47 - The Light

47 - The Light
~Parker’s Point of View~

My hands roughly grip the grass below me, furious I can’t shift. Poor Crush is literally hanging on by a thread desperately, keeping us able to mind-link.

There’s not only wolfsbane in my system but the truth serum that we use on our enemies. It’s an absolutely shit combination I never imagined being on the receiving end of experiencing. But it’s now crippled me for days.

There’s not only the physical agony, but the mind fuck of knowing I spilled my guts about literally everything they asked me. There’s some trigger in your brain that won’t let you lie when you’re on the drug but if you can keep your wits about you, you can be smart enough not to add to things. Only answer what they ask, no more … no less. I learned that in my time out in the world. A pack gave me the drug and tested me, and right now I couldn’t be more grateful for the test. But I wasn’t physically useless then. I can’t fight this drug in any way.

The rogues had asked me where Hannah was, if she was alive. They never asked me if there were any other lycans and I can only hope that surprise is enough for us to make it through. I have no doubt that Frederick alone can fight with the strength of ten werewolves.

I also pray that the Barclay pack is here and still around, though I’m unsure. They left me in the woods at the edge of the packlands with one solitary male. Though he seems to be the one calling the shots. Figures he’d be a pussy and not do any of the heavy lifting himself.

For days they’ve hit me with all the reasons lycans need to be exterminated. Reasons they can’t exist. They’re all stupid as fuck. Not a single one of them has ever met or seen a lycan personally in their lifetime to even know. But there’s zero talking them out of it, down from the hate. When an entire group feels that another species shouldn’t even exist, there’s no peaceful negotiation sadly. But there’s been enough bloodshed for centuries if the tales are to be believed. Well the fact that three lycans live is reason enough to believe them.

There’s a sharp kick in my gut as the male hits his boot into me, and I fully collapse against the earth.

“You bastards know how to fight, I’ll give you that. But you’ll get tired soon enough,” he taunts, kicking dirt at me for good measure. I attempt to roll onto my side but it’s pointless. I can barely regulate my breathing. All I can do is keep my mouth shut to keep the dirt out for now.

I’m looped into everyone’s mind-links, and thankfully I knew where we were because I passed an old treehouse we used to play in as pups. Otherwise I’d have a hard time giving our location exactly. It isn’t like me to just sit and wait to be saved, and it’s killing me worse than the physical pain.

There’s a sharp whistle and then the sudden waft of magic fills my lungs. I try to call out, but my lips are literally pressed against the earth and I can’t move.

It’s our sage, I just know it. I’d recognize the stink of patchouli and green onions anywhere. What an awful combination to be stuck with your entire life.

I hear a series of grunts and boots moving, I hear the sound of my captor pulling his knife that I’ve gotten to know well these last few days. A side effect of wolfsbane is that it also has healing properties. If you get cut, it’ll heal enough to stop the blood flow. Meaning you can get cut a hell of a lot of times and feel every bit of the pain but you won’t bleed out if they’re mostly superficial. Just another torture tactic.

When I hear many more feet, no … paws hitting the earth around me, I tense. Shit!

Mayday! I think Mahrishi is out here, and outnumbered, I can’t move, I shout, over-mind link.

Crush whines, feeling like a damn infant unable to do literally anything. For easily ten minutes or so, all around us are growls, howls, the sharp metallic smell of blood that I know isn’t mine. Every now and then I get knocked around, but when a big body finally knocks into me, I’m on my side.

My jaw falls at the visual of the male I know to be Frederick, standing next to Mahrishi, though he towers over him by a couple feet at least. They’re both completely soaked in blood and there’s nothing but a pile of bodies around, maybe fifteen. Some are shifted back to human, some are halfway.

When the lycan’s eyes land on me, I swear they’re glowing. I make out his nose twitching, no doubt smelling the wolfsbane and understanding why I’m a damn cripple. I stare at him in shock with my one good eye, it seems to be a trend with me lately. Get the shit kicked out of me and learn what it is to not only not move, but not see.

“This will help with the pain,” I hear, and blink to see the sage holding a small vial. I open my mouth without protest, not that I could. After I drink, the giant takes my arm and pulls me up. Next thing I know, I’m cradled against this chest with my chin resting on his shoulder. He’s holding me with one arm under my butt and under literally any other circumstances this would be awkward as fuck.

But I’m too relieved to have any shred of embarrassment.

“He got away, we’ll get him,” I hear, as Frederick moves. The lycan grunts in response.

I groan at that, knowing that unless we get that head honcho, this shit ain’t over. It needs to end tonight. I’m not trying to move on with my mate and have a family just to constantly look over my shoulder.

So… I do literally the only thing I can do right now. Something I’m not sure I’ve ever done. Shifters do praise and “worship” the Moon Goddess but it’s more about admiration for creating us. It’s not a religious thing.

But right now… That's all I got. So, here we go.

