Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 30: Pt. 1

The pack was a mess.

Swarms of panicked wolves rushed through the gates, scrambling for their homes. Parents dragged their kids in the air and couples ran hand-in-hand as they all dove for shelter. Behind the wolves, many humans followed. The amalgamation of paws and footsteps created a simulated earthquake that rattled the pack grounds.

"This is a disaster," Oscar growled, helping corral wolves into their homes. Bunches of humans huddled on his porch and a few rushed inside the houses of kinder wolves who'd left their doors open. "This is a fucking nightmare."

"I don't understand." Ananya stood beside him, stunned by the disarray. "What happened back there? Who's June? What did Dafowick do?"

"I'll explain it to you in a minute," Oscar told her. "Samiya!"

"Alpha." Samiya appeared behind Ananya, who was pretty sure that her soul left her body when the wolfish face of her friend popped from over her shoulder. "There are many injured."

"How many? Give me the statistics."

"Around eighty percent are men. Fifteen are women. Five are below ten," Samiya responded, her fingers digging into Ananya's shoulder. "They're not major injuries, but the hospital is overwhelmed. We need to set up some cots on the ground."

"Are there any injured humans?" Oscar inquired.

"Many. June's army didn't hold back," Samiya said. "Ananya, can you help me set up the emergency cots? Alpha, Cai, and Karsten are looking for you."

"I know. I'll go see them now." Oscar kissed Ananya's forehead. "Do you mind helping us, darling? I'm sorry, I don't mean to jump you with all of this work."

"I don't mind," Ananya said. "I'll help as much as I can." She smiled, then followed Samiya into the hospital. The hallways were packed with nurses rolling beds, tables of medical supplies, and stretchers with wounded humans and wolves. Ananya's heart ached when she caught glimpses of the bruises sprinkled over the faces of a few children.

"We store our large equipment here," Samiya said, leading her to a secluded closet behind a tapestry of drawings from the pediatric ward. She pulled a ring of keys from her pocket and unlocked the door. "What can you carry?"

"Anything light." Ananya took a few boxes of gauze and medicine. "Are you supposed to be carrying heavy things?"

"That's what this tray is for." Samiya wheeled out a long table and pushed it against the wall with the tapestry. She began loading folded cots onto the tray. "You can put the boxes on top. I'm not sure how many we'll need, though."

"I'll put a few more," Ananya said. She began loading the boxes onto the tray, and as she did so, she felt a chill sweep through her. The events of the night crashed through her body like an avalanche and the debris caused her knees to wobble. She blinked furiously and leaned against the cart. Her legs ached.

"Samiya...what happened?" Numbly, she touched her forehead. "This party...it was supposed to be a fun night."

Samiya sighed. "I don't know. It was unexpected. I think even the Alpha was surprised, and usually, there are very few things that shock him anymore." Her lips formed a thin, stressed line. "We thought June had disappeared long ago. We never thought that she'd come back."

"Who's June? The woman on stage?"

"Yes. She was the mother of the first mate of the Alpha King, Sara. Sara died at Banastre's hand, and June had always blamed the Alpha and Alpha King. After her husband was killed when their conspiracy against the crown was discovered, we thought she'd been imprisoned for good and wouldn't bother us anymore. Clearly, we were wrong."