I knelt by Daniel and touched his pulse. It was barely there and he was going to need medical help. I thought life was simple but those voices when I turned sixteen changed everything. I was no longer alone.
There wasn’t much I could do but I felt being there was important to give Daniel the strength to fight through the pain he was in.
I glanced through the trees to see both Alpha’s naked with nothing hidden between them. There were no weapons, they were going to have to rely on their god given instincts in hand to hand combat.
Chapter Nine
&nbs
p; They circled one another with the stones as a barrier. The post had been removed and they had very little room to maneuver. Those in attendance closed ranks around them with Wesley standing a few feet back. It was almost like he could see through his brother’s eyes without the necessary component of becoming a captive audience.
There was a separation and I was able to witness the hatred in their eyes. My first look at Callan was causing me to feel things in my lower extremities. It was a little stronger than what I had felt for Daniel and Wesley combined. It brought to the forefront of my mind how I might react when I finally laid my eyes on Crosby. His sacrifice wasn’t in vain, I was still standing, but the affection I had for him was in the guise of being a nightingale syndrome.
There was a beast of burden on Wesley’s shoulders. He tried not to show it but it was bleeding through with the way that his lip was curling in frustration. He had come to the rescue, with the words to back him up but it was up to Callan to stand up against his enemy.
It was a lost cause. He was swaying back and forth with his head bowed. His dirty blond hair had droplets of sweat clinging to the follicles and dripping to the ground. He looked like he was death on legs. Somehow he was standing with his arms at his sides not making any move to defend himself.
I was temporarily distracted when a hand touched me and I looked down to see Daniel blinking his eyes into focus. He looked confused when he saw me and he tried to move but his condition prevented him from lifting his head more than an inch.
“Remain calm and don’t move. You have been badly injured and I’m still not entirely sure how you survived the fall.” I thought back to how the ropes were cut and I had this light bulb moment, where I knew instinctively it had been done not more than a couple of seconds before he fell.
Punches were flying and Donovan was once again playing to the crowd. He danced around his opponent striking to the heart of the matter several times. Callan stood there motionless and I was willing him to do something but he was like this emotionless statue taking punishment.
“I had to do it. I didn’t have a choice. We are all born to do certain things but I want you to know that I didn’t feel very good about it. I really didn’t think I was going to die when I cut the rope. Your concern was what they were expecting. I transformed moments before impact but I wasn’t fast enough. Half human and half animal made me susceptible to infection. Clover intervened when Callan came out of the shadow he was hiding in. He couldn’t sit and do nothing when I was suffering needlessly. It was his hubris that became his downfall.” Daniel was revealing his story and how he was a willing pawn but I still didn’t grasp the concept of the reason why.
I glanced up to see Callan bleeding profusely but he was staring blankly ahead at nothing. It was unnerving and I jumped out of my skin every time Donovan punched him in the face. The rousing cheers of the crowd made me want to slap the taste out of their mouths. There was nowhere for him to run but he wasn’t even lifting his hands to stop the onslaught. He probably was going to lose but not even lifting a finger to protect against the attack was unconscionable. Everything I had learned about him made this tactic seem unlikely but I knew him well enough to know he probably had something up his sleeve.
“Daniel, I want to know what this has to do with me and what is called the awakening.” He seemed confused and rather surprised at how much I knew about what was going on.
“You are the Chosen One and have the distinction of mating with three wolves,” He uttered and I thought he said meeting three wolves until it became quite clear he meant that I was going to sleep with three of them. “The awakening is when you finally give your body on your twenty-first birthday at the stroke of midnight. There is no hiding from your destiny no matter how much you want to. I could easily fall in love with you and you make it effortless to get to know you. There are walls but there is this strength you haven’t even begun to tap into which will be revealed to you during the awakening,” He coughed and there was blood in his hands.
“This is crazy and I’m not some kind of whore. I’m not going to be pimped out. I would rather die than to be used for your sexual amusements. It hasn’t even registered that I might not be happy about this. You have all taken for granted this is a foregone conclusion but I can assure you it isn’t.” I thought about my options and the best one was to remain hidden until my birthday came and went.
“Others have thought the same thing and there are stories of women just like you running from their destiny. It’s not that easy and somehow the prophecy always comes true. The pieces come together and whether the chosen one wants to be a part of it or not is beside the point,” He detailed everything and my mind was overwhelmed by this new information streaming through my consciousness.
“What’s the matter? This is way too easy and I could finish you without breaking a sweat. I’m not going to make it that easy on you. My people demand justice for the atrocities that your family have inflicted on them. The sins of the father will follow to the eldest son. You have no idea how much fun I’m having. Killing you is a pleasure I’m going to savor.” Donovan was raining blows left and right with a variety of boxing moves but still, his opponent remained standing.
“Don’t underestimate him. The last one to do that is six feet under.” Decker was whispering words of wisdom but I could tell Donovan wasn’t listening when he was swallowed up by family loyalty.
Daniel was quiet but he was responsible for his own injuries. It was supposed to be timed right and he was off the mark by a few seconds. It was easy to recognize the death knell in the way that his complexion suddenly changed ghostly white.
I placed my hand on his chest and felt his heart slowing with every breath, forcing whatever oxygen he had left into his lungs. He was struggling but there was a look of peace on his face. I felt sorry for him, his sacrifice was an honorable thing to do, but misplaced. I couldn’t say the words to lambaste him for his actions when he had one foot in the grave and the other one on a banana peel.
“It’s okay to let go and I will never forget you. I should be angry but how can I be when you are touching a part of me. A piece of you will follow and I give you my word nobody will forget you. They may think you’re nothing more than a sacrifice but my life has changed dramatically from knowing you in a good way. You gave me the chance to live again without suspicion. Trust isn’t easy for me. I should close those doors forever but true love is worth fighting for with every breath in my body,” I sobbed back the tears, wiping them with the back of my hand when he finally succumbed to his injuries.
Something was happening and I was in the front row witnessing the comeback of a century. Callan had allowed his opponent to become complacent lowering his guard long enough to lift his hand in retaliation. Donovan was smiling but it faded quickly when his fist was caught in midair.
Daniel was dead but he had been able to tell me what I needed to know before he finally slipped away into the ether. Death had claimed another victim. I just hoped Callan wasn't too far gone, after the abuse he had just suffered at the hands of his enemy.
I was on the edge of my seat metaphorically speaking, standing there with my heart beating a thousand times faster than normal. Callan was smiling with a couple of teeth missing and his face a mask of bruises, tenderized by Donovan’s fists. Those watching closely had taken a step back, obviously aware there was a change taking place in the dynamics of the fight.
Wesley never moved from his current position but his lip was no longer quivering in fear. He must’ve been waiting for the fog of confusion to be lifted from Callan’s eyes. It happened almost organically, like a part of him had been asleep but now he was wide awake, no longer standing like a punching bag. Donovan's fear was evident and he was trying to pull back but the grip he was in was like iron.
The bones broke in his hand one at a time like Chiclets. Everybody gasped, every time one of them snapped with the pressure Callan was exerting. He was having a little bit too much fun and
the injuries he had sustained weren’t enough to make him a victim of circumstance.
It was amazing to see the light in his eyes flutter into existence. He still hadn’t said a word but his actions more than made up for his lack of speech. He ducked underneath the next glancing blow and returned with a knee to Donovan’s stomach knocking the wind out of him. The impact had to have broken a couple of ribs and Donovan was now favoring his right side, choreographing his discomfort by placing his hand on the wound.