Chapter 22

((Dedicated to ItsOnlyGabriella for fixing my cover for me! Looks great!

I’ve had so many wonderful people make covers for me, thank you! I will be posting them as the chapters go on. This chapter, though, I needed to post a pic of Eva. You’ll see why.

I feel like the song goes well with Skylar's general perception of everything in this chapter. Listen to it if you want to. I'll probably be posting a playlist sometime soon.

I’m tired. Again. So sorry for any mistakes. I actually found a wonderful editor so hopefully I will be completely mistake-free on future chapters! ))

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The sense of power radiating off of my Mate was astounding. I couldn’t help but notice the intense admiration and pride emanating from my Wolf, who was excited that Gabriel was going to be my new Alpha. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my packmates lowering their heads out of respect for their new leader; I even felt my own Wolf bowing to his presence, which was strange, thinking about my Mate like that. However, since we hadn’t completed the bond, I supposed he was still my superior.

I copied the actions of my fellow pack members, lowering my head in respect. It felt incredibly strange. I could sense Gabriel’s eyes boring holes into me as he observed my behavior, but what else was I supposed to do? My Wolf was confused, torn between admiration and submission. I had never heard of a she-wolf being in my position before.

I relaxed slightly as Gabriel turned away, focusing his attention on Eli. The two began to converse quietly and I realized just how much work my Mate had ahead of him. If the Black Mountains Pack was going to absorb us, how exactly would we go about it? The two territories were so spread out that it would be difficult for Gabriel to go back and forth. I knew there would be a lot of logistics involved.

I barely noticed what was happening as Gabriel strode over to my packmates, who looked frightened and intimidated by him. With a barking order, Gabriel instructed them to take Alpha Brett’s body back to our village.

“Brief your pack on what happened. I expect the rest of your village to be awaiting my arrival. I’ll be there to talk to them later tonight,” Gabriel said coolly. There was no need to put the Command in his tone; his presence was intimidating enough that my fellow pack members instantly obeyed. One of them Shifted while the others placed Brett’s drooping body on the giant wolf’s back. I shifted position uncomfortably. Was I supposed to follow them? Was Gabriel going back with us? The thought made my heart flutter.

“Skylar, I need to talk with you a moment,” the husky baritone interrupted my train of thought and my eyes shifted to Gabriel. He indicated the fringe of the forest with a jerk of his head and strode off, me nervously following him.

It would be the first time we were alone together since I left him a few days ago. I scratched my arm absentmindedly as I followed him into the shade. Back in human form, the irritation and burning heat lingering under the surface of my skin were returning. I fervently hoped I wasn’t getting sick. The diseases affecting werewolves were few, but very powerful.

Gabriel stopped just inside the shelter of the trees, the patchy, late-afternoon sun dappling the forest floor with golden specks of light. Darkness was a couple hours away at most.

I was all too aware of the fact that Gabriel was shirtless, putting his sculptured muscles on open display for everyone to see. My Wolf was very appreciative of his form and I had to look away before I started blushing.

“Who hit you?” Gabriel finally said, breaking the silence. I realized the faint welt on my face from Alpha…or, formerly Alpha Brett was still visible.

“It’s not important,” I replied quietly, still keeping my gaze averted. Obviously my shoddy lie did nothing to deter his curiosity when he asked me earlier.

“It’s important to me,” was his snapping retort. It sounded like he was speaking through gritted teeth.

I finally turned to face him, keeping my eyes on Gabriel’s face instead of his exposed torso. I wasn’t sure I could restrain myself right now; I was exhausted, and resisting him was difficult.

“It’s over and done with. And I deserved it,” I added, mumbling.

His eyes narrowed. “You never deserve to be treated like that.”

“It’s my fault Anne died. I pissed Cain off because he couldn’t attack me and he took it out on Anne. Alpha…er, Brett….needed a target for his grief.” Belatedly, I realized I probably shouldn’t have called Brett out like that.

A low growl vibrated in his chest. “That’s a pathetic excuse for him to lay his hands on you. If I would have known-”

“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. Brett is just grieving. He’s suffered enough.”

Gabriel was silent for a long moment, his jaw clenched. As the seconds trickled by, my eyes inevitably settled on the bleeding gash stretching across the front of his shoulder, near his collarbone. The bleeding had slowed but it still looked painful. My Wolf whined.

“You’re injured,” I said softly, taking a step closer to him before I stopped. I couldn’t trust myself in such close proximity, not in the state of mind I was in right now.

