Before you read, I feel I should explain that this chapter is meant to be quick-paced. It created it as if there's a sense of urgency which, seeing as what's to come and what has happened, there is. Also, for all of you Jagger fans, he's in the entire chapter! So please read and enjoy!
Jagger was eating when he heard the screams. He groaned, standing up.
"Don't go," his breakfast pouted, and he gave her a glance.
Blood dripped down the side of her neck and he licked his lips. She wasn't the best he'd ever had but she was the only one who was desperate enough and he was feeling lazy.
"Duty calls," he cleaned his chin. "Just uh, throw a scarf on and call it a day."
She scoffed, "It's a hundred degrees outside!"
"I never said you had to wear anything else," he stated matter-of-factly and then he was out the door.
With fresh blood coursing through him, he sped through the town like a blur.
"WOLFSBANE!"
Leanna's voice carried through the air and his eyes widened. He forced himself to move faster, dodging branches and jumping over fallen trees. It took him five minutes to reach the pack house and when he burst through the front door, he was hit with the smell of blood. He nearly choked on the bitterness of it and followed it to the kitchen.
Phoenix was on his knees, doubled over and gasping. Blood dribbled down his chin and shirt as he choked, clawing at his throat.
"Blowjob from hell, huh?" Jagger joked but rushed over to him, grabbing a roll of napkins.
"Fuck...you!"
Jagger shrugged, "Now's not really an appropriate time."
"Go...to...Lena!" He spat out, coughing.
"I'm not just gonna let you die. I'm not an asshole!" He muttered and sliced a line down his wrist.
He bled slowly, and he moved it to Phoenix's mouth, "Drink."
Phoenix gave him a murderous glare, "GO!"
"Jeez," he stood up, the cut healing. "Such a man."
Then he zipped to Leanna, his eyes landing on Sophie. Her skin was heavily burned, and she was sobbing in pain.
"She's not healing!" The Luna cried, cradling the girl.
His nonchalant demeanor quickly disappeared, and concern clouded his eyes. He knelt by Sophie, slowly grabbing her from Leanna's arms. The girl screamed from the movement, her eyes red.
"A-Am I d-dying?' She wept, looking up at him.
"Not any time soon, sweetheart," he assured her, then he bit into his wrist, pressing it against her lips.
She hesitated before slowly beginning to drink. His blood was seductive and smooth, and she let out a moan, drinking deeper. Her body relaxed in his arms, the burns, and sores healing before their eyes. When she was fully recovered, he removed his arm and she gave him a small smile, her eyes closing.
Leanna let out a shaky breath and sat back, rubbing her head.
"Thank you," she murmured quietly.
Jagger gave her a cheeky smile, "Just your friendly neighborhood vampire."
He set Sophie on the bed and sat beside Leanna, the two sitting in silence for a moment.
"So uh, are you just going to let your guy choke to death or...?"
"SHIT!"
Leanna shot up and stormed into the kitchen. Phoenix was leaning against the counter, coughing.
"I'm so sorry! Sophie was in the shower and she was burned all over and then Jagger gave her blood and I'm so sorry!" She let out in one breath, rushing to him.
"I'm fine, Lena," he reassured her, kissing her head. "We need to..." he let out a violent cough. "...warn everyone. The water's tainted." Grabbing the beer on the counter, he took a giant swig.
"That's an uh, interesting choice," Jagger mused, leaning against the counter.
"It's all that was in the fridge," Phoenix retorted, cleaning his mouth.
Setting down the bottle, he let out a deep breath and opened his mind to the entire pack.
No one use the well water. It's been poisoned with wolfsbane.
Then, in a separate mindlink for Maire, Sean, and Becca, he told them to meet him in his office for an emergency meeting.
"I got a mouth full of ass water this morning. Who the hell needs to die!" Gemma stormed into the house, her voice echoing.
"Ass is not meant to drink," Jagger commented when she walked into the kitchen, Sebastian trailing behind her.
"Shove it, vampire!" She snapped.
"Tempting," he winked.
"You two are like fucking 12 year olds," Phoenix interrupted them. "Make another fucking comment."
Leanna's eyes widened and Gemma growled, "Don't threaten me, Thaddeus."
His eyes flashed, "You're not off the hook yet, Gemma Mae."
She took a step forward, but Sebastian caught her arm, pulling her back, "Not the time," he whispered.
"Don't play the hero," she remarked icily.
"Can I make some popcorn?" Jagger whispered to Leanna, his eyes wide with excitement.
"Is everything a joke to you?" Phoenix turned his glare on Jagger who shrugged nonchalantly,
"Most of the time."
Leanna watched the three bicker back and forth, Phoenix's wolf peeking out and Gemma becoming increasingly agitated. Jagger was simply egging them on like the sadist he was.
