Chapter 84

Once everyone was sorted into their own teams, I made the decision to have everyone shift. I begged quietly for Ares to respond to my call and help me make the shift.

‘Ares, I know you are in there somewhere. Kataleya needs us. I need your strength. I cannot do this on my own,’ I whispered into my mind, hoping that Ares was listening to me and that he would respond to my call.

I felt the hair rising on the back of my neck as if I was being watched. I spun around to face the woods, but I did not see anything.

As I was about to shift, Dr. Leigh ran up to us. “I know you need to go, but I have something for Kataleya that you might need. Her heat is currently unpredictable. There is no telling when her next cycle will happen.” She pulled out a pack and opened it. “ If you inject her with one of these syringes, then it will work like a heat suppression pill. I modified the pill to be in a liquid state, so we could inject it into her.”

I looked at the pouch as I took it from the doctor and thanked her. Hopefully, this will not be necessary.

I turned back to the other direction and began to strip my clothes.

As I go to force the shift, I am shocked when Ares responded to the need to shift.

The moment that Ares’ paws touched the ground, he tried to go rampant with his need to find his mate.

I tried soothing him. I knew what he was feeling and both of our emotions were ricocheting around on the inside, with the need to be released.

‘Ares, we need to find her, but you have to let me help control you, so that we can find her quicker. If you fight me on this, then it will be longer before our mate is back in our arms.’

He whimpered at my words, but I watched as he tried to stand taller and he stopped his pacing and sniffing the areas in which we were standing.

‘Ready?’ my voice resounded through the link. Everyone howled their agreement.

I could not shake the feeling that we were being watched, but I shook the thought as I bounded off into the woods, letting the bond pull me to my mate.

Periodically, I would have to stop because of the pain ravishing my body. My insides felt as if they were on fire. Ares tried to continue, even though we were in pain, but he could not push through the fire that was ravishing our bodies.

We would periodically glimpse into Kataleya’s eyes and see what they were doing to her. The pain we were feeling was from the “bath” they were giving her. Every time I looked into her eyes, I could see the open wounds that were being caused by monkshood and the water hemlock. It was eating her skin.

When we got to her, she would need a doctor. I would be shocked if she was able to shift right now or even communicate with Skye. Whenever I use our link to see what they are doing to her, I can smell the plants.

They have been using something extra in the water, but I cannot tell what it was. I have smelt it before, but I am not able to remember the name of the plant that they are using.

‘You okay, Justin,’ the Alpha linked me.

‘Yeah…the pain that they are putting her in, it feels like fire rushing through my veins. I try to push through the pain, but sometimes it becomes too much and I need to stop.’

His wolf sauntered over to me and helped to nudge Ares back into a standing position. He stayed there helping to hold us up until Ares thought that he could stand on his own without the extra help. ‘Thank you,’ I mumbled through the link.

We continued on. I could feel the bond pulsating the closer I got to Kataleya. After about two hours of running, I told everyone to stop. We had just come outside of an encampment and I could see the hustle and bustle of the rogues.

‘Kataleya has asked that we spare as many of the women and children as possible. She said most of them are here against their wills. She said women are pretty much used as whores, for what they call their warriors and Alphas; while children are used as a means to get the women to do their bidding.’

Everyone stated their agreement and I began to bark out the orders about how each group was going to separate. I was going to use Oliver’s group as a distraction. He was going to be the one to get us there. Once all the warriors enter the encampment, I will then break away and continue to follow the pull that continues to pull me to my mate.

I gave the signal for Oliver’s group to enter the encampment. As soon as the third group entered the encampment, blinding pain shot all over my body. Fuck!

Ares howled and took off running. Fuck waiting. Kataleya needed us. I could tell her pain level skyrocketed.

I followed the pull until I saw a small building that led underground. Could this be where they are keeping her? I checked the bond and it is trying to pull me beyond this door.

I opened the solid metal door and was hit with the stench of blood, decaying bodies, and my nostrils burned with the monkshood that was in the air. I continued following the bond, until I came across another door. I could hear words beyond this door and realized it was the woman that was giving Kataleya her “bath.”

I pushed the door open as I heard Kataleya scream out. As I opened the door, I saw Kataleya’s eyes closing and her head slumped backwards. I rushed to her side and pushed the woman out of the way.

“What the fuck did you give her?”

The woman stuttered but did not answer my question. She backed herself up and huddled next to the wall in the cell that they had Kataleya in.

I moved closer to Kataleya and took her pulse. It was faint but it was there. I laid my head on her chest, careful not to irritate any of the open wounds, inhaling her scent as I listened to her heartbeat. Her heartbeat was strong. That is a good sign.

I turned back to the woman in the room. “What the hell did you give her?”

She still did not answer, so I advanced towards him in anger. She pressed her back further against the wall and I stopped.

Kataleya asked me not to harm any of the women or children if possible. I bent down to her level and asked her the same question. I made sure that I spoke clearly and tried not to sound threatening. She still did not answer the question, but she pointed to the plate that was sitting near Kataleya’s head.

I walked to it and examined it. I could smell the monkshood emanating from it. That could not have been what caused this. I could smell the monkshood all over her, so she has had more than plenty in her system. It would be more of a shock that I was able to communicate with her at all.

I picked up a piece of meat and examined it. My fingers were burning just from touching the food. I held it to my nose, careful to make sure that nothing was ingested. As soon as I realized what it was, my heart was thundering as I dropped the meat back onto the plate.