Chapter 18: Chapter 18

“Valerie!” I rush to her side, my heart in my throat. “FUCK!”

“Val…” Jai’s voice is barely a whisper. Both of our hearts are like galloping horses, thundering loudly in my ears, but my only concern is the heartbeat of the woman before me.

Please be alive.

“Fuck Val… shit,” I mutter, leaning closer.

The faint sound of a heartbeat reaches my ears and I scoop her up quickly, my heart filling with relief.

“She’s alive, Jai! Take her to the hospital now!” I shout.

As much as I would do it myself, it means the footsteps I heard belonged to the attacker. They could be nearby.

Why was she targeted and by who?

“Jai! Her life depends on you! Go! I’ll call the hospital.” I growl, making him snap out of his trance.

“Right…” he whispers, taking her lifeless body from me.

“Run,” I command, taking out my phone and dialling the hospital. “Go!”

Jai nods, his eyes flashing with determination before he turns and breaks into a run towards the door.

You have got to make it…

“Hello, Opal Hospital-”

“Sebastian King. We have a critical patient on the way. Doctor Valerie Scott has suffered blunt force trauma to the head and needs attending to immediately. Beta Jai O’Dell is bringing her. Make sure she survives.” My command is absolute as the woman hangs up, and I take a moment to calm myself.

I can hear Jai’s footsteps as he runs down the hall and I glance around the bedroom, making sure no one is here. I try to listen for any other presence but there’s nothing. Exiting the room, I close the door behind me, scanning the main room.

My gaze snaps to the window. Did they jump?

Swiftly I move to it, my eyes blazing as I scan the ground below. Wouldn’t we have heard it?

Nothing.

I sniff the air trying to catch a scent, but the only thing I can smell is cleaning products, blood, perfume, and her diffuser…

Whoever was here knew what they were doing.

Clicking the first number on speed dial on my phone, I call the Pack Security Squad Captain.

“Alpha.” Captain Silas William’s voice comes.

“I need a complete lockdown of sector three, and the apartment blocks and block the exits all around the area, including the park entrances. There’s been an attempted murder and I want the culprit found. Get the forensics into Valerie Scott’s apartment too. There might be some clues left behind.”

“Understood.” He hangs up and I’m about to head to the door when I think I hear something. I stop, my gaze snapping back to the bedroom before I glance at the bathroom door that is right beside it.

Or did it come from there?

I’m not sure…

My eyes flash as I cross the room swiftly. There’s the window in the bedroom, although it’s quite a drop… the bathroom one leads to the side of the apartment.

Hesitating, I move towards the bathroom silently, I reach for the door handle, when suddenly I hear movement from inside.

I pull the door only to realise it’s locked.

Fuck!

Backing up, I slam into it with full force, knocking it off its hinges.

I can hear shouts from the hallway. All the banging has woken up the neighbours, but I don’t really care.

I scan the small bathroom, and I growl, seeing the scuff of blood on the window ledge.

Fuck!

Running over to it, I look out to see a hooded figure running along the bottom of the apartment block. The shadows hide them, and the ledges of the building hide them from view, making it harder for me to make out their build.

I glance at the window. There’s no way I’ll fit. I rush out to the main room and climb out the window.

“Stop!” I growl, as I jump, flipping in the air before I land on my feet. I scan the area, breaking into a run in the direction I saw them running.

Why is there no scent?

I keep going for a few minutes until I realise that I’ve lost them. I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol in my system or if I’m simply too fucking slow but somehow, they’ve outrun me.

I stop, breathing hard as I look around the dead streets.

What the hell is going on in this pack? How many enemies are around us that I have no idea of?

I take out my phone hearing the distant shouting of the security squad and there’s not much I can do anymore. I will leave it to them.

Whoever it was, is long gone.

I call Jai and wait for him to pick up.

“Yeah?” his strained voice comes.

“How is she?”

“I don’t know, she’s in the operating theatre… I don’t know if she’s going to make it Sebastian… I heard them… they said it’s not looking good.” His voice is hoarse, and I know he’s breaking down. I can hear the anguish in his voice.

“It’s going to be ok, she’ll pull through this Jai, this is Valerie… she won’t go down like this. She’s a fighter.”

He’s silent and right now I know he just needs time.

“I’m putting a high-threat security alert out. We have someone who needs to be caught.” I hang up and decide to head over to the squad to tell them what I know before I go to the hospital. I need to check if I do have Ashbane in my system, just in case.

-----

“I’m sorry, Alpha Sebastian, but the chances of her awakening are next to none. We gave it forty-

eight hours, but she has not awoken.”

“No! She’s going to wake up!” Jai shouts, grabbing the doctor by his coat.

“Jai…” I say quietly, pulling him back.

“No Sebastian! She will wake up! I know what he is insinuating!” He growls.

“Beta Jai, I am only stating the facts. The surgery took us eighteen hours… and it’s been fifty hours since she has come out of the Operating Theatre. But she hasn’t awoken, and the chance of her waking up now is very low. Please understand, the cost of her medical insurance won’t-”

“So that’s what this is about! The cost of keeping her alive!” He snarls. “You’ll get your fucking money!”

“Calm down Jai. We will not be pulling the plug on Doctor Valerie. Is that clear? Her medical expenses will be covered by me, as for where she will stay… I will be finding a safe place for her until the attacker is caught.” I say firmly, my eyes flashing.

“Yes Alpha.” Doctor Thomas says quietly, bowing his head. “Well, I will give you both a moment with her.”

He walks to the door and Jai drops into the chair.

“Fuck, I never apologised for all the shit I did to her,” he mutters, his voice clearly full of regret.

I squeeze his shoulder, he still loves her… that much is obvious.

“One question Alpha,” Doctor Thomas says making me turn towards him.

“Yes?”

“Will you tell Doctor Valerie’s family, or shall I?” he asks sombrely.

I look up sharply, my stomach twisting at that, her father and grandmother…

“I’ll do it,” Jai says.

I give Thomas a nod before he leaves and shuts the door behind him.

“They’re going to be devastated,” he murmurs. “I shouldn’t have left her alone.”

“No Jai, this isn’t on you. We dropped her home. Everything was alright. How were you to know what was about to happen?” I reason as I look at the bed.

They’ve placed her head to the side. Bandages wrap around her head entirely and I frown, deep in thought.

Why?

Is it linked to what happened with Zaia? The same person threatening us all?

“What is with the face?” Jai asks, looking up as he scrubs a hand down his face.

I shake my head.

“Not here,” I say quietly, now isn’t the place, but the time to tell Jai the truth is here.

I don’t know who I can trust, but if there is anyone, then that person is Jai. I know I have him on my side.

There’s a knock on the door, and we look up as Doctor Thomas returns. He’s holding a paper in his hand, a look of concern on his face.

“Alpha.”

“Yes?”

“You may want to see this,” he holds the paper out and I stare down at the report.

My blood reports.

My heart thuds as I stare down at the paper.

“What is it?” Jai asks sharply. I don’t respond, and he stands up, taking the paper from my hand. “Shit… I was right!”

Yes, he was, because there are indeed strong traces of Ashbane in my system.