Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four - Empty

Atticus Bauer's P.O.V.

One day later.

We park the cars a mile out from the abandoned warehouse on the island. Several warriors flew in from the different state allies and I couldn't be more grateful for the increased numbers. We're also carrying weapons laced with silver and wolfsbane so that there's no chance of anyone surviving.

As we walk stealthily towards the house Novak flies the drone and tells us that the guards are still stationed around the building. The area is completely abandoned and deserted as it's set on the edge of the island. Good, I think to myself. Nobody will hear us tearing into Vincent and his pathetic army.

"Redhead's mine. I've been wanting to blow the last few brain cells out of her ever since she left." Bastian grunts with a devilish smirk as he loads his gun.

Everyone chuckles and for a moment the mood lightens before we become serious again. After going through the plan everyone splits up to take their entry spots around the house. Xander growls inside my mind and I can feel his blood lust rise at the thought of finally getting our hands on Vincent. I grin before settling into my spot while watching the screen Novak holds for any sudden movements.

"All teams in position?" Novak asks through our shared mind link before everyone confirms positively. "Go!"

We all silently creep up on the rogue wolves before attacking. Bastian and I work together on taking the guards down at the door before breaking in. I can see and hear my warriors stream in from the windows and back door. Everyone inside the house is completely taken off guard, just like we were when our pack was ambushed.

I growl heatedly as numerous rogue wolves jump me before Bastian shoots them down in mere seconds. As the warriors take care of the guards we're on the hunt for Scarlett and Vincent. From the video it's clear that Olivia is locked in a cell so we're on the lookout for that too.

I punch a guard square in the nose before slamming his head against the tiled floor. He cries out in pain before I twist his neck and rip his heart out. Chucking the organ away, I wipe my hand on my pants before turning the corner only to reciprocate Bastian's smug smirk as he pins a thrashing redhead to the wall by her neck.

"I'm running out of patience, Scar." He coos as her wide eyes land on me. "Tell me where Olivia is and I'll let you go."

"A-Atticus..." She breathes as tears fill her eyes. "You came!"

"I came for my mate and pup." Instantly her eyes flare with jealous anger as her features twist in disgust and hatred. "Tell me where she is."

"I'd rather die –" She scoffs haughtily before whimpering when Bastian presses the gun to her heart.

"That can be arranged." He murmurs with a wicked smile. "Any last words?"

I turn and shoot the three guards that were about to attack us before looking back at Scarlett who stares at me in shock. The seriousness of Bastian's words seems to hit her and she hesitates. Her eyes flicker between us as beads of sweat appear on her forehead. We can smell that she's scared and it's obvious that she won't sacrifice herself for Vincent's gain.

"I-If I tell you where she is w-will you let me go?" She stammers as Bastian drags the gun up to her temple.

"Yes, as much as I wouldn't want to." He rolls his eyes before gesturing for her to speak.

"Okay, she's in last room on the left at the end of that hallway." She points to the next corridor. "The keypad code is 9797548 but Vincent went in there as soon as he heard you guys attack."

"Thanks, Scarlett." Bastian smiles a little too kindly as he pulls away.

She visibly relaxes and a deep breath escapes her as she all but sags against the wall in relief. And then Bastian shoots her in the heart and the forehead, both targets hitting bulls-eye. Her last expression is one of shock before she falls to the floor as blood oozes out of her wounds. I look back to my Beta to see him blow at the smoke of the gun with a wink which makes me roll my eyes in amusement.

When we hear rushed footsteps making their way in our direction we run into the next hallway and to the last room. I punch in the code before kicking open the door only to freeze at the sight before me. My blood runs cold and my heart hammers away in my chest as I hear Bastian shoot down more guards behind us before stepping in.

"Fuck!" He mutters as he takes in the sight before us.

Olivia is tied to a chair with a bomb strapped to her belly. The timer is on and we have less than ten minutes to stop it. She's crying uncontrollably and I try to convey to her with my eyes that everything will be okay. Vincent sits in a chair in one corner of the room with a syringe in his hands and I immediately recognize the liquid as wolfsbane.

