“Help me turn him over,” Lynn asked of Joe. The Werewolf, mindful of his nephew´s arm, grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him face up.
“Here.” Mark handed Lynn a syringe and the redhead injected Steven with a red liquid.
“Jason is in there.” Joe pointed towards the cave and Mark ran to it, leaving the other two with his Alpha.
“He´s not healing properly. I´ll need to reset his arm myself,” the older man said.
“Is it broken?”
“I don´t think so. His elbow is just dislocated.” He placed one hand on Steven´s bicep and the other on his forearm. “Ready?”
Lynn nodded and Joe pulled his hands in the opposite direction, Steven´s elbow falling back in place with a sickening crack. The younger man didn´t bat an eyelid as Jason joined them, Mark hot on his heels keeping an eye out for the still wobbly Beta.
“He´s not waking up. Why is he not waking up?” Jason frantically asked falling on his knees beside his friend.
“I don´t know. I gave him the same thing Mark gave you. He should have started coming round by now.” Only then Lynn´s gaze fell on Steven´s left side. “What the hell is this?”
Joe pulled back to allow for more room and the two healers stooped down to examine their Alpha´s wound.
“Get me some water,” Mark ordered and Joe rushed to the stream filling a plastic container Lynn had pulled out of her satchel. Mark poured the clean water on Steven´s side and the majority of the dried blood and pus came out allowing them a clear view of the wounded area. Blue vein-like lines where coming out of it and expanding towards the rest of his torso.
“What hit him?”
“I don´t know! An arrow!” Jason threw his arms in the air, unable to stifle his panic.
Mark and Lynn exchanged a brief glance and the young woman shook her head in fear. “I don´t know how to treat this,” she said.
“Okay, let´s get him back to the lair.” Mark looked at Joe who picked his nephew up with ease and started walking back towards Anders land. The others trailed behind him, hearts heavy and minds racing.
7. REAPING THE REWARDS
Joe burst in Cora´s room in the dead of night. The young woman, deep into sleep up to that point, jumped out of bed and cowered to the floor in fear, the rude awakening forcing her mind to panic. Startled so much by her unwarranted reaction, the man froze for a full minute, staring at her as she was curled up in self-defence and looking up at him with doe eyes. He approached her slowly, squatting down to her level.
“I didn´t mean to scare you,” he spoke softly, “but I´m afraid we need you one more time.” She let go of whatever invisible threat was crippling her and nodded, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
They moved through the sleepy corridors in complete silence, Joe´s face grim while Cora was trying not to shrink in on herself at the uncertainty of their destination. When they entered the infirmary and she saw Steven lying down on a bed too still and pale -looking for all intents and purposes on the brink of death- she did a double take. Moira had planted herself firmly on the bed next to her son´s head using one finger to control the flyaway dark hair on his sweaty forehead. John had pulled up a chair across the room and was staring at his family with worry and renewed grief. Jen was nowhere in sight but Steven´s pack had gathered outside the door, whining in distress and dividing their attention between their Alpha and Jason, whose palpable guilt couldn´t be squashed by their smothering embraces.
Cora settled on her knees right next to the Anders matriarch and reached for Steven´s covers with trembling hands. Once she saw how far the poisoning had progressed she gasped in horror. The veins had now covered the man´s entire upper body, stretching towards his neck.
“Please tell me you have seen this before. We searched everything!” Lynn stepped into the room and stood behind the Princess, desperate for an answer.
“I have,” Cora nodded. “He´s poisoned with bayroot. It´s a mix of hemlock and aconite.”
“I´ve never heard of it,” the redhead murmured.
“It´s one of my father´s experiments,” the girl answered, irrationally guilty.
“How do we help him?” Moira asked, her voice choked up.
The witch started going through every single detail she knew mentally, searching for the one clue that would help her aid the weakened Alpha; for her sake as well as his family´s. “How long ago did you find him?”
