Chapter Thirty-Four
Iheard Rowan following behind me closely, and Toya and Rick were trailing him. But my entire world had narrowed to the darkness in front of my face. I was waiting for the light change that signified the end of the tunnel.
“Amy.” Rowan reached for my hand, and I grasped his, threading my fingers into his.
“He’s caught, Rowan. He was caught in a cave-in, and he’s dying.
” The panic had been ignoring spiked. My voice trembled as I pulled him after me.
“I was inside him, and I know how that sounds, but I was him. I felt the rocks trapping me, and the cries from other trapped wolves.” I stumbled when my foot slammed into the bottom step and my knee bashed into the next.
“Fuck.” I caught myself before my face smashed into the stone.
Rowan helped pick me up and we started up the stairs. “I won’t question if you’re sure, because I can hear you are. But do you know if you saw something that’s already happened, something that’s unfolding right now, or something going to happen?”
His question had my blood freezing in my veins.
I closed my eyes for a second. “I wish it were something he had already lived through. That means he had already survived it, but I can feel it in my bones that he’s there now.
” I pushed up on the hatch, and it flew open, hitting the ground.
I called another wisp to me. The wisp lit up the dark underbelly of the gazebo.
I had to find the panel that opened, and when it finally clicked open, I was out.
I was running towards the house, and then passed it.
Everyone stumbled out. “Amy?” I turned to see Greyson running towards me with Cass. “Where the heck did you come from?”
I waved my hand. “Where is my dad?”
Cass’s face crumpled. “He’s in the caves.” My heart stopped for a second. “I don't think he made it Aim. He hasn’t answered in over an hour.”
I clutched Rowan’s hand tighter. He stepped up. “Why are you here?” He furrowed his brow as he stepped forward a little.
Greyson looked at Cass. “Ronnie sent us to the house to see if there was any news from you.” He looked back at the house. “I was searching for my phone charger when Cass looked out the window and spotted you out here.” He wiped at his face.
“Where is everyone else?” Toya looked behind us. “The house seems dead.”
“Your father and pack are hunting the rogues that escaped the caves before the explosions.” Greyson nodded into the trees. “We have a gathering point by the caves. The Omegas are running back and forth with food and medical supplies.”
“Why?” Rick pointed back to the houses and the obvious medical building down the street. “Why not bring everyone back home to eat or get treated? It’s safer.”
Cass looked up at my face with tears pooling.
“Because no one is willing to leave the Alpha. Every able body is digging out the cave.” I turned on my heel and shifted.
Nix's shift flowed through me faster than ever before. Her fur flowed down my body. With one leap I was running on all fours. “Amy! Wait!” Cass called after me. “I can’t shift right now.”
“Then bring the rest. I can’t wait for you.” Nix’s voice called back, colder than normal. Erubus caught up next to me, and we ran side by side. “You followed?”
“Did you think I would leave my mate to save our father together?” Erubus scoffed. “Come love. I would never leave you to do this alone.” He cut a glance at my face. “But I will say this.”
I looked at him and waited. “What?”
“Once we save your father, our people, and this realm…I would like to go for a run. Just the two of us.” His wolfish grin overtook his face. “Chasing you through the woods again sounds amazing.” His rumble shook the trees as we passed.
If my wolf could blush, she would’ve at that moment. Focus! I called out to my wolf, and she ran faster. “Focus, mate.” She called back to Erubus. “Let’s save our father before we circle back to that run.” We wove through the trees, and I pushed when I saw the cliff up ahead.
There were lights everywhere in the clearing once we pushed through the bushes. Wolves were running around with arms full of random supplies. Cries were coming from the left, and I realized that there was the makeshift infirmary tent.
The tent was event-sized and, by the looks of it, completely full. Blood filled the air, and normally I would have stopped to check in, but I heard a voice call out.
“Come on, Gav.” Ronnie’s voice was thick. “Answer me.”
I dove from the cliff and half ran, half rolled down the side of the mountain.
Ronnie was pressed against the side of the entrance, while wolves moved stone after stone from the cave in.
He looked behind him at the commotion and saw me barreling towards him, and I saw the pain fill his eyes.
He stood and held open his arms. “Pup.” His lips trembled, and I saw the fear in his eyes.
I saw death in his eyes. My father’s death.
