Savior Alpha

Dear Readers,

What happens after the council meeting? This next chapter starts that telling.

Enjoy,

KemMyst

*********************

Crisis

Alana was taking another turn with her mother while Ethan was at the council meeting.

Emily and Lorna walked in for a visit. Lorna's nose went up and she sniffed deeply, once, twice. Emily turned to her. "Sweetheart. What is it?"

"Something smells bad."

Alana looked up, startled. "Where?"

Lorna sniffed further, zeroing in on the source of the smell. On Anne's left side, of course. She checked her side, then unwrapped her forearm. As Lorna twisted the arm Emily touched Anne's shoulder, stroked her face. "She's warm."

Lorna indicated a spot on her inner arm. "Here." The spot was a bit redder than the surrounding tissue.

Alana looked at it. "Damn. Infection."

*****

Ethan, satisfied and pleased with himself, returned to McKenna with William.

As they approached the compound, they realized something wasn't quite right. The pups were outside, running around, sparring, sniffing. But the adults seemed a bit solemn. They came across Temperance first.

"Oh, god. What's wrong? Temperance?"

"You should get up there."

Ethan sprinted into the cabin, fear clutching his heart. All the adults moved out of his way. He skidded to a stop just inside the door of the Med lab. Alana and Beth were working on her forearm. They'd sliced into the muscle, blood was flowing from the wound, and the smell of decay hung in the air.

"Oh, god, oh, god. Anne?"

"She's developed an infection. We need to drain it, clean it out, and hope it doesn't return." He watched them pull the edges apart and drench the open wound with peroxide. It foamed.

"Do you have antibiotics?"

"Not a good idea. This is the best option for her right now."

"What if it gets worse?"

"Everything else seems to be healing well. If something else happens, we'll have to go to the drugs."

"Lorna?" Hesitant, Lorna stepped forward, closed her eyes and sniffed at Anne's forearm.

"I don't smell anything else."

"OK. Good. Thank you." Lorna backed up and hurried out as Beth stitched up the incision.

Ethan sat and put his head in his hands. "She should be awake by now."

Finished with Anne, Beth walked over to Ethan and put a hand on his shoulder. His eyes were wet as he looked up at her. "God help me, Beth. They're gonna die."

She squeezed his shoulder, unable to respond.

Callum came in some time later. Ethan's head was resting on his arm as he sat beside her. "I'd like all of you to leave."

Objections began. "Callum, we need to keep a closer eye on her now."

Ethan looked up at him and said only one word, "No."

"I said, OUT!" The women picked up and left, shooting glances back at Callum. Ethan remained where he was, defiant. "Ethan, please."

"You're not my Alpha, she is. I'm not going anywhere."

Callum took a deep breath, exhaled, and drew up to his full height. Of all her children, it was Callum who looked the most like Devon. Tall, broad-shouldered, dark hair, blue eyes. His voice dropped low and hard. "I am Alpha of this pack; this is my compound. This is my mother. Get out, now."

Ethan stood, facing his wife's eldest son, his breath coming quicker. Their eyes were hard on each other. "I left her alone and she got worse. I'm not doing it again."

Callum closed his eyes, chest heaving. "I need to speak to her alone."

"She's unconscious."

"I know." Ethan continued to look at Callum and suddenly recognized the look in his eyes.

Callum was afraid this crisis meant the end. That he would lose his mother. And there was something he wanted to say to her, even if she couldn't hear him.

Ethan gave a quick nod and clapped Callum on the arm as he passed. He closed the door and sat in the corridor opposite, waiting.

Callum sat heavily in the chair Ethan just vacated and put his face in his hands. "Mom, Mom. I told you you'd get yourself killed..."

*****

It was early morning when she woke, tired, sore. She looked to her right, where Ethan was sleeping, then to her left, where Shawna sat. Her right hand strayed to her left side, then to her left forearm, and she winced slightly. Raising her left arm, she flexed her fingers.

She levered herself upright with her good arm. Clutching and cradling her left to her, she quietly scooted to the edge of the table and slid off. Shaky, she looked at the two asleep in chairs nearby.

Monsters. She had to get away, and quietly. Her legs felt like rubber and her side throbbed. What had they done to her?

Down the stairs. Someone moving. Wait. Funny, she smelled lilies. Footsteps receding. Peek around the corner. Clear. Okay, now make for the front door, carefully. The door closed behind her with a click.

Outdoors. A deep breath. Fresh air.

Home. She had to get home.

