Chapter 22
It took us two and a half days to get Callum and June out of that hell hole.
Unsurprisingly they were north of the pack, nestled in a large concrete building in a valley. The journey to get there was one I would never forget. Rogues were everywhere and that slowed us down because we either had to go around them or kill them fast and without a sound.
The cold winds heading that way and the rocky terrain also had me in doubt but once we spot the building, we knew they were there.
But Penelope couldn't feel June at all and I couldn't even sense Callum so you could probably guess that the rest of the pack members had to knock some sense into the both of us before we kicked down the door and landed in a trap.
So Charlotte got back up here since no other group found anything. It took a day for fifteen wolves to reach us.
And that twenty-four hours was worst than the thirty-six it took to find this place. By the time they arrived, we had already deduced that there were a lot of them in there and we had to hand way back so they couldn't catch our scent.
Right before we attacked, the rogues escorted children out of the building. I wanted to send some of my wolves after them but there were ten rogues and I didn't have enough pack members to spare and it was suicidal to send one wolf alone.
So I didn't have them followed which was selfish of me to get my mate and not find out more on our enemy.
By the time I lead the charge to the building, the rogues smelt us and started filing out of the main doors one by one.
Snarling at them, I jumped straight at one and ripped into his throat before moving on to another one and sustaining a bite to my leg. I heard two pack members whimpering behind me and from the bite marks, I knew some had silver berry on their canines.
Quickly taking care of those on the outside, I commanded the wounded two to head back to the forest because they couldn't fight with silver berry wounds.
As I entered the building, I noticed it was a rectangular space that was bare of any furniture with only a large silver door leading to the unknown. And it was sealed tight with only a key card scanner mounted on the wall.
'Charlotte, pass around the t-shirts and everyone, place it on your backs.' I ordered as I grabbed a t-shirt and draped it over my back so that we could knock the thick steel doors down.
The twenty-two of us took turns in knocking the door and each turn created a large and larger dent. As I thought of Callum, the rage inside of me turned me into a maniac as I hurled my body against the door and heard a creak.
With one last knock, sending pain to my side, the door fell with a loud thud.
'I could smell her.' Penelope growled as she took off. I still couldn't smell Callum and I felt my stomach sink.
The hallway went on with doors on each side of us but no one walked out and Pen kept running, past them all as the other pack members checked each room. All empty.
Deep into the building, we came across a crossroads in the hallway as it branched off into four hallways.
At the end of each were silver doors with rogues spilling out of each one except for the one to our right.
I wanted to say I couldn't process how there were that many of them but from all the attacks we've had, I'm not surprised by them anymore. But I have a feeling I may be in for a rude awakening when I find out just how much there are.
'We need to go right.' Pen said just as the rogues started running down the other two hallways.
'Twelve of you stay here. The rest of you, follow Penelope.' I commanded as we made a run for it to the silver door.
As Pen, Max and Finn started on the door, I looked back at the fighting as I thought that there must be a key card in one of the rooms we passed.
I took off as I headed back into the fight.
Leaping over a pack member that had a rogue between his canines, I landed on another rogue before he could attack my pack.
Ripping out his jugular, I grabbed another one's tail and yanked him back. Stomping on his hind leg, I used my sharp claws to rip his neck open as he howled in pain.
My pack cleared a space for me so I made quick and ran through the fighting and into one of the nearest rooms. It reeked of body odor and it seemed like those rogues couldn't install a shower yet managed to build this weak fortress.
As I suspected, a key card laid on a desk. Grabbing it, I felt as if a string in me was snipped and a stinging pain passing through me.
Someone from the pack was dead.
Growling, I went back to the hallway and noticed one of my men down and laying to the side with blood pouring out from his head.
The rogue that took him down stared at me with a sinister look in its eyes but he was about to be dead soon enough.
Running and leaping over his body, I grasped his hind leg between my teeth and yanked him onto his stomach, hard, as he let out a whimper. I covered his body my own and sank the nails of my paws into his side before ending his life by tearing him open.
Penelope and the others almost had the door open by the time I made it back. Just as I was about to place the card over the scanner, the door fell off his hinges.
'You couldn't wait could you.' I muttered but she only growled in response.
As the loud shrill of the fallen door echoed through the hallway, a siren blasted from the ceilings as red lights flashed from behind us.
Entering the space, I realized it was a staircase that went up about four stories tall. The doors to each landing above opened as more rogues came down and we charged towards them head-on as teeth sank into the other but we managed to throw them off the railing the higher we got.
I grabbed a wolf, who seemed too young for my liking, by the scruff of her neck and easily threw her over the rails and down to the first floor with a loud thud.
Following Penelope to the third-floor landing, I swiped the card over the scanner as Pen kicked the door.
