The Calm before the Storm

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Back to the Present…

Xavier's POV

I don’t know how long I have been sitting here outside the OR, waiting on an update about my mate. All I can think about is how numb I feel and what if she doesn’t make it. I don’t think I will be able to handle the pain of feeling half my soul being ripped away from me before I ever got the chance to show her the love Rom and I have always had for our mate. To have her so close, but also to know this might be the first and last time is killing me on the inside. I was pulled out of my thoughts when my father came into view. "Son, How are you?" I looked at him and I just wanted to cry, but I can't let anyone especially my father see me so broken. "I don't know dad. I feel numb and hollow, but I also still feel the slight pull of the mate bond. I know that is why I haven't lost it yet. I so badly want to go into the OR and force them to save her, and tear them apart if she doesn't. I also know that would be useless and wouldn’t change anything. I just have to believe that she will pull through. Then again I can feel the doubt weighing on my telling me that she won't. I also have Rom yelling at me when that doubt seeps into my thoughts. He says we shouldn't doubt our mate and that she will pull through. It's the only thing he will say to me." I sighed heavily putting my head back down in my hands. I am sure he can tell I am struggling a lot with this.

My father took a seat next to me, and sighed. "I understand how you feel son." I snapped my head up and looked at him with my brow raised. I could feel the anger building inside. How dare he sit her and act like he knows what I am going through. My mother was never in any situation as this ever to my knowledge. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT I AM GOING THROUGH!" I was standing at this point panting hard the waves of anger rolling off of me. "CALM DOWN Xavier! You might be the Alpha but I AM still your father. Now sit down and I will tell you why I understand how you are feeling right now." He never moved from his seat, he just looked at me with his brow raised challenging me like he always does. I took in a few deep breaths to calm myself and Rom down. Once I felt a my anger subside a little, I sat back down waiting for my father to begin.

Carter's POV

"I never told you this and I had forbid anyone from ever speaking about it as well. It was such a dark time for all of us. We thought it best to leave it in the past and move on, but I don’t think that will happen. Once I finish this story I will fill you in on what Thomas and Isaac found out in their search." I scanned my son's face to make sure he was here with me. I can tell he is pulled by the mate bond, his natural instinct as an Alpha, and his logic. He nodded back to me, not saying anything but I knew it was ok to continue. "It was 25 years ago, I wasn’t supposed to be the Alpha of our pack and back then it was called The Rising Moon pack. My older brother, your uncle was the Alpha at the time. He was the oldest even though I had found your mother, my mate first dad still gave the title to my brother. I wasn't upset about this as I had never thought I would be the Alpha since I was younger. I became the Beta of the pack and your mother was the Beta female. About a month after he became the Alpha, he found his mate. She was an Omega in the pack, but no one knew of her. She was born into the pack, her name was Mae, but that was all we knew of her. My brother stumbled upon her body outside of the pack hospital. She was badly beaten, eventually we found out that her dad had been doing this to her. He had never gotten over his mates death and since she had died in child birth, he always blamed his daughter for her death. Your uncle wanted to banish him but he shifted and tried to kill him. I stopped him by ripping his throat out just before he could land a blow. Now with her father dead we didn't have to worry about him trying to kill her in the future and she could move on, heal and become the Luna she was meant to be. If only we knew what we do now." I sighed hanging my head for just a moment. Talking about something you haven't spoken about in over twenty years was harder than I thought it would be.

Once I regained my thoughts I continued on. "For five years the pack grew and was very prosperous. You're uncle acquired a lot more land than we used to have and he did it all by helping packs that were a lot smaller than ours, and incorporating them with in The Rising Moon pack. Your uncle and Mae were doing great and she was a great Luna. Everything you could want in a loving and caring Luna. She looked after the pups and cooked meals for the pack, that was always her favorite things to do. She wanted everyone to know how much she loved and appreciated them all. " I paused looking, stuck in my thoughts of the good days with my brother before it all went to hell. "Dad, are you ok?" Xavier was looking at my concerned. I must have shown the sorrow on my face will thinking back. I sighed and looked over at him, "Yeah son, it's just this next  part is the hardest." He nodded and I continued with the story.

