Chapter 42

42

CHARLOTTE

T hrough Elodie's earpiece, I hear the moment all hell breaks loose with what sounds like the pop of a gunshot. Trapped and helpless, I sit in the cell listening to the chaos going on upstairs, shaking and trembling with fear.

I can hear their screams, but I can't figure out what's going on.

"Killian's been shot. Shit, Charlotte, I don't know what to do," Elodie whispers, her voice quivering. The fact that my sister is terrified has me panicking.

"Stay down. Get low and get out of there." Closing my eyes, I try to pretend it's not my mate she's talking about, that he's just any old client. "Are Zane and Theo there? Do they have Killian protected?"

Crashing and yelling in the background make it hard to hear, but I force myself to stay composed. I can't be there, but I can help Elodie stay calm.

"No, Ryker's there. And, oh my god, bears. There are fucking bears in here. I don't understand what's going on, why are there other wolves attacking the fucking prince instead of helping?"

Strangely, it registers with me that's the first time I've heard Elodie cursing. I suppose if there was ever a time to start, this is it.

"Killian's telling me to go. To tell Theo to get you out," Elodie relays when I hear my mate's deep voice booming in the background, shouting orders.

"No, he needs Theo to help him!" I shout, shaking my head, even though there's nobody here to see it. "Find Theo and Zane, and tell them to get their asses in there!"

My wolf wants to be in the middle of the action, protecting our mate. I can feel a dull ache in my leg, that I'm assuming is an echo of his pain. It's actually reassuring, because if that's his only injury, a strong wolf like his will be okay. For now, anyway.

"The place is on fire, Charlotte. We're not leaving you there," Elodie mumbles.

I take a deep breath, and there it is. The faint, acrid scent of smoke in the distance.

This can't be happening. I reassure my wolf that we're a good distance from the fire. Someone will let us out before it can get this far. There's no need to panic just yet.

"Where's Killian now, Elodie? Where is he?" The noise dulls as Elodie leaves the room, and I hear crying and shouting in the background, as she moves further and further from the chaos.

Shit, shit, shit. I'm on my knees in the cell, my head and my hands, praying that Killian is alright, and that he gets through this.

I'll be a queen. I'll go to endless snotty parties. I'll stalk him all the way back to Ireland. I'll even let him break the bond and leave him alone, if he really wants. Anything, once he's okay.

"Elodie?" There's no answer. Maybe she's lost the earpiece. Maybe she's trying to find Theo. I need to be patient and let her do her thing. She won't leave me here.

I count to calm myself. It feels like hours, waiting for something to happen, or to hear Elodie's voice again, but it's actually minutes. I can't panic. I need to stay focussed.

Suddenly, I hear the prison door yanking open and footsteps hurrying quickly down the corridor. A shadow fills the cell entrance, and I rock back onto my heels, relieved to see anyone at all.

Although it's not who I expected.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

His face is pale, and his fingers tremble as he yanks a chain from his pocket and waves the keys in front of him.

My sister's keys.

"Elodie. Elodie told me to come and get you."

Are you telling me she had a key to my cell the entire time? We'll be having words about this when I find her.

"Charlotte, the palace is on fire. I don't know what's going on. Killian… Killian's hurt. And it's just chaos. It's chaos up there."

He's bleeding from a cut on his cheek, and he wipes it with the back of his hand as he shoves the door wide. My dad is a strong alpha. I've never seen him as shaken as this.

"Dad, it's okay. You've got me out. Now get Elodie and Mum away from here."

Nodding, he steps back to let me pass.

Freedom at last.

My wolf is chomping at the bit to get moving, but I'm not sure Dad's thinking straight.

"I don't know where Elodie is. She gave me the key and then I just saw her getting knocked over, then… she was gone."

"I'm sure she's fine, Dad, just get Mum and go." I give him a gentle shake. "Now, Dad. Go."

Dad nods and visibly pulls himself together, drawing his shoulders back and standing tall. "What about you? Come with me before this place burns to the ground."

But I'm already gone, running down the long corridor toward the light. "I'm going to do my job and make sure the prince is okay."

Dad curses as I disappear out into the night.

"Be careful," he yells after me, as I shift into my wolf form and sprint toward the ballroom as fast as I can.

I lose connection to the earpiece that Elodie gave me, but it's not working anymore anyway. I take the stairs, three at a time, and race down the long corridor toward the ballroom.

People run in all directions, terrified as smoke billows along the ceiling. Guests scream as they pour out of the ballroom, looking like they've been trampled, and more afraid of the fire than anything else.

Shirts untucked, perfect hairdos messed up, heels forgotten; they all race past me.

I ignore their warnings to go back the way I came, as I burst into the room, scanning the crowd for Killian. Through the thickening smoke, I can barely make out who anybody is, it's just a sea of legs and chaos.

Chairs are strewn around, tables turned upside down, and from the far side of the room, I can hear growling and snarling. I race across in that direction, where I can finally make out a bear, of all things, bowling over three men charging toward Killian.

