“Jonah, have you got any water in your drink bottle?” I ask him.
He stops dropping his school bag on the ground, rummaging through it, and retrieving his blue water bottle. It’s still half full, and I pop the lid and gulp some water down. Quenching my thirst, then squirting some in my hand, wetting my face and the back of my neck.
My surroundings spin as I hand it back to him. Jonah is watching me, his lips purse, and he shakes my arm gently as he tries to pull me along with him.
Staggering forward, I try to force my feet to keep moving, though every step is getting harder to take- vertigo washes over me in waves when I exhale loudly. Jonah stops, and I nearly trip over him.
“You smell funny. Are you sure you’re alright?” Jonah says.
I try to nudge him forward to keep going gently. The simple motion throws my balance off, and the ground suddenly rushes toward my face. I don’t even feel the impact when my body hits the ground.
But I hear the air leave my lungs, and the burning sensation rolling over my entire body is all I can think about. My blood is boiling in my veins.
Jonah’s shrieks of panic become dimmer as all sound becomes muffled, and I force myself to roll on my back as I stare up at him. My entire body is heavy, like I’m being weighed down.
“Mom, mom,” Jonah’s face turns purple as he shakes me, yelling for me, tears streaming down his face.
I want to comfort him, desperately want to soothe him, but my muscles lock, and next, I’m seeing double. Jonah looks over his shoulder before suddenly he is gone.
Turning my head, I can see the silhouette of a car driving toward him.
Dust from the gravel road fills the road, and I hear the screeching of tires on the road. My heart jolts in my chest as I see the car heading straight at Jonah as he waves his arms.
Adrenaline shoots through me, and I sit up. The car slides across the gravel, and a dust cloud engulfs Jonah. The engine suddenly cuts out as I stagger, falling twice as I race toward him. Jonah suddenly disappears amongst the dust from the road, and my shriek of fear rings loudly in my head.
Andrei
My mind is consumed with everything I need to get done. I still need to bring the rogue camp to the pack, but I just haven’t had time to organize anything with everything going on.
The pack has been sending supplies regularly to them. The biggest issue being they are still reluctant to leave their camp. At least they are safe with the Reaper wolves gone, but I definitely need to organize something soon.
The pack is eager to get them here. On the other hand, the men are finding it difficult to cope and have been working themselves into the ground.
Pack meetings have been happening every few days because Zane and I struggle to keep them in line. Some refuse to sleep after the recent attack, making them relive the day we lost nearly the entire pack.
Old memories resurfaced, and the paranoia kicked in. Last night when Lucas brought Kyan up, I was at a loss for what to do.
Kat has been run off her feet by being a Moon Goddess and running the packs. She is almost dead on her feet, and I can’t ask more of her.
She already brought Sage back, and despite saying she is alright, I know she isn’t. So instead, I asked Lucas if he had any ideas, and he brought Kyan to me. He stayed last night and left early this morning.
So last night, I called a pack meeting.
Some hadn’t slept since the day the Reaper wolves attacked, and it was taking a toll on them. Men were falling asleep on border patrol, others were turning manic, and their wolves were taking over.
It has been chaotic. The first week was horrid with all the funerals and clean-up. When Kyan walked in with Lucas, at first, I was confused, wondering why he would bring Kyan when my men were unhinged and erratic.
I didn’t even like Jonah being around them while they were like that. However, Kyan walked in, and the way he walked in and grabbed everyone’s attention instantly startled me.
Lucas waved me over, and Kyan walked to the front of the room of the small demountable building. “Unless you want to join them, you need to hop out right now,” Lucas said in a hushed voice.
Zane, overhearing, rushed over to us, and Lucas dragged us out of the small meeting room and outside. Sage, Nora, and Jonah were in the packhouse. Nora had stayed the night before after one of our men broke into Zane’s place and attacked him, thinking Zane was an intruder trying to kill his own mate.
We barely stepped outside when I heard the thuds and went to turn around to race back inside, only for Lucas to grip my arm. “He is fine,” he said to me. And he was right. When we could step back in, I found my men on the ground, out cold, and Kyan walking toward us.
“They’re alive.” Was all he said before walking past me and heading to the packhouse. I stood stunned. Zane and I thought we would have to drug the water cooler to get them to sleep. I have no idea what he did, but Sage told me earlier that most of them are still asleep. A few woke up, and she said they seemed better.
My mind is still reeling over the night’s events as I drive up the driveway, finally getting home from meetings in town with the pack’s accountant.
It doesn’t feel right just to give Jonah half of the Safari Casino. Lucas and Kyan agreed to let the pack buy half of Jonah’s shares, which would only be an investment for the pack anyway.
Lucas said anyone needing a job would have work, which will be good for those of the rogue camp if they are comfortable working away and returning when they please.
Driving on autopilot, I don’t see Jonah until the last second as he runs towards my car, waving his arms frantically in the air.
I lock the car up, my foot slams down on the brake, and I rip the handbrake up. I hear Sage scream a bloodcurdling scream, yet don’t see her.
The car skids and rushes toward him. Panic nearly makes me throw up when the car stops, and I can’t see him. Dust is everywhere. I can’t see anything out of any windows. My entire body is shaking as I toss the door open when I hear Jonah’s voice.
“Dad! Dad. Something is wrong with mom!” He cries, wrapping his arms around my legs. The immense relief takes my breath away as the fear of hitting him recedes, and the dust finally settles.
“What are you doing on the road?” I snap at him. I don’t mean for my words to come off so harshly. But it shakes me, nearly running him over.
“Mom!” He cries, and I glance around, wondering where Sage is.
I heard her voice seconds ago. My eyes scan my surroundings, and I see her hands clutching her knees as she bends over and throws up.
Jonah points at her, and I look down at him. Tears streak his face and I look back at her.
“Sage?” I call out to her, heading toward her.
Jonah races over to her, and a second later, she collapses in the dirt, making me run to her side in panic. Jonah is clutching the front of her dress.
Kneeling beside her, I watch as her eyes roll into the back of her head as she falls unconscious just as her scent smashes into me. A feral growl leaves me, making Jonah jump and leap away from me.