Second Fate

28

It had made too much sense once I'd thought about Meredith's behavior. She had compared Neal and Cara to me and Kenna, so what kept her from equating their children to hers? There were about four wolves of her pack unaccounted for, and the mansion was only protected by Isabelle and Cara.

While the latter could in theory fight, it was clear from Neal's expression that he'd do everything in his power to avoid that scenario. With everything that his wife had gone through before Rune was born, I understood the fire in his eyes, the burning desire to keep her from unleashing the part of herself which had threatened the very construct of her being for so long.

However, we weren't going to arrive in time.

Valentine was running through the forest in wolf form, while we were speeding in the jeep, hoping to have one of us arrive before it was too late. Isabelle was a skilled fighter, so she'd be able to keep the intruders at bay for a moment or two, but four against one was a bad situation to be in.s

Thank the goddess that Nina isn't involved in any of this, I thought to myself as I watched Neal stare onto the road in front of him. I'd done the right thing by severing the links between us before going into the beast's lair.

We were going much faster than the speed limit would've allowed for but neither of us paid that any mind. The jeep was roaring, as Neal's foot pressed down on the accelerator.

"If anything happened to them, I swear, Vine", pressed Neal out between his teeth which had grown to resemble his fangs more and more. "I'm going to tear Meredith apart one bone at a time, and you're not going to stop me, or you'll end up the same."

"I understand."

Neal's palms hit the steering wheel with a clunking sound. "Fuck."

It was the first time I'd heard the alpha swear, despite everything that had happened to him and Cara in the past years.

"We will get there in time. We have to", I tried my hand at reassuring him, even though my own stomach was churning. There were two children in the house, both too little to fight. Bernadette could hide on her own perhaps but Rune ... if Cara was knocked out or went out of control as she used to, he'd be without protection.

A second too late would be enough to turn the alpha's whole world into a living hell and the fear was working within him. Despite that, he tried to collect himself into his usual self as we rushed past a sign.

A good sign: the mansion wasn't too far now. Perhaps we'd be there just in time if luck was on our side.

They'll have run to the mansion long before you set foot in Meredith's camp; as soon as they could see you park the car and the rest of your pack followed Rhett, an unwelcome voice reminded me. If they'd gone immediately, there'd be no hope.

We'd already be much too late. There'd be gore and shambles waiting for us but no Cara, no kids. Maybe they'd have spared Isabelle and her mother-in-law. Maybe.

However, I didn't breathe a word of my thoughts as Neal typed the third message in five minutes into his phone. Now he was probably trying to reach Isabelle, since Cara wasn't picking up.

When the mansion finally appeared out of the dark, silence spread through the car as Neal raced the jeep down the last meters to the gravel spot in front of the porch. We barely managed to halt before hitting the wooden fence.

Neither one of us cared about the key or the engine as we jumped out of the car and ran up to the mansion's front door.

Which was standing wide open.

*

One second, there was a man next to me, brown hair and muscular shoulders, the familiar shape of my alpha. In the next, a shadow flitting by with bared teeth and held breath; he'd become little more than a gust of wind as he ran through the open door to what would either be his relief or utter demise.

My reaction was somewhat slower, as I took the time to scout out my surroundings. The forest's darkness was kept at bay only by the weak and flittering light of candles distributed across the ground floor. Isabelle and Cara had aimed to keep a low profile tonight, since the rest of the pack was out.

There was a single artificial light burning upstairs, in one of the bedrooms. My bedroom. Had I left it on? My memories told me otherwise, but that wasn't important now. I had to turn and go in to help Neal with whatever was waiting inside.

With Nina far away and in safety, I had the luxury of knowing my other half safe and the responsibility to –

My heart forgot to beat, my breath caught, and the whole world surrounding me went eerily silent as a familiar scent hit my nostrils.

Nina.

With a horror unlike anything I'd experienced in the last minutes, I stared at the light behind my window. And before I knew it, I was turning.

It was a sloppy, chaotic kind of change, ripping clothes and skin alike, with half-turned bones causing me to stretch in a contorted manner for the first few lunges.

Then I was inside already, wood splintering beneath my claws. The world had lost its sounds and colors, leaving behind only the glowing red of an imaginary path. Her scent had formed a trail for me to follow into the mansion and up the wooden staircase to where I'd find her.

Alive. Nina must be alive, repeated a voice in my head with urgency, starved for a sight of the blueish-green hair. It would sit on top of an unharmed face, tilted to the side in confusion. It had to be unharmed because otherwise ...

I staggered onto my feet, having almost crashed into the wall, when I took the corner on the top of the stairs too quickly.

And then I saw them.

Nina, said the voice, sounding less excited than scared this time. The relief of her being in one piece had quickly gotten washed away by the realization that she wasn't alone.

Two wolfs had cornered her, who'd seemingly grabbed unto the first thing she'd been able to find. The heavy glass vase was a sorry excuse for a weapon, dangling at her right side until she would have to lift it into the air.

Was she even strong enough to lift it?

I didn't know how to judge a human's strength.

The two wolfs were prowling, one between us, one behind her on the other end of the corridor. One too many for me to safely get her behind me, and out of this mansion, and somewhere where Meredith or anyone else could ever harm a single hair on her again.

Our eyes met above grey fur and hers widened for a split second. Something which almost sounded like an irritated chuckle left her lips, but it couldn't have been. Not in this situation, not now.

I knew I had to save her; I would've saved her if it had meant to cut my own arm off and watch it be eaten by crows. Hell, I would've bitten it off myself if it had helped with anything. But two wolves were one too many for me to kill with a single jump, and if she was thinking clearly in spite of the fear, she must have realized it too.

But Nina made that sound again – and then she turned her back to me and the grey wolf to face the larger one.

*