Storm's pov
"No! No! This can't be happening! Not again!"
That was what Selena kept on screaming out when she dropped to the ground beside Jay whilst carefully cradling him in her arms with tears streaming down her face.
I stay rooted to my spot, still trying to understand what I just saw. It suddenly happened so fast that Artemis couldn't even stop it.
Dread fills me up watching Jay struggle in her arms.
Move Storm! Damn it move!
There are whispers all around me but the only thing I can see is my friend convulsing on the ground, his face scrunched up in pain and his breathing heavy and short as he tries to gasp for air.
A warm palm suddenly cups my cheeks, shifting my gaze from the scene in front of me.
"I need to you stay with me." A soft voice murmurs lowly and I can only stare blankly, the sound of my pounding heart ringing loudly in my ear and blocking out every thought.
My brows furrow, I clench my jaw and my fingers dig deep into my clenched fist. Jay.....my heart aches at the thought of losing my friend.
I couldn't even save him.
"He's not dead Storm but if we don't get him out of here, he will be." The soft voice says again.
He's not dead, is the only sentence that keeps on repeating in my head and that pulls me out of my trance.
I notice Artemis staring at me with a worried gaze and I subtly nod my head letting her know it's fine but really it's not.
She gives me a skeptical look but decides to ignore it and focus her attention on a weeping Selena.
"We need to get Esme right now." She says and Selena raises her teary gaze to watch Artemis. My breath hitches in my throat at the dark eyes staring back at her that look seemingly dead in an instant.
"Don't come anywhere near us." Selena sneers, flashing her canines that have elongated at Artemis but the latter ignores her and walks closer.
Right now there's nothing I can do but stay where I am because even I can sense the sudden change in Selena. Just then, Ollie rushes out with Sunny and a sober looking Lyle.
Upon seeing Jay lying in a pool of blood, Lyle falters in his step, staggering back and leans on the wall for support. He looks on with a terrified gaze and I can see the way tears have instantly gathered in his eyes.
"Jay...."Sunny trails off and I clench my fist, looking away to hide the pain and anger. This is all my fault.
"Ollie get Selena away from her mate."
Ollie doesn't say anything and quickly grabs a thrashing Selena away from Jay.
"Let me go!!! Let me go this instant Ollie." She screams out hysterically, her voice sounding deeper than usual and I can tell her wolf is at the surface. Ollie ignores her and that infuriates her because she growls loudly.
She steps on his feet hard, elbows his rib and Ollie groans but still keeps his hold firmly on her. You can tell that he is having a difficult time controlling her.
Ignoring them, I walk over to Artemis standing by Jay and I purse my lips in a thin line.
I couldn't see anything from afar but now I can tell that what is happening to Jay is not normal.
At this point I can't explain why I seem calm but I know it has not hit me yet.
Artemis purses her lips and turns slowly to face me. " I need to shift to get him faster else he'll die."
I blank out when she says that. Just how-
"Damn it!" Ollie suddenly curses and we look up in time to Selena shift into her wolf but before she can take a step Ollie suddenly wraps his arm around her neck squeezing a bit tightly and instantly she drops.
If not for the slow steady movement of her chest rising up and down, I would have thought she was dead.
"Step back Storm." Artemis says and I can only gulp. She starts taking her clothes off and turns to hand them to me.
"Follow after me." She adds and in a blink of an eye, a large wolf stands tall and proud in front of me. Her domineering presence forces Ollie, Lyle and Sunny to go on their knees and I grit my teeth to control myself from doing the same.
I'm a bit surprised at the fact that even Lyle and Sunny seem to be under her control.
Her red eyes land on me and my breath hitches in my throat. Such a majestic creature she is. Her size still leaves me in awe but I can't admire it further because Jay needs help.
With Ollie's help, they put Jay and on her back. Ollie also quickly shifts and gestures for Lyle and Sunny to hop on. Just then, a group of people rush out of the club and carry an unconscious Selena.
Once everything has been sorted, Artemis rises to her full height with Ollie next to her in his wolf form. Now I understand why Ollie was cryptic in answering just how huge Artemis' wolf was because next to her, Ollie's wolf looks like a pup.
She nods in my directions and runs to the forest, her paws not even making the tiniest bit of sound. For such a large creature she really doesn't make any noise.
I take deep breaths and follow after even though I know I can't catch up with her.
Ollie runs behind me as well.
The wind clears my muddled mind and my eyes narrow into slits. Those people!
I grit my teeth in anger, feeling the need to kill something or someone to be precise but I need to make sure Jay is okay. A solemn look appears on my face when I think about my friend. Why would he do that?