"You see everything was going great. Your mother and Mae had become the best of friends and she was waiting for downstairs by the front door for Mae. They were supposed to go out and by somethings to surprise my brother with. Mae found out that she was pregnant the day before and your mother planned this cute little announcement party for them. You mom waited for thirty minutes past the time they were supposed to leave. She knew all too well how difficult it could be to get out of bed when you had your mate with you, especially an Alpha. You know us Alpha's are always horny." I chuckled at little at this, but the smile soon faded. "After waiting so long she decided to just go and steal her away. As she got closer to their room, she could hear some scuffling and a sharp scream rip through the hallway. Your mother ran to the room slamming the door open to reveal my brother ripping Mae to shreds. She screamed at him to stop and lunged towards him to pull my off of her but he turned and grabbed her by the throat. She opened a mind-link to the whole pack except my brother. The warriors and I were there shortly after she called out to us. By the time I had reached the fourth floor, your mother's screams could be heard and I could feel a tearing feeling going down my side. I knew if we didn’t stop him quickly he would kill her as well. I ran through the door just in time to stop him before he could rip you mothers throat out. She was badly injured and losing a lot of blood, the most disturbing thing was seeing Mae our Luna ripped to shreds. How could a he do that to his mate? We all saw the love he had, but that day when we pulled him off your mother and held him down. A darkness was in him, his eyes were black as night. Even rouge's eyes are not like that, they usually look bloodshot at all times, to show how lost they have become to the animal within. We found out that night that your mom was pregnant with you and luckily her wolf was able to keep you safe during the assault." My eyes watered talking about all this, and remembering the time that I once sat here in these chairs praying to the gods to spare her and our child.

"What happened to uncle?" Xavier was watching me the whole time, only speaking for the first time. "Well we wanted to kill him for what he did and the evil you could feel that was surrounding him, but the council decided not to." "WHAT?! Why would do that" Xavier's reaction was just like mine back then. "Well son they wanted to humiliate him instead. They marked him, three claw marks across his face to show to everyone he was a disgraced Alpha and then he was banished as a rouge."

"That means he is still out there?" I could her the hate in Xavier's voice, he never met him but he would kill him on site just for the justice we had all wished for. "Yes, he is. We haven't heard or seen him since he was thrown out. Soon after they made me Alpha and I changed the pack name the day you were born to The Blood Moon Pack, since you survived the ordeal and were born on the Blood Moon. I thought it would be best to leave these memories in the Rising Moon Pack and move forward with a new start for us all. I also made everyone train hard just in case he came back looking for revenge on him being a disgraced Alpha."

"To be honest dad I think I am more mad now than I was before. Why did you tell me this?" I looked at my father trying to read him, but he just smiled over at me. "I wanted you to know that you aren't the only Alpha who has almost lost their Luna and mate. If you ever need someone to talk about this I am here, you don’t have to put on the brave face because I know where you are right now and it is hard to hide those emotions. Also every pack has its tragedy, it's how you overcome it that shows what kind of Alpha you are." I squeezed his shoulder after that and looked over to see Dr. Anna coming out of the OR.

Xavier's POV

After my dad told me the story of my uncle, I realized never mentioned his name. I guess it was hard enough to talk about what happened and ever harder to say his name out loud. I didn’t ask him, if he wants me to know he will tell me. I followed my father's gaze and saw Dr. Anna had come out of the OR with blood splattered here and there on her gown. This did not ease my already hurt heart and my wolf was freaking out. I jumped to my feet just before she got to us. "Doc, how is she?" I was so nervous I couldn't bear the thought of her not making it. We just found her and to have it ripped away from us so quickly made my constrict with pain. "Alpha's, she will be moved to the recovery wing here shortly. I want to say that she is going to make it but it is still touch and go. We were able to get the internal bleeding under control and those gunshot wounds should heal and just leave a scar. What worries me is the head injury she sustained, along with the fall it caused a lot of swelling on her brain. We were able to reduce it, but there is a possibility that she may not wake up. We will keep monitoring her, I am sorry there isn't more that I can do for her. The last part is all up to her." By the time she finished I was back to sitting down only now, I was void of any emotion. The possibility that she may never wake up is scarier than her dying. She will be here, I will be able to touch and speak to her, but never hear her voice. I will never see her smile, or see her beautiful eyes again. That would just be pure unrelenting torture, I won't survive that. Doc placed a hand on my shoulder looking down at me, "Once she is in the recovery room, I will send a nurse to take you to her." She gave a sad smile and went back to the OR to get her ready to be moved. All I could think was, please come back to me.

Before the nurse came to escort me to my mate's room in the recovery wing, my father had filled me in on what Isaac and Thomas found out in the search. With this knowledge we will have to move her over to the hospital in the human city. Luckily we own the hospital so we shouldn’t have a problem in convincing the police she was there the whole time. We can't have them come looking for her here, that wouldn't be good for the pack. I talked to Dr. Anna about this and she said she will prepare the move once she is stable enough to survive the ride there. 

After that was settled I went to see my mate for the second time since I laid eyes on her. She was hooked up to all of these tubes and IV's she looked like a science experiment. Her face and most of her body either covered in bruises or bandages. She didn’t look like a person, my poor mate. "She looks so fragile  and weak. We must protect mate when she wakes up!" Rom was on edge and I could hear in every word he had spoken. "Let's just hope she wakes up, Rom." I sighed and I took one her hands into mine. So small it was perfect for mine though, she was made just for me. I smiled at the thought. "Don't give up on mate! She has already been through a lot she will awaken. I know it!" Rom's confidence was strong in his statement, he truly believes she will be ok and come back to us. "You're right Rom, I can't give up on her." I took a seat and that is where I stayed for the rest of the day, until sleep took me over.