The Omega Queen

Twenty-Seven

Cahira and Erin waited nervously in the bunker. The older luna tried to appear calm, but she knew her mother-in-law wasn’t taking the confinement well. It was not a luna’s nature to be apart from her pack, especially during moments of crisis. Other pack members leaned heavily on her to stay calm in adversity. No doubt, her mind was being bombarded with worry and fears from others.

She saw the same thing happen to her mother whenever her pack endured trembling times. They didn’t often suffer from attacks, but there were droughts and other stressors that made the pack lean on their Luna. Erin helped her mother whenever she could. But she couldn’t do anything to help Cahira since she wasn’t connected to the pack link.

Cahira suddenly jerked and relaxed, “They got all the rogues.”

Erin let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She felt her wolf also relax. It didn’t matter how much time had passed. They would always carry the trauma of their captivity. Maybe her wolf had a point about talking to their mate. He had a right to know the full truth about why she couldn’t be his mate once and for all.

Cahira released the locks of the safe room, and they made their way upward. Erin breathed easier once they were out of the room. She was grateful they had such a secure, safe place, but it was claustrophobic. Hopefully, she would never have to use it again.

In front of her, Cahira suddenly came up short with a gasp. Her body shook, and she seemed to be fighting tears. Erin hesitantly reached out to touch her shoulder. Cahira looked at her with teary eyes.

“It’s Nathan,” Cahira stammered. “The rogues—the rogues were infected with madness. He-he got bit.”

Erin’s gaze widened, and her wolf whined in sympathy. There were many wolves who went rogue for several different reasons. Some were banished from their packs either because of a criminal act or simply because they displeased their alpha. Some sought to escape abusive situations or rejections. Others just weren’t cut out for pack life and preferred to live as lone wolves.

Her own father generally had to deal with one or two a year when they wandered too close to their packlands. For the most part, he was content to let them be if they proved harmless. It was rare for them to be a threat, but there were a few instances when he had to organize warriors to take care of them. But all of that changed if the rogues became infected.

No one knew exactly how or why the disease came about, or why some rogues seemed more susceptible while others could live long lives as rogues and never succumbed to it. However, one thing was certain, once the madness struck, there was no cure. The only thing that they could do was give them a humane death.

Erin wrapped her arms around the quivering Luna. She knew how close the Luna was to the Beta. Cahira raised Nathan as her son. He was not just a member of the pack, he was family. She wasn’t the only one who would be hit hard by this news. Erin’s wolf whimpered at the thought of their mate suffering. It would be devastating for the entire pack.

Cahira leaned into her embrace, appreciating the support. It was a long moment before she finally spoke, “We need to go to the hospital. Alex shouldn’t face this alone.”

Erin nodded, following her. They hurried to the pack hospital. Thankfully, most of the pack was still indoors. Even though the all-clear had been announced, many would remain inside for some time for fear of a second attack. Because of that, the streets were empty, and no one hampered their progress from a handful of patrolling warriors.

They reached the medical facility and were immediately directed toward the emergency wing. There, it was chaos, though the staff was also subdued. Most had been sent elsewhere to avoid needless exposure. Only Kaison and a couple of nurses remained.

Reaching the isolated room, they found Nathan strapped to a table to prevent him from biting the medical staff. The restraints were lined with silver to weaken his wolf even as Kaison gave him an injection of wolfsbane to keep him from shifting. It only made him marginally less dangerous as it kept his wolf in check. A bite would still be fatal to anyone who got too close.

Alexander stood just outside the room. The scent of blood was thick around him. He had only taken a moment to wipe the worst off before donning scrubs to cover himself. His only concern was for his brother. Even before she got close, Erin could feel the worry and rage rolling off him.

She cautiously approached and hesitantly touched his elbow. Erin wanted to comfort him, but she didn’t want to startle him. They still weren’t marked, and she had no idea if he would understand her intention. Alexander jerked at her touch. He turned to look at her. For a moment, she thought he would reject her, then he silently pulled her into his embrace.

“You shouldn’t have come,” he whispered, “but I’m glad you are here, pomme.”

“Alex,” Cahira spoke.

“You should both go home,” he finally released Erin. “There is nothing you can do here, and I don’t want you to watch this.”

“Is there really nothing we can do?” Cahira sniffed.

“I’m sorry,” Kaison said as he approached them.

He wore a hazmat suit and mask as he stepped out of the isolation room. Kaison pulled off his gloves and quickly wrapped them up before tossing them into a biohazard container. He pulled off his mask and breathed deep.

“Kaison?” Cahira prompted.

He shook his head, “I’m sorry. There is no cure. We are only prolonging his suffering at this point.”

With a howl of rage, Alexander turned, punching a hole in the nearest wall. Erin winced but it wasn’t from fear. Cahira stifled a sob before reaching out to her suffering son. This was a shared pain that would rip a hole in their family and pack. Even Kaison bowed his head.

Erin watched them with a somewhat detached air. She was quite fond of the beta even if she wasn’t yet a member of the pack. He had always been kind, and the pack would certainly suffer without him, to say nothing of her mate. It just wasn’t right that he should become some sort of sacrifice.

Biting her lip, she looked at the man struggling to break free of his restraints even without his wolf’s strength. Something had to be done. She knew it meant breaking her promise, but surely it would be worth it.

‘Eir, could we…’

‘You know what that means.’

‘I know. But is it even possible?’

‘All things are possible. It will be difficult, an infection always is, but we can do it.’

‘Then we should.’

‘All right.’