A New Hope

Chapter 15

HOPE!!

All of us howled while treading water. I started fighting the current and desperatrly swimming back towards the ship with the others right behind me. Robert dragging Anne by the scruff so she didn't get left behind.

We all just watched as Hope climbed onto a sea can and got shot in the head, her body fell over the edge, hitting the railing before falling in the water.

But she somehow wasn't dead yet, I could still sense her. She was coming closer, her body pushed by the ships displaced water. I dove down and brought her limp body up with me, ignoring the occasional burn from her silver chains touching my body.

Is she dead, I can... sense her.

Greg swam over and looked at her still pale body.

Alice she's not breathing.

She's not gone either and we're not leaving her!

Let me carry her, she just saved my life.

Robert brought Anne over who grabbed my scruff and we got Hope onto his back as he whimpered from the silver.

We better hurry before they launch their lifeboats and hunt us down.

Robert said as we turned our backs to the ship.

They can't I took the liberty of dropping both before jumping.

Smart thinking Jared!

We're finally free! Hopefully your friends find us before too long.

I'm sure they'll find us soon enough.

Or before the sharks do. I wish Hope wasn't bleeding so much... but for some reason I'd rather die then leave her.

Amanda complained to our little pack.

If we didn't die on that ship, we aren't going to die out here.

Holly said cheerfully.

Anne let go of my scruff and silently swam by my side. We followed the wake of the ship and headed further out to sea, but further away from our captors and closer to our extraction. I'm sure Gabriel was watching everything Hope saw during our escape and now knew what ship we were on.

They couldn't guarantee it, but they assumed it would take five or six hours to find us in the water, maybe much less if they were following the right boat.

At this point I didn't care how many hours, I knew I was going to see Max in a matter of days. The thirty some days we spent in a cell already seemed to be melting away barely an hour since we escaped.

All of us except Anne are taking turns carrying Hope and distributing the pain of the silver burning our fur and skin.

It was a calm night and there was a new moon, but the stars were extremely bright and endless in every direction. Putting us all in awe at the beautiful world we were unsure we'd ever see again.

Greg?

Sue spoke softly after hours silence.

Yes Sue.

I uhh, I dont think we're meant for eachother. I love you and your my husband, but once we turned into wolves something changed.

Oh thank God. Sue I love you so much..

Holly started to growl.

But I feel drawn to Holly and I think she feels the same.

Greg she might be your wife, but your mine.

Holy growled to him.

Uhmm ya go for it.

Sue sweetly spoke with sincerity.

Uhhh Alice whats that all about?

Jared asked confused.

Wow that was quick. Well werewolves like regular wolves mate for life. We call it the mate bond and I'm sure Greg and Holly can tell you how strong it is. Its like your drawn together and no one else can compare. Until you guys mate your going to go crazy for eachother and when you do the deed you'll probably bite eachothers necks leaving marks so others can see your taken. Max is my mate and I feel his pain and his joy no matter the distance between us.

Thats so romantic!

Amanda said in awe.

I could sense theirs, but I think that's because we were in love as humans. As wonderful as a marriage was I'm not angry I can sense my true love is out there.

Sue mused.

Greg let out a relieved sigh making us all laugh.

Another couple of hours passed before we saw spot lights in the distance. we all started howling excitedly.

Alice?!

Liz?! Am I ever glad to hear your voice!!

Oh God me too! Hold on we're coming!

I could hear Liz howl back at us as the big yacht turned in our direction and slowed down for us to safely swim up.

Liz jumped into the water and swam to meet us and nuzzled into me while they lowered a deck from the back for us to get aboard.

I've known Liz since I was a little girl and we were like sisters and at times fought like sisters too. She was mated to David and worked with him as well doing private investigations for Gabriel's father.

Get Hope up first but be careful she has silver chains on her.

Liz's assistant Sherry was waiting on the deck and delicately dragged Alice further onto the deck.

"Is she dead?! She's not breathing!" Sherry yelled at us as she started doing CPR. "Shes been shot in the head and a bunch of other times!" she stopped doing CPR and just stared in shock at Hope.

