12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Isaac

" H ow many?" I asked as I stepped into the tent, letting the cloth fall behind me.

"Six." Peter frowned. "Elderly and children mostly, whose healing abilities are not as strong as ours. And one who has been bitten by a venomous snake. He's fine, but the antidote knocked him out, so he's sleeping it off."

I looked around the large tent they had turned into a medical wing, noting the figures lying in sleeping bags on the ground. There was a little girl, pale and shaking, with her parents beside her, holding her small hands. The young man next to them had to be the one who was bitten, since he was the only one who appeared peaceful in his sleep. The rest were elderly.

My eyes stopped on the lone figure walking among them, her dark hair bound out of her face as she kneeled by another bed and said something to the woman in it. I patted Peter's back before heading toward Alice. I hadn't seen her since Lily's collapse a few days ago, and while I was glad Roman allowed her to stay at the mansion to look after her mate, I had been dying to talk to her .

"Alice," I said softly. Her movements were slow, eyes tired and bleary, like she hadn't slept in days. My shoulders dropped with sympathy and I took a step toward her, but then stopped myself.

This was not the time or the place. The fact that she was here was a miracle enough. I wasn't sure I would have left my mate's side when she was lying unconscious in Roman's house, even if he ordered me out at the threat of death. And I still didn't… like her back then.

I pushed thoughts of Celeste away before the gnawing emptiness in my chest consumed me. I couldn't allow myself to look weak and desperate in front of all those people. They needed my strength, my confidence, my hope. Later, when I was alone, I could be weak. I could be broken. But not now.

"Thank you for coming," I said, glancing at the woman next to her. My lips parted in surprise when I recognized the patient, her frail body curled uncomfortably on her side. The wrinkles on her face seemed even deeper now, throwing heavy shadows over her eyes and gray hair.

"Margaret? What's wrong?" I circled the sleeping bag, kneeling on her other side while she turned on her back and caught my hand. I searched her face for any clue of what was wrong but found only her familiar warm smile. "Why are you here? Is it anything serious?"

"Very, my boy. Terminal even," she said, squeezing my fingers. I shook my head, my heartbeat suddenly racing so fast, I felt like I might puke. I didn't even realize how hard I squeezed her hand until she groaned.

Alice sighed loudly, while I let go of Margaret, balling my shaking hands into fists.

"Can you do something?" I asked. I couldn't believe this was happening. Margaret had always been there, from the darkest moments to the happiest ones. She had seen all sides of me, gathered all the broken pieces more than once, and she still kept looking at me with loving eyes. She was the closest thing I had to a real family. I knew that she'd die one day, but this was too sudden, too abrupt, too…

"She's talking about old age," Alice said flatly, putting a pair of vials next to the old woman's head. I closed my eyes, counting to ten, while the words sank in. "The blue tonic will help with the fatigue, and the yellow one with the muscle spasms. Have someone give you one drop every morning and evening since your hands shake too much." Alice got up to her feet. "I'll go check on the little girl before I head back. "

I turned to Margaret just as she chuckled.

"It's not funny," I scowled.

"Death rarely is, dear boy, but if we don't greet it with a smile, then we haven't lived a life worth smiling about." She brushed her cold, wrinkled fingers over my cheek. "And I have."

"I'll feel much better if you stop talking about death like it's knocking on your door," I said, glancing over my shoulder when I heard Alice saying goodbye to someone and promising she'd send more medicine. My eyes landed on her slumped shoulders as she headed toward the exit, and I feverishly turned back to Margaret. "I'll talk to Roman about moving you into the house. This is not acceptable, for any of you. But I need to…"

Margaret patted my hand.

"Go. She looks like she could use your support more than I do. She's a good woman."

I opened my mouth to say I'd be back, but I could hear Alice swiftly walking away, so I jumped to my feet and hurried after her. Peter moved to intercept me, but a sharp ‘Later!' got him stopping in his tracks. I pushed the flopping cloth out of my way, frantically searching for her. When I didn't see her, I let my senses take over, latching on her scent and following her through the mass of fires and tents.

I caught her just outside the watch perimeter, arranging the things in her bag before adjusting it so she could run. She didn't seem to hear me approach, or maybe she pretended not to, until I called her name.

"Is something the matter?" she asked distractedly. "I need to go back. Lily needs to be given her medicine in half an—" Her eyes fluttered closed as if she was barely keeping them open.

"I won't take much of your time. Please," I said softly, and she swallowed the ‘no' I could see forming on her lips, nodding instead. Adjusting her bag again, she shifted her weight from one leg to another while waiting for me to speak.

