The Pack Survives

[11] Changes

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Evan’s POV

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                I had just finished ripping this mongrel throat out when I heard the girl, Kelly, screaming a war cry as loud as I have ever heard one. I felt a pain in my chest and looked down, fully expecting this i***t to have risen from the dead and stab me in the chest. Except, he hadn’t. Nothing was wrong with my chest. Immediately, I knew it was Celeste. I whipped my head around just in time to see Norah launch herself onto the female and rip her throat out, just as my mate collapsed to the ground.

                I was shifted and back into my human form instantly, cradling her in my arms. I looked down at the massive blade sticking out of her chest. It looked so foreign on her. It did not belong there. Her beautiful body could not be tarnished by such an ugly thing. The blood pooling around the wound, pouring down to my hands, snapped me out of my thoughts. Celeste gasped for air and the heartbreaking sound made me weak. Gabe and Norah screamed in unison, and somewhere in my mind, I heard myself calling for her too. She couldn’t leave me, we had only just begun our relationship and it was laced with mayhem and destruction. I wanted to give her a good life. Better than this. I vowed at that moment, watching my mate bleed out in front of me, to destroy all those that would seek to hurt her. I would rip their throats out, bleed anyone dry. All for her. For her safety. For her happiness.                                                        

                “Norah! Get her parents! Find them!! Gabe!”  I looked for him and found him a few feet from me, backing up towards us in a defensive stance. He had shifted back to his wolf form. His head was jerking from side to side, gauging his surroundings for more threats. He hadn’t heard me, he was wound up tight as a spring after that fight, and knowing that his Luna was down, had him on edge.      

His Luna is down… the thought made my mouth water with impending vomit, my arms becoming weak with the possibility of me passing out. I shook my head, trying to focus and mind linked him instead. “Gabe. I need Jeff and Lisa. Go. Get help.” My Luna. My love.

                Try as he might, he can not defy an Alpha’s order. He turned to face me, lips curled up exposing his fangs. He was snarling out air; rage and saliva dripping from his mouth. He was being consumed. Until his eyes laid on Celeste. Only a few seconds had gone by since I first called for Norah to find Edmond and his wife, yet it felt like an eternity waiting for Gabe to gain control over his wolf. Once he caught sight of Celeste, he began whimpering, his legs beginning to buckle but at the last second, he sprang to life. Barging past us, within a few leaps, he was shrouded by the forest.

                I couldn’t spare another second. I stood on my feet, my dear mate laid across my arms bridal style. The rain poured down upon us, washing the blood from her body, only to have it start back up again. I picked up my pace and took off with a quick jog, careful not to jostle her too much, fearing I would cause more damage to her. I don’t know how long I was at it before my home came into view. I rounded the edge of the tree line and the sight before me made me falter. So many bodies.

                I barely had time to register the horror inflicted upon my pack before Jeff and Lisa came running, eyes wide with horror. The rain was a steady downpour now, water springing from the ground with each step they took as they ran closer to us. My knees gave in and I fell onto them in the mud, still cradling Celeste. How naïve I was to think she was the only casualty. There were so many bodies. My pack and the ones that came for us. Erin was next to me in a flash, pulling me back, but I couldn’t figure out why. I couldn’t hear anyone, though I could see their mouths moving. Finally, a voice in my head penetrated my meltdown, and that voice in and of itself caused happiness, joy, fear, and worry at the same time.

                “Let them take me, you have to let me go.”

                My hands loosened just enough for Jeff, Lisa, and a few hospital staff to take her from me and rush her to the pack hospital. Had I heard her? Was that real? Am I really losing it? I looked up Erin and saw her looking down on me with confusion and concern. I stood up and started off towards the hospital when two sets of hands had me pinned in place. I spun around, rage and fury radiating off me in waves. Who dare stop me from tending to my mate, my pack?

