We spent another immensely enjoyable two hours in bed together, ending with a long while snuggling, exhausted and satisfied. Eventually, we reluctantly got up, showering together before heading to each of our rooms, one by one. They were insistent on still being cautious, checking the rooms for any sign of disturbance before dressing, while the others waited, then moving onto the next room. Thankfully, they all still seemed untouched, and it gave some hope that they might remain that way. We headed downstairs then, stopping for a late breakfast, before heading over to the hospital. As we walked over, I couldn't help but notice the odd stares and whispers that followed us, or the mood that seemed somber and suspicious. I glanced over at Finn, noticing his small frown and slight tension, and realised that he'd noticed too. Even the nurses seemed significantly less welcoming than before, with Camille seeming to avoid us entirely, ducking back into the nurses' office the moment she saw
Cole took my hand gently as he saw my sadness, lifting it to press his lips to my knuckles, while Finn reached over to stroke my cheek gently, before taking my other hand. "It was just another facet in our decision to remove our father," Cole continued quietly, "It wasn't just Thane getting hurt like this, but so many. And her jealously, over those she'd consider hers.." He trailed off again, shaking his head sadly, and Finn continued, his voice wavering with the pain he still felt. "We suspected her involvement in our mothers death," he said softly, and I stared at him, stunned, "There was never any proof, but.." he paused, and Cole continued for him, anger in his tone now. "Our father would never have allowed it to happen, without Samantha's corruption affecting him," he said heavily, and Finn nodded agreement. "She had power like that, even over a Lycan Alpha?" I asked, both horrified and impressed, and they nodded sadly. "How did you overthrow them then?" I asked, wondering if t
They both looked thoughtful for a long while, and Cole sighed, shaking his head gently, "I hate how we've come to second guessing everyone's intentions," he said quietly, as he stood. Finn nodded agreement, and stood too, gently pulling at my hand until I stood beside him. He put an arm around my waist then, as we headed back out of the room. When Cole opened the door though, we were hit with a tirade of voices, followed by an angry sounding Thane, shouting, "ENOUGH!"It was clear he'd used his Alpha voice, and the din quickly ceased. Surprisingly, it seemed to come from only four people, who I recognised as Elsie's friends who had confronted us previously. They turned, hearing Cole close the door behind us, and their faces were suddenly full of anger. "You!" one of them said, pointing a finger at me accusingly, "You did this! You hurt her!" they continued, and Thane growled angrily from behind them. The young-looking girl quickly dropped her finger, backing away from me, as much fea
"They've been spreading rumours that it was Laila who hurt Elsie," Cole said, his annoyance clear in his voice, and Dorian hissed angrily. "Oh my, those vicious little.." he began, but Thane raised a hand, silencing him. "Apparently they all saw the same.. dream, or vision, or something, of Elsie repeating the words, 'She did this,'" he said, and Dorian frowned. "I just checked her a few hours ago, there are still no signs of brain activity," he said, sounding thoughtful, "Should we assume this is the work of Samantha, attempting to sow discord?"Thane nodded, and Dorian sighed deeply, "She is persistent, that's for certain," he said, then moved past Thane and into Elsie's room checking her over once more, "Still the same," he said, shaking his head sadly. "What did you tell them?" he asked Thane, who shrugged casually, "I told them we were all there, that we know Laila didn't harm her," he said, then sighed, "They didn't want to hear it, of course." Dorian shook his head, looking ann
We watched her leave, waiting for her to be out of earshot before I turned to Finn, "Thane wasn't exaggerating about how quickly they spread rumours, was he?" I said, and Finn shook his head, looking somewhat troubled. "Not at all," he said quietly, "We just need to ensure that they're spreading the right ones." I nodded agreement, but couldn't help but feel unsettled by it."That might be hard," I said, making him raise an eyebrow, "They already seem not to like me very much." Finn frowned at that, but gave a small shake of his head, "They don't know you well enough to like you or not," he said comfortingly, "But they will soon enough, you'll see." He gave me a warm smile, and I returned it, before resting my head on his shoulder again.We sat in silence again awhile, snuggling and content in each other's company, until Luca came in a while later. "Hey, any change?" he asked, and we both shook our heads gently. He nodded sadly, "Thane wants you both, his office. Planning for tonight,
"Dad.. do you have any idea what those things actually do?" Jake asked him, sounding hurt. Heath only stared back at Finn defiantly, not meeting his son's eyes, "They do what she says they do, boy," he said angrily, and Jake shook his head sadly. "Then why did they leave Elsie an unconscious, vacant shell?" Jess asked angrily, looking furious as she realised what was happening. Heath rolled his eyes again, the colour rising is his face more, "Foolish girl," he muttered, "Quentin always said you wouldn't catch on to what was actually going on, even if it was right in front of you." She snarled angrily, looking about ready to launch herself at him, just as Thane came around the corner, "Jess, go and get Elyanna please. Tell her there's more of them." She turned her attention to Thane, and gave him a short nod, glaring at Heath once more before heading down the stairs quickly, two at a time. "Get Laila away from those," Thane quickly said to Finn, as he came over, grabbing Heath's arms
