Jay P.O.V

We exited the same way we came, a misty hush greeting us as the hoods were removed and we were led back to the initial warehouse.

"You have ten minutes to get out of this territory before your welcome expires," the same hooded guy stated before gliding silently away into the shadows.

"Okay, I would love to learn how he does that," I stated lightheartedly, trying to end the awkwardness that seemed to have sprung up between us. "I guess we should... Go? Before we wear out our welcome."

David didn't look at me, or really acknowledge me. He just turned toward the direction we came from and began to swiftly jog back. We hadn't driven near here, parking at a club some distance from its border; not the first time we've just gone out to hit up a club, though we usually went out in a larger group. I followed, staying slightly behind him. Giving him space.

I knew that, especially as the next alpha, he was having a hard time with the fact that he had not only needed me to handle the contract, but also that I was given more respect while he was literally snubbed and looked down upon. I had totally expected him to react this way, and figured I would give him time, but I also thought that his ability to stay calm in this situation was a good skill to have as a, no the future alpha.

As we jogged, me hoping that he will have calmed down by the time we're back at the car, I took a look at the card the guy had slipped me after shaking my hand. The card itself was coated, looking as though it were waterproof. It was all black except for a number printed on one side, the other holding the word 'FALX' with one of the lines of the 'x' extending to make something that looked like a scythe. I honestly had no idea if this mob or gang or whatever they were, were well known or not. What I did know is that I had to be careful when and even if I decided to find more out. They didn't seem to be playing any games, and I didn't want to end up gaining their attention any more than I already had.

The last words the hooded guy said also sent shivers down my spine. He had said that he couldn't wait until David became alpha. He had said that he would send someone personally the day after his coronation. And then he said that he can't wait to see how we'll have grown by that time; that he can't wait to see me again...

I shook my head and glared ahead of me. No, he was only trying to get at David more, but damn if that didn't freak me just the bit out. I pushed it aside, speeding up as the club came into view, "Want to go in for a drink or just go home?"

I looked to David, but he only kept looking ahead, so i tried again, "Long night, we should really just go to bed anyway. Need to de-stress."

When we got to the car, he unlocked the door and got in while I walked around to the passenger's side. But the door was locked, "David?"

He tossed the laptop case on the passenger's seat, started the car and pulled out quickly, making me have to jump back. The sound of the tires squealing as he sped out matched the sensation in my heart as I watched his tail lights quickly fade into the thickening fog.

Cian P.O.V

I hadn't been going to the hospital lately, and Pritcher must have liked that idea because he didn't call asking where I was at. I blinked, only irritating the gritty sensation of my eyes more. I couldn't remember the last time I had slept, the last time I had taken a break or relaxed or sipped some alcoholic blood or went outside of my office except to visit Ashe. My business was doing well; Jeffrey would have stated otherwise or, should I say, stomped into my room demanding an audience so that he could nag me about how we are behind or things that need to be done.

No, at this point, I was trying to find things to get done. Anything, anything at all to keep my mind off everything else, keep me awake or so tired that I won't dream about everything I said and did; thought about what I could have or should have done. No, even with my eyes red as burning coals, hair lank from how many days without proper showering, and skin sallow from not getting the usual proper nutrition, I still still couldn't get a few moments without the guilt and pain filleting me.

With nothing to do and memories starting to encroach once more, I made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen. I leaned my elbows on the counter, hands laced and pressed into my mouth as I closed my eyes momentarily, willing liquid to take away the stinging from them. I sighed, glancing over to the fridges.

Several moments passed. There was less and less holding me back. I needed and yearned for sleep. Uninterrupted sleep, and sleep without nightmares or dreams of any kind. I was so so tired. My hand reached the handle of the fridge and opened it. My eyes grazed along the choices before I crouched down and pulled out a hidden compartment at the bottom of this fridge. Inside were some of the less savory and more questionable drink choices. Of course, I did allow a couple types to be semi-legal, in consideration, but I had always taken a stance of frowning upon the ownership or general use of these types.

And now look at me, I thought as I watched my hand reach in and take out one of them. The cold seeped into my fingers and my hand shook from utter exhaustion, and perhaps apprehension. I closed everything up, straightening with my disgusting prize and slinking over to the couch. The nozzle clicked as I turned it to open the bag; you could drink it straight or pour it into another container to make it more accessible. It was my idea, and it made me a pretty penny; my smirk was a grimace as I put the opening to my mouth.

Was I really going to do this? Go this far for a good nights' or whatever time it is' sleep? I scrunched my eyes together, dragging in the first gulp. Yes, yes I was.

Pritcher P.O.V

I was doing my work, glancing every so often to the screen showing a real-time live stream of the interaction between Ashe and Mrs. Leugen. She had been coming almost religiously to visit Ashe, and he had been getting much better with her interaction, especially when Cian had stopped coming during these visits a few weeks back. It was almost as if Ashe could still sense or hear whenever he was near, and I was beginning to think that perhaps his senses were outside of the norm, if his scans were anything to go by. In fact, there had been several tries, mostly by that insipid creature known as Liekar Flenn- thought calling him a liekar was stretching it in my perspective- to perform tests and reactionary recordings to various stimuli. Some that various other professionals suggested, Flenn included, were far stretching general Wanpyrkos rights, let alone child rights.

