Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Prescott
Iwake up entirely too early on Saturday morning. My first thought is to head straight to Luna’s house, but I know she likes to sleep in a little on the weekends.
Instead, I putter around the house and do a load of laundry. It’s still too early, so I clean the kitchen and bathroom.
By the time ten o’clock rolls around, I’m practically running down the sidewalk toward Luna’s.
Am I being pathetic? Yeah, probably, but I don’t care.
I should’ve invited myself over for the night, but I thought she might want a night on her own since I’ve been over there practically every night since we got together.
Yeah, it was a stupid mistake—one I don’t plan on making again. It’s why I’m carrying an overnight bag with me.
Presumptuous? Absolutely.
I hurry up the stairs to her porch, pausing for a second to catch my breath.
I don’t want to seem too eager, right?
Fuck it.
I ring the doorbell, glancing around as I wait for her to answer.
A minute passes with no sign of her, and I frown.
I ring the doorbell again, but when I don’t get a response, my panic spikes.
We’d made plans for me to come by this morning, hadn’t we?
Who am I kidding? I know we did.
Could she have gone somewhere? It seems unlikely. Plus, wouldn’t she think to text me?
Frowning, I reach for the doorknob and turn it. I’m surprised when it gives.
While Widows Peak is a safe place, I’ve never really known Luna to leave her door unlocked.
Maybe I’m freaking out over nothing.
Maybe she unlocked it, knowing I’d be over and jumped in the shower.
“Luna?” I call out, pushing the door open and glancing around. Her purse and keys are sitting on the table just inside the door, so she’s probably here.
But why isn’t she answering?
I shut the door, making sure it’s locked before dropping my bag to the floor. I hurry to the stairs, taking them two at a time as I head for her bedroom.
Her door is ajar, but I don’t hear the shower.
I don’t hear anything.
I shove the door open, letting out a sigh of relief when I find Luna lying on her bed.
“Luna?” When she doesn’t respond, I rush across the space. “Luna?”
She’s lying on her side, and I shake her shoulder.
Still no response.
Panic spikes inside me once more.
I roll her onto her back, finding her eyes open. “Luna?”
No response.
I snap my fingers in her face before shaking her again. “Luna? What’s wrong?”
Her chest rises and falls, so I know she’s breathing, but she’s completely unresponsive.
What the hell am I supposed to do?
Do I call the doctor?
Drive her to the nearest hospital?
I thread my hands through my hair, yanking on the strands as I attempt to remain calm.
Picking up her phone off the floor, I decide I should call one of the widows. They’ll know what to do.
I hold the phone in front of Luna’s face until it unlocks. I click on the phone icon, finding Lark’s name as one of the most recent dialed, so I press the call button.
“Hey, Luna. Did you have time to look over any of the surveillance?”
“Lark, this is Prescott. I’m sorry to bother you, but I just got to Luna’s, and she’s completely unresponsive. I don’t know what to do.”
“What do you mean she’s unresponsive?” Lark’s voice rises. “I need more information, Prescott.”
I clear my throat. “Right. Her eyes are open, and she’s breathing. But she’s not responding. I snapped my fingers in her face, and she didn’t even blink. I tried shaking her and yelling her name, but nothing worked. Her eyes are unfocused, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Fuck. Okay. I’m in New York. I’ll be on a plane as soon as I can have it ready. As soon as we hang up, I’m going to call Silva. She and Syrus will handle it. They’ll get the doctor and whatever else she needs.” She pauses. “I’ll let all the widows know. Maybe you can call Knight and let him know?”
I nod before remembering she can’t see me. “Should I? I should, shouldn’t I? I’m sorry. I’m usually really good under pressure, but I can’t seem to get my head screwed on straight. I’m freaking the fuck out.”
“That’s understandable. If I had to guess, you’ll probably have a very full house shortly. It’s okay to freak out, but I need you to do a few things for me, okay?”
“Yeah, whatever you need.”
