Chapter 6: White Warriors

It wasn’t a good week to travel. Two days after Andrew and Aria set off, a storm seemed to follow their every step. Even after four days, it hadn’t dispersed. Thunder rolled overhead, and there was the occasional lightning bolt but no rain. For a persistent storm, it hadn’t rained once. Andrew found it odd and while Aria agreed, she had grown increasingly distracted since they left. The pains in her chest had steadily increased in frequency, shortly followed by aches and pains in her joints, shortness of breath, migraines and a lack of an appetite. Aria had tried her best to keep it to herself, but Andrew figured it out. But by then, they had already travelled too far from Thunderstorm; they had to continue to where they were going.

James glanced back at Aria, worried how her breathing stuttered in her sleep. Andrew frowned at the relayed imaged, running a hand through his hair. He glanced at Sapphire, who was curled around him, she wasn’t much better. If anything, she had become more malnourished than ever. There was a limp in her step when she settled next to him.

‘When do we reach White Warriors again?’ he asked as James returned his attention to the outside, the wind seeming to moan in despair. James was glad they found an old den to take shelter in, knowing the weather wouldn’t help his sister at all.

‘…we’re on their territory, but we should be at their packhouse tomorrow morning,’ James replied.

Andrew was quiet for a moment, stroking Sapphire bony shoulder as he said, ‘We should have stayed.’

‘Agreed.’

‘If we don’t get her to a doctor soon, she’ll die.’

‘…do me a favour?’

‘Anything?’

‘Connect with Sapphire; see how far the rejection has progressed,’ James said. Andrew stilled his hand on her shoulder, using the ‘physical’ connection to create a stronger spiritual link. He didn’t like what he found. Their soul, once filled with radiant energy, was drained to its limits. Their heartbeat rang in his ears, slow and sluggish. Her lungs rattled with every breath; Andrew was surprised she hadn’t started coughing yet.

‘That’s…not good,’ he said. ‘They’re sharing energy to keep themselves alive.’

‘…I’ll push as hard as I can tomorrow. The earlier we can get there, the better.’

‘What did he do? I’ve never heard of a rejection acting like this before.’

‘I don’t know, and I don’t think Aria is up for an explanation, but whatever it is, Chase better not cross our path again,’ the vehemence in James’ threat startled Andrew but didn’t argue.

‘Let’s get some rest. The earlier we wake tomorrow, the sooner we can travel,’ Andrew said, and James huffed. He stood from his post and curled around Aria. She nuzzled into his side, sighing with relief as his body heat provided some relief.

‘How can she not tell us?’

‘She’s an alpha, James. Alpha’s believe they need to do everything themselves; Aria is no different,’ Andrew replied.

‘Then, we better make it known that she’s never on her own.’

‘Not arguing with you there. Aria will have to kill us before she does anything on her own, agreed?’

‘Agreed,’ James replied, gently nuzzling Aria’s ankle to assure himself that she was still there.

‘It’ll be alright, James,’ Andrew said.

‘I want her safe; I want her healthy…not this.’

‘I know.’

‘What are we supposed to do if she—’

‘Don’t, don’t say it…please,’ Andrew begged, tightening his grip on Sapphire's fur in dejection. ‘She’ll be fine. Once we get her to Dr Hall, she’ll be fine.’ James was quiet, letting himself believe his host that their sister will be alright. Andrew didn’t say another word either, both falling into a restless sleep.

Growling woke them some hours later. James immediately stood over Aria, growling defensively as wolves prowled outside the den. One started digging a wider hole for them to crawl through. Aria trembled under James, her body in agonising pain, as soil and broken roots tumbled towards them. She whimpered as James snarled in warning, practically roaring in her ears, but the digging stopped. A large man stuck his head inside, his honey-brown eyes searching James with guarded suspicion. They soften when they land on Aria; her fear and pain were evident in her eyes alone.

‘…Are you two the pups from Blood Moon?’ he asked. His voice was deep and rich and carried a lot of power, the beta to sure. Her response froze in her throat as her vision doubled. She moaned as another migraine hit her behind her eyes and shook her head, hoping to clear it. James whined and nudged her head, seeing as she was the only who could speak currently.

‘I’ll take that as a yes,’ the beta said. ‘Come on out, you two. Neither I nor my patrol will harm you.’ James hesitated, not quite sure to believe him, but he took the risk and stepped off Aria. He spun in a circle and looked at the beta expectantly, who raised a brow before he caught on. The beta removed himself from the den, and James shifted. Andrew pulling on a pair of shorts and kneeling next to Aria, holding one hand as he stroked her cheek.

