Chapter 54: Chapter fifty-three

I handed Odin a cup of coffee. I brought Goby inside and hid him in the guest room just to be safe. The sun had set already and the howling had declined but it was still there.

“I wish I knew what was going on,” I said to Odin and sat across from him.

“I don’t… everything’s going to be a mess when it’s over. The pack will want someone to blame and it sure as hell won’t be Oscar.”

I should be Oscar to blame. He wanted to be Alpha so bad he stole it from his brother but he didn’t have the goods to back it up. I stood and paced near the curtains. So far our neighbourhood had been untouched.

“I wish there was something I could do,” I whispered.

“Too bad you aren’t a healer. They’re real heroes during battle,” Odin commented.

I got a lightbulb moment. “I’m not a healer, but I am a volunteer at the local clinic!”

“That’s not the same thing,” Odin frowned.

I shrugged. “It’s close enough. The girls must be overwhelmed.”

I grabbed my coat.

“That’s not what I meant,” Odin stood, worry wrinkled on his face.

“I’m going to help.”

“Delanie, you heard Ajax.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I’m done. Take care of Goby,” I called as I ran out the back door.

Was this a dumb idea? Yes, because it was dangerous outside, but was that a good reason to stay and hide while everyone fought for the pack? Nope.

One thing I learned from growing up in the Black Vapour pack is wolves were sensitive to smells. My cottage by the river was drowned with all sorts of scents from the river to the wildflowers. I kept my body close to the trees and bushes so my scent would blend with nature.

I passed by town central. Everything was destroyed. There was glass on the ground and produce everywhere. People’s businesses gone in the blink of an eye.

The hospital was untouched. Despite the invasion, the front door was wide open. I burst through and people screamed.

“Del!” Shaina gasped.

She and Betty were behind the counter cowering.

“What are you doing?” Betty asked.

There was blood on the floor leading to the hospital rooms. I cringed.

“Why’s the door open? What if the other pack gets in?” I asked.

“Our betas need attention. They’ve been swarming in non-stop. It’s awful,” Shaina explained.

“It’s awful,” Betty whimpered.

“Just awful, but don’t say we didn’t warn you. We told your Alpha ahead of time.” A man with a lean muscular frame appeared on the doorframe. He was naked and covered in mud. Aside from the bruises and grazes he wasn’t injured.

The girls and I shuffled into different sides of the waiting area.

“Stay back!” Shaina warned.

The man threw his head back and laughed. I searched for a weapon. He had his back towards me, focused on Shaina and Betty. I stared out the front door expecting another man to burst through the front door.

“Little girls,” he spat. He stalked forward.

My heart leapt into my throat and I was partly paralyzed. I scanned quicker for a weapon. All that was there were broken wooden chairs and a flipped over table. One of the table’s legs had fallen off. I inched closer and grabbed it.

Shaina’s eyes widened when she saw me alerting our attacker to my movements. He spun and growled, his eyes sparked red. His razor claws dug into my skin. I winced but I gathered my strength and courage and swung!

The wood made contact with his head. The girls screamed and the attacker stumbled. I slammed the wood on the back of his head and he dropped to the ground.

After the rush of adrenaline died down I felt fire burn my side.

“Ouch!” I dropped the wood.

“You’re hurt,” Shaina hurried over to inspect the wound.

Shaina inspected three angry slashes. My shirt was ruined and stained with blood. Blood was pouring out of me quickly.

“We need to get out of here, this guy isn’t alone,” Betty said.

I groaned but I agreed with her. Shaina rushed down the hall and turned to her office. She came back seconds later with a first aid kit and a bunch of bottles. The man on the ground started to stir.

“We better go,” I whimpered.

I clutched my bleeding wound as Betty helped me out. We got as far as the door when a man with black hair covering his face dragged an unconscious and naked man towards the door.

“Help!”

“Ajax?” I rasped.

“Delanie?” Ajax brushed the hair out of his face. “Delanie! What the hell are you doing here?” He roared.

I expected his reaction to be less than pleasant, to be honest.

Ajax set the unconscious man on the ground. I thought it was Ross but it was Oscar. He had a nasty wound on his abdomen that made the claw marks on my skin look like a kitty scratch.

“Oh my gosh, how long’s he been out?” Shaina asked, bending to inspect Oscar.

“Twenty minutes,” Ajax said.

“He’s lost a lot of blood,” Shaina murmured.

Betty sat me down on the steps so she could tend to me. I was feeling lightheaded.

“What happened? Delanie, I told you to stay home,” Ajax said, desperation dripping from his tone.

“I needed to help,” I winced as Betty added antiseptic.

He chuckled, brushing my face. “Not so tough now huh?”

I leaned into his tough. “Are you okay?”

Ajax opened his mouth to speak, looked up and shot to his feet. Betty guided me out of the way as our earlier attacker lunged at Ajax. Ajax rammed his fist into the guy’s jaw before grabbing him and hurling him several feet like a ball. He landed in the bushes.

“No one touches my mate,” he growled.

“Alpha,” Shaina called.

She likely stopped him from finishing the guy off.

“Your brother needs a bigger hospital. I can’t do much from here.”

“Damn it.” Ajax raked a hand through his hair and looked at his brother in desperation. “Why Oscar? Why?”