🍃Times for goodbyes🍃

Kellen has just done the hardest thing he had ever had to do; tell parents and partners to prepare for the imminent death of their loved one. The scared and confused faces that stared back at him would probably haunt him for the rest of his life.

Ernie has reported four more people with the same symptoms, including his niece, Bebe. Whispers had began to pass around among the people, mass panic will follow soon-he was sure of it.

And all he was doing, was pacing the long corridor outside Ernie's office, hoping and praying that she and Dr. Snowman would have a breakthrough with this world of strange.

Kellen was supposed to have answers, he was supposed to protect his people. Yet he didn't even know what was killing them.

He shut his eyes in frustration for a second, only to see big, golden brown eyes staring back at him on an expressionless face. He shook his head as if to disperse the mental image.

She had some nerve strutting into his pack like that, on the arms of his cousin no less.

"I'll try not to trip over the pole in your arse."

"You lost me at hurt a strand of hair on Billie's head."

Her damn voice was trapped in his head, bouncing around like an horror song stuck on replay. This was Kellen's nightmare and he couldn't believe she was now somewhere in his home.

On the other side of the corridor, Trevor leaned on the wall, tracking all of Kellen's movements with his eyes. Kellen had felt his nudge at their mindlink and preemptively shut him out, knowing he wasn't going to talk about the epidemic they've gotten on their hands.

"I need to talk to you." Trevor pushed off of the wall and approached, fed up of being ignored.

"Not now."

"You were rude to Gypsy."

"I said not...Gypsy?" Kellen paused and raised a brow at his beta. "So let me get this straight, you pick this person off the street like a roadkill, you decided to bring her back home with you and she haven't even told you a single truth about herself. Not even her name?!"

"Her name is Gypsy!"

"And what, she's the queen of Bel-Air?"

"I don't get it." Trevor looked puzzled. "I mean, I know the timing sucks with everything going on around here, but you're allowed to be a lil thrilled? You just met your soulmate, bro! Why are you acting like you don't want her?"

"I don't."

"That's crazy!" Trevor stared at him incredulously. "You know that's crazy, right? Please tell me this isn't because she's got a kid."

"She's not got a kid." Kellen resumed pacing. "That little girl whoever she is, is not her kid. Second; soulmate would suggest that this person has a soul and I can guarantee you she doesn't."

Kellen had barely finished his tirade when footsteps came up behind him, accompanied with her scent that instantly knocked him clean out of fresh air. He scowled at his cousin, who pretended to be surprised by her arrival.

"Hey boys, thought I heard my name?"

"Gypsy, what are you doing here?" Trevor walked around Kellen to meet her.

"We really should stop meeting like this, stranger." She teased. Kellen could pick out the ease and friendliness in her voice, It was obvious she had taken a liking to his cousin.

"I know you sent Rachel to babysit Billie and I, but you were there for us at the hospital and thought I'd return the favor. I didn't bring any coffee though."

"That's okay," Trevor chuckled, "where's Billie?"

"Passed out in the room, she's still pretty bummed from all of yesterday's drama." Her tone turned terse. "Kellen?"

Kellen looked at her with a sneer on his face, their eyes connected and the jolt that pass through his body was unexpected. It did nothing for him, but he also knew how addictive it could get. He'd reject her right where she stood and be done with it, but he had to introduce her to his pack first. Fucking protocol.

He watched as she jutted her hips to the side and fold her arms across her chest. "I think you have some really wild opinions of me." She said.

It had been a few hours since their first encounter, she's showered and had a change of clothes in his house. The thought didn't settle well with Kellen.

"Billie is my daughter, why'd I make something like that up?" She asked. He'd have believed the sincerity in her doe-y eyes if he didn't know better.

"I had her when I was pretty young and really stupid."

Kellen stifled a scoff in his throat, "Hate to break it to ya but you're still really stupid and a liar."

"Fuck sake," Trevor started grumbling under his breath but was thankfully interrupted by the arrival of Ernie.

"Is it a bad time?" Ernie asked, sensing the tension between the three of them.

"Yeah, I could use some good news."

"Bebe and the other's temperature has been lowered significantly to stall the progression as best as we can. Dr. Snowman called, he may have something but he needs another hour to confirm before he'll say. We woke Vera and Rio is fetching her parents like you requested. I'm afraid, it's time for goodbyes."

"Which of that is the good news?" Trevor shuffled on his feet.

