CHAPTER 49: ERRATIC PULSE

SHAWN

As we ran across the Packs, while I struggled to keep Davina’s body steady on my back, Darius wouldn’t stop ranting.

"I can’t believe you never told me this!" He huffed, as his face scrunched up. "What if I had been attacked by her? What if..."

"What if she had killed me instead?"

His concerns were true, and truly heart-wrenching to think that something could have gone wrong with him, but I shrugged.

"I figured you would be alright."

"What?" He stopped, while arching a brow at me. "You figured I could go against a blood wolf? Are you out of your mind?"

I sighed, "I am sorry, alright? I didn’t actually think she was really one! She isn’t from the Blood Moon Pack."

"How are you sure the marks on me are caused by one?"

I was doubtful. Even though my father went after her, things didn’t add up at all.

"You are right..." Darius went calm and his brows creased slightly. "But...but I am sure those marks are real."

"Let me check them again."

I pushed him aside and continued to walk the path to where my brothers were. I created rustles in the fallen leaves on the forest floor, and the next second, Ethan rose and spotted me from a distance away.

However, he was immediately on guard when he saw Darius rushing at him.

"Oh no..." I whispered, when Ethan immediately went into attack mode. Just as earlier, his fist collided with Darius’ palm and he went flying backward and slammed into a tree bark.

I rushed forward, and I gently dropped Davina to the floor.

Uriel was in shock when he saw Ethan sinking to the floor in pain and they both looked back at Darius.

A storm was already brewing in their eyes, "Who is he?"

"Hello, boys..." He grinned.

I rolled my eyes, with a deep sigh, "He is Darius from the Blood Moon Pack. He helped me get Davina back."

"Blood Moon?" Uriel and Ethan couldn’t keep their shock to themselves even as they crawled toward Davina’s side. They held her in their arms, checking every inch of her body, but she was still unresponsive.

"Why...why is she this way?"

They quickly moved on from Darius, and I could feel the intense unease that spread across their minds. And they immediately turned to look at Darius, as their eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Did he do this to her?"

"No..." I shook my head. "The Alpha captured her after she ran into the square last night. I don’t know what was done to her, but Darius has a lot to say."

Quickly, he took the center stage and his lips couldn’t stop stretching into a smile. But his eyes spoke volumes of the emotions he held in.

"I am so glad to see you all together—"

"Go straight to the point." Uriel sneered. "What do you have to say?"

I almost laughed out loud when I saw his smile falter. If I were a handful then, he was about to get swollen from anger with Uriel and Ethan.

I watched him take a deep breath, while he blinked to steady himself. And then, he began to explain every single thing he had said to me and as soon as he finished, Ethan and Uriel had grim looks on their faces.

"Are you saying she is a blood wolf?"

"If I confirm the marks on your bodies, then she has to be one."

Darius closed in on them and I nodded at my brothers to let him. They bared their injuries before him and they had started to fester.

"This is not good..." His voice was strained, as he plunged into his pocket to bring out the powdered herbs.

"Is it really the blood wolf’s mark?" Ethan asked, as he held onto Davina tightly, as he wouldn’t let her go no matter what.

"Yes..." Darius settled to the floor, as soon as he was done treating their wounds. And for the first time, he held Davina’s arm and read through her pulse.

We all watched with bated breath, wondering what he would find, and when he opened his eyes, there was a flicker of unease.

And he asked, "She attacked you boys?"

"Yes."

"Even though you are her mates?"

"Yes." I nodded. "Is there anything wrong?"

"A lot." Darius’ words got us closer to him, and we listened in with our hearts in our palms.

But then, he was quiet with his eyes darting between us as if he was holding onto a big secret.

"I don’t know. I can’t say."

"What?"

"I mean..." He stuttered. "I am not in a position to say what’s wrong with her. I am not well versed."

"Then why the hell did you keep us on our toes!" Uriel snapped, already lunging at Darius and his fingers wrapped around his neck. "Are you fucking playing with us, right now?"

The twitch in Uriel’s face with the constant shaky breath made him look like the perfect maniac ready to rip out Darius’ soul and for the first time, I saw a flicker of fear in his eyes.

I smirked, hurriedly utilizing this moment, "Are you going to tell us what’s wrong or not?"

Uriel slowly loosened his grip and let him speak.

But then he insisted, "I...can’t..."

"I don’t want to say something and then it turns out to be wrong. But what I suspect is that something was injected in her body to make her this way."

"Or she is being controlled. Her pulse is erratic...like she has gone delirious."

The brothers glanced at me, realizing this was also our suspicion.

"Where can we get the right diagnosis?"

"At the Blood Moon Pack. Every single one of us has been waiting for a blood wolf to be born, but who knew one would be here in the enemy’s territory..."

His hands fisted, as his gaze turned sharper. "We can’t let anything happen to her."

However, his words made Ethan and Uriel even more suspicious of him as they clutched her body harder.

"We don’t believe you..."

"What if your Pack tries to harm her? Or even covet her power? There are bad people everywhere we go."

"That won’t happen." Darius shook his head. "You are safe there, no matter what. Your mother is still revered in the Pack, and you all are welcome."

I took a deep breath as my brothers looked at me for answers. I brought Darius over, so I could only be the judge of character.

"Can we trust you?" I asked, folding my arms. "You should know we wouldn’t hesitate to cause havoc if any harm comes to her."

"Yes..." Darius stood up as he glanced beyond the forest." But your trust can wait. Otherwise, you boys will be roasted meat soon if the Alpha gets you."

Our heads snapped in the direction he looked and we heard the sounds of twigs, arrows flying in the distance.

The next second, he ordered, "Run!"