Thirty

Calix tries multiple times to call out to Amira once more through a mind link, but it only seems to work one time, whatever she does she doesn't do again. His mind is silent as he awaits the final flow, wondering what she is thinking at this moment if she is crying and fighting to get free, or if she thankfully can't see the scene unfolding before her.

Knowing how psychotic Evander is, he will have her watching until the end. He just hopes she doesn't feel the pain of the mate bond breaking and his death, and he has given Omega Dunya and her team enough time to flank the people holding Amira hostage. He doesn't trust Evander not to kill her as soon as he kills Calix, but he has to do something to buy time.

Neither Malachi nor Isaac have returned with their team, and the fact that Amira is still within Evander's clutches means they failed to save her. Calix knows they at least found her, or they would have sent word somehow by now, but there has been nothing since they left, and he already fears the worst. There is nothing left; he has failed.

I don't deserve to call myself an Alpha. I couldn't protect my mate and I sent my loyal pack members to certain doom for something I failed to do. 

Calix expects Evander to shift back to his wolf, but instead grabs a long dagger from his underling and hovers above him.

"Don't want to ruin that pretty fur coat, now do we?" He grins, then lifts the dagger above his head, ready to plunge it deep into Calix's chest.

Suddenly, he lets out an agonizing scream and drops the dagger to clutch his chest, scraping at his skin as it seems like his chest is heating up. Calix faintly hears someone shouting behind him and lifts his head to see a familiar figure running toward the crowd, a dash of red spotted behind him.

"Now, Calix! Now is your chance!" Isaac shouts and points at Evander, who is now twisting in pain on the ground.

Calix snaps out of it and lunges for Evander, aiming straight for his jugular and bites down hard with his teeth, sinking them into his human flesh and tears free. He strikes twice more, hearing the audible gasps and shouts around him until Evander's head comes off.

The crowd becomes instantly quiet, soaking in what has just happened. No one can explain why Evander suddenly collapsed like that, everyone looking around them to find something amiss, but there is nothing. Calix slowly picks up the head of Evander and walks over to his group, dropping it before them.

Malachi comes up behind him to drape a blanket over him so he can shift, glaring down at the small remainder of followers that have stayed to the end.

"You have five seconds to choose your fate," he growls.

Two of them run off immediately, while three of them remain and hold their ground.

"Your fate has been decided." He motions for those behind him to attack, Omega Dunya and Delta Edwards leading the pack members of the Highmoon and Greybane Packs that have come together to witness this moment in history. They chase the remaining followers of Evander into the swamp as howls and shouts echo off the trees.

"Calix, we have trouble!" He hears Isaac call out. "It's Amira, shift back and come quick."

He doesn't hesitate to shift back into his wolf and chase after Isaac, Malachi following close behind. They arrive at the old barn but Isaac runs past it further into the swamp, and that's where Calix hears the small whimpers from up ahead, but he hears them through the mind link.

Amira? Sweetheart, is that you? 

The whimpering grows louder and more frequent, telling him it is indeed her and something is wrong, but she isn't in pain. He doesn't feel anything other than shock and panic through the bond, feeling like she is on the verge of having a breakdown of some sort.

When they find her, everyone is shocked by her transformation.

In front of them lies a snow-white wolf, covering her face with her paws as she whimpers and trembles.

Is that…Amira? Malachi asks.

It seems so, I have no idea how this happened, but that isn't the only thing. Look over there. Isaac says and motions with his snout back toward the old barn.

Malachi, go see what it is and bring it here. 

He darts off and comes back in human form carrying a girl, her neck covered in blood with a large wolf bite.

"Who the hell is this?"

I believe she might have been the mate of Evander. Her wound is fresh, within the last few minutes. The pain it looked like Evander experienced before dying looked like someone struggling with a mate bond. 

That would definitely explain what happened, making it extremely ironic if Evander died by the same trick he had hoped to use to win.

Amira, it's me, sweetheart. Please, look at me. Calix moves toward her and lowers himself to the ground.

She finally slowly takes her paws away from her face, but seeing that her hands have been exchanged for paws causes her to panic even more, her mind internally screaming and deafening Calix's ears.

Unsure of what to do, Calix shifts into human form and wraps his arms around her, hugging her and shushing her calmly. He keeps whispering that everything is going to be okay and that she is safe before she finally starts to calm down, her body no longer trembling. She suddenly begins to shift back into human form and a blanket is tossed at him instantly by Malachi to cover her up.