“That’s good. First, as soon as we get off the phone, call your omega. He should know what’s going on, and it’ll help you to have him there. It might also help Luna. After you call him, I want you to unlock the front door and wait for the others to arrive. Can you do that for me?”
I nod again. “I can. Call Knight and unlock the door.”
She sighs. “Okay. That’s good, Prescott. I want you to keep Luna’s phone with you in case any of us need to reach you, okay?”
“Okay. I can do that.”
“Good. Okay, I’m going to hang up now and call Silva. Remember what I asked you to do?”
“Yup. I’ve got it. Thank you, Lark.” I swallow as the call ends.
I tuck the phone into my pocket and pull out my own, dialing Knight’s number.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite beta. Good morning, Prescott.”
“Something’s wrong with Luna,” I blurt, internally cursing myself.
There’s a moment of silence. “What do you mean something is wrong with Luna? Wait. Let me put you on speakerphone so we can all hear what’s going on.”
Once he confirms I’m on speakerphone, I quickly explain the situation—how I found Luna and my phone call to Lark.
“We’re on our way, Prescott.” Ven’s voice is tight. “We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Okay. Good. I don’t know what to do.”
Knight sighs. “It’s okay, baby. Just go unlock the door like Lark asked you to do and wait there, okay? We’ll be there soon.”
“Right. The door. I need to do that.” I glance once more at Luna, rubbing at the pain in my chest before scurrying from the room.
“Do you want me to stay on the phone?” Knight asks, and I can hear that he’s moving.
Another shake of my head, followed by a curse because he can’t fucking see me. “No. I’ll be fine. Plus, it looks like Silva’s here. I’ll see you soon.”
I swing open the front door as Silva hurries up the walkway. “Where is she? Syrus is getting the doctor.”
“In her room.” I don’t follow her as she rushes up the stairs, waiting by the door for my omega.
I bite the inside of my cheek as panic and anguish course through me in waves.
What’s wrong with Luna?
It’s another hour before the doctor arrives, and by then the other widows have arrived—all but Lark, who’s currently in the air flying back to Widows Peak. She’s on the phone with Silva as the doctor checks her over.
Knight is wrapped around me, both of us staring at our mate on the bed. Ven and Mack stand just behind us, both of them touching Knight.
That must be nice.
“What’s going on?” Lark’s question comes through the phone, and I realize we’ve all fallen silent.
“Her body responds to stimuli. There aren’t any signs of a stroke, but we’d need to do imaging to confirm for sure.” She sighs, glancing around the room before her eyes find Silva. “Maybe we can talk privately?”
“No,” Knight barks. “She’s our mate. Anything you have to say, you say to all of us.”
Silva and the other widows turn to stare at him before Silva rolls her eyes and nods. “Ask your questions. If I decide it’s something they don’t need to hear, I’l decide then.”
The doctor nods. “Is it possible that something traumatized her? In Widows Peak, a lot of what I’ve seen has been triggered by trauma.”
“Fuck.” Lark’s curse has everyone’s attention turning to the phone in Silva’s hand. “It’s possible. I sent Luna some footage that Johan found of her brother’s compound. I didn’t have time to look it over before sending it. I should’ve waited. Is her computer there somewhere?”
“It’s on the bed,” I say, pointing to the other side of the bed.
It’s still open, and I’m surprised none of us thought to look at it.
Silva leans over and clicks the spacebar. “There’s a video pulled up. It’s paused on a man.”
A man? Her brother?
“Take a picture and send it to me.” It’s a demand, but Silva doesn’t hesitate. There’s a moment of silence before another curse. “What the fuck? How is that possible?”
“What?” Lexi asks, her voice shaky. “What is it?”
“That is Christian Cortes, who’s supposed to be dead.”
“Her ex? How?” Briar looks just as confused as I feel.
“That’s what I’d like to know. Doctor? I can almost guarantee this traumatized her. As far as she knew, he was dead.” Lark pauses. “I’ll be there in about four hours. I’m going to see what I can find out while I’m in the air.”