                “Evan, my dear! Come.” Isabell said as she removed her hands, opening her arms wide and stepping towards me. I was frozen. The other hands, I saw, were Edmond’s. His eyes glistened with unshed tears and I knew he was holding it together for his wife, his mate. Celeste was theirs too, and here I thought to be the only one reeling from the fear of losing her. How stupid of me!

                Before I could dive headfirst into self-deprecation, I was pulled into a tight embrace from Isabell. I stood, stiffened by the gesture. I had not felt the hug of a mother in more years than I can remember. Not since my own mother had died. I suddenly felt like a child, a small child who just encountered a heartbreak of some kind, who truly needed their Mom, needing her hug and comfort. I broke. The walls I held up tight for years since my mother died, struggling to keep the pack above water, meeting and possibly losing my mate in just a few hours, the walls crumbled. I found myself clutching Isabell for dear life as the waves of emotions racked my body. The embrace got tighter and I realized Edmond stepped in, essentially encasing me in love and support. I don’t know how long I stood there for, crying like a baby with them, but I heard sniffling off to the side and saw my sister crying, looking longingly at us and I realized in that moment she was feeling what I was. Whether it was through the pack link or through our sibling connection, she knew what I was feeling and was feeling it as well.

                “Erin, come here please?” I begged her, waving her over and stepping back to allow her into this moment. Edmond and Isabell held her as she had her own breakdown, they soothed her and cooed her like a baby, Isabell whispering words of comfort into her ears, wiping tears. Edmond held both women, holding them up strong, his eyes never wavered in scanning the area for danger. He was a good man and I am lucky to have him as my father in law.

                Celeste! Probably only minutes had passed but it was too long. I turned on my heels and ran off to the pack hospital promising not to let anyone or anything deter me from getting to my mate. Stupid! I was standing there like a baby CRYING! I am an Alpha and an Alpha who's Luna is DYING! I am such an i***t. I ran past bodies, injured wolves who were being tended to, crying she-wolves looking for their mates. Through the bond, I could feel their hurt. It was crippling me. I steeled myself as I surged forward, pushing through the pain that my pack was feeling. I sent back to them, summoning all the strength an Alpha is bestowed with, as much faith, love, compassion, and support as I could. My message was loud and clear. We will get through this, I have faith in you all, I will stand with you, by you, and FOR you all. I showed them an image of our Luna, in her current state, and felt a renewed sense of purpose. The pack was silent for a half a second as they took in her condition and what that meant. Their response was clear.

Yes, Alpha. We fight.

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Gabe’s POV

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                I had always dreamed of the day I would take over my father’s position in the pack. It’s two jobs in one, really. Being a Delta means being charged with the care of the mechanism that is Black Water Pack; the army of wolves, the fighters, the pack warriors. Men and women follow me, I am responsible for their safety, leading them into and out of battle as safely as possible, strategizing….  Protecting.

                A Delta is also the sole guard of the Luna. It is equally important but entirely objective. The line of defense should be the Delta first, Alpha next. Should the pack fall, and then the Alpha fall, the Delta should already be miles away with the Luna leading her to safety. There are provisions set up all over the country, all over the world to protect a Luna. There are multiple recourses, contingency plans should something fall through.

                Today, however, I failed at both.

                I failed to protect my pack.

                I failed to protect my Luna.

                My mate will tell me there was no provision for this scenario. There was no plan for this possible outcome. It was so far out of left-field, even the craziest of minds could not have made this up. Had someone told me a few weeks ago that we would be fighting with and for our Vampire/Witch/Wolf Luna, and her Vampire friends and families, with Brian’s new witch mate and facing off against a hoard of hunters who were sired by two sick Vampires to end our Luna’s life, and siphon her powers simultaneously, I would have asked what drugs they were on. This was not how I envisioned my first day protecting my Luna, doing – literally- MY ENTIRE JOB.