“It’s fine.” He kept his gaze averted. I wanted to reach out and touch him, but kept myself at bay. We were still several feet away from each other, thankfully.

“Skylar, things are going to be really different now. There are a lot of issues to resolve. But I won’t….” He trailed off, shifting position almost uncomfortably. “I won’t be able to stay as far away from you. I have to go with you to your pack village today, it’s customary for the wolves to meet their new Alpha. And the ceremony completing the Purge is tomorrow.”

I glanced down at the leaf-strewn forest floor. “I know.” The thought was just occurring to me. It was as if I hadn’t really accepted the fact that Gabriel was going to be my new Alpha yet. I wasn’t sure how he would work everything out but once he did, I’d be around him a lot more. I would have to forcefully keep my distance if I wanted to make my decision, and it would have to be soon.

You should’ve already decided, my Wolf snapped angrily and I almost winced at the reprimand. Through everything, she still desperately wanted Gabriel and his Wolf. And I couldn’t lie and say I didn’t have any feelings for him whatsoever. In fact, the longer I was around him, the more danger I was in of acting impulsively on my hormones.

Another silence stretched out. I felt the tension increasing again, and my Wolf began to claw at the surface. The sight of our shirtless Mate was driving her crazy.

“My father is in a coma,” I blurt out before I could help myself. I wasn’t sure why I told Gabriel, except for I was hoping there was some chance he could help.

Gabriel’s head swiveled and his dark orbs fixated on me. “What?” If I wasn’t mistaken, I saw visible concern in his expression before he masked it as usual.

“Cain attacked Maria. My father healed her and was drained from doing so, and he got blindsided. They took some of his blood and injected him with silver. He hasn’t woken up,” I finished, realizing I was rambling. My voice had grown weaker and I felt extremely vulnerable. My lack of sleep was rapidly catching up to me, along with the strange physical symptoms I had been experiencing.

Gabriel almost looked as if he wanted to step forward, to comfort me, but he resisted. “I’ll have Eva come right away,” He said quietly. I tried not to grimace, as the redhead didn’t have a particular fondness for me, but Gabriel noticed my expression.

“We’re in the same pack now. She’ll have no choice but to help.”

I nodded. I was sure she was a perfectly capable pack doctor. If she could help my father, I couldn’t complain about her rough-around-the-edges demeanor. Meanwhile, Gabriel’s gaze grew distant and I had no doubt he was contacting her.

“The real reason I brought you out here was to give you Raziel’s news,” he said after a moment.

I looked up expectantly. “Did he find what he was looking for?”

Gabriel nodded, once. “I’m asking Eva to bring one of the objects with her. It’ll help protect your….our pack. At least for a while.”

For once, I felt a rush of hope, along with piqued curiosity. “What is it?”

“Another blessed object. Different from your rosary, because instead of protecting one person, it protects everyone within a certain radius. It’s very old and very powerful. It should keep all of the vampires from coming within several miles of your pack village, until it runs out. It operates similar to the rosary in that regard.”

“How long will it last?”

“Hopefully a few weeks.”

I frowned. That wasn’t as much time as I was hoping. “But what if-” I began, but he cut me off.

“We will be working on plans as we integrate the packs. All we can hope is that it’ll buy us enough time.”

A few weeks was not near enough time, in my opinion, but it was better than nothing. If the object worked like Raziel and Gabriel said, nobody would have to hide in their homes for a while. I could only wish we would come up with a strategy by then.

I glanced around the scenery for a bit, something nagging at me. I hadn’t wanted to bring it up, but I had a guilty conscience. I wanted to let Gabriel know what I’d done, and some part of me was worried he’d be angry, but at least I’d be telling the truth. I glanced up at my Mate. He seemed as lost in thought as I was.

“Gabriel…um…..Alpha….” I stuttered, feeling like a complete idiot. What did I call him? I felt stupid having to think about it, but I’d never been in a situation where I could address my Alpha informally, and since Gabriel and I weren’t bonded; my Wolf bowed to his, so did I call him Alpha like the rest?

“Don’t do that.” His voice was hoarse, urgent. I looked up to see his eyes boring into mine. Gabriel looked almost….hurt….which shocked me seeing the depth of emotion in his gaze, however briefly. “Don’t call me that.”

I gazed at him, completely taken aback. “I just…well…I’ve never dealt with anything like this before,” I managed to choke out.

