Born of Two

Out of Omaha

Chapter 2

Lochlyn's POV

"LOCHLYN!!!!! COME BACK. IT'S HAPPENING JUST LIKE DAD SAID IT WOULD. SHE IS IN REALLY ROUGH SHAPE." Josephine opened a mind link with me. I could feel it in my bones something was happening. I left my room as fast as possible and ran to the shop. When I got there, Josephine opened the door.

"Where is she?"

"Loch… she… its…. Help her." I look over at my mate lying on the floor behind the counter. Writhing on the floor, body and clothing drenched in sweat, eyes shifting between the blue I saw earlier and bright yellow. Her body was in shock. I had to get her help. Help that wasn't in Omaha.

"Josephine. What happened? Did it happen as dad said?"

"Yes, but much faster and much more painful than he anticipated. I think we have to take Rosie to the pack." She was right. We had to get her out of Omaha. This isn't how I wanted this to happen. She is going to be so scared when she wakes up. All of a sudden, Helena walks in the door. "Helena, how did you know to come?"

"I saw her this morning; the ancestors told me the chosen one would wake today. That is her the chosen one." She was pointing at Rosie. I had no idea what she was talking about. Still, Helena was one of the oldest members of our tribe and the only one to volunteer for this mission twenty years ago. Her husband had died in battle months prior, and my father said she knew that the Moon and Sun gods would not give her a second chance, mate. That it was her honor to volunteer.

Josephine stared at my eyes, wide and unblinking. Rosie was still awake, but she couldn't hear me or see me. Josephine was pacing the store, looking for the items she had packed away long ago. I pick Rosie up in my arms. Even though she is light, she is hard to hold, but her body keeps shaking and sweating. She convulses in my arms so hard her body breaks free from my grip. I can hear her moans and gasps for air in between. Her body is breaking. I grab the blanket Josephine hands me and wrap it around Rosie's pained body. I can feel in her spirit the fear and the intensity in her.

"Josephine, we have got to go."

"Give me one damn minute." Josephine snapped, holding back tears. "This was her life after her mom gave her the help to start it; after everything, this was her sanctuary. You should have seen her with couples; they couldn't say no to her. She had this way of connecting to them and believing in them. I thought we had more time… I needed more time to prepare her for what was coming… it was my one job. She is my best friend, and she will be angry, scared… I just can't do this. I thought I could. I am the wife to your beta Alpha, for f**k's I am your sister, and I have seen the future plans for you, and yet… somehow I can't do this." I wanted to reach and comfort Jo, but I knew nothing could help.

"My darling, Jo," Helena spoke, "Only the pack can do the rest. You have done your intended job; this child will forgive you. It is in her nature. All will be revealed in time. But right now, her body isn't going to make it if we don't get her to the pack. I need you to walk away. We have a plan in place for this shop." Helena reached out and grabbed Jo's hands, pulled her in, and dried her tears. Jo took a deep breath and began moving again.

"We need to get Chase."

"I couldn't agree more. Helena, did you bring the car around?"

"Child, I am 80 years old in this life. Do you think this world is ready to see an 80-year-old woman running down the street like a 20-year-old? Of course, I brought the car around." We walked out of the store. Jo jumped in the driver's seat, known for speeding. Helena took the passenger seat to give us direction and safe passage to Chase, who was waiting for us. With my mate in my arms, I gently lifted us into the backseat of the SUV. Rosie was still for now, but that wouldn't last long enough for her to rest. How was I going to explain this to her? What was going to happen? Jo turned off onto the interstate to head north.

She finally broke the silence. "Okay, so I know I am no Alpha, but is there a plan to get all her belongings? Like are we coming for her clothing, books, and photo albums of her dead parents? Like we can't just rip this girl out of her life and not acknowledge that her life is here. What is the plan for this, bro?"

"After we get her back to the pack, dad will send back a few people, and they will move her out of her apartment, and the next crew will take over the store."

"Okay. So what is the reason customers don't get to see her? What about her neighbors, her church friends… old college friends? Loch, you can't just rip this girl out of her life and expect it to be okay."

