Chapter 45: Chapter 45

SLOAN

He fell heavily onto his knees as he changed back into his human form. He listened to Myra’s shallow breathing and noticed she was slowly changing back into her human form.

He figured, like Alpha, Skye had also relinquished all control back to Myra. He looked down and placed his hand on her still-bleeding stomach.

He then glanced to his left, and his heart broke even further. Leanne lay on the ground, unnaturally still, surrounded by blood.

“Medic! I need medical attention ~STAT~!” he screamed.

A couple of creatures jumped down into the arena and came rushing to his aid. It only then occurred to him that Myra was naked from the waist down, and he, too, was completely nude.

Someone threw a blanket toward him, and he quickly covered her up while someone else handed him a pair of pants.

Dr. Norah, their pack doctor, started working on Myra while another was doing CPR on Leanne. Tristan slowly approached, staring at Leanne as if his heart was completely broken.

~“Your expression betrays your emotions, brother,”~ Sloan linked with Tristan.

However, Tristan only shrugged his response, not breaking eye contact with Leanne’s lifeless body.

“If anyone tries to surrender, let them. They will have their day before the council. Enough bloodshed,” Sloan commanded through the earpiece.

He watched helplessly as two of the most important women in his life lay on the ground in critical condition. Dr. Norah turned Myra over to assess if the bullet had exited or not, while the other doctor was still doing chest compressions on Leanne.

Another shifter retrieved Brian’s gun, and he brought it over. Sloan removed the bullet cartridge and expelled the sole live bullet. The silver-plated bullet fell onto the ground like a sick joke.

Dr. Norah stared at the bullet as if it were a bad omen. “Dammit. Portable ultrasound machine. I need eyes on this bullet,” she stated.

One of the attending nurses pulled out a relatively small device while another nurse helped the doctor clean Myra’s stomach. “Fifteen ccs of morphine, please.”

Dr. Norah glanced at Sloan when she voiced the words, and he almost laughed. The doctor remembered the first time Myra was her patient and Sloan had complained about the different drugs interfering with her scent.

Unfortunately, she was already covered in several different pheromones that wreaked havoc on her natural scent, so he stayed quiet about the subject.

Soon the sounds coming through the small device were loud amid the fighting that was slowly quieting down.

“Okay, it isn’t that deep, nor has it impacted any vital organs that I can see. Forceps, please. Let’s see if I can get this bullet out,” Dr. Norah said, looking at the image on the screen.

~“Norah, there’s a small possibility that Myra is pregnant,”~ he linked with the doctor. He was scared that the baby may not have survived the trauma from the past couple of days.

Worse, the fetus contained his wolf DNA and may have been affected by the silver. Prolonged exposure to the toxin might hinder its development.

However, the pregnancy was still in the early stages, and he knew that anything could happen. If he could kill Brian all over again, he would, but slowly this time.

“Even more reason for me to remove the bullet,” Dr. Norah answered aloud.

He glanced back at Leanne and saw they had an Ambu Bag over her face, pumping oxygen into her.

The relief that washed over Tristan confirmed any residual doubts that Leanne was his mate. Sloan briefly wondered why his brother was denying them the bliss of being mated.

“How’s Leanne?” Sloan asked.

Her attending doctor replied while trying to stop the bleeding in her leg. “We got her heart beating again, but we need to get her to the pack clinic ASAP.”

“Helicopter transport’s estimated arrival is about two minutes away,” Declan answered. His chest and jaw were covered in blood.

He reached into a bag on the ground and pulled out a towel and proceeded to wipe down his chest. He looked at both women, worry etched into his face.

They could hear the helicopter approaching from a distance, just as Dr. Norah gently removed the bullet from Myra’s stomach.

The sound of the bullet hitting the metal bowl that the nurse was holding would haunt Sloan for the rest of his life. He felt someone place a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he glanced up at his father-in-claiming.

The poor man had aged over the past couple of days.

“Shit!” Dr. Norah exclaimed, and the sight before him made him feel faint. More blood had started pouring out of the wound, pooling on the dirt-covered ground under her.

“The bullet must have hit a vein. We need to get her in a clean and sterile operating theater.”

“The helicopter’s ETA to the pack clinic is about fifteen minutes,” Declan informed them, and Dr. Norah shook her head.

“That’s too long.”

A Wiccan High Priestess who was assisting in Leanne’s medical attention spoke up.

“My coven’s hospital is about five minutes away by helicopter. I can have my people on standby, awaiting your doctor’s orders, Alpha,” she concluded with a bow.

Dr. Norah looked at Sloan for guidance, and he nodded. Declan pulled out his phone and hit one button.

“Reroute destination upon pick up. Wiccan coven southwest of our current location. Do you know it? Good. Both females are in critical condition and need urgent care. Thanks.”

He ended the call. “The pilot is submitting their change in flight plan as we speak, and they’re landing the copter now.”

The sound of the helicopter’s landing gear touching the roof echoed quietly through the now-silent building.

“Alpha?” Steven came up to the group. “Most of the rogues have been killed. About ten of them have willingly surrendered.

“An initial sweep of the building has found a holding cell with six additional ‘hostages.’ They, like the surrendering rogues, are being taken to the council dungeons.”

“Better to be safe than sorry. Seize any computers, documents, and laboratory chemicals, and have them delivered to the appropriate personnel for testing and analysis,” Sloan instructed.

“Once secured, I want this place completely evacuated and burned to the ground, along with all the bodies. There shouldn’t be any evidence of creatures’ activity to be investigated by humans.”

“Yes, Alpha.” The man nodded.

“Also, a full report by each team leader, including casualties on our end, um…by tomorrow afternoon.” Declan scratched his neck, then ran a tired hand over his face. “The paperwork on this to the council will be a bitch.”

“Yes, Beta.” Steven nodded and left, just as a four-member emergency medical technician team ran into the arena, carrying two gurneys and additional medical supplies.

While the girls were being secured to the gurneys, Sloan took one final look at the chaos that one power-hungry fool had caused. So many lives were lost because of his actions.

As he turned to leave with the EMTs, he wondered if it was over or just the beginning of something greater. He shook the troublesome thought away and followed his heart toward the helicopter, dismissing the idea…for now.