Monday, August 12th Pt. 5
It took half an hour of steady work to get Cole’s bleeding to stop but in the end Darius was able to release him into my care. He has slept the majority of the two hours it’s taken me to drive us home. I’ve only stopped twice for my own bathroom needs. Somehow Cole has managed to wake up enough to walk me to the bathroom, wait outside the door and escort me back to the car. I didn’t realize until that first stop how much what happened affected me. Despite his significant injuries he’s been more than understanding.
I pull off the main road, we only have fifteen minutes left before we reach the house.
‘Mav?’ I reach out to my older brother, twin and best friend.
‘You’re almost here?’ He sounds worried.
‘Yes. He needs help Mav. Taking on four wolves when his own is dormant could have killed him.’
‘I told you I would take care of him. Don’t sound so nervous about bringing him home.’ He chuckles in the background.
‘He’s different Mav. The only way Darius and I could get his cooperation was to pin him down yet treat him like a child. Although me laying on top of him isn’t much of a pin.’
Now I’m the one chuckling.
‘We have helped plenty of strays. I’m certain I can figure Cole out enough that we can help him. When you say you had to treat him like a child, what exactly do you mean?’
‘Darius had to break down each step just before he did it and it took a lot of encouragement to keep him calm. It was very difficult for him to allow what little first aid Darius gave him. It’s not you that I’m afraid of him meeting.’ I finally confess.
‘I see your lights in the driveway. We will work this out.’
He promises me gently as I wind my way up the driveway of our childhood home. While mom and dad never supported Alpha Draven when he took control of the pack twenty years ago they stayed on as doctors when he didn’t force them to attend the coronation.
As skilled doctors, Alpha Draven was at least smart enough to recognize talent when he saw it. He decided it was far better to build us a house just outside his territory and allow us to live peacefully as rogues working within the pack than to lose them completely. Maverick’s immense intellect resulted in him finishing normal school by twelve and was a fully licensed doctor by the time he was twenty. Our parents made it long enough to see him graduate before succumbing to an unknown illness that ravaged the pack. Everyone got the virus. The surprise was how many we lost from it. The death rate for those over seventy and those under two was exceptionally high at twenty-five percent. Everyone else seemed to be around one percent but both our parents became part of that statistic. It took a lot from Alpha Draven to get Maverick to agree to stay but here we are eight years later, living in a renovated, double the size home just outside the territory.
I can see Maverick as I pull up waiting just inside the screen door. It’s only as I come to a stop that he steps outside, greeting me at my door. I throw my arms around him, needing the strength of his warm embrace to help melt the helplessness I felt when that gang attacked. Why now is the time to fall apart I don’t know but here it is.
We hold each other tightly for several minutes without speaking a word. It’s only as Cole starts to stir from the lack of vibrations coming from the car that we break apart. Maverick heads to the passenger side of the car while I deal with the packages in the trunk.
“Hey there bud.” I hear him greet cheerfully. “My name is Maverick. I’m Melissa’s twin brother. She told me that you were quite the protector this evening. I’m going to help you get out of the car but it’s important that you tell me how you are hurt. You took a nasty beating and I’d like moving you to hurt the least that we can.”
“If you help me stand, I think I can do the rest.” I can hear Cole speak softly.
“What’s your name?”
“Colton, but Cole feels more familiar.”
“Okay, Cole. Let’s start with getting the seatbelt off and turning you in the seat so your feet touch the ground.”
Cole is sitting on the edge of his seat by the time I start walking by taking several bags into the house. By the time I return to get the last of the items from the trunk Maverick has Cole standing even if it is with a bit of stabilization in the form of Mav’s hands on Cole’s hips.
“Very good. Now I’m going to step back as you step forward. Once I feel you’re keeping your balance I’ll let you go. There’s five steps to get up on the deck. I want you to stop five feet from the steps so I can get up there and help you to the door.”
Cole nods in agreement as they slowly start walking away from the car. Mav slowly moves so that he’s behind Cole for a few steps before letting him go completely.
“Have you got the rest?” He asks me as I shut the trunk.
“If you don’t mind taking his bag I’ve got the rest.”
He reaches his hand out as I stumble forward. He catches me easily.
“You didn’t tell him, did you?” I shake my head.
“He admitted to having a dormant wolf and couldn’t shift. To my luck, the werewolf officers with us explained that there was no shifting in the city. I simply stated I was useless without shifting.”
“You know being a non-shifting alpha is why they targeted you.”
I nod as he takes Cole’s bag from my hands.
“It’s very rare for an alpha to not receive a wolf. They could have sold you to a mateless alpha for the sole purpose of providing him an heir.”
“Mav please today has been hard enough without a lecture. They were caught, eight of them in total. If there’s more they hope to get those who have been captured to talk. As much as I enjoyed shopping in that city, I won't be returning.”
Tears have started streaming down my face as the full weight of what happened hits me.
“I’m sorry.” Maverick attempts to console me while looking to see how far Cole has made it. “Let’s start heading inside. I’m certain your protector is in need of a nice shower.”
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