Alistair watched the Alphas around the table with Carr and his Betas.
"Alistair, are you alright? Alistair?" Rhys was quietly speaking to his friend who was staring off into space. "Alistair can you hear me?"
The white haired Were didn't say a word. He didn't move.
"Carr," Rhys called quietly to the Alpha. "Send for the Doctor." His hand never left his friend. He could feel the muscles spasming underneath his clothing. He grabbed hold of his arms just as the muscles gave out. He gently lowered him to the chair and bent down to speak directly into his ear. "Alistair, if you can hear me, give me a sign." He felt fingers close over his arm and squeeze weakly.
Rhys sat down next to his old friend and waited for Jeff's arrival. Carr had managed to keep the attention of the Alphas and other Council Members on the planning and team assignments and moved them towards his office. Rhys acted nonchalant as if they had sat down to chat.
Jeff arrived and closed the door behind him. He attended to his patient and didn't notice Carr's quiet entrance into the room.
Rhys looked up. "Did they notice?"
"No, they're focused on getting their people into the right positions. How is he?" Carr stayed at the door in case someone tried to come in.
"Head of the Council or not, the Doctor is in charge now. He is exhausted and his body has finally admitted it. I'm going to hospitalize him right now, no ifs, ands, or buts." Jeff looked like he was ready to argue, but no one tried to disagree.
The last thing they needed now was panic because the Head of the Council was ill. They didn't need any rumors either. "Will he be able to join us in the rescue?" Rhys wanted all the answers he could get before he decided how best to disclose Alistair's condition.
"Maybe, I don't know. I'll tell you more as soon as I'm done with my evaluation." Two orderlies arrived from the hospital with a wheelchair. Jeff helped Alistair into it and they promptly exited through the back door and made their way back to the hospital.
Carr ran a hand through his hair and leaned back against the wall. "Great, just what we need, a distraction. What will the other Council Members do? Anyone that will want to take over like Metzger?"
"No, he was the only one with ambition, misguided as it was." Rhys looked thoughtfully at Carr. He would make a good solid Council Member in two or three hundred years. He'd have to keep him in mind for the future. "They want what's best for the packs and Weres in general. They are all good men. But I better tell them something so they don't panic." He smiled and walked towards the office.
Katy waited for Rhys at their usual spot. She felt his presence just before she spotted him. She hopped down from her perch in the tree and bounded over to him. She saw his serious face and hugged him tight, feeling the tension release from his body. She smiled when she felt his arms close around her body. She could feel him relaxing in her embrace and sighed.
"What's wrong little one?" He sounded concerned as he backed away from her and reached for her chin to tilt her face up to look at his.
"Nothing, I just felt so safe in your arms, I just sighed. But what's wrong with you? I can tell you're upset about something. Is it Alistair?" She sat down on a fallen tree stump and patted a spot next to her.
He sat down and took her hands in his, holding them gently. "Yes, you read me well already. He's exhausted and it was finally too much. He almost collapsed. He's in the hospital." He brought a hand up and stroked her hair, pulling a strand free to twirl it between his fingers.
She smiled up at him. She so loved having her hair played with. No one had done that since her mother so many years ago. She leaned down and laid her head in his lap, closing her eyes, and just relaxing under his touch. "The Doctor will take good care of him. Last night I had a dream, and he was meeting his mate at the caves after you rescue the women."
Rhys stopped stroking for just a second. She dreamt about Alistair and his mate? After a short pause he resumed playing with her hair. "Do you dream about many of the pack little one?"
"Sometimes, but only ones I care about. I dream about Sarah and James and Karen and Cole. And I knew Rebecca would meet Trey before she did." She laughed. "Luckily for me my dreams are always happy. Maybe I forget the ones that are sad." She nestled her head deeper into his lap. She was amazingly relaxed out here in the woods with Rhys holding her.
"What was that?" Rhys was startled and his hand stilled in her hair.
"What was what?" Katy tried to sit up, but Rhys held her down.
He bent over and looked into her face, her beautiful pale green eyes blinked back at him. But on closer examination he noticed something he had missed before. There were yellow rays interspersed with the pale green. They almost looked like the eyes of a cat. His hand stroked her face as he smiled. "You purr, did you know that?"
"I do? I never noticed before. Is that bad?"
"It's wonderful little one." He whispered softly "Rydych chi fy hun gath wyllt bach."
"Your language is so beautiful, but I wish I knew what you said."
"You are my own little wild cat." He bent down and kissed her softly on the forehead. If he was a younger wolf he'd never be able to control himself. He would have taken her as his mate days ago. But there was something telling him it was important for him to wait until the Wolf Moon, so they would wait.
She giggled. "Good thing for you my claws are pulled back. But I will never be wild with you Rhys, never."
"We shall see my little wild cat, we shall see." He continue stroking her hair as he looked up at the tree branch ten feet above his head where she'd been perched when he arrived. He wondered if her wolf would still climb trees.
