IVORY: The age of Gloarian

Chapter 28

    ‘We found her! Her body was spotted by the river!’ yelled the tiny assistant at the top of his lungs as he barged into the office that belonged to his leader but was currently occupied by her mate and best friend. The two exchanged a glance of confusion, rushing out instantly to ensure they had heard him right. They could not have approached the scene faster, though when they did, their mouths hung in a state of shock as the body of Eliana was fished out of the water by a guard of the community. He carried her bridal style before the growling Alpha snatched her body into his own arms, and frantically looked around for directions. 

    ‘Where’s your medical facility?’ he snapped at a flabbergasted Armelia, who simply pointed in a direction, snapping out of her state and rushing towards it to lead the Alpha. The doctor, who had heard the commotion, ran out, instructing Razaar to put her down on the bed inside, then attempting to shove him outside despite his protests so she could get on with her job. The man paced around the waiting lounge, thinking back to the brief glance he had given his mate. 

    It had traumatised him to the core and for the first time in his life the big, bad Alpha was terrified. He knew not what to do to help his mate though he knew for a fact he would not survive without her. His heart had begun beating quickly, his nerves on edge, waiting for the woman he was meant to be with to wake up. Guilt ate him away as he thought of just how wrong he treated her, and the remembrance of his rejection only gutted him more. The memories he held of his father had slowly drifted away, in its place was now a wrath towards himself he couldn’t forgive. Why would he reject such a brave, strong woman? 

    The next thoughts to penetrate his mind throughout the three hour wait process was the mere thought of the k********g. Had Balthazar let her go? Or had she escaped on her own? What had he done to her? Had he taken advantage of her? How had he ended up so thin and blue? Would she survive? He decided to put an end to his negative thoughts as he simply did not wish to visit a topic that would clearly lead the giant man to cry, an act he did not wish to do publicly. 

    Armelia sat in the lounge where he walked, cuddled up with Syllia, both immobile as they waited for any kind of news. For as long as they remembered they had seen Eliana as a figure of power, a strong leader who took s**t from nobody and did her best as a leader. Seeing her frail body in the arms of the Alpha had driven them weak to the core, and they wondered how such a brave woman always ended up continuously experiencing the same fate of pain and misery all along her life. When would she get happiness? When would she be free of the burdens that the flame instilled upon her?

    Three excruciating hours later, the doctor exited the room, causing everyone around to spring on their feet and receive the update. Despite the fact that Armelia had been top guard and stepped in for the leader, the doctor faced the Alpha, whom she had known was his mate, to deliver the news.

    ‘Frankly I’ve never seen anything like this. They’ve used weapons I’ve never seen nor heard of before. She has holes in her body that have been stitched up, cuts, bruises, whip marks, a concussion and several other internal injuries. I’ve induced her into a coma, her body needs time to heal, but I don’t know how long it will take. I can’t assure you of the after effects or if she will ever fully heal. I don’t want to put your hopes down but I also don’t want to raise them when I don’t know myself with what we’re dealing with here’ she stated, taking the lot by surprise. 

    ‘You’re the medical professional, how could you not know what’s wrong with her?’ growled Razaar, an act that the doctor most certainly hadn't appreciated, yet she understood given the severity of damages his mate had been through. 

    ‘Like I said Alpha,until she doesn’t wake up and tell me herself what she went through, there’s no way for me to find out what Balthazar did to her. The weapons that they’ve used on her match nothing of the sort of what we have.’ The Alpha held his tongue for the longest time, hesitating to ask the question that had been lurking at the back of his head. 

    ‘Did he…-’

    ‘No. She has not been sexually abused, luckily’ she finished, knowing full well the question would eventually be asked. Razaar sighed with relief, though it was short lived as he remembered that the woman he wished so desperately to talk to would now be out of consciousness for an unknown amount of time. He thanked the doctor before making his way into the room where she lay, Armelia and Syllia following closely behind. As his eyes lay on her still, pale figure, he clenched his fists in fury, doing his best to not storm off from the scene to decapitate Batlhazar’s head. Armelia had gasped at the sight, running right out of the room with Syllia on her tracks, leaving the Alpha alone to inspect the damage that had been done to his mate. 

