75. Leo

75. Leo
She gasped loudly as if she'd run out of air, her breasts pushing upwards to the ceiling. I fell on my butt, eyes wide as I stared at her for another moment, even as she closed her eyes again and fell back into unconsciousness.
She... Wait. Was she...?
"Fuck. The process has already started."
I whirled around, watching Athos approach us in his human form, naked and with a small limp in his gait. He was sporting multiple wounds, and there was blood still leaking from some of them. He came and kneeled right next to me, summoning his beast's canines before he proceeded to bite into the softer part of his palm.
"Quick. Hold her mouth open," he instructed, tightening his fist in an attempt to make more blood squeeze out. I did as told and tilted her head back a little, tugging at her chin to keep her lips parted.
He immediately held his fist above her mouth, and I watched those few crimson droplets fall between her lips.
"There. I don't think it's enough but it should help her at least a little," he said, letting his hand fall back to his side. I looked at him, my gaze snagging on those gashes on his torso.
"You could've just made her suck on one of those," I suggested, feigning seriousness and he threw me a narrowed look in return. He blew a sigh and shook his head lightly, faking a cough as he struggled not to laugh.
I let out a chuckle of my own and he gave me a shove, muttering under his breath, "Idiot."
I laughed a little louder at the sound of that, as I was unable to contain myself, and he soon joined me, letting out a laugh of his own. Our gazes met and our laughter died down slowly, just staring at each other for a moment. Words were of no use right now, because I was sure that he could feel what I was feeling. He knew what was inside my heart. I was happy to see my brother again. I felt relieved.
A tiny whine interrupted that heartfelt moment between us, and we looked down, watching Calla's brows scrunch and her head turn to the side, mumbling something incoherent. Athos' fingers glided over her cheek with gentleness, pushing those strands that were stuck to her skin away.
"We need to take her away from here," he murmured, and I agreed with a grunt.
"She's going to need a calmer environment, if she's going to survive the shift," he added, and my whole body tensed at the sound of that. I swallowed, nodding briefly.
I threw him a glance, my gaze trailing over those open wounds on his body.
"You sure you can do this?" I asked. It was a long trek back to our pack lands — at least for our human forms, and he wasn't in the best shape.
"Yeah," He nodded, his gaze stuck on Calla.
I decided not to waste any more time pestering him, as I was already aware that it wasn't going to get me anywhere with him. So I snuck my hands underneath her body and then scooped her up, careful not to move her too much. I rose to my feet, my body already singing at the feel of her against me. The scent of her filled my nostrils with every breath that I took, and I blew out a sigh, unable to stop myself from doing it.
She grabbed the side of my shirt in return, snuggling in that space between my bicep and my pectoral. She was still completely out of it, but my beast purred anyway, pleased by her unconscious reaction to us. I was willing to bet that she wouldn't have touched me with a ten-foot pole, had she been awake. I chose not to think about that now, revelling in this moment instead.
Shuffling caught my attention, and I watched Athos retrieve his pants and shirt from my backpack and put them on. He slung the backpack over his shoulder once he was done, and then we started our trek back to our pack lands.
We walked as fast as we could, and I was careful not to jostle her, as I was aware that she was already in a great deal of pain. Her body was struggling to adjust itself, in order to accommodate the other half of her. Her wolvish side. It was a long and strenuous process for those experiencing it for the first time, not to mention that her body was already fully developed; unlike that of a young pup's, making it even harder as her bones and joints weren't so flexible and fragile anymore. It was going to hurt like a bitch. She was going to suffer quite a lot through this first shift.
My beast whined from within at the thought, and I instinctively tightened my hold around her just a little, wishing that I could do more; that I could somehow take away her pain, make it my own.
Athos wasn't faring any better, by the way. I could feel it through our bond, hear it in the sounds of his rushed heartbeat, his harsh breaths. It would've been easier to make this journey in beast form, and much faster as well. Unfortunately, Calla's current condition wasn't allowing it, not to mention that the presence of our beasts could've risked rushing the process, practically forcing her wolf to come out. It would've meant certain death for her, as her body was already struggling as it was, anyway.
She whined again in my arms, as small tremors started to wrack throughout her body. I peered at her worriedly, noticing those beads of sweat that had formed at her brow, above her upper lip. Her skin felt so hot now against my own. She was practically burning up.
"Shh..." I whispered soothingly, leaning over to press a kiss on the top of her head. She sighed audibly in return, calming a little.
"We need to move faster. I can already feel her trying to reach out to him," Athos said from right next to me, letting out another harsh breath.
I turned my head to stare at him, my brows drawing together with confusion. What? Already? But I couldn't-
"It's the blood bond. It's growing stronger now that she's fighting to come out," he explained tensely, his jaw ticking as he stared ahead, refusing to meet my eyes.
Oh. Right. I wasn't too keen on talking about that right now, so I offered him a mere nod of acknowledgement, remaining silent.
We walked the rest of the way like that, with her occasional jerks and whimpers in between. I kept listening to his wheezing, tortured breaths, and my stomach knotted with worry. I could feel the life slowly slipping out of him, with every droplet of blood lost. He refused to give up, though. He endured stoically, up until that last step that carried us past the border. And once there, he collapsed at the base of the nearest tree.
I gently laid Calla down there, close to him, over the soft and plushy grass. My gaze trailed from her to him, my fear increasing as I watched his bared torso heave up and down with his ragged breaths, his skin so pale now. He looked as feverish and as sick as Calla did.
He let out a pained grunt, and I flinched, my beast tossing and turning restlessly from within. He could feel that our brother's life was in danger. I pushed him down quickly, careful not to let any part of him out. Our current situation was already grim as it was.
He let out another, louder groan, and my heart jolted inside my chest, watching him double over with pain.
"Fuck. I can't hold on anymore. We have to get the bullets out. We've already lost a lot of blood and if I don't do it sooner, we're both going to die. The bond will be severed, and she...will..." he panted harshly between those words, trailing off, and I nodded quickly in understanding, saving him from wasting any more strength trying to explain.
"Go," I urged him. "Do it."
It was either that or having to lose both of them. I preferred enduring listening to their heart-wrenching wails instead. I was going to force my beast to the very back of my mind if I had to. I wasn't going to allow him to the surface no matter what.
I watched him rise on wobbly legs, his hands shaking as he discarded his clothes hastily. He let out another groan and Calla whimpered at the same time, in perfect sync with him. I swallowed that lump that threatened to form in my throat and gathered Calla in between my arms, letting her back rest against my stomach.
"Go. I'll try to comfort her as much as I can," I told him as I raised my gaze to peer up at him again.
He gave a weak nod in reply. And then he was walking away from us, somewhere where he could let his beast out safely.