And Then There Were Four
Chapter 70

Three days. It's been three days since we arrived back at the pack and Talon was still out of it. Damian had the pack doctor long ago pull Talon from sedation, but with the effects of the poisoning, it was hard to bring him back. Or at least that is what they kept telling me.

Standing beneath the hot cascading water of my shower, I tried to wash away all of my misery. My heart was shattered upon hearing that we may have been too late to save him. His mind was so far gone that the doctors didn't know if forcing a fix would be good. I knew what they were telling me was true, but at the same time, I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to hear them tell me that someone I cared about might never come back to me.

"Ivy?" Damians" voice called softly while knocking on the bathroom door. "Are you okay?"

Laughter escaped me in a maniacal way, "are you seriously asking me that?" Reaching up, I twisted the shower knobs, turned off the water, and slowly opened the glass shower door. "I'm broken, Damian."

He stared at me with a blank expression, as if he had never had someone explain to him that they were hurt. Damian was a different kind of man, and every day I spent with him, I was reminded that things between him and I were far from normal.

He could be sweet and gentle. There were also moments when he made my heart flutter, and he excited me. But most of the time, he was cold and indifferent.

I didn't understand what was going through his mind, but I was sure that one day I would understand. There was just too much to figure out and only time would be able to tell me everything. Time right now I didn't have to give to him.

"I'm sorry about Talon," Damian finally said as I pushed past him into my room to get dressed. A hollow pit formed in my chest hearing Talon's name, and once again tears began to form.

"Did they say what poison it was yet?" I asked, trying to maintain my composure.

"The results of the test should be available today. Hale is there with him now, and James is looking into leads that will tell us who is behind it."

It was comforting to know that everyone was doing something to figure out what happened, but at the same time I already had a feeling I knew who it was.

"I think it was Allison," I said with a heavy breath. "I think she did this, Damian."

Pulling my shirt over my head, I turned to face him now in a t-shirt and shorts. His eyes lingered over me for a moment, and as much as I would have loved to have him ravish me right now, I couldn't even come to think of doing things like that. "Kate told me that was your thoughts. However, we can't just go accusing her until we have information to peg her with it."

Like that was going to happen. If Allison did have something to do with it she wouldn't leave a trace behind to track that it was her. It was frustrating, but I had to have faith something would bring light to the truth.

"Okay." The soft reply that escaped my l!ps seemed to surprise him. His brow raised slightly as he stared at me, and quickly! broke the gaze we held.

"Okay?" He asked with curiosity. "You're not going to fight me on this?"

Shaking my head, I chuckled, "no Damian. You're right we can't just go around accusing people. We need to make sure that we have solid information against her or whoever did it. I don't want to give them a reason to get away with it." Voices outside my bedroom door caused Damian and I to halt our conversation before James and Kate entered the room. "James..."

"Oh, sorry, did we interrupt something?" Kate asked, looking between Damian and I with an apologetic glance.

"No, no. He was just filling me in on Talon."

"Oh, good," James smiled, clasping his hands together, that's why we're here."

Damian gave him a look of question, and James didn't miss a beat when it came to elaborating, "Talon's results are in... and he is awake.

A gasp of relief followed with tears burst from me as I pushed past them all and took off running down the stairs from the pack house. The clinic was only down the hill and I didn't hesitate to run there as fast as my legs could take me. This is what I had been waiting for, for days. Talon was awake, and I had to be there.

Pushing through the clinic doors, I ran down the hallways towards his room. Nurses stepped to the side with a gasp as I flew past them and turned the corner, watching as a doctor stepped from his room and his gaze connected with mine. "Luna..." he said addressing me by a title I hadn't been called by anyone before. "I was just going to get a few things before you got here."

"He's awake? Did you replace out what is hurting him.-. is it the Bella Donna?"

My words flew from my mouth as I rambled on. My hands trembling, and my heart was racing, wanting to know if we were able to

save him. If we got to him, in time before, there was any permanent damage.

Nodding, the doctor's eyes softened a little, "yes you were right, Luna. It was Bella Donna. However, with the amount in his system and some of the damage we could already tell had been there... someone has been poisoning him long before the bond broke." My heart shattered into a million pieces as I fought back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Do we know how long?"

The sounds of echoing footsteps approaching me caught my attention, and without looking, I already knew who it was. James, Hale, and Damian stood at my side, waiting for the same response I was.

*Answer her," Damian said through tight l!ps as I waited patiently. "How long?"

"Three to four months at least. I honestly don't know how he has been able to fight it this long. It's a miracle, honestly."

Standing dazed, I processed the information, "so around the time I got here it started."

"If that fits the timeline Luna then yes, but honestly, I think it started before that," he replied with a frown. "I'm going to get his next injection. If you would like to go in, then please feel free however do remember he is still restrained." My eyes shot up, and I quickly turned to look at the guys with shock. "Restrained? Why is Talon restrained?"

"Ivy-" James said with a sad glance that drove anger through me.

"It's for everyone's protection." Damian quickly interjected. "I need to make sure that our people are not hurt if he has another episode."

"Episode? What are you talking about? This is Talon. Your brother and my mate. This isn't right." As much as they may have wanted me to understand, there was no way that I could. Talon the man I knew would never purposely hurt anyone. He was laying there sick, and they had him tied up like a criminal seeking blood.

Turning from them, I stormed into Talon's room and shut the door behind me. I didn't want them present right now, because my focus couldn't be on anger.

My focus was on Talon and seeing him after so much time away.

