Argent POV

James and I run like we have never run before. My wolf hits speeds that I didn't think were possible. I hear James in my mind, begging me to slow down.

But I can't. I wish I could go faster.

The doctor's words ring in my ears over and over. "Aida has lost too much blood to survive ..."

I howl. I howl a continuous, heartbroken lament. I hear my wolf brothers and sisters respond. They feel my pain. The ones who are mated know it on an even deeper level.

If you lose your mate, part of your soul dies too.

James and I continue to leap and fly through the back fields beyond the institution and towards our pack house. I catch a whiff of someone to our left, and the red wolf becomes visible under the exposed moonlight of the clearing as we run into it.

Jemma.

She links. "I came to run with you." James and I both throw our heads up. We can hear her. She has recognised Mornington as her rightful pack. She is no longer a Strand. She falls into step with James, and they run as one. It's amazing to watch. I feel a slight pang of jealousy. I want this so badly with Aida.

We're getting close to home now. We run the last minutes together as a trio. It's like Jemma has always been here. She fits in just as she should. James is a lucky guy.

We make the last run over the hill, and I can see the house coming into view.

I catch the scent of some of the Strand members. They must be waiting for the Lunar pack to return, guarding the border in case they do not return alone. Or at all.

I cover the last part of the run in no time at all and leave Jemma and James behind as I run towards the house. I shift as I get to the entrance where some of the pack elders are waiting. They heard us coming.

Our pack doctor is waiting for me at the door. He took over from Jasper when he left. Marcus is young and smart; he believes in pack above all else. He is an awesome physician. And friend. He hands me some sweatpants and a shirt, his expression sympathetic. I throw them on, and we start toward the medical room.

Our house has a small but well stocked medical centre in the basement. It makes sense to have our own doctor on hand as we tend to have wolf-specific issues when we need attending to. It would create too many questions that we cannot openly answer if we went to a regular hospital. Besides, we take care of our own. We don't usually get affected by any human disorders, or if we do, we heal at a speedy rate.

Marcus and I rush into the centre and start to set up. He yells out orders to me and two pack members who are nurses. We set up four beds. Two for the girls and two on standby, in case of trouble.

We are just getting blood ready for transfusion and fluids ready to rehydrate the girls when I hear a commotion out front.

Someone is here.

I sprint back up the stairs and out the front doors. It's the Lunar pack. They have returned and are waiting on the front steps with the Strand pack.

Deacon stands in human form, discussing the nights events with Kane and some of our pack elders. "Lukah was on the outskirts of the grounds. He didn't come any closer. We did encounter four of his coven members, but they didn't interact. We saw them leaving."

He looks at James who has come to stand beside me, Jemma by his side.

"James, we couldn't find your father. I'm sorry. We were too late getting back from the perimeter check. I don't know if they took him or if he ran, but we did get his books and notes from his office. Hopefully, they will be a help for the girls."

He places his hand on James' shoulder, and Dr. Jasper's son drops his head. Is he in the wind? Or did Lukah take him? I take the papers from Deacon and start back towards the house.

This places us in more danger. The unknown. Jasper had said it wasn't his choice to hurt the girls, but I call bullshit. No one forced him to torture them. Something is missing in all this, and we need to know what it is. We should have brought him back with us. . We may need him to fix the girls too. Too late now. At least we have his books. I hope to the goddess there is something in there that Marcus can decipher to help the girls.

Shit.

I feel myself starting to get mad. I'm panicking. I just want to know Aida is okay. What the hell is taking so long?

I pace around the front of the building. I am not the most patient of people in any circumstances, but this? This is driving me mad. James comes to pace with me. He doesn't say a word, instead silently walking beside me.

This is who he is. He doesn't try to fix anything when he knows he can't. He is just there, at my side, at father's side. Always. He truly is the best of us.

We walk like this for about fifteen minutes. Jemma sits on the steps of the porch watching us. Well, watching James. I notice him making eye contact with her every few minutes. I know he would rather be somewhere off alone getting to know his mate, but he's here supporting me instead. What a guy.

I don't know if I would be able to do the same thing. I'm just about to start tearing my hair out when we hear a howl in the distance. It's a warning. We hear the car screeching in the entrance of the gates and up the winding drive.

They're here.

Please let her be alive. Please let them both be alive.

They come to a halt at the steps. James, Jemma, and I run to open the car doors. Father jumps out holding Amalie, and George has Aida.

Both the girls look worse than before. Amalie is constantly seizing; she foams at the mouth and is white as a ghost. Father wears a pained expression. It's not often you see this side of him in public. He must be scared.

Aida is more blue than white now. I hand the books and notes to James, and I take her from George. I can only hear small, shallow breaths coming from her open mouth, and her pulse is barely even present.

I know that she's dying. Father and I hurry into the foyer and through to the basement with the girls. James follows.

Marcus is waiting and directs us as we enter. He yells for the nurses to start getting medication ready to administer to Amalie. I put Aida on the bed next to her and wait for him to get a line into Amalie's arm so the nurses can start with her.

Once he is done, he comes to examine Aida.

His face says it all, but he gets to work immediately.

The nurses inject something into the cannula in Amalie's vein and it does the trick; she finally stops seizing. They put a clear fluid up onto a hanging rail for her and connect it into a cannula in already bruised and battered arm. They stay by her side and monitor her closely. She still does not wake.

Father takes the first breath I've heard from him since he arrived. I haven't seen him like this since my mother passed.

The two pack nurses begin to set up a test for Amalie as Marcus requested. He needs to try to figure out what Jasper has done to her now. He continues to work on Aida.

"Jasper said he drained her of blood, doc. But we have no idea what her blood type is."

He nods as he is setting up the infusion. "We will give her the universal donor for now until we get her results back. That's better than nothing at this point. She is very close to death, Argent. You need to know that and be prepared."

He gets the infusion going and places a warming blanket on her. He then sets up the monitors and goes to check on Amalie.

James brings a seat over for me next to her bed as Jemma does the same for father with Amalie.

This is going to be a long night.

Marcus takes the books and papers from James and sits at a small desk between the girls. God, I hope he can figure out what that nutjob has done to them.

I lay my head on Aida's bed, just next to her arm, and take her hand in mine. I do not feel any of the buzz that I usually do when we make contact. My heart sinks.

I stay like this, counting each of her tiny, shallow breaths for as long as I can stay awake.

Every now and then a monitor sounds and startles father and I from our identical bedside positions. Marcus checks on Aida as her alarm sounds for the third time in the hour.

"Her heart rate is getting lower and lower. I have nothing more I can do for her now. It's up to her."

He places his hand on my back as a tear slides down my face. My father comes to stand by my side. He takes my other hand, and we stay like this, waiting and hoping for her to improve. It is only the two of us and Marcus now. It's late, and the others have all retired for the night. James promised to be here at any time should we need him.

For all our sakes, I hope that is not the case.

Now, we wait.