You would have done the same if it was Artemis, my subconscious mocks me and I mentally sigh knowing it's true.
In front of the porch at Artemis house, Esme stands there with her hands on her hips as she calmly waits for us come. Red stops, her figure towering over Esme and she has to look up in order to meet the Alpha's eyes.
She stretches out her hand and Jay suddenly floats in the air and lands on the ground in front of her feet. Ollie crouches down for Sunny and Lyle to get down before shifting back into his human form.
"I need to check up on Selena." He rushes out and without waiting for a response runs in the direction of the pack house. Artemis still hasn't transformed and she sits observing what is happening.
Sunny comes up to me with Lyle staggering a bit and she grabs my arm, a terrified look in her eyes and her face deathly pale. "What happened Storm? Why does Jay look that?"
I purse my lips, grinding my teeth harshly.
Esme walks in circles around Jay, her gaze calm yet unreadable and then she narrows her eyes, pursing her lips into a thin line. "This is bad."
What?
"What do you mean is by its bad?" Sunny whispers, her eyes filled with dread and it widens when Jay suddenly screams out. He thrashes out in pain, foam comes out his mouth and his veins start turning purple and black.
"Do something Esme!" I snap, panicking at pained look on his face. Without any thought, I rush forward to hold him down but a sudden kick to my gut throws me off guard and I step back watching him with wide eyes.
That hurt like hell.
Red growls, her eyes blazing like fire as she stares threateningly at Jay.
"The poison wasn't meant for Jay but Selena and since he took it the effects are much more dangerous." Esme says calmly and kneels beside him. With eyes closed, arms stretched out in front of her, she murmurs strange words under her breath.
Jay continues to struggle, his screams becoming even louder than first. In the silent and dark night, the only thing you can hear is the agonizing pain and anguish in his voice and on his face as he continues to thrash on the ground.
"Hold him down." Esme instructs and I take a step forward only to halt when a low growl is directed towards me. Her red eyes are telling me to stay there and I purse my lips nodding my head in agreement.
She takes slow steady strides towards Jay. Her paw is placed on his chest and one on his leg and all his body movements stop. Squinting my eyes, I can still see him struggling but for some reason he's not able to even move at all.
My gaze shifts to the wolf holding him down and I can only purse my lips and stare at her in awe yet again. She keeps on getting better and better.
A faint glow suddenly surrounds Jay starting for his chest and slowly covering his whole body.
"Stop!! Make it stop!!" He yells hysterically, trying to move but the heavy paw on him doesn't even give him a chance. I look away with my jaw clenched to hide the pain in my eyes when I stare at my friend.
It's actually a good thing Selena is not here.
"Oh my gosh! Stop it! He's gonna die!" Sunny yells and I whip my head, my eyes widening in shock. Beneath him is a huge amount of blood, just flowing out from his body but as to where I'm not sure.
Sunny runs frantically towards them with Lyle hot on her trail but a threatening growl halts them from taking any step further and they visibly shrink in fright.
"What is happening Esme?"
She doesn't respond, keeps on muttering under her breath. Her eyes turning white and her hair starts to float around her. Jay convulses violently and something snaps within me.
"Damn it Esme! What is going on with Jay and why is he lying in a pool of his blood?!" I yell, eyes brimmed with tears and fist clenched tightly to my sides. At this point I don't even care and run to stop them but I feel myself unable to move.
What?
I look down to see roots and vines wrapped tightly around my leg, keeping me in place and I quickly look up glaring murderously at Esme but its wiped of when the screams slow die off.
The glow continues to increase brighter and brighter and then his body suddenly absorbs it and his screams finally quiet down. My breath hitches in my throat at the scene in front of me. His blood slowly gets sucked into his body, his chest still has a slight trace of the glow but his breathing has stopped.
Esme opens her eyes and they are back to normal. She covers his opened eyes and subtly nods her head to Red. She only takes a step back and sits down.
Something is wrong.
"What-" I don't get to finish what I was going to say when I see what is happening to him. Starting from his leg, it slowly fades away and my heart drops.
Everything is quiet as Jay's body continues to fade away, turning into nothing but a mist. I don't know how long I stared at his fading body and I couldn't even register the screams coming from Sunny and Lyle or the painful howl sounding in the dark atmosphere.
The only thing I could see is nothing.
It's dark. I look around, wondering where I am?
"Hello! Can anyone here me?" My voice echoes but I'm replied with only darkness. I frown, trying to remember how everything happened and then just like a fleeting memory, Jay's laugh rings in my head.
"Jay." I whisper, my heart aching and I pat my chest, trying to relieve the pain. Why does it hurt when I think about him. What happened to Jay and where is this place?