‘Do you think you can stand?’ he asked. Aria swallowed her cough and nodded. She groaned as she stood, hating the fact she had to lean on Andrew to it. She loathed it even more that she stumbled on the first step, Andrew guiding her out instead. If that wasn’t enough, she detested the gasps and pity expressions she received. Even the beta gaped at her bony form in horror.

‘…just to be sure, you two are Andrew and Aria Knight, right?’ the beta asked.

‘Yes, sir,’ Andrew answered, his eyes low and head bowed slightly. He was glad that they had the same clothing as Caiden. He always found it awkward to see someone after they shift or after he shifted, but he hated submitting to anyone but his sister. Aria wasn’t a big fan of it either now she no longer had too, but their situation demanded it. As a rogue, their rankings as alpha and beta was null and void. Rogues are considered to be below an omega; rogues are given no special treatment no matter their previous positions.

‘What was your ranking?’ the beta asked.

‘Aria is an alpha and me a beta, but we had to appear as a shiftless omega and a delta to protect ourselves.’

‘Understandable. I’ve heard Alpha Jack has become rather unhinged,’ a woman said.

‘Unhinged might be an understatement, love, considering Aria’s physique,’ a man replied. The beta shot them both a stern expression and they closed their mouths. The beta sighed, though, agreeing with them silently.

‘I am Matthew Stone, the beta of the White Warriors. My companions are Ian Davis, delta, Michael Faulkner, Max and Amy Gilmour, gammas.’

‘Hello,’ Andrew greeted, and the group responded in kind.

‘Now, we’ll meet with Alpha Reed first, and then we’ll take you to see Ethan,’ Matthew said.

‘But sir, my sister—’

‘Andrew, I can understand your situation, but we still need to be cautious. Even if Alpha Hanson vouched for you, the influx of rogues and hunter attacks has all packs on edge,’ Matthew interrupted. Andrew glanced at his sister, who’s given up trying to remain upright, and just sagged against his shoulder. Andrew wanted to argue, but he knew he couldn’t win against valid concerns.

‘Very well, but Aria needs medical help as soon as possible.’

‘Maybe we should see Ethan first?’ Amy said, frowning in concern.

‘No. Besides, after what happened with Ethan’s mate, he’s not likely to work on a rogue until Declan vets her.’

‘Matthew, she was as white as a ghost when we first saw her, and she’s gotten paler since then,’ Michael argued. Matthew hesitated in replying, studying Aria for a moment before sighing.

‘I’ll tell Declan to meet us at Ethan’s then, is that satisfactory to you all?’

‘Yes, actually,’ Amy said, and Matthew rolled his eyes.

‘The pair of you shift, we’ll escort you there.’

‘I…I can’t,’ Aria croaked.

‘Can’t what? Shift?’

‘Of course, she can’t shift. Look at her! She barely standing as it is,’ Amy said as her mate shifted behind her.

‘…when was the last time you shifted?’ Matthew asked, and Aria whimpered. The sun was impossibly bright, but she didn’t have the energy to cover her eyes. It didn’t help that everything blurry and spinning.

‘I haven’t…shifted…in…’

‘Aria!’ Andrew yelled as Aria collapsed. He barely caught her before she hit the ground. Thunder banged right over them, all but Andrew flinching at the loud noise. He fell to his knees, ignoring how the wind picked up, and the lightning was streaking across the sky.

‘No…no, no, no, no,’ he whimpered as he checked her vitals. Her breathing was prolonged and shallow, sweat coated her skin, and her heart was beating rapidly.

Matthew was quickly to kneel beside him, checking her vitals himself and sputtering, ‘Beside her abuse, what else happened?’

‘She was rejected, but I don’t know how it was performed. I only heard her acceptance,’ Andrew replied with the same haste as the beta.

Matthew cursed and looked to Michael, and said, ‘You’re the fastest of us, get them to Ethan as fast as possible. I’ll warn him and declare this emergency to Declan.’ Michael nodded and shifted into his grey wolf. Matthew picked up Aria bridle style and brought her to him, Andrew trailing after them with increasing fear. He straddled Michaels wolf without being asked, and Matthew handed Aria over. He held onto her tightly as the wolf tensed under him.

‘Go,’ Matthew yelled, and they took off.

‘Hang on, A. Just hang on a little longer,’ Andrew whispered. ‘I can’t lose you too.’ Michael’s wolf ears twitched at the words, curious but pushed himself harder. Andrew sighed with relief when they arrived at a two-storey house. Michael’s wolf came to a stop on the concrete driveway, shifting when Andrew slid off. He took Aria from Andrew and nodded towards the door. Andrew hurried to knock it and stood behind Michael.

‘…what happened to the doctors mate?’ he asked, curious. Michael glanced at him before focusing on the door.

‘Rogues attacked last month; they nearly killed her. She was pregnant at the time.’

‘Did she lose the baby?’

