200
Tony
His words cut through my frustration, a reminder that Matt was still on my side. We headed back outside and followed the scent deeper into the woods. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air.
“Why wouldn’t he want to know if someone had been attacked?” I asked.
“Because he attacked them.”
My gut turned at that thought as I heard something rustling.
“It’s just there,” Matt said, turning his gaze toward the soft rustling sound. “She’s… there.”
“She?”
Then, as if the forest itself was answering me, a soft moan of pain lifted into the air. A single, bloody hand reached out from under the foliage and clawed at the ground like she was dragging her body.
Then, I saw her face.
“Ginevra?”
Her face was marred by blood and dirt. Her hands were bloodied. Her other hand was clutching a dagger that gleamed ominously in the fading light, slick with blood. My heart pounded in my chest. I was shocked. It was clear that she had been attacked, but what struck me most were the scents that clung to her—scents that belonged to members of our pack.
Our father had done this to her, but why?
A mixture of disbelief and fury surged within me as I got to her, kneeling beside her. She flinched at my touch.
“It’s me,” I whispered. “You’re alright.”
There was something about her hairline that seemed off. The colors weren’t right. There was a burn peeking out from her shirt.
“I’ll get—“ Matt broke off as his eyes widened.
“What?” I asked. “Get the healer!”
“We don’t have one,” Matt said.
“What?”
“Dagon and Yvonne left,” Matt said. “A while ago… We haven’t gotten a replacement liaison or healer yet.”
I cursed. This was our father’s fault, too, I knew.
Ginevra made another weak sound, and I hushed her again.
“Save your strength. We’ll get you to the hospital.” I looked at Matt. “Where’s the nearest supernatural hospital?”
Matt shook his head. “In Black Moon.”
“What?” I grit my teeth. “That’s over three hours away!”
His eyes fluttered closed. “I know.”
My mind raced, searching for a solution, but it was blank. My eyes flicked to Matt. His expression was conflicted. He was so pale. His eyes were guarded, haunted, and warring. I narrowed my eyes at him.
“What is it?” I asked. “If you know something, say it.”
He firmed his jaw, clenched his hands at his sides, and said nothing. There was something he wasn't telling me, something that seemed to be weighing heavily on his mind.
“Matt, this isn’t the time for secrets!”
As the moon began to rise, casting an eerie glow over the forest, I could see the conflict in his eyes. Then, he seemingly made up his mind and came forward. He reached out to touch her. He went still as he stared at Ginevra. The shock and disbelief on his face sent a jolt of alarm through me.
“What is it?”
Before Matt could answer, his actions spoke louder than his words. He shuffled around to gather her in his arms, stripping off his jacket. This close, I could see the dark circles under his eyes. There was the faint scent of something else on him that I couldn’t place.
He wrapped Ginevra in his jacket and lifted her.
“I’ll take her.”
“It’s still over three hours away,” I said. “You won’t ma—“
He didn’t listen to me as he headed back towards the house. I followed quickly behind him, and then he stopped, and I caught sight of why.
Our father was standing at the edge of the clearing behind the house. The rest of the pack was around as well. He stood naked, bathed in moonlight. A few of the others were smeared with blood with slowly healing wounds that looked like they had come from Ginevra’s dagger. Why hadn’t they healed yet?
Was her dagger made of silver? His eyes were wild and glowing red. There was a sinister air about him that was nothing but chilling. He regarded us with a cold smile, his eyes gleaming with a sinister intent.
“She’s going to die, Tony,” he said. His voice was cold and direct.
“We still have time to get her to the hospital,” I said.
“Not if I have any say about it,” he said.
Frustration surged within me, threatening to boil over. Ginevra's life hung in the balance, and yet our father seemed more interested in playing his own twisted games. My muscles tensed, my jaw clenched, and I wished I could mind link with Matt and come up with some sort of plan.
He tightened his grip on Ginevra and said nothing. I felt the moments ticking by.
“Don’t bother,” he said lightly. “Neither of you are strong enough to take me on and make it all the way inside.”
He smirked. “Not even together.”
The moonlight cast an eerie glow on his face, making it more monstrous. My breath caught as I looked into his eyes. He was unhinged. He looked like a creature consumed by madness. The sinister grin that twisted his lips sent shivers down my spine, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were facing something truly malevolent.
“So you’re going to have to make a choice, Tony.”
Oren's words echoed in the air, chilling me to the core. The meaning behind it made my stomach turn. As I gazed into his eyes, I realized that this was a calculated move, a dangerous game meant to force my hand. Either I would turn Ginevra, or she would die.
I looked at Ginevra in Matt’s arms and then around the pack. They were all standing there silent and watching, waiting for an order. Matt twitched. Our father’s gaze darted to him.
I approached Matt and saw the war on his face.
“Give her to me,” I said. “I know enough first aid.”
Matt’s jaw worked, but he lowered her to the ground and opened her jacket. I tried to check the wounds. She was bleeding so much. There was something off about the scent of her blood, but I did my best to staunch the bleeding.
Her eyes stared up into the sky, dazed and unfocused.
“I’m not going to let you try to make that choice,” Matt said.
I met his gaze, touched by the words and the care in his eyes.
Oren’s laughter shook the air. “You? You’re not even strong enough to try to turn someone, not even on a full moon!”
He cackled. I frowned and turned back to look at him. His sadistic glee was on full display.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“He’s not a real Blue Moon wolf,” Oren grinned. “He’s barely an alpha.”
The words sent shockwaves through me. A surge of anger and defiance rose within me as I looked back at Matt, but I was struck by the look on Matt’s face. He didn’t look surprised by the revelation, not as much as I thought he should.
Had he already known? How long? If he wasn’t a real Blue Moon wolf, then what was he?
By extension, what was I?
As Oren's sinister laughter echoed in the night, my mind went blank. I felt adrift, lost, and uncertain. What was I supposed to do?
Then, Ginevra’s hand tightened in my shirt and yanked me around and down. Her eyes were hazy, struggling to focus on my face.
“Which… twin are you?” She croaked.
“It’s me, Tony.”
“Prick,” she said through gritted teeth. Her teeth were slick with blood, glistening in the eerie glow of moonlight streaming down above us. “You take care of my Quill’.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
She growled at me, low and challenging. Something stirred in me that left me breathless and wanting.
“You take care of my baby,” she choked. Her eyes filled with tears. “He wants for nothing, you rich bastard, do you understand?”
Her eyes were hard and hopeless. Fierce and completely focused on me with what seemed to be the very last of her strength.
“Promise me,” she said.
“You’re going to be fine,” I murmured, my voice laced with concern as I cradled her. "Stay with me. We'll get you help."
She jerked me forward. “Promise me!”
A soft sniffle escaped her. Her eyes told me what I didn’t want to admit.
I didn’t have a choice. The strength she had on my shirt was fading.
"Tony," she rasped. The sound of my name on her lips shook me. "Promise me."
I opened my mouth to protest, to assure her that she was going to be fine again, but the words caught in my throat as she continued to speak, revealing a truth that struck me like a lightning bolt.
"I only had a few weeks left anyway," Ginevra confessed, her voice barely audible.
“What?” I asked. “But you—You’re—“
"Cancer...” she whispered. “The doctors said I was lucky to have him, lucky to be able to take him to his first day of kindergarten.”
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