It was some time later that he stirred, and reached for her. Nothing. His hand moved, searching for the warmth, the feel of her body. Nothing.

His eyes opened and he jerked upright. She wasn't on the table; he turned, she wasn't in the room. "Shawna!"

Shawna came awake. "What?!"

"Where is she?"

"What?"

He gestured to the bed. She was gone.

He headed toward the door and out. Going to wolf, he went after her, nose down. It was the dark of the moon, but his wolf senses allowed him to follow easily.

Home, she needed to get away, to get home. It was dark outside, so dark. There was no moon. But, she could see easily in the darkness and walked in the direction she knew would lead her home.

Shawna had roused the other members of Anne's pack. Beth, Nick, Emily, and Lorna rose and headed outside.

Thankfully, she hadn't gotten far. She was moving in her human form. Where was she going? Ethan got in front of her.

A wolf, blocking her path. A male, facing her, challenging her.

She snarled at him, stepped left, stepped right. He matched her moves. She then raised her arms and looked up at the dark moon, murmuring under her breath. Her head came back down and she glared at him. "Mine enemy, I see you..." He took a step forward, confused at her words.

Her eyes began to glow as she continued to look at him. "... and the darkness shall have you!" She advanced on him and, startled, he retreated a bit.

What the hell! It had been years since he had seen her eyes do that in her human form. She saw him as a threat. What was wrong with her?

The others arrived and gathered around them.

Beth shifted first.

"Anne. You aren't well. Come back with us."

"I don't belong here. Let me go."

"You're hurt; let us help you." Anne shook her head and started murmuring under her breath again.

Beth turned to Ethan. "Why don't we try Rose?" she said quietly. Ethan headed back as the others ringed her to keep her from going too far. They caught some of her words, apparently Latin. "obscura" ... "demonae" ... "contego"

"C'mon, Anne. You're our Alpha." "You know us. You live with us." "Come back inside. It's not good for you to be out here."

"No. I want to go home." The others shifted to human as well. She was suddenly surrounded by people, naked people.

*****

"Daddy?" sleepily.

"Sorry, sweetie. I want you to help me get your mama back inside."

She yawns, rubbing her eyes. "OK."

Ethan hurried back out with his daughter in his arms, hoping Anne hadn't gotten away from the others.

*****

Joy had heard of her mother's injuries and had come to see how she was. Pregnant and not sleeping particularly well, she was up and walking around when she saw the sudden activity. Recognizing the urgency, she followed Ethan outside.

"Anne, please, you need to come inside."

"Let us help you."

"We want you to get better."

"Stop it!" She put her hands over her ears and blood ran down to her elbow. She dropped her hands and tried to move out of the circle, past Lorna. Lorna and Nick grabbed her arms. "Let me go! Let me go!" She struggled against them.

Her head whipped around when she heard, "Mama!" Ethan approached, carrying Rose.

Anne's stance changed and her eyes began to glow again. "Let my baby go, you son of a bitch!"

Ethan murmured to Rose. "Mama, come inside with me and Daddy."

"I'll kill you if you hurt her." Anne growled at him. "Hold on, Joy. Mama won't let him hurt you." Her attention was completely focused on him and her daughter. She started to stalk him.

This scared Rose, who didn't understand her mother's actions. "Daddy?"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. "Mom? I'm Joy. I'm safe. You did good."

Anne looked between Ethan and Rose and Joy. "Baby?"

"Yes, Mom. We need to get you inside. Please, come with me." Joy extended her hand.

"Joy?" Anne touched her face as she came near. "My Joy? All grown up?"

"Yes, Mom. Please, come back inside with me."

The others were raptly watching the exchange. Anne's blood continued to trickle to the ground. She touched Joy's belly. "And having a baby of your own."

"You too, Mom. We need to get you back inside."

Anne suddenly groaned in pain, holding her belly, and dropped to her knees. Ethan handed off Rose and went to her side. She sniffed and looked at him. "Devon?" Another sniff. "No. Not Devon. Ethan."

"We need to get you inside, love. C'mon." Draping her good arm around his neck, he lifted her. She looked up at him and murmured, "Ethan", again, and her eyes closed.

Joy touched her face, her forehead. "She's burning up."

Ethan hurried back to the cabin with Anne in his arms, leaving a trail of blood droplets. The others followed.

Again unconscious, Ethan laid Anne on the table as the women gathered around and started work. "She's pulled some of the stitches." Alana rewrapped the arm. Beth raised her knees and got the belladonna again. Joy began wiping her down.

Ethan stood at her head, kissed her forehead. "Don't leave me. Oh, god, wife, don't go."