"How about at the beginning?" he suggested, and I frowned, "You kind of already know that part," I said, and he looked thoughtful. "Does this all have to do with when you were taken?" he asked, and I nodded, beginning to explain everything, just as I had with Sam. He listened patiently, not interrupting, but his shock and disgust was clear on his face, more and more as I continued. When I eventually finished, he sighed heavily, "This is a lot, Laila," he said, and I nodded, feeling drained, but better for having shared it. "How much of it does the rest of the pack know?" he asked, and I shrugged gently, "There are rumours, but Thane will address the Derrick part when the pack is together tonight." He nodded thoughtfully, "And the rest? This.. Fearmonger, and its summoner?" I shrugged gently, "I'm not sure, he'll likely have to address that soon, but I don't know if it will be tonight." He nodded again, "And what of your.. little blood issue. Will he tell them that?" I raised my eyeb
We headed out from his room, finding Cole waiting outside for us, looking every bit as handsome as his brother. He smiled as he saw us, reaching over and pulling me close to him, holding me close as he kissed me tenderly. I returned both, and heard the sound of a door opening nearby, and turned to see Thane stepping out of his room, also looking incredible in his full-black ensemble. He also greeted me with a tender kiss and a smile, along with a look of reserved excitement, seeming to be full of anticipation for tonight. It caused a rush of nervous flutters in my stomach, and I looked at each of them uncertainly. Finn and Cole gave me encouraging smiles, while Thane put his arm around my waist as he began walking, leading me down the hall, and the stairs, with his brothers close behind. Most of the house was quiet, at least until we reached the ground floor, where everything was alive with excitement and activity. The staff in the kitchens seemed to working overtime, and there were
After that, everything else began to happen all at once. A blurry, chaotic, storm of events, as attacks began, from their side, and then ours, as our patrols began to hit their more isolated groups, using the terrain they knew so well to take them by surprise. We weakened them quickly there, while our sentries weakened those who dared attack our home, the few who broke through meeting Tyson and his teams, and finding themselves overwhelmingly outmatched. As the sun went down, they only grew more desperate and disorganised, the attacking groups growing smaller, weaker, and far less confident. Within a few hours, Marcus had his original patrols hunting down the remnants of Yannick's pack. Yannick himself was captured as he tried to flee, and his Beta, Sean, was killed as he led a dismal final attempt to attack our home. It was almost dawn again when Yannick was brought before us, greatly wounded in both pride and body. Cole, Finn, and I stared down at him with disdain, while we awaite
Dorian reached up to wipe my tears with his thumbs, a look of sorrow-filled sympathy on his face, "I promise you, we'll help him as best we can," he said softly, "but your pack still needs you, you need to help them." I stared at him wide eyed, not feeling like I could help anyone right now, but he cupped my cheeks gently, giving me an encouraging nod. "I.. but.." I stammered, looking around and seeing so many uncertain faces looking right back at me, and I knew that it was me who needed to give them certainty again. He stepped back, organising for Thane to be taken to the hospital, and I shook my head sadly, taking several long deep breaths and closing my eyes for a moment, before speaking again. "I need reports," I said more firmly, "I need to know what's happening with the incursions, and.." I paused for a moment again, trying to clear my head enough to focus. "The sentries, they need to report to Finn now," I said, looking up at him. His face was pale, so very pale, and shocked,
Samantha seemed to find some determination from somewhere though, straightening her posture even as her companion fell forward, his face hitting the ground with a soft thud. She suddenly dropped her hand, allowing the metal piece to move towards her, before suddenly raising both, trying to thrust it towards me with everything she had. I screamed wordlessly, letting that rage rush through me again, wildly, as I raised both hands, thrusting them towards her. I could see the fear in her eyes as the object raced towards her, and unable to stop it, she ducked, and it shot right past her, barely missing her companions, and out of sight. She turned to me as she straightened again, but her eyes were drawn to the same thing that had caught my own attention. From Thane's slowly stirring body, a dark figure had formed, leaving his body and hovering above it. "What are you doing?!" Samantha screamed at it, sounding hysterical, "She's right there! Take her!" She pointed at me, but nothing rushed
