Chapter 25: 25: Exile

ARIEL

As the rage takes over, I feel my strength growing under these two rogues pinning me down.

Helena’s eyes meet mine and begin to become unfocused. I see a trickle of blood escape from her mouth.

In a fury, I force myself up, pushing the gray wolf off of my back and ripping my leg out of the brown wolf’s mouth.

I barely even feel the pain of my flesh being torn.

I leap over onto the black rogue standing over Helena and we tumble to the ground, knocking the knife out of his clawed hand.

Almost instantly I’m pulled back off of him by the other two wolves, and the black rogue runs back into the forest.

Out of the side of my eye, I see Maria and Lola huddled together, completely untouched by the rogues, and it occurs to me…

~Their target was Helena.~

Rather than chase after the coward that ran, I put myself between the other women and these two remaining wolves.

I bare my canines to tell them to back off, pushing down the urge to go straight for their throats.

I know that if I were to kill again, it would render my healing ability useless, and Helena needs my help.

As I contemplate how to take on these two wolves, I see a squad running toward us—eight altogether—shifted into wolf form led by General Dave, Dom by his side.

Three warrior wolves each take on the two rogues while Dave stands guard in front of the royals.

Dom pulls me away from the fight, but I want back in. I snap back at him with my teeth but I stop when Dom’s wolf links with mine.

~“Ariel! I feel something…Helena…is she?”~

But then he sees her behind Maria and Lola.

~“Mate!”~ Dom runs to Helena, who’s now unconscious and bleeding uncontrollably.

He shifts back to human form and, still naked, cradles her head in his arms.

“Mate,” he repeats out loud as a tear slides down his cheek.

I look back to the other warriors briefly and see that they are quite literally ripping the two remaining rogues to shreds.

Returning my attention to what’s in front of me, I see Maria crying over Helena, trying to stop the bleeding.

Lola looks on. Emotionless.

I’m ready to lash out. I know Lola was behind this. I could kill this bitch.

~“Ariel.”~

I hear Selene’s voice, but it sounds far away.

~“Let go of this darkness and come back, Ariel. Helena needs you.”~

I force the rage down and shift back to my human form.

At this point the other warriors have neutralized the two remaining rogues, who lay lifeless, their bodies slowly shifting back.

Maria drapes her shawl over Dom, who’s weeping over Helena.

As if Selene herself is controlling my body, I walk over to Helena.

Blood escapes from my bite wounds, but I pay no mind to my own injuries as I crouch down, still naked, and take Dom’s and Maria’s hands off of her.

“What are you...” Maria begins but stops as I rest my hands over the stab wounds on Helena’s abdomen.

~Please work. Please. I’ll give anything...~

My own injuries seep more blood, and a searing pain covers my body as I focus all of my healing abilities onto my dying friend and her unborn child.

I can no longer hold it in and let out a guttural scream of fiery pain as my injuries begin to ooze and fester.

Those watching around me gasp as Helena’s wounds begin to close. First her abdomen, and then her legs.

~Thank the Goddess!~

This time I feel weakened, but not nearly to the extent that I was when I helped that little girl.

I fall back onto the grass in a sitting position. I realize now that I’m still completely naked, and General Dave cloaks me with his uniform jacket.

Dom looks at me, tears in his eyes, and simply asks, “Ari, how?”

“I’ll tell you sometime,” is all I get out before the other warriors pick Helena up and Dom follows.

“Is she going to be—” Maria begins.

“I’m not sure,” is all I can say.

“And the baby?”

“I hope so.”

***

I sit in the hospital waiting room after hours of hearing nothing.

I finally focused my attention on my own injuries on the way here, and they’ve completely healed at this point.

Dom has been pacing the floor since we arrived.

Lola went straight to her room after the rogue attack—surprise, surprise—and Maria was here for a while but left to tell General Dave exactly what happened.

I am seething. I’ve replayed the events of the day over and over in my head, and I’ve come up with one conclusion.

Lola was responsible for this attack.

She knew that Helena was on to something and arranged to have her silenced.

Which also means that she is undeniably involved with the rogues somehow.

You come after me, that’s one thing. But you hurt someone I care about and things are going to get ugly.

~This is it, Lola. This is fucking war.~

Alex enters the waiting room.

