"Where is he?" Cora asked as she rang her hands over and over. She paced between those of us who have returned from scouting, her worry causing everyone to grow anxious.
"He'll be fine Cora." Owen replied, unsurprisingly making her no less concerned.
"I'll calm down when he returns." She scolds.
"Love, this stress can't be good for the babies-"
"I'll be fine Danny. Hunter may not be. He is like a cub of my own, I am his Luna- if I don't worry who will- Leon! Is he okay?!" She asked him as he approached with Heather.
"Who? Hunter? He's on his way." Leon said, as confused as we were by her worry. She's been feeling very emotional and sensitive towards the others lately.
"See I told you-"
"Owen don't even speak to me until he gets here." Cora said with a warning glare, as she paced again. She walked back and forth only twice before Hunter appeared, jogging from the woods. His face was a bit beaten on his brow, and his upper lip was cut, but he seemed fine. "Hunter!" Cora exclaims as he watches us all confused.
"What's up- hey hey, I'm okay." Hunter laughs, as Cora hugs him and checks his wounds.
"I was so worried, something seemed off, I felt your distress."
"No, no- I'm fine. I caught up with a rogue, but it was just another runt. Most of this damage is because I got a bit carried away. I think they were testing me. Trying to figure out how strong our weaker elements are. Weird thing though, halfway through he picked up tail and ran. Usually they fight till the death. Maybe this one was just scared?" He said as all of us began to calm, even in our confusion- but suddenly Cora's worry spiked back up.
"What's wrong?!" I yell after her as she begins running back towards the forest without a word, her feet like lightening despite her being pregnant, taking her farther and faster than I can manage to keep up with. "Cora!"' I call after her as we all run behind her.
"Durst! DURST!" She cries out, yelling his name through the otherwise calm, dark, forest. I'm confused, but then I feel it too, he's out there and he's changed into his wolf form. I can't quite pinpoint his location, but I feel his presence ahead of us, and we follow Cora as she seems to know where she's headed.
We come into the clearing a mile out from the houses, and we see him across the way. Cora is about to scream out for him, but I cover her mouth and warn the others to step back into the tree line, and stay quiet. Cora calms down and I drop my hand from her mouth. "We need to handle this carefully..." I whisper, trying to see if I could sense anyone other than the four people surrounding Durst.
He's in his wolf form, and the three men and the woman surrounding him have him lassoed around the neck with chains. I could see visible marks where they have cut him, small wounds for torture, not to kill him. They're trying to take him captive.
My blood boiled with the thought. I never want another one of our own to be taken from us and held against their will. Even though Durst should have obeyed me and stayed human, I couldn't assume he didn't have a reason, and I wouldn't let them take him regardless.
"One of them has a gun." Leon said quietly. He was right, on the hip of the eldest man was a revolver. I turned to Cora.
"Cora go home-"
"No! I won't leave you here!" She said quietly and urgently. I sighed, kissed her forehead, and touched her stomach. "Owen take her and Frea home, Heather you too-"
"Not without Hunter-"
"That's an order Heather, and you too Cora-"
"I'm Luna, and I say no." She protested.
"As the father of our children I say yes. Please Cora, we'll all make it home. Keep the babies safe. Hold up in the house with our gun and protect the children. They need their Luna. And we need to get Durst back." I said. I could tell by the way her eyes swam, under her furrowed brow, that she was furious. That she was biting her tongue, perhaps literally.
She nodded, and I pressed my lips to hers, taking whatever tiny bit of peace from her kiss with me that I could. "I love you." She said shakily as she turned to leave with Owen.
"I love you Cora." I said, before turning my attention back to Durst, not wanting to watch her walk away, knowing we had to be apart. Knowing all I could do was pray she stayed safe, pray that no one was headed for the house, pray our Beta would take care of my mate -his sister, along with the others.
The five of us would have to figure this out, as humans. "We need to cause a distraction..."
"By 'cause a distraction" do you mean: dangle ourselves in front of them like bait- Sir?" Hunter asked with a nervous chuckle.
"I wouldn't say dangle per say, Hunt, but that's the general idea, yeah?" I said as I tried to chuckle, growing more worried at my brash decision than any other decision I've ever made. That is what's made me the alpha I am today; I follow my instincts. I can see the disorganization between these four rogues. I know they aren't against killing us in our human forms, but our kind didn't do that. We'd have to outsmart them.
"You all know the trail we take when we train our hardest? That goes up the mountain and loops back past the property line?"
"Yeah, fuck that trail, up holy shit mountain, and through the blue ball Rapids." Dylan whispered. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Durst named them- not me." He said in defense.
"We'll surround the group ahead, Sam I want you to stay here and lead the way out, keeping ahead of us. Dylan and Hunt flank the group on either side, and Leon... I need you to come out swinging through the middle with me. There's no guarantee Durst will know our plan. So my goal is to disable the gunman as long as possible. We'll all charge down the center with Sam ahead of us. Don't hesitate. Don't think. Just go. I'll be right there with you." I touched each of their shoulders, hoping above anything that I get to bring all of my brothers home safely, that they can see their wives, children, and siblings again, and that I can bring Durst my... -my sisters mate- home. "When you see me move out you run like hell boys." I said, as I returned Leon's anxiously determined grin with one of my own.
It felt like only seconds coming around the side of the clearing. I was on high alert, keeping certain care for any sounds around us, or any signs of alert from the four trying to coax Durst to stay put. I worried about wether or not they were waiting for someone else, but now it was too late to change plans. I tried to connect with Durst, let him know we were near, because that was about all I could communicate at this distance. I had underestimated him though, and I should have known, he was the best at it in the pack. His mood changed ever so subtly as he sensed me. His ears perked up, but he tried to play it off that he was still fighting to get out. Anyone's initial reaction is to stay wolf as long as possible, though, and I just hoped he would think quickly enough to go with the plan.