I had agreed to divulge, after my own perusal and Ashe's release, to allow my fellow colleagues access to the data collected and some of the recordings connected to them. But that didn't mean that I trusted anyone by far. After I noticed certain intervals, while I was not present, in which the video seemed to be cut and replaced, I encrypted any files regarding Ashe and made it impossible to gain access to him without my physical presence. It was very disappointing that there was at least one of my closest assembled team probably having assisted in gaining access to Ashe for who knows what. I didn't doubt that it was, in some way, Liekar Flenn, who I had still found sniffing around and seeming to 'drop' or bang things around in the vicinity of Ashe's room. I was, first and foremost, not impressed and otherwise found a sour taste invading my senses at just the presence of him. Which was why I had gone to the board and procured a type of restraining order that forced him to stay away, requiring him to send one of his assistants instead. He was not happy, to say the least.

I glanced up once more, frowning at what I saw on one of the two screens; one showing Ashe's wave forms and various neurotransmitter releases while the other held four live streams of different cameras inside and outside of Ashe's room. I stood, leaning forward to look more closely at the video screen depicting Mrs. Leugen at the door with another person after seeing Ashe's aberrant wave forms and elevating epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol, among various others rising and falling.

I rushed from my office and through the halls, avoiding my diverse colleagues to reach an unexpected scene. One in which a Mr. Flenn finally forcefully tears Mrs. Leugen from her protective stance at the door with a rough forearm to her chest to enter a very awake Ashe's hospital room. I quickly hit the silent panic button before rushing over and grabbing Flenn by his white coat to pull him roughly back, causing him to stumble, before punching him solidly in the jaw. I was surprised, to say the least, when he was unaffected.

Luckily, his focus was now solely on me, taking the few steps forward that I took back. I took the chance to look over his shoulder and mouthed to Mrs. Leugen to close the door, which she stolidly did, quickly taking a very much so awake Ashe into her arms, being sure to muffle his ears from the sounds outside his room and rocking him calmly as though nothing out of the ordinary were happening.

And then I was thrown against one of the large immovable tables, the one in which I had pushed the silent alarm near, in fact, by a painful explosion to the face. I banged the lower portion of the back of my head into the top edge of the desk, my upper back slamming into the side before sliding down into a crouch. Flenn was quickly coming at me, giving me only a moment to take in his physical features before diving out of the way.

What I saw truly terrified me. His eyes, the whites were scrawling and slowly being filled like black ink dropped into water, the ends of his fingers darkening as claws slowly slid forward and a yellowish, almost pus-like discharge slid raucously down the corners of his mouth to drip thickly from his chin. I had seen signs like this once before on one of my earlier expeditions, caused by an extremely rare and potent drug created in the Desciden Region located in South America. It was worse than a Wanpyrkos dining on blood laced with a copious amount of PCP who was already, by definition, an increasingly angry and blood deprived, morally and mentally deranged psychopathic bastard. But worse.

I scrambled to the side as his nails sank into the cheaply made desk, gouging out chunks of its flesh, which was almost mine. I quickly got up, knowing that fighting him was not the goal, but rather holding him off just long enough for help to arrive... Hopefully. Luckily for me, the one positive aspect of his condition was his lowered mental faculties, it seems. For now, at least, as it took him precious seconds to focus on me once more, giving me the chance to find some kind of defensive weapon. Anything really.

I was thankful for the laws and regulations now in place in all medical facilities, such as the requirement regarding fire extinguishers which were strategically placed for easy access. While he was still distracted by the fact that he had not actually met with my soft flesh, I slid along the wall to pry off one of the nicely sized extinguishers, trying to quickly remember the proper procedures for using it since I doubted bludgeoning him would do much more than focus his anger.

Okay, "Pull the pin, aim the hose, squeeze, sweep," I quickly mumbled to myself, sadly causing his head to snap to me. Future reference, do not talk to yourself or make large movements with mentally unstable highly drugged individuals. I squeezed the trigger in his face and quickly slid to the right like one would slide to home in baseball, crawling then ducking behind the abused desk while the creature, no longer resembling Flenn much at all, was distracted and trying to attack the white wisps clouding his vision. I had snuck my head out enough to check on Mrs. Leugen and Ashe in the glass room, motioning her to get them both under the bed when my eyes clashed with hers.

The creature was now officially no longer distracted, and began sniffing, crouching down on all fours, arching his back like a cat that began to strain at his clothes. One aspect of the drug, when taken in large enough doses, caused various mutations to the host, at least from the limited exposure I had. What truly worried me was what could happen should someone be bitten; the disgusting expulsion of the materials leaking from his mouth could have been, for all he knew, a poison or synergistic bacterial habitation similar to the Komodo Dragon's. I dared another glance at the creature, my eyes clashing with the now fully blackened orbs, eyes now slowly filling with a dark brown discharge steadily making tracks down its face. I felt the color leave my visage as the creature's now large gaping mouth filled with lengthening sharp, oily fangs opening even wider and releasing the harshest screaming cry imaginable, the jarring waves causing several items in the vicinity to audibly crack and fracture, including a portion of the glass room which held Ashe and Mrs. Leugen, who i could only imagine was probably trying to quiet the likely whimpering child. The back of my mind, ridiculously enough, was wondering how the sound had personally affected Ashe just before I saw the creature's nails gouge into the tile, his toe nails having long since punctured through his leather shoes. I watched him almost in awe as he assumed a position similar to a cat readying to... Launch itself at its prey.