply be in their home cleaning, cooking, and doing just about anything that Jess would want or need so that Anderson's full focus could be on his mate. Oh, gracious I bet he was a nervous wreck.
I pulled my second shoe on and made quick work of brushing my teeth, threw my hair up into a messy bun, and off we went.
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Brent's POV:
We had been at the Briggs' home for over an hour and I think Alyssa had cleaned the same counter three times. Her nervous energy was endearing, and her need to care for a member of her pack was equally enchanting. She took her role as Luna, the mother figure of the pack, very seriously, and once again the pride I felt for her overwhelmed me.
She finished her routine and then came to sit by me once more. Their bedroom was soundproof so we had no clue what was going on, but the four of us decided no news was good news at this point.
"I think you need to give that counter a rest, you're going to scrub a hole right through it!" Caitlin playfully joked with Alyssa, making Ryan and I laugh despite our best efforts not to.
Alyssa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "it feels wrong to just sit and do nothing!" She huffed, settling back into the couch.
We fell into silence, all of us waiting in limbo for any news at all. We all agreed that no linking would occur and we would be patient and let them reach out if needed. The only "link" I had open was the group chat on my phone to Anderson and Jess' parents to keep them updated as they were all frantically trying to get here, not expecting her to deliver for another two weeks.
I wouldn't lie, I was eager to see how this whole "home birth" thing played out since we would also be doing this in just over two months... the end of April seemed too close all of a sudden.
Alyssa made a move to stand but I clamped my hand down on her knee, "the counter is fine. Sit," I firmly stated.
"I'm checking on the food, goofball. I'm not going to touch the damn counter," she grumbled back.
I shook my head and laughed, "okay, my love."
Before Alyssa could make it to the kitchen Anderson linked me.
"The baby is here!" I proclaimed to the group.
"What!" Alyssa excitedly exclaimed and ran quickly back to the living room.
"Yes! Anderson linked and said to let you all know that Matthew Anderson Brigg's has arrived and mom and baby are both doing extremely well." I was pretty sure my face was going to split from how hard I was smiling for my best friend and his mate.
We sat back down, Anderson wanting us to give them time with the baby, but not wanting us to leave completely so that we could meet him before we left.
We chatted amongst ourselves, over the moon for our friends and Beta couple.
Ryan cleared his throat, "I uh, I know this is a time of celebration, but we've hardly been in the same room together for very long since, well... since everything happened. I just wanted to offer my sincerest apologies for everything, Luna. I should have caught it sooner. I don't know what else to say other than it just never should've happened. I let you, and my own mate down. I'm so, so sorry..." he bowed his head and exposed his neck in submission and respect to his Luna. I noticed that his mate had reached over and was rubbing his knee in comfort. I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting on Alyssa to respond, not wanting to disrespect her by answering for her.
Alyssa smiled softly, "Ryan, you're a wonderful Gamma. There was just so much wrong with Wolf Moon and I am happy that Jacobs has been forced to step down. If anything this is the fault of Wolf Moon, as well as the council, for keeping Jacobs on longer than they should've. He slipped up and didn't have his cells secured. It was far too easy for Maci to enter."
"You got that fucking right," I grumbled under my breath... what could I say, I had stayed quiet for as long as I could.
Elbowing me in the ribs, Alyssa continued, "anyway, as I was saying, Wolf Moon, is who I blame. You gave this information to Brent the second you realized it and that's all you could do. Please stop beating yourself up over this, Tenley and I are fine, and this little man," she said while looking down, affectionately rubbing her hands over her stomach, "is perfectly fine as well. It's okay. They didn't win."
Emotion swam in Ryan's eyes, it had quite literally been eating at him that his Luna had been in such danger and it was right under his nose. I couldn't personally blame him, I just hated the entire situation, but he had beaten himself up long enough and I knew that he needed to hear from me as .
"Ryan," his head snapping up at my voice, "I know I have been harsh on you, but Luna is right. I will always push you to do your job and to do it well, but at the end of the day, the cards were stacked against all of us on this one. Just chalk this up to a lesson learned as there have been many changes to tech come from all of this. We know better now," I ended my sentiment with a nod and Ryan returned my gesture.
We had returned to a lighter conversation when a beaming Anderson all but skipped into the room, coming to get us to see his and Jess' new edition.
Alyssa squeezed her hands in excitement and led the group, it was customary for the Luna to be the first to meet her newest pack member.
We filed in behind Anderson to see a glowing Jess with Matthew on her chest.
"Oh," Alyssa gasped, tears forming in her eyes as she got a little closer. Just close enough to see, not touch. It was natural and normal among our kind for the pup to be touched by no one but his or her parents, not even the doctor unless they showed signs of distress, of course, within the first 24 hours. This really helped to solidify the parental bond .
Everyone's eyes were trained on the baby and Jess, but I stayed in the back, hands in my pockets as I lovingly looked at my mate. Life and death had happened within the same month, and life continued to grow inside of my mate. A life we created together.