"NOW!" I yelled, and ran towards the group holding Durst, and everyone came rushing forward.
With Leon just behind me I charged as strongly as I could. The group cursed, reacting, and panicked- we were too close, too soon.
Just as I pulled back to swing at the gunman Durst changed into his human form.
"Go!" I yelled as Durst ran ahead of us, and Leon took one last punch at one of the rogues. My swing hadn't laid out the gunman, but he was hesitating, and we had no time.
Where we had originally spotted Durst we collected into our formation, Sam leading the way.
I was surprised I didn't hear a single gun shot, until I looked back to see them chasing, they were on for the hunt, and he was waiting for the right moment to shoot the close range weapon. "Faster!" I yelled at them all.
"Easy- for you- to say- Sir!" Durst yelled. "You're not holding your junk while you're running!"
"Durst-"
"Sorry Sir!" He laughed, just as we surged forward.
The first gun shot rang.
We pushed ourselves more.
I looked around at the others- no one had been hurt. "Don't slow down!" I yelled as we rounded towards the mountain. We had gained distance from them, but I could still hear them close behind. I didn't expect them to remain on our tail for long though. The trail Sam leads us up will lead up the mountain. The terrain is cross country and most of the trail is so steep that you have to know it to run up it. Parts of the trail are essentially boulder made steps. We knew it by heart though- and we were dame good at it. Durst would be the biggest issue, he doesn't have shoes.
"Run ahead," I yelled, as the trail began to narrow. "I'll keep them back if I have to-"
"Sir, you should let me run in the back-"
"No." I commanded as we kept our steady pace ahead of them.
"Sir you have Cora-"
"That's an order Leon!" I said, running to the back of the group. They hadn't gotten any further behind, and Durst was slowing us down.
Another shot was taken, and it was so loud it caused us all to run faster. We were near the river, if we could get there we have a much easier trail, we'll cut through the trees, and loose them.
A third shot rang out, then a fourth- they knew we were about to lose them. He had one- maybe two shots left before he'd have to reload. Now was our chance. We had a football field distance between us and them, and Sam was in the river, the others following him into the deep icy waters.
"Holy crap!" Durst yelled as he crossed the river, he always complains the most when we go through the waters here. His current state not helping. For a moment I paused to laugh at his dismay.
Then things started feeling odd.
Everything slowed, and the others flinched, as if from a loud noise, but I didn't hear anything. We kept running, but it felt like my feet were getting stuck in the soft clay of the river, and I couldn't keep up. Then Durst's face changed.
Just as soon as I started feeling sick from the sludgy feeling it all stopped. Like a cork being pulled, it all flowed quickly and suddenly.
"Danny!" Dylan yelled, running back for me through the water- it splashing wildly everywhere.
I looked to the same spot on my chest Leon was gaping at. "Oh shit..." I stammered, touching the blood on my shirt. The pain wasn't even there- it wasn't what caught me up- it was the bright red color against the white of my shirt, for some reason the colors threw me into a wave of realization.
I've been shot.
For a second I see my brother running towards me and it's slow again, sludgy, then the rush comes.
Except it isn't reality that rushes in, it's my short life.
My fathers face. My mothers. Walking for the first time. Being with my sisters in a meadow. A bonfire. My mother dying. Finding Cora. And then all I could think about was every thought and image of her. My wolf cried. I imagine my son walking into my arms while our wife helps our daughters cross a stream.
It feels so sudden, so quick, and I want more of it. It drifts out of sight, and I want to grasp at the edges to hold on. I feel the need to fight- not just for myself, but for my children, for her. For my family.
"Run! Go!" I yell.
"I'm not leaving you brother-"
"Leon, get him out of here-"
"No Danny-"
"Get out of here Dylan- it's an order!" I coughed out, the blood from my mouth falling into the icy waters below.
"Sir-"
"Hunt, I can't argue right now bud." I say with a chuckle and a grimace; I urged him to follow the others out of the waters. He was the runt of our group now, he'd give his life if I asked him to, but I wouldn't let any of them make that sacrifice. I am the Alpha. Like the Alpha's before me I have to give my all to protect them. Brian did it for me when Wade came, he put himself in front of a half dozen rogues and came out from it. I would do the same even if I don't.
I turned and rushed the gunman who had entered the water. He had dropped his gun, and toppled into two of the men behind him. The woman pushed them back, and the gunman lunged for my arm. A second man went for my other arm, but I dodged him by an inch, and lunged forward, throwing my head into the gunman's jaw. He stumbled away momentarily, and I took the chance to throw a swing at the other men, making contact with the one closest to me.
The motion had sent my head spinning, and I looked down at my wound instinctively. The colors got to me again, and my vision spotted. I took a deep breath, but it only made things worse. I took another swing at the gunman. I know I bought the others enough time to get home. I know Cora will be safe with the others, that she will protect the babies and herself.
I struggled with the gunman for a moment, before the loud, and sudden crack of my face hitting the river knocked the wind out of me.
The river took me under before I could react, and I pulled the gunman with me, but lost him as I was tossed by the rapids. There are no sounds now, only motions.
Everything slows down it seems as my back drags along the sandy river bed, and for a moment the cool river and the feel of the soft sand is comforting.
I can see my fathers face, and then my mothers. I see my sisters in the meadow. I see my world on fire. And then I see Cora. And she is light and she is fire... And all I see is her.