d..、，.. #MY_BLACK_KNIGHT d..、，..
Happen 31
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
Theme: Dared To Danger
.
.
“Your father is in a coma, Skylar.”
I could only stare in Alpha Brett in dismay, refusing to believe the words
coming out of his mouth. My father, pale and motionless in a cot in the
infirmary, was something I had never expected to see. Pack Doctors, having an Affinity unlike normal werewolves, had a superior self-healing ability
than anyone but an Alpha. My father had never been sick (not that
werewolves were prone to sickness after childhood, anyways). He had never had any sort of medical condition. In fact, when I thought of the epitome of ‘health’, my father came to mind.
Yet here he was, nearly lifeless in the cot right in front of me. Alpha Brett had pulled out a chair for me and I sank into it slowly. I gingerly reached out and rested my hand on my father’s arm, almost wincing from the lack of heat emanating from his skin.
“ …how?” I asked softly. The last I’d heard, my father had been treating
Maria after she’d been attacked. When Alpha Brett ordered me to come to the infirmary immediately because something happened to my father, it
was as if the ground was collapsing under my feet. Could anything else go wrong?
“Maria was barely coherent as Alexander was attacked while she was still
weak. She said the vampires took some of his blood and injected him with a substance. Whatever it was, there must be some silver infused, because his Wolf isn’t healing him.”
He indicated my father’s upturned arm. The veins were dark and stood out against his pale skin; it was as if there was poison pumping through my
father’sveins.
“There obviously wasn’t that much silver because it didn’t kill him. Your
father’s Affinity is strong. He would have a better chance of recuperating
than anyone else in the pack if he hadn’t been drained from helping Maria.” The Alpha’stone was flat and clipped. I could sense the tension simmering underneath his tone, and I knew why: Anne was missing, too.
It had taken a while to notice the blonde’s absence, as Maria had not been coherent enough to talk. In fact, it was several hours after Maria’s arrival to the infirmary, but sometime before my father was attacked, that the pack was notified that Anne’s scent was stale. She was known to wander off on her own sometimes, but when her father could not break her mental
barricade to contact her, he knew something was wrong. Now the whole pack was in a near-panic state. Two werewolves injured (one of which
currently in a coma), and the Alpha’s daughter missing.
I barely noticed when Alpha Brett strode off, presumably to renew his
search for his daughter, leaving me and my mother alone with the prone figure in front of us.
My mother’s brilliant blue eyes were red-rimmed, her curls in disarray. She was crying softly and refusing to look at anything in particular. I couldn’t
blame her; it was her Mate, after all. The thought of my own Mate caused a lump to rise in my throat and I quickly brushed the image of Gabriel’s face out of my mind. My own flesh and blood was suffering in front of me, and that had to take priority.
*
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
*
I dimly registered the sound of the door opening and closing, followed by shuffling footsteps. I spun around to see a haggard Maria limp in. She still
looked tired and strained from her contact with silver; in fact, I was surprised she was moving at all.
She slowly walked over to the bed nearest my father’s and eased herself in. “I needed…I just needed some fresh air,” she said quietly, dark eyes dull.
“Skylar, I’m so-”
“Don’t Maria. It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I waited outside while my father was treating you but Alpha Brett told me to go home, to get some sleep until you were awake. I shouldn’t have listened, maybe I would have been able to stop them …”
She shook her head quickly. “You wouldn’t have been able to. Those
vampires were in and out in half a minute, maybe less. They barely even woke me up and I couldn’t smell them. I’d never seen anyone move that fast.” A flicker of fear crossed her expression.
I gritted my teeth. “What happened, Maria?” I was sure she’d told the story already but I wanted to hear it. I needed to hear it.
The brunette sighed, lowering herself into a horizontal position on the cot. “After you and Will argued, I confronted him. He said some upsetting
things so I went to the forest. Anne followed me. We were talking, and all of a sudden he was there.”
“Who?”
“Vampire. Tall, lighter brown hair, creepy blue-green eyes. He seemed really strong, and really….evil. I didn’t even catch his scent, he just snuck up on
us.”
I nodded for her to go on.
“He wrapped us in silver before we could move, and gagged us so we
couldn’t call for help. We were no match for him. He knew my name, and he knew who Anne was, which means he must have been watching
everyone for awhile. He said something about not wanting Anne to be
there, but said she would be collateral damage, just like me. He knocked
me out and took Anne.” A palpable sense of guilt appeared in Maria’s dark eyes.
“There was nothing you could’ve done. That was Cain; it had to be. No
other vampire would be able to take on two full-grown werewolves at once that quickly.” I couldn’t imagine going face-to-face with the monster like
Maria had. The thought made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. She visibly shuddered. “He just radiated evil, Skylar. I can’t explain it any better than that.”
