AFTER taking a moment to settle my turbulent heartbeat, I took a tentative step over the threshold into the temple. Goosebumps rippled up and down my arms, and my breath caught in my chest. Despite Alpha Wade's vibrant cursing, I had yet to encounter what had him in such an uproar.
The temple—while not in an immaculate state—was not any different from the lackluster exterior. Marble lined each and every wall with matching marble tiles cascading throughout the floor. A few marble benches were fashioned around the eerily large room, some toppled over and chipped.
However, the furnishings and finishes of the temple had more in common than the material they were forged from. They all were angled in the direction of the Selene statue.
The statue was tall, almost too tall for the surrounding space. The top of Selene's head, which had begun to chip away was mere inches from hitting the ceiling.
While I had never stepped foot in this temple—much less even heard of this temple's existence—there was an air of familiarity vibrating throughout the vast but sparse room.
It was also completely vacant, not even the distant pitter-patter of heartbeats could be heard. Even though Alpha Wade and I appeared to be the only humans in the foreseeable area, the damage to the benches did not appear to be a product of normal wear and tear.
While the temple seemed to be in disrepair, it was not obvious whether or not the potential disruption occurred recently. I sniffed the air, trying to catch wind of any lingering scents, but I was just met with the overwhelming citric scent wafting from Wade's direction.
Even after having countless opportunities to grow accustomed to his scent, it still sent a tantalizing chill down my spine. My toes curled into my shoes, and I gripped my hands tightly at my sides.
"Fuck," Alpha Wade cursed again. He paced in small, untidy circles. He pressed a hand to his forehead, and his forehead threaded in deep concentration. A thin layer of sweat trickled down his forehead, and I could feel his unsettled nerves course through our bond.
"Alp—Wade," I corrected myself as I watched his body tense. He ran a shaky hand through his hair before dragging his hand down the side of his face. "Wade."
Wade, for a brief moment, looked up, eyes locking with mine. He licked his lips, his forehead still a bundle of deeply concentrated lines. His lips twisted, and he narrowed his eyes.
"No one is here," he stated, his voice filled with an unspoken tension.
In an attempt to settle his mind, I began: "Maybe..."
"No," he interrupted as he continued to pace, picking up his speed. A loose strand of his hair fell over his eyes. He cleared his throat. "Something's not right." He paused briefly. "Fuck."
Taking a step closer to him, I said, "Wade."
"Fuck," he said louder.
He kicked the large Selene statue. The sound of his metal-tipped shoe hitting the tough marble exterior rang throughout the temple. A few pieces of spare rubble tumbled down from the statue, and I had to leap to one side to move out of the way from the debris.
Alpha Wade kicked the statue again, this time harder. Even more sharp fragments showered down on us. Instead of backing away like my instincts beckoned me to do, I took a step forward. I rested a tentative hand on Alpha Wade's back.
"Wade," I whispered.
I could hear him open his mouth to say something, but then he erupted into a painful howl. Slowly, he turned to face me. His face was scrunched up, and his breathing was labored. My hands ached to comfort him as his tall frame began to shake.
"Wade."
A low cry left his lips, and he was able to say, "Violet, please," before his voice cracked. "I need a moment."
Again, instead of following my instincts, I did the exact opposite. Rather than listen to Alpha Wade's pointed warning, I took another step closer until we were so close our breath intermixed with one another.
"Wade," I said, voice shaking.
His body tensed, but I continued. "Wade, there's plenty of time to find whoever—or whatever— you're after."
I made sure to clarify that I did not know the intended purpose of his expedition. In part, it was true: I still had no clue where we were going or what we were looking for exactly. However, I had overheard his conversation with his grandfather not long ago, and I knew someone named Amit held at least some interest in all of this.
Who Amit was, I could not say—not that Alpha Wade was likely to say either.
Alpha Wade remained silent, turning his back toward me. I shook my head, rubbing my hands into soothing circles over my temples. A headache had begun to form, and I had an inkling there was no sign of reprieve. My heat rash flared, itching insistently. But I pushed my physical symptoms to the wayside.
My mate needed me.
Stretching his shoulders, Alpha Wade ran a hand down his face and then abruptly turned around.
He was resolute when he said, "There's not."
There was not an ounce of humor—or any emotion for that matter—written on his face.
"What do you mean?" I asked, crossing my arms over my cheek. "There's not enough time for what?"
