Chapter 44
Theo
POV
I hate patrol duty. It was boring and tedious and Seb kept partnering us with the newer trainees. I understood as Gammas, it was our responsibility, but running for hours on end was not my favorite part of the day. We had been on high alert since they discovered Helios and Ramon were the same person and everyone was on edge. It's been two weeks and we've learned nothing new. They had gone dark and something about this whole thing rubbed me and my wolf, Percy, the wrong way. Well, outside the obvious fact that he's been experimenting on shifters. I may not have any particular gift like Helios and Nat, but I have learned to trust my intuition. Each time I'd ignored it, I'd definitely been proven I should have done otherwise. I was a couple hours into the patrol when I heard Helios come through the mind link.
'When you're done with Patrol, Theo, I'd like you to meet me in the office.' Helios' voice came through.
'Is everything OK?' I asked.
'It's time to consider letting them track us to draw them out!
'Are you going to let Nat be bait?' I asked incredulously.
'No, of course not, but there's another person he's trying to track down!
'You're going to let yourself be taken again? I don't think Luna is going to go for it!
'We've got to consider it at least. We've gotten nowhere and there are shifters being experimented on every day we do nothing!
'I've got three hours left to the shift. Do you want me to leave early?' I asked hopefully.
'No, it can wait until after. Everyone's asleep now anyway. I'll link Sebastian and Gonzalo too once you're off patrol.
I nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see that. I'm still adjusting to the mind link.
'I'll link you when I'm on the way.
'Be careful.'
'Aye aye Alpha,' I teased, and I could almost see him rolling his eyes at me as he cut off the mind link.
We ran the perimeter a few more times, making sure to point out things to look for as we go. We were running back around towards the front when I felt the change in the air. Like something was coming. It was that sixth sense we always had before a battle. A certain charge, it was like we could smell the adrenaline permeating through the air.
'Seb,' I checked to see if he was awake.
'I'm awake. Do you feel it too?'
'Yes, hang on, someone's pulling at the mind link' I said.
'Gamma Theo, there are several black SUVs heading towards the gate,' the guard said.
'On my way.' I said and mind linked Helios, Seb and Gonzalo, 'Intruders at the gate, we're going to check it out!'
I instruct my patrol group and we start making our way towards the gate.
'Gamma Theo they aren't slo-' The mind link shuts off mid sentence as I hear the breaking of metal.
'Lock down the packhouse. Someone's crashed through the gate!' I screamed at Helios as I saw 5 SUVs rush past us. A few bullets whizzed by us but thankfully none hit. I hear the emergency system engage as the packhouse begins to lock down. I watched as the last SUV opens the sun roof and a man with a long stick pops out. It took me a moment to realize it was a f*g rocket launcher and they were aiming at the packhouse. Percy skids to a stop and changes direction. We need to stop them. We struggle to catch up to the SUVs and I watch in horror as Seb and Helios come out of the packhouse doors. I jump, hoping to the goddess I'm on time. I manage to grab onto the arm aiming the bazooka, but I hear the rocket leave the barrel as I fall to the other side of the SUV, the man's arm still in Percy's muzzle. My heart stopped as I watched the rocket fly towards the packhouse. The rocket misses the center of the house but hits the shuttered windows, sending Seb and Helios in the air from the blast.
I feel the impact to his body as if it were my own and I can't help but whimper as I watch the love of my life land on the grass like a ragdoll. I don't even realize that Percy is running us towards our mate. All I can do is stare, waiting, hoping, willing him to move as I try to mind link him to no avail. I am dimly aware of the howls I hear in the distance and the fighting that has begun. I shifted back and gathered him in my arms.
"Seb, wake up baby. Please. Wake up." I plead.
He's still breathing. He's alive - Percy howls as we listen to his erratic heartbeat.