Gabriel clenched his fists and looked down. “You shouldn’t be afraid to call me by my first name.” He looked angry, though to me it almost seemed like Gabriel’s anger was directed at himself. “You’re my Mate, for fuck’s sake.”

My Wolf purred at his acceptance of us and I felt my heart skip a beat as my cheeks reddened. I vainly tried to fight down my rising emotion. “Gabriel,” I said instead, enjoying the way his muscles visibly clenched as I spoke his name. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault Alpha Brett tried to kill you.”

Although Gabriel attempted to mask his expression, I could see vivid emotion lingering just behind the surface. “What did you tell him?” His voice had gotten completely monotone, intensity gone.

“I didn’t tell him about your ancestry. Just that Cain was coming after you for your blood because he couldn’t get to your mother in time.”

Now, I felt like Gabriel was angry with me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell him, but he must’ve gotten some sort of hint, because he used a Command on me so I had to tell him. I tried to hide as much as I could but-“ I felt like I was about to cry.

“He Commanded you?”

I nodded mutely, biting my lip as I stared at him. I felt weak and pathetic, especially after everything that happened. Tears were about to threaten at the corners of my eyes. My emotions were going haywire. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.

Gabriel sighed heavily. “It isn’t your fault. Just…don’t give me that look. I can barely stand it.”

Not sure what he meant by that, I instantly apologized. “Sorry, I-“

“Stop apologizing!”

I shut my mouth. Gabriel ran a hand through his hair, his customary agitated habit. He didn’t say anything else, though, for I heard Eli calling him from a distance.

He tossed me a heavy look. “I have to discuss logistics. Eva should be here in a while, and we will leave for your pack village.”

I nodded mutely, sagging against a nearby tree. My body wanted to crumple to the ground while my Wolf wanted to jump onto Gabriel’s muscled physique. It was a strenuous internal battle.

My Mate’s expression softened, ever-so-slightly. “Rest, Skylar. You look exhausted.”

And with my name falling so perfectly from his lips, I sank down the side of the tree, putting my head in my hands. It was all just so much to take in.

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I wasn’t sure if Gabriel wanted me to follow him, but I figured that since he was almost within eyesight, I was safe to doze off here in the forest. I relaxed against the rough bark of the tree, trying to ignore the hot flush under my skin and the way my heart was pounding faster than usual. This time, though, Gabriel had nothing to do with it; it was the strange sickness I was coming down with. I felt a pang of worry but pushed it aside. Almost of their own accord, my eyes drifted shut. My body desperately tried to catch up with the sleep it had so sorely missed out on over the past two days.

What felt like minutes later (but was likely at least an hour or so), I woke up to Gabriel’s voice urgently calling my name. I blinked, blearily, not feeling much better. That hour or so had served to give me a glimpse of the sleep I was missing out on, not rejuvenate me.

“I’m awake,” I muttered, groggily glancing up to see him standing over me. I struggled to my feet as he backed away to give me some space. My Wolf did not like that gesture.

“Eva’s here.” Gabriel’s brows furrowed slightly as he examined me, and I saw concern flash through his expression. Apparently he didn’t like what he saw. “Are you fit to return to your pack tonight?”

I waved him off, ignoring the mildly-feverish conditions I was feeling. “I’m fine.”

I could tell Gabriel did not believe me, but before he could pursue the issue a sleek, brownish-red wolf burst through the trees and approached us. The she-wolf was carrying a large bag in her powerful jaws. She set it down and, with a respectful dip of her head to Gabriel, began to Shift back in human form. Seconds later the redhead Eva stood there, in all of her naked glory.

I had to turn my head to the side as I felt a wave of nearly-overwhelming anger overtake my Wolf. I clenched my jaw and tried not to let my fury show, but my Wolf was snarling that there was a naked female so close to our Mate. I knew it was stupid, as Eva was in his pack and it was common for pack members to Shift in front of each other, but I couldn’t help it. I was exhausted and my Wolf was on edge. I gritted my teeth, barely fighting back the deep growl that threatened to escape. I scarcely believed the level of jealousy and possessiveness I was feeling.

Calm down, he’s probably seen it all before, I attempted to placate my Wolf, but realized a second later I had just made things worse. She growled furiously and I bit down, hard, to prevent the sound from slipping past my lips. My teeth cut into my lip, drawing blood, and I winced. I was really losing it.

