It felt like it had been mere minutes ago when they had entered the room to detain Dorian only to have been blindsided by him.
After his rather dramatic announcement, he had his men strap them down with chains. Some of the Alphas had been combative rather than be strapped down so they had given them beatings to ensure their cooperation then they had still locked them up.
Adrian had been over-servile. Unlike the rest who had downed almost all their drinks, he knew it was only a matter of minutes to an hour max before he would be able to shift again.
But even if he did, the odds were severely against him. He needed to plan this correctly so that his efforts would not be in vain once he got his strength back of course.
It hadn’t made things easier when Elder Elvis had appeared out of nowhere to talk to Dorian before throwing Adrian a hateful yet proud glare that said that he knew what he had done by betraying their pack, and their race and could care less as long as he got back at Adrian.
He stood to the side watching Adrian’s every move with hawkish eyes.
“For old times’ sake, make this easy for me, Eden, and bloody crown me already.”
Eden remained unmoving, she seemed resolved about something.
“You are a monster, Constantine if you think that I will give you the power over our people simply to preserve my life. You can kill me if you want to.”
Dorian’s facade of calm disappeared.
“I will ask you one more time Eden. You are not irreplaceable. I only need the oldest member of the wolf council to crown me. You called me a monster and you were right. If you refuse, I will keep killing every member until the oldest at that point gives in and you know one of them will. And your death will be a waste.”
Eden’s jaw tightened.
“You think I am scared of death? Go right ahead and kill me but I will die with my head upright and with my heart light because I didn’t betray my people.”
“Very well.”
Constantine/Dorian pulled out a gun from one of the warrior’s straps and there was a resounding bang that had everyone at attention.
Eden collapsed on the ground, blood spilling. Dorian shot her again and again and again like a possessed person until he was out of bullets.
Then he looked at the rest of the council members and smirked.
“Who’s next?”
He has really lost his mind although it didn’t seem like he had much of it to start with.
Adrian felt his strength begin to seep back into him, trickle by trickle. That was when the vent’s railing fell into the room.
*******
So what if the plan was dramatic as long as it worked?
The three wolves that went through the vent would be quickly dealt with but it would give them enough time and restrictions to get the main door open to the rest of their fighting force.
They heard them enter the room and Ava gave the men the signal to break down the door. It didn’t take much.
The thing no one tells you about fights is that they are bloody disorganised and half of the time, you were simply trying not to kill your allies. As they burst into the room filled to capacity with enemy warriors, Ava suddenly felt it to her bones.
She disengaged from the warriors and searched for Adrian and Calvin using the memories she had seen in his head.
She caught sight of him and hurried towards him.
“Ava, what are you doing here? It is dangerous…”
“Just shut up and let me rescue you. No one told me that this was what I was signing up for by being your mate or I would have quit ahead.”
The chain fell out of her hand as she finally unlocked it then she felt a blade against her neck.
“Did you think you would escape so easily?” It was Elder Elvis.
What the hell was he doing here? Ava hadn’t seen him in the memory or she would have prepared adequately.
“Elder Elvis–”
“Adrian, watch very well as I take her life as she took my daughter’s well without a trial.”
Adrian didn’t move. He was unchained but Elder Elvis didn’t know that but if she could move just right, she would allow Adrian to a particular position to jump Elder Elvis.
“If you harm even a hair on her head, I will find you, disembowel you and wear you a brand of your guts as a necklace.”
Elder Elvis attempted to act unaffected but Beeeana could see the shadow of fear in his eyes.
Slowly she began to back away from him so as to give Adrian the room he needed.
“Tall words from a soon-to-be-dead wolf still doors on wolfsbane.”
He raised his gun and turned to shoot her. Adrian got out of his chair and collided with him. Chains and all and they began to fight hand to hand or rather claws to claws.
All over the room, wolves fought and died. The scent of blood, misery and violence hung thick in the room. Across the room, she saw Dorian facing off against a free Calvin with Cynthia nowhere to be seen.
Ava quickly realised Adrian was losing. It would seem like Elder Elvis had been on to something about the wolfsbane.
She looked for the gun that Elder Elvis had dropped. Picked it up and aimed. If she made a mistake she could hit Adrian, if she hit him then– she released the trigger.
She heard Cynthia scream from the other side of the room then the recoil of the bullet hit her and she staggered back.
“Adrian. Adrian, are you alright?” Ava rushed towards him tangled with Elder Elvis, her heart beating like she had just run a marathon.
Adrian pushed the body of Elder Elvis off himself, standing up and Ava nearly tackled him back to the ground herself.
“Thank the Goddess.” She cried as she hugged him.
“I’m fine. You did well. Very well.” He hugged her back.
Their embrace ended and Adrian left her with a kiss on her forehead as he helped their men finish the stragglers left in the fight that was quickly winding down.
Winding down? Where was Dorian?
Looking around she spotted Cynthia sitting on the floor by Dorian’s body, her hands bloody.
“Cynthia!”
Cynthia didn’t seem to hear her as she stayed hunched and unmoving.
Ava crossed the space between them and reached Cynthia. She had somehow gotten close enough to kill Dorian. It wasn’t like she expected her to be giddy with joy but she didn’t expect this reaction from her either.
It was then Ava saw the cost of the little victory that Cynthia had gotten. Calvin lay dead as well next to her, his head on Cynthia’s lap and her hands just at her side shaking.
“Cynthia.”
Cynthia seemed to hear her then, she looked at her with dead eyes and just said.
“It’s all my fault, Ava. I did this. I shouldn’t have let him come here…I…”
Ava knelt and took Cynthia in her arms as she wept tears for both of them that Cynthia seemed too broken to cry.
They had won but at what cost?