Kellen gripped his hair with both hands. "There has to be something!" He growled. "Something we're missing, one of our own don't just die!"

"Maybe I can help."

Kellen's head snapped to his latest nemesis, who apparently doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut. "Are you a physician?"

"No sir, I am not."

"Then you're useless to me, ain't you?"

"Gypsy has a healing touch." Trevor announced, with a little bit of smugness.

"I'm listening."

"Are you sure you've got time for this, Alpha?" The beta taunted.

"Actually time is the one thing we don't have." Ernie chimed in. "All hands are welcome on deck, and we could really use a miracle right about now."

Trevor deflated, "It doesn't matter, I'm not letting her do a damn thing."

"You are not letting her?" Kellen clipped, and started to laugh. A bitter, mocking laugh. "What are you, her fucking guardian?"

"Someone has the be, since her own mate is failing her."  Trevor drew to his full height, feet apart and ready to square it out with Kellen.

Kellen eyed the beta, he looked like a peacock with his body puffed out like that. Obviously he'd taken a liking to the girl, too. Misguided and stupid enough to make him want to go against his Alpha. Trevor was more like a brother to him, and Kellen hoped he wasn't that stupid.

"You know what?" Gypsy jumped between the two, "I've had enough of you both talking about me like I'm not present. Keep at it and I'll introduce my heel to one of your faces."

"Excuse me?" Kellen drew back in surprise, there it was again, the same tone she used for him on the phone, like she was talking to the town's clown.

"My heel," She tapped her foot for emphasis. "I'm not sure you've met her, she's not as patient as I am."

Okay, who talks like that?

She hung her hands on her hips and grounded out, "Trev, this is not your call to make. I'd love to help if I can."

"Fine," Trevor sighed, and turned to Ernie, "Anything happens to her, I'm not the one explaining it to her mute daughter." He put just enough weight on the last word for Kellen to know it was directed at him m.

"I have an idea," Ernie addressed Gypsy, "Why don't I take you to one of the patients, see for yourself what we're dealing with and then you can decide."

"Sounds good to me." Gypsy shrugged. She stepped closer to Ernie, a smile playing at the corner of her lips as she held a hand out. "Hi, I'm Gypsy by the way."

"Ernie Everest. It's nice to meet you." The doctor gave a bright smile back. Together they led the way to the ICU ward, leaving the alpha and beta to follow behind.

Kellen wondered, was he the only person with enough brain to know 'Gypsy' couldn't be her real name. Who the hell go about naming their kid Gypsy?

**

Ernie led Gypsy into Bebe's room. Barbara and her mate, Marlow were already there ghosting over their daughter in the bed.

Kellen and Trevor stayed back, watching through the glass. His beautiful, ever exuberant niece. She had them all eating out of the palm of her hand the moment she was born, now she was just a tiny, fragile body in the hospital bed with too many tubes and tumor covering her face you couldn't make out her features.

As if Gypsy could feel Kellen's eyes on her, she turned around to lock eyes with him while Ernie explained her presence to Barbara and Marlow.

For a fleeting second, Kellen saw something in that golden wide-set eyes of hers. He didn't know what it was or how to explain it, but it was intense enough to freeze the breath in his lungs and make him lose his train of thought.

"It's a risk she's taking."

"What?" Kellen blinked at Trevor's words and broke his gaze from Gypsy's.

"She told me she comes close to dying whenever she uses her power. It's a risk she's taking for us without questions." Trevor elaborated. "It's such a Luna thing to do. Can't say I know many soulless Lunas though."

"Well, it's left to be seen that she isn't just a fraud." Kellen replied, then mused over his cousin's choice of words, 'such a Luna thing to do' Kellen scrubbed his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I missed something, didn't I?" Trevor started again with a frown, "There's something you're not telling me, scrubbing your mouth is totally your tell!"

"My what now?" Kellen glared at his cousin, "You know what...don't repeat that... all you need to know is that I'm rejecting her as soon as this thing blows over."

"You saw through her eyes, didn't you?"

"Yes, seven years ago and I can tell you she's not who you think she is."

"What did you see?"

Before Kellen could answer, a sudden brightness from the room caught both their attention. The light was coming from Gypsy, or more precisely, her hands.

"What in Jupiter's cock?" Kellen marveled at the scene unfolding before his eyes.

Gypsy had her hands spread above Bebe's body, palms down, fingers spread and emitting some sort of amber and blue glow.

