Chapter 41

Dominic

My father’s face was hard as stone as I quickly relayed the information about the attack.

I was careful not to say the name of the Pack or exact location, knowing that Tessa would connect it to Ward. I knew she would insist on coming with us even though she would not be able to help us.

Mira and I went quickly out of the house and towards where Lucas and Wyatt were waiting with a van. Mira paused before getting in the vehicle.

“I should go get my supplies, my kit is in the room,” she said, starting to turn back.

“No need,” Lucas said. “We have it?”

“You have it?” she asked in surprise.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Wyatt responded, “I’ve seen where you keep it on your desk, so when Lucas went to find you two I went for your kit.”

“You should not have done that, Wyatt,” I told my Beta. “Mira’s space should be respected.”

I was thankful we wouldn’t have to waste any more time, but didn’t like the idea of a Beta overstepping a boundary.

A hand was placed on my arm.

“It’s alright, Dominic,” Mira said, as if holding me back. “I trust Wyatt, and I would’ve done the same thing if I were in his position.”

Wyatt’s face was solid as she looked at him, but I saw the facade crack a bit as he took in her smile. These two seemed to have grown closer than I had thought in the weeks Mira had been here.

“Right,” I said, feeling my authority slip away. “Lucas, feel free to break a few laws on the road to get us their quickly.”

“Yes sir,” he said.

For a man who didn’t show much emotion, I heard the adrenaline in his voice.

As if fearing that someone was listening, none of us spoke until we were on the road and the lights of the Pack house faded behind us.

“Alright,” I said as I leaned towards the front seat, “what do we know?”

“Not much, unfortunately,” Lucas said.

“We got a distress call about twenty minutes ago,” Wyatt added, “but the connection was shaky and it was only after a moment that we realized they were saying the name Brooks.”

I noticed Mira flinch out of the corner of my eye. I placed my hand on her knee to steady her.

“Do you know if anyone is hurt? Any specific names?” Mira asked.

“They didn’t say,” Wyatt said, turning slightly in the front seat to look at her. “Or at least we couldn’t here. Sorry, Mira.”

She nodded, and placed her hand on mine.

I realized that although Mira was adopted into the Brooks Pack, they were still the family she had left behind. I had saved her life by making her my Mate, but I could not replace the people that raised her.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“Based on what we know about Rogue attacks in the past,” Lucas said, “we should expect a bit of mayhem.”

“Mayhem?” Mira’s voice was steady but lacked its usual confidence.

“Destruction, fires, looting, etcetera,” Lucas said.

“They will usually set up a diversion on one side and then try to breach security on the other,” Wyatt added.

“They came from the Northwest,” said Lucas. “On track with the previous attacks, but the others were more concentrated.”

“They’re getting bolder,” I said, feeling my eyebrows knit together in frustration.

“What do they want?” Mira asked. “Money? Or just dominance over other Packs?”

“Chaos,” Lucas said.

I leaned back in my seat, and we all went quiet in the car as we thought about what we were heading towards. No doubt our imaginations were filling in the gaps in information with unsettling images.

By the time we arrived, Mira’s finger nails were digging into the flesh of my palm.

There were at least three homes with smoldering roofs, and we could see bodies rushing among the shadows of the firelight.

“We’ll go first,” Lucas said, slinging a rifle over his shoulder.

Mira opened her mouth to object, but I stopped her from getting out of the car.

“They have to scout things out first,” I told her. “Even the Alpha has to wait.”

“Dominic, what if—“ her voice caught in her throat.

“I know,” I said to her. “We will do everything we can.”

It wasn’t long before the Betas came back, sliding open the door to the van.

“The coast is clear,” Lucas told us. “The Rogues have moved on.”

Mira stayed close to my side as we made our way through the remains of the front gate. One side had been fully smashed to the ground, the other was swinging from its hinges.

We made our way through the first buildings, and watched as a crew held a hose up to put out the last of the fires.

Embers were scattered across the ground, and we could see furniture that had been used to smash open windows and thrown outside.

It was eerily quiet, with only occasional shouts of the rescue crews crossing the distance between buildings.

Wyatt was talking to a man who seemed to have some authority.

“Sir, this is Alpha Brooks,” Wyatt told me.

“Dominic Grey,” I said to the man, shaking his hand. “I am sorry to meet under such circumstances.”

“It is good of you to come out this way,” Brooks replied.

“Of course,” I replied. “These attacks affect us all, and this one felt a little closer to home for my family and my Mate.”

“Mira!” Brooks shouted, moving towards her. His face was a mixture of shock and relief.

I watched as the two reunited in a warm familial embrace.

“Sir, I am so sorry, I should’ve been here to help—“

“No, dear,” Brooks interrupted her. “It’s better that you weren’t, you’re safe.”

“Well, I am here to help now,” Mira replied. “Where are they keeping the wounded?”

“I’ll take you there,” he told her, starting to move. “We’re trying to round everyone up at the Shea household— that structure didn’t take any damage and has the space.”

“Any other medical help?”

“Yes, it seems our distress call reached a few other packs and they sent help,” Brooks said.

“And— is Ward..?”

“My son put himself on the front line,” Brooks said with a heavy breath, “but he is okay.”

I watched Mira’s whole body react to the news that her former fiancé was alive. I felt something like jealously in the pit of my stomach.

Our walk was quiet, and when we arrived Mira went straight to work. She checked in with the other doctors and began to offer aid to the victims.

I stayed near the front door, not wanting to interfere, observing and listening to Brooks as he went over the blurry details of the attack.

“Mira!”

I spun as I heard her name, just in time to see Mira jump up to hug a man with his arm in a sling.

It was Ward.

“Something bothering you, Sir?” Wyatt said next to me. “You look like you’re ready to fight someone.”

Something in his voice told me he was goading me.

“It’s nothing,” I said gruffly, “I should check in with Mira.”

I felt the eyes of my Betas on my back as I walked toward her, and I did my best to ignore them.

As I approached Mira and Ward, I noticed how comfortable she was with him. Not only as a doctor checking in with an injured patient, but as someone who shares a long and intimate history with another.

Keep an eye on him.

“Ward,” I said, pulling his attention away from Mira. “Glad to see you’re alright. I’m sure Tessa will be so relieved.”

His face twitched with guilt as I said her name. Good.

“Thank you, it was pretty intense for a while,” he replied. “I’m just glad more people weren’t hurt or killed.”

“Yes, what good fortune,” I said.

I stood closer to Mira, forcing him to move slightly away from her. She was too distracted to notice, but the other man could see clearly what I was doing.

“I should probably go call Tessa,” Ward said. “I will see you later, Mira.”

He reached out and gave her hand a squeeze before walking away.

“Later?” I asked her after he was gone.

“Yes, he asked if I would stay the night to help out,” Mira replied. “Many of their own medical staff was caught in the fray, and even with the volunteers they can still use more help.”

“It seems unnecessary for you to stay, especially given that you are a future Luna, not just any old doctor.”

Her face scrunched up when I said this, and I worried instantly that I had made a mistake.

“I am a doctor first,” she said defiantly, “and will be a doctor until the end of my life.”

“Of course, I’m sorry, I—“

“Dominic, you can go if you’re in such a rush,” she said, turning away. “I’m staying here.”