It wasn’t actually the confirmation ofGavin’s death that shocked me, it was the possibility of Nahuel’s.
“Nahuel?” The shock saturated his nameand I couldn’t even wrap my head around it.
My mom started crying again. “Either way,there will be death.”
I felt sick suddenly, hot and achy and nauseated.“No. The future can change!” I stood defiantly.
My mother gave me a sad smile. “It can.”The way she said it was like a question. Like she didn’t believe it wouldchange, like she believed I was either burying Gavin or Nahuel. Well screwthat, I chose neither.You hear that, Universe! You’re taking no one fromme!I shouted silently in my head. But my thoughts went to Nahuel and hiswhite hair, the way he walked a little slower. Something was hurting him, aginghim. A searing headache hit me then and my hands came up to grasp either sideof my temples.
My mother leapt forward. “What’s thisabout?” she asked, motioning toward my head.
I gave her a look as the headachedisappeared as suddenly as it came. “I was hoping you could tell me.”
She looked at me confused.Great.
“I wish I could help you more,” my mothersaid as she smoothed a piece of my stray hair.
She told me the truth, a hard truth butthe truth nonetheless. That’s more than Gavin could do. “You did help me, Mom.More than even my own mate could.” I hadn’t wanted it to but bitterness coatedmy words. If Gavin knew there was a possibility he would die, why didn’t hetell me? So, we could figure it out together?
My mom must have followed my train ofthought. “One thing I know about mates is that they don’t shut us out or hurtour feelings on purpose. If Gavin’s hiding something from you it’s because hethinks it will protect you some way.”
Dammit, she was probably right, but thatdidn’t make me feel any better. How could I make her understand?
“Mom, if it was Dad … in this situation.What would you do?”
My mom’s eyes went yellow at the thoughtof losing my father and I knew it was her wolf who answered. “I would let nothingtake your father from me. Not even death.”
I felt the same and I vowed to not allowdeath to touch Gavin or Nahuel. There had been enough death for my lifetime. Nomore. The Skin Walker was a threat to my family, my pack, and he needed to die.I don’t care what Mama said, I was killing that son of a bitch before he couldtake those I loved.
Chapter Ten
THE SHRILL SCREAMS rose up from the womanbefore us and I tried to keep my eyes forward and listen to what my dad wassaying but it was hard. After talking to my mom, I had gone to find Jaxon andAvery, only to see that Gavin was with them. Gavin and I were about to go offand talk alone, when my father walked in with Beverly draped in his arms, a newswomanand camera rolling on them both. Now I was in a private room Shamus had givenus with the news camera waiting outside as my father changed her. My motherstood in the back by the sink, on call if my father needed her while Gavin,Jaxon, Avery, and I stood around watching the change.
My father had told us that only dominantscould change people and that we should learn if this was to be the future ofour people. That the other pack dominants knew how but it was time us ‘kids’learned. Avery had already administered the plasma the moment Beverly arrivedhere to prepare her body for the virus. My dad had already bitten her twice.Once on the neck and once on the arm. It was hard to watch, even knowing thatBeverly had agreed to it. Knowing that I truly believed this was the way andshe would get better.
She wailed in misery and I flinched. “Isit hurting her?” It was a stupid question. Obviously, it hurt.
My father’s wolf peered at me with yelloweyes and he nodded. Instead of speaking into my mind through the alpha bond,Avery answered me.
“We tried giving the humans atranquilizer in the sixties when they were still trying to change females togrow the race. It made them too calm and they all died. We learned that youneed that rush of fear and adrenaline to survive. It’s a fight. You wouldn’t gointo a fight drugged,” she concluded.
No, you wouldn’t. Not a fight you wantedto win anyway. I looked down at the woman. She had no hair. Not on her head,her eyelashes, nothing. She was beyond sick; she looked half dead already. Butthere was something in her eyes, even as she wailed in pain, as the lycanthropevirus threatened to eat her alive. There was a fire there. This woman was notjust her body, there was some unseen warrior there. She was strong, possibly afuture alpha. I could feel power wrapping around the room with each of hercries. She was a fighter and I had no doubt that she would survive the changenow that I had seen her.
My father circled her, seemingly thinkingof where to bite her next and that’s when a sharp stabbing pain rocked me rightbetween my eyes. I sucked in a breath at the same time Gavin beside me did. Weboth reached up, grabbing our foreheads, looking at each other confused. Dreadcoated my skin as dark thoughts swirled around my head. My mom took a step towardme from her place in the corner of the room but I waved her off. My fatherlunged then, biting the woman’s ankle and she passed out mid-scream. Limp and shinywith sweat.
The headache ebbed and then was gone asquickly as it came, leaving Gavin and I to just stare at each other with ahundred questions on our lips.
‘Do you know what’s going on with us?’I asked my mate, referring to theheadaches.
He shook his head.‘No. Are we gettingsick again?’ His words rang true and I knew he would never lie to me. Evadeanswering and outright ignore me, yes, but never lie.
My dad shifted into his naked human formand pulled on a pair of sweats, then he looked at us. “Once they pass out, thevirus is well underway and you can stop. It’s up to her to fight now.”
We all nodded and my father went to rinsehis hands and mouth. They were coated with her blood.
“Jaxon, start filming as Aurora and Averyexplain what happened,” my father directed.
Avery quickly laid a thick, powder-blueblanket over Beverly’s body to cover the gruesome story it held there. Jaxon noddedand pulled out his helmet cam, strapping it onto his head. He had happilyreported earlier that he was finally able to hack the asshat’s YouTube channel.It had some sophisticated firewall but he was able to take it down. So, now wewere going to post our videos on it.
