The room had frozen, no one dared move a muscle. Suddenly a shadow darted past Cassidy, towards Kelsey's body.
Just as Cassidy sucked in a breath to scream at the mystery intruder, she faltered and realised it was only J. Where she'd come from, Cassidy has no idea. She spared a glance behind her at the slightly ajar bathroom door and the tiny window in that room but shook her head. Trying to work out where J was and how she got to where you didn't know she was, simply wasn't worth it. That woman was all stealth and absolutely no subtlety.
"She's not dead." A lesser person might assume that was disappointment laced in J's voice, but Cassidy knew it was just how she reacted to situations like this.
Seeing Kelsey's immobile body on the floor sent Cassidy's heart plummeting to the floor. Panic gripped her entire body as she watched J's hands flutter over Kelsey's body looking for further injury.
Cassidy spared a glance at her pack and a small voice inside her reminded her that she needed to step up and be their alpha. They were scared, petrified and needed to know their alpha wasn't, even if Cassidy was shaken to her core, she couldn't let them see it.
"Wolfsbane. We need wolfsbane." She whispered as she stood and knelt beside Kelsey, as she slowly began to open her eyes, confusion clouding her innocent face. Cassidy brushed a strand of hair from Kelsey's face as a wave of relief flushed through her. She was ok. She was going to be ok. They were all going to be ok.
The others snapped out of their trance and rushed forwards, gently helping Kelsey to her feet and brushing her down, fixing her hair in the process.
None of them spoke of what they'd just witnessed, they'd all seen it before, yet every time it served as a brutal reminder of their shared history.
"We are going to have to give her wolfsbane. It's the only way." Kelsey groaned a no, pain lacing her words. Guilt bit at Cassidy, she knew it was an awful thing to have to give her, agony for a wolf as it would suppress her inner beast, but it was the only successful way they'd found of keeping Caine out of her mind.
At first, he'd done it all the time. Dropped into her mind on a whim, just to watch them all, unnerve them all. It had taken its toll on Kelsey again and again and again. Finally they found that wolfsbane would keep him at bay, but since they'd been running from their last safe place, they hadn't had access to it, it doesn't exactly grow everywhere these days.
"I'll go out and fetch some, I'm sure Doc will have it." Used for feral wolves, it could suppress even the most controlling of wolves. Cassidy ought to know. A shudder ran down her back but she shrugged it off, determined to keep her friend safe, no matter the cost.
Leaving her girls to tend to Kelsey, she turned and headed for Medical Centre, betting money she'd find Doc there.
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A/N
Hello
Shorter update today, with another one due at the weekend
Thanks for much for reading and to everyone who is voting/commenting and adding to reading lists - sorry I haven't had time to thank y'all individually but I really, really appreciate it! It always makes me want to write more :)
Anyway, have a great weekend everyone!
V_F