I shifted, stepping out of my wolf’s form to the gasps of onlookers, and I ran to Ronnie. “What happened?” I knew there was a cave-in, obviously, but I needed to hear how it happened so I could figure out how to save everyone.
Ronnie pulled me into a hug so tight it squeezed the air out of my lungs. His breathing was ragged as he pulled back to kiss me on my temple. “I’m so fucking sorry, Aim.” I pulled away only to see his eyes overflow with tears. “It was my fault.”
“What was?” I looked up at my uncle, and he pulled away.
“He’s dead because of me.” He shook his head as a sob broke through. He looked back into my eyes as more tears trailed down his face. “He stopped answering, and I can’t get through to him.” He screamed, and the sound would haunt me for years to come.
“Beta Ronnie.” Rowan stepped up next to us, but Ronnie was shaking again.
“I’m not a Beta, look at me.” He snarled. He dropped to his knees as Tina ran up to us. “I’m pathetic.” Ronnie looked down at his hands as if he were seeing something that wasn’t there.
Tina moved slowly as she approached his side, like she had tried before and it didn’t work.
Her eyes caught mine, and she gave a tiny shake.
“You lost half your blood supply dragging half the wolves up in the med tent before the main cavern collapsed.” Tina dropped down next to him.
“You almost lost your arm when we found you under the rocks.” Her voice trembled a bit.
“You’re exhausted, hungry, healing, and your best friend is trapped.
You are not expected to hold yourself together all the time.
It’s understandable.” Tina squeezed him to her swollen belly, and Ronnie sagged against her.
“Uncle Ronnie?” I crouched down next to the couple.
I checked his pulse. Thready but there. “Rowan? Can you run him up to the tent? He needs medical attention.” I looked up to my mate and waited for him to nod.
Tina stood as Rowan picked up my uncle and turned back up the hill.
She went to follow, but I grabbed her hand.
“Can you tell me what happened before you go?”
Tina looked towards the hilltop and nodded.
“Of course.” She nodded towards the cave entrance, where a few wolves were still digging.
“We moved in on the cave yesterday.” Tina looked exhausted as she waddled towards the biggest rocks covering most of the entrance.
“Everything was going as planned but then…” She swallowed.
“There was an explosion. Ronnie and your father stayed back to make sure everyone got out.” She looked back at me.
“I was terrified when we felt it at the pack house.”
I tilted my head. “Felt what?” I reached out to trace the rock blocking the way, and I had an idea.
“The cave in.” Tina shuddered a breath. “And the panic.”
My eyes closed as I sent fingers probing through the cracks. “The panic?”
My eyes were closed, but I felt the air shift, and I knew she was nodding.
“Yeah. It hit the entire pack. The wolves that got out sent messages, but also…” She swallowed past a lump.
“The ones trapped called out. All at the same time. The pain and panic were almost overwhelming.” She leaned against the rock, and her breathing picked up.
“The screams will be something I dream of for a long time…and not in a good way.” Her head hit the stone.
“Every wolf ran here, and Greyson took control. He called for every able body to move rocks, and for the women to set up the med tent following the doctor’s orders. ”
“Where was Ronnie?” Half my mind was gone, crawling through the crevices, but I tried to keep the conversation going.
I opened my eyes for a second, and Tina was gripping her stomach.
“Tina?” I watched her breathing pick up and then her stomach cramped.
Alannah flashed in my mind, and her labor and I reached for Tina.
She waved me off. She stayed like that for a few seconds more before she breathed out. “False labor from stress. Had the doctor check me over last time Ronnie…” She stretched her neck back.
“Ronnie what?” I pulled back my attention.
Tina sighed. “I tried to get him to leave and he fought me. I fell.” I let out a growl but she waved me off again. “It was my own fault. I lost my balance and fell. He just refused to move from here. Where he could hear your dad.” She looked up. “He feels guilty.”
“Why?” I turned back to the rocks. My magic dancing back through the cracks. My magic hit something not solid… the copper taste hit my mind and I knew it was blood before I heard Tina’s answer.
“Because your father saved him.”
My magic recoiled from the blood, but I had to push forward. I was just pushing past the growing pool when her words finally registered. I froze for a second. “My dad saved Ronnie?” My eyes snapped open to see her face pale.
“Please don’t hate him.” She reached for my hand. “He wouldn’t be able to live if you blamed him too. He is already blaming himself.”