"You handle that bomb while I kill this fucker." I mind link Bastian before we spring into action.

Vincent grins devilishly as he drops the syringe on his chair before taking a swing at me. But his cheery expression drops the moment I growl furiously and snap his arm in two. He screams in agony before kneeing me in the stomach. I'm winded momentarily before I wrap my hands around his throat and pin him to the wall. He turns blue in the face just like he did to my mate before I let him go. A loud wheeze escapes him when I punch his ribs repeatedly and growl in satisfaction when I hear them crack.

At first I planned to take him back to my pack and punish him thoroughly for what he did to my mate but as soon as I saw him my blood lust took over. I'm going to finish him today and put a stop to Olivia and I having to look over our shoulders. He's going to die by my hands and remember my face as death takes him.

By now I've tired him and he's losing the battle. He kicks and punches at me before taking a knife out of his waistband and swiping me with it. I pay no mind to the numerous wounds he makes to my leg and abdomen. Instead, I grab the knife from him before stabbing him over and over. He wails in agony but I show no mercy, just like he showed none to my mate.

"Atticus!" I hear Bastian call from behind me.

I take Vincent's head and slam it repeatedly into the concrete until I hear his skull crack. He screams and thrashes in pain before I shoot him twice. Turning, I run towards Olivia and Bastian to see that he's stopped the clock on the bomb. I help take it off her before pulling her into my arms and kissing her fiercely. Her skin is wet with tears as she kisses me back with equal passion. Tingles explode on my skin at the contact and her delicious scent of oranges and vanilla wraps around me like a comforting embrace. Bastian works on taking the chains off Olivia before walking to the door and calling for someone to get a car ready.

"I love you so much." I whisper as I pull away to cup her face.

"I love you too." She cries as she closes her eyes and rests her forehead against mine tiredly.

"Watch out!" Bastian yells and Olivia cries out in pain just as he tackles Vincent to the ground.

She points to her leg and my eyes widen in horror when I see the empty syringe sticking out of it. Taking it out, I quickly pick her up as she begins to scream in agony. Bastian rips Vincent's heart out before running to me and we leave the building.

"If we get her to the local hospital the doctor may be able to drain the wolfsbane out of her." I talk to Bastian as we move through the building and run out to Novak who has the car ready. "Contact them now and request the werewolf doctor!"

"Atticus!" Olivia screams and thrashes in my hold as I put her into the backseat before jumping in alongside her. "Help me!"

"It's going to be okay, Livi. We'll be at the hospital in no time and – oh goddess!" I whisper in horror as I see blood coating her thighs. "No! No! No!"

"Fuck! Drive faster Novak!" Bastian yells when he also realizes that Olivia may be miscarrying.

"I've lost our baby!" Olivia sobs through the pain and my heart shatters into tiny little pieces. "Atticus! I lost our baby! I couldn't protect our baby!"

"Come here." My voice is hoarse as I pull her head onto my lap and run my fingers through her hair. "Drive fucking faster, dammit Novak!"

I feel her wiping my tears away, tears that I didn't feel I had spilled. Her heartbroken cries echo in the car as we comfort each other over the loss of our child. We just know that we've lost our baby because there is no way that a fetus can absorb the wolfsbane and still survive. It's unheard of. I'm unable to stop my tears of sadness, anger and frustration as I try and comfort my mate who's in pain. When I look up I see Bastian's eyes brimming with tears too through the mirror.

The next few hours pass by in a blur as we reach the hospital. Every hospital has at least one supernatural doctor working there along with a few nurses. Doctor Gonzales meets us at the door and immediately takes Olivia off me before wheeling her into a theater. It's extremely difficult to let them take her from me as I'm quite territorial right now but I know it must be done.

I sink into a chair and Bastian sits beside me. He makes all the calls to Olivia's family and mine because I know we won't be returning home for a few days. I'm in a state of shock and completely numb as I sit there and try to process everything that happened. Just a day ago I found out that I'm going to be a father and it was all taken away from me in seconds.

As tears slide down my cheeks Bastian drapes his arm across my shoulders and hugs me tightly. I can feel him crying silently too as he comforts me. All we can really do is wait.