I realized that the two were speaking and I tried to tune into the conversation. I fervently hoped Gabriel hadn’t felt an echo of my sentiments. My cheeks were red enough as it was and I didn’t want to humiliate myself further.

“Were you discreet about getting it?” Gabriel was saying. Eva nodded, completely ignoring my presence, her bright blue eyes fixated on Gabriel.

“Don’t tell anyone else about this,” he continued speaking to Eva, a Command in his tone, before he lifted the bag off of the ground. Reaching in, Gabriel pulled out something that was the complete opposite of what I was expecting.

It was a stone. A large, relatively flat, completely boring stone. I stared at it blankly.

“He called this the Stone of Jacob,” Gabriel muttered, gazing at it contemplatively. He tested its weight. “It definitely radiates power.” He gestured that I touch it, and I walked forward, tentatively placing my hand on the rock’s smooth surface.

I quickly jumped backwards as an electric sensation sizzled up my arm from the rock, the power spreading like wildfire through my veins. It disappeared as quickly as it came but I stared at the rock with renewed wonder. It felt like my rosary, only many times stronger. Gabriel gauged my reaction before he carefully returned the stone to the sack.

“We’ll keep it somewhere safe,” he murmured, almost to himself, before he turned to the redhead. “You’re coming with us to the Silver Woods pack village. They’re part of our pack now, and Skylar’s father, their only pack doctor, is in a coma. I will need you to heal him as best as you can.”

I tried not to scowl. Of course it had to be Eva that was going to help me out. By the look on her delicate features, she was not taken with the idea, but she managed to keep her thoughts to herself. Eva nodded stiffly, still avoiding my gaze altogether. My Wolf recoiled at the thought of her still-naked (and admittedly near-perfect) form so close to my Mate. I felt another wave of jealousy and I berated myself.

“We can’t waste any more time. Are you two ready?” Gabriel gazed at me specifically as he said that and I got the impression he was feeling my emotions more than he let on. I just nodded curtly.  I knew it was pathetic, but being so close to the gorgeous redhead made me feel insecure all over again. I sighed, preparing to Shift.

It was going to be a long trek home.

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My presumption was correct. We took off for home, Gabriel, Eva, me, and two of Gabriel’s pack members. Eli returned to the Black Mountains Pack to take care of things for the next couple of days. They had their own blessed object from Raziel so, for now, they were safe. My packmates had gone ahead to deliver the news and get Alpha Brett to the infirmary. I hoped he and his Mate were going to be all right; I couldn’t imagine the pain that our Luna had gone through during the fight. Hopefully she had passed out so she could avoid most of the agony her Mate was going through.

For me, the trek was painfully quiet. Because the Purge hadn’t been completed, according to Gabriel, I could not yet communicate telepathically with the others. I was sure they were having an internal conversation several times and I was unfortunately left out. To top it all off, there was the distance between Gabriel and I. I knew I was the cause of most of it but I couldn’t help but feel the stab of jealousy every time Gabriel’s fur brushed Eva’s.

Get ahold of yourself, I snapped, more to myself than my Wolf. I’m acting like a pathetic, jealous high-schooler. What is wrong with me?

We haven’t slept enough, my Wolf replied, her exhaustion tangible. And being so close to our Mate again is only intensifying the bond whether you want that to happen or not. Jealousy, possessiveness, lust….all of that is heightened for both of us.

I’m not ready for that. I have scarcely had time to think, was my response. It was true. Everything had been chaotic since I returned home. I just wanted one opportunity to be alone and really think. And the run home was depleting the rest of my already-scarce energy reserves. I hoped I could make it.

It was well past dark when we finally neared the village, and I was glad to know my home hadn’t been ravaged by the vampires now. Hopefully with the Stone of Jacob, which Gabriel was carrying, we could live without fear for a couple of weeks.

We Shifted back to human form outside the fringe of trees, the moon shining bright above us and illuminating the scene below. As I stared intently, I realized there was a large multitude of bodies clustered in the large space in the center of the village. They must have gotten the news and were waiting on us to arrive. I felt a trickle of nervousness as I eyed the gathered pack.

Minutes later, we were approaching the others, my heartbeat increasing with every step. I peeked around Gabriel’s broad shoulder to see their faces. Many were confused, several were fearful, and others were just downright angry.

Gabriel stopped and I stepped out beside him, feeling the heated gazes on me. My Mate eyed the pack, staring them down. It was absolutely silent and I was worried that everyone could hear my thudding heartbeat.