It can't end like this. We waited 187 years to be able to be together without hiding. Helios not only approved, but Selene gave us her blessing when she mated us to each other. We didn't go through everything we did just to have it end like this. "Theo check on Helios. I got him," Nat said as she dropped down next to me. I growled at her as I held him closer. She can't possibly expect me to leave his side. Nat grabbed my face in her hands and made me look her in the eye. "I won't let him die. Trust me. Go check on Helios. I'll link Markus," I gave her a nod before I reluctantly moved away from Seb and watched her put her hands over his heart. I ran over to Helios, who was also unconscious. I started looking over him for wounds. There were a couple of scratches from debris, burns, and his ears were bleeding from being so close to the blast, but otherwise looked fine from the back. I rolled him over and cursed under my breath. There was a large piece of metal embedded deep into his side. I looked over at Nat, who was still working on Seb. She had moved away from his heart, which gave me hope. Nat, however, was already looking tired and there was blood dripping down the side of her face. I grabbed Helios by the arms and dragged him over to Natalia, who whimpered when she looked at her mate but kept healing Seb. I could hear her whispering to herself 'He's immortal. He will survive. He will be OK. He will be OK' as she continued to heal Seb. I could see how much it hurt her not to run over to heal him and I appreciated her sacrifice to save Seb. I saw a bright light above us and then Markus landed in front of us. He had Celeste hanging onto his back like a monkey, her fire engulfed Markus' entire body and her shield surrounded them both. I was infinitely grateful to Markus for risking his Luna, knowing very well that she was one of the most powerful offensive weapons he had. I saw his pack rush past me towards the aggressors. Our pack had dealt with all the guns by now, but we were still outnumbered. "Help me get the metal out," Nat said. I looked down at Seb. His heartbeat was strong and the color was back in his beautiful face. "He's fine. He will wake up shortly. I promise. I need to heal Helios," she panted.
I nodded and grabbed onto the bloody shard of metal and pulled. Helios groaned, which, if you asked me, was a good sign. When Nat's hands went over his side, I stood up, "Take care of our mates. I have to go help." I told her and when she only grunted in acknowledgement, I shifted and let Percy take control. We barreled into one of the wolves that is biting into one of Crescent Moon's warriors' back legs. We find it easy to distinguish from the smell who belongs to which side, since the rogues smelled foul. I started shouting instructions to our people on where to go and who to help through the mind link. I would imagine that Markus is doing the same from his protective stance over Nat and Helios. He himself is throwing fireballs while keeping Celeste behind him. We jump over Gonzalo, who is holding his own well and grab the rogue piece of s**t on top of one of our warriors by the neck and quickly snap it. Unceremoniously, we drop the mother fucker and run over to help one of our bears, who's been fighting against three wolves. We feel something coming from our side and Percy turns in time to dodge the wolf that dives at us. We keep running and Percy spits out the rogue's throat as he keeps beelining to the bear to help. We jump and land on the back of one wolf, hearing the satisfying crack of his spine under our paws. We grab the other by the neck and flip him off the bear and against a tree. He doesn't move, so I turn towards the remaining wolf, who now realizes the bear only has one target: Him. He tries to back up before the werebear's massive paw swipes at his head, sending him careening to the ground, blood already oozing out giant gashes on his face.
I look at the scene before me. The tide is turning and more of the rogue bastard's pack are falling. I see the man from the email climbing out of one of the SUVs and I skulk around towards the back, unseen. That a*****e came into our pack and hurt our people. He hurt MY mate. Rage is building more and more and I realize that some of it isn't mine. 'Seb?' I pause as I wait to hear his voice.
'I'm here. Are you OK?' his beautiful voice flitters into my mind. I want to cry of happiness and I feel Percy's tail wag as we continue to stalk from the shadows. I can hear through the mind link that he's fighting already.
'I am now. You scared the s**t out of me. The man from the email is by the last SUV!
'Don't do anything crazy, baby. Helios is almost fully healed.'
'You know me,' I said.
'That's why I'm telling you,' he half teases.
I want to laugh, but tense as I see another man carrying a second bazooka on his shoulder. I need to get rid of it. I'm about to link him when their leader speaks.
"Enough fighting. We've come here for one reason. We don't need to destroy everyone to get what we want," he says. Total bullshit, I think. This man knows he's beaten and is trying to salvage his mission.
"What reason is that?" Helios' voice comes from the side.
"I want the white wolf," he said, and I had to struggle not to growl with everyone else. My eyes are still on the price. I need to get rid of the rocket launcher.
"She doesn't belong to you. She doesn't belong to anyone. She is my mate."Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
"Oh, is the b***h marked? That makes things easier. I, Shane Doyle, leader of the rogues, challenge you for your title of Alpha, your pack and Luna," he said, and my eyes widened in surprise.
"I accept. Tell what's left of your people to stop their attack or I will rip out each of their throats."
I look over to where Helios is standing and my jaw drops. He is standing in front of Celeste and Markus, one hand clutching his side lightly and I can make out the trickle of blood still trickling down from the wound. There were two bloody hand prints on either side of his face and one bloody palm on his chest. Celeste's fire burning behind him looked like he was on fire himself. It made him look...
'This is our Aztec Alpha,' Gonzalo proudly spoke what we were all thinking through the pack link and the entire pack howled in support, followed shortly by the warriors of Crescent Moon.