***

Doctor Gonzales and a few nurses wheel Olivia's unconscious form into a separate room a few hours later. By now Bastian and I have also cleaned up from the blood that stained our clothes. The doctor gestures for me to follow him and I hesitate before seeing Novak walk into the hallway with warriors ready to guard their Luna. Smiling at the them gratefully I follow the doctor into his office and take a seat.

"Alpha...I'm deeply saddened to say that Luna Bauer miscarried." He starts and I nod as I try to keep the tears at bay. "We have drained the wolfsbane out of her and she is now stable. We found some heavy drugs in her system that they used on her to block the mate bond, mind link and her wolf but things should be back to normal once she wakes up. However, I highly advise that Luna Bauer be kept here until she is fully healed."

"Was there truly no chance of survival?" I ask even though I already know the answer.

"I'm sorry, Alpha. Even if the fetus was fully developed Luna Bauer would have still miscarried. Babies are still humans until they shift, you see. Even if her wolf was present there was not much she could have done either." He folds his hands on his desk as he stares at me sympathetically.

"I understand. Thank you for everything, Doctor Gonzales. We really appreciate it." I smile weakly before leaving the office.

After breaking down crying in the bathroom, I make my way back to Olivia's room. I feel empty and sad. The pain and sense of loss is too much to bear. I can't even imagine what Olivia will feel when she wakes up. Will she hate me? I suddenly wonder. Of course, she will. I'm the reason our baby was killed.

"Atticus..." I look up to see my mom stand from the seats outside Olivia's room.

I can smell the lingering scents of my dad and siblings. I assume they've gone to the canteen or something which is good. I didn't want them to see me breakdown again.

"We lost our baby." My voice is hoarse and I can't stop the tears from streaming down my cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, honey." Mom whispers as her eyes brim with tears.

She pulls me into her arms as I cry softly against her shoulder. I feel her run her fingers through my hair while her other hand strokes my back soothingly. But I don't think anything will soothe me from feeling like an absolute failure of a mate and father.

"Why did this have to happen to her?! She did nothing except leave someone for treating her like shit!"

"Lunas and family members get targeted all the time. You must be strong, Atticus." Mom cries with me as she tries to wipe my endless tears.

"I'm tired of being strong, mom." I shake my head as I glance at Olivia through the window. "Why can't we all just live our lives peacefully? Why do people want to constantly tear Alphas apart?"

"Because Alphas are in a powerful, desirable position." She explains with a sigh. "But remember, as long as your support unit is strong and fearless nobody can overpower you. You have your family, your pack and most importantly Olivia backing you."

I shake my head in denial as doubt flares up within me. "I won't be surprised if she hates me and never wants to see me again."

"Why ever would you think that?!" Mom exclaims as she frowns in confusion.

"Because I'm the reason our baby was killed. If I had just protected her better, if I had reached her on time both Olivia and our child would be fine." I wipe away a traitorous tear hastily as the guilt eats away at me.

"You are not the reason your baby was killed!" Mom glares at me fiercely. "Vincent injected the wolfsbane into Olivia. Vincent knew it was going to kill them both. Vincent killed your baby like he had planned from the start. That's why he blocked Olivia's wolf and made her weak, so that her body wouldn't be able to save your baby. Don't you ever blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault!"

"Alright, I'm sorry...but what if Olivia doesn't think that?" My voice trembles as fear of my own mate hating me overwhelms me.

"Well then she doesn't have a compassionate bone in her body." I growl protectively as I stare at her in disbelief. "You both lost your child, not just her. She's going to be devastated and not herself for some time but if she blames you for something out of your control then that's cruel."

"Do you think she will?" I ask hesitantly.

"I hope not." She smiles gently as she hugs me again. "But it's going to a long road for both of you when she wakes up. You need to be there for her but also give her the space and time she needs to heal. If not for long she still carried your child and losing a baby is going to mess her up. But as long as she has our love and support I know she can get through this."

"I hope so too." I whisper as I stare at my unconscious mate with hope.

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