The Last Spirit Wolf (Elena Norwood)

-Vera-

Once the vision is done, I open my eyes and stare at Alpha Silas.

He's shaking, and so am I.

Reliving that vision was a hundred times worse than last time since I already knew how it ended, but for him, seeing his daughter like that... After a few minutes, Alpha Silas hasn't reacted; he hasn't said word. He hasn't even blinked.

"Alpha... Alpha Silas?" I ask with a soft voice.

He finally reacts, looking at me and blinking once, before collapsing.

Shit.

*Sofia. Sofia, please tell me you're awake.*

*Of course, did you find it?*

*No. Alpha Silas found me.*

*Where are you?*

*I'm still down here! He passed out.*

*What do you mean he passed out?!*

*I don't know, just come down here and help me!*

A few minutes go by when I hear someone descending the stairs.

"Oh, Goddess," Sofia says, rushing towards us.

She checks his pulse and pupils.

"Do you honestly think I didn't do that already?" I ask her.

"Then I don't know what you want me to do! What was he even doing here?"

"Looking for me! He must've heard me or seen the door open."

We both turn our heads in the direction of the stairs, hearing footsteps approaching.

Dr. Owens peeks his head through the door, his eyes landing on us and then on Alpha Silas. His eyes widen.

"Oh, Goddess, you weren't lying." he says, approaching us.

He also checks for his pulse and pupils, much to my annoyance.

"We're wasting time, we have to get out of here!" I whisper to both of them.

"We can't move him, what if it's a concussion?" Dr. Owens asks, as if I don't know this already.

"It's not, I caught his head before he fell to the ground." I explain.

"A seizure then?" He asks, still checking him for a response.

"No! He just... collapsed."

"Vera, what happened, exactly?" Sofia says, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Well..." I say, not really wanting to explain what I just put this man through.

"Vera..." Dr. Owens warns.

They both turn their attention towards me and I gulp.

"Okay, okay! But I just wanna say, before I start, that this whole thing was an accident."

I explain to both of them what happened. How I had a vision of Alpha Samael and Ellie Goldmoon back at the pack house and how she wasn't kidnapped by lycans, but rather ran away from her monster of a husband. And he saw everything.

He saw her playing her flute and singing in that wrecked rooftop, only to be followed by the brutal abuse at the hands of Alpha Samael.

Both Sofia and Dr. Owens stare at me with their mouths open.

"So, magic was used here. Meaning we have no idea when he might wake up." Sofia says.

"Or even *if he wakes up," Dr. Owens says.

"What do you mean?" Sofia asks.

"It means that I have no idea if he's under a spell or... just passed out from the experience...I just... I don't know. I'm way over my head here," Dr. Owens says.

"He was also really drunk," I tell them, "maybe, we can pass it off as if we found him like this? Either way, we have to get him out of here."

"Agreed," Sofia says.

Now that it's been established that he doesn't have a concussion, we carry him up the stairs; Sofia and I hold his shoulders and large frame while Dr. Owens holds his feet. We are very mindful to be gentle. Once we are at the top of the stairs, Dr. Owens gently lays his feet on the ground while he opens the door, checking if there's anyone out there.

The coast is clear and we make it outside, shutting the door to the archive room.

"Okay, where can we put him?" I ask.

*Someplace believable,* Dr. Owens says.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

*I mean he was drunk, all drunks end up in the kitchen at some point, no?* Sofia says.

"Good idea, let's hurry, Dr. Owens says.

We pick him up once more and hurriedly make our way to the kitchen; thankfully it's close by. This man is very heavy.

Once there, we enter the kitchen and place him on the floor.

*Ok, now, Dr. Owens, return to your room, we'll give you some time. Vera, act panicked. I'll call for the guards.*

Both Dr. Owens and I nod. He takes off, and once he's had a few minutes of head start, Sofia calls for the guards. "Guards!" She yells, "Guards!"

In a few minutes, guards are entering the kitchen, frantic.