                I cursed myself as I ran away from Evan and Celeste. Another failure, seeing as I am bound to quite literally never to leave her side. The blood oath I made, when I took over for my father, made sure of it. I ran and ran and ran, through the trees, weaving through fighting wolves, soaring over dead bodies, and bursting through the pack hospital which was abuzz with activity and reeked of death.  I barked out a warning and quickly shifted back to my human form. I grabbed a pair of scrub pants and threw them on, never breaking stride. “Where is Lisa? Jeff!” I yelled, nurses and orderlies flinching.

                “Lisa is in the next room over helping a patient, Gabe what is wrong? What happened?” Jeff asked, wiping blood off his hands as he crossed the floor, stopping in front of me. He was a big man, strong, lean, and just about the nicest person I had ever met. He was a warrior of my father’s before he found his mate, and true to form- chose to follow her anywhere. His skills transcended and it was an easy transition to be a trauma doctor. He was able to keep calm and focused during insurmountable pressure, never losing sight of what needed to be done, despite what was happening around him. Fate worked like that I guess… for some people.

                “It’s the Luna, Alpha needs you both. Now.” I replied. His face froze, allowing me to show him a picture of Celeste, so he knew what they were up against. He started grabbing supplies, and I noticed his eyes glaze over, recognizing that he was mind linking someone. After what felt like an eternity, but was most likely seconds later, Lisa came in, scrubs covered in blood and the look of pure fear on her face. She walked purposefully to her mate and began packing supplies with him. Unspoken words, they worked as an effortless team, never in each other’s way. They were the picture of perfection, but I allowed myself no more time to stand in awe of how they worked like a well-oiled machine.

                ‘We must hurry. Now!” I barked. I saw Lisa flinch, and Jeff placed a hand on her shoulder, offering comfort. I immediately felt bad, but there was no time for that. I turned on my heels and began jogging back through the hallways to the entrance of the hospital. I felt them behind me, as we continued on. Just as we broke through the entrance, the rain hit us like a tidal wave. We were soaked within seconds. I was about to shift, to get to Evan and Celeste faster when I was stopped dead in my tracks.

                Fights were raging in some parts of the area, reinforcing that I also failed in fortifying the territory, but through the smoke of a burning fire nearby, emerged my Alpha carrying my Luna. She was lifeless, draped across his arms. Water and blood, mixed together were pouring off of her while he strode forward, determined to reach the hospital. Everyone who was close enough held their breath as he emerged, power flowing from him, willing the fight to stop just long enough to save his mate. He was naked as the day he was born; clothes were not a necessity amongst wolves, and it was a stark contrast to the leather laden woman he carried in his arms. Her long silver hair almost reaching the ground as he pushed on.

                I never fought with Vampires but fighting with women was nothing new. We, as a pack, had implemented this, years before I was born. We never forced a member to do our bidding, rather we encouraged what was in their hearts, and if a woman wanted to fight, then we ensured they were the best they could be. Fighting with Celeste, however, was awe-inspiring. She was ruthless, cunning, and strong. Her friend Norah was just the same, and it was easy to see that Celeste had trained her. They were sharp as a blade with their movements, a cohesive unit as they fought hand to hand combat. I had never been prouder to hold the job I have than at that moment.

                Until I watched her fall.

                I got comfortable. Never wanting to insult her by insinuating she needed me to protect her, I allowed myself leniency, and it backfired. Never again would I allow that to happen. Evan hadn’t even had a chance to explain to her my position in the pack other than Delta, we didn’t even have time. The attack happened so fast. So unexpectedly. We were caught off guard. Even if we won in numbers, we lost the moment that knife plunged into her heart. I am no expert on Vampire injuries, but I would say between the position of the wound and the metal used, there was a more than likely chance she would not survive.

                We took off at a run towards Evan and Celeste, reaching them in a few strides, just as Evan collapsed to his knees. The weight of the attack a heavy burden on him as he took in his surroundings. I could see in his eyes he was defeated. He was finally seeing the destruction that laid at our doorstep. Jeff and Lisa were trying to pry Celeste, as gently as possible, from his arms but it was no use. He was too strong and had begun snarling at us all. His eyes completely consumed, and it was clear his wolf, Dimitri was in charge. Out of nowhere, Celeste’s parents emerged, a little tattered and bloody, and her mother gasped. Norah placed a hand on Isabella’s shoulder and her head fell as sobs took over her body. Finally, Evan relented, and the doctors wasted no time in rushing our Luna off with the help of some nurses. I took a hesitant step forward and decided against it. If Evan were going to punish me, I would accept it, but I would allow him the time to decompress before I pushed that on him.

