Chapter 98
Gideon POV
I lean back and watch Clare work, it’s been hours now, and I’m getting impatient.
“When do we move her?” Damon walks in and looks at me.
I’m no longer sure, I wanted something that I could use to help us win against Xander, sure his anger and rushing to avenge her will be great but it’s not enough.
“Alpha?” Damon looks at me.
“Tomorrow, first thing. Send her with a few gamma, no one important. If they get caught, we should be able to afford to lose them if he kills them.”
“I’ll get it arranged,” he says before slipping out of the room.
Leaning back, I wait, I’m not sure how long it is before I hear a scream and jump to my feet. Looking out of the window, I swear.
“Every single personis able to fight outside now!” I roar, and watch people scramble. “Do not let him through! Whatever you fucking do, keep Xander out!”
“What about us?” Ollie rushes in.
“The top betas and such stay inside, separate rooms, distract him if he gets through. I need time!”
Clare begins ordering the maids to pack up as she continues testing.
“Something would help right now, anything at all, please.” I snap. The screams from outside get louder, and I know I’m losing. “Clare I fucking need something!” I roar.
“I’m trying,” she scrambles to one of the betas tied down, and 1 watch her inject them. They scream and crumple to the floor. After a minute of what looks like pure agony, he gasps.
“How do you feel?” Clare asks.
“Where’s my wolf?” He cries out. “What did you do?” He growls and thrashes against the chair.
The screaming from outside has changed now, it’s not longer panic, or confusion. It’s pure fear, sharp and undeniable. It’s the kind of sound that coils in your gut and twists tighter every second. I can feel it traveling through the walls of this place, like the stone itself knows who has came.
Still, I don’t bother moving. Clare does, though.
She stands over the beta that’s writhing in the chai,r trying to escape. I don’t blame him, I think four people have died, or was it five? I’m not sure. I watch as she pushes the syringe into him, and he convulses more. She’s saying something to him, probably trying to get him to explain how it feels.
The issue is, he’s too far gone. He’s jerking so much, it’s like he’s being pulled apart from the inside. His veins on his arms have darkened a lot, and his eyes keep rolling as he gasps for breath like he can’t catch it.
He begins screaming, shaking violently. He’s dead/great, another failed attempt.
Suddenly, he stills, he stops screaming. He didn’t die? Don’t get me wrong, the idea of having something that kills people is amazing but it reacted differently to each person so it was useless.
The beta’s chest rises and falls, with its shallow and rasping breaths. His eyes are wide but hollow, and Clare wastes no time pushing the next syringe into the gamma. Turning she wipes the sweat from her brow.
“I’ve figured it out,” she says breathlessly as if she’s surprised she has. Perfect fucking timing as well, I need it now that Xander is here,
I cross the room in two strides, forgetting about all the chaos that is happening outside for a moment, that’s not important. “What is it? What did you do, to him?”
She shakes her head; she looks more triumphant than terrified now. “It’s the blood, Gideon. Eryx’s blood. It doesn’t just suppress wolves, it erases them, it destroys them from the inside out and turns them into humans.”
My hand tightens around her wrist. “You’re sure? I can’t afford mistakes.”
Nodding her eyes blaze with certainty.“I’m sure, I mixed some of Eryx’s blood with your own, maybe it’s the Alpha part mixed in that works? I’m not sure if it’s permanent; we would need to test it with higher doses, but it shatters the connection almost instantly to their wolf. That,” she says, pointing to the Beta, was him losing his wolf.”
I stare at the beta in the chair, who has gone quiet now, trembling like a shell of who he was.
I start laughing. Good, this is really fucking good. The laughter bursts out of me, rich and wild it cuts over the sound of the war outside. “We need it in darts,” I say between breaths. Turning, I look at her. “Now. I need a full case of them before Xander gets through!”
“He’s already here,” Clare whispers.
I stop laughing and listen. She’s right, there’s fighting outside, sure, but now I hear it in the hallways. The sharp snap of bones, the cracking of bodies hitting the floor and the gurgling cries of wolves. Even I know that’s Xander, no other man is so ruthless when he kills.
He’s in the house and coming for me. Let him. Whirling round, I look at the nearest guard. “Get the boy, bring him to me now!” I roar.
The guard bolts almost instantly, nearly tripping over himself as he rushes out. Clare begins scrambling again and pulls out more supplies as she begins to prepare the darts with trembling fingers. I hear the sound of more boots pounding down the hall. There’s more voices shouting, doors slamming, gunshots and screams.
The maid appears in the doorway breathless, her arms are shielding the baby as she keeps him bundled against her chest. She steps in, her eyes wide and terrified.
I don’t wait, I stride forward, rip the baby from her arms without a word and hold him close. He’s tight against my chest, his small body protected by me like a shield. His face twists, startled by the noise but he doesn’t cry.
He’s the only thing stopping Xander from just killing me. The thing to make him hesitate.
Turning back to the window I glance outside. Half the courtyard is littered with the bodies of my men, so many are dead, others injured and dragging themselves to safety. I can see the guardians, the way the move and tear through everything in thier path.
They weren’t meant to come.
They weren’t meant to be real.
The doors burst open and the sound of footsteps becomes louder along with the growls of a wolf. The doors land heavily on the flood, dust flying up and through it I can see him.
Xander.
I knew he would have a Silvermane Hound form.
His eyes are silver, glowing bright in rage, and his fur is slick with blood. I know most isn’t his, it’s other peoples, I can smell it, he’s killed everyone who touched her. His breath steams in the cold air of the chamber.
I watch as he steps into the room more, he’s massive like this, far bigger than he used to be. He stops and his eyes lock on me.
Snarling he takes a step forward, and I can feel the rage rolling off him. Smirking, i adjust my hold on the baby so he can see him.
Is he going to try take me down while I’m holding his son? Let him try, I want to see how far he is willing to go.
“I see you got my gift,” I smirk and he growls stepping forward.
“Now, now Xander, how can you kill men for using her when you did the same thing?”
Beneath the rage shame builds in his eyes and hurt.
“Yes, you were so nice, right? You used her, almost killed her, and now, you want to be her hero?”
Snarling he snaps forward.
“Careful, wouldn’t want your baby to get hurt,” I snap, and see one of my guys move and shoot the dart into Xander, I watch but he shrugs it off like it was nothing.
“Clare!” I yell, but she’s already running. He’s still got his wolf. “Again, shoot him again!” I scream.
