The Prophecy

|| Chapter Three ||

The heart monitor beeped weakly in the background. Bea was still unconscious, but she was alive, barely holding on. The pack doctors had tried everything to heal her but the poison in her wounds had kept her wolf from healing her body.  

The bears that had attacked her had coated their claws in an unknown poison and it had entered her bloodstream. Her wound stayed open and weeping and her body, exhausted with trying to heal her, had nearly given up the fight yesterday. She’s been unresponsive for 3 days now.  

A phone call had taken their father, Benjamin, away from the breakfast table this morning and both him and Andrea, their mother, have been locked away in the conference room with the betas and gammas for hours. Bennett, as the future Alpha, had also been summoned away. It was almost 3pm when Simon, the pack Gamma, entered the hospital room.  

“Hey dad.” Gabby looked up, greeting him. She had been reading aloud to Bea while holding her hand.

“Hey sweetheart, how is Bea?” He asked. 

Gabby shook her head – “no response yet dad. What’s going on? Everyone’s been locked in the conference room all day.” 

He sighed and ran a hand through his dirty blond hair. “Ahhh some news.” 

Bennett entered the room, nodded at Gregory and placed a kiss on Gabby’s head. 

“Dark Moon have made contact. They will be arriving with reinforcements in a few hours to provide assistance to investigate these attacks. We were not the only ones who were ambushed.” 

Gabby turned from her father to Bennett. “Dark Moon? The Lycans?” 

Bennett nodded – “And there’s more.” 

Gabby peered at them quizzically. 

“Their Alpha and Beta are coming too.”  

 ---

Matthias combed his fingers through his long hair and shook it out slightly. Grumbling softly, he picked up some tangles before tying it back up at the nape of his neck. Alexander looks at him and chuckles, earning himself a scowl from his best friend. 

“What are you so happy about?” 

“Watching you ungroomed and unkempt is amusing.” Alexander responded smoothly, trying to hide another smile. 

Matthias threw a cushion at him and sat back. A voice came over the intercom announcing that they would be landing soon. Now, Matthias smiled.  

 ---

Jasper had stayed behind to step in and take charge of the pack while Alexander and Matthias were gone. The pair had driven straight to the private wing of Heathrow Airport and jumped on a flight. They had been in the air for almost 24 hours.  

Where it had been showing signs of warmth in London, the air in Australia had a bite to it. They had disembarked the plane and climbed into a black Range Rover with tinted windows. Their team of 10 Lycan Warriors had arrived an hour earlier and were already on their way to Crescent Moon, and an additional 5 had arrived just before and have been waiting for their Alpha and Beta.  

The entourage drove another 3 hours South, crossing through territory land just after 8pm. The land was lush and green with tall trees lining the roads and green grass spread over open plains. Howls greeted them as they passed the border and minutes later, they passed a final canopy of trees and the road opened up to a village of cozy houses. 

It was just as he remembered from his dream, a beautiful architecturally designed house with 4 floors, plenty of windows, surrounded by a compound of smaller buildings. There was green grass all around and tall trees and wilderness behind it all. The air smelt fresh.  

The welcome party was already on the porch awaiting their arrival. Alpha Benjamin Rhodes, his Luna Andrea Rhodes, and their son, Bennett Rhodes. The Betas, Gregory and Leah James, and the Gammas, Simon and Kath O’Brien, flanked the family.  

They greeted each other warmly and quietly before proceeding inside to the main room where a simple but warm dinner was waiting for them.  

There was small talk before Benjamin cleared his throat and broke the ice – “So, Alpha Knight, to what do we owe this pleasure. While I am grateful that you have sent your warriors to assist our investigations, I’m not sure that the threat warrants your presence.” 

Silence spread through the dining room and the tension was thick. 

Alexander raised his blue eyes to meet Benjamin’s brown. He smiled, allowing his canines to glint in the light. “Is my presence an inconvenience to you Alpha Rhodes.” 

He watched as Benjamin’s nostrils flared – “no! What I mean is, this could just be a one-off attack, it might not happen again. There are also 7 other packs that were attacked; none of them have had the pleasure of you assisting their investigations.” 

Alexander rose from the table and wiped his mouth – “And in this one attack, how many casualties did you have? And of those casualties, was one of them your daughter? Is she not now in the medical bay dying because there is poison coursing through her body? Now if you would excuse me, we have traveled a long way and I would like to rest. I will discuss the investigations with you tomorrow.” 

He bowed slightly and allowed an Omega to lead him to his room. Matthias moved to follow and similarly bowed and flashed a friendly smile. “Apologies for him Alpha, Alexander is exhausted and has not slept in a few days. Let’s hope he is in a better mood tomorrow.” 

How did he know about Bea? 

 --- 

Despite the cold winter air, Alexander was sweating. His body burned and he panted, tossing and turning in the bed. While he was exhausted, the girl was in her mind. Her fighting, her screams as she fell, her breathing her last breath in that hospital bed. She was so close.  

Slipping out from the bed and tossed on a shirt and sweatpants.  

What am I doing?  

As if in a trance, he left his room and the packhouse. His body pulled him towards one of the buildings next door. He entered and again, a sense of familiarity washed over him. The door at the end of the hallway called his name.  

And there she was. The strong warrior on the battlefield now little, and vulnerable in that large hospital bed. He stood transfixed watching the slow rise and fall of her chest, entranced by the details of her face, her delicate hands. He could not help himself as he moved towards her, enveloping one of her little hands in his large one. He smoothed his thumb over her soft skin and went on his knees beside her bed, bring her hand to his lips.  

Why am I doing this?  

The heart monitor beeped. Stronger this time. Faster. His eyes flickered towards it noticing the change, and his eyes went back to her. Her breathing had quickened.  

As if in a trance, he stood and bent over her, removing her oxygen mask and lowering his face to hers. He felt so drawn towards her, he needed to have her. Slowly, he brushed his lips over hers softly, smoothing her hair away from her face.  

Her eyes flickered open and Bea stared into his eyes.  

 ---

Sunlight filtered into the guest bedroom, shining right across Alexander’s face. Groaning, he rolled over and opened his eyes. The thoughts of last night played again in his mind.  

She’s awake.  

Bea had woken up and stared into his eyes. Instead of moving away, she had kissed him, deepening the kiss. She had moaned softly as she weakly raised her hands against his chest, bringing it up around his neck. And when he had moved down towards her neck, her fingers had tangled in his hair while the other clutched his back. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and breathed in her sweet and salty scent, the scent of burnt caramel on the beach, the sweet scent of summer as you dip your feet in the cool ocean.  

Mate. 

She had run her hands down his back causing him to growl deep in his chest but as he raised himself to meet her eyes, he could see her smile weakly as she struggled to keep her eyes open. “Sleep now, we will meet again tomorrow.”  

Bea had nodded then and drifted away, still holding his hand. He replaced the oxygen mask and watched as her breath steadied again. With a final kiss on her hand, he left her.  

Now back in his own bed, Alexander’s eyes darkened. What am I doing?  

This must be some kind of mistake. He had a mate, once, and she was taken from him. Second chances are not unheard of but they are very rare. A myriad of thoughts flooded through his mind; part of him wanted to welcome her into his life but another part of him resisted, perhaps not ready to move on and open himself up again. Maybe he was afraid that if he did, she too will meet an untimely demise. The pattern already seems to be unfolding again, could he bear to lose another?