                I watched silently, but still on guard, as Celeste’s parents took Evan into their arms and he crumbled. It was too much for me. The guilt was piling on my heart and I couldn’t take it anymore. I spun around and began walking away when a small hand reached out and grabbed me. I looked down and it was Erin. She looked beat up but had obviously come out on top.

                “It was not your fault, Gabe.” She whispered.

                “Yes, it was. I have two jobs, two sole purposes in this pack. Protecting and training the pack and protecting my Luna. Which of those did I successfully accomplish today? Which one Erin??” I screamed, but she was not phased. She inched closer to me, reaching out and squaring my shoulders until we were face to face.

                “Our Luna did not need protection. She is a warrior. Don’t forget you were taking that b***h’s brother down, who was also trying to kill her. And the pack? We lost 2. Yes, 2 is more than we ever want, but we were well trained. You didn’t see the way they fought. They knew their Alpha and Luna were out there”- she waved her hand gesturing to the woods- “alone and fought to secure the town. They would have made you proud. The 2 we lost, died protecting the borders, but not before alerting the rest of the pack, and in doing that, we were able to get those unable to fight, to safety, and set up a perimeter. Not to mention your mate was a force to be reckoned with. She and her witch friends kicked some serious ass, and when it came time for them to fight hand to hand, where do you think she learned those moves from? Hm? Not me, no-no. She learned them from you.” She said, sticking her finger in my chest.

                Emily. My body stiffened. Goddess why can’t I do anything right?? I left her here undefended, while I was out there fighting. Sensing my urgency, Erin pressed on. “She is fine. She doesn’t have a scratch on her. She is in the hospital with the other witches helping where they can. She is waiting for you. Go.”

                I didn’t bother responding. I took off like a bat out of hell and ripped through the lobby and corridors, following her scent. She must have sensed me for I soon received a link from her. “I am in trauma bay 1, love.” Fear pulsed through me, and anger because Erin told me she was fine, unharmed, and she was in the trauma bay? I stormed through the crowded halls, unceremoniously pushing people out of my way and ripped the curtain back coming face to face with Emily. I breathed a sigh of relief and felt hot tears springing to my eyes. I felt like I was drowning. I couldn’t breathe. It was all too much. I was so relieved to see her and could feel through the bond the relief and comfort coming from her as well.

                I bent down and wrapped her in my arms, breathing in her scent, letting it flood my senses. If I felt like I was drowning before, I was wrong. I would die in the river that was her scent. I let it wrap around me and take me under. She let out a breath she was holding and pulled back to get a better view of my face. Her hands shakily made their way up to my face and they cupped each side. She used her thumb to rub the part of my cheek under my eye, her way of extending comfort and safety to me. The electric pulses surged from her fingertips into my skin, rolling through my body, bringing me back down to earth. I needed her touch like any being needs air to breathe.

                “I was worried for you Gabriel.” She whispered.

                “Emily, oh Emily I am so sorry,” I said, my shoulders shaking with something between anger and sobs. “I let everyone down, you most of all.”

                Her eyebrows crinkled in confusion, her hands slowly dropping from my face to my biceps.

                “What do you mean you let us down? This was an unexpected attack and while we weren’t ready in the sense of knowing it was coming, we were more than prepared for it and that is all because of you. You did nothing wrong. You fought and did what you could out there, just as the rest of us did here. You put expectations on yourself that are too much for anyone to handle, Gabriel.”

                She is not one of the many who use my given nickname of Gabe. She prefers my full name when making a point, however, this was not going to be an easy argument to win. She was going to have a difficult time proving to me that I did not make a grave mistake today, letting my guard down.