"Where?" asked Finn, and I frowned at him, "Right there, in the middle, Thane's walking over to her.." I stopped as he exchanged a look with Jess, both of them looking puzzled. "The young blonde kid?" Jess asked, and I stared at her in bewilderment, "What young blonde kid? I mean the black haired woman, standing in the middle of the group waiting for Thane." Finn stopped walking, grabbing my arm and turning me towards him, "You see a black haired woman standing there?" he asked, as he and Jess both frowned at me in confusion. "Yes.. don't you?" I asked, suddenly feeling uncertain, and they both shook their heads looking concerned. "No.." Jess began, looking thoughtful, "Do you think.. could she be masking herself somehow?" she asked, looking up at Finn. "I don't know.." he said, as he rubbed his chin, seeming to consider the idea, then lifted a brow, looking over behind us, "but I know someone who would," he added, and I turned, seeing Elyanna over at the edge of the green, closer t
As we reached the green, we noticed the tension in the air. Nerves were frayed, and some were frightened, knowing something was happening, but having no clear message of what. A few people stopped, staring at us, seeming to be waiting for something, and I sighed, looking up at Finn. "They need to know," I said gently, and he frowned, shaking his head, "Thane.." he began, and I gently put a hand on his arm. "Check with him," I said gently, "but he's not down here, he doesn't see their nervousness. They'd feel better if they knew, and knew it was being handled." He sighed, but nodded, his eyes going blank for a moment, before they came into focus again, "He still doesn't want to share much," he said, looking mildly disappointed, "but we can let them know a little." I nodded, giving him an encouraging smile, and he turned, making eye contact with those watching and waiting nervously, beckoning them over. When a small crowd had gathered around us, he lifted his head, raising his voice,
Josefine turned to him with an arched eyebrow and a stern look, before looking back to me, "Which one of you does the Fearmonger seek?" she asked. "They said it was me," I answered quietly. "Have you confirmed it?" she asked, and I frowned, asking her, "How would I do that?" She gave a brief nod, then turned to the others, who already seemed to be gathering some things up. "Leave it with us," Josefine said, as they all began heading for the door, and Elyanna ushered for us to follow, "We will do what we can," she said encouragingly, "For now, take care of your pack, defend them if need be. We'll find you when it's time," she continued, as we followed the others outside. "When it's time for what?" I asked, as she pulled her door closed behind us, locking it with a key on a ring full of others. My mind caught on that detail for some reason, it seeming odd, given her tiny cottage, for there to be so many. She smiled and reached over to touch my cheek gently, drawing my attention back t
"Just like Margrethe herself," Mathilde breathed softly, half to herself, and Anne stood, coming closer and peering over her friend's shoulder. "Truly!" she gasped, seeming just as surprised and impressed as Mathilde was. I frowned at them both, as Lisbet began to withdraw again, "Margrethe?" I asked, and they stared at me in mild disbelief."Queen Margrethe, of course!" Josefine said, sounding a little offended, and Anne turned to face her. "She is so young, you cannot expect her to remember a Queen long before her time," Anne said gently. Josefine tilted her chin up slightly, "She was also a werewolf, do they not teach the history of their own Royals?" she asked, and Elyanna sighed. "Whether they do or not, Laila had no control over what she herself was taught as a child," she said sternly, "Do not place the blame that belongs to the generations past on her shoulders."Anne nodded agreement, along with Sofie, and Josefine scowled. "It may be the fault of generations past, but will sh
Elyanna opened the door a moment later, with a small frown in her face. Seeing us, she stepped outside, rather than inviting us in, pulling the door closed behind her. "Finn, Laila," she said with a warm smile, though her forehead still held a small crease, "What's happened?" she asked. Finn and I exchanged a glance, and he gave her an apologetic smile, "This.. probably won't be a quick conversation," he said hesitantly, "Would you prefer to have it inside?" Her lips pursed together as she shifted uncomfortably, "Ah, at the moment, I have.. company," she said awkwardly, "That you may not wish to overhear?" she continued, her tone suggestive. He sighed, and nodded, "We hoped it might have been the kind of company that might have offered further insight," he said gently, "We've just had some ourselves." She raised an eyebrow, "You have learned something?" she asked, seeming surprised, and Finn shook his head, giving a short laugh. "No, I don't think so," he said, "It was Yannick, from
Marian looked stunned, the colour draining from her face, and she closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead, seeming to process what he'd just told her. "Okay," she said shakily, ".. okay, okay.." she took a couple of deep breaths, her eyes still closed as she calmed herself, before looking back at Finn and I. "Are we still trying to keep the South Wing clear?" she asked, sounding much more composed. Finn nodded, "Yes, if we can manage without it," she nodded again, seeming to have fully recovered from her shock as she took charge, and I had to admire her ability to react well under pressure. "We only have five patients at the moment, in wards One through Three," she said, seemingly half to herself. "Camille!" she called out, and the other nurse stuck her head out of one of the nearby wards, "Prepare ward Twelve for emergency triage, we might have a lot of incomings. Eleven too, just in case."Camille stared at her in disbelief for a moment, and Marian raised an eyebrow, "Now! Laila and