The Element: A Shift in the Water (Completed)

Chapter 30- She's Gone

Zeke

Stepping into the lodge this morning, I feel like something is off. Making my way to the kitchen, I am greeted by the guys who are all at various stages of breakfast consumption.

"Morning," I call out as I pour my cup of coffee.

Several mumbles respond, including a grunt.

Smiling as I turn to face my friends, I ask, "Has Everly gotten up yet?"

"Alpha and your mom left a few minutes ago. Said Evie was up early but didn't sleep well and went back to bed." Trent explains.

Concerned that my mate is not well, I walk to her bedroom and quietly peek inside. Noticing her bed is empty, I open the door and walk to her bathroom. Seeing that it's empty, I hurry back to the kitchen.

"She's not in there," I explain, trying to keep panic at bay.

The guys are quick to their feet as I pull out my cell and call my dad.

Putting the call on speaker, I walk around the lodge in hopes that she's watching tv or reading or something.

"Good morning, my precious cub," mom greets.

"Dad," I choke out.

Having taken my call over the vehicle's bluetooth, my dad demands, "What's wrong?"

"Everly is not in her room. Mom told Trent that she went back to bed?"

"Yeah, I did," mom explains. "She was tired and looked pale. She said she was going back to bed."

"Is Mason checking the surveillance?" dad questions.

"On it!" Mason hollers out. I hurry to the surveillance room. Mason's laboratory of electronic gadgets and equipment. Several monitors are secured to the wall and are fed with live camera feeds from various places throughout our property.

"Motherfucker," Mason growls.

"What?!" dad and I demand.

"Someone's messed with the feed. Several cameras have been rotated. I checked everything during my patrol at four this morning. It was all fine," he explains.

Trent suddenly crashes through the door, "Caught her scent. I think she went to the river."

We all run outside and begin to race through the snow.

The wind shifts slightly and that's when I smell it, "Wolves," I growl.

Then, carried with the wind, I hear a sound that shreds me.

My mate screams.

Trent, Micah, and Mason shift instantly. Their wolves spring forth midstride without faltering or stumbling. The two blonde wolves and one black wolf increase their speed away from Danny and me.

Going against instinct, I remain in human form.

"Danny! Don't shift," I race out. "She needs us in human form."

Running with all the speed I am capable of, I watch as my wolf pack disappears into the woods. Barking and growling at the intruders.

Coming to a skidding halt at the river's edge, I see my mate stranded on the frozen waterway.

Stepping onto the ice, Danny jerks me back.

"Watch it, Zeke. That ice isn't gonna hold our weight. We go out there and it'll crack beneath her."

"If we wait too long it's gonna give way and she's gonna fall through anyway," I scream.

Danny runs his hands through his hair and yells, "What the fuck are we gonna do?"

"H-Help," my angel whispers. As her gaze captures mine, I see tears glittering in her eyes and her lips quiver. "I'm sorry," she breathes.

Then, she disappears.

"No!" I roar as I race out towards where she once stood. Looking down at the small hole, I see the rushing river that was hidden below its frozen cover.

"The currents got her!" Danny exclaims.

Hurrying down the path we think her body would travel, my heart leaps when I catch sight of a patch of red below the crystallized surface.

"She's here!" I scream as I glimpse her ghostly palm pressed against the ice.

Dropping to my knees, I use my fist to break through. Punching the ice with all my strength, I focus on reaching my mate. In my desperation I do not feel the pain of my knuckles splitting. I do not stop hitting when I see my blood smearing across the frozen surface. I continue my assault as I hear Danny's strangled screams cry out over the roar of my heartbeat thundering in my ears.

After three solid blows, the ice gives and crumbles. I reach down, my arms plunging into the biting water as my hands strain to grip the red coat that caught my attention. My fingers brush the water-logged wool and I urgently stretch to secure a handful of the material. I begin pulling Everly up through the water. I fight the current that has its chilly hand on her lifeless body, dragging her away to its glacial grave. The clanking cracks of ice cause my stomach to tighten and fear to seep into my mind. Like a clap of a whip, the noise rebounds through the frosty air. Danny helps as I heave her out and we race back to shore, not giving the ice another second to break beneath our feet. It being a miracle that we were able to stand on it for as long as we did.

Safe on shore, I take a moment to look down at Evie. Her skin has a blue tint and her lips are purple. I tilt her chin, checking her mouth for debris, sweeping my finger inside and finding it clear. Bending my ear towards her mouth, I listen but she isn't breathing and she doesn't have a pulse.

We begin CPR.

I give her two breaths and watch as her chest rises.
Danny counts off thirty chest compressions.I give her two more breaths. And then, we repeat.

Thirty chest compressions.

Two breaths.

Thirty chest compressions.

Two breaths.

As we continue, I hear Danny begging her to come back. Begging his sister to breathe. Pleading with our Creator to save her.

"Come on, Angel," I whisper into her cheek. "Don't leave me. I need you, Everly." It's in this moment that I know. I love her and it's not just my wolf who needs her. It's not just some supernatural pull of need at all. She is my Everly. My complete being wants her, needs her, and adores her. Even with our bond not sealed, I know that if she dies, I will soon follow.

My fingers pinch her nose as I give two more breaths.

Abruptly, she begins to gag and cough. Rolling her onto her side, she spews out the river water that was lodged in her lungs. Gasping for air, I rub her back in comfort. "That's it, Angel. We got you. We got you." I murmur as I glance up at Danny.

His eyes are squeezed shut as I hear him softly mutter, "Thank you. Thank you."

I feel Everly's body begin to shake and quickly pick her up. With one arm supporting her back and the other arm tucked under her knees I motion for Danny, "I need to get her dry and warm. Can you go find the boys?"

He opens his mouth to respond when an explosion of gunfire rings through the air.