In the darkness, a light appears followed by a sweet, delicate humming. It beckons me to follow and I do, taking slow unsure steps towards it until I'm finally at the end of it.
"Wake up Storm please." A soft voice pleads and my eyes flutters, blinking the haze away from it. A beautiful angel looks down at me with worried violet eyes and I smile, lifting my hands and cupping her cheeks.
She nuzzles her face against my palm and place a kiss on it. "How are you feeling?"
I sigh. "Tire-" My eyes widen and I quickly sit up, surprising Artemis and she frowns.
"What is wr-"
"Where is Jay?" I cut her off my eyes wide with panic and a certain amount of fear creeps in the more she is quiet. She looks away pursing her lips, her brows drawn together in deep concentration before she sighs.
Artemis leans forward, pecking my lips before pulling me into a hug. My mind is running a thousand miles and if I don't get answers I'm going to think of the worst.
"Artemis please just answer me." I croak out and her arms tighten around me even more.
"Jay was poisoned with something that was meant for wolves. It was a mind control poison. From what has been happening, it purely affects the wolf, taking over the mind and body and leaving them with absolute no control over their body but since Jay is human it seemed to have a different effect on him." She says, rubbing my back soothingly.
Mind control poison? My eyes widen, so that is what they do to them.
"They wanted to control Selena." I whisper and Artemis only nods not once pulling away from the hug.
"With Selena on their side would have been a great advantage to them but unfortunately Jay took it and let's just say it did not end well."
My lips tremble and I gulp, taking deep shaky breaths before asking the question that has been in my mind. "Is Jay de-"
"No." Artemis abruptly cuts me off and I sigh in relief but it's short lived when she adds on. "He is not dead neither is he alive."
My mind blanks out. "What?"
Artemis sighs and pulls away to stare into my eyes. "Esme in order for her to save him had to kill him. His body couldn't handle the poison and was slowly peeling away that is why there was blood but she had to disintegrate his body and take his soul out."
I just stare at her blankly.
She gives me a small sad smile. "Jay's body is dead but his soul is still alive."
"H-his b-body is d-dead?" I stutter, trying to wrap my mind around it and Artemis nods, raising her hand and wiping my cheeks. I blink, realizing that I'm crying.
"I know it's a lot to handle but we just need to find a body to place his soul back in." She says softly still wiping my cheeks with her thumb. Artemis rests her forehead against my own and remains silent.
Jay's body is dead but his soul is still alive and all we need to do is find a body but how and Selena.
"Selena, what has happened to her?" I rush out and she sighs pressing her lips into a thin line.
"She left the moment she felt Jay slipping away and hasn't returned but I know she's fine because I can still feel her presence even though it's faint."
"That's good." I reply and look away from Artemis too hide the pained look in my eyes. This is all my fault, Jay wouldn't have to go through this if he hadn't come here. Beneath the pain, I feel anger, resentment and hate rising within me. They are going to pay for this.
Artemis senses my foul mood and cups my cheek, turning head to face her and with a solemn look, she sighs. "It's not your fault Storm. I don't want you think it is because it's really not.
"But-"
She cuts me off with a deep kiss that leaves me wanting for more when she pulls away. A natural pout forms on my lips and she giggles pecking them one last time before facing me with a fierce gaze. "Don't think it's your fault because it's not. They are gonna pay for hurting our friend and that I can promise you."
Under those beautiful enchanting eyes, I smile, nodding my head and wrap my arms around her with my face buried in her neck.
She shivers slightly before pulling away. "We are leaving tomorrow."
I frown in confusion but I'm only rewarded with a sad smile. "Ares has reached the border of fallen kings and are heading for the Dark forest. They are a bit early than I expected and I can't afford for them to come to my pack so we'll meet them there."
I clench my fist, eyes narrowing into slits. "They will pay for this."
She only smiles in response. "Let's go on a date."
My brows shoot up in surprise and she eagerly nods her head, rising to her feet and pulling me up.
"Come on Storm, lets go on a date. We can do random things." She babbles in excitement, a giddy look in her eyes and I can only chuckle and nod my head.
"Sure let's go."
She squeals hugging me tightly and I laugh pulling her close to me. God, I love her so much.
"I love you." I whisper and her arms tighten around me.
"I love you."
We left without anyone noticing us and drove out of the pack. Artemis wanted us to go to an amusement park and so that's is what we did. Her laughter, her smiles, the joy in her eyes was so infectious and anytime it was directed to me, my heart was filled with so much love for her.
We don't know what tomorrow will bring but I know that I can never let this person go and I'll always be by her side.