Derek’s eyes widened, his words lost in his mouth as he heard the scream that had echoed and vibrated around the house.
That was his mother’s voice!
Quickly, without minding that he hadn’t given a reply to Agrip, he rushed off towards his parent’s bedroom, his heart beating fast as he wondered if the worst had happened.
Behind him, Anthony and Agrip were trying to keep up pace, especially Agrip who due to his old age, couldn’t walk as fast as the two young lads.
Derek burst into the room abruptly without even knocking.
His heart drowned to his stomach when he saw his mother wailing on the floor like a woman who had just lost her mate.
His eyes ran across the bed, and dilated when he saw his father convulsing and shaking violently on the bed.
Was this it? He thought, numb from what he was seeing. He couldn’t act or say anything. He had never felt so useless.
He wasn’t even aware when Agrip and Anthony entered the room. Only when Agrip shouted that Anthony should mindlink the pack doctor did his attention return.
“Stop blacking and ghosting out Derek!” Agrip shouted at him. “You are an Alpha for god sake! Act like one!”
Derek shuddered, feeling the weight of Agrip’s rebuke. The old man was right. He needed to get his head into the game, starting from quelling his shaking hands.
He held his right hand with his left hand, and took in deep breaths. He was an Alpha, not a baby. He muttered to himself no less than ten times.
“We got this. No more breaking down or zoning out like this.” His wolf, Maru, supported him, helping him to relax and stay calm and abreast of the situation.
“What is happening to him?” He calmly asked Agrip who was still staring at him.
“I think the poison, whatever it is, is trying to make its way to his heart.” Agrip replied, not finding it necessary that if the poison gets there, it was game over for Peter.
“But how did this happen in the first place?” He asked Derek, who had folded his arms across his chest, watching his father shake violently on the bed, and his mother still wailing beside the bed, unable to do anything.
“I was stupid and careless.” Derek replied, absorbing the whole blame as he should. “I had let down my guard. I had failed my people. I have failed myself.” He stated lifelessly, causing Anthony to wince.
Anthony had mindlinked Jack, the pack doctor. The latter had quickly communicated that he was on his way.
Seeing the crestfallen but cold look on Derek’s face, worked the spirit out of him. he prayed earnestly that Petert doesn’t die at this moment; because if he does, Derek might be as walking skeleton, a shell of his old self, cold and distant, and unable to smile.
Anthony didn’t want that for his brother. No, something must be done.
But what? He wondered helplessly, watching Peter shaking violently, unable to be stopped.
When he had first rushed into the room, he had tried to hold his old man down in an attempt to calm him down, but the shaking speed and rate of the convulsions had knocked him off balance for a second. It was a futile action trying to hold him down.
Peter was dying, and they all knew it.
They only hoped that Jack would have something up his sleeves to calm him down at least till they found an antidote to the poison.
A sharp knock sounded on the door causing the occupants of the room to train their eyes hopefully on the door, and then Jack came inside, without waiting to be invited in like he knew no one cares about that courtesy at that moment. There was relief on the faces of all in the room, including Melvina who stopped wailing.
For a moment, Jack faltered in his footsteps, as he came face to face with his father.
When did the old man come back? He thought, furrowing his eyebrows.
He only got moving when Melvina called him by his name and asked him to do something before Peter died.
He nodded sharply, leaving the questions on his mind for next time. The important thing that mattered now was saving Peter’s life.
Quickly, he brought out a transparent spray bottle from his back which contained some kind of brownish red liquid.
He expertly sprayed the liquid on Peter’s face, making sure that the liquid touched every aspect of his face, and also went into his mouth.
After a minute or two of spraying the unknown liquid, Peter started to calm down, the convulsions stopped and he started breathing evenly.
Jack sighed in relief, before turning around to meet the relieved gazes of the people in the room.
“This is only temporary, at least for a day; before the deathly seizures start again. We need to find an antidote.” He pointed out, before cocking his head to the side the next minute, as if remembering something.
“What is the matter, Jack?” Agrip asked him, knowing that something was on his son’s mind.
“It’s the girl, Esther. We can’t seem to find her around in the pack or at her place. It’s like she has disappeared. I had sent Ava, Maya and some guys to look for her.” Jack answered thoughtfully, noting the angry stances that Anthony and Derek had taken. Even Melvina was standing up now, and the look on her face wasn’t friendly at all.
“I was only hoping that since she was a witch, she might have something useful to contribute to healing the Alpha.” Jack quickly added, to clear himself of any badwill.
“She must be into this too.” Anthony muttered angrily, fisting his hands.
“Who is Esther?” Agrip asked, feeling confused. A lot must have happened since his absence. He thought. A witch was living with them in the pack house? Wasn’t that supposed to be disallowed?
But before Anthony could give a reply, Peter started to convulse again.