"The illness...Lupoxia," his voice trailed. "Violet, it's—it's escalating."
Gulping, I began to comprehend why he had been in such a tizzy, why he had cursed so much. He closed his eyes, and I nodded my head.
While his words felt like bullets penetrating through my skin, it was no secret the number of cases of Lupoxia was on the rise. More and more members of Bluestrike had been diagnosed with each passing day. Before long, it was projected the entire pack would be infected.
Despite this, however, no timeline for our impending doom had been put into words. Somehow, even without Alpha Wade putting a hard-set timeline on things, his words cut deeper than any timeline would have.
With a shaky voice, I said, "You can't give up. I won't let you."
He grimaced. "We're running out of time."
"But there is still time left, yes?" I offered, raising my eyebrows. I rubbed my hands over my folded arms, as I watched the strong Alpha before me inhale deeply.
He nodded his head.
"Then we—you—can't give up till there's no time left," I said, making sure to leave little room for argument.
"Fuck," he muttered, raking a hand through his hair. "Fuck."
Again, he kicked the statue, sending an even bigger wave of loose rubble showering upon us. I yelped, trying to step out of the way. I coughed as dust filled the air and, subsequently, my lungs.
Hunching over, I place my hands over my mouth, waiting for the debris to clear. Once the dust had fallen to the ground, I relaxed my shoulders and decided to give Alpha Wade some space.
I walked around the statue, which was now steadily crumbling before my eyes. I kicked the loose rubble at my feet. Not far from some of the loose bits of marble was a hint of a murky brown. I held my breath, afraid a dead cockroach was trapped underneath some of the rubble.
Kicking the few shards away, I was surprised to see the bleak object was not in fact the carcass of a dead bug but rather the carcass of a dead flower. I crouched down and picked it up, turning the black flower on its stem.
With the flower in my hand, I mused. "I don't think anyone has been here for a while. This flower is dead."
I felt Alpha Wade stiffen, even when he was on the other side of the statue. His footsteps crunched over the discarded marble as he peered around the statue. His eyes locked with the dead flower in my hands.
"What?" I held out the flower, squinting my eyes at it. "What's so special about this dead flower?"
A smile broke out over Alpha Wade's lips. "That flower... It's fresh."
"Wade," I said with caution as my hand dropped down at my side. "I think maybe you're—"
I stopped talking abruptly as Alpha Wade glided to my side and took the flower from my grasp. His eyes were shining as he murmured. "I know where to go."
"You couldn't possibly—"
"I could."
"Are you going to explain?" I asked.
He sucked a deep breath in. "I can't."
"You can't?"
"I can't," he repeated.
"You can't, or you won't?" I inquired. "There's an important distinction between the two."
Yet again, he said, "I can't." He twirled the flower through his fingers. "I don't know if it's just an old pack's tale or what, but I had been brought up not to divulge important information."
"Because you think I'm some traitor?"
"No." He exasperated. "My dad was like this."
A small smile spread over my lips. Alpha Wade, when it came to his father, was a closed book. He had hardly ever spoken about him, much less spoke about him in a good light.
I straightened my stance, pride spreading throughout my body. Even if it was a small token of the bond between us, I still delighted in the connection. I knew I should have been stronger. Alpha Wade had made it clear his heart was still claimed by another, but maybe...
My thoughts trailed as I closed my eyes. Trapped in my thoughts, I stumbled backward when Alpha Wade's rough hand clasped onto my arm.
"What are you—" I choked, regaining my balance as my eyes thrust open.
Wade guided me toward the exit. The flower I had found was discarded on the ground like the rubble surrounding it. Our footsteps echoed throughout the vacant temple as Alpha Wade remained silent until we made it back to the car.
He finally released his ironclad grip on me when we reached the trunk.
"Alph—" I paused, correcting myself again. "Wade, what is—"
He smiled, unlatching the trunk open. He rummaged through his belongings as I stood on my tiptoes to peer over his shoulders in hopes I'd be able to get a better grasp on what was going through Wade's mind.
He pulled back out the map from earlier, and his smile grew. He waved it in front of my face. "This," was all he said before he got distracted by the map itself.
"This?"
He shook his head, peering down at the map as he opened it wide. "This is going to be the key to fixing all this."
"I still don't know if you actually know how to read that thing."
Alpha Wade feigned hurt as he put the map back into his pocket. He shook his head, and once again, we were going to be hitting the open road.