‘No, thankfully. We got to her in time, but it caused her birth to be premature. Ellie’s been afraid of rogues ever since,’ Michael said, and Andrew nodded in understanding. They waited for a few minutes in awkward silence, Andrew shuffled restlessly as he kept glancing at Aria.

‘Oh, come on, man,’ Michael muttered angrily and added to Andrew. ‘Open the door.’ Michael barged in once it was open, hollering the doctor’s name. A woman stood frozen on the stairs; a baby cradled in her arms.

‘Ellie, where’s Ethan?’ Michael asked, but Ellie only started trembling. She shouted her mate’s name and a man came running from the second floor as the baby started wailing.

‘Ellie, what’s wrong? Is Sandra alright?’ he asked.

He froze when he spotted them in his doorway, marching down the stairs as he said, ‘No, I told Matthew that I would not treat the rogue until she’s been investigated by Declan.’

‘Ethan, the girl’s been rejected,’ Michael simply replied. Again, Ethan froze. He looked Aria over before shaking his head, determined in holding his position.

‘Ethan, come on. She needs your—’

Dismayed, Andrew interrupted Michael with the most heartfelt plea he could muster, ‘Please, sir, my sister is the only family I have left. I understand your hatred for rogues, but please, I beg you to help her. I can’t lose her too.’

Ethan and Michael stared at the boy in shock, not quite believing the fear and desperation they could clearly see. They knew it was, though. Aria wasn’t just Andrew’s alpha; she was his rock, the other half of his soul and his reason for living. This type of twin bond was commonly seen between an alpha and omega pairing; for Michael and Ethan to see it between an alpha and beta was uniquely rare. But, a rogue was still a rogue to Ethan. He wasn’t willing to put his frightened mate and his newborn child in danger for them. He went to say just that when his eyes caught the figure approaching from his driveway.

Spotting this, Andrew turned and came face to face with the alpha. He swallowed nervously as the alpha looked him over, then Aria before settling on the doctor.

‘Treat the rogue, Ethan. These two are the twins escaping from Blood Moon, Alpha Hanson and Dr Stewart vouched for them,’ he said.

‘…Zander has never misled me before,’ Ethan grumbled before turning to his mate. ‘Go upstairs, love. Lock herself in Sandra’s room if you want, I’ll be up when I’m finished,’ he said, and she didn’t waste time in disappearing. Ethan returned his attention to Andrew and pointed to the living room.

‘You, rogue, sit in there and stay there.’

‘But—’

‘Do you want me to treat your sister?’

‘Yes, but—’

‘Then do as I say and stay in there.’

‘…yes, sir,’ Andrew muttered, watching as Michael disappear into the house.

‘Just one thing, was the rejection proper?’ Ethan asked.

‘I don’t know; I only heard her acceptance.’

‘Did she give her proper rank and pack name?’

‘No,’ Andrew replied, and Ethan’s expression darkened. He followed after Michael; the urgency in his step didn’t help Andrew’s fears. He jumped when Alpha Reed placed a hand on his shoulder, guiding him into the living room.

‘Wait here,’ he said. Andrew watched as he entered the kitchen and made him a cup of herbal tea. He frowned as the alpha handed it to him, not recognising the colour or the scent.

‘Chamomile, it’ll settle your nerves,’ Alpha Reed said, and Andrew gave him a thankful smile. He took a careful sip and sighed at the effects were almost immediate.

‘…Do you mind answering some questions, Andrew?’

‘I-I don’t mind, sir,’ Andrew replied as the patrol group arrived. Matthew was hot sweaty as he entered the room; Ian not faring that much better. Alpha Reed tossed them both a towel as the other two entered the kitchen.

‘You can stop calling me, sir, Andrew. I’m only twenty-three, hardly old enough to be called ‘sir’,’ Alpha Reed joked, and Andrew chuckled.

‘You’re here seeking sanctuary?’ he asked.

‘Yes, Alpha.’

‘Can I ask why? Alpha Hanson only gave me a vague idea.’

Andrew sighed and proceeded to tell them what happened from the night of their parent’s demise to now, except for the sexual assaults; he didn’t leave a single detail out. The six of them jumped at another clap of thunder, the rain finally beginning to pour down.

‘I wonder what’s up with the weather,’ Amy muttered.

‘It is strange,’ Max replied.

‘Getting back to the topic, I’m surprised you didn’t leave sooner,’ Matthew said.

‘I wanted too, but Aria had the hope that Chase would be her mate,’ Andrew replied sadly. Declan sighed, opening his mouth to ask the next question when Michael rushed in.

‘I’m sorry to interrupt, Alpha but Ethan needs to talk with the other rogue.’

Andrew didn’t bother getting permission, he was up and following Michael into a private hospital room. Aria was lying on the single bed, all sorts of tubes and cords connecting her to many machines.