The women finished, then sat around her, touching her, waiting for her to decide.

Ethan closed his eyes, both hands on her body, his forehead against her. The waiting had deteriorated into a deathwatch.

It was just after dawn when she opened her eyes again. She looked to her left and saw Beth and Alana. To her right were Emily and Joy. "Ethan?" He shifted at the sound of his name. She twisted her head and reached over her shoulder to touch him. "Ethan?"

He stood bolt upright, knocking his chair over and startling the others from sleep. "Love? Are you with us?"

"I had the strangest dream." Ethan chuckled and the women hugged in relief.

"The fever's broken."

He touched her face. "You really scared us this morning. How do you feel?"

"Like the neighborhood bully and his gang caught me after school." She looked around. "McKenna. Joy?" She made to sit up. "How long have I been here? Is everyone alright? Where are the children?"

Ethan helped her sit up. "Carefully, love. You're not healed."

Joy was crying. Beth, Alana, and Emily's eyes were wet. Ethan kissed her cheek, and hugged her, carefully. Anne's hands went to her belly. "She's not moving." Beth brought the stethoscope. Finding the heartbeat, she transferred the earpieces to Anne.

"She's asleep, for the moment."

Alana brought her a glass of water. "Drink." Anne took the glass as she looked at her forearm and the gash down her side.

"So, we won?"

"Yes, Anne. You beat them."

"Oh, Ethan, your brother."

"Shh." A pause. "He meant to see you dead. He would have destroyed the pack, killed you and the baby and then it would have been either him or me."

"Uww. Oh!" Everyone looked at her, a little startled. "Hello, my little girl." she said as she caressed her belly.

Ethan smiled, kissing her again and putting his hand over hers.

Evan and Rose came running in. "Mama!" "Mama!" "You're awake!"

"Yes, my babies."

"We're not babies", came out in stereo as they clambered up on the table.

"Carefully, children." Emily said. "Your mother's still hurting."

"But she's gonna be OK, isn't she?"

"It looks like it. She just needs a little while yet to get better."

They climbed up and hugged her as she kissed both. The baby moved and they both stopped and leaned against her belly. "Oh, neat." "Wow."

"Your little sister says hello."

Rose jumped off the table and ran out the door, yelling, "I'm getting a little sister!"

Anne took Evan by the chin. "So, young man, your father sent you here, didn't he?"

Evan nodded. "Daddy told me, during the winter, what to do."

"I'm proud of you Evan. Thank you for helping us." She pulled their son closer and kissed the side of his head.

"Eww. Mom...!"

Callum and Alicia came in, with Eddy following. The others were waiting outside.

Callum gave her a brief kiss and a hug. "Mom. It's good to see you up."

The others parted to allow Lorna and Nick in. "Thank you for your help. And for allowing my pack to stay here. By the way, how long have I been here?"

Eddy took her hand. "Four days, Mom. I'm happy you're doing better."

Half a dozen pups ran in between their elders' feet. A couple shifted, calling "Gramma!"

"Hello, my sweetlings." She smiled, then looked back to Callum. "We'll get out of your hair as soon as we can."

"When you're ready, Mom. We don't need you to relapse," he smiled, "then you'd be back again." She chuckled and nodded.

Gwen came in with a bowl of broth as Anne's stomach growled. She reached for the bowl with her left hand. "No. I don't think so. Open," she said, as she ladled up a spoonful.

"I'm not helpless."

"You've only got one good arm. Ethan?" She gestured with the bowl.

"Okay, everyone. I think we've had enough excitement for now." He looked into Anne's eyes.

People began filing out. "Thank you, Gwen."

He set the bowl to one side, then put his arms under her, and lifted her into a chair. He kissed her deeply, then looked into her eyes. "You'll tell me, if you feel faint, if it starts to hurt too much?" He looked at her a little more pointedly. She nodded.

He came back with the bowl, and, again, she moved to take it. "Uh, uh. Sit still and open your mouth."

She exhaled loudly but opened her mouth. He ladled broth into her mouth until the bowl was emptied. "Now, woman. You will have a nap. When you wake up again, we'll talk about what happened."

Her eyes were starting to close as he picked her up and laid her back on the bed.

He walked to the door as Colin was passing by. "Excuse me, Colin? Could someone watch Anne for a few minutes?"

"Sure, hang on."

Lea walked in shortly thereafter. "She's taking a nap. I just want to take a quick shower and get her things. She probably won't stand to be here much longer."

"The room we set aside for you is still ready, Ethan."

