Monsters Beyond the Gate

Chapter Eleven: Dark of the Night

Levi's eyes were wide with something that looked frighteningly similar to panic and excitement. His grip on my arms was almost painful, but I didn't fail to notice how warm my body felt at his touch.

"What is it?" My stomach danced with a mixture of worry and exhilaration.

He looked around, making sure no one was spying. When he was satisfied that we were in fact completely alone, he started talking quickly and quietly.

"I've got news about your brother," he whispered.

My heart gave a tiny squeeze. I pictured Fisher's bright gray eyes, and despite the fact that only moments ago I'd been sweating my ass off, my whole body suddenly went freezing cold.

"What? Is Fisher okay?" I demanded.

"Yes, yes, he's fine...I mean as far as I know. Look, Brior, our scout, is back now. I just had the chance to talk to him and he said that some really strange stuff has been going on with the Northern Pack. They've been changing routes and stockpiling supplies."

He took a deep breath. His chocolatey brown eyes were distressed. I searched them for some kind of deeper meaning. The air in the gym thickened with emotion.

"Okay, but what does this have to do with Fisher?"

I watched Levi's jaw flex. It looked like he was trying hard to make words come out, but it wasn't working. It was almost painful to watch.

"This is really difficult. I'm not supposed to say anything. I have direct orders from the Alpha to keep quiet about this...You don't understand this yet, but it's nearly impossible to resist the word of your Alpha."

He groaned like he was in physical pain, keeling over and everything. I pushed against him to steady him. A sheen of sweat beaded across his pale face.

"If it's causing you so much pain, why are you trying to tell me?"

He looked me in the eyes. His expression screamed that there were a million words he wanted to say. I could practically see the internal battle taking place inside of him.

"It...It's complicated, Adeline. Let's just say I want to help you. Look, your brother—" he doubled over again. A moan of agony escaped his full lips.

"He what?" I asked gently. A pile of white hand towels were folded up on the shelf to the left of me. I grabbed one and used it to dab some of the sweat off of his forehead. He smiled gratefully at me.

"Your brother is being moved. Evidently there is a third pack involved in this mess. Brior said that he heard two Dark Wolves talking about it while he was out scouting. From the bits of conversation he caught between the two of them, they said that the neighboring back has been sending in night scouts trying to get ahold of your brother. They talked about how their leader, Erebus, is worried that they are going to ambush his Den and take "the boy" as they refer to him. Supposedly, the Dark Wolves started talking about how they are going to move "the boy" to a more secure area, but it was going to be dangerous because they were only sending two or three pack members with him as to not draw attention to themselves. The rest of the pack is supposed to stay behind and prepare for an attack on their Den. Brior said they said something about taking Fisher west when the night is darkest."

I have to be honest, for a minute, I almost lost my composure (I may have even jumped up and down a little bit, although my legs—which were cramped from running—immediately regretted that decision).