“Dear Moon Goddess, please help my pack, my family. I have literally no idea right now how many are hurt, suffering. Someone even said a female is in labor. Please look out for us. Rumor is you fled this madness, you fled and left your lycans to fend for themselves. Honestly, that’s fucked up. I’m not calling on you now to rake you over the coals but to ask that you help them without delay. They need it now more than ever.

All we have are tales of your good deeds. Whispers and fables, children’s stories. Prove yourself to us now. Save them, help them live on. My Hannah has been completely robbed of having a good life, let us give it to her now. To her family. They deserve peace, and above all else justice for all they’ve lost.”

Frederick walks for what feels like an eternity, though I know that from where I was to the center is an hour run on four legs at least.

On long lycan legs though? Who knows. I laugh to myself at the thought of developing an entirely new method of measure based on the beast. When I open my good eye I realize the pain has greatly subsided and now … I’m high as a fucking kite.

“Did you give me peyote or something,” I whisper, to no one in particular. But I hear the sage laugh no less.

“It’s all I could do for now, enjoy it,” he says, as I blink rapidly. The telltale chimney smoke of our packhouse hits my nose. I’d know that smell anywhere. But it’s still a little ways away.

“Gotta stop and help some people, we’ll leave you here for safekeeping,” Mahrishi says, as I feel my body being moved. When my ass hits the earth, my head falls back against a tree.

“The bad part is if you get hurt again or break something you’re not gonna feel it until later, so sit tight,” the male says, the chocolate of his eyes looking nearly like candies. His dark skin also looks like chocolate right now and I realize how damn hungry I am.

Frederick has barely stood upright when his entire body jerks with a sudden motion and then he takes off running.

Alpha is missing, who has eyes on the Alpha, someone shouts, over mind-link.

That gets my complete attention as Crush abruptly tries to thrust me forward.

I can’t crawl through the woods, I snap, stating the obvious.

But he’s made up his mind. All I can do is go with it. Fighting him will be counterproductive and take too much energy I don’t have. The sounds of a fight are all around me, the smells of it. But I don’t yet see it, which is bad, just bad.

Hannah and Jane are out, I couldn’t stop them. Hannah actually sliced my face, Pax yells, over mind-link. I’d be lying if I said that my lips didn’t curl into a grin at that.

Alpha is missing still, someone gets eyes on him, Seth shouts.

Where’s Rafe, I reply, weakly. It kills me that it’s an all open mind-link, the entire pack would hear it. But my father ordered it at the start of the raid. It was only fair that everyone underground knew what was going on.

I’d felt Rafe’s pain earlier through our mate bond but he said he was fine. Given the present circumstances that’s open for interpretation. Fine could mean missing a leg but alive. Nah, I’d feel that kind of pain, wouldn’t I?

After a few minutes, I get a boost of strength from somewhere, and when I try to push onto my knees, I’m able to do it. I then crawl on all fours and am able to move much faster. Something tells me to go to the pond, I don’t know why. It’s so out of the way, I need to get to the fight!

Crush moves on his own as if he’s shifted, getting strength out of nowhere as well. I’m certain the palms of my hands and my knees are going to be fucked later but I’ll deal with it. We quickly change course and when the far end of the pond comes into view at long last, I see my Hannah.

She’s standing on the dock, staring out into the water.

Where the hell is Pax?? Jane?!

She’s in her lycan state, and while I can’t see her face, her anger is evident. Pretty much rolling off of her in waves. When I get a bit closer, a head bobs to the surface, and even though I struggle to make out their features… I know without a doubt it’s the male who’d just escaped Frederick.

Help at the pond, ASAP head honcho is there and Hannah, I shout, over mind-link.

Don’t jump in baby, don’t you dare do it!!

I begin to call out to her, but I have no idea if the bastard has a weapon. I don’t know if she dumped him in there or he went on his own. He could very easily throw a knife at her.

“He’s armed, be careful,” I shout, though she doesn’t move.

When an arrow shoots across the water, just missing the figure, my head jerks around to find the source. Oscar and Oliver. More arrows fly across, but the bastard is able to dodge them or drop into the water.

A massive flash of light shoots across the sky, nearly blinding my barely usable eye since it’s otherwise pitch black out here. If I wasn’t a shifter I wouldn’t be able to see anything.

Just as I had that thought, and I was getting closer to my mate, she reared her head back and cried out into the night.

Well, she screamed… Roared? It’s near deafening and when I feel something on my back I freeze. Suddenly it’s absolutely quiet. Crush tells me there’s no birds, no crickets. The entirety of the forest is literally stopped in their tracks.

“Be still Parker, she’s got it from here,” I hear, knowing it’s Jane.

I look back at Hannah, but she’s not moving. The male in the water yells something, but I have no clue what.

“She’s come to make amends,” Jane says, as suddenly I see another head surface from the water.