“He’s the oldest vampire. He would be too strong for anyone except an Alpha.” In fact, too strong for anyone except Gabriel, I added inside my head.
“I don’t remember much of being brought back here. When I woke up from
one of my dozes there was a different vampire leaning over me. He
smothered me so I couldn’t cry out while the other one, Cain or whatever his name is, began to inject…” Maria indicated my father with a jerk of her head, seemingly unable to say more. But I understood.
My mother had remained silent through all of this, but I could see the lines of visible tension in her delicate shoulders. She sniffed, loudly, taking one of my father’s hands in hers. It was heartbreaking to watch.
“Alpha Brett said they took his blood.” I was stating it more than asking, but I had to know. What the Hell would Cain want with my father’s blood? The thought deeply perturbed me.
Maria nodded mutely.
“And he said you and Anne were collateral damage, not the intended
target.” My brain was quickly working to put the pieces together. “He also attacked when my father was at his weakest.” Everything came together
with horrifying clarity and I swallowed hard. “So…he wanted my father’s blood all along. That was what he was going for. All of his other actions with you and Anne were leading to this.”
“So why does he still have Anne?” She asked weakly.
I did not want to find out.
—
I stayed by my father’s beside as the sunlight began to creep across the sky, night turning into early morning, then morning transitioning into a bright
and hot afternoon. After a few hours, Maria left the infirmary to return home. After she left, I lowered my head and let the guilt wash over me.
This is all my fault, I thought morosely, resting my elbows on the bed
nearest my father. He hadn’t moved in all the hours since I’d been here. My mother had fallen into a restless sleep, her hand still placed in his.
You couldn’t have known he’d go after your family, my Wolf tried to reason, but she too seemed subdued.
Yes I could have! He likes to play games; I should have known that anyone close to me would be a direct target!
He could have just wanted Pack Doctor blood regardless of the relation to you.
Then why attack my best friend? He could have attacked anyone in the pack to get my father’s attention.
She couldn’t argue with that logic. I stared down at my father’s face,
peaceful in sleep despite the situation. Why did Cain want his blood? I had no doubt it had something to do with my father’s Affinity. Attacking Maria just seemed like Cain’s way of getting at me. He could have killed her, but instead he left her on the fringes of death for my father to heal her. It
seemed like he was toying with me, letting me know what power he had over all of us.
I felt a flutter of panic as I took in my father’s stillness, and for the millionth time I wished I had inherited his Affinity. The pack did not have another
Doctor to take his place. If he died, we would be lost until another was born with the Affinity. I was worse than useless, and I was sure everyone was
thinking the same thing.
There was a she-wolf in the pack, Linda, who worked part-time in the
human settlement at a medical clinic to earn money for her family. She
could not treat my father as a werewolf’s makeup was completely different than a human’s, but she came in every so often to check his vitals. I caught
a waft of her scent as she entered the room, tools in hand. I was grateful to her for trying eventhough she couldn’t really help him.
I had been feeling feverish the last couple of hours. My skin was prickling, and I felt jumpy. No doubt it was due to all of the stress, but regardless I needed some fresh air.
“I’ll be right back,” I muttered to Linda, quickly exiting the infirmary knowing my father was in good hands.
The gentle breeze and warm air outside were refreshing, but I still felt…odd. I took deep breaths as I attempted to calm myself down and think about
what to do. What was wrong with me? Was I coming down with
something? Trying to ignore the itching under my skin, I thought about what to do.
There were scant options. I could not help my father; in fact, the nearest
source of help was in Gabriel’s pack. Eva. I stiffened as the idea came to me. What if we sent for help to the Black Mountains Pack…would Gabriel allow Eva to cross our borders? Would he do something like that for me, helping the enemy pack?
I felt a flicker of doubt as I remembered Alpha Brett’s blatant hatred for
them, but surely he would listen to reason when it came down to someone as important as my father. I glanced around, noting the absence of wolves in the pack village. They must all be looking for Anne. The blonde and I had never gotten along, but still I felt the guilt rise again. It was my fault she
was missing. I could’ve argued more and told Alpha Brett that Cain liked to taunt me and play mind games, that he might go after someone close to
me. I was selfish to keep my mouth shut.
*
Hall Of Supernatural Stories
*
I reached out a mental probe, finding Alpha Brett’s presence. Alpha Brett? I asked, almost timorously as I thought of what his reaction might be to my
previously unheard of proposition. Extraordinary everyday from STORY CENTRAL(SC) TELEGRAM GROUP
What, Skylar? I’m a bit busy right now. Histone was quite unwelcoming.
I just had an idea about how we could help my father. I know you don’t like the Black Mountains Pack, but Gabriel might be willing to help since it’s
my-
We are NOT asking for help from them! Alpha Brett’s voice rung with dislike and left little room for argument.
