Chapter 68-The Smell Of Death

“How long is this bloody tunnel?” I ask, my breathing shallow as I try to fight the claustrophobia I’m feeling.
“I think I see a light up ahead,” Cassia says.
“We’ve been down here for nearly thirty minutes. Where do you think it leads to?” Elder Andino asks.
“I have no idea, but we need to be quiet and prepare for what’s on the other side,” Athena says, the glow of her blue eyes helping light the way through the pitch-black tunnel.
‘*Is Enyo in control*?’ I ask her.
‘*No, why*?’
‘*How are your eyes blue if you’re in control*?’ I ask her, confused.
‘*I don’t know. It just happens sometimes. It’s like I can draw on a power from within me, and when I do, it’s Enyo’s eyes, but I’m fully in control*,’ she explains.
I nod, not really understanding. “Maybe you should shift,” I whisper. “Just in case there’s more of Alpha Leon’s men or the rogue pack waiting for us.”
“I agree,” Elder Laskaris whispers back.
Athena stops, quickly undresses, gives me her clothes, and then shifts. Enyo shakes out her fur, and I realize that shifting may have been a mistake because she’s nearly as big as the small tunnel.
She licks my face as she squeezes past us and follows Cassia along until we finally come to a set of stairs at the end of the tunnel, and at the top of the stairs, we can see what looks like cellar doors.
‘*Ryna, can you see if you can see anything through the cracks?*’ Athena asks him, keeping the connection open to all of us.
Ryna squeezes past her and crouches down at the top of the stairs. ‘*It looks like it leads outside. I can see the sky, but not much else. I can’t hear anything either, can you?*’
Athena shakes her head.
‘*Something’s wrong. I can smell blood*,’ Ryna says, putting us all on alert.
‘*Ryna, you carefully go first. Elders, I think you should come out behind me. Whoever is on the other side of these doors might not attack if they see you. Cassia, you stay with Andreas*.’
We all nod in agreement, and Cassia moves beside me as we get ready to go through the doors.
Ryna carefully lifts one of the doors, peeking out and looking around to see if it’s safe. I hear him gasp, and then he bursts through the doors. “WE NEED TO GET THE OTHERS HERE! GET THE DOC!” He yells as Athena runs out behind him. The rest of us rush up the stairs but run into the back of Athena, who has stopped in the middle of a dirt field.
I look around in shock at the sight before us. What seems like hundreds of dead, mutilated bodies are strewn everywhere. The smell of blood and death hits me hard, and I turn, vomiting the small amount of food in my stomach.
#
**Athena P.O.V**
I howl loudly, letting the others know there’s trouble, then link Harry. ‘We’re in the middle of the Shadow Rock pack territory outside the pack house. Get everyone here, tell the Doc we need him, and bring the prisoners here.’
I hear howls in response, so I shift and turn to Andreas, who is looking pale and shaking. “Andreas, I need you to focus,” I tell him, my hands on his cheeks as I try to get him to look at me. When his eyes finally focus, he nods, holding my clothes up for me.
“We need to check them and see if anyone is alive,” Andino says in a panic as he and Laskaris rush past us as I dress.
When I’m done, I close my eyes and concentrate, trying to listen for the sound of heartbeats. I hear a faint sound, so Enyo comes forward, amplifying our hearing, and we hear a heartbeat and someone crying.
“QUIET!” I yell, causing the others to stop moving. “I hear something,” I say as I slowly turn, trying to pinpoint where the sound is coming from, and I see a small garden shed near the pack house.
I walk over to it quickly, but quietly and slowly open the door. The small room is dark, and I can see different shapes of garden tools as I look around for the source of the crying. I carefully step inside and crouch down, my eyes adjusting to the dark when I see a small figure huddled in the corner.
“Are you okay?” I ask quietly.
“Don’t kill us!” a girl says with a sob as she tries to shrink smaller into the corner.
“You don’t have to be afraid. I’m here to help you,” I say gently, taking another step forward. “Who is us? I can only see one of you.”