I glanced around, making eye contact with Maria. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she looked worried, her father’s expression mirroring her own as he stood next to her. I searched the crowd again but could not locate Will anywhere. Was he on patrol?

“As you know, your former Alpha intruded on my territory and issued a challenge.” Gabriel’s eyes were unfathomable black pits that seemed to almost absorb the moonlight, giving him a hauntingly ethereal appearance.

He continued, his tone clipped. “He lost.”

Nobody looked surprised. I was sure they had been pre-warned.

“If it were entirely up to me, I would have killed him. He acted rashly and disrespectfully and it would have been my right. However….” He trailed off, giving me a significant glance, and I felt my pack members staring at me again. “One of your pack members convinced me otherwise. I Purged him, which now means I am the rightful Alpha of your pack.”

It was a testament to my pack’s fear of Gabriel, for they remained stonily silent.

“I cannot mind-link with you until the ceremony is completed tomorrow night. Until then, we will work on plans for integration.” He shifted position, crossing his muscular arms in front of his chest. “I know most of you hate me and my pack. But we are facing a bigger, more powerful threat now. We have to work together to rid this territory of those blood-sucking monsters.”

There were a few murmurs in the crowd now. I saw a few wolves who seemed to reluctantly agree with his statement, while others still looked angry.

“I expect obedience and collaboration from all of you. Punishments for disrespect will be severe. We don’t have time to fight amongst ourselves.” Gabriel’s gaze was hard and roved the crowd, causing many wolves to flinch away from his penetrating eyes.

“However, I will lead all of you as if you have always been members of my pack.” He indicated Eva, standing on his other side, with a jerk of his head. “This is Eva, our strongest Pack Doctor. She will tend to your Pack Doctor to assure you all can take care of yourselves. For now, our territory is spread out. We will need a Doctor in each location.”

I had stared at him quizzically when he said “strongest” Pack Doctor. So did they have others, then? I had never met any others, but many packs had two wolves with the Affinity at one time.

With a few more words, Gabriel dismissed the pack and turned away. I noticed Gabriel specifically addressed Jack, indicating that he wanted to meet with him later. It was still strange and foreign, seeing him talk to my pack like that, when we were all part of the same unit now. I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around it. My Wolf liked it, but I could only hope we would all get along, especially until Cain was gone.

“Take us to your father, Skylar,” Gabriel said quietly. I tried not to shiver when he said my name and, ignoring Eva, indicated the direction we would go with a jerk of my head.

They followed close behind me, Gabriel’s husky scent invading my nostrils as I led them to the infirmary. When we walked in, my mother jolted upright in her chair, a look of pure shock taking over her features as she registered just who I was with. She had still been looking over my father. Her bright eyes were bleary, and I could tell she’d been crying. I could barely look at her. Even after all of these years, she still felt the same about my father. That was the magic of the Mating bond at work, I realized bitterly.

“This is Eva, our Pack Doctor. She’ll be seeing to him,” Gabriel indicated my father with a jerk of his head. My mother looked between the three of us, utterly confused.

“Alpha Brett challenged him and lost. Gabriel Purged him. He’s our Alpha now,” I said tiredly, giving her the shortest possible version. My mother looked taken aback but she didn’t argue, instead moving a bit backwards for Eva to have room. I was sure she was struggling to cope with everything as it was.

“Will…will you be able to help him?” My mother stammered out.

Eva glanced at her and shrugged. “We’ll see.” As usual, her tone was clipped and I tried not to growl at her rudeness. My Wolf didn’t want her so close to my family, but I knew I had to trust Gabriel here. It was the best chance my father had. I stared down at his peaceful face, trying not to cry. If only I hadn’t been such a disappointment and gotten my Affinity…

“Skylar. I need to talk to you outside.”

I nodded tiredly, having no clue what this was about. I just wanted to sleep for the next three days. Was that too much to ask?

I followed my Mate until we were outside the infirmary. The darkness was thickening, crowding in around us, and I clutched my rosary absentmindedly. Gabriel still had the sack with the Stone of Jacob slung over his shoulder, and I hoped it would work as well as Raziel said. I was tired of being afraid of the dark.

Gabriel turned around about five feet away from me, shoulders tense. “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”

I blinked stupidly at him. “What are you talking about?”

“I can feel your strongest emotions when we are in such close proximity,” he replied coolly, and I looked down at the ground. He was talking about all of my jealous episodes earlier. He must’ve thought I was completely pathetic.