"Thank you, Lea. I'll be back shortly."

*****

He walked to the bathroom, which was currently occupied. He leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. Sandra and Sean came out, smiling. Ethan went inside and turned on the water. He leaned his forehead against the wall. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He finally laughed in relief as the water washed over him. She was going to live. And it looked like the baby was fine, too.

When he regained his composure, he shut off the water and dried off. He stood still for a moment, then dressed and went to the room provided for them. He picked up her skirt, her journal, and the pack record book, and returned to the Med Lab.

He watched from the doorway as Lea gave Anne a sponge bath. Lea paused and smiled as she felt the baby's movement. Finishing up, she emptied the basin and turned back.

"Thank you, Lea."

"Certainly, Ethan." She walked to the table, put her hand on his. "The answer is no." Ethan looked at her. "When she asks to come to dinner or to be moved into a bedroom. Tomorrow we'll see, but not tonight."

Ethan smiled and nodded. "We may have to tie her down."

Heads poked in periodically to see how Anne was doing, if she was awake.

She did sigh, and rolled to her side, indicating she was, indeed, asleep. She woke again after about 90 minutes, smiling as she opened her eyes to her husband's face. "Hi."

"Hello, there."

She pushed herself upright and he moved to help her. She twisted and tried to slide off the bed. "Whoa. Whoa. Where do you think you're going?"

"I have to pee."

"Bedpan or being carried, you choose."

She looked at him, thought a moment. "OK, bedpan."

He fetched it after getting her to promise she wouldn't move. It took her a minute to get over her embarrassment and actually use it. She cleaned up and he took the pan and set it to one side.

He then lifted her and placed her back into the chair. He handed her the books and left to take care of the bedpan.

As he left the room she opened the pack records book. The last entry was in Ethan's hand.

'On this day, Anne Winters, Alpha of the Winters pack, did triumph over three Matlin males. She answered each challenge, as required by our kind, and killed all three. She, thus, remains Alpha.'

She stared at the lines and bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes.

He came back in and looked over her shoulder. He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly.

"I'm sorry. I never meant for anything like this to happen. You thought I was going to die. It's been that long?"

"Four days. It's been rough, yeah. Watching. Hoping."

"I... uww. Yes, young lady. I haven't forgotten you."

Ethan put his arms around her. "I was so scared."

She looked up at him. "Me, too." She lightly brushed down the wound on her side, felt of her forearm. She put a hand to her face. "Well, so much for being pretty."

"You're beautiful. And you always will be."

"Liar." The tears welled up in her eyes. "I love you."

He kissed her. "It's gonna be alright, love. You're awake, your fever's broken, and you're going to get better." He came around the chair and crouched in front of her. She gasped as he moved in but he only kissed her belly. "And our little Diana is going to wait a reasonable period of time to make her debut."

She put her fingers to her forehead and closed her eyes. "Who knows?"

"Beth, Alana, Lea, Callum, and whoever else was in the room when you named her."

Callum and Alicia came in. "Is she behaving herself?"

"Well, Callum, see for yourself."

He took her hands and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm pleased to see you're doing better."

"Thank you, Callum, for your hospitality. We'll have to discuss how we'll repay you." Anne sniffed as Callum got a disapproving look on his face.

"Mom..."

Alicia handed her the sandwich. The bread contained a couple of large slabs of meat. Since she began life as a human, she still couldn't stomach meat raw. Someone had taken care to cook it, but it was still reddish and juicy in the middle. "Eat. You could use a little solid food." Anne was practically drooling.

"It smells wonderful." She took a bite and groaned around the mouthful in satisfaction.

"Well, Ethan, I don't think we'll ever hear the end of it. Except for an all out pack war, I've never heard of such a thing."

"I've never heard of a double challenge, let alone three."

"Don't do anything by halves, do you, Mom?"

"Why is it so hard?" She asked around a mouthful of food.

Alicia answered. "I can think of two reasons. One, it's the way it's always been done. And two, you threaten, excuse me, husband, the male ego. If you both lead and have the babies, what is he reduced to?"

She looked at Ethan, a little guiltily. "Do I make you feel... emasculated?"

He smiled, kissing her and briefly caressing a breast. "No. Not in the least."

*****

Eddy, Gwen, and Jeane came in next for a short visit. Jeane was holding a glass of cider, which Anne took gratefully. She gave her granddaughter a little kiss. "Thank you, sweetie."

"You look pretty good, Mom."

"Don't feel it yet but, thank you. How are you both doing?"