Worry was eating me alive. I felt sick. It’s been hours since hell broke loose. I was led to safety with all the children and the women who couldn’t fight. Safety was an underground tunnel that led to a big room. It was built in case of emergencies like these. There were about a hundred or so hidden around pack grounds. It was smart. My old pack didn’t have safety measures like these set in place encase of attacks.
My eyes darted around. It was chaos wherever I looked. I took in the screaming women and kids hiding in the corners. Some walls were smeared with blood from the injured. Blood. They needed order—someone to lead them in the right direction until everything was sorted and the danger had passed. With a determined nod, I walked towards the table and chairs that stood to the side. I climbed onto the chair and then the table. From my viewpoint, I could see everyone.
“Hey, quiet down everybody,” I called. Only a view heads turned towards me. “I said silence!”
The room instantly fell silent. They turned towards me. I shifted uncomfortably. I hated being the center of attention. It was why I chose to hide in my cabin instead of being out there where I was being stared at and made fun of. If I was going to be a leader, then I needed to step up. I needed to show them that I was capable of leading them.
“Do any of you have nursing experience?” I asked.
Four women stepped forward. “We do. We work at the clinic.”
“I want you to tend to the injured. Make use of what you have and let me know if you need help.” I pointed to the back of the room. “Get the children and move them to the back of the room away from the doors and the injured.” I watched as they parted, instantly following orders.
There were a lot more injured than expected. My eyes darted around at the remaining woman. Some were obviously in shock and unable to be of much help. The gears in my head turned and within ten minutes there was order. I jumped down and hurried towards the injured. For some reason, I was instantly drawn to the little girl. I kneeled next to her small body and reached out to swipe some bloodied hair from her face.
“Abby?” Her eyelids fluttered. “Come on Abby-girl. Open your eyes for me. Do you remember me? My name’s Valeria.”
One eye slowly opened—the other was swollen shut. She had a nasty cut above her eyebrow that was still bleeding. Her left leg was broken; it was clear from the bone that had torn right through her skin.
“I’m going to take care of you, okay Abby-girl?” All I got in return was a whimper.
I fought back the panic that rose inside me. Squeezing my eyes closed, I sucked in a deep breath and slowly blew it out. In and out. I needed to take care of her leg first. Stop the bleeding and splint her leg. I glanced around but found nothing to use as a splint. My eyes fell on one of the chairs. That could be used.
Picking up the chair, I threw it against the wall with as much force as I could muster. It hit the wall with a loud thud before splintering into pieces. The silence was deafening. I ignored the stares and picked out the pieces of wood that could be used. Dropping it next to Abby, I pulled off my scarf and the thick jacket. My hesitation lasted only for a second before I pulled the sweater over my head too. I folded it into a makeshift pillow and gently moved it under Abby’s head. Her stillness worried me.
Setting a splint was harder than I thought it would be. I was going over the options to make one when one of the pack members kneeled across from me. She introduced herself as Mattie and quickly declared that she was a nurse. I left it in her hands but assisted her. Abby screamed when the bones were pushed back and the splint set in place. Mattie explained that there was nothing she could do for Abby without proper medical equipment. They needed to get her and all the other injured to the hospital. The biggest concern was them going into shock.
As the hours passed, everyone fell silent. I could smell the fear coming from the children and even from some of the adults. I stood and made my way over to the children. Some were asleep and the others were being occupied by teenagers. I smiled as I took a seat next to them. They stared at me with wary eyes. My smile flattered but I kept it in place.
“Hi. My name is Valeria.”
“That’s a weird name,” one of the teenagers pointed out.
My smile widened. “You think so? I think it’s pretty cool. Nobody else has my name.”
“And nobody probably will.” Her sentence ended in a sharp gasp when she was elbowed by a girl resembling her.
“What you do that for?”
“That was rude!”
“But it’s true.”
I laughed at their bickering. It was refreshing. “Are you siblings?”
They fell silent. My smile faded slightly. It was clear that they weren’t interested in keeping up a conversation with me. It hurt, but I pushed it aside. They didn’t trust me and I accepted that. I sucked in a deep breath and blew it out before forcing the smile back onto my face.
“What game were you playing? Will you teach me?”
***
Thud. Thud. Thud.
I instantly jerked awake. My arms tightened around the petite bodies pressed against my sides. They stirred slightly but stayed asleep. I gently pushed them aside and stood. Some of the women formed a line with their weapons raised. I joined them, grabbing the knife that was offered to me by one of the women. I had no clue how to fight. I was scared and I definitely couldn’t shift although I had Lycan blood. But these people were now my people, and it was my duty to fight amongst them and help protect those who were weaker.
Another faint sound reached our ears. I tensed, ready to attack, but it wasn’t the enemy who entered. Murmurs filled the room as men entered. The women instantly lowered their weapons so I followed suit. My eyes were drawn to one man in particular who held my attention. His tall and muscular body stood out from the others as he moved forward. My knees weakened and tears threatened to spill.
Keep it together! I blinked back the tears and gripped the knife tighter. I needed to do something. Turning, I hurried towards the children.
“Wake up. Help is here.” I moved along waking everyone.
The teenagers helped gather the younger children. It was a mass of activity. The injured were moved first. I watched them carry Abby out with a heavy heart. Her condition had deteriorated during the night or day; it was hard to tell the time when you’re locked underground. I wasn’t even sure how long we were locked inside for.
“Val.”
My eyes snapped up to his. Dark eyes caught mine. His lips parted, but whatever he was about to say was cut off when I threw myself at him. Strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me against his body. The tears started falling then, and I realized just how scared I was. David pressed his face against my neck. His nose brushed along my skin.
“Where’s Devon?” I asked him softly, after pulling away slightly to glance up at him.
All the emotion disappeared from his face. “He’s at home.” David stepped away from me. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” I stood still as his eyes trailed over me. “I’m fine.”
“Let’s go home.”
He took my hand and tugged me towards the tunnel that would lead to the exit. A gasp fell from my lips when he turned around. His back was covered in deep claw marks. Bullet holes made blood trail down his skin to soak his pants. He’s hurt! David turned around to glance at me when I didn’t move. My eyes snapped up to his.
“You’re bleeding!” I gasped.
“I’m fine, just a few scratches. It’ll heal, doll.” He gave my hand another tug. “Come on, a car is waiting for us.”
I pursed my lips but followed him. The Jeep drove us in a different direction than their house. We passed small wooden cabins, a park, and the square where the Christmas tree had been set up. Everything was a mess. The decorations were torn down. Bodies were covered with sheets. The Christmas tree no longer stood but lay on the ground. A few more miles and the Jeep pulled to a stop in front of a big house. It was larger than their house.
The door was opened for David before he could reach for it. He climbed out and turned to help me out. A nod at the men instantly dismissed them. My hand in his tightened when he walked up the steps towards the front door. We ignored the other people milling about and walked straight to an elevator. The moment the door slid closed behind us, he pulled me against him.
“Don’t freak out,” he muttered softly against my hair. “Devon was hit by one of the arrows.”