Chapter 30

Silence.

More silence.

And then more and more and more…

The world was still as if the whole cosmos was holding its breath. The only sound was the muffled tick-tock of the grandfather clock and the heavy thug of Dagmar's heart. Her eyes remained riveted to the body before her, waiting with bated breath for something to happen. But there was only silence.

She felt the dark fingers of doubt starting to curl around her resolve, looking for cracks in her confidence and rare optimism. She had done this ritual enough times now to know she had made no mistake and yet here she was, doubting her abilities while Kade lay motionless on the couch. Not a single wound had been knitted together. There was no pulse twitching on his neck and no air escaping his nose. There was nothing but silence and doubt.

Had he been dead for too long? Or did he not want to come back and somehow resisted the pull of the spells? Just because the spell worked didn't mean that every attempt was successful. Necromancy was no easy task which was why few were well versed in it and even then the few who would be considered the elite had a thirty percent success rate at best.

"Damnit child!" Dagmar huffed, feeling the tremble in her limbs as she grabbed for the tome again. "Why is nothing ever easy with you!"

Just then Kade burst to life.

"Ah finally." Dagmar growled above his prone body. "It's about time you woke up. There's work to do."

Kade jerked into a sitting position as his lungs dragged in the air hungrily. The silver discs on his eyes went flying and the piece of skull that had been under Kade's deformed head now toppled onto the floor spilling its contents everywhere. He looked ridiculous with his hair stuck up all over the place and his skin covered in paint but he was alive and that was all Dagmar cared about.

"Oh goddess, what did you do to me?" He growled.

"Brought you back to life." Dagmar replied sharply, moving to sit in her usual seat. "That pain in your head in your body repairing itself after having a bullet shot through it at point blank range."

Kade groaned, elbows resting on his thighs and hands pushed into his thick dark hair. The back of his head was already fully formed and fresh skin covered the new bone. Hair would cover the area by dawn but for now he looked like he tried to take on a barber with the jitters and lost.

"Why am I not dead?" He finally looked at the old witch with her dark grey hair and mean eyes.

If only he knew of the storm of relief crashing through Dagmar then he'd realise that She was far from angry.

"Because for whatever reason the gods have spoken and it's not your time to leave this world." Dagmar replied, finding her half empty packet of cigarettes and lighting one. "And when the gods speak, I listen. Now, you need to replenish yourself. Food, water, rest. You've been dead for several days."

Kade nodded softly, avoiding moving his throbbing head too much. He appeared to be taking the advice seriously but then she saw the flash in his eyes as realisation kicked in.

"I need to warn the pack." He snarled, looking around for his belongings.

The male was up in a flash, grabbing his shirt and phone on the back of the couch he was on but jacket was nowhere to be seen. Dagmar knew the boy was trying to call his Alpha probably to warn him of that nasty snake hiding amongst the pack. She didn't try to stop Kade but she knew it was too late. Kade had been gone for a few days now and a lot had happened in that time.

"Let me guess, his majesty isn't answering?" Dagmar mocked. "It's already begun. If you had woken up sooner, then you could have called before that snake had gotten to him."

Kade cursed, chucking his phone on the table before tugging at his hair.

"Where's my bike?" The beta finally asked.

"The police have it." Dagmar replied, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "Kade, don't you dare go anywhere. You're still recovering and this isn't your fight."

"Then why bring me back to life if I'm not meant to help my pack?"

"Because your mate needs you!" Dagmar hissed. "You should be focusing on finding her!"

"Sorry Dagmar but I've made up my mind." Kade growled. "I need to help the pack."

Dagmar wasn't surprised by Kade's decision but that didn't stop the sense of disappointment that filled her. There were much bigger issues at play but Kade still insisted on putting his pack first. All Dagmar could do was watch as Kade ran for the door, bursting into Legion's ghostly form before his feet touched the earth. He was off like a wraith over the range, disappearing into the darkness and just like that Kade once again disappeared.

The witch didn't move until she had finished her cigarette. Stubbing the butt out in the old glass ashtray, she pushed herself to her feet and grabbed her phone.

Lucien answered after the third ring.

"He's back." Dagmar stated. "Still as stupid as ever but he will be ready for whatever comes next."

"I'm glad." Lucien replied sounding cordial. "I knew you were the right person for the job."

"Hm, don't flatter me. I still don't trust you." Dagmar grumbled. "Oh and one more thing. If you hurt him or that mate of his I'll raise hell itself to find you and destroy you and I will not be merciful."

And with that, Dagmar hung up, ending her brief relationship with the fallen angel.

---

Legion cut across the terrain like a bullet, his paws barely touching the mossy wet earth as he made his way towards the pack. Every fibre in him was telling him to go back to his mate but his pack needed him too and they were in imminent danger. Just the thought of that blonde haired piece of shit being in their midst was enough to push Legion to go faster. He was baying for blood. He wanted to feel the give of flesh between his teeth as hot blood sprayed into his mouth.

He assumed the bastard would carry out his nasty deeds at the heart of the pack so he was surprised when he caught the scent of a rogue about five miles out near an abandoned car workshop. It could be nothing to do with what was really going on but Legion knew that it'd be negligent not to check it out.

So the grey wolf continued through thickets and copse of trees like a wraith in the night. He was silent save for the huff of air leaving his lungs in steady pants. The sweet earthy scent of the land did nothing to mask the scent of banished wolves and blood though and Legion followed it like a shark smelling blood in the ocean.

