02~<The weight of an Alpha

PRESENTLY √√√ 

They could hear the sound of heavy footsteps as the group tried escaping to save their lives.

“Hurry up. We need to hurry. They are closing in on us,” Martin urged them. He tried not to concentrate on the weight of Alpha Hercules, that was threatening to slow him down. Adjusting the unconscious Alpha on his back, he braced himself and kept running. 

They ran through the forest till they got to a clearing which led them into a fog, but just as they got out of the fog they halted.

A hooded figure stood just about ten feet from them. Their hearts pounded faster as fear emitted from them. Audrey’s hands were trembling, she knew this could be their peril or if the moon goddess was smiling down in them, then this could also be their safety net, she prayed it was the latter because they had passed through a lot to get to this point.

She was scared shitless out of her mind, and for a minute she wondered how it got so bad. One minute they were a peaceful pack and the next minute the Alpha was unconscious, and the major stakeholders running for their lives.

People who have had a near death experience will always say it is a moment when your life is being flashed before your eyes, but to Audrey, it was a different story all together. What flashed before her eyes was not her life exactly, but the sequence of events that led to their present predicament.

FLASHBACK

Audrey opened the door to the chamber. She really wanted to clear things out and talk to her mate. Just as she rushed in she stopped in her tracks. 

Hercules laid on the floor looking lifeless. Her legs finally found its function, so she ran to his side and turned him over. 

A chill ran from her neck down to her spine. Her hands were trembling as she tried to shake him up. Hercules looked flushed. His skin was pale, and his lips and fingers were turning grey. She noticed a trail of liquid on the side of his face. She sniffed it with her fingers. It smelled like coffee but something else that she couldn’t place.

Audrey need to get help but she didn’t want to leave his side. Standing up, she is torn between getting help and staying by his side, but she knew she had to do what needed to be done, so she bolted for the door and ran down the hallway. She took the turn to head downstairs, but stopped when she saw Martin approaching.

“Thank the moon goddess you are here.” She exclaimed and ran up to him.

“What are you talking about? What’s wrong?” He asked as she pulled him across the hallway.

“It’s Hercules- I saw-” Audrey tried explaining, but she was too scared to say anything. Martin understood the urgency in her voice, and with the mention of Hercules, he increased his pace. They arrived at the study. In a split second martin was at Hercules’ side.

“What happened to him?” He asked. He watched in horror as Hercules lay lifeless on the ground.

“I don’t know. He was like this when I met him. I think he has been poisoned.” Audrey forced back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She pointed to the liquid she sniffed earlier. “That is coffee, but I can not place the other smell I perceived.”

Martin smoldered the liquid to his fingers and sniffed it. Indeed, it was coffee, but something else smelt familiar, it was like it was nudging at the back of his head until he widened his eyes in realization.

Wolves Bane!

They spiked the coffee with wolf's bane. Who ever served this was smart enough to mask its scent because knowing Hercules he would have easily sniffed it out.

“It’s wolf’s bane.” He revealed. Anna looked up at him in dismay. 

“Wolf’s bane? Who will do such a thing?” She asked, but Martin shook his head. He too was out of answers, but what kept bothering him was how Hercules landed in this state because even with wolf's bane, a normal wolf can move around to ask for help talk more of an Alpha. They have mixed something else in this for it to have been potent enough to knock him off completely.

Hercules’ body was beginning to turn cold and martin knew it was only a matter of time before they lose him completely if they don’t get help.

“We need to get a healer. I will take him to his room, and you stay with him. Don’t alarm anyone, just stay with him. We don’t know who did this so we won’t know who to trust.” Martin advised, but Audrey raised her hands up to draw his attention to something. He followed her line of sight till he saw something shiny on the ground.

Audrey bent over and picked it up. It was a gold ring and from the pattern on it, only one person hard it in the pack. “I think we know who did this.” She said as she examined the ring closely.

She showed Martin the engravings on the ring.

“Anna?” He asked in surprise.

Audrey nodded despite herself. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

They both heard a commotion downstairs, so martin rushed to the window to check. It was the warriors they were searching everywhere.

“Look for them. Make sure you capture them alive.” One of them ordered.

Martin hurriedly left the window. “We need to leave, now.” He rushed over to Hercules and lifted him up carefully.