Bleach, blood and juniper berries assaulted my senses.
The long hallway was filled with cages on either side of us and water covered the ground. I felt like throwing up at the sight before me and my heart felt as if someone scorched it.
June was on the ground, half-naked, with three men surrounding her. A loud growl emitted from Pen as we rushed forward and I slowed down a bit so that she could grab the bastard that stood over her mate.
Char and I took care of the others and I never liked appreciated the taste of metallic blood in my mouth until then. It was a sick satisfaction seeing the rogue's fear in his eyes before his life bleed away as I tore into him.
I could feel Callum near me like a magnet, but it wasn't the mate bond that was calling to me. It was a raw connection that had built between us that felt even more powerful than the invisible string that tied us together.
This was like a rope that bound us. But I was scared to look at him and see something I didn't want to.
I was scared I would break down when what I needed to do was stay strong and get him the hell out of here.
"Who are they?" I heard a small voice whispered.
"My mate and our pack." Callum breathed through in a pained whisper. It was so quiet that I almost missed it and it twisted my heart.
Our pack. The words rang through my head like a chant as I finally lifted my head and looked at him.
He... he was covered in blood. His clothes were torn and his skin was as white as a sheet. Guilt latched onto my skin like a leech and pain filled me from the inside. It was all so consuming and I felt like I couldn't breathe while he was in the state that he was in.
My body filled with ice as I saw the hypersthene around his neck. Having no idea how that will impact his feelings towards me, I shoved the thought for later as I shifted and untied the t-shirt strapped around my ankle.
I grabbed the gun that was secured from Tae's ribbon to my other feet as I looked at the open door where we came through and waited for more rogues to attack.
With revenge on my mind, I said, "Tell me who's the one that hurt you and I'll make them pay. I swear to you that I'll make them suffer."
Silver bullet and all.
His eyes glared upon the dead rogues as he shook his head and I realized we already killed them. I should have tortured them. Break all two-hundred and six bones in their body one by one.
I released a low growl before turning back to his cage and placing my bare hands on the silver and breaking open the door and his cuffs. The pain was nothing compared to the deep infliction I've felt for the last sixty hours.
Not knowing if I would see him again...
I blinked away any tear that welled up into my eyes as I crawled into the tight space. His fingers flexed as if he wanted to reach out to me but from his shallow breaths, I suspect he had a few broken ribs that were keeping him in place.
"P-princess." He stuttered through a cough as he tried to take a deep breath.
A shot of adrenaline passed through my body as I felt relief from hearing my nickname but I also wanted to slap him upside the head for talking when he was clearly in pain.
"Cal..." Was the only word that managed to escape my throat that felt like it was closing up.
"I'm okay." He wasn't fooling me. "You know me, doing my thing like a chicken wing."
I couldn't help it as a small laugh escaped my lips and the oxygen entered my body, "You need to stop saying that."
He graced me with one of his smiles, "Never."
I rolled my eyes at him but secretly adored his weirdness as I grabbed the string of hypersthene around his neck and ripped it off and throwing it behind me as it landed with a splash in the cold water.
The connection of the mate bond seized my body and it felt like a magic glue stuck us back together. I breathed in Cal's scent and I couldn't help but wince at the scent of his blood.
He looked confused so I shook my head as I heard the rogues swarming into the hallway as all hell broke loose. "I'll explain later. We need to get out of here."
He nodded as I helped him out of the cage, "We need to take Olly."
I raised a brow, "Who?"
Cal nodded towards the cage next to his as we got out of the silver space. I looked over and noticed a small boy inside. At the moment I had forgotten Cal was speaking to someone.
Without wasting a second, I ensured Cal wasn't about to fall over as Max walked to his side and went straight into breaking open the boy's cage.
I could smell the rogue on him but I also smelt fear as he narrowed his eyes at me before slipping out and going to Callum's side. I wasn't sure if the boy had parents but considering he's locked in a silver cage with bruises covering his arms, I wasn't about to leave him to whatever shit parents he was handed to in life.
Being caught up at looking at the young kid and worrying over Callum, I had a brief moment of confusion as Finn's wolf rushed past me and I felt a knick on my shoulder.
A small trickle of blood ran down the cut before it started healing up again. I spun around to see Finn's wolf over the, now, dead rogue.
'Thank you, Finn.' I mind linked as he grabbed the hypersthene off the floor.
'We need to go, now.' He replied to me as the sound of more rogues approached us.
I felt Callum move closer to me but the lack of heat from his typically warm body had me worried. I wrapped one arm under his arm and over his shoulder.
"I need to get you out of here." He whispered.
I couldn't help the snort that escaped but I nodded anyway.
Max and Olly stayed at our side as I remained in human form to help Cal who was limping as I supported most of his weight.
