Evangeline A True Warrior

Atlas’s mate

“Where is she?!?” I turned screaming at the twins who both looked at where Evangeline had last been with wide scared eyes. 

“I don’t, I don’t know!” The twin named Hadlee sobbed. Keegan wrapped her arm around her sister trying to comfort her 

“KC!! Get over here girl! s**t just hit the fan!” Keegan was screaming at the top of her lungs. KC came running around the corner of the porch taking in the scene in a second. 

“She just disappeared?” We all nodded “Shit.. Proteus has her. Fan out. She’ll reappear somewhere. Also.. try to catch her, she’ll fall from the sky.” KC turned to walk away but I needed answers, grabbing her arm I pulled her around to face me. 

“KC, what the f**k do you mean, she’ll be falling from the sky? What happens to Liam?” She looked confused for a second. “Liam attacked her and they both disappeared.” I wasn’t really concerned for that bastard, he hurt Eve, he could rot for all I care but my brain couldn’t organize all the info it needed to understand how they disappeared!! KC looked slightly less confused when she sighed and pulled her arm from my grasp. Sebastian walked up behind her looking crushed and put his hand on her shoulder. I was really starting to freak out, my beast was so quiet I was worried we were broken because of losing our mate so soon after finally having her. 

“Proteus is a real bastard to Evangeline.” KC said reaching her hand up to rest on Sebastian’s. “He likes to test her, a battle of strength. They’ll fight til he has a good estimate on her strength. He likes to test her at random points in her life, your Liam gave him a reason to intervene. He’ll say he was only looking out for her, she’ll want to bring Liam back home with her and they’ll fight for what they want.” KC shook visibly and scuffed her shoe on the porch. Sebastian wrapped his arm around her shoulders to give her comfort. “Last ti-“ She cleared her throat and Sebastian squeezed her hard. “Last time, he ruptured four of her organs and broke.. I don’t even know how many bones. Her face, she was unrecognizable. Alive of course, she’s stronger than anyone I know. She has the strength to heal from damage like that. It’s just hard to see. Brace yourself Atlas. He tries to make her stronger every time they fight.”

Before I could ask anymore questions a loud crash pushed the trees back from the tree line to my right. I just started running toward it, I’ve never run so fast in my life. Once I crossed the threshold of the trees I came to a stop in a clearing. Ahead of us Evangeline was puking into a man sized dent in the earth underneath her. I started walking toward her, she sat back, head tilted back with her eyes closed. She was covered in blood.. my mind couldn’t handle what I was seeing. She sat on her knees tears streaming down her face. 

She suddenly let out a wail of sound that tore a hole into my soul. The amount of pressure on my lungs was unbearable. The scream that followed will haunt my nightmares forever. She was so hurt. Visibly shaking she screamed again, a blood curdling cry that made tears come to my eyes. 

She was heart broken. 

My mate.

 I walked faster toward her almost at a jog but I couldn’t risk running into her, hurting her more. Someone else was walking in my body while blood rushed in my ears, my heart shredding and tears I couldn’t stop from running down my face.

She was so hurt, so broken. 

Right before I reached her side she roared, I was knocked on my ass by the sound. When I sat up Evangeline was gone and in her place stood a massive white beast with wings that spanned the clearing. I knew she was powerful that was obvious but seeing her size.. no amount of brute strength could possibly hurt her but even in this form it was obvious she was in physical pain, her breathing much louder now, rattled in and out of her. Her wing was hanging oddly at her side, lower than the other one. The blood was even more visible now against her white scales. Someone had seriously hurt her while I couldn’t even comprehend her strength. She roared again and I had to cover my ears. Her wings snapped back and I curled into my side as wind almost picked me up off the ground. They flapped once toward the ground and she was gone, soaring in a straight line directly above us. She disappeared again into the clouds and I noticed how cold it suddenly was. I shivered feeling snow catch on my eyelashes. She was gone again and I needed her. I needed to make sure she was okay and take care of her while she healed from the wounds she sustained. My beast was whimpering inside my head. Pitifully mewling not wanting her away from us. We needed her. 

“Come on Alpha.” I looked up to see Sebastian standing above me with his hand reaching down for me, I take it and he helped me stand. It had gotten so cold my muscles protested from just a couple seconds under the snow. “The temperature will just continue to drop until she leaves the sky. We won’t survive the cold. We have to go inside.” We trudged toward the cottage. 

How was I supposed to protect my mate.. when I myself couldn’t defeat her, but someone else could? I felt like someone was watching me and stopped in my tracks when I noticed a man in a toga? Looking at me with his arms behind his back and his head tilted to the side as he studied me.

