He heard her whimper under him and could smell the saltiness of her never-ending tears. The girl was scared; he was fully aware of that fact. He was barely holding himself up and knew that he couldn't do this for much longer. Konstantin wasn't begging to be set free; his wolf knew that if he shifted he would crush her. Between him and the rubble he protected her from, Van wasn't sure how he was going to get them out of this.
For the first time in his life, he was powerless. This was all he could do to keep her safe.
He grunted as the weight on his back started to send a searing pain through his entire body. His arms were tingling and threatened to go completely numb. He couldn't even move his head without little bits of brick and chipped rock falling onto the girl.
His breathing became heavier. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up until he felt a timid, soft hand touch his cheek. Looking down through the darkness, he could see her so clearly as she smiled up at him, giving him the motivation to keep going even if just for a little longer.
He knew the silent question she wanted to ask. "I'm fine," he growled. His voice was deeper, huskier, fooling no one that he was indeed struggling.
"Van," she whispered as she stroked his cheek with feather-like touches. "It's getting harder... to breathe..."
He hadn't noticed it, but the air was indeed getting denser. He could keep going like this until there was no oxygen left and stay conscious, but she would soon pass out, and that was where things would become dangerous.
He couldn't help but snap at her. "Don't you dare fall asleep, Aira."
Van was forced to stare down as her eyes brightened. "That's... the first time you... said my name." She tried to giggle but ended up coughing.
No, no, no. "It's hard. I know it's damn hard but stay awake," he commanded. He would not be protecting a dead body. He would not let her die in a place like this.
His throat made a low guttural sound as he asked, "What's the capital of Singapore?"
Her face, pale and sleepy, was laced with confusion as she answered hesitantly, "Singapore City?"
He grunted. "Your turn."
Finally, understanding washed over her. In their letters, they would ask quiz questions back and forth. It had stopped some time ago, but Aira had enjoyed it. She had even missed it.
"If a doctor gives you 3 pills... and tells you to take one pill every half hour, how long would it be before all the pills had been taken?" she asked. She tried not to gasp in-between sentences as best she could.
His answer was instant. "One hour. If you take a pill at one o'clock, then another at one-thirty, and the last at two o'clock, they will be taken in one hour."
She smiled up at him. "Your turn..."
It went on like this for some time back and forth until eventually, Aira had stopped responding, simply giving him a gentle sigh whenever he would ask a question.
He could hear her wheezing as she said, "I... know about my real... family..."
Van stiffened as she said this but gave no reply. He simply kept silent, carefully watching her as he had been for the time they'd been buried.
"I forgot... I sat in that cave... for two days... waiting for them to wake up... but they never... woke up..." Her voice cracked as she said this, and a tear slipped down her cheek. It was amazing after all that crying earlier that she still had some tears left.
That was something he didn't know or didn't wish to know. He had never thought much about what the child went through or how long she had stayed conscious before she finally fell asleep during that time. Even knowing the torment she must have endured, he refused to pity her, for Aira didn't need pity — she needed strength.
Silence followed for quite some time before Van finally noticed that the girl's eyes had closed. On the outside, he simply stared in what could only be described as terror, but on the inside, his emotions were churning.
"Aira!" he snapped.
She didn't even flinch. Her eyes stayed closed.
"Girl, wake up," he growled, trying once more to get her attention. He didn't get a response.
His heart, something he thought had stopped beating a long time ago, began to beat rapidly as he stared down at the almost lifeless girl.
Van, in desperation, contemplated shifting and letting Konstantin take over, although he knew the dangers.
It wasn't until he heard the digging above them that he felt a little hope reignite within himself.
*******
Jillian Wright stood among the hundreds of shocked humans and the building that was currently demolished. Dust still clouded the air as firefighters moved in with masks to protect their lungs from the debris. It was a horrible scene especially knowing that Van was trapped somewhere under the rubble with that human.
"Why would you risk your life for her, Van?" she whispered disdainfully to herself.
She knew the dark alpha was still alive. She could feel him as could any other shifter in the area. His energy was weak, but he was alive. That was all that mattered. What really truly puzzled the she-wolf was what drove him to run in there to save that little girl. She had thought with Van's departure that this silly venture had been over and done with.