"Jo, I know that... I do. But what would happen to her if I didn't? Would the world accept a werewolf living among them?" Before Jo could protest and try to reason logic and hope in humanity, I continued. "The answer is no. It has been and always will be no. The human world can accept us for their Halloween and Hollywood shows, but accepting us would be a no-go in real life. Also, look what this did to her." Jo met my logic with silence. She looked down at her steering wheel, and when she looked back up, she had tears fill her eyes. Jo always had a soft spot for the human race. She saw them as people who could be accepting of our kind. Chase and I constantly had to remind her of the stories of our ancestors that were hunted and burned. All the humans know of the havoc that claimed thousands of witches in Salem. No one understood the werewolf hunting going on simultaneously. They thought we could bring them immortality if they drank our blood. Everyone wanted to do it. So much needless killing. "Jo. I am sorry."

"You are okay. Your right. I know this, but I just don't understand this. I don't think I need to understand this. I need to get Rosie to the pack." Jo's eyes focus back on the road.

"Helena, do you have anything that could help her if it gets bad again?" I look down at my mate.

She was sleeping with her head in my lap, and her body curled up to me as close as she could get. I could feel the ripping fever moving through her as waves of heat pulsated from her. Her body was trying to fight what was happening to her was a nasty infection. My heart broke.

"I don't, but Doc prep solutions for her, and Chase has them. He knows how to administer and give her what she needs if it comes to it. The biggest and hardest part is we can't force the process to stop, even for the sake of time. If we stop it, she will be fully human and thus not accepted by the pack, and if we don't get to Chase or the pack in time, then we run the risk of her dying before we even get her to the Doc."

She could die? Before I even get to explain the wonder that she is. Before I get to feel her lips on mine? Dying before I have the chance to hear her laughter again….. I just got her. I pull my mate into me more and begin to lay the seat backward. I hear a low growl coming from Jo. I shoot her back a look to tell her to knock it off. I am not one of those guys at the bar who would harass her.

"How long till we get to Chase?"

"About two and half hours."

"I am exhausted. I am going to try to get some rest." I saw Jo white-knuckle the steering wheel as I laid the backseats down to make a bed. I readjusted myself to lay behind Rosie. I look back at Jo, shooting me daggers as I move and slide in behind her unconscious friend. "No funny business, Jo. I just need to keep her warm. I promise I won't touch her without her awareness." There was no change in the tension, but she returned to the road. I grab my pillow and lay my head down next to Rosie. The smell of her hair was intoxicating as I closed my eyes and buried my nose into the loose strands.

"I promise, Rosie. You will live, and I will be your mate, and I will protect you always. Forever."

Then sleep caught up with my body, and I was fast asleep within seconds.

***

I felt a pair of solid hands shake me awake. I open one eye to see Chase's panicked and worried face. I felt for Rosie's body, but it wasn't there. I sit straight up. Chase is mouthing words, but my brain isn't processing them. I could see something in the trunk moving uncontrollably, Rosie.

"Lochlyn!!! LOCH!"

"What happened to her? She was fine!!! We were sleeping. She was better." I stared in disbelief as my mate's body jerked and shook violently. Her back fully arched as Jo was trying to subdue her.

"Helena, keep Loch right here. I need to administer the first set of meds to get her to stop seizing." Helena switched places with him putting herself between my mate and me. It is a dangerous place to be, but I would never hurt Helena. I watched Chase run to the back of the car and grab a black bag. He pulled out one of many little bottles, but the bottle he used said "Propofol." I immediately lunged at him, but Jo and Helena stopped me dead as Chase took a step back, holding the needle and the bottle. "Loch, I need you to breathe, man. I know what is in my hand. I don't want to use it either, but-"

"Then don't," I growled through my teeth. Propofol in the wrong dose for a werewolf is deadly. There is no way of saving a wolf with too much in its system. I struggle against the two women holding me back. I can feel the heat coming off of me.

"Brother, look at me," Jo speaks meekly and hushed. I turn to her, and she cups my face with her delicate hands. My sister and my best friend. She put her forehead to mine. "Would we let anything happen to her? Look at her; she will die if Chase doesn't do this."

