“Dad?” I stepped closer to the bed.
His yellow eyes caught mine and held my gaze for a long time. He was showing me he was strong, he was going to be okay.
“I’m fine, baby girl.” His voice was gruff and weak but the words sent a warmth through my body.
Jaxon and Avery burst into the room but before they could tend to my dad I heard Mason in the corner of the room let out a distressed whimper. Oh crap, I forgot about him and Alice. Avery sidestepped me and knelt down to see what was bothering Mason.
“Help her first, they took more from her. Females have a higher concentration of whatever they want. I heard the doctor talking about it.” My father was unstrapped and sitting up now, drinking some water that my mom got out of Avery’s medical bag.
Jaxon pulled bolt cutters out of nowhere and snapped the cage holding Alice. She was naked and laying half dead, panting in the corner of the large six-foot kennel cage.
“Bastards!” Jaxon growled as he took the silver-caged door off the hinges, not getting burned because of his witch heritage.
Mason took off his t-shirt and threw it over his mate, scooping her up in his arms as Avery expertly threaded an I.V into Alice’s skin and hung some saline. I.V.s really only lasted a couple minutes in our skin before the skin tried to reject and regenerate over the needle, but it would be enough to perk her up I hoped.
“Get her into the SUV,” Avery commanded Mason.
Then Avery turned to my father, flashed a light in his eyes and did a few other things. He swatted her hand away.
“I’m fine. Let’s go before human back-up arrives,” he gently commanded.
“Can you walk?” Avery asked him.
I know it killed him to admit it, but he shook his head.
With a groan, my mom lifted him up, hanging his left arm around her neck, I swooped in to get under his right arm.
My dad’s gaze fell on Gavin’s wolf. “Is that …”
I nodded. “Long story.”
Then he leaned over and smelled my hair. “Why do you smell like a bear?”
Mom chuckled. “Longer story. Let’s get home.”
*
The rest of our wolves bailed out the other caged wolves, over 100 in all, from all different packs. Then our small group got into the SUV with plans for all of us to meet back on the mountain.
Once we were all strapped into the SUV, Anna peeled out, leaving the area with the other wolves in their cars just behind us.
Something hit me then, a knowing, a loss in the pack bond. “James,” I croaked.
My mom gritted her teeth. “Died.”
My father met my eyes and then looked at Jaxon. It was like he was seeing us for the first time, seeing how much we had grown, how much we had dealt with in the past few days.
My mom put a hand on his shoulder and took a deep breath. “Kai.”
He didn’t know yet, Oh God, it would kill him. No one loved the humans more than my father. He believed that there were a few bad ones but most of them were good, but this would kill him.
As if he sensed it, he asked her, “What do they want from us?”
My mom looked lost for once and it killed me. It was hard to see your strong parents reduced to confusion and weakness.
“Our blood, our bone marrow, it’s the cure for every ailment that plagues the weak humans.” She talked to him like he was a little boy.
My dad’s face scrunched in confusion. “Well fine, then we can donate–”