I recognise Alpha Steel's wolf, engaged in a battle on the far side of the room, and Cooper has someone else by the throat.

As I get even closer, a small, diminutive woman I recognise slips through the crowd, unnoticed. Nobody would ever consider her a threat, but she is.

And I realise now that any of the darkness in my mother came from that woman.

She creeps toward Killian, nobody paying her the blindest bit of attention, as they continue to battle the wolves closing in around him. Ones that I'm sure she's paying handsomely to help her keep her dirty secret hidden.

But when she lifts her hand from her side and the light bounces off her small but deadly weapon, I know exactly what she's going to do, and there's no way I'm going to let her.

With a giant leap, right as she pulls the trigger, my wolf throws herself into the way of the silver bullet flying toward my mate.

I feel it strike me like a punch to the side, and I tumble to the ground, right at Killian's feet.

"No!" He shouts as I hit the ground, sliding to a stop beside him. He jumps to his feet, putting himself between me and any more bullets coming this way. With a deafening roar, he lunges forward, even as my grandfather roars, "Tammy!" from the other side of the room.

My grandmother fires the gun again once, twice, and I howl in anguish, feeling the pain, as each one strikes my mate in turn. But he doesn't stop, he keeps going until he reaches her, and with sickening ease, reaches out a hand and snaps her neck.

She crumples to the floor, like a puppet with its strings cut, and it's hard to feel anything other than relief when the gun falls from her limp hand.

Killian grabs it and shoves it into the back of his trousers before sliding across the floor back to me and picking me up in his arms.

I see a river of blood running down his shoulder and thigh, but he doesn't care about himself. He just lifts my wolf's head into his lap and runs his hand along my flank, trying to work out where all the red is coming from.

"Charlotte, what are you doing here? This is exactly why I didn't want you near this place," he mutters, pressing his head to mine before looking around him. "Help, somebody help me." He struggles back to his feet, with me still in his arms.

Immediately, there's a giant bear at his side who transforms back into the biggest man I've ever seen. He gives Killian a questioning look, and he waits, arms extending, for Killian to hand me over.

"I'm going to take her," the bear says calmly. "And I'm going to make sure nobody gets near her. You'll be right behind us."

With one damaged arm and one damaged leg, Killian's not going to be able to carry me far. He needs help more than me.

Killian nods and strokes the top of my head gently. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry baby."

The silence is deafening now that all fighting has stopped.

Everyone seems to have given up the second my grandmother hit the dirt. They're not going to get paid if she's dead. There's no reason for hitmen for hire like these to keep fighting if their paycheck is gone. Instead, those that haven't been captured are making a run for it, and right now, I don't care whether they get away or not.

Killian's face is pale, and I'm worried about who's going to take care of him. His leg gives way, and he falls, before being caught under the arm by Marcus Lennox. He pulls him upright and links an arm around his back. "No need to growl, miss. He's coming to the doctor, too."

"The bunkhouse," Zane orders as he appears at Marcus's side. "Come on, we have to get out of here before the roof collapses."

Marcus nods, expression tense, and begins to help Killian toward the door.

I remember hearing about him being badly injured in a fire recently. I can't even imagine how traumatic this must be as we duck low, running from the room and staying as far below the choking black smoke as we can.

Gritting my teeth, I fight back the urge to snarl and snap, as every step jolts my injured side.

The man carrying me leans down and whispers in my ear, "I'm Billy, Natalie's brother. Don't worry. I've got you."

I relax a little in his arms and glance back at Killian, who's being helped along by Marcus.

The dozens of wolves who had been fighting in the background suddenly start to move, shepherding the remaining guests out of the room to safety, and forming a guard around us as we race through the palace and across the grounds to the bunkhouse, where the doctor has a medical clinic set up.

Billy picks up the pace, and soon, I can't see Killian or Marcus anymore, but that's okay.

I need to make sure he gets help. He's too stubborn… and the packs need him…

It only dawns on me that I'm growling rather than speaking when Billy strokes my fur to calm me.

"Shh. Rest," Billy says kindly without breaking stride as he steps outside into the cool evening air and crosses the wide lawn at the rear of the palace toward the staff quarters. As we get to the door, the doctor I remember from the list of security clearances greets us, paling when he sees the volume of blood leaking from my side.

"Bloody silver," he mutters. Billy grunts in frustration at the locked door before busting through it with one well-placed kick, and then carries me through to the tiny med bay. He lowers me gently to the bed and steps back, moving aside as the doctor pulls supplies from the shelves behind him.

"I'm going to need you to leave," the doctor says. "I'm sorry, but I need the space."

Billy nods, giving my paw a gentle squeeze before backing toward the door. "I'll be right outside, and Killian's on his way. You're going to be all good."

I blink at him, too weak to make any sounds, and listen to the clinking of medical instruments being laid out.

The last thing I remember is the doctor flicking the side of a syringe right before he injects me with something, and I drift off to sleep.