chapter 4

As she lay on the floor, surrounded by a crowd of doctors and nurses, Kimberly's vision blurred. She felt herself slipping away, blackness closing in around her.

She woke up a few minutes later to see Mandy's worried face.

"She's coming around!" Mandy exclaimed, her voice ringing with relief. "Doctors, come quickly!"

The doctors rushed over, checking her vital signs and hooking her up to various machines. One of the doctors injected her with something, and she drifted back into unconsciousness.

She woke up again to see Mandy's face.

"Hey, you're awake!" Mandy said, relief in her voice. "You gave us quite a scare. How are you feeling?"

Kimberly tried to speak, but her voice came out in a croak. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I need whiskey."

Mandy burst out laughing. "I don't think so.

The doctor, a man in his mid-30s, walked over to Mandy. "Miss, it's time to go," he said. "It's 3 PM, and visiting hours are over."

"But she's awake!" Mandy protested. "I can't leave her here all alone!"

"I'm afraid you'll have to," the doctor said. "I can't make any exceptions. Hospital policy is hospital policy."

Mandy sighed, looking down at Kimberly. "Get well soon, okay? I'll bring you some whiskey when you're allowed to have it."

With a sigh, Mandy stood up and headed for the door, giving the doctor a dark look as she left.

"Women," the doctor muttered under his breath.

Kimberly lay in the hospital bed, staring at the beeping machines with uttermost disgust.

After a few hours, a doctor walked into the room and injected some liquid into the her drip bag.

" can I ask you a question?" she smiled at the doctor." I really need someone I can connect with and discuss a problem. "

" Yes, sure. You can discuss anything with me. What's the problem?" the doctor said, grabbing a seat to sit close to her bed.

" I've been wondering... I have been craving whiskey. I think if I don't drink it, I'll die. "

"Are you sure you're not craving water or juice?" the doctor asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Whiskey seems like an unusual craving."

"I swear, I can't get it out of my head," she said, her voice rising with frustration. "If I don't get a drink soon, I might go crazy!"

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "I have to admit, I've never heard of anyone with such a strong desire for alcohol. Are you sure you're not just bored and looking for something to do?"

"I'm telling you, I'll die if I don't drink it!" Kimberly pleaded, her voice growing more desperate. "I need it!"

The doctor paused for a moment, giving her a stern look. "I don't think that's how whiskey works," he said, a small smirk on his face. "But, if you really feel that strongly about it, I'm afraid I can't help you."

He turned and started to leave, but Kimberly called out after him. "But I'm going to die!" she cried.

The doctor stopped and turned back around, his face pale.

" Then, get ready to die. " he walked out, closing the door gently.

Kimberly let out a frustrated groan. "Damn those doctors," she muttered under her breath. "They never take me seriously."

She laid back on the pillow and closed her eyes. Exhaustion washed over her, and she drifted off into sleep.

JACK'S POV

"Thanks for getting us both into hot water, pal," Jack said sarcastically, as he watched Adolf come to. "You're one of a kind, you know that? I mean, who else would try to start a fight at the hospital?"

"You hit me!" Adolf exclaimed, feeling the bruise on his forehead. "You knocked me out cold! All because of some girl?"

Jack gave him a smirk. "You weren't exactly innocent in all of this, Adolf. And, for the record, I'd do it all over again."

"The mission was to terminate her," Adolf said, his voice taking on a harsh edge. "And you thwarted that! The alpha will be furious when he hears about this."

"My father can deal with it," Jack said coolly. "That girl is innocent, and I'm not going to stand by and let you kill her just because of some prophecy."

Adolf scowled. "You don't understand. We have to fulfill the prophecy, or we'll all be doomed!"

"Doomed?" Jack replied with a derisive laugh. "We're the strongest creatures in the world. A stupid prophecy can't threaten us. It's all a bunch of nonsense."

Adolf scowled. "You just don't understand. We have to fulfill the prophecy. The future of our kind depends on it."

"Are you serious?" Jack said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're going to risk everything, just because of some ridiculous prophecy?"

"You don't get it," Adolf snapped. "It's not ridiculous. It's real, and we have to do it. "

"Adolf, I always thought you were the smartest one in the pack," Jack said, his tone turning cold. "But now, I realize how wrong I was. You're so wrapped up in this prophecy that you're losing all perspective. It's making you act stupid."

"I am not being stupid!" Adolf snapped. "You're the one who's being a fool. You're so blinded by your emotions that you can't see the truth!"

"If you think killing an innocent girl is the truth, then you're even more lost than I thought," Jack said, his anger growing.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Both of them fell silent, listening to the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Open the door or we'll break it down," a female voice called from the other side.

Jack and Adolf exchanged a glance. "I think it's the cops," Jack whispered.

Adolf hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the door and opened it. On the other side stood a woman in a police uniform, her expression stern.

"You're under arrest for the murder of six police officers last night," the woman said, placing a pair of handcuffs on Adolf's wrists. "Anything you say will be used against you in court."

"There must be some mistake," Jack protested, his own hands now bound behind his back. "We had nothing to do with any murders."

"We have plenty of evidence to the contrary," the woman replied, her voice firm. "You're coming with us to the station."

Adolf's gaze was fixed on the woman, his expression unreadable. After a moment, her eyes started to glaze over, turning from their original brown to a shimmering green.

"You will forget you ever saw us," Adolf said, his voice low and commanding. "You will take your team and leave this place. You will not return, and you will destroy all files relating to us at the police station."

For a moment, the woman's body seemed to freeze in place. Then, as if breaking out of a trance, she whirled around and punched Adolf in the jaw.

"Nice try, Adolf," Jack said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But you're gonna have to do better than that."

They were both roughly shoved into the back of a police car and the doors were slammed shut behind them.

The police car sped through the streets, the sirens blaring as it made its way to the nearest station. All the while, Jack whispered the same word over and over: "Daciana".

He wasn't sure what he was hoping for - maybe that the mysterious woman would appear and help them escape, or maybe that she would simply appear and explain what was happening. Either way, he knew he needed her help.

But as the car pulled up outside the police station, his hopes were dashed. There was no sign of Daciana anywhere.

As they were pushed into a holding cell, Jack turned to the officer and growled, "We don't belong here. I'm going to break this cage and walk out of here."

Adolf sighed and slumped down onto the bench. "You're being ridiculous," he said, shaking his head. "We may be strong, but we can't just escape from here. And even if we could, it would be wrong. We're in this situation because we broke the law, and we need to face the consequences."

"Fine," Jack huffed, throwing himself down on the bench next to Adolf. "

"You'll face the consequences later," a voice said from behind them. They whirled around to see Daciana standing in the doorway of the cell, arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

Jack and Adolf rushed towards her, throwing their arms around her in a tight hug.

"You reckless kids," she said, chuckling. "I'm not even surprised by what you've gotten yourselves into. It's like teenagers never learn."

"I know, I know," Jack said, pulling back and looking sheepish. "We're sorry. Can you help us?"

"The pack is growing restless," Daciana said, her tone serious. "They're upset that you haven't been able to deliver the girl as promised."

Adolf shot Jack a look. "It's not our fault," he protested. "We would have finished the job, but... someone got a little distracted." He shot a pointed glance at Jack.

"Distracted?" Daciana repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"

" That'd be after you take us out of here and cancel our reports. " Adolf replied.