"STOP!" Leanna's voice had deepened, and their eyes snapped over to her.
"Hon, your eyes are glowing again," Gemma's voice had gone soft, like a croon.
"Lena, are you okay? You need to relax," Phoenix urged her, taking a step forward.
She let out a laugh but didn't say anything. Her whole body was heating up and she was doing everything not to lose control and set the whole house ablaze.
"You two were ready to rip each other's throat out so don't tell me to calm down. We've got a pack to worry about and a fucking traitor to find. Because unless Rick snuck onto the land, located the very hidden well, and poisoned it, it was one of ours. So how about you both get your shit together?" She let out a deep breath, her hands shaky.
"Alpha?" Maire walked into the kitchen, catching everyone's attention. "Is uh, everything okay in here?"
Phoenix cleared his throat, "Yes, Maire. Find Becca and Sean and meet me in my office, please."
She nodded, "Becca's right behind me. I'm having a little trouble connecting to Sean."
"Fuck," he ran a hand down his face. "Alright, Gemma, I'll argue with you later. Jagger, go...find someone to suck on, whatever you do. Lena, let's go."
He walked out of the room without a second glance and Gemma turned to Leanna, irritated,
"I've literally begged his forgiveness and he wants to act like that? You're the Luna, talk some sense into him!"
"Gem, I'm sorry. He just needs some space. The poisoned water isn't helping matters," Leanna explained, grabbing a drink from the fridge.
She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she walked out of the kitchen. Sebastian shot them an apologetic look as he followed behind her, the front door slamming shut with an echo.
Leanna let out a breath, rubbing her eyes, "You ever feel like running away?"
Jagger chuckled, "I've done it plenty of times. Running from your problems is fucking great. What do you think I've been doing for the last two centuries?"
She dropped her hands, "Do you ever get tired of it?"
His smile slowly fell, a sadness filling his eyes, "Every day."
Leanna reached out, wrapping her arms around his waist. He squeezed her tightly, licking his lips. The swirl of memories came rushing down on him and he wasn't in the mood to deal with his own emotions.
"Come on, girly. You've got work to do," he smiled as he pulled away, kissing her head.
She gave him a curious look, "You never talk about your past."
He smiled, "No depressy right now. You've got enough on your plate."
"Alright, fine. I'll drop it. For now. Come on," she kissed his cheek and pulled out of the kitchen and down the hall, following the sound of Phoenix's angry voice.
.
.
"I'M GOING TO RIP HIS FUCKING HEART OUT!"
Phoenix had destroyed his office, the wood from the desk and glass from the window cluttering the floor. Becca and Maire were equally mad but not as violent. Though Becca was sporting a look in her eye that she only got when she was ready to torture.
Phoenix's eyes had begun to glow gold and his fangs had come out, his chest heaving hard.
"When I find that sniveling little piece of shit, I'm going to fucking ruin him!"
"For such a baddy, you really have shitty patrol," Jagger mused as he poured himself a drink.
"Do not fucking start, Cromwell! I will not hesitate to stab you right now," Phoenix growled, and Jagger dropped the bottle, his eyes narrowing.
"Is that a challenge?"
"No it's not. Jagger sit down. Phoenix, stop threatening your friends!" Leanna spat harshly, glaring at him.
"Okay, we all need to take a breath," Maire stepped forward, her dark eyes landing on Phoenix. "Alpha, I understand you are upset but we can't bring violence into this."
His fist flew into the wall, dust flying around him, "I really fucking regret that rule right now. FUCK!"
His fists continued to fly into the wall until his knuckles were bloody. The only sound were his screams and growls and he went on for a full ten minutes until he'd tired himself out. His hands rested on his knees and was breathing hard.
"I know what'll work," Jagger piped up and Phoenix glanced over at him.
"Care to share with the class?" He raised an eyebrow, his voice raw.
He nodded, took in a deep breath, and then opened his mouth, "IMOGEN!"
All four wolves cringed, holding their ears. Before they could say a word, the witch appeared, holding a glass in her hand.
"This better be good," she paused, her violent eyes sweeping across the room and landing on Jagger. "Mm, my favorite vampire."
Jagger gave her a cheeky grin, "You haven't aged a day, you beautiful bitch."
She shrugged with a smile, "Neither have you, you handsome little devil."
"Can we just, please, the flirting," Phoenix gagged, shuddering. "Aren't you old enough to be his grandmother?"
Imogen gave him a scathing look, "Don't talk about a woman's age. What are you, an animal?" She tilted her head, "Actually, on second thought..."
"Why did you call her?" Leanna interrupted.
The witch turned her eyes on the Luna, "You've been skipping out on your training."
