Fate's Divide

2. Royal Catastrophe

Trickling down through the neighborhood, a message that carried urgency - wererats in the pack on the royal ball day. The pack guardians that stood watch over White Haven glimpsed a lone wererat sneaking out under the boundary fence and sent scouts to find it. Their sewer scent was everywhere in the underbrush. The scouts were hot on its heels, but it easily slipped away. Lena was called to Alpha Lane's office with ranking wolves to receive the news.

The pack guardians plus all of its security searched White Haven, but there was no trace of the rats nor their nefarious activity. Normal ball preparations resumed, with the exception of security roaming the streets. After the meeting, Lena walked back home quickly, her head on a swivel. Wererats, often called ratmen, were fast, shifty, dangerous humanoids that had a disdain for everything that wasn't gold or jewels. They were also cannibals. If they couldn't be bothered to steal food from their neighbors, they would prey on children playing just a little too far from safety. Lena shuddered, recalling the horrific history of these awful creatures.

When Lena was in school for medicine, there were three young children who were kidnapped right on White Haven property. There was no trace of them, only the scent of the ratmen. The entire pack was placed on lockdown immediately. Shortly after that, a rat was caught in the fence and questioned, then subsequently executed. He admitted to kidnapping the children, but it was too late to save them. Alpha Lane sent the war general and his warriors to dynamite the nearby underground community of wererats the same day. It was a gruesome, tragic event in their history.

Just as she reached her front door, a text message pinged on Lena's phone from Tristan: You on call today? I'll bring dinner and protect you from the bad guys. She rolled her eyes at the joke and replied. Like she would need protecting anyway. Wererats never attacked werewolves; the strength of a wolf far outweighed the strength of a rat.

Once inside, Lena ran her fingers through her wavy black hair nervously, recalling their unfinished conversation two days prior. She was lucky Tristan had waited that long already and knew she had to give him an answer tonight. She didn't want to end their relationship, but she had to reestablish some clear boundaries. Intuition told Lena that he would be reasonable, yet guilt and anxiety ate away at her usually calm demeanor. Confrontation wasn't her strong suit. Tristan deserved honesty and clarity, though, no matter how uncomfortable it made her to face her mistakes.

A soft knock on the door interrupted Lena as she splashed cold water on her face. She hastily dried her fair skin and greeted her boyfriend, who was already inside slipping off his shoes.

“Hey,” the doctor said, “thanks for bringing dinner.”

“It's just sandwiches, nothing fancy,” He replied. They kissed tenderly, Tristan leaning into her body. “I had to fight off a ratman for them, though.” Lena giggled and led him into the dining room, where they ate dinner and discussed the day's happenings. Afterward, they sat on a wooden bench behind Lena's house, enjoying the last rays of sunlight. By now, the royal ball had begun, and if she listened closely, Lena could hear the faint music from the castle. The castle was secluded enough to not interfere with the rest of the pack grounds. She could pretend the ball wasn't even happening, though she always wished she'd get to attend once in her life.

Silence enveloped the couple as they observed the stars emerging one by one. The glow from the ball was magical, almost twinkling with a white and blue hue. Much like royal balls and masquerades of the past, the royal ball for werewolves was merely a social event for the highest ranking members. It included wolves from many different territories, but one could only attend if invited. An elaborate dinner was prepared and presented first, followed by formal dancing and mingling. It was also a good place for males to find or choose their mates. It would be well into early morning when the ball concluded.

Steeling his nerves, Tristan turned to his lover. “Have you given any thought to my proposal?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. A cool breeze rustled his hair, and he was thankful because he was starting to sweat. The distance he felt in the last two days worried him. Lena looked into his eyes, summoning the courage she desperately needed.

“Yes. And actually, I-” she started but was cut off by a loud, resounding thunder. The ground shuddered slightly underneath their feet, and they looked at each other, eyes wide. Tristan stood at once and looked around. He pointed towards the door.

“Get inside,” he ordered, practically shoving Lena into the house. He stayed outside a few seconds more, trying to locate the source of the noise. It was too close for comfort. Scanning the horizon, the only thing he spotted was a lack of light where the royal ball once brightly lit the night sky. He ran inside, shutting and locking the sliding glass door tightly, and found Lena putting on her shoes.

“I think the castle got bombed,” he said.

“I know,” the doctor replied, “Alpha Lane mind-linked me a second ago. He needs me to assist the wounded.” Tristan furrowed his brow, wanting to protest her going, but there was no stopping what she was meant to do.