Liz get up there and help. Hope is not dead, we can all feel it.

How? Only a mate can feel that.

Just do it Liz!

Liz climbed onto the deck and shifted. Throwing on one of the house coats Sherry set out before running inside. She returned with bolt cutters and started removing the silver chains.

Alright whose ready to be human again?

Everyone anxiously said they did at once.

Alright Greg get up there and show them how its done. Just clear your mind and think of all the reasons why you want to be human and let your body do its thing.

Greg got onto the deck and after a few minutes of almost looking constipated he slowly shifted back to human before grabbing a house coat.

"Come on Holly, what did it for me was thinking of how badly I wanted to hold you" He beamed down at her wolf and she hopped up onto the deck.

After a few minutes she shifted as well and ran to Greg who grabbed her bare ass and moaned, making Sue bark at them before they started f*****g infront of all of us.

It took about thirty minutes for everyone to shift leaving Anne and I in the water. I helped Anne on the deck and she whimpered while everyone watched her.

Anne its okay, you can do this sweet girl. I'll be right behind you. Just focus on being safe, eating as much as you can, drinking all the juice they have in the yacht... and after that we can sleep in a nice warm bed watching movies.

She whimpered and shook like she was trying to shift, but couldn't. I jumped up onto the deck and nuzzled her then sat with her for a minute.

How about we shift back to human together?

She nodded her head and I started to shift as slow as I could keeping eye contact with her. She started to shift as well. It was painful shifting at her pace, but I didn't care as long as she shifted.

Once human again she hugged me and I held her as Sue brought us house coats.

"You did it baby girl and we're safe!" I whispered to her and kissed her forehead.

While we were all shifting Sherry and Liz got the chains off of Hope and carried her limp body to a table inside. As soon as Jared shifted he went inside to help.

We walked in and saw the three of them standing over Hope.

"No I'm only a paramedic this is beyond me, but I think we need to take the bullets out even if the entry wounds are healed" Jared told the girls as he picked up a kitchen knife that they brought out.

"Now hold her down, I can see them all but I still need to cut them out"

"But she's dead" Sherry said softly to Jared like there was no point.

Greg and Holly walked over and held her down.

"She's not dead!" the three of them said.

Jared started cutting out the bullets that he could see and Sherry reluctantly dressed the cuts behind him. Once he got them all he closely examined her head.

"Its hard to see, but there is an exit wound" he said relieved.

He stared at Hopes sunken face for moment then hit her chest as hard as he could making us all growl at him, he ignored us and did it again. Greg lifted him off the ground by his throat, his eyes black and his body shaking uncontrollably.

Hope started coughing and Greg dropped Jared as Sherry and Holly rolled her onto her side. She coughed out a bunch of water then we all heard her shallow breathing. Liz ran and came back with blankets and wrapped Hope up and started rubbing her body to get her circulation going. Jared, Sherry, and Holly joined her.

We all stood and watched for fifteen minutes while Hopes lips slowly returned to a pale pink.

"What in the actual f**k?" Sherry muttered stepping back as Hopes breathing also normalized.

"She wasn't dead." we all said.

"But how? We heal fast, but not pushing bullets and regrowing our brains fast. She was dead and now she's alive. Werewolves can't resurrect! What did they give her?!" Sherry was shouting pacing back and forth.

We all shrugged.

"A lot of drugs" Jared said.

"Lets get her to a bed, I'll take first watch" Robert said walking over to Hope and gently picking her up.

"You eat first, I'll get her changed and watch her till your done" Liz said to him as she showed him to a room.

"Max knows we found you and is waiting for your call" Sherry said passing me a satellite phone. "Dinning room is this way, I'll get you guys food".

I stared at the phone in disbelief, I was finally going to hear Max's voice, his goofy laugh, his I love yous! Since we mated I haven't gone a day without hearing his voice let alone over a month.

I dialed his number as we followed Sherry. Through the big yacht.

"ALICE?!" Max yelled so loud I held the phone away from my ear.

