Zane POV
It’s been a week since the attack and Zanian has still not woken up. Crystal has been running the pack with Tyler, making sure everything is okay and everyone is safe. She had almost every wolf move into the house, sharing rooms and even sleeping in the lounges. All the pups are in one room with her looking over them. No one is allowed to do patrolling and those who do are strictly voluntary.
She has been in and out of the hospital and I wish there was something I could do for her because she is doing so much.
We had no attacks again and everything seemed rather quiet at the moment.
“Zane, have you made space for the last of the wolves? I want everyone in this house by tonight.”
“ Yes I have, but I don’t think Zanian will be pleased if we use his room.”
The look Crystal gave me sent shivers down my spine. I jumped up and went to get the room ready so that the last of the wolves can move in today.
Deliah came in and helped me. We put in extra beds and shifted Zanian’s things into Crystal’s bedroom for storage.
“ Why do you think he sleeps in this room instead of the Alpha’s bedroom?”
“I have no idea. I never asked him about it.”
Deliah shrugged her shoulders and we finished the room.
When we were done, the last of the wolves moved in and Crystal called for a meeting. Making my way to the front lawn, I saw every wolf waiting for her.
Kyle tapped my shoulders and he looked like I felt. “ What do you think this is about?”
“I don’t know,” I said and shrugged my shoulders.
Crystal got up and addressed everyone.
Crystal POV
I have had a week of hell and I have no help from Zane or Kyle because I’m half fox. They have been giving me hell ever since they found out.
I moved every wolf into the pack house for safety and it’s better to protect everyone when they are all in the same place. I stopped border patrols and runs just for now, until I can figure out how to keep everyone safe.
Zanian hadn’t woken up yet and his wounds were healing very slowly. Jeff and Tyler found traces of silver in the wound where the wolf bit him. The wolf’s body was taken to the makeshift Lab Tyler set up and he was working day and night but still found nothing useful.
I have been in between home and the hospital trying to will Zanian awake. I don’t know what was happening, but when I took his hand he actually slapped it away and his heart rate went way up. I just hope that he wakes up soon. Raven is in no shape to cope if he stays unconscious for much longer. It has been difficult for me to keep myself upright because Raven is draining all my energy and she is depressed, so now I have Roxy helping me and some days it feels like I can just walk away and not even look back.
Zane fixed the room up and the last of the wolves moved in. Zanian can have his bedroom back when he wakes up and if he wants to fight, then I will be ready for him. *no WE will be ready for him. He hurt you and he put Raven in depression. Call me cruel, but that is not what you do when you love someone.*
“ Why do you even care? You wanted to leave him for dead.”
* You’re right, I don’t, but you do and Raven does and I want to because I will not go back into that stupid Box.*
“ Well then, thank you for trying, but I need you to damper my emotions a bit because I want to survive this please.”
* You know the risk if I did that, right?*
“ Yes, and it will not be for long just enough so that I can get through this alive.”
It sounded like I was pleading and to be honest I am. Because I don’t want to feel the way I do, so helpless and sad all the time. I called for a meeting because I have changed some things. Seeing every wolf looking at me, some with hope, some with respect, others with fear, and then there are those who hate me, but I don’t care.
I cleared my throat and saw Deliah sending me a thumbs up, mouthing “you got this.”
“ The arrangements will stay the same regarding the living conditions and I promise it won’t be for long. Border patrol has changed as well. Instead of guarding the borders, you will guard the house and the hospital. Until we know what is going on, I want no one to leave this territory for any reason.
Warriors, your training will continue with me and Tommy. You will start training women from age sixteen and up. I want everyone in this pack to be able to protect themselves. Zane, I want you to assemble a team and your team will guard the hospital. Kyle, same for you and your team will guard the house. I will choose two other teams and we will switch every six hours.”
I looked at them and they didn’t seem to have objections until Natalie spoke up. “I will not do training. Do you know how long these nails took me?”
I looked at her anger boiling in my veins, “then you can join Maggie in the kitchen and do whatever she tells you to do.” I said and saw her mouth drop.