                I became aware of the audience in the room who were doing a decent job working around us. I finally drew my eyes up from the safety of my mate’s stare and saw on the bed behind her a semi-stable Celeste, the guilt tearing me down again.

                I felt the air being sucked out of my lungs and was having a hard time producing words. “How is she? Is she going to be ok?”

                Jeff looked at me then glanced over to Lisa who was checking the IVs hooked up to Celeste’s arms. She looked so peaceful, but the monitor next to her told another story. Every few seconds the beeping would increase, and it became obvious that there was a battle raging within her slight body.

                Lisa finished up and grabbed her iPad, shuffling around tapping her fingers across the screen. “She is stable Gabe, but she is not getting better. She is not healing. We are waiting for Brittany who has some skills she is willing to share with us to get a better idea of what is going on inside, where we can’t see.” she explained, her eyes never glancing up at me.

                “What do you mean what is going on… inside?” I asked, looking around from person to person, my gaze finally resting on Emily.

                “She has the ability to see into someone’s subconscious, and we believe that with Celeste having a wolf inside, she may have some answers. We don’t really know what else to do right now.”

                On cue, Brittany walked in, Brian trailing behind her like a shadow. Another stab at the wound that was becoming too much for me to bear, reminding me that I should have been there for Emily. Feeling my thoughts through the bond, I felt her reach out and take my hand in hers, offering support.

                Brittany walked over to the bed, glancing up at Lisa for permission. She nodded, and Brittany extended her hands, palms down. I instinctively stepped forward, protectively, which caused Brian to snarl at me, back facing Brittany. We stared each other down but Brittany stopped us before anything could transpire. “Boys, please. Gabe, I am not going to hurt your Luna. Brian, Gabe is not going to hurt me. Please stop. I need someone to help me. Is Emily still here? I can’t look up right now.”

                Emily stiffened next to me, but stepped forward and met Brittany, standing across from her on the other side of the bed, mirroring her. Her eyes flashed a bright purple and I knew she was in her element. “What am I looking for, show me,” she said.

                Brittany reached her hand out and placed it on top of Emily’s. As soon as they touched, something began to happen. It was almost as if the air around them, above Celeste’s body, began to ripple. There was an electric field around them now and it began to grow like a bubble. I started to tense, standing there watching an unknown forcefield surrounding them, and glancing at Brian I could tell he felt the same way.

                Just like that, it was over. The bubble popped. The rippling stopped. Brittany and Emily’s heads jerked up and they stared at each other, shock all over their faces.

                “Get Evan!” they yelled in unison. There was no need, he had just busted through the door of the trauma room, eyes black as night, struggling to hold on to his senses.

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Evan’s POV

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                Running into her room, the smell of blood was the first thing that I picked up on. Her scent was fading. My wolf, Dmitri, was in full control at that point and I was having a hard time getting through to him. It was like, on some level I did not have access to, he knew what was going on, he knew what he had to do. My feet were moving on their own and I was suddenly facing Celeste. I was acutely aware that Emily and Brittany had stepped away to allow me space.

                “What does he need to do?” Brian asked Brittany. If it were any other day, I would have been hosting a party for him in light of him finding his mate. That was not going to happen now. If it were any other day, my mate wouldn’t be lying lifeless beneath me. I stroked her face, brushing her hair off her forehead that was beading with sweat. Her lips were pursed and every so often her bottom lip would twitch, but that was the only movement I saw.

                “He needs to change her. No, not change. Mark her. Bring out her wolf. She can’t heal, though her wolf is trying, because her wolf hasn’t matured yet due to the binding spell. Her wolf is trying, but the only thing to break the spell is…”

                “For me to mark her. To complete the mate bond.” I said though it wasn’t truly me who said it. It was Dimitri.                

                “Did you know that?? All this time?” I asked him incredulously.