“Fifteen, maybe sixteen hours,” Joe answered her, words coming out in a rush.
Cora grasped Steven´s hand in hers and jerked back, a tremor travelling up her arm.
“Are you okay?” Lynn tried to help her sit up but she shied away from the contact.
“I´m fine. He is getting too cold already. You need to get his temperature up and keep his chest uncovered to help with his breathing.”
John stood up and made for the door. “I´ll get him more blankets.”
“What about the poison? How do we counteract it?” The healer urged.
“Tannic acid will neutralize the hemlock and slow down the aconite´s spreading. His healing should kick in after that.”
“Do you have it?” Moira turned to Lynn. The redhead nodded and walked to the selves.
“Should I just inject him with it?” She asked taking one of her vials.
Cora hummed in agreement and Lynn filled a syringe. She sat at the edge of the bed next to Steven´s hips and searched for a vein in his arm.
“I don´t know if this will work,” Cora stopped her before the needle broke skin. “I´ve never seen it work up-close.”
Lynn looked at Moira and arched her brow in question.
“Mark, could you escort young Cora back to her room please?” The older woman asked of the Human as he was the only one from Steven´s pack, other than Lynn, who wasn´t drowning in sensory overload.
“But...” Cora tried to object.
“Mark!” Moira snapped.
Mark put a hand on the girl´s shoulder and stirred her towards the door. “Come on. There is nothing more we can do here.”
Cora jerked free and strode across the room.
“Thank you,” Jason said in a gritty voice the moment they stepped into the hall, his face blotchy with unshed tears. The girl neatly sidestepped the pile of Betas and headed for her room.
Back in the infirmary, Moira braced herself and gave Lynn the go-ahead. Everyone collapsed in relief when Steven took his first deep breath after what seemed like an eternity.
The Alpha Prince was back in his room the next morning, in and out of consciousness and slowly regaining his strength. Jason and Danny hadn´t left his bedside, passing the long hours talking softly between themselves.
“I was so worried.” Danny´s murmured confession had Jason´s face softening.
“I was fine. Steven took the brunt of it.”
“Still... We should have come with you.”
“Then one of us would have died. Even our mighty Alpha couldn´t have saved us all. God, I almost lost him. Those hours I spent alone in the cave not knowing what had happened to him... God Danny, you have no idea...”
Danny ducked his head slightly to catch his friend´s eyes. “I do actually. We were going through the same thing here. For both of you.”
Jason reached out and threaded their fingers together. “I´m sorry I put you through that.”
“No don´t apologise,” Danny shook his head. “I´m just glad you are okay.” He gave a fleeting glance at the still sleeping Alpha and cleared his throat, lowering his gaze to the floor. “I´m glad you are both okay,” he continued, his tone carefully measured. “You know, the first time he approached me and offered me the bite I turned him down. When he found me again I was left for dead in a ditch, beaten within an inch of my life. I guess my parents thought they had finally killed me and tried to get rid of the body. My heart stopped twice before he managed to bring me back for good. He just wouldn´t give up.”
“Yeah, stubbornness is a known trait of his,”
Jason said fondly.
Danny snorted. “I was so angry. When I woke up and realized how much power I had in my hands I wanted revenge. I wanted my family to pay for all the years of abuse. I wanted them all dead so bad, Jason. But he stuck with me. He gave me this speech about righteousness and when I didn´t back off he offered to do my dirty work for me.” Danny lowered his head in shame, waiting for Jason´s judgement.
“He what? You never told us that.”
“Yeah. He said I was too innocent to taint my soul with a crime like this. But I was his responsibility and he would carry the burden himself if that would bring me peace.”
“So what did you do?” Jason knew that Danny wasn´t a murderer but a confirmation wouldn´t hurt. He silently scolded himself for not trusting his friend enough to take his words at face value, but he had already kept a secret from him.
“I looked at him. I realized what kind of man he was and vowed to make him proud. So I put everything behind me and followed him here.”
