A Leader's Pain

Chapter 49

Lucia Lorenzo's POV

I feel it's time to step up my alpha duties when Blaine leaves the house. From my time in Italy, I already have a medical plan in place, but right now I want to concentrate on training the pack. To be honest, there isn't much to do in terms of money. The business is flourishing, and Anabel handles all of the bookkeeping.

A scream reverberates through the house as I'm about to walk into the home office.

Oh, goddess of mine.

I transform into my wolf and dash out the door. Without a doubt, that cry was coming from Nightshade, but they are practically hard to find because they don't have a scent. There's another scream, louder than the previous one.

I make twice as much progress through the forest as I would have otherwise by taking a shortcut.

I let out a groan as I took in the spectacle before me. A terrified child, no older than twelve, lies on the ground. In front of him is a dark wolf, protecting him. I recognize this wolf as Blaine from its scent and stature.

I sprint over to the child and gnaw on his clothing. I pull him over to the side, where a few people have gathered. The crowd is captivated by my companion and the Nightshade, so much so that the pack warriors rush to get them back into the safety of their houses.

Blaine and the Nightshade go around one another. Even though the beast is easily twice as big as Blaine's wolf, Blaine does not appear afraid.

One of the ugliest things I've ever seen is the night sky. Its hands have extended talons, but otherwise, they resemble human hands. Its eyes are protruding and glaring like black holes. The true predator in this scenario is obvious, although it appears to be something out of a horror movie.

Blaine clamps his jaws down on the Nightshade's limb. With a screech, the beast rips Blaine away with its talons.

I scream as he collapses to the ground. It's a dejected howl in wolf shape, but it catches his ear. His gold wolf eyes meet mine, and he straightens up. He got up quickly, pushing off his rear legs and leaping into the air. His pointed fangs pierce the nightshade's hard outer layer and seize hold of its throat. He pulls its neck out with a firm tug. As it hits the ground, the creature vanishes into dust.

Blaine's wolf twitches to one side and then collapses to the ground in a heap. He has a spasm and then returns to his human form. I dash to his side, following his lead.

"Oh, my goddess," I murmur to myself.

There are three deep scratches on his chest. They are all covered in blood, and it doesn't appear to be getting better.

"Blaine," I sob as I collapse next to him on my knees. His face is turning pale, and I can feel my chest starting to hurt from his wound.

"Is it hurting you?" He passed out.

"Are you hurting me? It's you who appears to be two seconds from passing out," I shoot back.

He gave a brief smile before it turned into a wince.

"Call Clara right away!"

"Cyril is going to get Clara, and she will be able to help you, okay?"

"I realized we haven't gone on a date yet," he continued. By the look in his eyes, I know he's lost it. He won't be able to remain awake for very long.

I told him, "That's not important right now." I feel the tears prick my eyes as his eyes grow more hazy.

He gasps out his final words: "If I make it through this, we can go on one. I'll plan it."

"Please stop. I whisper, 'You're going to be alright.

"Knowing you was my greatest honor, little wolf," he murmured.

"Alpha!" Clara yells. She collapses on the ground next to me and picks up her woven purse. She is searching with her hands for whatever it is that she is looking for.

"Luna, please hold his hand," she commanded. I almost ask her why, but I stop myself—there's no time to waste. It feels cold to touch his hand. It's so cold, that I almost winced. It seems lifeless against my skin, and I find myself wondering if he's headed straight for the grave. My heart aches at the thought.

I wrap both of my hands around his and offer the goddess a prayer.

"Ah!" My chest hurt so much that I had to let out a scream. If it's this horrible for me, I know it must be unbearable for Blaine.

It's a peculiar characteristic of werewolves. We can sense when our partner is suffering. Though it's a small portion of what they experience, it serves as a warning to those of us in our kind. We are meant to be together. We are together in our grief and struggles. Our partner's soul is connected to ours, so we never turn away from them.

Clara's weak hand covers Blaine's wounds with a black plaster. His eyes are still glazed over, so I wonder at first if it makes a difference. Then I sense his arm starting to twitch, and there's a scream of pain in the room.

He stomps on the ground, his hold on my hand almost too tight. I can't stop crying, and his shout hurt. "Blaine, it's ok," I assured him, begging the goddess to stop my tears. I try to be as supportive as I can, but I'm not sure whether he can hear me over his cries. Sitting there and witnessing his agony is such an awful feeling. My heart is breaking in two since there is nothing I can do to help him.

I try to soothe him and myself by softly petting his face. I can feel my grounding when I run my fingertips over his soft skin. Here he is. He is still alive. I kept moving and gave myself a moment to take in my surroundings. Certain higher-ranking gammas and deltas were still present, but the majority of the pack had moved on. I acknowledge most of them as captains. They all appear anxious, and I make an effort to tell myself that I am now the alpha. I'm sure Blaine would prefer not to be perceived in this way by his pack.

"Keep them calm and move with the group. I said, "Don't give details that aren't necessary. With a nod, they all walk away. This dynamic is strange to me; I'm not used to it. I dislike giving orders to other people, but I can't be concerned about coming across as harsh or impolite. I'm wondering how Blaine has been able to do this for so long as I continue to console him. Even though Gilbert wasn't technically Alpha until recently, he consistently applied pressure to Blaine. Since he was nineteen, he has been leading this pack like an alpha, whereas most alphas don't assume their position until they are fifty.

I thought the anguish was subsiding as Blaine let out another scream. I also experienced sharp discomfort a moment later.

"Blaine, things will work out for you. "Shortly, the suffering will end," I assured him. His eyes are clear when he looks at me; he genuinely looks at me. His hair is plastered to the top of his forehead, and drops of sweat trickle down his cheeks.

Whispering, "Lucia," he said. I'm not even sure I heard it because it's so faint. I lean in close, placing both of my hands on the side of his face. For a split second, nothing moves as our foreheads meet.

I murmur, "I'm here," while the tears keep coming down my cheeks.

I waited for his words as his lips opened, but they never materialized.