The Sky Is Falling

Ekon

I drained the rest of my drink in one gulp and filled it up again to the brim. This whiskey just wasn’t working like it used to. But then again, what could possibly take the edge off the sight we just witnessed.

Chair Fakari burst into flames before our very eyes. His skin melted right off the bone, pooling in a molten mess at his feet.

Fakari’s screams would have been ingrained in my mind if he’d had enough time for a single breath. Within only a few moments, he was a charred skeleton.

It brought back memories I never wanted to remember. Atrocities committed during the Great War. What Matthias did to that poor pack in the Northern boundaries…

I downed the whiskey again and slammed the glass on the table, pouring another shot until the liquid hit the brim.

“That’s enough, Ekon,” Bambi said.

I waved my hand and grunted.

~I agree.~

All of this should be enough for Matthias, Devina, and their brainwashed cult of followers. It was enough to make me want to just give up.

If they hoped to start a war this badly, what could truly stop them?

Alpha Vladimir refused to listen to us or let us help in the investigation. He’d been so anxious for us to leave the country that he arranged for his private jet to take us back immediately.

I was a complete failure on this trip. Getting drunk and making a fool of myself… not keeping tabs on my own envoy…

I wanted to shift and see Bambi. To comfort her and tell her that everything would be okay, but I knew that was not true. She was most likely staring out the window of the plane, scouring her brain for answers.

That’s what I loved about her. But it was also her downfall. Often she cared too much about helping others. Finding answers that would never be uncovered. She was a true Luna in every sense of the title…

We were the only ones left from the envoy that went to the Supernatural Parliament. In the course of only a few weeks, we had managed to cripple Matthias and Devina, only to become crippled ourselves.

“Fucking Cunt Sniffer,” I said, seething.

“We need to find him and Ela. They could be in trouble,” Bambi said, worried.

“They will most assuredly be in trouble once I find them.”

Bambi sighed and I knew she wasn’t happy with me. But I was furious with Hunter and Ela. They disappeared right before Chair Fakari died, and knowing Hunter’s past as a Rogue sympathizer, it didn’t look like it was a coincidence.

“What about Leonardo?” Bambi asked. “We need to find him too.”

Leonardo had been on his own for far too long for me to worry about him. Chances are he simply had too much of this bullshit and dipped out before things got worse. But that didn’t explain why no one could reach him…

“Once we touch down and get settled we’ll send out a message to search for them. Someone must know their whereabouts.”

I filled the glass to the brim once more and lifted it to my lips. The smell stung my nostrils, but it seemed to be the only thing that could calm my nerves during such dire times.

As the liquid slid down my throat, Bambi gasped.

“Ekon… something’s wrong.”

Her voice had a hint of fear. I shifted just enough for my wolf to come out. My eyes found hers staring right at me. And I knew right away something was horribly wrong.

“What is it, love?” I said, hoping my simple words would ease her trouble.

“We have company. And it doesn’t look good.”

***

Bambi

Not long after the plane touched down on the tarmac, my worst fears were realized.

Dozens of black SUVs swarmed the plane, encircling us to prevent any kind of escape.

Ekon wanted to shift and be prepared for whatever might happen, expecting the worst. But I knew this would not be so easily fixed and made him promise me he would remain calm.

“I’m always calm!” he said, belligerently.

~Great.~

This was always the worst possible outcome of his drinking. He was stubborn enough when sober, but under the influence of alcohol, he refused to back down. He was a mess, and at the worst possible time!

I grabbed his hand in mine and squeezed hard, letting him understand that I would not be so easily convinced.

As we stepped off the plane, several men walked up to us. In their crisp black suits, they looked like federal agents out of some bad spy movie. I was surprised they weren’t wearing sunglasses, even if it was the middle of the night.

Two of the suited men stepped forward. They were taller than the others, and something about their faces told me they weren’t completely human.

After our week in Austria, I was beginning to notice the subtle differences between humans and supernatural beings.

“I’m Agent Johnson, and this is my partner Agent Kolnik. We’re federal agents sent here on special order from President Nelson.”

Ekon’s face contorted in anger. He was not happy about being stopped by government forces in his own territory, but it didn’t look like we could do anything about it.

“Why are you in my territory,” Ekon demanded, clearly annoyed. “We have traveled far and do not have time for this.”

The agents smiled at one another. Even though Ekon could not see it, he could smell the condescension in the air.

“We have been placed under strict orders to gather all wolves in the Northern packs and place them under lockdown.”

Ekon laughed at the response.

“We have done nothing wrong to have the U.S. Government suddenly show up in my territory. I would ask you to leave before things get out of hand.”

Ekon tried to step forward, but the agents moved to block his way.

“Your kind has broken the Lupine Compromises of 1804,” Agent Johnson responded.

“We don’t associate with Rogues,” Ekon growled.

“And we don’t differentiate between the two,” Johnson smiled. “When one breaks the pact, you all do.”

