Chapter 32 Thirty-Two
Danica could hear the sound of blood rushing around in her ears as the word attack kept bouncing around inside her head. There had been an attack. Was it their pack grounds, or was it somewhere else?
"Danica, what are you doing?" Mason asked, rushing over to her. "You should still be lying down after what you just went through."
For a moment, Chris' eyes turned to Danica with a look that caused her cheeks to blush ferociously.
"Get your mind out of the gutter," Danica huffed at Chris before turning to Mason. "What is going on?"
Chris, who hadn't expected Danica to overhear, had begun to turn pale.
"Chris?" Danica asked, fixing her gaze on her trainer. "What happened?"
Chris looked hesitantly at Mason, who seemed to be angry. "There was another surprise attack." He said deciding that he didn't want to leave Danica in the dark.
"Where did it happen?" Danica demanded, moving forward.
"Pack grounds," Chris responded. "It happened near where all the infected were being held."
"What do you mean where the infected were?" Danica asked, her eyes widening. "Are you saying that they went after those that were already sick?"
Chris nodded. "That's exactly what I am saying."
"Why would they go after people who are already sick?" Danica wasn't able to understand what exactly was going on.
"Chris, I told you not to worry Danica over this," Mason snapped, finally speaking up.
"She deserves to know; this will be her pack one day too." Chris responded defiantly.
Her pack one day, she still had a hard time believing that. As she was, she wasn't cut out to be a Luna of any pack.
"Was anyone injured?" Danica asked now.
Shaking his head, Chris furrowed his brows. "That's the weird part; no one was hurt; instead, they let all of the infected out."
"WHAT?!" Danica gasped. "What do you plan on doing?"
"Calm down," Mason urged, wrapping an arm around Danica's waist. "We will take care of this, you just focus on recuperating."
"I can't focus on that with what is going on." Danica said looking at Mason. "They need to be caught and locked back up; what are we going to do if they spread their illness further?"
"That is for me and Chris to worry about, not you." Mason said simply.
The way Mason was acting was beginning to get on Danica's nerves. He may say that it wasn't any of her business, but it was her business.
"We need to do something, Mason," Danica pleaded. "Things are just going to get much worse if nothing is done."
"She is right, Alpha," Chris agreed, taking Danica's side. "We don't have time to sit here and argue."
"Fine," Mason huffed, crossing his arms. "Danica, please do me a favor and stay here."
"I don't want to!" Danica knew that she was being unreasonable, but she was concerned and didn't want to sit back. "I've been training to fight; I can help."
"That isn't what I'm worried about," Mason argued. "What if you get infected?"
"What if you do?" Danica countered. "Either way, we are all at risk."
Mason remained quiet as he considered Danica's words. From the look of defeat that was beginning to form on his face, Danica could tell that she had managed to convince him.
"If you come..." Mason started. "I want you to promise me that if I tell you to go back, you go and don't argue."
"Yes, sir," Danica saluted, smiling.
"Let's go," Chris said, turning and hurrying out of Mason's room.
Mason and Danica wasted no time following Chris out of the dormitories and into the night.
An alarm was sounding throughout the complex as warriors rushed about, trying to prepare for hunting down the infected wolves that had escaped.
Looking around, Danica saw a few that were in what looked like hazmat suits. She assumed that they were probably in charge of helping guard the infected and that they weren't going to be much help in the long run.
"Where to look first?" Danica asked, coming up beside Mason, who had stopped and begun to sniff the air.
"Toward the woods," Mason said, slowly taking a deep breath. "I can smell blood heading that way."
"Lets go!" Danica said quickly beginning to move.
"Wait..." Mason called, grabbing her wrist. "We need to put on gloves and masks to make sure that we don't get their blood anywhere on us."
"Won't that hinder our movements and vision?" Danica asked incredulously.
"We need to take this precaution," Mason said looking at Chris. "Go grab three sets of masks and gloves; we will wait for you here."
"Alright," Chris responded before rushing away.
"Mason, we don't have time for this!" The longer they waited, the more anxious Danica began to feel. "We need to find them before something bad happens."
"There isn't anything else we can do right now, and we need to take all precautions. Stop being so headstrong and trying to rush straight into danger." Mason's voice had grown slightly harsh as he spoke.
Flinching, Danica tried her best to control her temper.
"Don't talk to me like a child, Mason."
Mason let out a long breath and said, "I'm sorry."
"You're always sorry," Danica said back, crossing her arms. "I get that you're an Alpha and you need to take care of your pack, but you aren't going to treat me like I am beneath you."
"I have no intention of treating you like you are beneath me," Mason said.
"Good."
Turning Danica watched as Chris rushed back towards where she and Mason stood. In his hands, he carried masks and gloves.
"Here you are, Alpha," Chris said, handing over his loot to Mason.
"Great, both of you each put these on," Mason commanded, handing over the masks and gloves.
"Alright," Danica said taking them.
First, she slipped the mask over her face and was immediately overwhelmed by the sense of being constricted. It was an unpleasant feeling, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to get away with not wearing it. Next, she put on her gloves and held up her hands.
"I'm suited up," she announced, smiling.
Nodding, Mason and Chris put their protective gear on as well.
"Now..." Mason said, looking to the forest line just beyond their training grounds. "Shall we get to hunting?"
"Yes!"
Danica felt another burst of adrenaline as she, Chris, and Mason began making their way towards where the infected wolves had disappeared.
Inside the woods, it was dark and eerie. Looking around, Danica tried to ignore the quickly growing sense of foreboding that was overtaking her.
"Stay close," Mason ordered, looking around slowly. "We don't know if rogues may be hiding in here as well."
"No problem," Danica said, smoothly sweeping the area around her.
Chris was on high alert and quiet as he flanked Danica and Mason; as Mason's beta, it was his duty to backup his alpha. Danica appreciated the gesture, but she didn't know if she was happy about the fact that Chris was all alone if something did decide to sneak up on them.
A snap sounded from Danica's left. Turning quickly, she had just enough time to see glowing red eyes before a large silver wolf came running at her. It seemed that they had company.