Chapter 14 13
Darius's POV
I glanced down to see my fingers were no longer human. My sharp claws had elongated. My teeth clenched, and I felt the scrape of fangs against my lower lip.
Just the thought of the Patriarch drove my wolf insane.
I tightened my fists, my claws cutting into my own palms. My whole body trembled with the effort of keeping the shift at bay. My wolf didn’t care about restraint. It wanted blood. It wanted vengeance. It wanted to tear apart anything that smelled like the Patriarch.
Sam stepped in front of me. “Darius, try to hold it together. This isn’t the place.”
I dragged in a shaky breath, staring at the streaks of blood that led to nothing, just absence. My claws twitched. My wolf wanted to answer.
As we kept walking, my eyes caught a glint of metal half-buried in the dirt. I slowed, staring at it. It was a sickle.
I bent down and picked it up, turning the curved blade in my hand. My stomach twisted. “A sickle,” I muttered.
Sam leaned closer, frowning. “A sickle? You mean—”
“Yeah,” I cut him off. “The Patriarch’s signature weapon. He loves killing with these.” My grip tightened on the handle, rage flooding me. “He even had the guts to leave one here. Or maybe one of his men did.”
Sam exhaled sharply, glancing around. “It really was them.”
I let out a frustrated sigh, slipping the blade inside my jacket. “We should keep this evidence. It'll be useful in our investigation”
Before I could say anything more, the faint rustle of leaves snapped my head up.
“Darius, look out—” Sam started, but before I could even react, a blur shot out from the bushes.
Pain exploded in my leg.
I stumbled back, a raw growl tearing out of my throat. The figure of a man, slashed clean through my trousers, before leaping back into the shadows like a phantom.
“Damn it!” I roared, clutching my leg. The stench of my own blood filled the air.
“Police!” Sam bellowed, his voice ringing across the area.
Within seconds, heavy boots pounded against the ground as officers rushed back. But all I could focus on was the fire burning in my thigh, blood soaking my hand.
Sam dropped beside me, his face had already gone pale. “Darius…your leg. Damn, the wound is terrible.” His fingers brushed the wound, and I hissed through my teeth.
The cut wasn’t normal. It burned, not just from blood loss but because the man tore through my flesh terribly. I could literally see deep within my tissues and flesh.
My wolf snarled, demanding release, pushing hard against my control. My fangs were already out, my claws tearing deeper into my palm.
The ground slammed against my back before I even realized I’d fallen.
A deep groan escaped from my throat. The slash wasn’t just a cut, it felt like the sickle had been dragged through my flesh, then yanked out with vicious force. My trousers were torn wide open, and I could see it my skin split, my blood pouring fast like I was a slaughtered animal.
I tried to stand but my legs buckled, and another groan tore through me.
“Darius!” Sam's hands pressing down against the wound. “Shit, this is deep. We have to get you to a hospital.”
I shook my head weakly, but the words never made it past my lips. My veins were burning.
My fangs pushed past my lips. My shirt tore at the seams as my body trembled, veins bulging everywhere. My wolf was raging.
My wolf couldn't focus on anything at all, and that included healing. My blood just kept pouring, soaking my shirt and pooling beneath me.
“Damn it, Darius!” Sam cursed, fumbling as he grabbed me under the arms. He was strong but even he struggled with my weight. “I’ll take you to the hospital, just hold on. Don’t shift, don’t lose it here.”
I groaned again, deeper this time. My vision turned red and my body tipped over in his hold, I was barely conscious.
Sam dragged me toward the car, muttering curses under his breath. “Stay with me. Don’t you dare pass out on me, Alpha.”
The police rushed closer, their voices calling out, but they were background noise.
Sam shoved me into the passenger seat, slamming the door shut. He ran around, jumped behind the wheel, and fired up the engine. The tires screeched as the car hit the road.
“Dante, pick up!” I heard him snarl into his phone, one hand gripping the wheel. “I’m taking Darius to the hospital. He’s bleeding out, man. One of the Patriarch’s men attacked him!”
My head slumped against the window.
Sam’s voice blurred in my ears, but all I could really feel was pain.
The seat beneath me was soaked and my shoes were soaked with blood.
“Sam… get out of here.” I growled.
He snapped his eyes to me. “What?”
“I said go! If I lose control, I could kill you—”
Sam clenched his teeth. “We’re almost at the hospital, Darius. Look at you, you’re bleeding too damn much. You could bleed to death before we even argue about this!”
I groaned, my claws digging into the seat leather, tearing it apart. Every bump in the road sent fresh agony through my leg.
The car screeched to a halt. My blurred vision caught the white letters on the building. Star-like Hospital.
Sam was out in an instant. My door wrenched open, but I could barely lift my head.
“Help! Someone, he’s bleeding out!” Sam’s voice roared through the parking lot.
I heard running footsteps then voices. A woman gasped. “Oh my God let's take him out quickly!”
Doctors rushed forward with a stretcher. They were humans.
I grit my teeth so hard I thought they’d shatter. If I lost control now, I could tear innocent people apart.
“Stay with us, sir!” one of the nurses shouted, as they heaved me onto the stretcher. My blood trailed behind us, staining the tiles as they pushed me through the sliding doors.
I was taken into the emergency room and before the doctors or nurses could do anything for me, my wolf, Zeus snapped, taking control.
Zeus grabbed one of the nurse's neck tight. I tried to fight it but I couldn't. I was squeezing the life out of her. Others tried to pry my hands away but Zeus was too strong.
Just then, I heard a very familiar voice. “Darius, stop it!”