Ekon’s muscles were bulging through his jacket. He was trying to resist shifting. But how long would he be able to hold back the urge?

I watched Agent Johnson’s and Agent Kolnik’s expressions. It was almost as if they were hoping Ekon would reject their commands.

Had they already heard about Chair Fakari’s demise at the Supernatural Parliament? If so, why would they assume it was us?

I tried to search my mind for answers and thought about Hunter, Ela, and Leonardo. Something truly horrible was going on behind the closed curtains of this world.

Ekon was right to be worried about Hunter, but not for the reasons he believed. Yes, Hunter was at his best annoying and at his worst a complete creep, but Ela would have told me if something more sinister was going on… wouldn’t she?

As for Leonardo, it wasn’t hard to imagine how the sudden chaos in Congress could have brought back more severe memories, igniting some suppressed PTSD. I knew plenty about that from Ekon. To be honest, I sometimes experienced it myself.

Seeing what became of Holly and Jimmy’s pack—the countless smoldering corpses lying in the snow—was not something I would ever forget, no matter how hard I tried.

I looked at Ekon. His patience was at its limit.

He tried once more to push past the men in his way. Agent Kolnik moved like lightning, pulling out a taser and pressing it into Ekon’s back.

Ekon howled with pain and collapsed to his knees.

“We would advise you to stand down, Ekon.”

I wanted to run to his side, but another agent sprung into action and held me back.

“Stop it!” I screamed, struggling in my captor’s arms.

Ekon disobeyed their warnings and tried to get back up. Kolnik pressed the weapon once more into his back. My mate’s body shook violently with the electric current before he slumped to the ground, barely conscious.

“You have the wrong people. We are not Rogues!” I pleaded.

My voice strained from shouting, and tears welled up in my eyes.

Agent Johnson turned to me and feigned a concerned expression. It filled me with rage, knowing deep down that he really didn’t care what was happening.

“President Nelson has given us strict orders,” he said, smiling. “Rogues or not, your kind has gone too far this time. All you do is make war. And now it’s spilled over into the human world.”

“If you do this, no one is safe! Those attacks will keep happening as long as Matthias is still free,” I pleaded, hoping that he would somehow understand. But the cruel smile he gave me showed he had no intention of even trying to understand.

“Orders are orders, honey.”

My blood boiled hearing him say that. I wanted to shift and show him how sweet I could be, but I knew better. They must have sensed my intentions because Agent Kolnik brandished his taser, itching for another excuse to use it.

“I don’t want to use force. It’s just not my style. But as you can see, Agent Kolnik has no problem with it. So, you’ll either come with us… or we’ll make you.”

I wanted to take off and run as fast as I could. If they hadn’t reached Beta Ryland and the rest at the compound they would no doubt be there soon.

But it was impossible. We were surrounded and my mate was lying in a pool of his own spit. If these agents weren’t working on the side of Matthias, then they had unknowingly already helped him win…

***

“Everything will be alright,” Kalindi said.

I tried to open my eyes, but the tears made everything blur together in a surreal mix of colors and shapes.

The SUV we’d been shoved into finally pulled up at our mansion’s gates. I couldn’t hold back the gasp as I looked out the window. Things might never be the same again...

Agents roamed the compound, setting up watchtowers and barbed wire around the already massive fence that encircled Ekon’s property.

They promptly took me inside to the main library, where Gamma Kalindi, Beta Ryland, and Victoria were waiting.

I was met with warm hugs and smiles, but those didn’t last long when Ekon was pushed into the room, still drowsy from the electroshock. It must have been something special used only for supernatural beings because I had never seen him like this at all.

It probably didn’t help he had been so drunk to begin with…

“I’m so glad you’re back,” Kalindi said, fear straining her voice.

“Bastards!” Ryland screamed.

The agent who brought us in smiled at the outburst and gave us a wink. It was clear that we were completely under their control.

“What happened?” I asked, already partially knowing the answer.

“They came out of nowhere,” Kalindi said. “We had just heard the news of Chair Fakari’s death when the mansion was raided.”

“We tried to warn you, but they just took our phones and computers,” Ryland frowned.

“They must have set up something to disrupt the mind-link,” added Victoria.

“Have you heard anything about the other packs?”

Kalindi and Ryland looked at one another. I could tell by their faces that there would be more bad news.

“All packs in North America have been put on lockdown,” Kalindi said. “No communication is allowed and no one can leave.”

I walked over to Ekon, who was being cared for by the staff doctor. He was conscious and his eyes looked clear, but he was too weak to say anything. They definitely used something powerful to keep his energy zapped like this.

I grabbed his hand and my fingers entwined with his. The warmth from his touch was enough to allow me to think straight, but not enough to calm my fears.

“What are we going to do?” I asked no one in particular.

~TAP.~

~TAP.~

A noise from across the room brought my attention to the window. The face I saw on the other side nearly took my breath away...

It was Max!