Forty Eight

Eva had admitted to herself she had been putting off asking Bethan to go over the events of her attack again. The first time had been hard enough for the shy girl. It felt like Eva was just going to be rubbing salt into the wounds. She had to do it though. Too many people had died and Eva would never forgive herself if she didn't at least try to get Bethan to remember something else. She just hoped this was the last time she would have to make Bethan relive that horrible night.

Knocking on the bedroom door, Eva waited until Bethan answered. It didn't take long, as if Bethan had been waiting for Eva to turn up, her brown eyes dull and shadows smudging the skin under her eyes.

"Bethan." Eva smiled softly. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Bethan whispered, stepping aside to let the older she-wolf in.

The room was still as immaculate as the first time Eva had stepped in and she was starting to wonder if Bethan was even sleeping in the bed. She quickly noticed the air was cold as the sun had long since set and the windows were wide open. It seemed odd but Eva wasn't about to question it. She had a mission, something she had promised her mate she would do and she was going to do just that.

Taking a seat at the dressing table again, Eva watched as Bethan moved to the bed, perching on the corner as if at any moment she would need to spring off of it. It seemed that despite her time with the Hellhound pack, Bethan was still on edge. Did she think her attacker would come back for her? She was the sole survivor afterall. All the others had died in such terrible circumstances. Eva could only imagine it was terrifying knowing the person who attacked you was still at large and could return at any moment.

"How have you been?" Eva finally asked, her hazel eyes darkened with concern for the young she-wolf.

The short shrug that Bethan responded with wasn't encouraging. Her thick brown hair fell over her face like a curtain, hiding her features and anything that might give Eva any clue as to what she was feeling. The crewed up and bloodied fingernails hadn't gone unnoticed though. Eva recalled her mum explaining that people were known to do it out of stress or anxiety. The problem was it would lead to infections quite easily and yet the chewer wouldn't be able to stop as if it was a release they couldn't gain in any other way.

"Bethan," Eva leaned forward, trying to catch the girl's eye. "I need to talk to you about the night of the attack again."

Bethan didn't react. There was no surprise or fear, she simply sat there, in no way fazed by what Eva said.

"I know." Bethan finally spoke, her voice soft and frightened. "Ethan said you would want to speak to me."

"Ethan?" Eva blinked in surprise. Since when did Ethan know about Eva's plans to talk to Bethan again.

"Yeah…"

For a moment, Eva thought that Bethan was hiding something. The girl's eyes glazed as she seemed to think, teeth pressing into her lower lip as if she was trying to keep something in that was desperate to burst out and be acknowledged. It left Eva feeling uneasy, as if waiting for a tornado to hit.

"I think Alpha Daniel told him." Bethan finally mumbled making Eva relax.

Of course. That made sense.

"Okay, well as you know, Beta Kade is missing presumed dead and we think the person behind attacking you is behind it." Eva explained. "They sent us a letter signed by the Mad Alpha. Does that name ring any bells?"

Bethan just shook her head.

"That's okay. Are you able to go through what happened that night?" Eva asked. "I know this is difficult but we would really appreciate it."

Bethan nodded and after a few moments, began to tell the story again. She and the other wolves from the Emerald Pack were running late and had stopped to change. As they were making their way towards the border, they were attacked from behind by several men.

"Wait? So there was more than one?" Eva cut in, her eyes wide.

"Um…" If Bethan didn't look scared before she definitely did now, her brown eyes wide as she stared at Eva in horror. "I-I mean…"

"Knock. Knock."

Both women jumped at the masculine voice, eyes turning to the visitor. Ethan stood in the doorway, a polite and yet curious smile on his face as he regarded the two women.

"Everything okay in here?" He asked, looking at Eva for a moment until his gaze moved to settle heavily on Bethan.

"Yeah, I was just talking to Bethan here." Eva spoke up when no one else did. "Everything okay, Ethan?"

"Oh yeah, I was just hoping to speak with Bethan. The Alpha called and is asking for me to head back so we need to sort out details."

"Oh." Eva uttered. "Okay, well I guess I will leave you to it."

Standing, Eva cast a tight smile at Ethan as she headed to the door.

"Thanks," Ethan suddenly spoke, the heat of his hand on Eva's arm searing like a hot poker. "For everything you have done for Bethan."

"Sure." Eva nodded, shifting uncomfortably.

Pulling away from that burning, uncomfortable touch, Eva glanced once more at Bethan, stunned at the fear that still swam in those chocolate pools before Ethan shut the door.

---

It took a while for him to become self aware and once he did, he then became aware of the darkness that swallowed him up. There was something comforting and protective in the darkness, like the protective walls of a mother's womb. Nothing existed in that void. Time didn't exist, neither did sound or light. Even memories were unable to break through the bubble of nothingness.

Surprisingly, he wasn't scared or worried. Emotions didn't matter and he didn't question where he was or why. He simply accepted it. He didn't know how long he had been there for or how long he would be there for, he somehow knew he had nowhere else to be.

After a while something broke through the black silence. A sound, barely above a faint whisper, scuttled through the blackness like small sparks of colour creating jagged peaks and troughs before disappearing into the dark. He could work out what the sound was or where it was coming from. It seemed so far away that it would have been easy to miss if it weren't for the eternal silence that existed.

When the sound started again it was louder and more persistent. It was muffled as if under layers of blankets. He tried to focus on it but the darkness clouded, pulling him closer to it like a possessive lover. There was comfort to be found in the black emptiness and yet something was urging him to follow the sounds, to find them. Call it instinct or curiosity, either way, he pushed through the darkness, following the bursts of sound that flicked dimly like lightning far away at sea.

The darkness was thick like molasses, clinging to him like hundreds of hands, trying to pull him back and yet he kept going, seeking out the sounds more urgently as they became louder. Soon he could work out it was a voice he could hear. Tone followed next the more he pressed on and soon he could work out that the voice was saying something, chanting words he wasn't familiar with. Each step he took peeled away another blanket muffling the sound until it thundered around him, sweeping him up.

The tickling feeling in his chest started just as the chanting came to its peak loudness. With each syllable, the tickling grew, spreading over his chest and crept up his throat like spiders. It grew and grew as the voice carried on chanting. He wanted to cough or swallow or breathe. Anything to soothe the clawing feeling in his lungs. So he did. He took a breath.

Kade's eyes flew open as his lungs dragged in the cool air greedily.

"Ah finally." Dagmar growled above his prone body. "It's about time you woke up. There's work to do."