“We’ve got her, Lark,” Silva assures her. “We’ll be here when you land.”
The call ends, and my attention finds its way back to the doctor. “Now what?”
She sighs. “When we’re dealing with trauma and mental health, nothing is cut and dry. You said you’re her mates?”
“Yes. I’m her scent match, and Prescott is her chosen mate.” Knight’s hold on me tightens.
“You’re an omega, right?” When Knight nods, she continues. “Neither of you is bonded with her?”
I shake my head. “No, this is all very new.”
“And she doesn’t have any alpha mates?”
Knight goes completely still. “Not that she’s aware of.”
The doctor tilts her head to the side as she considers him. “I need more information.”
He clears his throat, glancing down at me before looking around the room.
“We’re her scent matches—Ven and I,” Mack says, voice almost a growl. “She doesn’t know. We’ve been on scent blockers, and she asked us to remain on them. She didn’t want to know.”
“That’s good, actually. What scent blockers are you taking?”
“What the fuck does that matter?” Ven snaps.
I glance over my shoulder to find his eyes narrowed in the doctor’s direction.
She doesn’t seem bothered by his tone. “It’s possible that scenting her scent-matched alphas for the first time could pull her out of her head.
There have been a lot of studies on the alpha-omega dynamic.
I can’t guarantee it’ll work, but it could.
Knowing what blockers you’re using will give us a time frame to figure out where we go from here. ”
“We have a prescription.” It’s Mack who answers. “We take them every twelve hours, and our last dose was around eight this morning.”
She nods again. “Okay. That means after twelve hours your scents will start to rise again, but the blockers will keep them weak for another twelve hours. Prescott and…I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name, and I don’t want to just refer to you as omega.”
“Knight,” his voice is tight, and I can’t help leaning into him. I think he needs my strength just as much as I need his.
“Prescott and Knight, I think the two of you should lie in bed with her. Alphas, I want the two of you to shower and wash off any descenting products you’re using. Unfortunately, because of the type of blockers you’re using, there’s a chance your scents might not work until tomorrow morning.”
“So we’re supposed to do what?” Aries asks. “Just sit here and wait, hoping that some alpha scents are going to wake her up? What if that doesn’t work?”
The doctor’s smile is soft. “I know it’s a shit thing to hear, but all we can do is wait.
I’ll come back tonight to check on her and make sure she’s still stable.
Then again, in the morning, when their blockers should be wearing off.
I wish there were more I could do, more options I could offer you, but this is her best chance at waking up. ”
“But what if she doesn’t?” I ask, my voice quiet and strained. I don’t like the idea of her not waking up.
“Then we’ll have a different conversation about getting her to a hospital.” The doctor glances around the room. “While you wait, talk to her. Tell her you love her and that you’re all here for her. If she’s trapped in her mind, she might be able to hear you.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Silva offers her a tight smile. “Why don’t I walk you out?”
“I’ll do it.” Syrus runs a hand down Silva’s back. “You stay with Luna. I’ll update everyone else on what’s going on. We’ll work on getting food and drinks for everyone.”
“Thank you, Syrus.”
Knight releases his hold on me, spinning to face his alphas. “You heard the doctor. Go shower.”
“We’ll need to go back to the B&B and get new clothes,” Mack starts, but he’s cut off by Syrus.
“I’ll have one of my people stop by. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll make sure you have it.”
Mack nods at the sheriff. “We appreciate it.”
“Come on, Pres.” Knight drags me toward the bed. “Time to cuddle with our girl.”
No one has to tell me twice.
We pile into the bed, settling on both sides of her as her friends talk quietly in the corner.
“I love you, Luna,” I murmur against her hair. “I know you’re struggling right now, but we need you to wake up so we can help you through this. You don’t have to go through it alone.”
Knight hums. “We’re here for you, Luna. Just come back to us.”
She has to okay.
I can’t live in a world without her.
And what does it mean that her first love is still alive?