Blood is surprisingly sticky. That's the best way Kaia could describe it. Sticky, and warm. Terrifying, too. Of course, that goes without saying. Terrifying beyond measure because all of it, the scarlet that was coating her hands, turning her skin pink, was coming from him. From her wolf. From Kaleb.

Kaia took a deep breath and pressed her hand harder to Kaleb's wound to stop the bleeding; she'd ripped off her sweatshirt and held the thick fabric against the bullet hole. He was unconscious now, so he couldn't feel it. He'd passed out as soon as he'd stopped seizing. "Shit," Kaia hissed, getting the best hold on Kaleb's shirt she could and doing her damnedest to tug him towards the door. She needed to get him to the car.

"Kaia!" She looked up, weak, her hands slick. Kaleb's head fell into her lap, and she cradled it. Cole froze as he took in the scene in front of him, his eyes widening when he saw the blood. It was just...too much of it. Everywhere. It was like all Kaia could see was red. Or maybe there was something wrong with her eyes or her head.

Cole calmly bent down and felt their dad's pulse, immediately rushing to Kaia's side once he had confirmed that their only remaining parent was alive. Kaia felt another rush of hate when she laid her eyes on her unconscious father; he was her blood, and he had ruined Kaleb like this.

"What the hell happened?" Cole asked, taking Kaia's shoulders. His dark brown eyes were full of concern, confusion, and a subtle fury at seeing Kaia crying and shaking like this. He was supposed to protect Kaia; Cole had spent his entire life to keeping her safe like his father had demanded. He wondered how he'd failed so monumentally. To let her see blood...he'd fought hard so that she'd never see anything like this. And yet here she was, covered in it.

"He shot Kaleb," Kaia choked out. She was struck with a new terror when she realized that she couldn't smell Kaleb's smokey scent any longer, only the metallic, terrifying scent of blood.

"What? Why?" Cole asked, then looked down at Kaleb, scanning him as if he could find all the answers on Kaleb's unconscious body.

"Because Kaleb is a wolf," Kaia whimpered, looking down at him. But she knew that wasn't the only reason; her dad had shot Kaleb because Kaleb was going to take Kaia away from him. He'd hurt Kaleb because she was Kaleb's mate. It was so unfair that such a perfect, beautiful thing could be the reason that Kaleb would be injured.

"No, dad wouldn't just..." Cole mumbled, "The Accords." He looked confused like there was a disconnect in his wiring and he didn't know how to fix it.

But Kaia couldn't pay attention to that for now, because Kaleb was even paler than before. Sweat rolled off of him, and his chest heaved. His breathing was labored now, and with each weak effort of his lungs, he lost more strength. Kaia touched his hair, smoothing it out of his face and wiping his sweat away.

Cole stared for a moment. It was a crucial moment because in it he made a choice. Cole saw his sister shaking, crying, and knew that it was because she was losing someone right in front of her eyes. Her brother didn't have a clue who the guy was bleeding out on their wooden floors, but he knew he had to do something. "Come on," Cole said, "Let's get him to a hospital."

Kaia watched as Cole leaned forward and tucked his arm under Kaleb. Kaia hadn't realized how big her brother was, but soon enough Kaleb was hanging limply at Cole's side. Maybe he was so strong because he was a Hunter, too? The thought sprung up in Kaia's mind, but she didn't voice her worries. She didn't understand the dynamic between Hunters and lycanthrope, so for now she would trust her brother. It was all she knew, and the concern in Cole's eyes was enough for now.

Kaia launched to her feet, opening the door for them, "No, he said that we have to get him to his Pack's Mansion."

"Did he deign to tell you why?" Cole asked, annoyed, as he carried Kaleb out the door.

"No, he passed out," Kaia said, her tears starting to dry. It was a mixture of necessity--Kaia couldn't help Cole if she was sobbing and shaking--and something else. For some reason, having Cole here made all the difference. He did more than carry Kaleb for her. He could drive. He knew what to do. Kaia wasn't alone in this.

"Open the door," Cole ordered. Kaia ran ahead and popped the SUV's back door open. "What Pack is it?" Cole asked, grunting and readjusting Kaleb's body.

"Um, the Prowlers," Kaia said, fighting to steady her hands. She leaped into the back of the SUV and slammed the seats down with a little more force than was necessary to make space. She helped Cole put Kaleb in the body of the car, pulling her wolf up by his arms into the big empty space she'd created.

