The Wolf

Ch. 53: A Sealed Deal

~Nico~

The last thing I wanted to do was be walking around. I feel like I've run over by a dump truck and then hit by a semi. But duty calls, right? I follow Blake through the hospital where dozens of injured wolves lay on stretchers or sit propped up in chairs, bleeding through their bandages. Nurses and doctors push their way through the crowded room, heading for the patients in the worse condition, although everyone here is looking pretty rough. 

Glares dig between my shoulder blades like hot irons. With much effort, I keep my eyes trained ahead, focusing them on Blake's back. At the exit, three wolves block us from leaving. The guy in the middle is the tallest, about six feet. By his looks, he appears to be the same age as me, maybe younger. 

"This is all your fault!" He screams, charging at me. His two friends grab him by the shoulders to stop him. "If you weren't here, Nyx would never have sent that demon to slaughter us all. Do you know how many people we've lost, because of you?" His eyes glow amber. 

Blake stands in front of me, blocking me from them like my own personal bodyguard. Anger boils up in my destroyed stomach. I push Blake aside and stride up to the unstable wolf. From this range, I can see his smooth face, the bags under his eyes, and just how skinny he is. He's probably gone through hell these last couple of months. Who hasn't?

"What's your name?" I ask.

"It's Jake," He spits.

"Well, Jake, what do you want from me?" My shoulders slump with exhaustion. I'm so sick of people and their hatred. As if I don't already have enough of my own.

"I want justice. That demon killed my mate. Why shouldn't you also pay the same price?" Jake's anger is only a facade. I can see the grief teetering on a very thin ledge inside his eyes. 

"A mate for a mate, huh? And what would that accomplish? That would just increase Nyx's body count, which is exactly what she wants. Another dead wolf." 

Jake growls, bearing his teeth. "As if I care! My mate is dead. She didn't deserve to die for some stupid reason. We only just found each other, and now she's gone." Unshed tears glisten in his eyes. 

His grief feels like a bullet in my shoulder. More blood on my hands. Another person's life ruined because of how weak I am. "I'm sorry," I say lamely. Nothing I say matters to him. 'Sorry' will never be enough. But what else am I supposed to do to placate him? 

Jake's eyes jump like hot embers. "You're sorry? Oh, well, that just fixes everything right up, doesn't it?" A vein pops in his forehead and spittle flies from his lips. 

"No, it doesn't," I agree, "but that's all I have to offer."

Jake roars in anguish. He's pissed and out for blood. I would gladly let him beat me to a pulp in hopes of returning to the afterlife, but I have a feeling I'll just get revived once again. So I'll spare myself the agony.

Blake grips my shoulder firmly and leads me past Jake who crumples into his friend's arms. I feel another shot in my shoulder at the sight. I can't seem to breathe properly. 

Nyx grins beside me. "Isn't this great?" Her voice is cheery like a little girl's on Christmas morning. 

"Just peachy," I mutter, feeling miserable.

"What?" Blake questions.

I sigh, "Nothing." 

Outside, the evening sun is hiding behind thick, gray clouds that blanket the sky entirely. The clouds roil like snakes, waiting to strike. Not a soul is in sight. Blake shivers in the bitter winds, but not me. Just like always, I'm immune to the cold.