Chapter 126
Alexander's POV
I charged toward the hidden door, muscles straining to their limit, the wolf inside me howling to move faster. Hurry, she's in there! Metal hinges screeched in protest before finally giving way as the door crashed down.
My heart nearly stopped.
Erin lay strapped to an operating table, her body contorted in agony, face deathly pale. That bastard Marcus stood beside her, holding an empty syringe, his face twisted in sickening satisfaction. In that moment, the beast within me fully awakened.
"GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
Marcus's head snapped up, his smug expression instantly morphing to terror. "Alexander? How did you—"
His words were drowned by my roar. My body responded automatically—bones cracking and reforming with audible snaps, fur rapidly growing beneath my skin. After a flash of excruciating pain, my wolf nature was completely unleashed. I'll tear you to pieces!
Marcus's pupils contracted as he quickly transformed into a brown wolf. My fangs bared, saliva dripping onto the floor, claws scoring deep marks in the ground as I prepared to attack.
Mike Newton emerged from the corner, frantically pulling out a tranquilizer gun. Chris lunged at him, and they crashed heavily to the floor.
"Alexander! Save Erin!" Chris shouted through the struggle.
I needed no reminder. With one powerful push against the floor, I launched myself at Marcus, fangs aimed straight for his throat. The lab instantly became a chaotic battleground—vials shattering, tables overturning, two massive wolves fighting in the confined space.
Marcus bit down on my foreleg, sending waves of pain through me, but my rage completely overwhelmed the agony. This damn traitor! My claws tore through his flank, spraying blood across the white walls. He yelped in sharp, piercing pain, releasing his grip and stumbling backward.
"I'm going to kill you, you mongrel!" I raged inwardly, slamming into his chest with bone-crushing force, the crack of his ribs distinctly audible.
Marcus lunged toward the door, attempting to escape, but I was faster. I pounced from the side, sinking my teeth into his hind leg, my mouth filling with the metallic taste of blood. He let out an agonized howl, crashing to the floor, the impact forcing him back to human form, his face covered in blood.
I shifted back to human form, straddling him as my fists pummeled his face relentlessly. "This is for Erin!" WHAM! "This is for all those innocent people!" WHAM! "This is for your betrayal!" WHAM! Marcus's nose shattered, his face a bloody mess, but I couldn't stop. He made unintelligible groans as blood bubbles formed at his lips, his features unrecognizable, yet I felt not a shred of sympathy.
"Alexander! That's enough! She needs you!" Chris's voice cut through my rage.
Erin's name instantly cleared my mind. I released the barely conscious Marcus and spun around to see Erin lying motionless, her face frozen in agony, her chest barely rising.
Fear immediately replaced anger. I rushed to her side, my fingers trembling so badly I could barely undo the silver restraints burning her skin. Her wrists and ankles were covered with horrible burn marks, her skin burning hot to the touch.
"Erin! Wake up!" I cradled her gently, my voice breaking, "Don't leave me, please. Hold on!"
She convulsed slightly in my arms, her pulse growing fainter. Panic consumed me, my mind going blank. "No, no, no! Erin, listen to me, you can't go, do you hear me? PLEASE, damn it, PLEASE!"
Noah burst in with the security team, quickly assessing the room filled with destruction and blood.
"Control them," I rasped, my eyes fixed on Erin's ghostly pale face. "Bring the boy and girl to the pack healing center! NOW!"
I lifted Erin and rushed from the lab, desperately racing toward the exit. Her body grew colder by the second, her breathing almost imperceptible. The fear of losing her devoured my sanity, nearly driving me over the edge.
"Hold on, Erin, don't give up!" I pleaded, my voice trembling. "I need you, do you hear me? Please, PLEASE don't leave me!"
---
Erin's POV
Darkness. Suffocating darkness enveloped me. From somewhere distant, someone called my name repeatedly, the voice familiar and desperate. I tried to respond but couldn't find my voice. Warm liquid dropped onto my face, followed by trembling lips touching my forehead, cheeks, and the back of my hand. But no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn't pierce through the heavy veil of blackness.