The humans were slowly being evacuated from the lot by her father's team. As soon as they were gone, the rescue operation could commence. They needed shifters in their wolf forms to be able to get in quickly. With all this chaos, their sense of smell was at a great disadvantage in their natural states, but if they shifted, they could find Van easily enough and remove whatever was pinning him down.
"Father, will it be much longer?" she asked as Lucas came up behind her, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He knew she was worried.
He sighed, "They're going as quickly as they possibly can, Jill, but the paramedics can only cater to so many. We're moving everyone out as best we can at the moment."
Jillian's eyes swept over to Emma, who cried on her mate's shoulder. Emma knew as well as any of them that if Van was barely holding on, then there wasn't much hope for the girl. Either way, they'd both be dead within the hour when their oxygen ran out.
"How long do you think he has?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. It was her way of dealing with this anxiety. She had to stay calm for Van's sake.
Lucas Wright wasn't hopeful. "An hour, maybe. It depends on how deep he is."
Jillian huffed as she turned around and raised her hand to the men helping people get out of the vicinity. "Come on, move it!" she yelled. The humans seemed to usher faster from her booming voice.
At this rate, there wasn't much hope left to really hold on to.
*******
It had taken a good hour and a half, but the humans and reporters had been evacuated. Jillian's father had managed to persuade the fire and police department that special services were on scene and that they weren't needed. Although they agreed to leave, they left one officer on location to make sure everything was in order—Damien.
Jillian knew her father would breathe a sigh of relief that it was Damien and not some human ready to go crying into a corner. They only needed Drake right now to tend to Van and Aira. No one had to know the alpha and girl were still in there. It hadn't taken Jillian very long to persuade the principal and police chief that all the students were out safely.
Now, the real rescue operation could begin. Jillian turned to her father and with a curt nod, gave him the go ahead. Those who had shifted into their wolves rushed passed her, making her hair and jacket fly up with their speed, and dug through the debris trying to sniff out Van. They were larger, stronger and could move larger bits of the building with little to no effort.
"We have oxygen and medical supplies for when they're out," Drake muttered as he moved over to where Jillian stood.
The cold beauty simply shook her head. "If we get them out in time."
Drake, although feeling just as hopeless as the rest of them, smiled. "We can get this done a lot faster if—"
"Don't even think about it, Drake. We're already front page news with Ronan's giant screw up," she growled. The last thing she needed was another headache if someone noticed a wolf the size of a house digging through the rubble like he was looking for a bone.
She didn't like that grin. She didn't like it one bit.
"Drake..." she heard her father warn. Her father was just as nervous as she was.
He wouldn't do it. He couldn't be that stupid. He was a doctor for heaven's sake... and yet, that cocky smirk told her otherwise. He was basically telling her he was going to pull a Van. He was going to do what he wanted, no matter the repercussions.
"Oh, I'm thinking about it," he smirked before Jillian was forced to take a step back. Although Drake was only a beta, he was still a very powerful Lycan and would likely tear her apart if she tried to stop him mid-shift.
There was nothing she could do as Drake's bones began to snap and reshape. "Drake, stop it!" she snapped, ready to beg if she had to.
"Drake!" she heard Emma scream. Drake's mate ran to him, keeping at a distance, begging him not to do it. "Drake, please, I'm scared to, but don't do this!"
It was far too late as his Lycan began to take control. The wolves digging stopped what they were doing and watched in awe as Drake began to shift, growing much larger than they ever would. He let out deep, heavy grunts as he formed out fully.
Staring up at him, Jillian sighed heavily.
Lucas was the first to show his displeasure. "He can be just as stubborn as his brother, if not worse," he growled.
Jillian stayed silent as she watched Akim lower his head for his mate, something most high bloods did when in front of their other halves. She watched stoically as Emma smiled and touched his head gently, even moving in to place her cheek against his giant ear.
Akim's voice boomed through everyone's minds as he grunted, "It is good to be free... and to see you again, moya dusha, my soul."
Although Emma had just been sobbing, Jillian couldn't help but notice the tiny human smile through her tears. "I have missed you, Akim."
Emma's eyes, full of worry and a sadness Jillian could never comprehend, showed a small spark of hope as she stared into Akim's eyes. "Please find Aira and Van, Akim. Konstantin's in danger, and he needs help," she pleaded. Jillian wondered if that would help, given Akim and Konstantin's history.
