76. Athos

76. Athos
I took those last steps that carried us across the border, and then I approached the nearest tree, collapsing at the base of it. I panted harshly, my skin feeling so feverish as my head spun. Fuck. I really shouldn't have been so careless. I shouldn't have let him go so out of control. He slaughtered every single one of those humans. We did lose Busboy, though. And I knew that that was going to be a problem. Or maybe a good thing, actually. We could track him down and use him to find out who had been behind all this, and why they were hunting for lycan blood.
I felt that tug at my soul once again, and I turned my head to the side, watching Calla's limp form on the grass. Yeah, I was definitely going to enjoy tearing that human limb from limb, once I had my claws on him. He didn't deserve a quick death. It was going to be slow and very painful.
My muscles contracted once again around those bullets, and I let out a pained groan, shifting uncomfortably.
"Fuck. I can't hold on anymore. We have to get the bullets out. We've already lost a lot of blood, and if I don't do it sooner, we're both going to die. The bond will be severed, and she...will..." I struggled to tell Leo between my wheezing breaths, producing another pained grunt as my beast thrashed from within, desperate to be let out. We were literally hanging by a thread, and I had to do it fast if I wanted to give Calla a chance to survive the shift.
"Go. Do it," Leo said to me in reply, and I could hear that urgency in his tone. The anguish that underlined it.
I rose to my feet on unsteady limbs, my body screaming with exhaustion. I fumbled with my shirt and pants, and my muscles chose that very moment to contract once again, forcing a groan out of me. Calla whimpered at the same time, and I knew that she could feel my pain through the bond. Fuck. It had already grown way too strong.
My heart clenched with worry and sadness, realizing that she was going to suffer a lot today. She was going to feel every single squeeze of my muscles, and every single burn of those bullets coming out. I watched Leo gather her tenderly in between his arms, caressing her cheek affectionately.
"Go. I'll try to comfort her as much as I can," he told me quietly with a look of reassurance.
I nodded weakly as my head continued to spin. I was so fucking tired. Drained. But I couldn't give up. I had to keep fighting for her. For both of us.
I trudged away from where they sat, walking as fast as I could, considering my state. I let out slow, wheezing breaths, my pulse pounding inside my ears. Come on, fucking come on. I kept going, ignoring that nausea and those tremors that wracked throughout my body. I couldn't even tell if they were mine or hers anymore. My legs shook, and they threatened to give, but I let out an angry and determined growl. I couldn't give up. I wouldn't.
I made a few more steps, and they unfortunately buckled, sending me to my knees. I grunted with desperation, and the memory of that dream came rushing back, tormenting me with those visuals... Jeminah lying limp in my arms, deathly pale. The feel of Calla's fist clutching at my shirt, whispering breathlessly in my ear, "Maximus..."
The sight of her bloodied and lifeless, wearing her wedding dress as she lay dead in Leo's arms. His anguished cries, turning into my own. Echoing the pain I felt—the first time, and then the second time.
"Mother, please..." "Jeminah..."
"Brother... I almost killed her..."
"Calla!"
"Maximus..." Those voices echoed inside my head over and over again, uttering those same words.
"Maximus..." "Jeminah..."
"Calla!"
With a thunderous growl, my beast finally emerged. He let out a mournful howl, equally tortured by those memories. The loss. The pain.
He rose to his hind legs, conjuring the strength of his lycan blood. The power of his ancient bloodline, which came straight from the Holy Mother herself. And then he pushed.
Raw, angry, and scorching pain gripped us, and we roared as our muscles clenched, forcing that first bullet out. Fuck. Five more to go. We focused again, already panting from the exertion, and then he coaxed our muscles to contract and tighten, forcing another bullet out of our body. We roared again, and the unmistakable lilt of Calla's desperate wail reached our ears, making the blood in our veins curdle.
No...
We closed our eyes, swallowing that lump inside our throat. They were burning with unshed tears. I forced him to continue focusing on removing the bullets.
Another strain. Another bullet removed. Another howl. Another heartbreaking scream. No. We couldn't give up. We had to keep going. We had to stay alive. For her.
"For our little one..." the beast murmured softly, panting harshly. He focused again, forcing another bullet out. Our little one wailed again, and our body wobbled slightly. We shook our head, pushing that dizziness away. Come on. Two more. I coaxed him, forcing us to remain strong. Power through, even though our heart was bleeding with her pain. It was tearing us apart.
We focused again, pushing out another bullet. It came out way slower, and we could feel our power waning. We were about to pass out.
Fuck. No... We groaned from the struggle, and we fell on four limbs, our entire body shaking. No... Please... I begged from within. Please. We must fight. For her...
"We are...too weakened..." the beast answered between labored breaths.
No... We're not... I protested. No. We couldn't stop. Not now. We were so close!
Please! I begged again, our claws digging into the soft soil as our beastly body continued to shake so violently. We were drained, at our powers' end. But I did not want to give up, so with our last droplets of strength, I prayed to our Holy Mother,
"Please...Our Holy Mother...give us strength..."