Seventy six
*Rafe*
I ran towards the voices crying for help despite Connor calling me back.
I dropped to my knees beside them, my heart breaking at their suffering. They were human, fragile and innocent, caught in a war they didn’t understand. I reached out, my hands trembling as I tried to assess their wounds.
“Rafe,” Connor said softly, his voice heavy with sorrow. “Their injuries… they’re too severe. There’s nothing we can do.”
A sob tore from my throat as I gathered the girls into my arms, their small bodies shaking with pain and fear. I knew Connor was right, but I couldn’t accept it. I couldn’t let them die, not like this.
blood.
“Please, help us,” the older one begged, her voice ragged with pain. “It hurts so much.”
I reached out to stroke her singed hair. “Shh, it’s going to be alright. I’m going to help you.” But how? Medicine and bandages would do little for wounds this severe. Only one option remained – the bite. It would heal them, but at the cost of their humanity.
I glanced up at Connor, seeing the shock and uncertainty in his eyes as he realized what I intended. “Rafe, are you sure about this? Once you do it, there’s no going back. They’ll be changed forever.”
Meeting his gaze, I gave a grim nod. “I have to. It’s the only way to save them.” I took the older girl’s wrist as gently as I could. “This will sting for just a moment. But I promise, it will make the pain go away.”
Before she could respond, I sank my fangs into her delicate skin, tasting the metallic tang of her blood. She whimpered but did not pull away. I repeated the process with her sister, hating myself for inflicting more trauma on ones so young.
As the transformative magic began to take hold, I stood, unable to watch the metamorphosis that would turn them from human to wolf. A heavy weight pressed on my heart. I had saved their lives, but at what cost? The carefree days of their childhood were gone, replaced by a future in a pack, navigating the perilous world of werewolves.
Steeling myself, I turned away from the girls and their soft cries. “Let’s go,” I said to Connor, my voice rough. “We still have our people to save.”
Though it pained me, I knew I had made the right choice, the only choice. In this brutal reality, we did what we must to survive and protect the innocent. Even if it meant forever altering the course of two young lives. With a heavy sigh, I continued onward, the mission ahead the only thing keeping the guilt at bay.
I didn’t get more than 5 steps away when I heard another whimper. This time it was an older girl. She looked like a teenager.
I crouched down beside her, trying to study her wound.
“Rafe.. this.. she can’t be saved, man.”
“No. No. Let me just…” But before I could do anything to save her, I saw the life slowly drain out from her bloodshot eyes. She was gone.
If only I’d been here sooner, she wouldn’t have slipped away. Because of me, she was dead.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my tears falling onto her scorched skin. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
I clutched her lifeless body to me, my whimpers fading into shallow breaths. I held her close, rocking her gently as her heartbeat slowed and finally stilled. The grief that had threatened to consume me now broke free, and I wept openly, my anguished cries echoing through the desolate streets.
Connor knelt beside me, his own eyes glistening with tears. He wrapped his arms around me, and together we mourned the innocence lost, the lives shattered by a hatred that knew no bounds.
“We’ll make this right,” he promised, his voice fierce with determination. “We’ll find Freya, and we’ll bring those bastards to justice.”
I nodded, drawing strength from his resolve. I gently laid the girl down, her face now peaceful in the shadows of death. With a heavy heart, I rose to my feet, my pain momentarily forgotten in the face of a greater purpose.
“Let’s go,” I said, my voice raw but steady. “We have work to do.”
As we set off into the heart of the ruined town, I silently vowed to avenge the fallen and to protect those who still drew breath. I would find Freya, and I would make our enemies pay for the lives they had stolen.
The hunt was on, and the alpha within me howled for blood.
I and Connor pressed on, our senses heightened as we navigated the war-torn streets. The acrid smell of smoke and death hung heavy in the air, a grim reminder of the devastation that had befallen our once-peaceful town.
As we turned a corner, a feeble cry caught my attention. Slumped against a crumbling wall was a man, his body broken and blood-soaked. I rushed to his side, my heart sinking as I took in the extent of the man’s injuries.
“Please,” the man gasped, his eyes wide with fear and desperation. “Help me. I don’t want to die. My wife… my children… they need me.”
My throat tightened with emotion as I gently cradled the man’s head. I could see the life draining from his eyes, and I knew that no amount of werewolf magic could save him now.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I… I can’t…”
The man’s hand gripped my arm with surprising strength. “Please,” he begged, tears streaming down his face. “Don’t let me die alone.”
My own tears fell freely as I nodded, holding the man close. “I’m here,” I murmured. “I won’t leave you.”
Connor watched in silence, his own heart breaking at the scene before him as he teared up. He knew that I carried the weight of every life lost, every soul I couldn’t save.
As the man’s breaths grew shallow and his eyes fluttered closed, my shoulders shook with silent sobs. I stayed with him until the end, offering what little comfort I could in the face of such senseless loss.
When it was over, I gently laid the man down, my anger and frustration boiling over. “I should have been able to save him!” I cried, my fists clenched at my sides. “What good is being an alpha if I can’t protect my people?”
Connor placed a hand on my shoulder, his eyes filled with understanding. “You can’t save everyone, Rafe. But you can honor their memory by fighting for those who still have a chance.”
I took a deep, shuddering breath, my resolve hardening. I knew that Connor was right. We had to focus on the living, on finding Freya and bringing her home safely.
With a final glance at the fallen man, I stood, my eyes blazing with determination. “Let’s go,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “We have a job to do.”
As we disappeared into the shadows, My heart was heavy with grief and guilt. But I knew that I couldn’t let it consume me. I had to be strong, for Freya, for my people, and for the memory of those I couldn’t save.
****