Chapter 47 Too Late

Chapter 47 Too Late
Julian
I was busy browsing through the archives, looking for anything that could help Laura's condition. —Whatever it could be. An old note. Plants, medicine, sacrifice. Anything at all! I was determined to scour the large archive alone if I had to, it was for her after all. My phone had buzzed twice in the past five minutes but I ignored it. All my attention was directed into finding a special medicinal book that could help or whatever book as long as it could help me. My phone rang a third time and I wasn't having it. I glared at the device and saw James' name pop up. My anger increased and I snatched the phone from the table. "What is it James? It better be worth my time." I roared into the phone as I paused my search. "The border patrol called, they gave me some information you would like to hear." His voice was calm, like he was certain that whatever it was would be something I would be interested in. I cocked a brow and my eyes narrowed. "Go on..." "Laura and Blade have passed the border. They are on the outskirts of town. For some particular reason, she decided to go there..." "Wait— Laura?!" I raised my voice in disbelief. Laura was in no condition to walk around. Or did the doctor fake those results? "Yes, my King. She was seen a couple of minutes ago..." James confirmed and my brows lifted. "How is she at the border? Alone with Blade? Why didn't they stop him?" I questioned. "Your cousin has the right to move in and out of the pack as he pleases. He is your family and he is a doctor. It is a privilege—" "I fucking know why Blade can leave the pack!" I hissed, interrupting his long lecture. "What I'm asking is why she got through. Didn't I ask them to never let her out of here?" "I don't know... but I am guessing they got intimated by Blade's presence and when I got told, I thought I should tell you because she isn't supposed to be walking around, she will only make it worse for herself..." No, this was a mistake. "You know what? I will call you back." "No! Wait—" I ended the call and dialed the hospital. "Hello, doctor?" "Your Grace, this is doctor Twain," the doctor replied, telling me his name like i needed it. "Is Laura still in the hospital? She hasn't moved away from her bed, right?" "I'm afraid she left a while ago. I thought she had gone back with you? Is there a problem—" I ended the call. "Shit!" I blitzed past James and got the keys to my own car myself. If they had gone to the border, it was two places. Her old pack or her father's cabin in the forest I was well aware of— thanks to her diary's perfect description. I drove above the speed limit, skipping redlights like a mad man. I had a near miss encounter with a truck on the opposite lane, but my fast reflexes made me switch lanes quickly. I remembered Laura's state when I left her in the hospital. She was in no condition to walk, unless Blade had shot her up with painkillers or forced her! "Blade, you piece of shit! If you try anything crazy with her—" I mentally grazed myself. Why Blade? Why Blade of all people? Wasn't I strong enough to protect her? I promised her that everything was about to change, because I would be helping her. Didn't she trust me enough? I couldn't help but be jealous that Blade was with her. Since it was late, the roads close to the outskirts were empty so I had no problem firing my Porsche nearly two hundred kilometers an hour on the road. I arrived at the border after a series of bends. The border patrol leader was waiting for me with a few cars. I slowed down when I got near. "Your Highness!" He saluted. I lowered the window. "What direction did they go to?" I asked just to be sure. "In the direction of Raphael's pack sir!" I slammed the accelerator pedal and the car roared away. It was either the pack or the forest cabin, which was in the forest just a kilometer south of the destroyed pack. I opted for the old pack instead and zoomed there in less than thirty minutes. The buildings were still destroyed like we had left it. Unlike other packs, this one was unable to build itself up. The members that escaped never bothered returning and it remained a wasteland till today. A small shot of guilt curled through me, but I pushed it back. I had to find Laura first. I parked the car and jumped out when I reached the old castle. A pile of rubble greeted me, with burnt buildings. Memories of that night returned, the night I had ravaged the entire pack off the face of the earth. I had aligned myself with another enemy of Raphael who had done the first damage, the Black claw, a group that lived in the northern mountains and were known for their ruthless combatants. I was so consumed by revenge then that I had turned a blind eye to the merciless killing of the innocent people. Our deal was cut off after I had gotten my revenge and I never knew what became of them again. Now that I looked at it, I felt sick that I was involved in something like that, especially now that it seemed we had made a mistake. Irritated with myself, I turned away and went back to the car. I tried Laura's number but it wasn't available, probably because there was no network coverage or she had blocked my number off. I decided to go to the next location. The cabin. I drove in the direction of the forest, a kilometer back down the road. I got to the path where vehicles only passed and I slowed my vehicle down when I saw a pick up truck driving in the opposite direction. The driver wasn't Blade and I didn't know this face. When I got down, I felt my wolf getting excited. Laura was indeed in the forest like I had predicted. If I knew, I would have gone to the forest cabin first and not waste my time with trauma at the old pack. I recognized Blade's vehicle close to the forest and I growled. My heart started racing at this point and I recognized the feeling as fear. But this fear wasn't for me, but Laura. I followed the foot tracks on the floor to find the cabin and I moved as fast as possible. To be safe, I called for backup from the border patrol and I requested an ambulance to be ready in the worst case scenario. I had barely walked in, following the tracks when I smelled blood. I was frozen in my tracks, because it was Laura's blood. The fear within me, intensified. It coursed through my body and I abandoned the tracks, opting for my sense of smell instead. I partly transformed into a wolf and tore through the vegetation as fast as I could. I picked up another scent, a male. Blade. I silently swore that I would bash Blade's skull in if Laura had been harmed by him. He must have been trying to get back at me because I confronted him in the hospital. There was a clearing up ahead and I caught a glimpse of the wooden roof from a glimmer of the moon light. I got there as fast as I could and I scanned. A movement from the door caught my eyes and I stood there staring. Blade rushed out of the cabin with Laura in his arms and my worst fear came to life. I stood there frozen in the legs, unable to move. "Laura!" He placed her on the ground and held on to her, like she was already gone. That was when I snapped out of my trance and I bolted towards them. I pushed Blade out of the way. "What did you do to her? What did you do to her?!" I roared at him. Blade got up and wiped his tears. "I didn't do anything. I was just helping her out in the cabin, we were alone— I don't know what happened, she was suddenly on the floor—" he stuttered. I glanced at Laura and held her up. There was a deep gash at the back of her head. It looked more like she was hit by something heavy. I bent to her chest and listened. Her heart was beating very slowly, and her breathing came in slowly. But it was dead. I lifted her from the ground. "Shit, we can still make it. There's still some time, let's get her to the hospital!" Then I began to run to my car. "Call the medics to get us out—" Blade fell on his knees and covered his face. "It's too late now. How can something like this happen on my watch? How could I leave her alone?" Blade lamented like a child. He wasn't his usual calm self which was an unusual thing. "Get a grip on yourself, Blade!" I spat in irritation. "It's too late. With her sickness, she won't be able to make it past the border." He cried. My world was slowly crumbling around me as his words echoed in my head.