She was so focused that she barely heard Cole's reaction, a loud, "Dad shot the Alpha of Whispers!?" The Prowlers were more important than Kaia had thought, especially their Alpha if his special title was an indicator. "Jesus Christ, what the hell was he thinking? The other's won't--"

Cole slammed the door shut even as he continued to talk to himself. There was a moment of silence as Cole rounded the car. Kaia pulled Kaleb closer to her, letting him lean against her chest. She consoled herself by pressing her hand to Kaleb's chest; his heartbeat might as well have been a hummingbird's, but it meant that he was still alive and Kaia had never cherished anything in the world as deeply. "Kaleb, I promised not to leave you, remember?" Kaia whispered to him, stroking the side of his damp face, "You've got to do the same, ok? Or I'll--"

"Kaia, he's a wolf, so it'll take more than a bullet to kill him," Cole interrupted as he started the car, turning to back out of the driveway. He looked at her, his eyes serious as he angrily jerked his head to get some stray curls out of his eyes. Kaia had a feeling that Cole understood what was going on in her head, the depth of the fear that clutched her heart. "Wolves are stronger than humans."

As if on cue, Kaleb started seizing again. They tore down the road, breaking all sorts of road laws, no doubt. "No, it's more. It's--" Kaia fought to keep Kaleb still. She'd read that seizures cause all sorts of damage. Kaia could only watch, assuming that trying to hold him down might hurt him more. It was all she could do. 

"Shit, you're right," Cole said in realization, "Dad probably shot him with a wolfsbane bullet. That's probably why he asked to go to his Mansion." Cole uttered a string of curses and pressed harder on the accelerator. 

Kaia couldn't ask what that meant until Kaleb stopped seizing again and she could think. "What?"

"Wolfsbane," Cole explained, "Dad coats his bullets in the stuff. A Hunter thing, in case worse comes to worse."

"What does it mean?" Kaia asked. What does it mean for Kaleb? For us? Her breath stilled as she waited for an answer. She felt like someone was lifting her out of her body, pulling and tugging her soul to the point that she was stretched thin, about to snap out of her shell.

Cole took too long to answer, and she knew that it wasn't good news. Kaia wasn't an idiot. She could reason out the truth like smoothing a crease, everything becomes clear. Wolfsbane must have been like poison to lycanthrope. It was what was making Kaleb seize. The hatred was back full force now. It was her dad, her dad that had done this, had not only shot Kaleb but had poisoned him. "It's not good," Cole said, his voice quiet.

Wait. A realization sunk into Kaia's mind. If she had never insisted on seeing her dad, none of this would have happened. He wouldn't have had a chance to shoot Kaleb. Kaia felt guilt like a blow to her stomach. The first impact disintegrated into intense nausea. Kaia swallowed, burying her nose in Kaleb's hair and inhaling. The familiar smell gave her what comfort she could get, diminishing the eerie floating feeling that she had.

She shook her head, kissing Kaleb's forehead and tasting salt. Kaia reminded herself that she couldn't have known. She'd just wanted to see her dad, let him see her. She couldn't have known, so she shouldn't blame herself. And yet...

☾

People always say that blood spills. That had never seemed right to Kaia. To her, the word spill implied that it was accidental, like knocking over a glass with your elbow and spilling water on the floor.

But this was nothing like that.

For one, it was all intentional. Kaia's dad had shot Kaleb entirely on purpose, though he may not have been in his right might. Secondly, it wasn't like Kaleb's blood was sloshing out of him like someone put too much water in a pot and tried to carry it across the kitchen. It was more of a leak, a steady loss. It was a hole punched in a barrel of red wine like in the pirate movies.

Cole had tried to comfort her the entire way to the Pack Mansion. It didn't work, of course. Kaia was as near to the definition of inconsolable as she'd ever been. She'd drifted into a trance, farther and farther the longer she sat in the back of the SUV with Kaleb dying in her lap.

Kaia had finally found somewhere to belong. She'd found that elusive him that her mom had always prophesized. He'll come. Her mate. Her beloved wolf. Only to lose him, it seemed.

Kaia rocked back and forth between crippling nausea and plain numbness. "We're almost there," Cole called, "Hang on, ok?"