The second time shifting is just as painful as the first time, causing Amira to pass out in Calix's arms, her injuries that have not healed yet clear as day now. He growls as he sees the cuts and gashes on her neck and legs, hugging her tighter to him as relief floods his chest.

"We should get her to a hospital," Malachi says.

"The pack doctors can treat her wounds, and we have a whole body right here to draw enough blood from if she needs it."

Malachi makes a gagging noise and covers his mouth.

"You can't be serious?"

Calix glares at him. "Don't test me, Malachi."

"I'll get the pack doctors and someone to get on that right away."

They return to the pack house where everyone who stayed behind is eagerly awaiting the return of their Alpha, all of them cheering once Calix walks through the front door, despite all the guys walking in stark naked, it is something normal to their kind. He doesn't stick around for the pleasantries and rushes to get Amira to the infirmary where the pack doctors get to work on bandaging her wounds and making sure she has no broken or fractured bones from shifting.

Once he ensures she is safe, he returns to his room to take a shower and wash the blood off of him, not wanting to reek of it when she finally wakes up. After getting dressed and grabbing a pair of clothes for her too, he rushes back to the infirmary.

To his pure delight, Amira is awake and sitting up in bed as one of the pack doctors takes a blood sample from her and another finishes bandaging a wound. Her face lights up when she sees him but he doesn't give her a chance to speak and tackles her in the bed with a hug.

"Alpha, careful! She is very fragile right now," one of the doctors calls out.

He instantly jumps back with his hands up.

"It's all right, doctor, I don't feel that fragile. I actually feel surprisingly good for everything I just went through," Amira teases, a cheery smile touching her lips.

Calix doesn't realize he is crying until he feels the salty taste on his lips.

How can she still smile so beautifully after what she has gone through; what I have put her through? 

"Calix why are you crying?" she asks, motioning for him to come back over to her.

He shakes his head and refuses to move.

She rolls her eyes. "Come here, now."

To his surprise his legs move on their own, his body reacting to her command instantly and he comes to stand beside her bed. Her eyes widen in shock too before a sly smile spreads across her face.

"Well, that was interesting," she giggles.

"How can you still smile at me?"

She grabs his face and leans her forehead against his.

"How could I not smile at a face like yours? You look like an abandoned puppy, it's adorable." She pokes at the sides of his face.

He captures her fingers and plants kisses on her fingertips and knuckles.

"It's okay, Calix. I'm safe and sound, see? We even made some discoveries that I'm sure the doctors here would love to explo–"

He cuts her off with a harsh kiss.

"10 minutes ago I was convinced I was never going to see you again. I believed I had lost you, and that I was going to die without even seeing your face for the last time, or see this smile again. I just found you, Amira," he whispers. He drops his head against her shoulder and starts to weep again.

"I just found you, and I almost lost you," he whimpers. "It's going to take me a bit to get over that."

Amira smiles and wraps her arms around him, running a hand down his back.

"That's okay. Come here." She moves back on the bed and pats beside her.

Calix climbs in next to her and she wraps him in a hug, this time being the one to comfort and protect him in this moment.

They stay like that for what seems like hours before Calix realizes that Amira has passed out again and starts to panic, calling for the doctors.

"It's all right, Alpha, she has just fallen asleep. She is most likely exhausted and is still adjusting to the new changes in her mind and body. Even as a hybrid, if they have enough Lycan genes in their system, they experience their first shifts before the age of 16, but it seems her genes may have been suppressed in some way."

"What do you mean?"

The pack doctor shrugs nervously. "We're still working on researching Miss Altaha's specific case–"

"Luna."

"Pardon, Alpha?"

"You will address her as your Luna from this day forward. Understood?"

The doctor's eyes widen, and he clears his throat.

"Our Luna's case is very special; it will take some time to gather research and find out what exactly has happened to her Lycan genes and where they came from."

"Don't worry about that," Calix says and walks over to the door, motioning for Omega Dunya to bring in the body of Evander. "You can use this in case she needs any more blood transfusions, he should be a match, and he is also a half-relative of Amira. He should be of some use."

"Oh, dear," the doctor mumbles. "Well, we shall get to work then."

"Let me know the moment she wakes up, I'll be in my office in the meantime."

"Is there anything I can help with in the meantime?" Omega Dunya asks.

"Yes, get me, Malachi. There is a woman I need to speak with."