The Alpha and The Assassin

Chapter 9 - Hayden

"Hayden, I think I know where she is." Lizzie saunters into the room, a confident look on her face as she gives me possibly the best news I've heard in a long time. I'm on my feet in an instance, ready to get my mate back into my arms where she will be safe. I'm never letting her go again when I get her back.

"Where is she? No, wait. Explain on the way. Lead," I command, my wolf slipping through my tone as he pushes forward. Lizzie turns, walking back out of the room with a nod while I trail hot on her heels.

"I tracked her to an old bomb shelter that was built into the side of a mountain back in the 60s. It's been unoccupied for a long time by the original owners, but the rogues have occasionally used it for their own hideout and purposes. Her scent leads to a river a few hundred feet away from the shelter before disappearing. I believe she is located in the shelter though." I nod my head, agreeing with her based on the evidence I have been given. I'm finally going to get my mate back. And I'm going to kill my brother when I do. He won't be able to hurt anyone I care about again, not after this. It's going to end now.

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"Can you feel her?" I nod briefly, my wolf ready to charge headfirst into the steel door standing in front of us. Anything to get his mate back.

"She's in there. We can sense it." Lizzie nods, not needing any further encouragement before the hinges snap open on the door,  sending the heavy steel to the forest floor beneath it.  The sound echoes through the forest, rumbling back into the shelter as well. Time to get my mate back. A couple of rogues rush into the entry room in front of the door in search of the noise before their bodies tense. Their eyes glaze over as they turn towards each other and start fighting between the two. My eyebrows shoot up as I turn to look at Lizzie, who is watching the pair with a smirk.

"It will only hold for so long. Hopefully they kill each other before the enchantment breaks, but just in case they don't go find Emmet." I don't respond as I take off into the building past the two fighting rogues. My wolf leads me, pushing me in the direction he knows our mate is in. I don't pass any other rogues, unsurprising to me as not many people would follow my insane brother in taking my mate. Being outnumbered is seriously understating it.

A steel door blocks a room where her scent is heavily filling the air. She's in there. I know it. The steel door crumples like paper as I knock into it, sending it straight to the floor in a heap. A rogue jumps from his seat near the door, startled at the sudden entrance. It doesn't take long for him to get over his shock, tackling into my side knocking me to the ground.

I love you Hayden. Emmet's voice echoes through my head weakly. The words coming out softly with a hint of finality, like it's the last time she will ever say them. My wolf pushes to the forefront of my mind, seconds from taking over as we roll the guy underneath us onto the stone floor. I waste no time in slamming his head violently to the ground, effectively ending his struggle against me. Blood pours from the back of his head onto the tile, but I pay no mind to it as I jolt up in search of my mate.

It takes no time for me to find her slumped over in the chair she is chained to. It's then that the metallic scent of my mate's blood fills my senses, wrapping around my like a suffocating blanket. Oh my goddess. I'm by her side in an instant, snapping the chains as if they were made of putty and pulling her into my chest. Her breathing is slow and shallow, barely even there. Blood soaks through my chest and into my shirt as I run out of the room in search of Lizzie. She can save her. She has to.

"Lizzie! Lizzie please. She's dying. Save her. Please," I cry helplessly as I feel Emmet's blood dripping down my chest. Lizzie jerks from her position, turning to me in an instant. Her eyes widen in shock  before we're flashed out of the room. Once the feeling returns to my limbs, I gently rest Emmet on the bed, gently holding her hand. Her breathing is still shallow, too shallow. It shouldn't be like that. Blood trickles out of her wounds at a steady pace, soaking into the sheets below her as Lizzie quickly gets to work on trying to stop the bleeding. I pull Emmet's hand up to my feet, gently placing my lips against her knuckles. The longer Lizzie works, the more restless my wolf gets. I feel his pacing back and forth, doing exactly what I want to do right now, but I can't. I can't let her go again.

"I've done all I can do Hayden. There are loads of drugs in her system, not to mention the prolonged contact from the silver that has soaked into her skin. It's a miracle that she's even alive. She isn't healing as quickly as she should. I've cleansed as much of the drugs out of her system as I could, but it's up to her and her feline now. I'm so sorry." Tears fall freely out of my eyes as I look down at my beautiful mate. Her pale skin is even paler than it was before. Lizzie rests a gentle hand on my should in comfort before leaving the room.

"Emmet, please love. Please wake up. I need you, we need you. We can't lose you. I promise that if you wake up, you will never get hurt again," I whisper brokenly as I place a gentle kiss against her forehead before laying to rest beside her.

*******************Emmet's POV*******************

My eyes slowly flutter open, the blinding light causing me to shut them back almost instantly. I push myself up slowly, feeling the soft grass beneath my fingers as I do. This is not where I fell asleep. Beautiful flowing trees surround me, their leaves gently flowing in the warm breeze that flows through the meadow. The soft trickle of a river can be heard off in the distance, a peaceful sound. I push myself from the ground, slowly standing on shaky legs. A flowing blood red dress covers my body, brushing lightly against the tops of my knees as I stand. 

My eyes take in the meadow and the surrounding forest. Where the hell am I? More importantly, how did I get here? I glance around, turning slightly to take in more of my surroundings. A black panther is laying on the forest floor a few feet away, eyes trained on me. Smokey. Her head is resting on her paws in dejection. My feet carry me towards her, stepping gently in the soft grass as I move.

We can't heal. I can't heal us. The drugs, the silver, they were too strong. It's up to you now Emmet. I can feel Kade, he is near. We need to get back to him. Her soft voice fills my mind as sadness fills her eyes. Sadness for her mate, for our situation.

"I know," I whisper sadly. If it's up to my body, this is going to take a while. Without Smokey's healing, it's going to take a while before my body finishes the healing process.