"Yeah handsome its me, I've missed you so much and I love you more than words!" I cried to him.

"Oh baby I was losing my mind I was so f*****g worried and missing you so much. I f*****g love you, I love you, I love you! I can't say it enough! The last 36 days was hell!" he was crying as well.

"I know darling, I didn't know if I was ever going to see you again, but we did it. We almost didn't make it, but Hope saved us."

"...where is Hope, I know she isn't dead, but Gabriel can't see her. Oh f**k tell me she made it to?!" the extreme hurt in his voice confused me.

"Hope is with us and alive, but she was dead for five hours. We pulled the bullets out of her, but she got shot in the head. She's breathing and Liz is watching her right now" I could feel his sorrow and worry wash over me. "Did Hope somehow bond with you too?"

I could hear him repeat what I told him to someone else, I assume Gabriel and his sorrow intensified.

"Gabriel is beside me losing his mind. Is she still healing tho? Like the wounds? And yeah, Hope and Gabriel bonded with everyone on the compound."

"Yeah Jared had to use a knife to cut out the bullets that pushed up to the skin and her head was barely noticeable, but the bullet went strait through. How is it possible that Gabriel bonded with you guys" I asked him perplexed.

Again he was repeating what I said to Gabriel. Sherry brought out what seemed like an endless amount of food and I started stuffing my face while I waited.

"Okay we think Hope will be fine, she heals very fast so she'll probably be up in a few hours. I'll explain the bond thing when I see you... babe are you even chewing whatever your eating?" he chuckled at the noises I was making.

"I haven't eaten since the lunch we had at the elephant tour thing" I explained with a mouth full of chips and chocolate.

"Holy f**k babe...I'm so sorry." I could feel his sorrow and anger flare up again.

"Its over now babe and now everything tastes unbelievable!" I started choking as some food went down the wrong pipe.

"Alice eat as much as you can and if your not exhausted and in need of sleep call me back." he spoke softly to me.

"Mmmm or you can tell me about everything I missed at the compound and news of the real world while I eat. I missed you voice!"

"Anything for you my love" he consented.

Max babbled on about everything and anything while I stuffed my face for an hour straight, before telling me he'd see me soon and talk to me sooner.

Anne ate an entire tub of ice cream to herself and when she finished she actually smiled at me. The eight of us ate everything that Sherry brought out and drank three cases of water. We must have all felt like we had to make up for the time that we missed.

Greg and Holly were the first to leave and they claimed the master bedroom that was separate from the rest. We all laughed watching them run off knowing what they were up to. Even Sue laughed, truly happy her husband found his mate.

The rest of us went into the theater room and relaxed on the couches and lazy boys unwilling to leave eachother. After being confined to a small cell together and through so much we found comfort in the company. Anne cuddled against my arm content.

"HOPE!" Sue and Amanda squealed running to hug her as she walked into the room. The rest of us got up and joined in on the hug.

"Uhm hey I'm happy to see everyone as well." she said a little confused as she picked up Anne.

Anne wouldn't let anyone else hold her but me, and Sue was the only one able to touch her without her flinching. Some how she automatically adored Hope, like the rest of us even if she didn't follow her command.

"Alice you did it, you saved everyone!" she said sweetly to me as we sat down and Anne crawled back over to me.

"No you saved me" Anne elbowed me, " and Anne. You literally took a bullet for us" she just shrugged it off like it was nothing.

"Multiple bullets actually, I should know I pulled them out" Jared boasted.

"Thank you, thank you to everyone for getting me here safe. Robert told me you all took turns carrying me and getting burnt." she looked around at everyone.

"Well we couldn't just leave you. Like we physically couldn't, we're all drawn to you" Amanda said making Hope raise her eyebrows.

"You were dead for hours, and I imagine starved here" Sherry said placing a tray loaded with all kinds of food and drinks on Hopes lap.

"Thank you"

"I'm just so glad this is all over" Amanda sighed.

"Its not for me. Not until I see that experiment ended and all those fuckers six feet under." Hope said more to herself then anyone else.