Alex's car weaved through cars at a speed that would have certainly caused him to lose his licence if there had been any cops in the area. They made their way quickly down the main roads, cursing every red light. The car was silent, Carter was in the passenger seat, tapping his fingers against the dashboard nervously with one hand and the other was holding his cell to his ear, ringing Roxy every two minutes, hoping and praying that she was fine, that they had been wrong and that there was no problem.
Carter could see that Alex was clenching the wheel so tight that his knuckles were a ghostly white and his face was full of determination with the slightest bit of desperation at the edges. Carter knew that Alex cared about Roxy, maybe even as much as he himself cared about her. The three of them were best friends for as long as he could remember, and when Alex pulled away from him, he pulled away from her too.
Archer was in the backseat, and had been mainly silent for the short journey, but suddenly Carter could hear him talking into his phone. "Cole, you better not do anything stupid, call me, now," he said, hanging up.
"What if he has already turned her?" Carter wondered out loud and he heard Alex growl in the back of his throat.
"Then we will deal with it, but there's still a chance that he hasn't."
Carter huffed exasperatedly. "What do you mean, deal with it? Take her to Italy with you guys, and what? I never see her again? She has to leave her family, her friends, her life?" Roxy was one of the few people that Carter had left, and if she and Alex left him, he had no idea what he would do. He would be completely alone in this world.
"Let's just wait and see okay?" Archer interjected. "We will know soon."
The three of them focussed on the road, knowing that in a few minutes they would get there. Carter resumed his anxious finger tapping against the dash and he called her again, getting the familiar sound of her voice telling him to leave a message.
"Left here," Carter told Alex as they were approaching the street, and Alex turned the car down the narrow street.
"Which building is it?" Alex asked, and Carter looked around the street. There were four apartment buildings along the street, and he looked for the name which Sam had given him, Flame tree Apartments. He assumed that it was the building which features large, red trees out along the perimeter, and as they got closer he could see a sign that told him it was definitely the right one.
"This one." Carter pointed towards it, and the car turned left into the parking area for the apartments, stopping abruptly at a strange angle which was definitely not between the lines.
The three of them leapt from the car and ran into the building, stopping when they found the elevators. "Which floor?" Archer asked and Carter pressed the button for the fifth floor.
"Fifth floor, apartment 505."
Carter would later say that the elevator ride was the longest that he had ever experienced in his life and that it was in severe need of an upgrade if it was going to be that slow, however, in reality, it had only taken them less than ten seconds to reach the fifth floor.
They basically ran once the elevator doors opened and stopped only when they reached the door, whose sign read Apartment 505 in large, block letters on the door. The hallway that they were in was quite narrow, the walls painted a strange colour that was between white and yellow, but not quite a cream colour. There would have been at least ten apartments on the level, and Carter was thankful that they were able to find it quite quickly. Archer reached out to knock, but Alex's hand flew out, catching Archer's fist before it hit the wall.
"What?" Archer huffed, shaking off Alex's grip on his hand.
"What if he panics and bites her?" Alex suggested and it made sense.
"What do we do?" Carter asked Alex. "There's a key under the mat if we want to go in without them hearing us?"
Alex looked at Carter. "You stay in the hall, and come in only when we tell you? Okay?"
Carter felt almost betrayed that Alex would ask that of him. "What? You want me to stay in the hall? My best friend is in there!" he pointed towards the door with an accusatory finger. "Archer?" he turned his gaze to Archer, hoping that he would be on his side.
"As much as I hate to say it, little one here is right, if Roxy has been bit she might be in her wolf form and she won't be able to control herself this early and you won't be able to protect yourself from her," he said, bending down and collecting the key from under the dark mat which lay on the floor.
"You come get me the moment that you find her, okay?" He demanded, not speaking to any one of the two in particular.
They both nodded, and as Archer pressed the key into the door, Carter turned to Alex. "Cole won't hurt you, will he?" The question came out sounding much more vulnerable than he intended.
"I'll be fine," Alex told him, reaching across and squeezing Carter's arm comfortingly.
Carter stood next to the wall and watched the two of them silently entering the apartment. The door closed behind them and it was suddenly silent and lonely in the hallway.
Carter hoped that Cole and Roxy were both just in the apartment, watching old movies and eating popcorn, but the pooling of worry and fear in his gut told him that it was an unlikely scenario. The moments seemed to drag on and on, and Carter knew only thirty seconds had past but it felt like hours of being in the void, hours and hours of just waiting to see what the future held for someone who he held close to his heart.