Akim chuckled darkly. "The great Konstantin needs my services? How droll."
Jillian frowned. She was well aware that Akim was hostile towards Konstantin for what had happened in the past, which was why Van was nervous whenever Drake would let Akim out. The dark Lycan was eager to butt heads with Konstantin, and Konstantin was eager to knock back just as hard. No one ever dared to use Konstantin's name in the same sentence as Akim. That was just asking for trouble.
"Akim, our daughter is in there, and Van is our only hope. If you find him, you will find Aira," Emma snapped.
Akim's bright golden eyes seemed to darken. "I will do it for the girl. As Aiden is my pup, she is also mine, something I will knock into Konstantin when given a chance," he growled before swinging around and heading towards the collapsed building.
Emma's face dropped as she watched Akim trot away. "Don't you dare lay a claw on Van while Aira's with him, Akim!" she screamed, obviously frantic that the human girl would see what they truly were.
Jillian stood close to her father as everyone held their breaths, not knowing what would be found. Jillian could hear Emma praying silently to all that it wasn't the body of her daughter Akim pulled from the rubble.
Just as Akim's paw pulled back, removing one giant load of bricks and drywall, Van was freed, pulling the human's body with him as he held her to his chest. Emma let out a horrified cry, but Aiden held her back. From the looks of it, Jillian knew that Aiden was sheltering his mother.
The human wasn't moving.
*******
He kept holding on for Aira. He could feel his arms slipping and growled fiercely as he willed himself to keep fighting. He disregarded any danger to himself as he lowered his body just a little just so his mouth was down by Aira's ear. He needed her to come too. He needed to hear her voice. He needed her.
Panting heavily from that tiny bit of effort, he whispered, "Wake up." He didn't know what else to say. Van didn't know how to make her open her eyes.
As if she could feel him beside her, Aira's eyes fluttered open, although she looked as if she would go back to sleep any moment. He could feel her breaths on his cheek, giving him more than enough confirmation that she was indeed still breathing.
"Van..."
As soon as his name left her lips, the light started to stream in through the darkness. He watched eagerly as she took a deep breath of fresh air and coughed louder than she had the previous time. She was coughing so loudly he was afraid she would choke.
Van felt the weight on his body lift away and almost instantly his strength started to return to him as Konstantin came alive after being dormant. In one quick swoop, Van lifted himself and Aira up, pulling the girl up as fast as he could so that she wouldn't further injure herself.
She coughed violently she clutched his shirt, taking in as much air as she possibly could. Van held her close, letting her wrap her arms around his neck as she whimpered into him. However, he was too busy glaring up at the wolf that had saved them.
He had not expected Akim to be the one to save him although the alpha was fairly sure Akim had come to save the girl — Drake's daughter. Van never even said a word as he started to walk towards the group of shifters waiting in safety. He had expected that the humans would be sent away.
He kept hold of Aira's head as he gently held her face against him, knowing she would not have a very good reaction to seeing all these wolves surrounding them. Akim came closer as if to inspect the girl, and Van couldn't help the warning growl that erupted from his throat.
Akim looked displeased as he said, "Let me check my pup, before I rip your head off."
Van couldn't help the dark scowl that crossed his face. He tried to keep his voice low as he replied, "For my brother's sake, I will let that slide, Akim." He kept his voice low so that the girl in his arms wouldn't stir to see what was happening.
It seemed he couldn't keep her in the dark forever as Aira forced her head back to see what was speaking. The voice was so low and so deep; he shouldn't have been surprised by her curiosity.
"Yob," Van swore as he felt the dark-haired girl stiffen in his arms as she stared wide eyed at Akim.
Van looked up as Emma came rushing over to them, cupping Aira's face as she kissed her forehead. "Oh Aira, I-I... Are you okay? No, are you both okay?" She sobbed hysterically, which only made Van more irritable as he noticed the girl's expression turn from horror to confusion.
It seemed a second glance at Akim was too much to bear as she promptly passed out in his arms, causing Emma to scream and Akim to nearly take his head off getting to the girl.
Van jumped back and sighed as he pulled her closer. They needed to get her to the hospital before he sprayed Akim's blood over the entire area.