Chapter 8: Chapter 8

The next few hours were followed by a forced blackout in Élancé’s consciousness. Austin caught hold of Élancé’s head just as she fell to the floor, unconscious. He quickly darted a glance to the bloody scene. He could hear two heartbeats. At that moment, he clung to the hope that the men writhing on the floor would find a way to pull through and survive.

He turned to Élancé; she was out cold. Gently, he slipped her neck onto his right elbow and slipped her thighs under left forearm. He took a deep look at Élancé again and he felt something swirling inside him. Austin pushed it back down and carried Élancé to his deep brown Ford truck outside. He flicked the handle open and slipped Élancé onto the front seat of the truck.

Austin turned around to the other side of the truck, but stopped abruptly when he placed his hand on the door of the driver’s seat. He could still hear the two hearts beating inside the house—in low thumps. He turned to Élancé and then back to the mansion, before releasing a deep sigh. Then he walked back to the house and found the two men whose were hanging onto life by a thread.

“Hang in there,” Austin said as he helped them onto the back seat of his truck. One of the men had a long deep cut across his torso which wouldn’t heal at a normal pace because of the sticky substance left behind by the oddies. The other man had his hand on his neck to stop his blood from gushing out. Austin was surprised that they were still alive, even after sustaining critical hits like that. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was a bit impressed. “I’ll get you help soon. Hold on tight.”

Austin strapped Élancé with a seat belt and started the engine. He kept his eyes on the side mirror, looking at the mansion behind him until it was out of sight.

When Austin’s truck sped into his compound, he came to a halt at the main entrance into the building. Seeing and catching the scent of the wounded men in the back, Austin’s men quickly rushed to the truck and opened the back seats without being told what to do.

“Get them inside,” Austin ordered as he came down the truck, not giving any of his men an explanation. “And get Jack to take a look at them.” Then he added almost in a whisper to himself: No one else is dying today.

Austin knew that as much as he was referring to the men in the back seat, it was Élancé he didn’t want to die. It was Élancé he needed to stay alive.

Austin’s men did as they were told and in a couple of minutes, Jack was at the scene with his bag of medical supplies; James treading behind him.

“Christ!” Jack exclaimed when he saw the injured men. “Set them up over here,” he instructed.

“What the hell happened?” James asked, taking in the scene and then turned to his alpha who was climbing up the stairs.

“Oddies,” Austin replied without turning back. “Do not let them die, Jack.”

*

Élancé winced and flitted her eyes as she grabbed a hold of her consciousness. There was a ringing in her head which came and went at intervals. Élancé tried to sit up, but she got flashes of the oddie with its hand wrapped around her neck and jerked in response.

Élancé looked around frantically, trying to recenter herself and convince her body she was safe. She ran her fingers backward through her hair and cupped her face with her palm. Élancé took a deep breath in and almost instantly, the last thing she saw before passing out came to her.

“Who was that?” she asked herself under her breath. There was a part of her that didn’t want to believe it was Austin. Wait, Élancé thought. Then she looked around again, realizing that she was not in her mansion. Where am I?!

Élancé jumped out the bed and rushed to the door. When she flipped the door open, she walked down an arched hallway until she met the wide room she knew. She felt relief within her that she was back in Austin’s home, but almost immediately felt angry at herself. It was all coming back to her—their last conversation, the drive down to her mansion and the slaughter she witnessed. Her father!

Élancé turned around but there was no guard in sight. She rushed to the room where her father was but stopped when she caught Austin’s scent. Her wolf came awake inside of her and Élancé felt an embarrassing longing brimming inside her.

“He had another episode…he may not survive if they keep coming.”

Elane’s heart sunk into her stomach as she got to the door. Her whole body froze after she heard Jack speaking to Austin and James. No! No, he cannot die. She convinced herself. She dragged her feet and got closer to the door, terrified of the sate she was going to find her father in. She placed her hand on the door knob—

“What else can be done?” Élancé heard Austin’s voice through the wooden door. It was surprisingly softer than she imagined. Like he actually cared.

