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Chapter 14
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2020-11-13 02:44:30Chapter 14
>War room. Night<
Having Liam chained to the wall, I ask the others to leave me alone with him. I want to be the first person who Liam sees when he wakes up. I wait almost half an hour before Liam begins to stir. I watch Liam as he regains consciousness.
“Liam.” “What happened?” He is struggling against his restraints. “Laura, release me.” “Easy, Liam. I´m sorry, but the chains are necessary. You´ve been feeding on human blood. Your vampire side is beginning to take over. You need help.” “What makes you think that this is not my choice?” “Because the Liam I know wouldn´t intentionally kill a human being. Liam, Cynthia is dead because you fed on her. What happened to you, Liam? Why would you choose to feed your vampire side?” “Because I don´t want to be weak anymore. I´ve realized that I stand a better chance of defeating our enemies if I nurture my vampire side. You´ve witnessed yourself how powerful Laurence is. I can be just like him. I simply need some time to learn how to control the bloodlust.” “Liam, you don´t need to defeat our enemies by yourself- That´s why we are a pack. We defeat them together.” “But I don´t want anything bad to happen to you.” “I can take care of myself.” “Laura, you don´t understand--” “Is this genuinely about me? Or is this actually because of Maggie?” Liam stares at me for a long moment. “Lucas was right all along. Discovering that Maggie dies ripped me apart. I regret that I wasn´t there to protect her. I blame myself. I couldn´t handle the guilt. I failed her. And that´s a failure I don´t wish to repeat with you.” “So all your talk about making your peace with Maggie´s death, that was just bullshit?” “It´s true. I´ve moved on. However, that doesn´t after the fact that I failed. And I´m simply unable to handle the thought of history repeating itself. That´s why I´m going to protect you no matter what happens. And I believe I can only achieve that if I become stronger. Laura, as a hybrid I am able to become more powerful if my vampire side is not suppressed.”
I slap Liam across the face, hoping to knock some sense into him. “At what cost, Liam? Cynthia was killed because you couldn´t control your bloodlust. Do you really believe I´m going to permit you to be such a monster?” “But I already am that monster. Laura, I killed someone after feeding on him back in Midnight Harbor. This is me. I´m a killer. Being a vampire is part of who I am.” “Yes, but it´s the darkest part of you.” “Perhaps that´s what we require to win this coming battle ahead of us.”
Lucas enters the war room. “I heard everything. You need to make a choice, Liam.” Lucas places an ampule of yellow liquid down in the table. “This is the same potion you ingested years ago to suppress the bloodlust. If you take it again, if will still be possible for you to call upon your vampire abilities, however you won´t be as powerful.” Lucas then places a blood bag right beside the potion. “The alternative is that you can drink this blood, and be the monster that you want to become. However, you´ll have to be that monster somewhere else. I´m not prepared to condone you killing innocent people. What you´re doing is an insult to Maggie´s memory. The way I see it, you´re simply failing her all over again. You´ve failed all of us.”
Lucas unlocks the manacles on Liam´s wrists. “Let´s go, Laura.” Lucas and I leave Liam to make his decision.
>Lucas´s house. Living room. Night<
“I had a difficult time resisting Liam. The call of the moon is becoming incredibly intense.” “Well, besides the fact that the moon is almost full. As a vampire, Liam is subconsciously using his thrall on you. You didn´t have sex with him, did you?” “What do you think, Lucas?” “Do you really want me to answer that?” “Forget it.”
Suddenly, there is a tremendous crash and Nolan comes flying through the French doors leading into the gardens. Nolan lands on the floor, unconscious. “Nolan!” Lucas rapidly shifts into his wolf form and runs outside.
I must make sure that Nolan is okay. I rush to his side, checking if he´s still breathing. I stare at him in horror, as I perceive the large wound on his chest. He´s unconscious. I tap on Nolan´s cheek. “Nolan. Nolan, are you all right?” Nolan comes around. “Laura. We´re under attack.” “You´re wounded. It´s not healing.” “I´ll be okay, Laura. Go. The ý need you out there,” Reluctantly, I move away from Nolan.