Kaia looked up to see that Cole was staring at her through the rearview mirror. He was so worried without knowing anything. Kaia understood. Cole was unconditionally on her side, even if he did turn out to be a Hunter. Her brother had always been the one to accept her. Despite any secrets between them, Kaia trusted that wouldn't change. She was so grateful to him, glad that he was her brother.

But despite how much she loved him, his presence and his concern couldn't soften what she was going through enough. Kaia didn't say anything in return, just looked down at Kaleb where he lay unconscious in her arms. He hadn't seized a third time yet, and she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She didn't know much at all.

"Kaleb, there's so much I want to tell you," Kaia whispered to him. She stared for a moment at his fluttering eyelashes. His eyes were darting around beneath his eyelids like he was vividly dreaming. She wanted to drop into his dream, enjoy it with him if it was good and save him from it if it was bad. Kaia kissed each of his eyes, "So you have to wake up."

Kaia was trying to ignore how much she wanted to kiss Kaleb, a real kiss. But it seemed wrong. She would be admitting defeat if she gave in to that temptation. If she kissed him and he woke...she'd have lost so much. For what, a kiss? But if she didn't kiss him and he never opened his eyes again, she'd have missed her chance, her last chance. It was all for the possibility of a future with Kaleb.

A future with Kaleb sounded so amazing. What a thing. Kaia didn't kiss him. She wouldn't give up, not now and not ever.

Kaia blinked back to herself when the car slammed to a halt. She clung to Kaleb as their bodies shifted at the sudden stop. Cole was out of the car in a heartbeat. Kaia looked out the window. The Prowler Mansion loomed over them, a sleeping white Victorian giant. It looked like four houses put together and had a tall tower in the middle. Thank god Cole knew where it was; Kaia didn't bother wondering why.

The door opened, and there Cole was, sweating and beckoning for her to hand Kaleb over. With great effort, she did and then tumbled from the SUV. "He doesn't look good," Cole said, stating the obvious. Kaia shot him a death glare, and he flushed. "Sorry," he said, "I can tell you care about this guy. That was thoughtless." Care. Yeah. She did.

Kaia ran ahead, doubting that she could help much with carrying Kaleb. She wasn't physically useful, but she had authority here. At least, she thought she did. She forged ahead. "Hello?" Kaia called as soon as she heaved the giant doors to the Mansion open. She stood in the entrance hall, the same one where Kaleb had announced her to the Pack.

A girl was walking towards Kaia. She had chocolate skin and a head of beautifully frizzy hair. Her lips were bent into a frown, screwing her pretty face into an expression of disbelief. "What the hell are you-"

"Kaleb was shot," Kaia said immediately, grabbing the girl's arms, "With wolfsbane. He needs help."

"What?" the girl asked, stunned. Her expression changed as recognition set in, "You're going to be our Luna!"

"Yes," Kaia said, losing patience, "So come on!" Just then, Cole stumbled in panting, lugging Kaleb beside him. Kaleb's head hung limply against his chest. His body was slack like a doll's. Kaia watched as the girl's expression changed yet again, her eyes popping out of her head. 

"Oh my god," she choked, "Oh god. Ok. Ok. Oh my--" She spun around and sprinted in the opposite direction. Kaia stared after her in utter disbelief. Really? One look and she just ran, leaving them to-

Seconds later, she came running back, her face serious now. When she returned, a team of guys flanked her on either side. They all looked annoyed until they saw Kaleb. Then their annoyance transformed into shock, too. They couldn't believe that someone would dare harm their Alpha, the Alpha of Whispers.

"Get his arms," one guy said. He had pitch black hair and a gravelly voice. "You get his legs." In seconds, Kaleb was swept up and carried away. Kaia moved to follow, but the girl from before stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

Kaia felt the girl's fingers trembling. "Who is this?" she asked, pointing to Cole.

"M-My brother," Kaia replied.

"He can't stay here," she said. She had warm brown eyes, and Kaia could see regret in them.

Kaia hardened her heart against this girl. However charming she seemed, Kaia needed her freaking brother with her right then. "He can," Kaia said. Her words sounded more like a threat than she'd meant them to, so she cleared her throat, "I need him."

The Pack did accept Kaia as their Luna to some extent. At least, this girl did, because, after a second of hesitation, she nodded, her hair bouncing. "Fine, but Elias is going to have my head for this," she said, taking Kaia's hand and leading her away. "Not that that's what I should be worried about right now."

"Where are they taking him?" Kaia asked.