"I…" I had no idea where to start. The moment I watched her stride out of the library with Roman in tow, I realized I barely knew my sister. I knew those eyes and the way her face brightened when she smiled; I knew how she lifted her eyebrow in displeasure or crossed her arms when impatient—just like she was doing now—but I… didn't know her . Because the sister I knew had a line she would never cross while this person… she went to a vampire's dungeon, where he held another human being hostage, and she… she looked ready to do whatever she had to to get her to cooperate. Judging by Lily's improving state, she had succeeded, but I couldn't exactly ask her that so blatantly.

"How's Lily?" I said instead, and the foot she had been tapping on the ground stopped.

"She's… improving. She is human, so it would take longer to heal," she muttered. "But she will heal. I'll make sure of it."

She didn't meet my eyes as she said that, but I could feel the desperation in her voice. My heart ached for her because that was a feeling I knew all too well. I'd barely had a mate for a few months, but the amount of worry and fear I felt for her had probably shortened my lifespan by a few decades.

"How… how did it work, exactly?" I asked, and Alice's dull eyes finally met mine. "Healing her, I mean. You said you'd need a witch, but now you're saying there is a medicine…" I threw my hands in the air, making a confused face. I didn't have to fake that one. I had no idea what she was doing. I had seen people be hexed and in most cases, it never ended well, but from the way my sister talked, she was pretty confident she would succeed.

Alice's throat bobbed. She opened her mouth to speak, but then promptly closed it like she had changed her mind. In the end, she said with a sigh. "The hex was removed with a counterspell, which killed the parasite inside. However, that thing had to be taken out of her, which is where the medicine comes in."

Her voice changed, and I wasn't sure if she even realized, becoming more stable and assured. Practical, clinic, dead, were the words I could use for it in comparison with the trembling timbre I so clearly remembered from when she kneeled by her mate's body and explained the situation to us.

"I couldn't cut her open to take it out since it had spread to all of her organs, so I had to make it come out by itself," she paused, searching my face as if to make sure I was following, then continued. "I used a concoction from calendula, thyme, diluted dragon blood, and Chimera Bone Ash that enters the blood and purifies it. It degrades the magic and turns it tangible, and then the body pushes it out through its pores."

I stared at her with an open mouth. Degrades the magic? Turns it tangible? Pushes it out through the pores? How… was that even possible?

"That's… impressive," was all I managed to say. A faint blush spread over her cheeks before she cleared her throat and looked away .

"Not really, it's one of the most basic techniques the sisters taught me for cleansing the body." She shrugged one shoulder. "It doesn't work on witches, though, since they are constantly replenishing their magic supplies, especially when unconscious." When I said nothing, she added. "Sometimes, the simplest way is the best way."

I smiled in agreement. "I'm glad she's improving and that you're able to see her. I hope I get to know her soon, too." The flush returned, deeper this time, and she nodded, turning to leave. I stared at the tightness in her shoulders, at her jerky movements and the sweat beating at her brow. Any other time, I might have ignored it or said it was the exhaustion taking its toll on her. But ever since we were reunited, Alice had found excuse after excuse to be around me. Not once had she shown eagerness to leave. And while I understood her urge to return to her mate, I doubted that's what made her so uncomfortable.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I asked. "What happened in that dungeon, Alice?"

Her back stiffened, and I could hear her heartbeat racing. For a few impossibly long moments, the only sound came from the voices in the camp not too far away.

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to, brother," she said so quietly that even I had to strain to hear her. She moved to leave again.

"But I do want to know," I insisted, and she paused again. "I want to know you, Alice. The person you've become after all this time. I want to know everything about you. The good and the bad that made you who you are today."

She spun so fast, I barely saw the movement before she was standing right next to me, her face inches away from mine. There was something new in her eyes, something raw and dangerous that I had never seen before. Her breathing had turned ragged and I could feel the tension radiating from her as easily as the wind ruffling the leaves around us.

"And what if you don't like what you see, Isaac? What then? Do we go back to pretending the other died eighty years ago?" Her lips pulled back, and she flashed me her teeth, but despite the threatening gesture, I could feel no ill intent coming from her. Like a wounded animal, ready to fight to the death, she made herself look bigger in an attempt to scare me. But I didn't get scared so easily.

When I first met her, I was glad to see the smiling, positive woman that I thought she was back in the Coven. But no matter how much time passed or how many good things happened, the past never lets go of you. Not fully. And what she had been through… it had changed her. Just like it had changed me.

Steeling myself, I made sure the only thing in my eyes was the love and desperation I felt. I ignored her flinch as I caught her shoulders, and I spoke slowly, making sure each word sank into her stubborn head.

"However you've changed, whatever you've done, I know your heart, Alice. I know that you'd never, ever hurt an innocent person without a good reason." She didn't appear to be breathing. In fact, if it wasn't for the quick beats of her heart, I would have thought she'd have turned into stone. "I have done things I'm not proud of and I'll be happy to tell you all about them. Because I truly, honestly, and completely want to know you. I want you to be part of my life, Alice, and I don't want just the version of you that you want me to see." Her nose flared, and she clenched her jaw tightly. "I promise you, nothing you tell me will push me away. You don't have to hide parts of you anymore."

