Ben laid on the ground shaking and between groans he mumbled to Scarlett, "Just go Scarlett. I'll be fine! Go get out of here!"
A tear slid down her cheek. "I'm not leaving you Ben!"
A black wolf bolted from the trees and then Adam hunched next to them, just as naked as Scarlett. Scarlett pulled her hand away from Ben's chest and Adam ripped open Ben's shirt to look at the wound. "We have to get him back to the cabin! He can't heal himself because he can not transform!" Adam grabbed Ben's torso as Scarlett grabbed his legs. They carried him in the direction of the honking horn. A few of the people from the mob was close enough Adam was sure they had seen what had just happened but dealing with that wasn't what was on his mind at the moment. They needed to get Ben to the lab. They moved as fast as they could, carrying him through the woods with the mob behind them getting closer and closer.
Finally Ashlynn's car was in view parked on the edge of the road on their side of the river bridge. Ashlynn saw them coming and opened the door for them and flipped the seat up. She stood outside the car frightened by the scene before her. Scarlett and Adam made it to the car and Ashlynn helped them get Ben inside. Adam got into the backseat with him and Scarlett ran around to the passenger side. "Step on it Ash!" Scarlett screamed as Ashlynn climbed into the car. She put the car in gear and the tires spun before gripping the road as they sped over the bridge and up the mountain.
Ashlynn drove fast and they bounced along over the bumps and dips in the road. Ben had already lost a lot of blood and was in and out of consciousness. They pulled up to the house and Ashlynn stopped the car. "No Ashlynn, pull around the side and go into the garage in the basement!" Ashlynn pulled around to the side of the house and a garage door came into view that neither her or Scarlett had noticed before. "There is a button to the right of the door that will open it!" Adam instructed. Scarlett jumped up out of the car and ran over to the door. She hit the button and Ashlynn drove in as the door went up.
Once inside Scarlett ran to help Adam pull Ben from the car. He yelled to Ashlynn as they heaved Ben out. "There is another button on the inside to the left Ashlynn, close the door!" They carried him through a door and around the corner to the right, then through another door.
Scarlett asked as they piled Ben into the chair in the corner. "Can you save him?"
"Not saving him isn't an option!" Adam stated in a shaky voice. He ran to the fridge and pulled things from it and the cabinet next to it. Scarlett huddled over Ben with her hand over his wound. Adam banged some things around on the counter and then ran back to Ben with a needle in hand.
"What is that?" Ashlynn asked.
"It's another formula I'd tried recently. It made us transform immediately. I'm hoping it will reverse the effects of what I gave him earlier!" Adam plunged the needle into Ben's arm. He injected what was inside and reached up to check his pulse. "He has no pulse!" Adam grabbed Ben and moved him down onto the floor. He began to perform CPR. Ashlynn saw tears stream down his cheeks when his efforts seemed unrewarded after a few moments. But he wouldn't give up.
Scarlett and Ashlynn both cried as they watched in horror. Ben was dead. He wasn't going to wake up. He wasn't going to transform. But Adam refused to give up. Ashlynn had decided it best not to interfere. She let Adam do all that he could to save Ben even though they all knew it was in vain.
When CPR didn't work he grabbed a lamp off the end table. He jerked the cord from the back of it and put the wires in between his teeth. He bit down and jerked, ripping the coating from the wire. He put the plug in the wall and stabbed Ben's chest with the bare wires. Ben's body jerked as the electricity surged through it. Adam did CPR again and after a moment he gave him another shock. He repeated the process several times and finally he felt a pulse. He smiled and screamed to the girls, "His heart is beating!"
Both girls gasped and struggled a little to breath as they squealed in celebration that he was alive. "Thank God!" Ashlynn screamed.
Ben started to wiggle on the floor. His heart was beating again and now it was pumping the formula through his veins that Adam had injected him with. After a few moments Ben was gone and a grey wolf lay on the floor. It laid on the floor on its side. The wound was slowly healing but he was in pain. Scarlett walked over and knelt beside him. He looked so pitiful as he laid there whining. She sat down in front of him and placed his head on her leg. "Ben, no words can explain the thanks I owe you. I don't know if you are the bravest man I've ever met or the dumbest. But either way, I owe you my life many times over."