"We found Alpha Silas collapsed on the kitchen! Call Alpha Elliot!"

One of the guards comes over to check Alpha Silas's pulse, while the other mind links Elliot.

In a few more minutes, Elliot is entering the kitchen with Alpha Samael close behind.

What the hell are they doing together so late?

"What happened?!" he says, running to his grandfather.

"We found him like this, collapsed." I explain, "his pulse is stable, his pupils have a normal response, there's nothing visibly wrong with him. I suggest we take him to his room to lay on his bed, there we can assess his condition better." Elliot looks at me, frowning.

"Vera is a doctor," Sofia explains, "she's the head of the clinic back home."

Elliot nods at the guards who proceed to lift Alpha Silas and carry him up to his room.

Sofia, Elliot, Samael, and I follow closely behind.

As if the situation wasn't stressful enough, having Alpha Samael here makes me even more anxious. I can tell he's observing us closely.

Once we reach Alpha Silas's room, I enter behind the guards.

"Alpha Sofia, please call Dr. Owens, he should bring an oximeter and a stethoscope, just to make sure Alpha Silas's vitals are okay."

Sofia nods, her eyes glazing over as she calls Dr. Owens.

"What do you think happened to him?" Elliot asks me.

"I'm afraid there's no way to know."

"What were you two doing in the kitchen at this hour?" Alpha Samael asks bluntly, observing us as he leans on the door frame.

I stay silent, focused on my patient; anything to avoid that man.

"I should report to you now, Alpha Samael?" Sofia asks, indignant, "I thought we were guests in this House, not prisoners," she says.

"Of course, you are guests," Alpha Elliot responds, throwing Alpha Samael an annoyed look.

Dr. Owens comes rushing through the door, faking surprise.

"What happened?" he asks as he comes close to me, handing me the oximeter.

"We don't know, we found him on the floor, unresponsive," I explain.

We both get to work, checking his vitals, his blood pressure, his oxygen levels, etc.

After we are done, we remove all the gadgets from Alpha Silas and sit back.

"And?" Alpha Elliot asks.

"There's nothing evidently wrong with him. His oxygen levels are stable, his heart beat and blood pressure, too," he hesitates, "but maybe..." "But maybe what?" Alpha Elliot asks.

Dr. Owens looks at me and Sofia, then his eyes land on Alpha Samael.

"I really don't think I should say, this is a delicate matter," Dr. Owens says.

"Anything you can say to me, you can say to Alpha Samael as well," he says.

Dr. Owens clears his throat.

"Well, Alpha Silas smells like alcohol. We will know more when he wakes up, of course, but it could explain his state."

"Are you telling me he's drunk?" Alpha Elliot asks in disbelief, coming closer to his grandfather to verify Dr. Owens's claim.

He sniffs him once, his nose wrinkling.

"He smells like the whole fucking barrel," he says with disdain, turning away and leaving.

Alpha Samael takes one last look at all of us, his eyes narrowed. To my relief, however, he turns around and leaves behind Alpha Elliot.

*What do you think that was about?* I ask Sofia.

*I don't know, but I don't like it. Stay with Alpha Silas, I'll tell Elliot we're just being cautious by leaving a doctor with him. Hopefully he wakes up soon and doesn't remember a thing.*

*I can take the first shift if you'd like to go rest,* Dr. Owens offers.

"It's okay, I tell him, "I won't be getting much sleep anyway.*

*Did you find it?* Sofia finally asks me.

I shake my head slowly, not meeting her gaze.

"I'm sorry," she says.

*We did our best, thank you,* I tell her.

Sofia and Dr. Owens turn to leave, leaving me behind with Alpha Silas.

Looking around, I grab a chair and bring it to his side.

He's sleeping peacefully, his chest moving up and down slowly. I check his pulse and pupil response one more time, just to be sure nothing has changed.

Then, feeling completely defeated, I put my face on my hands and take a deep breath.

What am I going to do now?