Brave One (Completed)

Chapter 33, Axel

(A/N: Happy Friday! I feel like I should add more personal notes like this but you guys tell me what you think)

"So only 3 dead?" I clarified, seeing a solemn nod from the range of warriors before me.

We were fortunate that only 3 pack members were killed and not more of us, but it still stabs at my heart that my family was hurt.

"We have ye-" One of my warriors started, but was quickly cut off by someone barging into my office.

"Alpha! Something happened in the infirmary! We are evacuating everyone as we speak!"

I shot out of my seat, my nerves quickly turned into adrenaline as I barrelled towards the infirmary building, only to be stopped by some of the doctors.

"You can't go in Alpha!" A doctor grabbed onto my arm, attempting to hold me still.

I shook him off, scanning the crowd, seeing my shaken pack members. Some were being held up by others, most were still in their bandages, and some were still unconscious and laid on the grass.

My eyes soon feel upon my best friend and his mate by his side, resting on the grass with his head in her lap.

"Brennon!" I ran over to him, dropping to my knees so I could be by his side.

"Axel," Brennon weakly sat up, with the aid of Rachel, holding up his back so he could be eye-level with me.

"What is happening?" I asked, just now realizing that I should've asked the doctor who stopped me.

"Some chemical gas leak apparently," his voice was a bit hoarse, and his eyes were unfocused, mainly looking like he wanted to sleep. "They've already turned off the air vents and cleared the whole building."

Clint soon approached us too, looking equally as tired as Brennon, strangely with a sheet caught on his foot. He seemed un-bothered by it, continuing to walk towards us with his signature dead eyes.

"Alpha," he began, "I want you to be very calm b-"

He was cut off by a young man, running up to us, so frantic that he didn't realize he bumped into Clint, and so pale you'd think he was dead.

"A-alpha, I-I can't find my mom." His eyes were darting between be and Brennon, and it was obvious he was too shaken to really focus on anything. "I-I talked to the Luna and she told me to find Alpha Caleb, a-and now I can't find either of them."

Luna?

Does he mean Mable?

"What did you say about the Luna?" My voice was so deep and so dark that I almost didn't recognise it.

"Sh-she told me to get Alpha Caleb, be-because there was a monster in my mom's room."

What?

"Speak clearer boy," Clint snapped, looking even more annoyed from his exhaustion and injuries, "You're making absolutely no sense."

Brennon shot Clint a small glare, tapping on Rachel slightly to signal for her to let him go. Sitting up fully, he signaled for the young man to sit beside him.

"Take a deep breath Michael," Brennon pat his shoulder gently.

Leave it to Brennon to know the names of everyone who I have yet to meet.

After breathing shakily, Michael finally calmed down, and collected himself. "After the doctors treated my mom's wound, I went to go get some water and came back to some monster in my mom's bed. I immediately got Luna Mable to come straight to the room and she sent me off to find Alpha Caleb. When we arrived, the infirmary was already clearing out and Alpha Caleb went in and left me out here."

Brennon smiles, patting his shoulder before slumping suddenly, Rachel rushing behind him to have him lay back down. Wincing, Brennon tries to relax into her, but his injuries seems to be making him very uncomfortable.

He protected his mate, like the good man he is.

"Good job Michael," I found myself patting his back, giving him my best smile in hopes of comforting the poor traumatised teen, "We'll take care of everything for now."

Nodding, Michael shakily rose, walking away from us where a girl ran up to meet him halfway, looking about the same age as him with a worried expression on. She quickly hugged him, squeezing him as he reciprocated with just as much emotion.

They were mates.

And looking at them sparked a wave of emotion in my whole body.

It was like looking at an alternate reality, one that would've been me and my mate once upon a time ago when we were both just a little bit younger.

I've cursed my stupid younger self for years now, and only now I can imagine to go back and re-meet Mable for the first time, and maybe everything would've been so much better.

If I only stood up to the council back then, when the council did exist.

Clint even told me back then, that mate laws overrule everything, especially the mate of an alpha. Like my mom, Mable would've been able to live with me freely, as long as she stayed by my side.

If I only was less stupid.

Brennon tried his best to hide his disappointment in me, even hiding the fact that he was pen pals with Mable, and one drunk night we had on my birthday he admitted a lot to me. Many things he spewed out were shocking to me.

If I only my mom was here, maybe she could guide me once more on what I should do.

On her deathbed, my father was nowhere in sight - not wanting to see what he has done to his own mate. She told me that Mable will come back, something with her white-wolf powers predicted that. Though her powers were a lot weaker, her ability to peer slightly into the future was strong. She touched my hands one last time and foresaw one last thing:

A black wolf will be the end of my misery.