“I’m afraid there’s nothing else to be done.” Jack said.

Élancé’s heart sank deeper and deeper into herself, like it had been tied to a building and thrown into an ocean. The room was quiet for the next few seconds. She guessed that Austin must have picked up her scent so she grabbed hold of her grit and wrapped it around herself, like armor for whatever was waiting for her on the other side of the door. She twisted the door knob and swung the door wide open.

The first person she laid her eyes on was her father. He looked paler than when she left and he looked like he was in more pain. His eyes were closed but he released the occasional groan. Élancé could tell that something was gnawing at him from the inside.

“Tell me what you said isn’t true!” Élancé yelled at Austin, surprised at herself, but not willing to stop at that point. “He’s the alpha of the crystal moon pack—“ she walked closer to Austin and shot him a vicious look. “—and don’t you dare say there is no alpha without a pack!”

They all avoided looking directly into Élancé’s bloodshot eyes—except Austin. He kept his stance still and stoic and kept his eyes fixed on Élancé. Hogwash released a groan and writhed for some seconds before laying still once again.

“You!” Élancé turned her rage to Jack. “You fixed him before, fix him again or I swear I will have your throat!”

James walked forward, but Austin placed a hand on his shoulder. He stopped immediately in response to the silent order his alpha had given him.

“I’ve done everything I can—” Jack opened his mouth to speak.

“That’s alright, Jack,” Austin said with a gentle yet domineering undertone. Then without speaking, he asked that James and Jack leave the room. They did as they were told without any protest.

Élancé fixed her gaze on Austin. There was a depth in his eyes that she was sure her viciousness couldn’t reach. A darkness that could envelope her fire. He just stood there watching Élancé, somehow calming her without saying a single word. There was something about his presence that Élancé still hadn’t gotten used to. Perhaps, she would never get used to it.

“He might not be alive for much longer. I’d say my goodbyes if I were you.”

Austin’s words were heart wrenching and perhaps even cruel, but Élancé knew that there was truth in what he said. She shuddered under the grief that was already forming clouds around her.

Austin walked past her, with his eyes straight ahead, and left the room.

Élancé stood before her pale looking father, watching him tussle over his own life. She could hear his breath go into and out of his lungs like they had grown thick lumps. Hogwash groaned again, this time a little louder. Then his groan grew into a terrifying wheezing and then into fits of cough.

Élancé rushed to his side and propped him into a slightly sitting position then she took the glass of water by the nightstand and brought it to his parched lips. Hogwash refused to drink.

“There’s no time,” he said, with a jagged voice. He turned slightly and held Élancé by her forearm as tightly as he could and formed the words very slowly. His eyes were flicking open and close like he was at the border between life and death. “I’ve had…my time. It’s…it’s your time…now.”

Élancé’s bloodshot eyes let the tears that they had been holding for so long finally go down. Seeing her father so weak was a scene she was not used to. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know if there was anything to say. She only knew that with every passing second, the feeling of grief manifested more and more in her bones. She took his hands and held it even tighter.

“The men…they’re waiting for me…to lead them,” Hogwash said, then he let a small smile escape his quivering lips. He turned from his slightly bent position and lay on the bed looking at the ceiling. Then his breath stopped.

Élancé listened to the sound of her father’s heart thump right up till the very end.

The last thump of Hogwash’s heart brought with it the harsh realization that Élancé was alone. She had never been without a father or a pack; now she was without neither. She didn’t want to think about what she needed to do next, she just wanted to sit beside her father until someone came and peeled her away from his side.

Élancé cried silently at the loss she was feeling. Her entire world had come crashing down upon her so hard that it hurt to even talk about it. So she stuck with just letting her tears wail and scream for her.

In the sadness and pain, Élancé knew there was a conviction birthing within her.