I look down and can see Rosie's body rigid as she convulses. I can hear her struggling for air, foam starting to form in the corner of her mouth, eyes beautiful eyes glassed over. "The Propofol will rip through her. It will be like she is burning from the inside out. We need to do this outside. If it is in there, her wolf may try to protect her. Let me carry her to a safe spot." Jo let go of me. I move through the SUV to pick up her body and hold it close as she struggles. "It's going to be okay, Rosie. Chase is going to get this to stop. It's going to go away. I promise this will be over soon." I kiss her forehead as I set her on a grassy area when Chase steps in and grabs her arm. He sets up an ivy and hands Jo the bag. Then he injects the poison. Her body went lifeless. I went running to her, but Helena's hand pushed me back. She started moving around, but no wolf. Fear gripped me. Did we do it wrong?

Chase's POV

I paced back and forth in my tiny hotel room. I looked at the black bag that sat next to me. It contains Propofol, poison to our kind. I could sense my bride coming to the state line. I was given clear instructions on when and how to provide her with it. I didn't want to. I know Loch won't let me.

I was so excited to see my mate. Jo was the most beautiful thing in the world. Even when we grew up together, she was still the most beautiful person in the room as a child. Well, I grew up keeping up with the twins. Lochlyn and Jo were a force to be reckoned with. Even in grade school, teachers could not handle them; they either outsmarted every professor or were so cunning the teacher was driven to the brink of quitting. After graduating, we all went to a party to celebrate the twins turning 18. I saw Jo walk in wearing this tight-fitting, slinky black dress. It hugged every part of her just right. We looked at each other and then boom… mated. Lochlyn wanted to kill me for mating with his sister. However, he didn't stop it. I think he was kind of excited that Jo found her person and everything. A few months later, Jo was asked to be the guardian of a girl based out of Omaha. Apparently, some old magic and story were changing, and the girl needed to be guarded until she would come to the pack. We performed the mating ceremony and were married. That night during the most unforgettable s*x of my life, we marked each other. Again Lochlyn wanted to kill me.

"Chase…"

I felt my wife's mindlink. "Jo! Hey baby! How long till you're here?"

"Probably just thirty minutes. Rosie is starting to stir and moan. I don't know if she is waking up from everything or about to have round two. Loch has kept her warm and close, but he is passed out snoring so loud. I couldn't even think."

"I know. Get here when you can. I have everything from Doc ready to go in case we need it. Does Loch know what we have to give her?"

"No, but don't tell him until we have to, or he will try not to let us," I felt her pause, and then immediate concern grew from her, "I think I just saw her have a mini-seizure. We may not have time, Chase."

"Keep driving but keep me connected to you. I will meet you."

I grab my bags and start to run. I was the fastest out of the three. I got to the wood and phased. I picked up the bags in my mouth and ran. After about fifteen minutes, I saw a black 2022 SUV pull off to the road's side. Jo's scent was everywhere. I unphased, grabbed a change of clothes, and ran to them. Jo ran to meet me. Panic and fear in her eyes. She is trying to form words, but she just starts crying instead of words.

"I Can't get Lochlyn awake…. She is having a grand mal seizure. I can't watch her die. I can't…. I won't." She buries her head into me, and we hug. Then I run over to the car, where I see Rosie in the back. I had known Rosie for as long as Jo. Before Jo left for Omaha, I offered my beta position to the next guy at the last minute. I told Lochlyn that I couldn't be separated from Jo; it was honored, and Jo and I were moved to Omaha the next day.

"Helena, do you have the ability to watch her? I am going to try to wake up Lochlyn." I go over to my friend, grab his arms, and shake him awake. I am yelling his name as loud and can shake him as hard as I can. Finally, his groggy eyes open. He looks around and immediately panics when he sees Rosie. He isn't aware of the situation.

"What happened to her? She was fine!!! We were sleeping; she was better.".

"Helena, keep Loch right here. I need to administer the first set of meds to get her to stop seizing." Helena switched places with me, putting herself between Loch and Rosie's limp body. A dangerous place to be. I run to the back of the car and grab a black bag. I hold the first thing of Propofol. I have to lunge backward at the sight of Lochlyn lunging at me. Fortunately, Jo got to him. "Loch, I need you to breathe, man. I know what is in my hand. I don't want to use it either, but-"

"Then don't."