    As he neared, the real signs of the damage came to view. He noticed the throbbing rings around her neck, cuts around her shoulders and bruises around her face.  He did his best to hold in the growl that so badly wished to emit, and lifted up the cloth that had been covering her carefully to complete examining the rest of the harm. The doctor had not been exaggerating when she mentioned the holes on her body, and found two on either side of her stomach, both neatly stitched up and leaving room for the rest of the cuts on her stomach. Her legs had a similar appearance of bruises and burns, though what angered him the most were the whip marks on her back, that had been glowing red, as if still fresh. Throughout his thorough survey, he had failed to notice the entrance of Syllia, who had tears streaming down his face at the vision in front of his eyes. 

    ‘She didn’t deserve this’ he whispered, bringing the Alpha out of his thoughts to face him. ‘She didn’t deserve anything that happened to her. She’s always been good, she’s been strong, somehow she keeps getting let down by something or the other. She didn’t deserve any of it’ he continued, at the verge of sobbing. Razaar remained silent for the minute, not knowing what to say or do. To his luck, he did not have to say much as the best friend of his mate carried on ‘I want him dead Razaar, I want you to kill Balthazar Tin, end his life’ he spoke viciously, an unexpected move for the Alpha of Gloarian, who had never seen Syllia so angry. 

    ‘I will, I will kill that bastard and make him pay for everything he’s done to her’ his answer however, had yet to satisfy Syllia as he looked at the Alpha. 

    ‘I also want you to leave Razaar. She deserves a good life, one with no drama or war. If you can’t be the mate she deserves, it’s best you leave her life for good’ He finished, merely turning around to leave before the Alpha cornered the relatively shorter man. 

    ‘I am not leaving her, not now not ever. I understand what I did was wrong, and I regret it more than anything else in my life. Though you seem to forget that I’ve almost lost her, for good, and I am not going to leave her now. I will stay with her, I will be the mate she deserves and more, I will make her happy and give her anything she wants. I am hers now, fully hers’ he snapped, meaning every word that was coming out of his mouth. This time his words had more of an effect on the best friend, who simply nodded and smiled, pushing his way out of the room. 

    In his lonesome, Razaar moved towards his mate again, sitting on the bed right next to her. He could barely look at her as he grasped her hand in his, thinking of the right words to say. Minutes later, the large Alpha still struggled to formulate any words. 

    ‘I’m so sorry, I know you deserve better’ he whispered, covering her back up as he took his own leave from the room, not being able to look at her anymore. 

    He travelled back to the office room, where Syllia had been holding Armelia as tears dropped down the woman’s face. 

    ‘Why would he do that?’ she whispered, noticing Razaar’s entry to the room. 

    ‘He wants to get to me’ he replied, ignoring the guilt that had gotten to him a time too many. 

    ‘No, why would he let her go and dump her body in a river that leads right back to us?’ she asked, perking up the interest of the Alpha. 

    ‘How are we so sure that he did let her go to begin with?’ he countered, now attempting to tackle the curiosity that loitered in his mind.

    ‘Well you saw her Razaar, clearly she couldn’t have walked there by herself, and if she was why would she throw herself into the river, her journey home from there has no rivers in the middle so it just doesn’t make any sense’ she completed, convincing Razaar of her point. 

    ‘But why would Balthazar send her body back to us? Especially when we’re about to go to war and he could’ve used her to his advantage? Why lose all of that and send her back?’ the questions Razaar posed were questions no one knew the answer to,and so for the next couple of minutes silence conquered the room, as all three dove into deep thought.

    ‘Maybe he’s just trying to send a message. Of what he can do?’ suggested Armelia, one the Alpha easily bushed off after intaking it. 