There were only three rogues at the door that led to the staircase and my pack quickly killed them off but I could hear the whimpers of a few of them from the infliction of silver berry.
Penelope had June wrapped in her arms as she walked before us and Finn and a few others flanked us from behind with others at the front.
I wanted to shift and tear all the damn rogues apart but I knew Cal needed me in human form right now. Especially as I felt the little heat in him slipping away.
The staircase was empty and Finn kicked the door close to momentarily stop the rogues that were behind us.
It felt a little too quiet as we reached the ground floor. As we walked back into the hallway where I left a few of my pack members, I felt my heart plummet from the bodies that laid scattered across the floor.
They were all dead.
A loud growl passed through me as the pounding of paws filtered closer to us from the staircase.
Cal was trying to say something to me, it sounded like words of comfort but I couldn't make out anything from his constant stuttering over the pain and my quick moves to get us out of the building.
'There are only a few left. Get out of here Everette!' Finn snapped at me as he glanced at Callum.
'I'm not leaving you behind.' I glared at him.
'I'll only be a minute behind you.' He promised as he ran towards the rogues with a few others as the rest of us turned and ran out of the door.
I prayed to the Moon Goddes to get them out of there as I walked out of the building with Callum.
As we stepped into the sunlight, I heard him take a deep breath before I felt all his weight collapse into me.
Max and Charlotte shifted beside me as I felt a piercing pain pass through me as I held Callum up.
"You need to shift and we'll put him on your back," Max said as he eyes the door to the building with worried eyes.
"He has broken ribs, putting him on my back can't be a good idea." I shook my head because I wouldn't cause him more pain.
"Everette." Charlotte snapped my attention to her stoic expression, "If you don't put him on your back, the rogues will catch us. Plus Cal's in pain, we need to get him help."
I growled lowly as Max held onto Callum. I heard the ferocious growls inside and I took a deep breath before allowing Charlotte and Max to hold Callum as I shifted into my wolf.
They gently placed him on my wolf and the night of the ritual came flooding back to me. Except for this time I had my heart in my stomach.
Charlotte coaxed Olly onto her back.
But before we could take off, Finn and two others came out of the building as I thanked the Moon Goddess.
Finn's eyes flicked to Cal's body, 'They're all dead, but I have a feeling more are on their way.'
He was right, we had to leave, immediately.
Pen had June on her back, Char had Olly and I had Callum. There were only twelve of us left from our main entourage of twenty-four.
With one last look at the building, we all ran faster than we did when we were trying to find this place.
~~~
I felt someone enter the room but I couldn't look away from him.
"Ev," My mother's soft voice said as her hand went to shoulder in a comforting gesture. "You need to eat something, or get some rest."
I shifted in my chair next to Callum's bed as I looked over at her worried expression, "I'm not hungry."
She sat down on the armrest of the chair and wrapped me up in her arms, "You haven't eaten since you got back. And it's been twenty-four hours."
"I can't mom," I whispered as I took comfort in her arms. "Why wouldn't he wake up? You healed him up and yet..."
"He's human." She reminded me as she pulled away and I saw the worry in her eyes linger, "His body needs time to recover from the wounds and the fast healing. He'll be up and setting everywhere on fire in no time."
Would he though?
June told me everything that had happened to him. How those sick creatures beat him up because he was trying to protect her. How he couldn't summon his fire after that.
But most importantly, they knew he had powers and they were prepared.
"His hands are too cold," I whispered.
"Should I get more blankets?" She asked concerned.
I shook my head because that's not what I meant. His temperature should be above my own but his skin was too cold for my liking.
"We'll be fine." I told her instead, "You should probably get home before it gets dark out, Finn will walk you back."
She nodded in understanding, "I'll be back in the morning. Take care sweetie."
Mom placed a kiss on my forehead before her eyes went to Callum and she brushed away a tear. Cal has become family, so everyone's been on edge since he hadn't woken up yet.
Before closing the door she said, "I'm proud of you Everette."
I felt all choked up because that was the opposite of how anyone should feel about me.
I led my pack into a suicide mission and we lost twelve of them. Some of my best pack members and I couldn't even bring their body back to the pack.
Sighing and pushing those thoughts out of my mind before I started pacing, I gingerly took Cal's hand in my own and tried to warm it up between my palms.
The silence was comforting. Since we got back, my mom and Kitara took care of Cal as I went absolutely insane when he didn't wake up.
We had him brought up into his room since there wasn't much we could do now. Every minute after that, pack members after pack members came to see Callum.
I appreciated their concern but I wanted to lock the door and keep him to myself.
Even Olly, the strange kid, sat in here for hours without saying a word until June finally managed to get him away from Cal.
From what she said they'd only met him for a brief moment before we busted in there but he was a sweet kid that was tortured with others. I was still waiting for him to say why though but he wasn't very talkative.
