Broken Souls
Chapter 24: Lost

Kay’s POV

Grandma leaves shortly after our talk in the library, and Aaron is annoyed that she takes it upon herself to tell me so much. He does eventually tell me the information he had gotten from the captured rogues. I want to help Aaron and Eric get everything in line for the Alpha meeting. They are in Eric’s Office making calls, and I know there is really nothing I could do.

Rana takes me to her office to plan my Luna ceremony, and I know she’s only trying to keep my mind off things. I really can’t seem to focus on anything she is saying to me.

“Kay, dear, what do you think: white or pink roses? Kay…. Kay….Are you with me?” Rana’s words finally seem to reach me, and I snap my head up to look at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stop listing. Really, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s the matter with me.”

“It’s okay, dear. I know we all have a lot on our minds. I guess I was just hoping to distract you a little.” Rana says giving me a small smile. The door slowly opens, and I don’t really pay much attention ’til I hear her voice.

“I’m great at distraction.” I turn and look. Standing in the door looking as confident and strong as ever is Oriel.

I jump to my feet and meet her in a much-needed hug. I have truly missed her even in just the few days of not seeing her.

“What are you doing here?” I ask her finally letting her go.

“Well, firstly, let me just say great job saving that kid. Secondly, you are not supposed to get shot. We’ll have to work on that. Thirdly, Aaron needed Michael’s help with the meeting. Fourthly, I missed you. I think we need coffee, lunch, and shopping.” Oriel says hugging me again.

“What do you say Luna Rana? Would you like to go shopping with us?” Oriel asks Rana smiling brightly with just a hint of mischief mixed in.

“Oh, well that does sound a lot better than being cooped up here. Let’s go.” Rana’s smile matches Oriel’s with every ounce of mischief, and I can tell they are going to be a lot to keep up with. I laugh at both of them knowing full well I’m going to be so tired by the time they are done.

I don’t really know who was harder to convince Aaron or Eric, but they finally relented to let us go as long as we took two guards. Oriel is acting as the third guard. Loading up into the black SUV, listening to Oriel and Rana talk about all the different stores to go to and dresses, I’m hit with that feeling of dread again. I look around nervously, but everything seems fine. I decide to push it from my mind and get in to the SUV. Rana says it will be a bit of a drive to get to the city outside the pack lands, but it had the best shopping.

We have been driving for about twenty mints and the trees have turned into a thick forest. Our two bodyguards are sitting in the front seat. They are both large and intimating. The one in the passenger seat has a shaved head and barley fits in the seat he so large. The one in the driver seat has short buzzed brown hair. He is shorter than the other man, but he’s just as muscular. I just wish they talked. Maybe then I would feel better.

The feeling of dread is only getting worse while Rana and Oriel chat next to me and seem unaware of anything. Rana has mentioned once that she wished to have Grandma’s power of foresight, but it was never something she could manage. I am beginning to wonder if this was what this feeling was. I am about to suggest we go back to the pack house, when, suddenly, something slams into the side of the SUV.

The SUV flips once, then twice. It finally lands on its roof and skids violently into a tree, pinning Oriel’s and the driver’s door closed. I can feel the two bodyguards trying to force their way out of the car, and I hear them shifting. I look over at Oriel, and she has blood pouring from her head. I yell her name and try to reach for her as the seatbelt has me pinned to the seat and hanging upside-down. I can hear her moan in pain, but her eyes don’t open. Rana is in the same condition if not worse only being a witch. I start fighting with my seatbelt feeling sharp pains in my ribs and head. I hear growls and snarls from outside, and Diana is quick to extend our claws. She’s pushing me to shift. We can hear the fight outside, but we can’t see it.

I rip the seat belt and promptly fall onto the roof of the SUV, no longer being held with the seatbelt. I wince at the pain of falling, but I quickly move to check on Rana. She’s breathing alright, but she won’t wake. I don’t want to move her. I check on Oriel, and she only moans a little. The giant gash on her head is bleeding profusely.

“Hang on Oriel,” I whisper trying to replace something to put presser on her head as Rana stirs slightly.

“It’s okay. We’ll be fine,” I tell them both holding what I think is Rana’s sweater to Oriel’s head. The sound of fighting is getting louder and closer to the SUV. Just as I replace the link in my mind to tell Aaron what has happened, my door is ripped off the frame. Strong hands grab my ankles, dragging me over the broken glass on the roof of the car.

I’m ripped from the car still holding the sweater. Then I hear Aaron in my mind:

“Kay what happened?” Aarron says in my head, and I can feel all of his panic just as I’m brought face to face with my captor: John.