"To Jaeger," she replied, leading Kaia after Kaleb, "He's an asshole, but he's an outstanding doctor. He'll help our Alpha." There was quiet for a moment. Their footsteps echoed in the vast hall, Cole's thumping behind them. Kaia glanced back at him to see him staring around the Mansion, wide-eyed. He looked a bit out of his depth.

"What happened, Luna?" the girl asked. Kaia stared at her for a moment, dropping her hand. The girl coughed awkwardly, "Sorry, I don't know what I should call you. I guess I'm a bit too informal."

Kaia felt bad. "No, it's...not that."

"I'm Jaeda," she said, "And I didn't mean any offense." They rounded a corner and went up a flight of white marble stairs.

"No, it's honestly fine," Kaia said, "Kal--our Alpha was shot by...a Hunter."

Jaeda gaped, "A Hunter? I'm not an expert, but I pretty sure that's against the Accords. Prowlers don't harm people and Hunters don't harm us. At least, they're not supposed to."

"Why are the Prowlers different?" Kaia asked. She needed to think about something else, anything other than the fact that Kaleb may or may not be dying as they spoke.

"We're peaceful. We serve as a bridge between lycanthrope and humans. We keep the other Packs in check and maintain order. The previous Alpha, Alexander, created the Accords, a meeting between humans and lycanthrope so that there'd be...I don't know..."

"Harmony?" Kaia asked. The word seemed silly, like something that belonged at the end of a fairy tale you'd tell a child. But Jaeda just nodded as she pushed one final door open. Jaeda stopped walking, and Kaia skidded to a stop beside her.

They were in a large room. It was...shiny. Mirrors of all shapes and sizes hung everywhere. The floor was shining marble, the ceiling encrusted with glittering cold decorations, like stars high above them. "Where are we? Where's Kaleb?" Kaia asked, turning to Jaeda.

"I was ordered to bring you here," Jaeda responded meekly.

Kaia fumed, "I don't care. Take me to Kaleb."

"I can't. I have my orders," Jaeda said, shifting from one foot to the other and hugging herself, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Kaia said, "That's useless! Take me to my mate!"

"Kaia!" It was Cole who shut her up. His voice was like a slap in the face, dispelling her anger. Cole stepped forward and looked down at her, his face the embodiment of regret. "You can't do anything right now. You have to wait."

"But I-" Cole didn't say anything. He just stepped forward and trapped her in his arms, squeezing her resistance out of her. She stood stiffly for a moment and then she went weak. It was like she'd been told to hold a boulder above her head for as long as she could and she could finally let it down. And when she let it fall to the ground with a tremendous thud, her entire body ached.

Her legs gave out for a second, and she stumbled, clinging to Cole. "Why is this happening?" Kaia asked no one in particular.

But Cole answered, "There isn't any reason." And that was so unsatisfying and so true.

Kaia hugged Cole tighter. He was and always had been her rock, the person who kept her sane when her dad was driving her crazy. Kaia took a shaking breath and let her tears soak Cole's shoulder. "Come on. You've got to talk to these people. You've got to be strong," Cole said, releasing her. Kaia looked up at him and nodded, letting his strength seep into her. She closed her eyes for a stolen moment before heading into the next room. 

Lionel was waiting there as well as some other people she vaguely recognized. "Kaia, are you ok?" Lionel was running towards her, his eyes on fire. When he got closer, he paused, looking her up and down. "Jesus, is any of this yours?"

It took Kaia a moment to realize what he meant, but then she caught a glimpse of herself in one of the mirrors on the wall. Kaleb's blood covered her entire chest; it clumped bits of the tips of her hair together and smeared pink across her cheek. Kaia sniffed and shook her head, "It's Kaleb's." Kaia's voice cracked, and a new wave of tears burst from her. She tried to snuff them out, but the look on Lionel's face wasn't helping.

"He's a tough bastard, Kaia. He'll be alright," Lionel said, walking forward and putting his hands on either side of Kaia's face, tilting her head up. "But for now, you've got to be strong. I'll ask Rosy to help get all of this blood off of you. Jaeda, will you help?" The girl nodded, hovering awkwardly nearby. 

"How are you so calm?" Kaia asked as Lionel guided her forward.

The only reply Kaia got before she was handed off was a sad look and an honest, "I'm not. I'm just good at hiding it."

Thanks for reading, as always. <3 Please, leave a vote and a comment if you enjoyed it.