But they could send over their Pack Doctor and she could help-
They have made no effort before to be peaceful with us! We do not need our enemies here in a time like this!
Yeah, but Gabriel has a Mate here now. It’s different.
I sensed Alpha Brett’s snarl over the mind link. Absolutely not. And don’t think I’ve forgotten that we need to have a serious talk, Skylar.
With that, he abruptly cut me out. Gritting my teeth as the anger rose, I
quickly strode back into the infirmary. What was his problem? Was he too blinded by his own hatred to ask for help in a serious time of need?
I sat down roughly in the chair next to my father as Linda exited, ignoring my mother’s confused stare. I reached forward and determinedly grabbed my father’s hand, mentally reassuring him that it would all be okay. To my surprise, when I grabbed his hand I felt an odd sensation; it was like a brief moment of searing heat, jolting from his hand and shooting up my arm. It left the hairs on my forearm standing straight up and I released my father’s hand in confusion. My arm was tingling as the sensation faded. What was going on? Was that a good sign?
I tentatively grabbed his hand again but the blazing sensation of heat did not reoccur, and I was left staring at his sleeping face, preoccupied.
—
A couple hours later, Anne still had yet to be found, and there was no change with my father. My mother made me jolt in surprise when she spoke for the first time in a long while.
“Skylar? Do you think….would you mind leaving me alone with your father for a while? I’d just like to talk to him. I don’t know, maybe hearing my
voice will help wake him up.” Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, her
beautiful face nearly crumpled in despair. I couldn’t say no to her when she looked like that, so I reluctantly agreed. Perhaps I could rest for a while at home. After Will and I argued I had returned home and taken a shower,
trying to wash away my anger, but I’d never been able to sleep because Maria was attacked so soon after dark.
I reluctantly released my father’s hand and, with one last glance at my
mother’s morose expression, exited the infirmary and navigated the narrow alleyways between houses to return to my own.
Upon walking in the air seemed stale, the house tense and quiet. I frowned as I entered the living room. Nobody had been here since late last night
when we’d received news of my father, yet something was…off. My Wolf
whined in the back of my mind. I tensed up, trusting my instincts, as they’d never led me astray before. I glanced around warily, my eyes roving the
furniture and the pictures on the walls. Nothing had been touched, so why did I feel as if another presence had been here?
My trepidation increasing, I slowly took the stairs up towards my room. My preoccupation was heightened as I approached the sleeping quarters. I
couldn’t quite explain it, it was as if the air had been stirred by a body other than my own. As the hair on the back of my neck began to prickle, I knew I was correct. I had learned to recognize this feeling as I always got it when
vampires had been around. My Wolf had a keen sense for other
supernatural creatures. Recognizing it made my blood run cold and I slowly
pushed open the door to my bedroom. The wooden door creaked ominously as my room’s contents were revealed.
My eyes immediately found the culprit: a small white slip of paper,
innocently resting in the exact center of my bed. My bed was immaculately made, sheets tucked in and pillows fluffed, but there was one problem.
I hadn’t made the bed.
Goosebumps sprung up and down my arms and I tried not to shiver. It was the middle of the day and I knew the vampires couldn’t reach me here, but the thought of Cain making my bed disturbed me on a deep level. I
hesitantly approached the bed, remembering the last time he had left me a
‘gift’. I could only hope he hadn’t put one of Anne’s body parts in a container and sent it to me.
To my small sense of relief, the piece of paper was the only new addition to my room. I swallowed hard and braced myself as I gingerly picked it up.
Half of the page was covered in a flowing script that I recognized as Cain’s, assuming Cain had written the note to me in Gabriel’s home when Riley’s heart was left in the box on my bed.
*
Skylar,
You really need to straighten your room. Although I imagine you’ve been a bit busy, what with taking care of your father and all. Sorry about that, but I needed his blood. Call it scientific curiosity.
I believe I have something—or someone—your pack wants. I know they’re looking for me, but I’m rather hard to track as you know, and they’ll have no luck finding the Alpha’s daughter.
I am, however, available to talk to you. Consider the blonde my bargaining chip. Walk north into the woods immediately after sundown, and keep
walking. I’ll find you. Come alone.
I’d hate to see what would happen to this scared little she-wolf if you don’t come, or if you try to lead someone else to me.
I’ll be waiting.*
—
.
.
#The_Story_Continues………
Pls if you have been invited to like the page and you’re yet to. Pls do….
And invite that story reader of a friend (you have) to the page too. It would really mean a lot to us.
Your likes and comments are prove that you appreciate our work, pls don’t withhold it,
Especially when you can give it freely.
I’ll see you guys in the next Happen
_ _-Agboola-_ _