Stepping into the dim lighting of the room, my eyes laid upon his still form covered in white sheets. His wrists and ankles were tied down by thick Velcro straps that didn't seem to have any slack. It was a heart-wrenching sight to behold, and as I stepped closer, his head moved and his eyes connected with mine.

For a moment, his brows furrowed, and as I came closer into the light, they widened in shock. He struggled against his restraints as if scared of me, and I couldn't understand why. "Get out," he snapped, "you're not supposed to be here.."

"Talon..." I gasped, trying to hold myself together, "it's me. It's Ivy."

Slowly, the ties around my heart tightened, watching him refuse to even look at me. The rejection broke me further as I moved closer to him.

"I said get out!" He yelled at me, his fangs elongating, and his eyes swirling black. "You're not real! You're dead! I'm not playing this game."

Dead.. he thinks I'm dead?

"Talon, please." I whispered as the tears fell, "I'm not dead... I'm real."

I wasn't sure what had happened to him while he was out there or why someone would want to hurt him like they did. None of it made sense, and I wanted more than anything to show him that I was right here.

That I was standing before him, and I wasn't going anywhere.

Reaching out, I slowly went to touch him, but the restraint snapped and a roar echoed from his throat just as Damian and James grabbed me, pulling me away.

"No! Stop!" I shouted at them, "let me go! He doesn't understand!"

Struggling against them was no use. Damian's arms around my waist were like a vise I couldn't shake. All I could do was watch as Hale stepped towards his brother and slowly tried to calm him.

There was an undeniable bond between them, and as I watched Talon, calm tears streamed down his cheeks. "She's dead. it's my fault."

Hales's eyes met mine with the same confusion I had, what do you mean?"

Shaking his head, Talon refused to speak. Instead, he held his head in his hand and cried. The emotions from him coursing through me in a ghost-like way built a fire of anger in my soul. I had to be there. I had to comfort him. "Talon, please look at me," I begged him, still fighting against Damian. "Fvcking let me go, Damian!"

"No, it's too much, and he isn't ready. You need to go before you get hurt." He snapped as he hauled me out of the room. "You're not doing him any good."

Placed on my feet with Damian blocking the door, I stared at him with anger. I was done with him telling me what I was and wasn't doing. Perhaps, he was right, but Talon is confused and needs to see the truth.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." I snapped back at him, clenching my fists at my side. "Move now."

Laughter escaped him, "you're really becoming the fiercest Luna I have ever met Ivy."

The comment would have usually melted my heart, but right now it did nothing but anger me more. The fire slowly grew bright as I narrowed my eyes.

"I will not ask you again, wolf. Get the fvck out of my way."

There have been many times where my words and actions lately seemed to affect the people around me, but with Damian, it was different. It was as if the beast inside him recognized the way I acted, and it reacted. "Watch who you speak to like that." He all but growled, stepping towards me. "Mate or not, I will not be disrespected by anyone. I'm trying to protect you."

Movement behind Damian caught my eye, and I watched as Hale peered over Damian's shoulder, looking slightly frantic before whispering something in Damian's ear that seemed to catch his attention before he gazed back at me. "That's not possible." He muttered, crossing his arms over his ch3st.

"What isn't possible?"

Another growl echoed from the room as I heard Talon refusing whatever was going on. His pain and his anguish tore at every last thread I had holding me together.

Hale looked at me again with regret in his eyes as he took in the situation. "I agree with Damian Ivy.. you need to go rest."

Hale's words caused disbelief to flood me.

He had been my main supporter when it came to Talon, and now he was siding with his brothers. Choking back my pain, I felt it build-it built untill exploded.

Screaming in fury, I grabbed Damian and, with a strength I didn't know I had and shoved him to the side as I rushed forward into the room. Hales's arms swinging out to catch me, but without a second thought, I ducked past him and right past James, who looked on in confusion.

I had one target in mind, and that was a man staring at me with pitch-black eyes and growing fury I had never seen before.

Leaping onto the bed, he roared in anger. His right hand now free gripped my throat, his claws digging into my skin as I touched him. There was no going back for me.

Talon was the reason I was doing this. it wasn't my own selfish desires.

It was always him.

"I'm here," I whispered as I straddled his lap with tears flooding down my cheeks. I felt the sparks of our bond against my skin and the confusion of his internal battle within his eyes.

Forcing myself forward with his death grip on my throat, I tried to ignore the pain, letting my lips brush against his until he finally gave in and claimed them with a desire I never had felt from any of them.

Talon was just as broken as I was, but at the end of the day, our individual sorrows helped us to mend our broken hearts.

"Ivy-" he stuttered as tears flooded his face.

Pulling pack, his eyes fluttered back and forth, staring at me as if I was just an illusion. "Your-your not..."

Laughing with tear-filled eyes, I smiled, "no... I'm not dead... I'm right here. I'm right here."

I didn't waste another moment as I kissed him again, and felt the grip he had on me tighten. No matter the confusion, poison, and hurt he had been through, me being here right now was the only cure he needed. During our lowest points in life, our minds are our greatest enemies, betraying us to believe that the possible is impossible.

Yet, I couldn't accept that. I couldn't accept losing him or any of them.

I broke them when I came here, and it was my job to fix this.

"I don't understand." He whispered, resting his head against mine.

"Neither do we.." Damian said, pulling us away from the vast amount of bodies within the room. Doctors, nurses, and the guys all sat around wide-eyed, staring at the scene in front of them. "Care to explain why you would act so stupid, Ivy?" The only thing I could do though was smile, "love Damian... The love I have for the four of you will never let me give up. I will love you all until my last breath and even past then."