“What’s wrong what did you see?” Audrey asked as she rushed to open the door for him. 

“The warriors. I think they are working with orders to turn us in. Who ever Anna is working for will not stop at Hercules.” He said with urgency as he ran along the hallway. Audrey trailed behind him in confusion because he was running in the opposite direction of Hercules’ room.

“Where are you taking him to?” She asked.

“I don’t know honestly but you need to follow me closely. There is a hidden passage in Hercules’ office please hurry.” Martin replied.

“A passage, why?” Audrey asked. “Please, just do it. We are no longer safe here.” Martin replied, and hurried off.

Audrey followed him closely but halted in her tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Martin asked

Audrey didn’t have time to explain she knew that if they were not safe then may wasn’t either.

“I will meet you in Hercules office.” She replied

“What? We need to go now.” He asked in dismay but she turned and ran towards May’s room.

He called after her in a whisper because he didn’t want to expose their location but she ignored him and kept running. He sighed and continued walking towards Hercules office. He silently hoped she knew what she was doing.

May was sitting in front of her mirror, brushing her from the look of things she was about turning in for the night. Audrey opened her door without caring to knock.

May turned around and was about rebuking Audrey for the breach in privacy when she saw the urgency in her face. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked as she stood up and walked over to meet up with Audrey.

“You need to come with me. Just change into something comfortable.” Audrey replied.

May raised her brows in question, but Audrey pulled her towards her closets and was already skimming through the clothes.

“What is it? Talk to me Audrey.” May pushed, making Audrey sigh in frustration. “Listen May. Someone has poisoned Hercules, and we have reason to believe it’s Anna’s handwork, but we need to leave the Castle for now. Martin is waiting for us in Hercules’ office.” Audrey explained, but the look on May’s face showed she didn’t understand what Audrey was saying.

“Hercules was what?” She asked after a moment of processing Audrey’s words.

“He was poisoned. Anna laced his drink with wolf's bane and something else.” Audrey replied as she brought out a simple cotton dress.

“Here, change into this.” She said, handing her the gown.

May took it from her but didn’t make any move to start changing. She opened her mouth to ask further questions, but angry voices and the sound of heavy footsteps were heard, so Audrey rushed to the window.

The light on the floor below then illuminated the shadow of warriors marching in the hallway.

“May please hurry. Hercules’ life is at stake. I will answer your questions later but for now we need to get out of here.” Audrey pressed. May sighed in defeat and hurriedly changed out of her sleeping coat into the cotton dress.

Audrey led her quietly to the door, then opened the door slightly and peeped through the hallway. The warriors were yet to get to this floor. So she stepped out and turned back to be sure May was following behind her.

They stock to the side of the wall and quietly made their way back to Hercules’ office.

Audrey tried to open the door, but it was locked. Panic surged through her. Did the warriors get to Martin? Did he get tired of waiting for them and left? 

But Audrey knew that was unlikely. Martin would not leave his mate to die, so she knocked quietly on the door. It flew open with a second, but before they could rush in Martin held out a dagger. He put it down when he saw Audrey. The door was thrown wide open for them to come in.

Martin was surprised to see May. He couldn’t believe he almost left his mate to die in the hands of Anna. What was he thinking? 

He turned to Audrey and mouthed a thank you. Audrey nodded in understanding.

May gasped shapely when she saw Hercules wrapped in a quilt. She ran to him and knelt down beside him, but before her tears could spill Martin turned the position of a small stature on Hercules’ desk. The book shelves on the right quirked then parted open. It revealed a secret passage.

Martin rushed to Hercules and raised him onto his back.

“This will lead us to the forest outside the castle.” He revealed.

Audrey for over her initial shock and ran into the passage while waiting for May and Martin. Martin turned and instructed her to move a similar statue to the other side of the passage. Immediately she did so the book shelves closed back, shutting the passage and almost at the same time the candles on the wall were lit up on their own. They ran through the passage which led into a tunnel. The floor of the tunnel was steep, so they had to slow down to prevent falls.

May’s eyes were filled with tears that threatened to spill as she saw the way Martin was struggling to maintain his pace and also prevent himself from falling from the weight of the Alpha on his back.