The waiting was excruciating and the quiet allowed for Carter's thoughts to bounce off of the corners of his mind, was she alright? Was Alex ok? Why couldn't he hear anything? Why was this taking so long?
His brain told him to stay in the hall, that Alex and Archer were capable people, that they would come get him when they knew it was safe, but Carter's body moved on its own accord and opened the apartment door.
He stepped inside, and the apartment was clean, quite bare except for some basic appliances and furniture. The walls were all painted a sickly white colour and there were two windows which should have been letting light into the large open planned room, but window shades covered the glass, dimming the room significantly. No one was in the kitchen or living room that he could see.
He could hear voices, murmurs of words that he couldn't quite make out. He turned towards the noises and saw that they must have been coming from behind the door at the end of the room, which he assumed would lead to the bedroom.
He stepped closer to it and the closer he got, the more clearly he could hear voices. He kept his footsteps light, listening to what was being said.
"Come on Cole, she's human, it's not up to you to decide this, she wants to stay human," the voice was Archers.
"And how many people have we unwillingly changed to expand our pack?" Cole retorted.
"Cole, think rationally about this, Alpha won't be happy with you if you expand his pack without permission." That was Alex, Carter would know that low, husky voice anywhere.
He was standing at the door now, only one move from opening the door, but he froze, he wasn't sure what he would find it he pushed the door open all the way. The door was already slightly ajar, a sliver of light coming from it, and he tried to look through it, but all he could see was the wall.
"What are you talking about? What's going on?" That voice, that was Roxy, and he could tell just by her tone how scared she was, how confused.
"Roxy," Cole started, but Carter pushed open the door, needing to be there for his friend, he had to help and standing behind a door wasn't helping at all.
Carter pushed open the door quickly and four sets of eyes looked at him, different expressions in each pair. Cole looked surprised, he obviously wasn't expecting Carter to be there as well. Cole was standing next to a bed, his arms spread out slightly as if he was trying to keep Archer and Alex away from it.
Archer looked frustrated that Carter hadn't stayed in the hall. Archer and Alex were both standing against the wall parallel to the one with the bed pushed up to it, and they stood next to a group of boxes which were laying haphazardly on the ground.
The last person who he saw was Roxy herself, the girl was sitting up on the edge of the bed, one hand on her ankle, where Carter could see a set of handcuffs had been placed. She looked somewhat relieved to see him, but she looked terrified and worried all at the same time.
"Go back in the hall," Archer told him sternly, anxiety clear on his face. This wasn't a situation that he wanted Carter to be in.
Carter ignored him, taking a cautious step towards Cole."Let her go Cole, come on, I know that you love her, and I know that she loves you too, but this isn't the right way, forcing her into a life she knows nothing about."
"What are you talking about?" Roxy interjected desperately from the bed.
Everyone ignored her, and Carter took another step towards Cole, and the next set of movements all happened faster than he could even realise what was happening. All that Carter knew was that in the next second, he was pressed up against Cole's chest, one hand on his arm and another on his head, tilting it to the side and exposing his neck.
"No!" Alex growled out, and he and Archer both growled in the back of their throats.
Carter stayed very still, only moving his head slightly to get a better look at Cole, and what he saw sent shivers running down his spine. Cole's eyes were almost black, with large pupils and his teeth had extended into almost fangs. Carter could feel Cole's fingernails grow, the nails cutting into the delicate skin of his neck and upper arm which were holding him still.
"We can change them both," Cole said. "Why don't you want this too? We can turn them both and we can all go home, together. It will be perfect."
"Let Carter go," Alex commanded in his strong and powerful voice. "Let him go, now."
Archer only growled again.
Cole looked down and met Carter's gaze. "It will only hurt for a moment," he said, as if those words were going to soothe his sweaty palms and racing heartbeat. Just as his head ducked down, just as he was only a moment away from digging his sharp teeth into Carter's pale flesh, her voice rung out.
"No! Whatever you want, I'll do it! Willingly!" Roxy screamed. "Let him go and I will go with you to Italy, I promise!"
Cole pulled away, retracting his teeth, and he threw Carter to the ground.
