“I don’t believe it,” Sarah exclaimed as she watched the charts connected to Steve’s body. The werewolf was stable and his blood pressure was back to normal. Well, not human being normal but a win was a win.Emma could believe it because being a healer was a large part of her identity. A knock brought their attention away from Steve. It was a female nurse who had a puzzled expression on her face.“Um, Doctor Emma, the patients that came in all seem to be doing just fine,” she said. Emma nodded, relieved. “Thank you and keep a close watch on them for any changes.” Emma replied. The Nurse nodded and left.“Mercury Chloride,” Sarah murmured and shook her head, still amazed.Steve stirred awake and moaned a little. His eyes flew open and he looked around until his gaze fell on the woman that he had rejected a long time ago. “Emma,” he groaned and tried to get up.Emma ran to his bed side and gently pushed him on his back. A small jolt of electrical current passed through her as she did.
Steve watched his surviving pack members with a haunted expression on his face. He had failed them all with his foolish decisions. If he could turn back the hands of time, he would without any hesitation.The only thing he could do now was make do with the hand that he was dealt. He had to find a way to salvage his losses.There were six men on the hospital beds in a large ward with the chemical Emma prescribed entering into their system.He could still feel their pains as they slept through the pain.When he could not bear to gaze upon their prone bodies any longer, he walked out of the hospital.His pack was decimated and he needed to find whatever was left of his surviving werewolves.He could still see flashes of the day the vicious attack took place, how the virus brought down the strongest of his men and women before he escaped.The sun was rising and he realized that Emma had spent the night making sure he and his pack members were stable. It pained him that he had to see Emma
PROTECT THE QUEEN.In a game of chess, when the king is compromised, the game ends. However, the queen holds most of the power because if used well, she can change the tide of the game.Steve was compromised and Emma was his queen. Even though she did not know it yet. He was going to do whatever was necessary to keep her safe so she could focus on finding a cure for him and his pack.These four dubious looking werewolves went to together to the receptionist and Steve got within earshot. His wolf hearing was not what it used to be because of the infection so he had to strain himself really hard to pick up what was being said.“…Doctor Adams...” Steve ears perked up at the mention of her name. Shit! They were here for her!The good thing was that he had put the whole map of the hospital to his memory before going to meet Emma the first time he had entered the hospital. It was an habit of his. Steve preferred to know the lay of the
Emma had said her goodbyes to Sarah after they had gone back and forth on what was going between her and Steve.“There is something between the two of you, I can feel it.” Sarah had said when they had both stood had the large hall of the sixth floor looking out the walls of the panes that over looked the city.“I do not know what you are talking about, Sarah,” Emma said wearily as she watched the rising sun and its rays as it gleamed on heavily dewed cars and buildings. Her shift was over and she was calling it a day.She had instructed the interns under her to carefully watch and report any changes that happened to the remaining pack members of Steve’s pack.“Oh, come on, Emma!” Sarah exclaimed playfully. “I saw the way he held your hands and the yearning in his eyes, there is something going on.”“Really?” Emma said in slight disbelief. “Yearning in his eyes?”“I know what I saw, Emma, you can deny it as much as you want.” Sarah chuckled and replied.“Or maybe you need some romance
“We cannot keep running forever, Emma,” Steve said as they both ran up the stairs. The hospital was fifteen stories high and Emma knew that the two surviving men were in hot pursuit.“We will think of something, let us keep going,” Emma said as she raced. Steve felt a bolt of energy the moment he heard her say we.Steve sighted a large red axe inside a glass. It was used for emergency fire outbreaks. An idea came to him and he went towards the glass. His first impulse was to break it but then he thought better of it and decided to open it the proper way by only crushing the padlock with his hand.It took a lot of effort but he used what was left of his wolf strength and the padlock cracked in his hand. He swung open the glass and grabbed the axe before running back to join Emma.“What do you plan to do with that?” She asked him as they ran.“I plan to protect you with it,” Steve said.They were on the eighth floor of the staircase before Steve’s body began to succumb to fatigue. He wa
Emma knew that Steve was spent as he laid on his back against the small fence that rose up the edge of the hospital roof. The morning sunlight shine across his battered form, highlighting every wound, every drop of blood that stained his torn clothing. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest as she watched the Alpha she had just met after five long years accept his impending death with quiet dignity. There was something achingly beautiful about him even now—a wild, untamed spirit that refused to beg or plead, even at the end. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his face. Despite the pain etched into his features, his jaw remained set in defiance, his eyes—those magnificent amber eyes that reminded her so much of autumn forests—still blazed with a fierce determination. The virus that coursed through his veins had weakened him considerably, dark tendrils visibly spreading beneath his skin, but it hadn't broken his spirit. That, Emma realized with a sudden clarity that took her breath