"Well, I've been a little busy," she opened her arms, sweeping it across the room.
"Right," Jagger wrapped his arm around Imogen's shoulder. "My dear Immy, Phoenix here has a little problem. It appears his Delta has disappeared and with him, three Omegas. Also, the water is tainted with wolfsbane. Can you do your witchy thing?" He shook his fingers in her face and she huffed.
"So you call me here, out of the blue, for a favor?" She crossed her arms in contempt.
He nodded, "Pretty much, yeah."
"Wolf," she turned to Phoenix. "What happened?"
"I have a name as I'm sure you're aware of," he muttered as he stood up.
Imogen scoffed, "And I'm not going to waste my energy on it. Now, what do you need?"
He rolled his eyes so hard, they were white for a few seconds, "I need to know which way they went. Patrol couldn't pick up their scent at all, so it must've been masked. I need it to be unmasked so I can follow them and brutally murder them."
"You Alphas only ever think with your fists or dicks, huh?" Imogen commented, waving off his reaction. "Fine, I'll help you. But I only want the girl and Jagger. Your energy is far too unfocused."
Before he could say another word, she grabbed Jagger and Leanna's wrists and disappeared.
.
.
They appeared in the forest, Imogen's eyes scanning the area.
"I can smell the magic," she started, walking off in a random direction.
"You can smell it?" Leanna questioned, intrigued.
The witch nodded, "Yes. Magic has a very faint smell. Like lavender and burnt sage. But every witch and warlock has an extra smell that allows their magic to stick out. Mine is honey. This one is," she paused, taking in a deep breath.
Her eyes darkened, "Ginger. Of course."
Leanna's eyes furrowed, "Who is it?"
"Valentina," Imogen turned her gaze on Jagger who let out a dry chuckle.
"Of course. It seems I can't rid myself of that infection."
"Uh, can someone tell me who she is?"
"A cold-hearted bitch with a magical snatch," Jagger answered bluntly.
Imogen rubbed her forehead, "Valentina is a stain on this earth. One I cannot seem to remove. If she's aligned herself with your enemy, your troubles are going to get a lot worse. Where is the well?"
"This way," Leanna responded quietly.
She led them further into the forest, her mind swirling with information. They had a witch on their side and had been able to leave without arousing suspicion. What if Rick was able to sneak onto their land? Why hadn't he yet? It would've made things so much easier for him, if he just came, hid his scent, and killed her.
He wants to taunt you, her wolf told her.
I know.
When they reached the well, Imogen placed her hand on it, whispering softly. It was a different language, one Leanna didn't recognize. Several moments later hand began to glow, and the water below began to crackle and pop.
"It's clean," she announced.
The water is clean, Leanna sent out to the entire pack.
"Now, what else did you need?" She gave Leanna a pointed look.
"Are you able to break the spell and reveal their scent? If someone else was with them, it could help us figure out who they are or if they're rogue."
"I can try but it's not easy. Nothing ever is when it comes to Valentina," she explained and then closed her eyes.
Jagger moved to stand beside Leanna, slinging his arm around her shoulders, "Are you okay?"
She nodded, "Just peachy."
He snorted but didn't press it. She leaned her head on his shoulder, her body exhausted. She had gotten any sleep in nearly twenty-four hours though she didn't want to complain when she was comforting Phoenix. He needed her and she wanted to be there for him.
"I did it."
Imogen had a confused look on her face, her eyes looking around. Leanna took in a deep breath, catching the all too familiar scents of Sean, Olivia, Jack, and Maya. There was a fifth smell and, though familiar, she couldn't quite pinpoint who it belonged it to.
"Valentina is far too smart to create a spell that easy to break," Imogen muttered to herself as the three made their way back.
Phoenix stood by the edge of the trees as they neared the house. Beside him was Maire, Becca, and Sophie. Leanna smiled at the sight, glad to see that her friend was healed and feeling better.
Friend.
The smell tugged at the strings of her memory. Her mind wandered back to Vincent's pack, to the happy days. Her adoptive parents, Brandon, Elena, and...
"Addie."
Her name sent a pain through her chest as she placed where she knew the smell from. She took off running to Phoenix, tears burning in her eyes. But she wasn't sad. Far from it. Anger was circulating through her body and when she reached him, the tears of betrayal were dripping down her cheeks.
"It was Addie."
Phoenix scrunched his face, "Addie?"
Leanna let out a shaky breath, fire dancing in her eyes, "Addie was someone I unfortunately called a friend. Imogen broke the spell hiding their scent and Addie's is all over this place. Sean is working for Rick."
What do you think? Please vote and comment, I'd love to know your thoughts! I am in the process of writing the next chapter and it should hopefully be up in the next couple days if not sooner!