I hear someone behind me, and light moves over the room, stopping on a brown-haired girl no older than five or six. My heart breaks as I move closer to her, realizing she’s hiding something under a blanket.
“Sweetheart, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” I say, holding out my hand to her.
She looks at me, her hazel eyes filled with tears as she sniffs the air. “You’re not from my pack. How do I know you’re not with the bad wolves?” She asks with a sob.
“Young lady, my name is Elder Laskaris, and I’m from the Elder Council. I promise you that you’re not in danger anymore. Alpha Athena is going to help you,” he tells her gently.
“You’re an Alpha?” She asks.
“I am,” I smile at her.
“Do you know where my Mommy is?” She asks as she cries again.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I don’t. Is she the one who hid you in here?” I ask, creeping closer to her.
She nods and seems to relax a little. “She told me I had to be brave and protect George.”
“Who’s George?” I ask.
She slowly moves the blanket, and I have to hold back tears as I see she’s holding a young boy in her arms.
“He’s my brother,” she tells me, and he looks over at us, his thumb in his mouth.
“How old are you both?” Elder Laskaris asks.
“I’m five, and George is two.”
“And what’s your name?” I ask her.
“Grace,” she says shyly.
“That’s a beautiful name, and you're so brave to have taken care of your brother,” I tell her. “Elder Laskaris is going to sit with you for a little while, while I go back outside and make sure it’s safe. Is that okay?”
She nods, and I look at Laskaris. “They need to stay in here until we clear things up. I don’t want them to see,” I say, and he agrees.
“Of course,” he says as he approaches Grace slowly, sitting next to her.
“I’ll get Doc to come and check on them when I can,” I tell him as I stand and walk out, closing the door to ensure the kids can’t see anything.
I fall to my knees in the dirt and sob as I look around. Cassia rushes over to me and kneels in front of me, taking me in her arms as I sob into her shoulder. When I finally calm down, I pull away and wipe my face. “Did you find anyone else alive?” I ask.
She shakes her head sadly. “No. They’re all dead. It looks like the entire pack is here.”
I hear a howl close by, then a moment later, I see Doc Apollo’s wolf come crashing through the nearby tree line, but he skids to a stop when he sees what’s happened. He lets out an angry roar and shifts, then runs over to me.
“What the fuck happened?” He asks.
“We found them like this,” I tell him as I stand. “There are two survivors. Two little kids in there,” I tell him, pointing to the shed. “Elder Laskaris is sitting with them. I told them to stay in there. I didn’t want them to see,” I say, and I realize I’m rambling when he places his hands on my shoulders.
“Take a breath, Alpha,” he says.
I do as he says, then ask, “How far away are the others?” I ask.
“They shouldn’t be long. I took off a head as soon as I heard your howl,” he explains.
“Good. I want to know if Alpha Leon had anything to do with this,” I growl. “This had to have happened tonight. Did he seem off at all? He should have felt this.” I ask Doc.
“He was pissed off, but if it happened while he was with us, he gave nothing away. But this many deaths should have brought him to his knees.”
“Can you check on the kids, please?” I ask, and he nods and walks past me to the shed.
“Are you okay?” Cassia asks as she rubs my arm.
“Where’s Andreas?” I ask, ignoring her question.
“He’s over there,” she says, pointing to him sitting on the ground near the cellar doors, facing away from the carnage. “He hasn’t said anything since we came up from the tunnel. I’m worried.”
I walk over to him and crouch behind him, placing my hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump.
“It’s just me,” I whisper, and I wrap my arms around him from behind, his heart beating quickly under the palm of my hand on his chest. I place my nose in the crook of his neck and inhale deeply, and his scent calms me.
He stops shaking as I hold him, and he takes my hand and places a kiss on my palm. “I’m okay,” he whispers.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
He nods, and we both turn when we hear a truck coming up the road.
“That’s probably Harry and the others,” I say. “Do you want me to get someone to take you back to the pack?”
“No, I’m fine,” he says. “We need to deal with this.”