Chapter 104

Mira

I responded to Lucas by immediately running away from him. Neither he nor Dominic questioned me as I disappeared to gather supplies. I also needed more hands.

“Jacqueline!”

She would not be my first choice, but she is a very skilled nurse and one of the closest to me. Her head turned quickly and she looked confused and curious that I was speaking to her.

“I need a hand in the field, there’s been an attack on a medical truck,” I said, trying to keep my voice low and not create unneeded panic around me. “You can say no—“

“I’m coming,” she said with a nod, holding eye contact. I was glad that even with the awkwardness with her friend and my enemy, Lila, she still respected me as a doctor. “What kind of attack?”

I paused, took a breath, finally picturing for myself the scene we were walking into.

“Explosion.”

Jacqueline rode in our van, sitting next to me in the middle. Dominic sat in the passenger seat as Lucas drove, Wyatt in another van with other guards. I sat on the left side, meaning I had a perfect view of Dominic as he sat fuming in the front seat.

His jaw was tight, his eyes slightly squinting as he looked directly forward. Even though this attack was not his fault, he was feeling the responsibility of the Alpha. I could see the vice grip around his heart.

“We’re about ten minutes out,” Lucas said, his eyes catching mine in the rear view mirror. “Let me know how I can help you, Doctor.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Lucas.”

Dominic didn’t move his head, but he watched our small exchange. He looked slightly flushed, and the next few breaths he took came deep in his chest. I searched along our link but he felt distant, and so I let him be.

“Have you ever seen this before?” Jacqueline had been listening to music most of the hour-long drive, but now turned to me. “These injuries?”

I sighed. “Yes, and I won’t lie to you, it’s going to be hard,” I told her, turning my body more towards hers. “Do you have much triage work? Do you have a place to go to, mentally, to focus on work?”

My questions were not judgmental, I just needed to know how to help her. She was on my team now, and Doctor Luna Mira must be a guide not a critic.

“I’ve been in the ER for four years, seen my share,” she said, owning it. “But recently, with these Rogue attacks— I’ve seen chemical burns worse than I could imagine. Who are these people? Why do they do this to us?”

“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. I put my hand on the back of hers, offering support. “But we are going to find them, and we are going to stop them.”

That got a reaction out of my husband, even if just a slight turn of his head towards us. Then he went back to his previous position. For whatever reason, he reminded me of a gargoyle perched and ready to strike down upon someone unlucky foe down below.

“When we arrive, we are just going to take it one step at a time,” I told Jacqueline, her face pale. “It is hard to reduce someone down to what has happened to them, but that’s what we have to do. Go to a place of doing, not feeling. That is how we get through, so we can help them get through.”

Jacqueline let out a deep breath, her lips parting as she released whatever she was holding it. She nodded fervently, but didn’t have any words. I squeezed her hand in understanding and let her return to her music and mental preparation.

And I returned to my own.

This drive felt routine, at a point. How many times had I been in this or another vehicle, driving towards a crime scene with Dominic? It seemed to make up so much of our relationship and our time together.

And our time together was still so short, in spite of our Fated Mate connection. Would that be enough, though, to keep two people together or so recently were strangers?

Would that be enough, now that someone who knew better was inserting herself into our life?

I have learned and discovered so much about Dominic, but I could never be the entire man as maybe Celeste did. She certainly liked to think she did. And Dominic seemed to want her around, so I could not fight it.

Maybe I was the fool for sticking around to watch it happen.

Dominic

The smell hit me first.

I had not even opened the car door when my nostrils started to sting. An ambulance and another car were there when we arrived, and I recognized the seal of the traveling medical team. They were here to look after their own.

We all paused before exiting, and I could feel the eyes of my passengers looking at me.

“We do what we can, and we don’t reveal too much, yet.”

My Beta nodded at me, and did a final check on his firearm and accessories. Jacqueline, the nurse, was rustling with her things, but Mira was still as stone. I let my eyes rest on her a moment longer.

“I’m with you.”

“I know.”

We saw the charred remains of the mid-size truck from a local medical distributor. It was a common road used to travel among most of the Packs in the area, mostly used for commercial trucks and travelers.

It was lucky no one else was on the road at the time.

An EMT was standing by the perimeter of the taped-off scene. I didn’t know him, but he seemed to know me.

“Alpha Grey,” he said as I approached. “Can’t say I’m too surprised to see you, but it is unexpected.”

“I am making it a personal mission to end these Rogue attacks,” I said, allowing my aura to do some persuading. “It shouldn’t have to affect me personally for me to give a damn.”

“Quite noble of you,” he said, without shade or judgement. “I’m Ronan, my associate Erina is with the victims.”

“My wife, Luna Mira, is a doctor,” I added.

“Oh yes, of course,” he said, seeming almost more in awe of Mira than me. “Come on through.”

“Do you have any idea what happened here?” I asked as he lifted the tape.

Ronan exhaled. “Can’t get the whole story yet, but it seems there was a false check-point and search, and then suddenly the cabin exploded. Then they made off with thousands of dollars worth of medical supplies.”

“So that’s their motive,” Mira said, looking to me for a moment to see if I was on the same page. It could once again be related to Malachi. “Do they know what they took?”

“Not a clue, besides just swiping boxes,” Ronan shrugged. “But this feels like a huge act for some sterile scalpels.”

We had paused to talk, and now walked around the ambulance towards what was left of the truck. The smell increased as we got closer: blood and burning flesh.

Another EMT was crouching down with a few people sitting on the ground. There was blood everywhere, so much it looked like paint.

To the side, under sheets, were two bodies.

My blood started to boil, my eyes on fire as I stared at the feet sticking out. Feet that less than two hours ago had been carrying a living being.

Mira and Jacqueline went to work, the other EMT seeming relieved to have some help. Three sat on the ground, mostly stable, though one appeared to have lost part of a leg, and another’s skin looked like it would peel off.

I went focused on the truck, my Betas following my lead and some going off the road to look for any evidence that might lead us to our attackers. I had a strong feeling I could assume it was connected to the bar and probably to many other violent events recently.

It was getting dark, and arrangements were made to move victims and deceased to a safe place nearby. As I walked back toward the van, Mira put a hand out to stop me.

She wrapped her arms around me, pressing her ear at the center of my chest. My arms fell around her, and I bent one so I could bring my hand to her head. No words, just holding each other.

Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket, breaking us apart. Pulling out her phone, the screen said “Unknown caller.”

Mira looked perplexed, then her face went white.

“Are you going to answer it?”