I transform into my werewolf form and follow Lucas into the gardens.
>Lucas´s house. Gardens. Night<
I halt in my tracks as I take in the scene unfolding before my eyes. Lucas and Amelia, in their wolf forms, are battling against a massive black werewolf! This one is far more immense that the ones we clashed with previously. It´s definitely more ferocious, while appearing to be stronger than your average werewolf.
I need to act swiftly. I stand there unable to move, rooted in my place. I can´t overcome my initial shock of seeing a werewolf of such size. Lucas and Amelia valiantly fight against it. However, they are no match.
“Laura, what are you doing?” The black wolf pounces on me. To defend myself, I claw on its face. I look on in horror as the laceration my claws leave on its face begin to immediately close up. I manage to get away. “It heals really fast!” “What do we do?” “We´ll just have to continue maiming it. It must have a weak spot or something.” I run head on towards the black werewolf. I swipe at its side, slashing through its coat of fur. It heals after just a few seconds. Amelia does the same, slashing the wolf´s other side. Yet she barely wounds the black werewolf. “What the fuck?” “That barely left a mark.” “Laura, I think you´re the only one who is able to wound it.” I know that I have to do it myself. “Keep it distracted!”
Lucas engages the black werewolf, swiping at it yet successfully dodging its blows. I then attack from behind, digging my razor-sharp claws into its back. The black werewolf howls in agony. However, it still manages to catch Lucas by the neck. “Lucas!”
Suddenly, a streak of white fur shoots towards the black werewolf. It´s Liam in his silvery white werewolf form! His paws latch on to the black werewolf´s arm, preventing it from crushing Lucas´s windpipe. “Laura! Kill it!” Yet something unexpected occurs. A shrill sound fills our ears. The black werewolf howls out in pain again, relinquishing his grip on Lucas, who falls to the ground. We all hear the deafening sound, although it affects the black werewolf more than us. The black werewolf scampers away. As if it´s being called back. I rush to Lucas´s side. “Are you guys all right?” “I´m fine.” Lucas turns to Liam as Amelia joins us. “Thank you. You saved my life.”
Then I remember Nolan. “Oh, god! Nolan!”
>Lucas´s house. Living room. Night<
We all rush back inside the house. Nolan is still there, laying on the floor amidst broken glass. I gaze at the large wound on his chest. “Lucas” Nolan's wounds aren´t healing. Grab the potion!” Lucas disappears down the hallway. “You´re going to be all right, Nolan.” Lucas turns back into his human form. Lucas throws a blanket over me, then I begin my transformation into a human. Lucas administers the potion to Nolan. We wait with baited breath for the potion to show signs of working. However, it doesn´t work.
“Why is it not working?” I asked desperate. Amelia and Liam disappear into a hallway, most likely to return to their human form. “I don´t know. That´s a different kind of black werewolf. Why do they keep getting stronger and stronger?” Lucas said. “That´s what I want to know as well.” Nolan is growing paler by the second. Liam and Amelia return. “What´s wrong with him?” “We´re not sure.” Nolan attempts to speak, yet his voice is really weak. “Laura...” “What´s it, Nolan?” “Your blood...” “My blood?” “It will help heal me...” Nolan passes out again and Lucas turns to me. “It makes sense. You are descended from a line of powerful werewolves. Perhaps there´s something in your blood that may augment the healing process.”
Lucas takes a knife from the bar and hands it to me. “We can mix your blood into the potion.”
Without another thought, I cut the palm of my hand and clench my fist, allowing my blood to drip into the potion. Lucas glances at Liam. “Are you all right?” “I´m all right, Luc.” I hand the potion back to Lucas. “Here it goes.” Lucas pours the potion into Nolan´s mouth. We wait a few moments as the potion passes into Nolan´s system. “It´s working.” Amelia remarks, as the laceration on Nolan´s chest begins healing.