                “Of course not, Evan. When we were getting closer to the hospital, I heard her. I heard her wolf. I guess that was when Emily and Brittany were trying to get through to her. She said it was the only way to break her free and let her help heal Celeste. She is right. I feel it.” he replied.    

                No, this is not possible. We hadn’t had enough time to talk about it. She was scared of the change, of what she would become. And it was supposed to be special, not to save her life.

                “What is more special than saving your mate’s, OUR mate’s life Ev? She won't BE here to disagree with you though because she will be dead if you don’t do what is necessary!” he roared in my mind. He was right, what choice did I even have?

                “Everyone out,” I ordered. “Not you, Brittany. I need you to stay back until I mark her... please…. I don’t know what I am doing here.” I pleaded with her. I felt so helpless, so useless at this moment. I would accept any and all help, that I could get.

                She looked up at Brian and he smiled, not enough to reach his eyes, but enough that she would feel comfortable with choosing to stay. The rest of the room turned to leave as Brittany walked back over to us. Lisa, I noticed, stayed behind despite my ordering everyone to exit. I looked at her fiercely, ready to order her out with the rest when she held up her hands in an act of submission.

                “Alpha, with all due respect. She is my patient. I must stay to monitor her, should the need arise, then I am here to administer care. Surely you would prefer me than a nurse?” she asked, baring her neck to me, again displaying that she was truly at my mercy.

                I nodded curtly at her and turned back to Celeste. I wavered momentarily, fearing what would happen. What if it didn’t work? What if it killed her faster? I felt a hand touch my arm and power surged through my body. My eyes met with Brittany’s and they were as bright as I have ever seen. The air around us began to grow thick, suspending us almost like we were in zero gravity.

                “It’s time. It has to happen now, we are running out of time here, Evan. I know I am not of your pack, I have not even mated with your Beta, but please trust in me. I promise- I vow to be of service to this pack if you will let me. Task me with this.” Another surge of energy engulfed me and I felt Dimitri rising through the surface, my fangs elongating against my will. The cells in my body morphing and taking over. I was no longer in control.

                My body bent down and I placed a soft gentle kiss on the edge of Celeste’s jaw, another on her neck on top of her artery, another on her collar bone, and another on the soft spot between her neck and shoulder. The scent of her blood pulsing through that artery drove me wild and before I knew it I was piercing her skin with my teeth. It was not enough to pierce the surface, though. I pushed forward through the dizzying haze that was her scent, her essence, and plummeted my teeth into her bone.

                The moment my canines made contact with her bone; a blast of white, blinding light blew through the room with a force, not unlike a bomb’s explosion. It blew out all the windows. I heard Dr. Lisa grunt as she was thrown into the far wall. The door to the room was ripped off the hinges, splintering into the hallway and I could hear people diving for cover. Screaming. People were screaming everywhere.

                No. It was Brittany. She was screaming right in my face. I began to lift my head up off Celeste’s body, my nature as an Alpha forcing me to protect those in my care, but a handheld me in place.

                “No!! NOT.. YET…” she instructed me between deep, ragged breaths. Instantly I felt Brian in the room and he was at her side in an instant. I couldn’t see him but through the bond felt his fear and his awe. I couldn’t tell what was happening around us, but through his eyes, I could see it. The unbelievable view he had of us was almost enough to distract me from my mate.

                We were shrouded in gold. Like an amber-colored lamp was cascading on us, we were being illuminated by a force that was surely coming from Celeste. Everything in the room that wasn’t anchored down was suspended in mid-air. The monitor, hooked up to Celeste, was completely haywire, but it was clear she was living at least. Brittany… she was shaking, tremors racking her body, blood dripping from her nose as she held onto mine and Celeste’s forearms. There was a white light circling from her hands, snaking across my skin, up and over my head, and wrapping around Celeste. It was unlike anything I have ever witnessed, yet I was the one experiencing it.

                Dmitri began to growl, low at first, then louder and louder until my chest was rippling with the vibrations of his aura. “Mate.” He ordered. “Wake up. Come to me. Come to me, Luna.”

