ELIAS VERNAL
"Elias?" When I didn't respond, Serenity moved closer with concern. I looked at her face, emotions churning inside me. I desperately wanted to tell her what I'd discovered.
"I—"
But the moment I opened my mouth, a branch snapped behind us. Then came a gunshot. I grabbed Serenity and rolled, barely dodging the attack.
"Damn monsters! Even if I die, I'm taking you to hell with me!"
I looked back. Falcon had followed us.
His face was deathly pale. His clothes were soaked in blood, appearing an eerie black-red under the moonlight. His right arm was mangled from Serenity's bite, and Herman and the others had clearly dealt him more damage. He was in no better shape than me.
But his gun hand remained steady. Madness burned in his eyes.
"Don't think you can escape!"
He fired again. I struggled to my feet and pulled Serenity. "Run!"
We supported each other and charged forward while Falcon pursued. Even with both my legs shot through, a werewolf's stamina still far exceeded that of a critically wounded human. We quickly left him behind, hearing only the frustrated crack of his gunfire echoing after us.
I didn't know how long we ran before my legs gave out and I collapsed. Serenity stopped, checked my wounds, then stood and moved away from me.
My vision was going dark in patches. I couldn't see where she went. But if she was escaping alone, I could accept that… Unfortunately, I knew Serenity would never abandon someone who was wounded.
She came back quickly, dragging me forward until we reached a hidden cave. She pushed me inside, pulled vines across the entrance to conceal it, then went back out. She covered the trail of my blood, then deliberately stomped heavy footprints leading in a different direction.
I watched her do all of this before she returned to my side. Her hands searched my pockets.
"Where's your phone? You brought one, right?" she asked.
I nodded weakly. "Left pocket…"
Her hand darted over immediately and pulled out the phone. The screen had some blood on it. She wiped it with her sleeve, triggering the lock screen. She looked at me, silently asking for the passcode. I gave her four numbers.
She froze.
"That's… our wedding anniversary?" she said quietly.
I gave a small nod.
Silence filled the cave. Serenity pressed her lips together but said nothing more. She quickly unlocked it and dialed emergency services.
"This is Serenity. The Alpha needs rescue. Yes, silver bullets. Three shots. Get here as fast as you can. The location is…"
Her voice gradually faded.
My consciousness began to scatter. The wound in my chest felt like it was on fire. Every breath was like dragging knife blades through my lungs. But I forced myself to stay awake, not because I was afraid I'd never wake up, but because I was afraid that when I did, Serenity would be gone.
"Elias." Her voice pulled me back from the edge. I opened my eyes. She had already hung up. Somehow, she had found medicinal herbs and packed them against my wounds, then bandaged them with strips of her clothing. I felt somewhat better.
I watched her work through hazy eyes, surprised. The Serenity I had known before never had these skills. During the years we'd been apart, she had really changed so much. And realizing that none of those changes had included me made my heart ache.
After tending to my wounds, she leaned close and cupped my face in both hands. "The rescue team will be here soon. Hold on."
Her eyes gleamed in the darkness like two stars. I wanted to nod but found I couldn't manage even that.
"Rest against me for a while." She sat beside me and let me lean my head gently against her shoulder. Her warmth seeped through her thin clothes, carrying a faint trace of her pheromones. My perpetually tense, exhausted nerves finally relaxed. I breathed in deeply, greedily filling my lungs with her scent. Even the pain seemed to lessen.