This was what she was meant to be—not a meek hospital worker hiding her nature, but a creature of raw strength and wild beauty. The axe fell from his nerveless fingers, clattering uselessly against the rooftop as he reached back desperately, trying to pull Emma's long snout off his neck. His fingers scrabbled against her thick fur, finding no purchase as his life's blood pumped between her teeth. Steve, finding reserves of strength where there should have been none, grabbed both of the man's legs in a bear hug. With what must have been his last ounce of power, he lifted the mercenary over his shoulder in a display of pure Alpha determination that made Emma's wolf want to howl in appreciation. Their eyes met for a brief moment—amber to amber—and an unspoken understanding passed between them. Without hesitation, Emma jumped off the man's back in the nick of time as Steve threw him over the small fence of the hospital roof. Together, Steve
There was resignation in his voice, but also determination—the voice of a leader who had accepted the cost of his choices. Emma's stomach sank with dread, a cold weight settling in her core. "Why?" The question was simple, but loaded with all her fears for the future. "Because as of this moment, we are both very wanted werewolves," Steve replied, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes, when they opened to meet hers, held a mixture of regret and resolve. "And I am willing to bet my furs that they are at your house." Emma shook her head confidently, though doubt began to gnaw at her certainty. "No, they cannot be at my house, Steve. There is a magic barrier that I personally put there. Trespassers cannot see or know where I live unless I want them to." The words came out more defensively than she intended, as if she were trying to convince herself as much as him. In the five years since she had walked away from pack life, she had built protection
Steve knew that the dragon lady had no reason to lie but he was finding it hard to believe the words that just came out of her mouth. The Alpha was stunned into a long uneasy silence by what he heard. What made him even more shocked was that he knew it was something his father was capable of. He stood up abruptly and swayed as a bout of dizziness overtook him. He steeled himself and stood his ground. “I need fresh air,” he said and turned to leave the large room. he was wracked with a pain that he could not describe as he walked. “Why did you tell him that?!” Emma demanded angrily. “It was the truth,” Long replied with a dismissive shrug. “He is still getting better, Long,” Emma stated. “What is wrong with you?” She said and got up to leave. “He needed to know; Emma and it felt like the right to let him no.” Lady Long called after the healer. Emma saw Steve outside gazing at the horizon. It was sunset and the skies had a mi
Emma took good care of Steve for the next few days. The Alpha lost a lot of fluids during his transformation as the berserker and was bed ridden due to the stress. Anytime Steve fell asleep, Emma would use the time to explore Long’s mansion. The Dragon had amassed wealth during the long span of her life.Emma found her in one of the expensive rooms in the mansion. This one was filled with books kept in very high shelves arranged in a circle of maze with expensive soft cushions in the middle. Long was seated carefree in one of the seats with her head hidden behind a book.“How are you feeling today?” Emma asked as she took a seat. Long dropped the book on the small mahogany table in front of her. The healer felt responsible for the Lady’s wellbeing even if she had no reason to.“I feel renewed,” Long said with a beaming smile. “I have to thank you properly, Emma.”“Giving us a place to rest is more than enough Long,” Emma replied.“How is the wolf doing?” Long asked in a dismissive ton
Heaven had a king-sized bed, soft sheets, and the lingering scent of jasmine.That was Steve’s first thought as consciousness returned to him. His second thought, arriving with considerably more force, was that heaven shouldn’t hurt this goddamn much.Pain crashed over him in a merciless wave. It felt as though every nerve ending in his body had been flayed open and doused in salt. His muscles screamed in protest at the slightest movement. His skin felt too tight, too hot, like he’d been burned all over and was still smoldering.The room around him slowly came into focus—opulent furnishings, tasteful art on the walls, sunlight filtering through gauzy curtains. Definitely not heaven, but certainly not any place he recognized.He attempted to sit up, only to fall back with a strangled groan as the movement sent fresh agony coursing through him.“Fuck,” he growled through gritted teeth.“Steve?” Emma’s voice came from the doorway, and he turned his head—car