“Dom! Is she—”

“We don’t know yet,” Dom says. I’ve never seen him this unstable.

“Where the hell have you been?” I ask Alex, but I already know the answer.

“Lola...was really upset—” he begins.

“Oh for Goddess’ sake, Alex! Lola ~did~ this!” I interrupt him.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Lola arranged to have Helena killed!”

Dom stops pacing and looks at me, mouth agape. “Why would she do that?”

“She didn’t, Dom,” Alex says. “This is ridiculous!”

“Helena texted me this morning that she found something out about Lola,” I explain. “Something big.

“Before she was able to tell me what it was, Lola texted her rogue buddies our location and they attacked.”

“You think Lola is somehow connected to the rogues?” Dom’s eyebrows furrow.

“That must be how they knew where we’d be. Maria and Lola weren’t even touched today. They went straight for Helena.”

“Well, they went straight for Lola that last time there was an attack,” Alex argues.

“Because she wanted a show!” My voice is rising. “She was texting right before the last attack, too. That’s not a coincidence.”

“Ariel, everyone texts! All the time!” Alex retorts. “How many times a day do you look at your phone?!”

“Where’s the text message?” Dom cuts in.

“Huh?”

“The message Helena sent Ariel. Her phone was smashed to pieces at the scene.” Dom looks at me. “But you’d still have them on your phone, right?”

My phone. Shit!

I had shifted so quickly, I ripped right through my clothes; my phone must have ended up on the ground.

Even more likely, Lola picked it up.

“I don’t have it with me,” I say, defeated.

“Of course not.” Alex throws his hands up in exasperation.

“Alex! Please just listen to me! I can’t prove it right now, but when Helena is better—”

“Beta,” a doctor has just stepped through the door.

Dom sinks into a chair. “Is she, are they—”

“Both mother and child are alive,” the doctor says.

“Oh, thank the Goddess!” Dom lets out an audible sob. “Can I see her?”

“I do need to tell you,” the doctor continues, “Helena is in a coma. We’re not sure for how long.

“It could be hours. It could be weeks. But it’s a miracle that both she and the child have made it this far.

“Whatever you did, Ariel,” the doctor looks at me, “it saved them.”

I can’t deny what took place.

Dom saw me and so did Maria, along with Dave and the squad of warriors. Even that bitch Lola saw me heal Helena.

My gift is no longer a secret.

“I can show you to her room, Beta,” the doctor says and escorts Dominic through the heavy white door.

“You healed Helena and the baby?” Alex asks once we’re alone.

I shrug. “They’re alive. That’s all that matters.”

He nods, and for a moment, it feels almost as if there’s actual appreciation in his eyes.

“Alex,” I say, trying a new tactic. “If you won’t believe me, will you at least consider pushing back the mating ceremony until—”

“Is that what this is really about? The mating ceremony?” he interrupts.

“Dammit, Alex! I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks!” I’m losing my temper again.

“I don’t think Lola is who she says she is and she’s using you!” I continue, “I don’t know what for, but I honestly think you’re in danger!”

“And I’m asking you what proof you have!” Alex spits back. “Ariel, this is just your word against Lola’s and she’s been nothing but kind and sweet—”

“To you! Alex, she just wants the title of Luna Queen! She’s involved with the rogues and Helena got too close to the truth! That’s why she’s lying in that hospital bed right now.”

“I’m done listening to this—” As he turns, I put my hand on his shoulder.

“She may look like Olivia, Alex, but she’s ~not~ Olivia!”

“You’re paranoid, Ariel.” Alex pushes my hand away. “Paranoid and jealous.”

“Alex! Lola has been trying to make herself look like Olivia! I saw her without one of her contact—”

“Stop saying her name!” Alex shouts. “I know she’s not my dead mate! I fucking know that!”

“Why won’t you listen to me?!”

“Because you’re fucking crazy!”

Hearing him say the words burns like silver.

“I felt so awful for you, Ariel,” he says. “For all that you’ve been through. For all that was done to you.”

“But somewhere along the way, you became exactly what you feared.”

“You’re broken. And I can’t have you near my luna.”

“What are you saying?” I’m fighting back tears with everything I’ve got.

“I’m saying that you can’t be here anymore.” His voice struggles to remain even. “I don’t want to make a big spectacle about it the way your last pack did, but you need to leave. For good.”