Adam knelt next to them. "There is no exit wound for the bullet Ben. Your tissue will heal around it. I don't want to cause any extra trauma by trying to remove it right now. In time we will do some x-rays and see where the bullet has lodged. If possible I will remove it then."
Ashlynn had left the room and now she was back with two blankets. She wrapped one around Scarlett to cover her still naked form, and placed the other over Ben. "I'm going upstairs, don't talk his ear off Scarlett. Let the guy get some rest!"
Scarlett answered smiling, "Yes ma'am."
Adam placed an arm around Ashlynn. "I'm heading up too. I need to get some clothes on. If you need anything just yell." They walked out of the room but left the door open.
Ben stretched his snout out to Scarlett's arm and licked it. Her injury had healed but there was some blood dried to her skin. "Don't you be worrying about me! I'm fine Mr. Let's worry about you!" Ben pulled his head back and laid it down on her leg again. It had only been a few minutes but he was feeling a little better. He looked up at Scarlett and wondered if it had been fate that brought her and Ashlynn into their lives. It had been a long time since their pack had included more than two. He and Adam no longer considered themselves a pack. They were just two lonely strays who stuck together. Now with Scarlett here and Ashlynn wanting to become a wolf as well, they had the opportunity to thrive as a pack again. He stared up into her green eyes as she caressed his neck. Could he love this woman? Could he envision a future with her? And children? His thoughts swallowed him as he lay there staring up at her.
Chapter 21
When Ben was feeling like himself. They all sat around the living room discussing what had happened earlier that day. Adam sat with his head down. "I'm sure they saw me transform! What are we going to do?"
Ben shook his head. "I don't know. Do you think any of them was close enough to recognise you?"
Adam shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe if they had been looking through the scope of their rifle."
Ben sighed. "This is not good. Maybe we should leave."
Adam nodded. "That's what I've been thinking. We are not safe in wolf form and if they recognized me, we are not safe here in human form."
Before another word was said, Ben, Adam and Scarlett heard a car come up the driveway. Ashlynn had no idea why everyone had perked up and was looking to the front door. "What the hell is y'alls deal?"
Scarlett shushed her. "Someone is here!"
Ben rushed to the front door and Adam hurried to the living room window. "Who is it?", Ashlynn asked impatiently.
"I don't know." Adam answered. "It's a guy, late teens or early twenties. Nobody I've ever seen before."
Ashlynn walked to the window and stood behind Adam. She leaned around trying to sneak a peek. "Oh shit!" She turned around looking like she'd just seen a ghost.
Adam laid his hand on her arm. "What's wrong Love? Do you know who it is?"
Ashlynn ignored his words and walked back to the couch and took a seat next to where Scarlett still was seated. "Okay, Scarlett, I kinda have something I guess I should have told you earlier."
"Spit it out Ash!" Scarlett looked irritated with her friend.
Ashlynn wasn't sure how to spit out the words swirling in her mind so she just blurted them out. "Aaron text me earlier today and ask for our address to send your things!" She slapped her hands over her mouth and stared at Scarlett with big blue eyes.
"Why are you telling me this now?" Scarlett growled.
"Because I gave him this address because I didn't know the one to the cottage and figured we'd be here anyway. He must have decided not to send your things but to deliver them instead because I'm pretty sure that is him outside!" Ashlynn thought Scarlett's jaw was going to hit the floor. She sat with her mouth open completely speechless. "Are you okay? Do you want me to tell him to leave or that you aren't here? Tell me what you want me to do!"
Scarlett stood up and looked down at her friend. "I don't want you to do anything. I'm going to go see what he wants."
Ashlynn sat quietly and Adam held his stance at the window as Scarlett walked to the door. Ben was standing between her and the door with a concerned look on his face. "Do you want me to come out with you?"