My throat closed, and I felt like a giant rock fell onto my chest while I watched her eyes fill with tears that silently ran down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a choked sound came out before she dropped her forehead against my chest. The moment her shoulders shook with silent sobs, I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her tightly.

"You don't have to tell me now," I whispered into her hair. "I've waited eighty years to meet you. I'll wait as long as you need me to." She nodded, sucking in a deep breath. It took her a few more of those before she finally stepped away, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I didn't kill her," she said unexpectedly, her face hidden behind a few strands of long hair that had fallen out of her braid. "Although, I think that would have been a mercy. Whatever Roman did to her…" She shuddered, finally looking my way. "Are you sure he's safe? I don't want Lily to be…"

I winced, bitterness filling my mouth as I struggled to get the words out.

"As long as you don't threaten those he cares about, I think… he'll not harm you. He is…" I licked my lips, throat going dry as if my own body rejected the notion. Or maybe it was my pride. Alice raised an eyebrow expectantly. "...not as bad as you think."

To my surprise, she laughed .

"I don't know if I should trust you on that," she said. "You looked like you were chewing on something foul while saying that." I scoffed and her smile widened some more. She took a step back. "I should go now. I need to…"

"...give her the medicine, yes," I finished for her. "Go. Take care of your mate." Her smile was more genuine this time. "Alice." Glancing back, she raised her eyebrows impatiently. "Take care of yourself, too. You don't want Lily to wake up and see you like that ."

Her smile fell, and she gave me a withering look. "Jerk," she muttered just before she broke into a run. As I stared after her, the heaviness in my chest finally eased. I knew we had barely moved away from the crossroad where we stood, but at least, I could feel us looking in the same direction.

A movement in the trees pulled me out of my thoughts and I turned quickly, scanning my surroundings. When I noticed one of the patrols heading out, I forced myself to relax. I nodded in return to their greetings, then returned to camp.

I could almost taste the few minutes of rest I planned to steal before someone else came to me with a problem when a familiar voice called my name. Taking a calming breath, I slowly spun on my heel to face a fuming Allison… and her very exasperated mate.

"Yes?" I said, noting the tension that radiated between the two. I immediately regretted not walking a little bit faster so I could avoid whatever quarrel they were planning to put me in the middle of.

"I need you to tell Eddie that I'm fine!" Allison snarled, glaring at her mate before looking at me with demanding eyes. Before I could tell them to leave me out of it, Eddie cut in, his eyes never moving away from her.

"You were unconscious for hours! You puked this morning! What if something happens again? What if there is another attack? What about…" His eyes darted toward me and he swallowed like he wasn't sure he should continue what he was saying. "Ally, please. I'm not asking you to give up being Beta. I'm simply asking you to take it easy for a few days."

"The biggest danger right now is getting complacent!" Allison shot back. "I'm fine! I've been hurt worse! And I'm not…"

"He's right," I said, and they both looked at me in surprise. I had always taken Allison's side, even before she met Eddie, and I couldn't remember the last time when she didn't take mine. She might pester me and call me an idiot for some of my decisions, but she always did what I asked, no matter if she approved. It felt like a small betrayal, what I was doing, but just remembering her limp, bloody form as Peter carried her out of Regina's mansion told me I was right about this. "You need to rest."

"What?" she barked, her hands balling into fists. "I said…"

"Two days," I cut her off before she exploded. "Take it easy for two days and let your mate take care of you. You can still help around without going on patrol." She opened her mouth as if to continue arguing, but I did the only thing I knew would make her concede. "That's an order, Beta. I'll expect you to join me for the next Council and then we can figure out what else needs to be done to keep our people safe."

Her nostrils flared, and I knew at that moment I was going to pay for this for years to come, but it didn't matter. As long as she was safe and healthy for those years, I could handle her biting remarks and petty paybacks.

"Yes, Alpha," she ground through her teeth before stomping away. Eddie met my gaze, his expression slack with relief, and he mouthed a silent ‘Thank you!' before rushing after her. I watched them stride side by side, her shoulders relaxing bit by bit as he continued to speak to her in a soft, hushed tone. When he reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders, she didn't shrug him off like I had expected her to.

I cleared my throat, stepping into my tent. The small space was empty and dark, but that suited me just fine as I dropped face-first into the sleeping bag. Roman's butler had offered me a room at the house, but it hadn't felt right to leave my people to suffer in these conditions while I lounged in luxury and comfort. Besides, with Celeste gone, there was nothing for me there.

My place was here, with my pack. To help, to protect, and to try to fill the void that I felt inside with something other than despair. I just hoped that the worst was behind us, at least for now, because I wasn't sure how much more I could take.