“John,” is all I manage to relay to Aaron as he slams a syringe of wolf bane into my thigh cutting me off from Aaron and Diana. The burning pain is not something I forgot about, and it hurts just the way I remember it. I scream in pain as John hits me hard in the face. Then nothing.

Alpha Aaron

I can feel it. I can feel her pain and fear. When I reach, all I get from her was that name: John. I stand up and let out every bit of my anger in a roar that shakes the walls and echoes down the halls. I try to reach Oriel as well, but there is nothing. I raise both fists above my head and bring them down hard on the table in front of me smashing it and splintering the wood.

“He has her!” Is all I can manage to growl out. Eric has already sent men the moment his guards linked him to tell him they had been ambushed. Everything is coming crashing down. John has her and that meant that monster has her again. I have failed to keep her safe. I can feel Griffin fighting for control, and I am trying to hold him back, so he doesn’t hurt anyone.

“We need to get there. We need to start tracking them now, and we need to know where his base is,” I say practically growling

“We are. I have my best men heading there now. We will replace her,” Eric says, but he’s just as worried about Kay. He’s also worried for his own mate. Michael is still trying to reach Oriel. but he says it feels fuzzy. He can feel she’s in pain. Not being able to stand it any longer, Michael and I finally look at each other with the same thought. We sprint from the room, and the moment we are out of the pack house, we shift and take off at full speed.

When we reach the site of the accident, Eric’s best wolves are there checking the area. The bodyguard with the shaved head is dead, and a couple dead rogues lay nearby him. The other bodyguard is talking with some warriors, and her looks rough, but he won’t sit down. A medical team have Rana and Oriel lying on the ground. Michael doesn’t stop ’til he is by Oriel’s side.

He shifts and skids to a stop kneeling at her side.

“Oriel, babe, please be okay.” He’s nearly in tears as he looks at her bruised and bleeding, but her eyes flutter open.

“I failed. I didn’t even see them coming. I’m sorry.” Her voice is broken and rough.

“No, baby, you didn’t fail. You just hang on for me, okay?” Michael says as a few tears slip from his eyes. The medical team begin to load Rana and then Oriel into the ambulance. Michael just looks at me, and I give him a nod. I know he’s going with her, and I wouldn’t expect or want anything less from him. She needs him.

I meet with the warrior that was speaking to the body guard.

’What happened?” I’m still growling, and I can see all the people flinch.

“They were ambushed. They used magic, and they hit the car with enough force to flip it two and a half times and send it skidding into a tree. Once the SUV stopped, the men got themselves out of the vehicle to face over a dozen rogues. The one man was killed and while the other was pinned down. Luna Kay was taken. We found this.” The warrior says holding out a very familiar syringe of wolfs bane.

“We have our best trackers searching, but the trail goes completely cold about five hundred yards into the woods, like they just vanished.” The warrior finishes his report, and I give him a sharp nod. I know the Boss, Seth, must have used the shadows to escape with her. I let Griffin take control and try to search for her. I know it may not do any good, but I have to let him try.

After hours of searching and coming up with nothing, I get a mind link from Michael telling me Oriel is okay and wants to see me. I know I can’t do anything else, so I convince Griffin. We head back to the pack house, but we are going to stop by the clinic first to see Oriel. The hours of running and searching have helped calm some of my anger. I know I will have to get it in check when I see Oriel. I know she’ll blame herself, and I don’t want her to do that. The only one to blame is Seth.

I get to the clinic. I pull on some shorts and a shirt before going in. I replace Oriel quickly and knock on the door before going in. Oriel jumps up pulling all of the cords she’s attached to.

“Wow, slow down sis.” I try to calm her down, but she’s not having it.

“No, Aaron. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault,” Oriel says wrapping me in a hug. I can feel her tears hit my shoulder.

“No, shhhh, Oriel it isn’t.” I still try to sooth her.

“It was my idea to go, and I should have protected her. I’m so sorry.” Oriel cries harder, and I hug her.

“It isn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong. The only one to blame is the Boss, Seth. This is his fault, and he will pay for it.” I tell her, but the last of it comes out an angry growl.

Oriel stops crying and pulls herself to stand tall in front of me.

“Okay, what’s our first move? I hear we have a few rogue prisoners, and I’m itching to question them. Let’s get to it, and get Kay back,” Oriel says, and she’s no longer my sad little sister; she is every bit the intimidating warrior. I look at Michael, and he gives me a nod.

“Let’s get our Luna back,” Michael says standing next to Oriel. I’m relieved that at least I have them, and I can still feel that Kay is alive through the mate bond, but every minute that she is away that I don’t know what is happening to her is torture. I will kill Seth no matter what.