“Sorry,” I muttered, the word coming out a bit more petulantly than I intended.

“I don’t want your apologies, Skylar,” he replied impatiently. “But I can’t have you wanting to tear Eva’s eyes out every time you’re close to her.”

My Wolf growled at the mention of her name. “Wouldn’t want that, would we?” I replied sardonically, which was completely out of character for me. I really was on edge, I realized. My patience was worn thin and I was running on empty.

Gabriel growled softly and I realized he did not appreciate my snippy replies. “Stop acting like a child.”

“Stop patronizing me!”

It seemed like the old, condescending Gabriel was back. Was he deliberately trying to push me away? Or was I just so edgy that I was getting pissed off at every little thing? My skin felt hot and I shifted position, ignoring the unpleasant sensations that had increased tenfold when I had Shifted back into human form.

He growled again, louder. “Like it or not I’m your Alpha now and my Wolf doesn’t like being disrespected like that, even from you.”

I threw my hands up in frustration. “So I get jealous one time and now I’M the bad guy? As if you didn’t act the same way when I was saying goodbye to Will? I CAN’T control when my Wolf gets jealous. She didn’t like the sight of a naked female so close to you,” I bit out, not even caring what I was saying. “Just because you’re practically incapable of emotion doesn’t mean we don’t feel anything for you!”

I realized belatedly that I had said “we” instead of “my Wolf”, but I didn’t care at this point. My anger and frustration was continuing to build. It was like we were back to square one all over again. I knew I was being unfair because Gabriel did feel emotion, at least sometimes, but my rarely-seen temper was dangerously close to emerging. Lack of sleep and a burning fever will do that to you. As my anger grew, I could feel the heat underneath my skin rising. I vainly tried to control myself.

Gabriel was completely taken aback by my outburst and he stood there a moment, silent, before his eyes hardened. “That’s what you think of me, then. That I’m incapable of feelings,” his words were hard, bitter, but I thought I could see the thinly disguised hurt in his expression. “If you recall Skylar, YOU were the one that asked to return home. YOU were the one who couldn’t stand being around me!”

The heat and sizzling under my skin increased to a nearly unbearable level. “That’s not what I-“ Suddenly, a wave of dizziness overcame me. I staggered backwards in surprise, catching myself on the outside wall of the infirmary, as Gabriel’s expression morphed into one of worry and he took a few steps towards me.

My throat suddenly felt constricted, and I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. My skin was practically on fire and I tried to calm myself. Somehow I knew the argument with Gabriel had made everything worse. I sagged against the wall, attempting to keep myself upright.

“Skylar?” Gabriel’s voice was softer now and he stepped even closer. As if he could sense what was wrong, he reached out a hand and placed it on my forehead. I felt a rush of pleasure and an electric spark from the contact, but it was nearly drowned out from my searing-hot skin.

Gabriel swore. “You’re burning up!” He hissed, withdrawing his hand. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I didn’t reply, taking a few deep breaths. After a minute, my heart rate slowed and the burning sensation abated slightly. I continued to lean on the wall, trying to control my body’s reactions. As I calmed down, the feverish sensation continued to lessen.

“I’m getting Eva,” Gabriel said after a minute, making no attempt to hide his worry, and strode towards the infirmary.

He didn’t get a chance to walk in, though, for the redhead in question strode out.

Instantly I forced my body upright, momentarily forgetting my symptoms in eagerness to hear what she had to say about my father.

“Is he going to be all right?” I choked out, my voice raspier than intended. Gabriel stared at me, as if waiting to see if I would collapse.

Eva glanced at me, expression unfathomable before she turned to her…our…Alpha.

“I used up as much Affinity as I could. It wasn’t enough to wake him up but…” She rubbed her temple with one hand, and it was then that I realized how tired she looked. Her vivid red hair was in disarray, a light sheen of sweat on her skin, from mere minutes of using her Affinity. I panted slightly at the effort it took to stand up without the support of the wall. Her next words, though, temporarily drowned out all of my worries.

“I think he’s going to be okay.”

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A/N: Here you go, a somewhat lighter chapter. The next few chapters will be more focused on character development, and I think you’ll like them. I’m very excited to write the next part with the rest of the Purge ceremony. I hope you all enjoy the break from the more intense, dark scenes. They’ll be back soon enough.

MULTIMEDIA:

Pic of Eva>>>>>>>>

"Numb" by Linkin Park, instrumental version.