Wait a second, Kellen stepped into the room to get a clearer view. Gypsy had her eyes close in concentration, she was in pain, Kellen could see it in the scrunched lines on her face. He looked at his niece in bed and studied the light emitting from Gypsy's hand. The amber flow of light seemed to transverse into Bebe's body and the blue light was coming from Bebe and flowing back into Gypsy's.

Whatever she was doing appeared to be working, the tumors on Bebe's body were deflating like balloons and her lifeless skin tone was slowly rejuvenating.

Three things happened simultaneously then, Bebe suddenly started a series of sneezing, Gypsy staggered and Kellen dashed around the bed to stable her without thinking. Their bond surged to live the instant they touched.

Her eyes snapped open, two wide, unnaturally red orbs staring at him.

"What did you do?" Kellen unconsciously pulled her into his body by the shoulder. Trevor said she had some healing touch but he'd say what just happened was a little more than that.

"I..." her eyes fluttered and she bit her tongue. She was disoriented and quivering in his arms. "I siphoned the illness...into my body."

"You did what?!"

"You have to take me to the dying person, now." She demanded in a weak voice.

Kellen looked around the room, Ernie was checking Bebe's vitals with a relieved smile on her face. Barbara and Marlow's attention were on their daughter, Trevor hadn't moved from his position outside the room, his eyes focused on Gypsy and Kellen.

Kellen compulsorily brushed her cheek with his knuckle and she leaned into his touch. His pulse quickened, his wolf was wide awake and going batshit crazy in his head. He had a strong urge to touch every part of her, make sure she was okay but he quenched it right down.

"Vera's case is more advanced, it could kill you." He told her.

"I'm not going to not try."

"Maybe you should take a minute then."

"No, it doesn't work that way. Take me to her now, please."

Once in Vera's room, Kellen watched Gypsy take a stand beside the bed and began the process of siphoning the illness from Vera, too. He had a feeling he knew how this was going to end, the Luna the Moon chose for him was going to die for the only woman he'd ever considered marking as his Luna. What he didn't know, was how to feel about that.

"You don't have to do this." Trevor said to Gypsy, now standing beside her. The two cousins flanked her on either side, while Ernie stood across from them.

"If I don't, she's going to die." Gypsy flicked her wrist above Vera's body. "I can feel the life draining out of her, already."

"If you do, you could die." Kellen said, just so she knew what she was getting into.

"I could break my neck falling down the steps tomorrow." She replied determinedly. For all her bravado, she was scared shitless. Or maybe those were actually Kellen's feeling.

She spread her hands out and the amber light started out dimly, growing brighter by her intake of breath. It didn't take long before the bluish hue began emitting from Vera's body and flowing into Gypsy's.

Her knees suddenly buckled, and Kellen's world tilted on it axis as he watched her collapsed straight to the floor, convulsing violently.

"What's happening?!" Trevor bellowed.

Kellen stepped aside, not so inclined to touch her again. The less physical contacts they shared, the easier rejecting her would be for the both of them. Assuming this doesn't kill her.

Ernie and Trevor were doing plenty job of struggling with her on the floor, anyways.

"She's coding." Ernie said earnestly, pressing two fingers to her neck and checking her pupil.

"Coding, what the fuck does that mean?"

"It means we have to resuscitate her, get out of my face Trevor!" Ernie snapped and began to press down on Gypsy's chest. "Stay with me, Gypsy."

"Gypsy, come on, you can fight this." Trevor encouraged, struggling to keep her vigorously contorting body still.

"I need a vile of adrenaline in here, now!" Ernie yelled. Kellen hit the intercom on the wall and repeated the order to a nurse.

"What's going on?"

Kellen whipped around at the voice to see Vera pushing to her elbows to see what the commotion was about. Relief flooded him to see his woman finally awake. She still looked like death, and disfigured with puffy dead skin hanging loose everywhere but Kellen would say she looked absolutely great for someone that was supposed to be dead in a matter of hours.

"Hey Vee," He took her hand and gently pushed her back down into bed, shielding her view with his body. "It's alright, there's nothing to be worried about now."

"Alpha?" Vera croaked in a meager voice.

"I'm right here." Kellen assured her. "You're alright."

He felt one of the nurses rushed in with the vile of adrenaline, he looked over his shoulder just in time to see Ernie ram the syringe into Gypsy's heart and she sat up with a start, groaning and clawing at her chest.

"It's poison." Gypsy gasped, gripping Trevor's hand tightly. "They were poisoned." She repeated before going completely limp.