Jason suppressed a relieved sigh. “And you met me.”
“Yeah... I met you. Best decision ever.”
Jason´s lips crooked in a boyish smile and he leaned forward, placing a tentative kiss on the other man´s forehead.
“You guys are so cute.” Steven finally decided to grace them with his presence, his throat dry and scratchy. The sound of their Alpha´s voice broke the two men apart, a hot flush creeping up the back of Danny´s neck.
“Shut up,” the Beta mumbled and the corners of Steven´s mouth kicked up into a smirk.
Jason jumped in to take the attention away from Danny. “How are you feeling man?”
“Better.” He looked around for the rest of his pack feeling, the need to be near them. “Where are the others?”
“I have them training to blow off some steam. They are still pretty agitated. Mark and Lynn are babysitting.”
“Good.”
“I´m gonna get them!” Danny rose to his feet and hightailed it out of the room to avoid further embarrassment.
“Hey.” Steven sat up to rest his back against the headboard. Danny paused on his way out, turning to face him. “I would have done it. If you had asked... I would have done it,” the Alpha continued.
“I know,” Danny nodded and left the room. As soon as he was out the door, Jason dived on the bed landing half atop his friend who let out an annoyed grunt.
“Where are my manners? Please, make yourself comfortable. Can I get you anything?” The grumpy Alpha tried to shove him away but he was still too weak and Jason was clinging to him like a lifeline.
“Don´t you ever do that again.”
“I´m not planning on it,” Steven grumbled.
“When I ask you to leave me, you leave me you stupid moron.”
“And who is the Alpha in that scenario of yours?”
“Fine! Be that way. But stop being an asshole and go thank the one who actually saved you.”
“Get out!” Steven spitted out and jostled Jason enough to get him off the bed, meeting the floor headfirst. The rest of the Betas came running into the room to smother their Alpha with affection and Jason found his opportunity to slip out unbothered. Jen had summoned him to a council and he hoped that, whatever it was, it didn´t involve Steven.
The Queen was sat at the head of the table looking like she wanted to be anywhere else but there. Jason entered the council room, nodded at Moira and John in acknowledgment and shared a brief, one-armed hug with Joe before taking his place opposite the female Alpha at the other end of the table, a place that was reserved for the leader of the second Anders pack. He completely ignored Jen, still angry with the way she had handled her brother and blaming her for what had happened a few days ago. He had every right to still be cross with her and he shot up again in anger when a Human guard came in pulling Cora behind him like an animal, a chain clasped in her cuffs.
“What is this?” Joe beat him to it. They both turned to look at Jen and then Moira when the Queen didn´t respond.
“Remove the chains,” Moira ordered the guard, knowing that her daughter just wanted to put up a show and there was no actual need for the girl to be restrained. Jen felt like she had lost her footing within the family after endangering her brother and wanted to reassert her authority in front of them. What she couldn´t understand was that John and Moira loved their children equally and would always be on their side, good decisions or bad. She had completely lost her ability to empathize with people though, let alone show mercy or kindness.
Cora, once freed, took a step closer to Jason, a feel of foreboding settling in her heart at the sight of the serious faces around her. She thought something had gone wrong with Steven and the sudden sense of loss she felt was overshadowed by the fear that she was about to be punished for trying to help.
The sound of Moira´s voice brought her out of her dark thoughts. “You saved my son´s life.”
The girl´s eyes lit up. “He´s okay then?”
“He´s still recovering but yes, he will be fine.”
Cora´s shoulders slumped in relief.
“So name your price,” Jen said, coming over to stand next to her.
Cora was completely thrown and scooted even closer to Jason who put himself between the girl and his Queen, remembering too well the last time the two women had come face to face in that same room. Whoever or whatever the witch was, they owed her gratitude and not another attack, verbal or otherwise. Plus, like Steven -although on a lesser degree- he felt compelled to treat her well. His Alpha might have been able to ignore the urge in the past, but Jason neither could nor wanted to.