Darkness. Cold. Pain.Steve Kane floated in a void of agony, his consciousness adrift in a sea of torment. The darkness was absolute, pressing in on him from all sides like a living thing. Each labored breath sent shards of glass through his lungs. His skin—what he could still feel of it—was a road map of suffering: deep bruises that throbbed with each heartbeat, burns that seared with constant fire, and jagged cuts that pulsed with their own rhythm of torment.He couldn’t see a damn thing, but he knew exactly where he was.Trapped.Imprisoned deep within the consciousness of the War Beast—a monster of his own making, or rather, a monster made by generations of his cursed bloodline. The realization settled in his gut like lead. Calling upon the beast had been a desperate gambit, a last resort when the pack of werewolves had swarmed toward the Lady’s Lair. A choice between certain death and unleashing something far worse.And now I’m paying the price, he thought bitterly, curling his f
Emma watched in horror as Long unleashed a wave of fire at the charging Alpha. “No!” She yelled in panic but it was too late. The force of the fire knocked the war beast far away till it crashed into a car which exploded.The show of power stopped the fighting and every was forced to pay attention to the naked dragon lady whose arms were covered in blazing fire. Her eyes were obsidian black with fiery slits. Red scales lined up the spine of back and her nails grew longer and curved.Her black flowing hair was also streaked with red fire. She looked terrifying and beautiful at the same time. She walked into the midst of the fighting werewolves and stopped to look around.“Impossible,” Emma heard a bald-headed man with a sword mutter in horror. He was heavily scarred across the face and covered in blood. “You should be dead.”Long raised her fiery right hand and shot flames at the man who tried to block it with his sword but it was a useless move. The Dragon flame ate him up and he unle
Emma stared in disbelief at the hot and glowing body of Lady Long. There was no sign of life except for the pulsing of light and heat. She reached for the needle she had pressed into the dragon’s chest but found that it had melted and was no longer there.Emma smelled something burning and shockingly realized that the couch was burning from the contact of the Lady. Her body was literal fire. The healer tried to find a pulse but jerked back her hand in pain due to the burning sensation.She is alive. Emma realized. The room was also heating up and she was finding hard to breathe. She wondered how Steve was doing as she began to gasp for the ever-reducing air in the room. The glow and pulsing began to increase and before Emma’s eyes, Lady Long began to levitate slowly into the air.The healer knew that something was about to happen and it was going to be dangerous. However, she could not predict what it was. She just stared in awe at the unconscious rising form of Lady Long. The light g
“You are an outsider,” A heavily scarred bald werewolf said as he glared angrily at Steve. “This war does not concern you.”Steve looked behind the man and saw the ninety-nine men suited with drawn swords standing behind him. It was going to get bloody. He knew this.“Do you really care if I am here or not?” Steve asked. “Because there are people inside who do not even know that a war is brewing, they came to have a good time, and from the look of it, you are going to kill them either way.”“All is fair in war,” The man replied impatiently.“So, it is only fair that I fight for the dragon lady,” Steve replied.“She is dying as we speak,” The werewolf sneered confidently. “This is going to be a massacre and I will enjoy cutting you from limb to limb.”“Then there is no need to waste more words,” Steve said.“What is your name?” The werewolf asked.“Steve Kane,” The Alpha answered. It was just him, Marcus and the two men. Four against a hundred men
Steve was beyond mad at what Emma had proposed. He had no idea the crazy wheels turning in the healer’s head. “Why do you believe that you owe her your life?!” Steve demanded. “I am healer, Steve,” Emma answered calmly. “And I will try my best to heal anyone if there is a chance.” “What makes you think that there is a chance?” Steve asked. “Because she should be dead, Steve. That poison should have killed her but it didn’t. Something is keeping her alive.” Emma said thoughtfully. Steve sighed wearily and shook his head. “You should believe more in your healer, Alpha Kane,” Lady long said as she watched the distraught werewolf. “I believe in her, but I do not trust you,” Steve growled. “I have no need for your trust, wolf,” Lady Long replied with a causal shrug. “It means nothing to me, you Kanes are all the same.” The respo
Emma was mesmerized by all she was seeing. She had been to few bars and clubs but never had see seen such explicit event like this. It was like a carnival but in an enclosed space. There were different hues of light shining darkly in the room. Dark shades of purple, red, blue and green filtered throughout the whole place. It gave the club a surrealistic ambience. “What now?” Steve asked. “We party,” Emma replied. “She will come and see us when she wants to,” “We do not have the time to party, Ms. Emma,” Marcus grumbled as he looked around with interest. “I do not think she cares much for what you want, Marcus,” Emma replied with a shrug. “But I can see that a few of the guests have caught your eyes.” Marcus jerked like he had been caught with his pants down. Emma had caught him looking at some female creatures swaying seductively to the music blaring from the speakers. “When last have you, guys let loose?” Emma asked as she noticed how uncomfortable, Steve was as he looked arou