"Chase, look at me," Jo speaks to him meekly and hushed. He places her hands on his face and is hushed in her words to him. "Would we let anything happen to her? Look at her. She will die if Chase doesn't do this."

Rosie's body goes rigid as she convulses as I prep the needle. I can hear her struggling for air, foam starting to form in the corner of her mouth, and her eyes glassed over.

"The Propofol will rip through her. It will be like she is burning from the inside out. We need to this outside, her wolf, if it is in there may try to protect her. Let me carry her to a safe spot."

Lochlyn is trying to regain control of himself, but his pain and fear are written all over his face. I nod to Jo, and she and Helena release him. He moves to pick up her body. "It's going to be okay, baby. Chase is going to get this to stop. It's going to go away. I promise this will be over soon."

I place my hand on the back of Locklyn's shoulder, kind of expecting him to break it. I step in and grab her arm. I set up a quick ivy, and Jo helped me the best she could. I take a deep breath and inject the Propofol. Her body went lifeless. Lochlyn went running to her, but Helena's hand pushed him back.

She started moving around, but no wolf.

Fear gripped me. Did I do it wrong? Did I kill my brother's mate?

JO's POV

Rosie, please open your eyes. Please let me see the yellow. I need to know your wolf is still in there. I can feel Lochlyn's stare from here. I can feel the anger and fear rising in him. I can almost feel his breath… no, I can feel his breath. I turn around, and he is standing behind me. Tears are welling up in his eyes. He just got her… he waited years to understand and feel this with her, and now we lost her. He quietly bends down and rolls her onto her back. He is so gentle with her, so loving and tender. Tears roll down his face. We saw her moving a few minutes ago, but now she is lifeless. Lochlyn whispers something in her ear. I bury my head in my hands and start sobbing. Chase comes up behind me and holds me tight. "I did it right. Just like Doc showed me…… what happened?"

"You did nothing wrong. Helena said that this was a 50/50 shot. He could make her fully human, or her body would give out."

"I feel something in her." Lochlyn starts moving fast. He starts ripping her shirt off of her. He can smell something on her body. I can smell it too; like springtime, it fills the air. Rosie's fingers twitch, and we wait patiently for another sign of life. She begins to move and stir. Lochlyn picks up her hand and kisses it lightly. Rosie opens her eyes.

"Yellow eyes? Freaky." Says Chase.

Rosie smiles when she sees my face but then it disappears. The happy look turned to discomfort and agony. She starts clawing at herself and screaming. She lies on the roadside, half-naked and burning from the Propofol. Lochlyn tries to quiet her, but she is so freaked out and in pain that nothing he is doing is working. She, in fact, is trying to crawl away from him. I run to catch her. "Ros, Ros, it's me, Jojo. Your Jojo. You are okay. It's a reaction. A good but painful reaction. We know your wolf is in there. Please just breathe. You are okay." I place my hand on Ros's cheek. It's burning. She isn't screaming anymore, but she just looks at me, scared, confused, and in pain. Then nothing. I see Chase with another needle in her arm. She stares blankly before her half-naked body slumps into me. "Oh, Ros. I am so sorry it had to be this way."

"Okay, so good news, we know her wolf is in there." Chase is trying to break the tension of everything we just went through. "Bad news, she has a major reaction to propofol."

"This isn't a laughing matter, Chase," growls Lochlyn.

"I didn't kill her. Loch, you need to trust me. Please."

Lochlyn picks up Rosie and walks back to the car. Helena is already waiting in the driver's seat. I walk back with Chase. "This isn't a laughing matter," I say, mocking my brother and his dramatic tone. Chase stifles a laugh.

"Don't. I think your brother is pissed at me for giving his mate the cocktail."

"Okay. I can't wait to be in our home tonight, in our bed, with each other. No humans to worry about hearing two wolves going at it."

Chase grabs me and kisses me passionately. "You know we never really got a honeymoon." He said as he grabbed my hips.

"We must get her to the pack, but then later….. we will go all night."