Scarlett smiled. "No. I'll be fine. Aaron would never hurt me." Ben held her stare for a moment but then relented and stepped aside. Scarlett opened the door and found Aaron standing on the other side about to knock. "Hi.", She murmured when she wasn't sure what else to say.
Aaron placed his hands in his pockets and looked rather nervous. "Hi.", he replied.
Scarlett stepped out and closed the door behind her. She decided not to make small talk or postpone the inevitable. "What are you doing here Aaron?"
Aaron dropped his eyes to the ground and mumbled. "I missed you. I think we should talk."
Scarlett glanced back to the door behind her and thought of the six prying ears behind it, four of which had super hearing. "Let's take a walk.", she answered.
Aaron nodded but didn't say anything. They walked down the porch steps and across the driveway. When Aaron still hadn't said anything, Scarlett asked, "So what are you doing here? Just out for a drive or what?"
Aaron didn't answer right away. He was determining how to tell her what he wanted to say. They walked a little ways into the forest and he stopped walking. He turned to her and said, "I miss you Scarlett. And I want you to know that I think I made a mistake telling you to leave."
Scarlett's expression didn't change. "Aaron, I don't blame you for kicking me out. You had every right!"
Aaron shook his head. "No, I didn't Scarlett. I asked you to marry me. I asked you to vow to me that you would stay by my side in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, till death does us part. What kind of man am I and what kind of husband would I make if I can't do the same for you. I love you and I want to spend my life with you. Doing so means that I have to accept all of you, even your flaws and mistakes."
Scarlett sighed. "Aaron, what I did is unacceptable. I'm not going to ask you to get past it and pretend it never happened."
Aaron shook his head. "You don't have to ask me! I want to! There is no other way for me because I can't live without you! And I know you aren't ready to get married. What happened is partially my fault because I was pressuring you so hard. I pushed you and pushed you to commit and in the end I wound up pushing you away! So if you will have me, I will be yours. I will not speak of marriage until you are ready. I am willing to wait. I would wait all eternity for you Scarlett!"
Scarlett looked down at her feet for a moment then resumed walking down the path. Aaron walked beside her waiting for her to speak. Finally she did. "Aaron, since I thought I lost you I've been beating myself up inside. I couldn't bear to face a future without you. If marrying you is what it would take to make you happy I should have done it! I would do it now, but a lot has changed since I left Illinois. For you to be with me now you would have to accept a lot more than that mistake.
Back at the cabin Adam sat on the couch with his arm around Ashlynn as they watched Ben pace back and forth across the room. Ashlynn tried to calm him but wasn't succeeding. "Ben, she is fine. He would never hurt her!"
"Why didn't you tell me that he text you earlier?" Ben asked sounding every bit as angry as he looked.
"Calm down Benji, I didn't want Scarlett to get upset. I didn't know he was coming here, he said he needed the address to send her things."
Adam interrupted the dialogue. "We need to worry about other things right now? Like are we going to get out of here before a mob with rifles and torches comes looking for us?"
Ben nodded. "We should go! We should go tonight!"
"I agree!" Adam said as he stood. "Come on Ashlynn, let's go pack some things." He led Ashlynn up the stairs and Ben made his way to the front door. He opened the door and pulled his shirt over his head. In a split second a wolf stood in the door way and howled.
Scarlett was wondering how much she should tell Aaron about what had happened to her. As she listened to him she didn't think he was ready to hear it. "I love you Scarlett, and there is nothing about you that I'm not willing to deal with. As long as we are together, I will be happy!" A howl coming from the direction of the cabin stopped their conversation as they both whipped around. "What the hell was that?" Aaron asked in a shaky voice.
"We have to go back!" Scarlett replied and started toward the cabin.
Aaron grabbed her arm. "Wait, whatever that was, it sounded like it was back that way!"
Scarlett pulled him as she stepped. "Come on, it's fine." With that she began to run and although Aaron wasn't liking running toward the frightening sound, he ran after her.