“He´s still unconscious. I´m going to take him to his room.” “I´ll come with you.” Lucas picks his twin brother up from the floor, gathering him into his arms. He takes Nolan to his room, with Amelia trailing behind.
Liam and I gaze at each other in silence. “I´m pleased you made the right choice.” “Lucas is right. I am failing the pack with the wrong choices I am making. And most of all, I don´t want to fail you even more than I already have. I killed an innocent person. Cynthia ia dead because of me. There´s no forgiving my crimes.”
I think for a moment about what Liam just said. “Following the whole situation with Patrick, I have learned that people deserve second chances. I know that what you did and what Patrick did are two different things. However, we´re all just victims of circumstances. Thinking about what we´re going to face soon, I believe we need to show a united front.” Liam nods his head in gratitude. “Thank you, Laura.”
I offer Liam a solemn look. “I don´t think that I should be Alpha anymore. After what I did, I don´t think I deserve to be called one.” “I understand why you feel that way. I´ll talk to the pack about it, then you can relinquish the position.” “Thank you, Laura.”
>Wolf Springs Medical Center. On-Call Room. Day<
The following day, I arrive at the hospital to formally inform my superiors that I intend to take a sabbatical. I also seek out Patrick to inform him about what occurred the previous night. A nurse informs me that he´s inside an on-call room, getting some shut-eye. When I enter the on-call room, Patrick has just woken up. He´s shirtless. “Laura. What are you doing here? Did you find Liam?” “Yes. Everything´s been sorted out with Liam now. However, something also happened last night at the Knox Manor.” “What happened?” “We were attacked by an uberwolf.” “What´s an uberwolf?” “It´s a black werewolf, only this one is far larger and stronger. It nearly took all of us down. Nolan was badly injured, although he´s okay now.” “I´m relieved that you´re all right.” “Apparently, I´m the only one who can wound that thing.” “Well, did you kill it?” “I didn´t. Something called it back. I don´t know. It just got up and left when it heard that weird sound.” “Laura, you must be extra careful. Stella may be behind all this.” “I bet that she is.”
I gaze at Patrick´s naked torso, which distracts me momentarily.
“Well, I came here because I want to officially bring you back into the pack.”
I peer at the bulge in his pants. “And I kind of miss you. I just want to get away from all this crap that´s been happening. And you´ve been a safe haven for me.” Patrick smiles widely. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that. Come here.”
Patrick motions for me to sit right beside him on the bed. “I think what you need is a massage.” “No. I don´t want a massage.” I sit beside Patrick and he leans in closer to me. “Then what do you want?” Suddenly I can feel his breath upon my neck. I feel this urge to kiss him right then and there. I try my utmost to resist the urge to place my mouth on Patrick´s. “I´m here, Laura. You can do whatever you want with me.” Yet I´m unable to take the heat any longer. I really want to have sex with him right now.
“I´m going to meet you there. I have some things to take care of here at the hospital before I can join you.” “All right, we´ll wait for you then.” I give Patrick one final glance. We say goodbye.
>Nolan´s bedroom. Night<
Upon arriving at Knox Manor, I head straight for Nolan´s bedroom to pay him a visit. Nolan is having a drink beside the fireplace.
“I´m pleased that you´re feeling all right now. You scared me for a second there last night.” “I apologize if I wasn´t able to fulfill my duties as your protector.” “Don´t beat yourself up about it, Nolan.” “For what it´s worth, you gave that wolf the beat down that´s coming for him. At this rate, you will be more powerful than all of us combined.”
“Nolan, how come you were aware that my blood would heal you?” “Well, you are special, Laura. And the lineage of the First Wolf is known for its rapid healing ability. Faster than your average wolf. I figured that your blood would be able to help. Lucas isn´t the only one who possesses a keen sense of these things.” “We´re fortunate.” “A word of caution though. You shouldn´t give out your blood freely to others. Your blood is rare and mystical commodity. In the wrong hands, it could be used for nefarious purposes.” “I´ll keep that in mind.” I just look at Nolan appreciatively. “Thank you for always having my back.” “You know that I always have your best interests at heart, Laura.” I give him a smile.
