Chapter 24

**Jinx Willow's P.O.V.**

I stand in the pack hospital with the four other Gaia's, the Elder's, and Derric and his family. Pierce is leaned against the wall, staring at me.

"Gaia," Damien says "Lindsey and Vincent are here."

"Gaia," Vincent says "Is it true?"

"It's true," Derric says, making Vincent and Lindsey look at him "Your daughter is here."

A loud snarl rips through the hospital, making the walls shake.

"Uh," A pack nurse says "Gaia, we need you to come and calm her. We're unable to properly check her for injuries. She's combative."

I get up, walking into the room. She immediately stills, her head bowing.

"You're safe," I say softly, standing next to her "The nurse's just want to check you for injuries, okay? Then, we'll take you to your parents."

"They're here," She says, her eyes snapping up to mine "Really? They're not mad at me? They don't hate me?"

I shake my head.

"No," I say softly "Why would they ever hate you?"

Hannah's eyes fill with tears.

"I killed people," Hannah says quietly "Why wouldn't they hate me?"

"You're a hellhound," I say softly "Who had your first transformation while running from people trying to hurt you. Your parents didn't have the time to teach you to control yourself, nor did they have the time to help you stop."

Hannah nods.

"I'll go get them," I say softly "Your mom is stuck in wolf form right now but in a couple of days, once her wolf has calmed down knowing that you're close, I'll work on getting her to transform back."

Hannah nods. I walk out of her room, walking over to Vincent, who has his head in his hands, and Lindsey, who is staring at the door between them and their pup.

"Lindsey," I say softly "Vincent."

Everyone looks up, looking to me.

"She's scared," I say softly "She's killed some people, since she didn't have an adult around, and she does have some minor injuries, but so far, she's okay. You ready to see your pup?"

Vincent's shoulders slouch and he nods, standing up. He puts his hand on Lindsey's head while they follow me. I open the door, stepping inside and letting them in, closing the door. I stand by the door while Vincent hugs their daughter, his wolf's anxiety easing. Lindsey sits beside them, her own wolf calming down but staying alert. I exit the room, opting to give them space to reunite.

"How is she," Derric says "How bad is it?"

"I'm giving them space to reunite," I say "And to calm down their wolves. She's traumatized, both from what she's gone through and from the kills she's made because she didn't have an adult to train her."

Derric nods.

"We'll get a female down here to meet her so she can begin training," Derric says "But my real question is...if the two of those kids were snatched by these hunters...how did they get away?"

"That's the million dollar question," I say "Especially since the hunters, we know, are using hellfire, which can keep a hellhound down and unconscious for as long as wolfsbane can keep down a werewolf."

"So," Derric says "What do we do here, Jinx?"

"We wait," I say "We give Lindsey and Vincent time with their pup before we speak with her to find out how she escaped. In the meantime, we figure out how they're hiding hundreds of hellhounds and lycans."

They all nod and we exit, leaving two lycans guarding the door of Lindset and Vincent's pup.

"Jinx," Derric says later as we sit in his office "How do you change a bloodhound back into their human form?"

"A ceremony," I say softly "If you'd like, the pack can watch. Normally, considering the anxious nature of a bloodhound, it's not recommended but seeing as Lindsey should be calm enough in a few days...everyone should be permitted to watch so they can see for themselves what happens."

"Okay," Derric says "What do you have to do during it?"

"Well," I say "I'll start off with one. We'll be in front of everyone. I'll say the ceremonial oath, make a cut on my hand and drop the blood into a bowl, Lindsey will have to drink it, and from there, it's a waiting game. It will take time for it to happen and it can take hours."

Derric nods.

"So," Derric says "How long has it lasted before?"

"It depends on the person," I say softly "It can take up to weeks for it to actually happen and transform them back into their human."

"So," Derric says "Even though their daughter is back, safe and sound, it can still take weeks before Lindsey's back to normal."

"It's not a simple ceremony," I say "It sounds simple, yes, but it's not. When a bloodhound shifts back for the first time, it's excruciating pain and I'm going to feel every single bit of it."

Derric growls lowly.

"Jinx," Derric says "Is there no way to make it less painful?"

"The transformation to a bloodhound in its own is painful," I say softly "It's brought on by an intense agony brought on by the loss of a child, a mate, or something intensely important to them. To free a bloodhound, I have to take that pain out of them, take it into myself. There's no way for it to be less painful."

Derric nods.

"So," Derric says "What are we going to do to keep my wolf in check?"

"It won't be just yours going insane," I say softly "All hellhounds, bloodhounds, and hounds, they're going to be on edge and worried when the pain starts. Everyone's going to want to protect me, Derric."