‘Andrew, can you tell me exactly what is wrong with her?’ Ethan asked.

‘My sister and her wolf, Sapphire, are sharing energy. She was fine the week we stayed at Thunderstorm, but then on the way here she hardly ate, pains in her chest, aches and pains, shortness of breath, migraines. They’re feeding off each other to remain alive. What’s happening?’

‘I’m not sure; I’ve never seen or heard of a reaction like this. It’s not just draining Aria’s life force but the magic tying wolf and human together. She’s fighting it so hard; the rejection is converting muscle mass into energy. Was it only the abuse and the rejection that cause this?’

‘I’m not sure, my older brother manipulated a lot of my time, I couldn’t be with her for most weeks,’ Andrew replied, fury rising in him as he took in his sister. In the half-an-hour it took to inform Alpha Reed of Aria’s abuse, the little muscle she had was gone, and her skin had turned blueish-grey. He touched her hand; it was cold and clammy. The skin around her eyes, her lips and fingernails had turned purple. Andrew hated the thought, but he couldn’t help but compare her to a living corpse.

‘They did this do her,’ he muttered angrily.

‘Calm down, pup,’ Alpha Reed said.

‘…Does Aria have a warrior mark? A gold one like yours?’ Matthew asked suddenly, everyone turning to him with raised eyebrows.

‘Gold? There’s never been—’

‘Yes, although, Aria’s paled with her abuse. Why are you bringing that up?’ Andrew interrupted the delta, not really taking notice of what he said.

‘Check her,’ Alpha Reed ordered, and with Michael’s help, Ethan turned Aria on her side. The curled wolf was barely visible, but it was there. Ethan shocked gazed drifted from person to person before settling on his alpha, nodding silently.

‘There’s no other colour?’ he asked. The doctor just shook his head, unable to form words.

‘That’s not possible,’ Ian muttered. ‘There’s never been a solid gold warrior before.’

‘What do you mean?’ Andrew asked.

‘There has been warrior’s with golden highlights in their marks, but no one has ever heard of a solid gold before,’ Matthew explained. Andrew frowned, not understanding what they’re saying.

‘Ethan, can you do anything for the girl?’ Declan asked.

‘…no. If Aria’s rejection had been proper, I might be able to help her, but this…this is beyond me,’ Ethan replied reluctantly, and Andrew froze as everyone looked to the floor.

‘What do you mean proper?’

‘A proper rejection requires you state your full name, rank and pack name for a successful breakage of the bond. If someone diverts from that, the results can be catastrophic,’ Ethan said, gesturing to Aria sadly. Realisation dawns on Andrew and denial quickly followed.

‘But you can help her, can’t you?’

‘I’m sorry, pup, everything I’ve tried hasn’t worked. This is her battle,’ Ethan said. Andrew went to argue when the heart monitor fell into one steady beep. Ethan launched into action as someone grasped Andrew’s shoulders, pulling him away from the bed. Andrew and James watched with horror as the doctor broke Aria’s ribs again, breathing into her and even shocking her. He understood it was needed to bring her back, but he couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working. Ethan performed CPR for several minutes; the steady beep never changing. It rang in his ears, tears rolling down Andrew’s cheeks as his thoughts slowed. All he could think of was her name.

After what felt like hours, Ethan paused. He looked at the time and shook his head.

‘No, no, no! Goddess, please, anyone but her,’ James pleaded.

‘I’m sorry, youngling. Time of death—’

‘No!’ Andrew yelled as shrugged Matthew off. James howled in misery as he took control of his hosts body, wreaking havoc within the room. Andrew didn’t fight him, allowing him to do whatever he wanted as Andrew settled in his haven. He could faintly hear Alpha Reed order James to calm down. Andrew looked at the viewscreen, seeing that James had stilled and was looking at the alpha. The image was blurry with tears before it went dark, James giving back Andrew control as he retreated into their haven this time. Andrew blinked passed the tears and looked around the room.

Everything but where Aria laid, was destroyed. Andrew studied her sickly but peaceful expression, and he fell to his knees, ignoring the sympatric eyes and shocked expressions. He covered his face as he screamed, a part of his heart and soul now missing. His body ached with the new reality as loud, heart-wrenching sobs escaped. He hardly felt Michael hand clasped his forearm and dragged him to his feet. He didn’t even notice leaving the room, up the stairs and into a bedroom.

‘I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, Andrew, but it’ll be alright…in time,’ Michael whispered as he laid Andrew on the duvet. He squeezed his shoulder before leaving the room; his heart aching for the poor pup.

Andrew neither replied or cared, his heart no longer feeling and his mind no longer thinking. He just curled into a pillow and wallowed in his misery.