28. Promise Me

A/N Just one chapter today because she deserves the spotlight, and a standing ovation.

I'll give you three chapters on Thursday to make up for it.

Casper

I'd chased the car to the end of the lane, before it pulled out onto the main road.

I couldn't risk being seen so I stopped in my tracks, panting hard.

I don't know why I'd chased it in the first place. Instinct I guess.

I'd seen that neither Emily or Cole were in there with them.

I started to run back to the building where we'd finally tracked the hunters to. I must thank Nathan later. He'd been right to ring that number. I still wasn't sure where he'd got the number from. He seemed to avoid the question when I asked him, but they were the ones who had tipped us off to this place.

I hoped everyone was alright.

I saw the building ahead of me and changed back into my human form as I saw several of the guys from our search party stood in a huddle near the front door.

I was about to smile when one of the group turned back to look at me, and I saw the expression on his face. It was a mixture of hurt and guilt.

I jogged over and quickly realised they were actually stood around something. I pushed my way through and gasped at the sight in front of me.

There lying on the floor, was Darren, one of my guards, clearly dead.

Before I even had time to react properly, Luke, another member of my pack was pulling me towards the door.

"Emily's inside. She's not in a good way. You need to go see her."

I blinked at him, wondering how things could have gone so wrong so quickly.

"Go!" he said, jolting me out of my thoughts, as I dashed inside.

"In here!" I heard a voice shout.

I ran down the corridor and through another door.

It was the smell that hit me first. Blood. And lots of it.

I felt my stomach knot up at the bloodbath in front of me. No one could lose this much blood and survive.

Within seconds though my mind had made sense of the scene in front of me, and I could see the mutilated parts of a human body, scattered around the room.

Emily was lying on the floor, relatively blood free, but clutching onto her stomach in pain.

"What's wrong?" I asked, scooting down onto the floor and quickly taking over from Jamie who had been supporting Emily's head.

I nodded to Jamie to go and get help and he shot away quickly.

Emily chuckled lightly which quickly turned into a grimace. "I think I have a problem," she said, nodding towards her stomach.

"You don't say!" I said back, trying to keep the mood light despite the situation.

Emily smiled, but then quickly grimaced as a spasm of pain rocketed through her body.

"Shhhh, it's ok," I said gently while calmly stroking her hair, "your body will start to heal shortly."

"No," she wheezed out, shaking her head. "It's too deep."

"It's fine. You'll be fine," I tried to reassure her, kissing the top of her head lightly.

"No Casper, you need to listen to me," she said, pausing again as her whole body tensed with the pain. "I'm struggling to hold on to my human form and there's something I need to tell you."

I knew what she meant by that. When a werewolf died, their body automatically turned into it's wolf form. A smaller version of the wolf form, thereby leaving no evidence that werewolves existed.

"No Emily, please don't say that," I pleaded. "You'll be fine. They've gone to get help, you just have to hold on."

Emily's breathing was getting more and more laboured, but she still managed a small chuckle.

"Stubborn to the last."

I couldn't reply as a large lump had formed in my throat, the reality of the situation only just sinking in.

"I need you.....to do......some things.....for me," she gasped out through the pain.

I continued to stroke her hair in the hope it helped even just a little.

"Tell Lyra and Orion........ their mummy loves them to pieces......... and always will."

That was the final straw as tears began to flow down my cheeks.

"I will," I managed to whisper back. "I love you, you know," I said kissing her head again.

"I know," she said, a small smile appearing on her face for the briefest of seconds.

Her eyes were shut now and I could see she was struggling to open them.

She whispered something to me.

"Say that again," I said, bending my head so my ear was near her mouth.

"My pocket," she whispered, "Look."

I frowed slightly at her request but lowered my hand into the pocket of her coat.

At first I couldn't feel anything, but as I dug to the bottom, my hand clamped round a small metal object. I pulled it back out and opened my hand to look.

My already frayed emotions couldn't quite believe what I was seeing, and the tears that were already falling down my cheeks seemed to increase in multitude.

It seemed cruel to have to be reminded of one friend I had lost while my wife was dying in my arms, but I didn't let Emily see that, so I forced out a smile for her.

"You found it!" I said, trying to look at the object with fondness, and not like it was stabbing a knife through my already dead heart.

Emily, shakily reached up and closed my hand round the object, making me tear my eyes away from it and back to her tear stained face.

"Promise me," she said, her eyes suddenly gaining an intensity that I thought they couldn't manage. "Promise me you'll find him."

But what if he's dead? I wanted to shout. What if I couldn't find him? What if I couldn't face anymore heartbreak right now?

I bit my lip, so hard that I began to taste blood. Emily didn't need to hear that right now. I needed to be strong for her.

I looked her in the eyes and smiled.

"I promise."

Emily's body visibly relaxed, and I felt my stomach lurch at what was about to happen.

"I love you," I said quickly, "and I'm so glad you were part of my life. I couldn't have asked for a better, more beautiful wife."

I kissed her once more, and heard her sigh in contentment, before her body shifted on my lap and I was left holding onto a grey wolf.

I finally broke down, my body convulsing in huge sobs as I clung onto her soft fur.

It wasn't fair. How could this happen to such a kind and caring creature?

It should have been me. I would have rather died. I deserved to die. Emily didn't. Not my beautiful, kind, caring, sweet Emily.

I heard sirens in the distance and so I quickly lowered her body onto the floor before standing up and wiping my face.

It was only then that I noticed a slight pain in my right hand.

I uncurled my hand to see that I had been clutching onto the tiger pin so tightly that it had cut into my skin.

I suddenly felt anger surging through my body.

I was angry that the bastard hunters had taken my wife away from me. I was angry that they'd deprived my children of their mother's love. I was angry that we had never really got the chance to form a strong bond, and that the hunter's had taken away our home.

I looked at the badge in my hand and made to throw it away from me as hard and far as I could. But at the last second I stopped.

I'd made a promise to Emily. I was even angry at her for using her deathbed to make me agree to that promise.

Because I knew I would have to keep that promise to her.

I would look for him one day.

But the reality was that Emily would probably find him first. They may already be together.

I just didn't want to know that.

I wanted to live in denial a little longer, and imagine that he was living a good life somewhere far from here.

I couldn't stand the thought of him no longer being in this world with me.

As I heard approaching footsteps, I quickly put the pin in my pocket.

I would keep my promise.

One day.