    ‘At the cost of losing leverage, he wouldn’t do that. If anything he’s just angered me more-’

    ‘But you won’t attack’ interrupted Syllia, standing up at his discovery. The two looked at him confused, urging him to continue. ‘Think about it, he knows you won’t attack now since you just got Eliana back, at least not until we know for sure what’s wrong with her or she’s up and running. If you did he knows he can just go after Eliana again, and in her vulnerable state that Lycan bastard knows you won’t risk leaving her side or leaving your pack unprotected to fight. He’s just bought himself time, that’s all. The question is why? For what?’ revealed Syllia, impressing his mate as his sharpness. The story had begun making sense to the Alpha who at every given moment had been fantasising about executing his enemy with a painful death, though he wondered now how he could fulfill his need for revenge and protect his mate at the same time. 

    ‘You should attack’ stated Armelia boldly, giving up the tears and substituting it for wrath. She saw red as the vivid image of her best friend lying in a hospital bed, limp and pale, flashed through her mind on repeat. 

    ‘As much as I want to, I can’t do that, I can’t leave her unprotected, Syllia is right’ commented the Alpha, still engrossed in figuring out a plan. 

    ‘That’s why you should do it, because he won’t be expecting you to. We can protect Eliana, so long as you go and attack and get rid of that sick bastard once and for all’ she yelled, a manic look in her eyes. Syllia approached her carefully, placing a single hand on her shoulder to calm her down before she relaxed and he embraced her entire form. 

    ‘You know I can’t take that risk. As much as I want to bring him down, I can’t do anything until Eliana re-awakens and I’m sorry about it. Believe me I’m as mad as you are right now, but we’re going to have to give him the benefit of the doubt and figure out how to deal with him once we ensure your leader’s recovery’ the woman had relapsed and trembled as she began sobbing on the spot. 

    ‘You can’t leave her again Razaar. I hate you for what you’ve done to her and a part of me still wants you out of her life, but I know now that you belong in her life, so please promise me you won’t leave her. Promise me you will make her happy again.’ she pleaded, still in the arms of her mate. For once the great Alpha pitied the woman and nodded in her direction gently. 

    ‘I know the cost of my mistakes Armelia, I won’t do it again. I will get her back and I will make her happy again, I promise you’ he completed once again, before the door of the office reopened and the doctor popped her head in. 

    ‘Sorry to interrupt, can I have a quick word with you all? It’s regarding Miss Genova’ she asked, instantly being let into the room. Once again the three looked expectantly at the medical professional to continue, shaking with nervousness, assuming the worst. ‘I’ve had my team analysing and looking into the wounds of Miss Genova to see if there is anything on Zaleon that could answer for it. They found nothing on Zaleon that matches the weapon used’ she began, putting up her finger as Armelia was just about to speak. ‘However, we have found a match for it. Whatever weapon Miss Genova was attacked with, it wasn’t from here, it was a human weapon’ her revelation had left the three in amazement as they stared at the woman in surprise. 

    ‘Human weapon?’ questioned Syllia, a man who had the least of knowledge on the humans. 

    ‘Human weapon, from Earth’ clarified the doctor. 

    ‘How would Balthazar get a hold of a weapon that exists on an entirely different Galaxy? We have no way to communicate with humans in the Milky Way, much less travel there to steal their weapons. Perhaps they replicated it?’ asked the Alpha of Gloarian, confounded by the words of the doctor. He had realised that not only had the questions in his mind confused him, but the answers of those questions came with their own set of confusion and curiosity. He was stuck in a web of dark secrets and intentions, and he had yet to find a way out. 

    ‘Your guess is as good as mine. On Zaleon we only have the most basic information about humans or Earth, they’re just stories and tales, no facts that have led us to understand their world, much less replicate their weapons. The only thing we have to believe that these are human weapons are illustrations and descriptions in books that were found in the libraries of the Galon’s. They were given to medical professionals to figure out the kind of damage they could do, but there certainly is no manual on how these weapons are made, with what or even how they function and what they do. If Balthazar did replicate them I can’t imagine what information he must have in his hands to carry through with that idea. Not to mention, why use human weapons when we have plenty of weapons on Zaleon.’ Finished the doctor, shrugging her shoulders. 