“Sebastian” I said catching his attention, I looked at him and pointed toward the guy, looking back with him the man was no longer there. 

“What’s up boss?” Sebastian asked looking between me and where I had been pointing. 

“Nothing man, come on. It’s insanely cold out here.”

After getting to the house we all needed blankets and warm liquids. Haley was serving up hot chocolate while Sam handed out towels to us all. The fire had been started since we all sat down wherever we could in the living room. I sat on the window seat by the window, waiting for my mate to come back to me. Looking back to our closest friends I study each of them Sam is obviously distressed, Evangeline saved Carol. She was someone special to them now. Haley was trying to busy herself and continued to check on the sleeping child downstairs. Eve’s pack all sat in the chairs and couches in the middle of the room. It occurred to me I hadn’t even gotten to know her well enough to know her closest friends names. 

“I don’t think, I’m not sure..” my brain felt slow from the amount of pain in my chest. I growled and tried again. “I don’t think I know all of your names” They all had almost comical looks on their faces. Almost smiling at me. “What?” I asked. 

“You remind us of her. Evangeline. My name is Florence. Evangeline calls me flossy though.” Florence was the brunette that made a crack about needing to learn how to growl for the ladies benefit. “Next we have Alora. KC. Hadlee, Keegan.” She introduced each of them while they looked at me with a smile or a little wave. “You look like who I always pictured her with you know. Tall, broad, handsome. Insanely sweet and head over heels for her.” Flossy continued. All the girls nodded there heads at her statement. 

“Mom!!” Carol yelled from downstairs. Right after her small feet could be heard running up the stairs on the other side of the kitchen. “Mom! Dad!” She yelled again once she hit the top of the stairs looking at all of us now standing on the opposite side of her. She smiles brightly and runs to Sam and Haley who throw themselves to her. A couple of the girls sniffle at the adorable child, happy and healthy. “I feel so much better! I’m so hungry though mom, can I have something to eat please?” She finishes her request rubbing her eyes and in the middle of a yawn. Her parents scoop her up and walk to the cupboards and pantry looking for anything Carol wants. We all moved back to our seats in a slightly better mood. 

“KC?” Hadlee broke the silence first. KC looked toward her. “Why does Proteus hurt Evangeline so bad?” I had wondered the very same thing actually 

“Well, she is one of the seven in command of his army. If the need ever arises, there’s no reason to think anything like a war will happen but Proteus likes to be prepared. That means that his seven in command should be as strong as God’s, if not stronger. He needs to test them, make sure they continue to grow in strength. He thinks that if he can beat them in a fight they’ll surely die in a war. After healing from one of his cruel lessons Evangeline met with all seven commanders on our pack land. I don’t know what they were meeting about but I was in charge of seeing them off pack lands safely and discreetly. I have never in my life been around bigger or scarier men. Most of them could kill us all with just a look I swear. And Evangeline. She was the one in charge of them all. You see when Proteus started recruiting people they had to fight for their place along side him. Eve kicked all their asses. That’s why he’s so harsh on her, she’s the strongest thing he’s encountered in our world.” 

“Will Carol have to go through that?” Haley said sounding like she may faint. 

KC quickly reassured her. “No, I don’t think so, I think he wants her for something else. Something that requires more brain power than fighting. He’ll let her know what areas she’ll be the most useful in.” I hope she was telling the truth. 

Where was Evangeline, I wanted to hold her close and help her. Haley and Sam traipsed downstairs with a very sleepy toddler still holding on to a chicken nugget. Suddenly the door slammed open and a snow leopard limped inside. Quickly shifting into Eve. I rushed to her side, careful not to touch her to much. 

“Baby. Baby can you hear me? I pushed her hair off her forehead and saw a massive gash along her hairline. Her shoulder was definitely dislocated and she wasn’t breathing very well. “KC we have to get a doctor to look at her, make sure she can heal correctly.” KC looked like she had the situation under control, when I started speaking to her she was already pulling out her phone. Keegan and Hadlee both came toward me with a blanket. I thought they would wrap it around her but instead used it as a gurney to get her into a bed room down the hallway. They laid her on the bed gently and I went to sit beside her. She laid there looking up at me as her pack started cutting off her clothing. 

She had so many bruises. Her chest was the worst. What had he done to her?

“Atlas, we have to reset her shoulder, I don’t know if you want to be here for that.” Florence spoke softly to me like I was a wild animal that might lose control. I looked down at Evangeline but she had closed her eyes.

“I’d really like to stay Florence.” I wasn’t sure I could stomach her in such pain but I couldn’t leave her.