I looked over at Maggie and she had a huge smile on her face and a glint of mischief in her eye.
Natalie looked at me and wanted to say something and Raven just lost it. She took over and roared, bringing the whole field to their knees.
* My mate is in the hospital fighting for his life because he tried to protect you. So you will do what Crystal says or you can leave. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?*
A choir of Yes’s went around and Raven retreated to the back of my mind, even Roxy went quiet and the damper broke. All my emotions came back with a rush, but I refused to look vulnerable in front of anyone. I have never heard Raven speak to anyone like this, but we have the blood of Royal Beta in our veins, so our roar is stronger than an Alpha.
Donovan POV
We’d been looking at the computer screen for hours as the wolf ran off in different directions. The tracker we put on him is a bit more advanced than the others, so we can already see more of the map. I injected this one with the exact same things I once gave Crystal to make her stronger and faster, but it also made her grow bigger than a normal wolf.
The dot on the screen stopped moving and I sat on high alert, the territory or wherever he is, is unmarked and all I can see is black but the distance reads 150 miles North West.
“ Do you know where this could be?” I asked Stacy and she looked at the screen and then grabbed a map of the woods and started drawing circles. After a while, she showed me the map and said “it is one of those four places.” She said and pointed towards four X’s.
I looked at the computer screen and the wolf still hadn’t moved.
At least now I have something to start with.
“ What will you do with them?”
“avenge my mate and the death of my unborn child.”
“ They won’t even believe you, Donovan, they will kill you on the spot.”
“ That is why I’m trying to find Crystal. My mate was a fox and the moment I found out my heart broke and my world shattered because I helped to kill every fox and the ones that were left went into hiding and died out. We hid her fox and she appeared human. I wasn’t ready to kill my mate, not even because of my duty. She got pregnant and Crystal was born. Yes, I did steal her because a female fox shifts at the age of twelve and I couldn’t risk anyone finding out, so I have been working on something to surpass her Fox and make her wolf dominant and everyone thought I experimented on her. In fact, I was trying to save her life.
When she was taken from us, my Mate was torn because she had to play along with the queen. I searched everywhere for her for years and I never found her. When my mate got pregnant again, the pack was attacked by rogues and I was badly hurt. The only way she could fight and save my life she had to shift.
Her death was signed and sealed. They didn’t care that she was pregnant nor did they care that she was my mate. I was seen as a traitor and was thrown from the pack. Everyone has been told lies, even about their own son.”
“ What do you mean?”
“ You will find out as soon as the war starts and things begin to change.”
Zara POV
I have been trying to keep Donovan off Crystal and Zanian’s backs for as long as I could because he will start a war and it will not end well.
“ His mate was my sister, but I got the witch and she got the fox. When she shifted, we tried everything to keep her hidden.
I am on no one’s side but my own. I agree with Donovan and that the truth should be told, but what will that mean for the rest of the supernatural creatures? Many have died for finding out the truth and blood will be spilled again.
Crystal now has to do what she thinks is best for her, and from what I have seen, she can take care of herself and she is born to be a leader.
Getting into the territory is easy, but getting into the hospital was almost impossible. I had to use a cloaking spell just to get in. When I stepped into Zanian’s room he was alone, so I got to work. I looked at his wounds and they looked bad. For a wolf, he is not healing correctly and the wounds are looking infected.
I put my hands over them and slowly started the healing process. It would not heal him immediately, but it would remove the silver from his bloodstream and the wounds would heal.
I heard someone in the hallway and cloaked myself without removing my hands, praying for just a second longer. When the door opened, I saw Crystal and she didn’t look so good, she looked tired and hopeless. She reaches for Zanian’s hand and smiled softly. “I can still feel the sparks, but they are weak. Please, Zanian, you have to wake up. I can’t do this alone,” she pleaded, and my heart reached out to her. I finished my work with Zanian and whispered, “he will be okay sweetheart.” She looked around frantically and I saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
I kept watching her for a while before I disappeared, going back to observing from the background.