The first rogue didn't even see Legion coming. The middle aged man resembled a drug addict which could have explained the slow reactions. Legion was on him in a flash, his jaws clamping down around the male's throat and ripping. The give of flesh followed by the burst of hot coppery blood filling his maw like a damn bursting was like a sweet drug to the vicious wolf. He relished in the kill, flinging the lifeless body away like a rag doll before going on the hunt for his next victim.

He caught Daniel's and Eva's scents the closer he got to the old workshop. The alabaster glow of the moonlight had Legion's pelt shining like silver as he darted through the trees towards his friends. Two more rogues fell victim to his blood lust before he finally burst through the brush and into the old lot.

*Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill them all. Protect the pack.*

The chanting wasn’t a string of thoughts so much as it was a notion. It was a wave of urges pulsing through the very fibre of the wolf, pushing him forward, blood coating his silver fur like war paint. Legion took in nothing about his surroundings except the scent of his friends and the scent of a slippery snake who deserved to be torn apart.

*Kill the bastard!*

A deafening snarl left Legion as he lept again, this time slamming his humongous body into Daniel’s. It was enough to send Eva flying one way and Daniel enough. The air instantly exploded in a series of roars and snarls as Legion and a half shifted Daniel scrapped. He wolf dodged a swipe from an enraged Daniel before clamping his jaws around the Alpha’s left calf and pulling sharply. The pain and sudden movement forced Daniel to fall forward, his nose meeting the ground with a crunch.

The grey beast stepped away panting, turning to face Eva who was staring at him wide eyed. Kade took control then and the wolf transformed into a very naked and bruised Kade.

“Kade?” Eva gasped.

“Hey Kiddo,” Kade nodded once flashing his signature cocky smile. “I’ll explain later. You go find that fucker and make him pay. I’ll hold Daniel off.”

Before either of them could utter another word to each other, Daniel was up, howling in rage as his claws swiped at Kade blindly, blood pouring from his broken nose making him look even more savage. Kade just about dodged the attack, quickly shifting again and propelling himself off of his powerful back legs to lunge at Daniel just as the Alpha shifted as well. The sounds of snarling and snapping quickly filled the air as Hades and Legion fought, the earth shuddering as two great forces came together in a flurry of teeth and claws.

Despite being poisoned, Daniel’s wolf, Hades, was giving a good fight and got a few good swipes in but Legion had the advantage of being sober and took each hit in his stride. He was able to overpower Hades, pinning the giant black wolf to the floor so he was forced to shift back into Daniel’s form to get any leverage. It was exactly what Legion wanted and took the shove to his ribcage in his stride. As he landed, he shifted, Kade’s hands grabbing the large rusted chains hanging from the beams above. He had enough time to get a good grip before Daniel was on him, roaring in pure rage. He wasn’t sure exactly how he did it but Kade managed to get the chains around Daniel’s arms, tangling them up in the metal links until Daniel could barely move.

“Sorry mate, but this is for your own good.” Kade muttered, stepping away from his best friend.

Daniel just let out a snarl, stormy blue eyes almost black with anger. It was Daniel though. Daniel was much more rational. He was the calm one of the pair. He was a leader by title and by example so this blinding rage wasn’t Daniel and Kade knew it. He just hoped that there would be no ill-feelings between them when he sobered up.

The moment Daniel sensed Eva’s presence he snarled, thrashing against his restraints to try and get to his mate. Kade glanced up, a small sense of relief washing through him as he realised That it was over. Eva was fine albeit looking very sore.

“You shouldn’t be in here kiddo, he’s far from recovered.” Kade spoke up ignoring the threatening growl Daniel sent his way.

“He’s not going to recover.” Eva replied.”The poison won’t wear off. It’ll kill him.”

“Shit.” Kade muttered, standing up, pale skin glowing in the silvery moonlight. “I could contact Dagmar and see if she can find a cure…”

“There’s no time.” Eva cut him off. “The only other way is for us to complete the marking process.”

“Here?!” Kade asked incredulously. “Eva, come on this is not how you want that to happen right? This is a sacred tradition. You should be doing this in some romantic setting not some dirty old building after you had just been kidnapped.”

“I know that but I don’t know how long Daniel has and if I don’t do this I could lose him.” Eva pointed out. “I want to do it.”

Kade wasn’t happy with the decision, his silver eyes flicking to his best friend who simply snarled at him like a wild beast. Eva was right though, Daniel would die and Kade had seen enough death. Sighing, he nodded in agreement, looking back at Eva with a sardonic look on his face.

“Okay.” He nodded again before pointing to the wall where the chains holding Daniel in place were fed into a pulley system. “When you’re ready, just move the lever to the unlocked position. That’ll loosen the chains and set him free.”

“Thank you Kade.” Eva smiled sadly. “And it’s good to have you back.”

“I know.” He gave a crooked smile and started towards the exit. “Oh and tell him I’m going to kick his ass if he hurts you.”

As he made his way towards the yard he could hear the chattering movement of his pack as they looked to secure the area. The cold air sent a chill through his naked body, eyes immediately going to the lifeless form of Ethan on the ground. His neck was at an odd angle and his muddy brown eyes empty. There would be no witch coming to resurrect him. Kade would be surprised if he even got a formal burial but that wasn’t Kade’s problem. The bastard was dead and the pack was safe. Now Ethan could focus on getting back to his mate.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a pair of basketball shorts being chucked at his head. Grumbling, he pulled them away, glancing at Duncan, one of Eva’s best friends and lead warrior for Silver-Moon.

“I thought I was seeing a ghost.” Duncan teased. “I thought you were dead.”

“I was.” Kade replied, slipping the shorts on. “But apparently there’s no rest for the wicked.”