Chapter 22
They walked in the front door and no one was in sight. "Hey!" Scarlett yelled into the large empty space.
A few seconds later Ashlynn came into view on the balcony. "Scarlett, we have to move out tonight! The guys think it's too risky to wait any longer!"
Scarlett's heart sunk. She turned to Aaron and saw confusion written across his face. "I have to leave Aaron."
Aaron frowned and his eyebrows scrunched together. "Where are you going? And what guys?"
Scarlett sighed. "I'm kinda on the run. You can come with me, I dont know how long we will be running, our lives may be turned upside down. I'm not trying to pressure you into it but, if you don't come with me there is a possibility you may never see me again."
Aaron smiled. "Where you go, I go baby! Till death do us part!"
Scarlett smiled back at him and closed her eyes as she leaned in to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. Their lips met and Scarlett felt like she was floating. She thought she would never again feel the touch of his lips on hers or the feel of his arms around her. She missed it even more than she realized. In his arms everything felt so right. She leaned back and parted their lips. She whispered as she opened her eyes, "As much as I'd like to stand here and do this all night, I don't have much time, I have to pack."
"I'll help you." He smiled at her. She ran up the steps and he followed. She opened the door to her room and walked in to the closet. She pulled out her suitcase and flopped it onto the bed. She grabbed shirts hanging in the closet and tossed them to Aaron and he put them into the suitcase. When the closet was empty she moved on to the dresser. She grabbed handfuls of clothing and shoved them into the suitcase. "Where are we going?" Aaron asked.
Scarlett continued stuffing clothing into her bag, "I don't know."
"Oh, that makes sense." Aaron snickered.
"Do you have any bags?" She asked him as she zippered up the suitcase.
"I have one in the trunk of my car." He answered. She pulled her bag from the bed and started to the door with it when Aaron grabbed it from her. "Let me get that!"
She didn't argue, she opened the door and walked out into the hall. "Could you put that by the front door for me?" She smiled at him.
"Sure. Can I do anything else for you?" He asked.
"No, that's everything besides from a small bag I have in the bathroom." He started down the stairs and she turned and knocked on Ashlynn's door.
"Come in!" A voice yelled from the inside.
Scarlett opened the door and found Adam looking a little overwhelmed as he tried to help Ashlynn pack. "Scarlett, would you please tell her that we don't have time to pack everything she owns!"
Scarlett giggled. "Oh Adam, you poor thing! All of the things she brought with her h
ere is her idea of packing lightly. This is only a one digit percentage the things she has in Illinois. So good luck getting her to part with any more of her dear wardrobe."
Adam shrugged. "I suppose I could save more time by just helping you pack it all rather than arguing with you. Am I right Love?"
Ashlynn smiled a wicked smile. "Right you are, Honeybun!"
"Adam, I can help her if you are afraid of the wrath you will face if you wrinkle anything." Scarlett laughed.
Adam gave Ashlynn a stern look. "You know we need to hurry, right?"
"Of course I do! So less talk and more action!"
They all resumed packing Ashlynn's things and then Aaron appeared in the doorway. Adam heard someone approach and met him at the door. Aaron looked at him and then held out his hand. "I'm Aaron."
Adam took his hand and shook it. "I'm Adam."
Aaron felt a little awkward but then spoke again. "Do you guys need anything else?"
Adam laughed, "We could use a U-haul for all of Ashlynn's clothes."
Everyone laughed except Ashlynn who gave him a dirty look. "This was the last of it Mr. too funny for his own good! Well, except for my things in the bathroom."
Adam smiled at her and then turned back to Aaron. "You mind helping me load the luggage?"
"Happy to help." Aaron answered.
Adam turned back to the girls. "We are going to take these things down, you two grab your things from the bathroom. Just hurry Love, we need to go."
The girls nodded and Aaron had a strange look on his face as he watched the exchange between them. Apparently a lot had happened since the girls arrived here. Adam walked out of the room with some of Ashlynn's things and Aaron grabbed the rest and followed.
Fate's Intentions Page 14