    The news had startled everyone as they thought of the intensity of the mess they were in. Knowing this had certainly complicated things as they now wondered what the right plan would be to battle Balthazar. If he had in his possession, fatal human weapons, the Werewolves really didn’t stand a chance. 

    ‘Do you know of anything about what could counter these weapons? Be stronger than them?’ questioned the Alpha, hungry for revenge though helpless to conduct his plans. The poor doctor shrugged, not having an answer. 

    ‘Like I said, we only know the things that are in the books given to us by the flame. You can have a look at them if you’d like, but they’re mostly stories and tales.’ She responded. It hadn’t taken long before the door burst open again, and the tiny assistant stepped in.

    ‘Doctor, they need you at the facility, something is wrong with Miss Genova!’ he yelled frantically, panicking to the core as he missed his boss dearly. He had been her assistant for as long as he could remember, and despite the intimidation he felt around her, never once did she fail to show him respect, or even just say good morning to him. The tiny assistant had admired his boss for years, and had been too afraid to cut the fear out of his life and be there for her as a mere friend. 

    The four found themselves running back out in panic towards the medical facility, allowing the doctor to rush in first, only getting a glimpse of Eliana’s body trembling furiously before the door was shut on their faces. All sorts of unfamiliar words had been yelled on the inside as they waited for the doctor to reappear with, hopefully, some good news. Once again the vicious cycle began of Razaar relentlessly pacing around the lounge, and his mate’s two best friends seated impatiently on the chairs, their bodies shaking as they sat in each other’s embrace. Nevertheless, as much as they knew that the Hybrid leader was injured, all three had yet to lose hope in her recovery. 

    Though when the doctor returned with a grim expression, all hope had waived right off their faces.

    ‘I don't know how long we can keep this up for. For some reason her brain isn’t responding in the same way as her body to her recovery. I think the mental trauma is causing her brain to react in a way that is trying to pull her out of her coma, but that means out of life itself. We’ve increased her medicine dosage to keep her well into her coma. She’s stabilized for now, but it’s only a matter of time before the medicine wears off and she tries to escape her recovery again. If that keeps happening, she won’t recover and I don’t know how much time she will have’ stated the doctor, clearly exasperated from all the work. Razaar tensed at her words as he thought of a way out. 

    ‘What does she need for her recovery? What can speed up the process? Does she need blood? What does she need?’ he asked anxiously, desperate to contribute to saving his mate.

    ‘I’m afraid blood won’t do her any good. The only thing she needs is time, the coma allows her body to heal, which is the only way we can save her, but her mind is acting up and trying to wake her, and there’s nothing we can do to control that aside from drug her up even more’ she began, before tentatively placing another suggestion ‘However, there is one thing I can suggest for her recovery. It won’t be easy, but it will work for sure’ she stated, frustrating the Alpha by not getting to the point. 

    ‘I don’t have time for riddles, doctor’ he snapped, having no effect on the dramatic doctor. 

    ‘The Zubrek are known for their healing powers. If you could somehow get a member of Zubrek onto our territory to take a look at Eliana, I’m sure they could heal her’ she suggested. 

    ‘How do you know the Zubrek will be able to heal her?’ asked Armelia, finally speaking up. 

    ‘With creatures such as Werewolves, Lycan’s, Hybrid’s, even Witches, we need to have a set of medical professionals of all kinds because we have both animal and human figures. When it comes to any other member that’s simply a one form, such as the Aqona and the Centaurs, their world does not rely on the help of medical professionals like us because their system doesn’t work like us. The Zubrek are the only creatures on Zaleon that are practically immortal, their healing powers can heal both human and animal forms, and they can even heal the one form’s. That is their greatest strength. I know they can cure Miss Genova, it’s just a question of convincing one to aid us’ she replied, looking wearily at the rest of the group. 

    ‘I’ll go to the Zubrek’s and get them to help us.’ It had barely taken the Alpha a minute to utter the words that he so badly wished to in order to help his mate. 

    No one spoke a word at the decision, for they all knew that this was the only way to bring Eliana back.