Most of the force was taken by his wrist and his hip as he fell onto the hard ground, letting out a whimper as he felt his wrist snap. The snap was audible, a high pitched sound that bounced around his mind as he winced at the pain that radiated through his wrist and up his forearm.
He ignored the pain and looked up to see that Cole was getting onto the bed, slowly making his way towards Roxy. Cole couldn't turn Roxy, Carter wasn't going to allow it! Roxy didn't know what she was agreeing to. Archer and Alex seemed to be frozen, not sure what to do. By the time they started to move it seemed like they were moving in slow motion while Cole was moving a thousand times faster, already so close to Roxy.
"No!" he screamed out harshly and just for a second he and Roxy made eye contact, two sets of wide, scared eyes looked at each other.
The next moments seemed to happen in slow motion as Cole lifted his other leg, trying to get onto the bed, Archer suddenly appeared out of nowhere, something golden in his hand and just as Cole got onto the bed, Archer brought the golden object down onto his head.
Roxy screamed as Cole fell down onto the ground with a large thump, a golden candlestick landing next to his head.
"Carter!" suddenly Alex was right in front of him, looking over his body for visible injuries. Carter attention moved from Cole to Alex and he could see the panic and worry in Alex's expression.
"I'm okay," Carter told him, trying to get up, but wincing as he moved his wrist slightly.
"What hurts?" Alex asked, hands on his arms to keep him from hurting himself further
"My wrist," Carter said, using his other hand to hold it.
Alex's expression deepened into slight anger and he shot a detesting glance at Cole's unconscious figure on the floor next to them. Alex used his strength to lift Carter off the floor and set him down on the ground without him having to move his other hand from cradling his wrist.
"Thank you," Carter said, then he looked down at Cole on the ground. "Is he going to be okay?"
"He's passed out but his heart and breathing sound okay, he should be fine," Alex said and the slight anger in his tone suggested to Carter that maybe Alex would have been more happy in that moment had Cole had been dead or having some sort of pulmonary issue, as some sort of justice or revenge, he wasn't sure which.
"Carter!"
Carter looked over to the bed, where he saw that Archer had just gotten the cuff off from around Roxy's ankle and she was making her way over to him. The girl was shaking as she wrapped her arms around Carter, burying her face into his neck. The hug moved his wrist a bit and he tried to keep a grimace off his face as he rested his head against hers, trying to hug her back as much as he could without using his arms. He was eternally grateful that she was safe, and it relieved him greatly that she had gotten out of this completed unscathed, well, maybe not completely, her heart had gone through some damage, but Carter knew that she would bounce back, that he would be there to help her. The hug lasted longer than he expected and he realised that Roxy was probably still scared and confused.
Alex growled next to him and it sounded an awful lot like jealousy. Carter sent him a warning look, and he hoped that it said there's no need to be jealous you stupid wolf. Then Roxy pulled away and he noticed that the girl was only in her underwear and he understood the growl more.
Archer was standing next to Roxy now, looking to the ground where an unconscious Cole still lay, "I knew that he was possessive in a relationship but this was too close, I'm sorry Roxy."
Archer actually sounded sincere as he shook his head towards his unconscious friend.
Roxy nodded, but didn't say anything. Carter felt for his best friend, from what Roxy had said, it sounded like she really had liked Cole, and now she was left heartbroken and confused. He guessed that he would probably have to tell her about werewolves now, giving her an actual explanation of sorts for this situation.
"Are you ok?" Roxy asked, looking at Carter's hand which was supporting his wrist.
"I'm fine," Carter lied, caring more about Roxy than himself in that moment. "Are you ok?" Carter asked and Roxy nodded.
"You are not ok, I'm taking you to the emergency room," Alex interjected, his tone making sure that everyone knew that it was a command opposed to a question.
Archer nodded. "Take him to the ER and I'll take care of Roxy and Cole, make sure she gets home safe and give him a proper talking to when he wakes up. We will have to leave tomorrow, make sure that this doesn't happen again." He shook his head in disappointment in his friend.
Tomorrow? Alex would be leaving tomorrow?
For a few moment Carter had almost been able to forget what he knew the future held for him an Alex, and when he realised it hit him like a sixteen wheeler. Sadness and heartbreak overwhelmed Carter for a few moments, and he had to blink rapidly to clear the tears forming in his eyes. He told himself to keep it together, that everyone was safe, that everything was going to be fine, but then he made eye contact with Alex.