                “Evan! Let go. When I say, you need to get off of her.” She was struggling to hold on, I could feel it and hear it in her voice. The force around us was getting stronger, the air thicker and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The once still objects in the air began rattling, shaking, and breaking into pieces. Brian took purposeful steps forward to his mate and placed his hands on each shoulder, anchoring her. The force of his touch, the offering of his power and support, propelled whatever the hell we were doing over the edge.

                “NOW!” she screamed, and as soon as my teeth pulled back, a second blast threw all three of us clear across the room. I slammed into the same wall Dr. Lisa had hit and was grateful for whoever got her out of the room in time, or else I would have crushed her. Brian and Brittany flew the opposite direction, landing on the chair and flipping over the other side. He cradled her in his arms, breaking her fall with his large body.

                As quickly as it all began, it was over. Debris and rubble scattered across the floor. Out through the window, there were pieces of drywall and cinderblocks, 2x4’s, and glass everywhere. I ran to Celeste and just as I reached her I heard the sweetest thing I have ever heard in my life. The sound brought me to my knees instantly. Like hearing a baby cry as it’s born. Seeing for the first time. Being kissed goodnight by your mother.

                “E..Evan?” I heard in my mind, barely a whisper.

                It was her. She was alive!  I scrambled to my feet and launched onto the bed, straddling over top of her, my palms gently cupping her head. I began caressing her cheeks as tears streamed down my own.

                “Celeste, baby. Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes for me?” I begged her. I heard Brian calling for Jeff and Lisa. They came barreling in and I heard Emily and Erin come in and run straight to Brittany, helping her up and out of the room.

                I stared down at my mate, willing her to wake up. Willing the voice I just heard in my head to be real. ”Dmitri, where is she?” I asked him.

                “Just wait, brother.” He said, a smirk in his voice.

                In a flash, the most gorgeous eyes were looking back at me. Violet, amber, and silver. I have never in my life seen anything like them. I could live and die at the mercy of these eyes. If they were the last thing I saw before my pathetic life ended, I would die fulfilled. “Evan… you’re crushing me.”

                I froze. Then like a lunatic began laughing. I laughed until I cried, kissing her over and over again. On her lips, her nose, her eyes, her forehead. Everywhere. I jumped off her and scooted in next to her. Lisa had already brought her water and had her team checking her vitals.

                “Celeste, oh my Goddess. You are alive. I…I thought I lost you. I am so sorry, this is my fault. I should have protected you.” She stopped me by placing her hand across my mouth and I was shocked to find warmth in her touch. As my mate, her touch had been all-consuming, warm to me, and my soul, but this was different. This was the warmth of a wolf. A hybrid.

                “Evan. You saved my life. You freed me. I would have died if it wasn’t for you and Brittany. I could feel myself slipping away and suddenly, I felt her. My wolf. She told me you and Dmitri were breaking the bind, marking us. She is beautiful, Evan. She is the voice I have heard my whole life. We have truly waited for you forever.”

                Her eyes began fluttering closed and I panicked. “Doctor!!” Lisa ran over and checked her vitals again. She offered me a sheepish smile, “She is just sleeping, Alpha. Her body went through an incredible transformation today. A once in a lifetime transformation that I can’t believe I was alive to witness. She will need rest and preferably not in this room. We need to move her. May we move her to your suite?”

                I took a hard look at Lisa. She had cuts across her forehead and her shoulder, which was now exposed due to the ripped scrub top she was wearing, was bruised and battered. I crossed the floor and pulled her into my arms. “Thank you, Lisa. Thank you so much. I am so sorry you were hurt.” I could hear her sniffling in my chest as she pulled back, wiping stray tears from her face.

“Oh this little thing?” she said pointing to her head. “No dear. This was worth it. I witnessed a miracle today. The birth and rebirth of a Luna, unlike any other. I would take this beating time and again to know she is by your side and you, hers. She is special, Evan.” she said, her face suddenly serious. “We must protect our Luna.”

***