Tae and Thor were back to normal as they focused on Callum and not batting an eyelash towards me. But I could see the relief in their eyes when I ran to the packhouse.
Dad and my grandparents also seemed as if they were about to shed a tear at the sight of Cal.
Callum's family, well his grandma, wrung my ear off about not keeping her grandson safe but it only lasted a minute before she cried and hugged me. Like actually hug me. Before thanking me for saving him and June.
That was a first for the old woman with a heart of ice.
I reached over and brushed my hand over Cal's forehead where a bruise sat. His chest was littered with dark bruises that didn't heal despite my mom's power but I knew her main focus was repairing his broken bones.
I tried to wipe off most of the blood from his chest and Max and Sam changed him into a pair of shorts. Yet I could still smell the rusty scent on him and my eyes couldn't get the image of the blood on his body gone.
Penelope and June must have it bad too. I couldn't imagine what June must be going through but from the way she looked at Olly, I knew she had a distraction on her hands for now.
Yawning, I laid my head down on my arm and kept Cal's hand secured in my own as I tried to remain alert for any noises.
Any rogues.
Even if he wasn't unconscious and could fight his own battles, I couldn't peel my eyes off him.
But I did as exhaustion finally crept in and lulled me to sleep.
~~~
Cold hands pressed against my body as I felt like I was lifted from my chair. I groggily grumbled before I realized what the heck was happening.
My eyes shot open as I stared at Callum's face.
"What are you doing?" I asked in panic when my sleep-induced brain registered that he was picked me up from the chair.
He didn't look at me and neither did he answer as he laid me on the bed before crawling in beside me.
The beautiful sea of grass that was his eyes finally peered down at me.
"You didn't look very comfortable there." He said with a raspy voice.
"And you could have hurt yourself further," I whispered as my heart constricted to see him up and alive.
The temptation to reach out to him was too strong as I placed my palm on his stubbled jaw.
"I feel as good as I was before those things beat me up." He narrowed his eyes at me, "Don't tell me it was your mom."
I nodded, "There was no stopping here when I brought you back."
He didn't respond as he placed his hand on my own and brought my palm to his lips before placing a gentle kiss on it.
"I should give you some space... I wasn't the one that had most of my ribs shattered." I muttered as I tried to move off the bed.
Key word being tried because Callum's grip on my hand tightened before he pulled me closer to him.
"You're not leaving my sight Princess." He grumbled with an underlying tone of anger.
"I wasn't leaving, I was only giving you back your bed." I rolled my eyes but my heart was doing other tricks.
"As the dying man, I want you on my bed." He smirked.
"One, you're not dying and two, I thought you said no cuddling." I lifted my eyebrow as I recalled his saying that when Charlotte and Max waked us up from our nap before we met the pack.
"I didn't lie." He shrugged, "I don't cuddle with anyone except you. Now get your butt closer so I could hug you."
"Wh-" Before I could question him, he had me wrapped up in his arms and despite his tight grip, I felt the air return to my body. It was like standing in a hot desert and feeling as if I was suffocating from the heat before a strong wind blew the air back into me. Callum was that air.
"I missed you." He whispered into my hair.
I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his neck as his stubble tickled my forehead. I heard him groan as I squeezed him a bit too tightly.
"Still recovering there Ev." He chuckled as I loosened my grasp.
"Sorry," I whispered against his neck as his body vibrated with laughter.
"So? Did you miss me too?" His lips brushed against my forehead.
"I- I thought I wasn't going to see you again..." My voice came out more wobbly than I expected.
He lifted my face so that he could see me before inhaling sharply, "You and me both."
"I wish I got in there earlier, maybe then you wouldn't have been in that condition." I blinked away the tears that threatened to escape from the memory of how Cal looked.
"But I'm fine now because you found me." He answered before lowering his lips to my own.
Not denying either of us, I happily accepted his lips. They were the typical softness that was Callum's but it lacked the warmth that usually traveled from his body to my own.
They were uncharacteristically cold but despite that, I could feel his emotions. His despair and relief and I conveyed the exact message.
I really did miss my idiot.
A/N
Chapter Update: Saturday-ish?
Okay, so I know I was going to reveal Ev's plan but this chapter is way too long and to add that would be an overkill. So the next chapter will pick up from right where I left off and you'll know for sure what's happening. We're still in the 'warm-up' stage before the big BOOM! A.k.a the plot twist that will shake everyone!!!
A lot of stuff to happen before that (or maybe not idk.. but smut will definitely be before that) ð (though that will take place in a separate book)
Looks like Cal and June are all right... hehe, and yall thought I was gonna kill one of them 𤣠Cal is too important right now and well June is my first lgbtq+ character so no way am I hurting her... right now...
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