>Lucas´s house. Living room. Night<
That night, the pack gathers in Lucas´s living room. Patrick is also present.
“I gathered you here to tell you that Liam will be relinquishing his position as Alpha.” Lucas raised the word. “That´s understandable.” Amelia said.
Nolan, who´s been staring at Patrick with interest, raises his hand. “Question.” “Yes, Nolan?” “What´s he doing here?” Nolan points towards Patrick. “Patrick is here because I want him to rejoin the pack. We´ll need all the help we can get, Nolan.” I spoke. Nolan forces a smile and says nothing. “Everyone deserves a second chance. Therefore, I suggest we put our differences aside and work together. We need to be united when we want to defeat Stella.” “Laura is right.” The remainder of the pack nod in agreement. “Now, can we discuss the position of Alpha? As we all know, we have three other potential Alphas in our midst. Laura, Patrick and, according to Nolan, he´s also a potential Alpha. The position of the Alpha is usually determined through trial by combat, unless two Alphas want to bow down to the other. It happened previously in the case of Laura.” “Actually, I´m bowing out of this one, Luc. I don´t want to be Alpha. I don´t think I have what it takes to be your leader.” “You did so good the last time though, Laura.” “I will give it some thought, Amelia. However, at this moment it´s not for me.” “Well, you can always challenge them should you change your mind in the future.” I give Lucas a nod.
“So, I guess the challenge is going to be between Patrick and Nolan.” Nolan shoots Patrick a smug smile. “Don´t worry, I´ll make it a quick fight.” Patrick remains silent, not falling for Nolan´s bait. “We´ll settle it tomorrow then.”
Suddenly, we hear a wolf´s howl from outside.
>Lucas´s house. Gardens. Night<
We all rushed through the still damaged French doors leading to the gardens outside. Sure enough, the black uberwolf has returned.
“When you said it´s big, I never imagined it´d be that big.” Patrick said shocked.
“Just like yesterday. Distract the thing and don´t let it wound you.” Liam turns to me. “Be careful, Laura.” I nod at Liam. We all shift into our wolf forms.
Liam and Amelia attack from opposite sides, while Lucas leaps onto its back, tearing it up. However, the uberwolf tosses all of them aside like they are ragdolls.
Nolan speeds towards the uberwolf but leaps into the air, just in time to avoid its deadly claws. Patrick surges forward lunging for its lower body, while Nolan darts from behind, tackling it over its upper body. The uberwolf is down. I see my opportunity to attack. In a flash, I am on top of the uberwolf, jaws snapping. I bury my sharp teeth into its neck, drawing blood. The rest of the pack converge in on the uberwolf, mauling the creature. The uberwolf stops moving, and we all stand down and back away. “Is it dead?” Amelia asked. “It´s still breathing.” I replied. “Kill it, Laura.” Nolan said. Lucas interrupted. “No, wait. We can obtain information from it.” “Lucas is right. We can chain it up in the war room. I want to discover who it is.
>Lucas´s house. War room. Night<
The uberwolf is brought to the war room, where we chain it up. When I return to the war room in my human form, I see that the uberwolf has significantly diminished in size. The transformation is quite gradual.
“What kind of werewolf is this?” Lucas shakes his head. “I have no idea. This is the first time I´ve encountered a wolf that takes such a long time to revert to its human form.” “This has Stella written all over. It´s magically enhanced. It´s like no other werewolf I´ve seen.” Nolan said. “But why is she making a move now?” Amelia asked. (Lucas) “It could be because of Claire.” (Liam) “This is bad.”
(Patrick) “Laura, look!” The uberwolf starts gaining a semblance of being human. Yet even at this stage of being such a deformed creature, I am already able to recognize the uberwolf´s face. Once the transformation is completed, we all stare in shock as the uberwolf´s real identity is finally revealed.
“It can´t be!”