Time lost all meaning in the darkness. Finally, a sliver of light appeared before me, gradually expanding. My eyelids felt leaden, but I finally managed to open them.
An unfamiliar room came into view—walls of warm wood tones, decorated with ancient tribal symbols. Soft furs surrounded me, while the air carried the fragrance of herbs mingled with the distinctive scent of werewolves.
"Erin? Oh God, you're awake!"
I painfully turned my neck to see Chris sitting beside the bed, his hair disheveled, dark circles prominent beneath his eyes.
"Chris?" My voice sounded hoarse and unrecognizable. "What happened? Where am I?"
Relief washed over his face as he quickly poured water for me. "Drink slowly, small sips."
The cool liquid soothed my parched throat, easing the burning sensation. I noticed herbal dressings wrapped around my wrists, detecting the unique aroma of the herbal mixture—a secret werewolf pack remedy for healing wounds.
"You're in the Black Stone pack's healing center," Chris explained. "You've been unconscious for four days. You scared the hell out of us."
"Four days?" I couldn't believe it, trying to sit up only to trigger excruciating pain throughout my body, making me cry out.
"Don't move," Chris restrained my shoulders gently. "Your body is still very weak. That drug nearly killed you."
Memories flooded back—the underground lab, Marcus's malicious grin, the needle piercing my skin, and Alexander's furious roar. My wolf whimpered uneasily within me, trembling at the recollection of that pain.
"What about Lila and Marco?" I suddenly tensed, grabbing Chris's wrist.
"Lila's safe," he said. "Frightened, but unharmed. She's here too, under protection."
I sighed with relief but noticed the hesitation in his eyes. "What about Marco? Is he okay?"
Chris's expression grew grave as he unconsciously ran his hand through his hair. "He's... alive, but still unconscious. The doctors say he received multiple injections of that drug, and his condition is critical." Seeing my face pale, he quickly added, "But they're doing everything they can. He's young—that's in his favor."
My heart sank, aching for Lila. She'd already lost her family and now faced the possibility of losing her brother too. God, it wasn't fair.
I scanned the room, not finding the person I most wanted to see. My wolf instinctively searched for his scent but detected only faint traces.
"Where's Alexander?" I asked, trying to hide the disappointment in my voice.
Chris shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "He's dealing with Marcus and Mike. As the pack heir, there are certain matters he has to handle personally."
A wave of disappointment washed over me. Though I understood, I couldn't help feeling empty inside.
Chris, reading my thoughts, hastily explained, "He was by your side constantly until he was called away an hour ago. He barely left for days—Noah practically had to drag him away to rest."
His words warmed my heart. "Really?"
"Absolutely," Chris nodded. "I've never seen him like that. When you were unconscious, he was devastated, like he was losing everything."
Heat rose to my face as warmth spread through my chest.
"How did you save me?" I asked, trying to fill in the blanks in my memory.
Chris briefly described how they'd located the lab, Alexander's battle with Marcus, and how they'd rushed me here for treatment.
"So you and Alexander are old friends?" I asked curiously.
"Yes," he nodded. "My name's Chris Davison, but you might know me by my pen name—William Bennett."
My eyes widened in surprise. "The journalist who exposed Lisa's scandal? That was you?"
"Alexander asked for my help," he said, looking somewhat guilty. "I should have told you sooner."
The information made me slightly dizzy, but it also solved some puzzles. Chris stood up, picking an apple from the nightstand.
"Hungry? The healer said you should eat something."
As he peeled the apple, I leaned back against the pillows, my thoughts drifting to Alexander. Despite knowing he worried about me, his absence left an emptiness inside. My wolf whimpered softly, longing for his scent and touch.
Where are you, Alexander? I whispered in my mind. We need you.