“I'm supposed to wait until Beta Keith arrives. They don't know if there will be any other attacks. It's not safe to be out alone.” She squeezed Tristan's hand and tried to mask the concern on her face. Who bombed the castle? Were they inside the pack when it happened, and are they still here? Will there be more? How many have died? There are so many alphas, lunas, and betas there. Are the unknown bombers trying to eradicate them?

A moment later, Beta Keith knocked once, and Lena opened the door right away. He remained at the entrance, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead and grime dusting his body. Both Lena and Tristan bowed their heads.

“We had better move quickly. There are casualties,” Keith said. The tension in the air was thick. Lena quickly turned to give her boyfriend a wordless hug, then started walking out of the house, but stopped when Tristan followed her. She turned to him, confusion on her face.

“I have to make sure my family is safe,” he said, and then turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. His parents were elderly, and though not weak, they could still benefit from the protection of their young son.

The beta and doctor sprinted through the neighborhood, using backyards as shortcuts. Despite the mile long trek, they arrived at the scene quickly. Lena gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. In her near-decade experience, she had never seen the aftermath of an explosion, but the chaos was unmistakable. Death was palpable. Her heightened senses picked up every scream and moan, the crumbling walls of the castle, the sickeningly sweet scent of burnt bodies, and bloodshed. Worse yet, it had taken out the electricity, so Lena would have to work in mostly dark conditions.

Keith led her inside, where an even more grim scene awaited. The main room where the event had taken place was in ruins. The pristine marble floor was destroyed, pieces of blood-stained stone jutting up in dangerous angles. A thick layer of debris covered the floor. Two of the walls were obliterated, offering a clear view of the rest of the castle. The large crystal chandelier was dangling in pieces. A flurry of people moving with a mixture of shock and urgency, some she recognized as pack leaders. There, in the corner of the room, was the Alpha of the Lonepine pack. He had a large gash on his forehead and several lacerations on both of his arms but seemed unphased. Others were either carrying or leading the injured to the new meeting room.

Beta Keith led the doctor to the meeting room, where the injured rested. Lena took a sharp breath at the sight. It was unsettling, though she was trained for emergencies like this. It was time to turn off her emotions until this was over.

“We are gathering injured folk here. We've already called paramedics, but it will be a while before they arrive,” he said, handing Lena a headlamp. She nodded at him and got to work. Quickly assessing everyone in the room, she found the most criticality wounded people and helped them first. It was mostly omegas. They were hired to serve guests and clean. Omegas healed very slowly compared to higher ranking wolves and, therefore, had a higher mortality rate. A few band members were present as well as two Gammas.

Lena worked quickly to stabilize wounds. An omega with his foot dangling from his leg. Tourniquet and strong pain killer. Wrap what she can with gauze and Ace bandage. Move on. Lights buzzed on in the castle, proving that the backup generator was saved from the explosion. Second patient, third, fourth, and fifth. Lena began to wonder when the paramedics would arrive, and that's when she caught it.

Sage, lavender, and oakmoss. Above the scent of blood and smoke, a scent so intoxicating it made her head spin. Yet it was distant. She shook her head. Suddenly, it was difficult to focus on the task at hand. Lena only had two patients left, but their minimal wounds took the longest to heal. She went to the next patient, looking around her in a feeble attempt to locate the scent that was getting stronger. Her mouth watered, though she had wanted to puke from the overwhelming destruction. What is that? Why can't I find it?

A firm hand on her shoulder startled the doctor. She spun around, not realizing she was so consumed in her own thoughts. It was a paramedic.

“Looks like you've done most of the work for us already. We'll take over from here. Thanks,” he said, smiling at Lena. More paramedics quickly filtered in through the rubble hauling stretchers, and Lena stepped aside, gathering what remained of her own supplies into a canvas duffle bag.

She stood and looked around her. The deceased were lined up along the far wall. Five dead. Five too many, she thought, shaking her head. They were so badly burnt and mutilated that she couldn't identify them. This was a horrendous crime. The alphas that attended the ball gathered close in discussion. Lena spotted her pack's alpha among the crowd and waited, knowing they would be talking soon.

As if sensing her thoughts, Lane broke from the rest and started walking toward her, when Lena's wolf howled so loudly in her mind, she couldn't hear anything else. Lena staggered backward as if she’d been slapped. Her hands grasped the wall as the beautiful scent she smelled earlier consumed her once again. Desire burned within her, a feeling she had never experienced so intensely. Brown eyes scanned the group once more and finally, finally spotted the one who belonged to it.

Her mate.