“I don´t want anything,” he heard Cora from behind him and Jen snorted in disbelief.
“Surely there is something we can offer you,” John said. “Can you grasp the importance of what you did?”
“What does my brother´s life worth to you?”
“I don´t know what to say to you.” Jason sensed Cora´s anxiety levels rising to a full blown panic attack. “What do you want me to say?” She drew in a sharp breath and looked around in paranoia.
“It´s okay, no one in here is going to hurt you.” Jason twisted around to face her. “Right?” He turned back to the rest of the room hoping he hadn´t just told the girl a bold-faced lie. John placed his hand on Jen´s shoulder and guided her to sit back down while Moira spoke gently to Cora as if not to spook her any further.
“Of course not. We just want to reward you for your help.”
“Oh. I can just ask for anything?”
“Anything within reason,” John answered tightening his grip on Jen´s shoulder in a reminder to behave.
“Can I have a window?”
“What?” Jason and Joe exclaimed at the same time.
“A room with a window,” Cora hesitated. “If it´s not too much to ask.”
“That´s it? You can have anything you want and this is what you ask for?” Jason said.
“I can´t think of anything else.”
“What about your freedom?” Joe asked. “Didn´t you think to ask for that?”
“I don´t have anywhere else to go,” Cora murmured. “So is it okay?” She asked Moira who turned to Jen wanting her daughter to know the final decision was hers.
“Alright,” Jen nodded, “we´ll get you your window. But this is a onetime deal only. Step out of line once-”
“Okay Jen, she gets it,” Jason interrupted the Alpha´s vague threats.
“Come with me then and we´ll set everything up,” Moira said before her daughter had a chance to answer him. How did she end up from a powerful Queen and Alpha to playing the mediator between her two children´s packs she couldn´t tell you.
Jason followed them outside with the intention of giving his Alpha a full report of this new development.
8. SECOND CHANCE
Cora´s new room was the biggest and brightest she had ever lived in, making the memories of her upbringing bitterer. Moira consciously decided to place her on the same side of the b
uilding as Steven and his group of misfits. She didn´t fail to notice the protectiveness the pack -admittedly mostly Jason- showed towards the younger girl. She felt there was still hope for a happy ending because she knew her son very well. No matter how angry and harsh Steven seemed, Moira would always remember the sweet little boy she had raised and, although she couldn´t sense a mating bond, there was something else there between him and the little witch that she couldn´t quite put her finger on. If it served to bring out the tenderness in her son, all she could do was throw them together as much as possible and hope for the best.
Steven, for once, decided to follow Jason´s advice and, looking for a chance to stall in front of Cora´s room, he promised himself a simple thank you and goodbye. Going in without knocking, sure that she had heard him dragging his feet outside, he waited quietly for her to acknowledge him. He spent the few silent moments observing how she had folded her body up in the wing chair by the window, less willing to break the silence than the Alpha.
“Well, that´s certainly an upgrade,” he said at last, realizing this wasn´t going as quickly as he would like. His sarcasm was coloured by the curiosity in his eyes.
“While you were sleeping your pack and I have been trading favours.” Cora didn´t turn to look at him in an attempt to appear detached. Nevertheless, she was not able to mask the hurt in her flickering voice. “What took you so long to come and see me?”
Steven ignored the telltale signs of the conversation steering towards a more emotionally charged topic and eyed the heavy grey curtains hanging from the ceiling. “A little redundant don´t you think? Why request a window only to cover it with blackout curtains?”
One of her shoulders hitched up slightly as she said, “The sun still hurts my eyes.”
“Lynn could help you with that.” Steven slumped onto the arm of her chair, not touching, an effort to be simultaneously close and far away. His brain had started getting stupefied by his attempt to keep score of which of the two instincts was coming first each time he sat across from the girl.
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