Chapter 16

29.5K 1.9K 104

by roxann_season

by roxann_season

A/n: NOT EDITED.

Chapter 16 – Russell POV

“Russell…” I groaned, deep in sleep not wanting to wake up but the voice persisted softly, “Russell,” it called again faintly.

“Hmm?” I grunted not opening my eyes but more alert, “Russell wake up,” I shot up in bed, startling the caller – Angel. Head butting her, she fell back with a gasp, “crap,” I muttered under my breathe before my heart raced I flew the thin bed sheet to the side, standing worried, “Are the babies? What’s wrong?” I asked her, already pulling her up ready to carry her to the room with the babies but I feel her hold herself back, dragging me back as well.

“Babies fine… Jack call me… in – in my head,” she tapped the side of her head with her right index finger, “call say, open door now,” I smiled that she was using her voice, my heart was racing but now for a different reason than before.

“Jack called you?” I asked my voice hoarse, I lean over to switch the light on to see her better, Angel nods, “he’s outside, wants us to open door,” my head dips in partial understanding. We had been given a code so that at night the steel protectors could be set in place incase of emergency; but once we changed it, only we had it.

“Jack say wake up everyone,” Angel added her eyes gloss, tired but she wasn’t really looking at me, she seemed to be dazed and I realized that she was still talking to Jack, in their pack way. But her words were confusing me, “He wants us to wake up everyone is there trouble?” I asked finding a shirt to throw on, taking Angel’s hand and heading to Dana’s room. Angel waited outside, “Jack said no trouble but it’s im-important,” her speech getting better but the word sounded more like um-po-tint, but I understood what she meant.

“Dana,” I whispered shaking her shoulder, and just like me she grunt before flopping away, pushing my hand off, “Wake up, it’s important something’s going on…” I whispered hurriedly and that did it. She reached over turning on the bedside lamp; “Is it the kids?” she blinks focusing on my face.

“No Jack is outside, told Angel to wake us all up and then open the door,” I explained but that worried, ready to beat a person to death for hurting her child look faded and Dana followed, “I’ll get mom and dad,” I nodded taking Angel’s hand on instinct and heading down to wake Thayer, Rebecca, Catalina and Declan, all of us heading down to the door, dead on our feet. I glanced at the clock on the way down, 4:15a.m. I had only been asleep for little under two hours, which meant Dad and Dana had less sleep than myself.

Entering the code, the steel slowly lifting, letting in the early and revealing a rejuvenated looking Jack, I took a chance to observe him, it was a stark difference from when I saw him a few hours back when he looked like death. He was sporting a small smile, it didn’t make sense not when they had explained the importance of McKenna to Jack; how could he be smiling right now? I thought angrily. Dad opened the door, letting Jack in, “What’s going on young man?” I snorted, Dad was barely hitting 60 years old and Jack was hitting near 200 years old, and when my mind then was quickly ashamed, how could I laugh or find anything funny right now? I didn’t realize I was even outwardly showing my anger until Angel stepped closer to me cutting off my view from Jack, not pulling the hand I held away, but placing the other one on the side of my cheek, “Russell mad?” the utter concern she had for me in her eyes left me speechless, my brain hadn’t been this way since I was a young kid and a pretty girl left me tongue-tied.

Her eyes gazing up at me in entreaty, waiting for my answer, “I’m okay sweetheart,” I whispered, and watched her frown fade away, I looked over her shoulder at Jack, who came with pep in his step. So to keep my calm I held onto Angel’s hand like it was a lifeline. No not like, Angel was my buffer, she made me calm.

“I think you should sit down,” Jack said sitting himself, we shuffled over to the sofa sitting across from him, “I just – I need to tell you all something and I’m not sure how-”

“By spitting it out,” Thayer said grumpily.

“You all know we have different abilities, and there are many things we are capable of doing that the mere human is not…” he tapered off and oddly Angel lifted her head back, sniffing the air before whipping her head to the door behind us, the rest of us doing the same. Each of us rising, flying to our feet, I couldn’t blink; I was holding my breath, my head whipped back to Jack.

I had to be seeing things, there was no way, someone made a pitiful dying whine sound, “Noo,” Dad whispered, the person, he saw her too. It wasn’t just me. I wasn’t seeing a mirage, but instead my sister, McKenna. I watched in shock, when dad said ‘no,’ McKenna took one step back unsure, her face fell in disappointment, but if she thought dad was denying her, she thought wrong.

“Mickey?” he spoke in a whispered sob, taking a step towards her one hand on his mouth, shaking, McKenna took another step back, glancing at Jack. He sighed making way to approach her but he wasn’t fast enough because dad rushed over to McKenna. “Oh god! How – how is – is this possible, my – my baby, you’re here – how – I,” Dad cried, his body towering over her, but she wrapped her hands around his body, crying against his shirt, dad just continued to mumble through his whimpered cries. Mom finally out of her own shock, went over, the rest of us following, Jack just hung back off to the side, gazing at McKenna, letting us have this time. I guess this would explain his behavior, I thought feeling so light and wrecked. I shook my head, I know we came here to hide, but I certainly hope things do not remain this intense. After giving us each a hug, McKenna was back to being in mom and dad’s arms, the two holding onto her as though she were a helium balloon, their hands the string.

Elder Caelum

“Something is not right…” I said to Elder Thierry, he nodded in return, “We have yet to find the energy residue from that white wolf’s death, we’ve checked all properties.”

“We have, nothing has been found,” he agreed.

“Yet I cannot feel the pull of her power,” I said slowly, puzzled.

“What do you believe is the reason for such an occurrence?” Elder Tallon asked, “We cannot sense the Ether ring either, Caelum.”

“We had been careful, our plan set and executed, there was no way that they pulled one over on us… yet… we couldn’t find their energy, which meant someone gathered it before us, which is less likely. Or it could mean that they were alive…” I thought of the reaction of young Logan when we told him of his sisters tragic death, the pain he was in, the anger, he shifted instantly behaving in the most feral way. They had to be dead… right?

“Then we find them, brother, we will not let one white wolf deter our plans,” Elder Sylvain finished.

________________________________

So.... thoughts?