He looked into Alex's grey eyes and saw that he too was feeing pre-emptive grief towards their separation. Alex's expression was hard, but Carter knew him well enough to see past that and he could tell that Alex was just as upset as he was.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he unconsciously relaxed the hand which was holding his wrist still and the slight movement caused him to groan out in pain.
Alex's hand was on his back protectively in a second and he turned towards Archer and Roxy, "Okay, are you alright with that Roxy?"
The girl nodded. "Yeah, and maybe on the ride home someone," she angled her head towards Archer, "can explain this whole mess to me."
Carter felt somewhat relieved when Archer nodded, knowing that he wouldn't have to be the one to tell her about the existence of supernatural creatures. He would have no idea how he would even explain something like that well enough that she would actually believe him.
"Let's go," Alex told Carter, but before they could leave Archer stepped forwards and called out to Alex, "Alex, can I talk to you in the hall before you leave?"
Alex nodded.
"I'll wait by the car," Carter told Alex as the three of them walked into the hallway. Carter walked slowly as he left, hoping to catch some fragments of their conversation, but they were speaking too low for him to hear, so he made his way towards the elevator.
Alex waited until Carter was out of sight before turning to Archer. "What?"
Alex was surprised to see that Archer actually had an expression on his face that resembled a mixture of guilt and sadness, and he ran a nervous hand through his hair before he answered him. "You really love him, don't you?"
That certainty wasn't what he was expecting Archers reply to be. He had expected him to want to be ready to leave for Italy straight away, or some request about Cole, but asking whether he loved Carter seemed to be a strange question.
"Yeah, I do," he told Archer, and he suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for him. Archer had never been particularly nice to him, but in the time that he had known him, Archer had only really had a couple of friends, he had no family and the pack had become his entire life. He didn't think that Archer had ever really been in a relationship before and he could tell that Archer wasn't bluffing about having feelings for Carter, it wasn't love, but Archer felt something for Carter, and Archer probably felt again like he was losing to Alex.
Archer bit at his lower lip, muttering something to himself.
"What?" Alex asked, hoping to hurry up this conversation, knowing that an injured Carter was waiting for him downstairs.
"Will you be good to him?" Archer asked quietly.
"How can I when I will be halfway across the world?" Alex asked somewhat sarcastically, but the words stuck home for him.
Archers face changed from emotion to emotion, and Alex couldn't decipher what was going on. It looked as if Archer was trying to make his mind up about something. Finally, Archer looked him in the eyes. "You aren't going to Italy."
"Really?" Alex asked with wide, confused eyes. He wondered what Archer meant, of course he was going to Italy, he didn't want to, but his opinion was never of any value when it came to the orders of the packs Alpha.
"You are needed here. Carter needs you, your friends need you," Archer told him, and it almost seemed painful the way that Archer spoke the words, and Alex wondered if Archer had ever really felt to be needed, if that was why he was so opposed to Alex being stronger than him, because the pack was the only thing that needed him in his life. He didn't have anything else.
Alex knew that he couldn't ask Archer to go against his orders. Archer wasn't the type of person to do that under any circumstances. "It's Alpha's orders, I wish I could stay, believe me I do, but I can't. What about the pack wars, the pack is too weak."
"Let me handle that, we will be alright, having you would have helped but you are needed here."
Alex shook his head. "Alpha won't just accept that you let me stay, you know that."
"I'll tell him that you died," Archer stated simply. "Car accident. You were the only fatality. The Alpha won't go looking for a dead man, especially if it's confirmed by his beta."
Alex was in shock. "You would do that for me? You would lie to the Alpha?"
Archers face turned sober and he spoke in a voice filled with more emotion than Alex had heard in anything that he had said before. "No, I wouldn't do that for you, but I would do it for Carter."
The pain in Carter's wrist was becoming unbearable, and he blinked back pain filled tears as he waited for Alex in the parking lot. He had his back pushed up against Alex's car as he cradled his injured wrist in his hand. The delicate skin had almost doubled in size, and every movement seemed to cause more pain.
He was focused on his wrist, looking at it as if it would heal quicker if he concentrated on it when arms wrapped around him from the side, and soft lips were pressed to his forehead. He looked at Alex, a question in his look, but Alex only nodded towards the car.
"Let's get you to the ER," he told Carter as he opened the passenger door for him.
What do you guys think? Anyone have a renewed love for Archer for letting them stay? What did you guys predict would happen?