Chapter 38

Gunner's POV

Over the last couple of days, I kept everyone informed on the upped timeline. Charlie and his people were our saving grace in this being able to travel across country when needed at a moment's notice. I gave Charlie my contact's information for Iceland and he set to work on getting his people positioned and getting a boat large enough to get the first round of people out of Scotland.

Ben and his newly found mate were doing ok. She was still very cautious around everybody. She had been raised and used by the rogues, so she was fighting major trust issues now. She couldn't believe that she was going from a rogue to Luna status. I told Ben to focus on her and if we needed him, we would call for him.

Things have been happening so fast that it was hard for me to keep up half the time. As of right now, my mate's mother was being held in the cells just as a precaution on our part. After the last meeting with all the Alpha's and her truth came out, we couldn't trust her not to run at this point or try to get in contact with the King and give him a heads up on our plan.

Tyler notified his Alpha that his father had returned and they were slowly trying to get back to normal, as much as possible given the current situation. Tyler, along with my mate's 2 younger brothers, were all willing to go with us to help out where they could. The younger 2 still haven't shifted yet so we opted to have them go to the east coast in Canada to direct the incoming refugees as to which pack they were being assigned to, and to help them head in the right direction. Most were going to a couple different packs on the west side of Canada, while others were coming to The States, mainly the families with the smaller children who weren't able to do the work needed in the Canada packs.

I told Charlie that I didn't want to know what his plans were on getting the people out and how they were getting from one point to the next. This way, if I were to get captured by The King's men, and they tried to get in my head, there would be nothing there for them to see.

I was woken up by a sharp pain in my chest. The sun was just beginning to rise so I knew it was too early for anyone to be up yet. I rolled to my side clutching my chest when Jax started howling so loud in my head.

"Maddox what's going on?!" I asked breathless.

"MATE! She's hurt!" Maddox whined even louder.

Just then there was another stabbing pain in my chest that nearly knocked the wind out of me. I stumbled through the house trying to get to my dad's room. I was using the wall to hold me up when I hollered for my dad.

I heard him nearly fall out of his bed and come rushing and open his door. He took one look at me and he must have seen the pain in my eyes. He never said a word, just put my arm around his shoulders and lead me down the stairs and outside. When he sat me down in the backyard I just looked at him confused.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I know that look, and I know the pain. Maddox is going to force you to shift and is going to go mad. You need to try to keep control son. We don't know if she's really gone or if it's just a spell. Breathe son. You have to keep breathing. Cheyenne needs you! Hold on to that!" Dad sounded so sincere, and then I remembered that he's been through this himself.

Just like dad said, at the next wave of pain I could feel Maddox pressing forward trying to take control.

"Maddox, hold on. Please. I'm begging you." I said. Maddox didn't say anything but threw our head back and a howl came out of me that even had my dad jump back about a foot. Not even a minute later and there were howls heard coming from every direction.

"Gunner, what's going on?" Alpha Nik asked threw the mindlink. You could hear the concern in his voice even if he tried to hide it.

"Something's happened to Cheyenne sir. I need to get to her!" I replied back.

"You need to get to the pack house and I will have Becka meet you there."

"But sir, with all due respect…"

"THAT'S AN ORDER!" Maddox whined a little in my head trying to fight the alpha command but he gave up quickly.

Alpha Nik must of mind linked my dad because he helped me up and walked me to the car and drove me to the pack house. As we pulled up to the doors Ben came running out and down the stairs.

"You ok?!" Ben asked rushing to help me out of the car.

"No dude I'm fak…" Just then another stabbing pain erupted in my chest and I stumbled forward, but Ben caught me just in time. Dad came rushing around the car and between the two of them, they got me into the alpha's quarters where Becka was waiting on me.

"Doc I really…"

"Alpha's orders Gunner. Sorry. If you don't sit your ass down and let me monitor your vitals, I've been ordered to knock your ass out." Becka cut me off. I looked at both Ben and my dad in disbelief.

"It's for your own good son." Was all my dad could say.

"It's just until we know if she's gone or not man. I swear. We have to make sure Maddox doesn't lose his shit right now." Ben said rather softly.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" A soft female voice came from behind Ben. Ben and dad turned around to see Ben's mate, Chelsea, standing in the doorway.

"No baby. There's nothing you can do." Ben said walking towards her.

"Not unless she can teleport like Charlie." I mumbled to myself, or least I thought I did.

"Well not exactly…" She looked between the 3 of us and had a scared look in her eye.

"What do you mean not exactly?" Ben asked her.

"I was hoping this would never come up but if I'm going to be a Luna then I need to look out for my people right?" She asked looking up to Ben.

"Yea, but what are you talking about?" Ben asked.

She let a deep breath and then looked at me, "I'm a hybrid. My father was pureblood wolf and my mother was half wolf half witch." She looked down at her feet as she said the last part.

I felt myself starting to come off the bed when Becka grabbed my shoulder to stop me.

"Can you contact her?" I asked pleadingly.

"Not exactly, BUT I can project myself over there without leaving here and see what's going on." She shrugged.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" I did jump up off the bed this time and it scared her enough for her to jump behind Ben. Becka jumped in front of me and gave me that look that told me if I didn't sit back down, I was going down for a long while. "Sorry Chels. I just need to know if she's ok."

"I can try Gunner but I'm not going to make any promises. I haven't touched my witch side in years. I tried to forget about it honestly." She sounded ashamed of that part of her and I got a guilty feeling for asking her to do this now, knowing she didn't like that part of her heritage.

"Are you crazy?! Absolutely not babe! You are not putting yourself in danger." Ben said grabbing her by her shoulders.

"It's ok. They won't even know I'm there." She said reaching up and grabbing his arms and giving him a reassuring smile.

"Chels, you don't have to do this…" Another stabbing pain made me growl out loud and fall over on the bed clutching my chest before I could finish.

"Ben I have to do this. If it will help in just the tiniest bit, I have to." Chelsea pleaded.

Ben finally gave in after giving me a sorrowful look, "What do you need babe?"

"Something of hers, a map, and some candles." Chelsea said looking in my direction.

"Dad, I got a few of Cheyenne's things at the house. Go grab them." I said breathing really hard at this point. Dad just nodded his head and took off. "You guys go. Go do what you got to do. Looks like I ain't going anywhere anytime soon." I said looking towards Becka, who just gave me an apologetic look.

"I will try to be fast Gunner." Chelsea reassured me as they walked out the door.

"Can I at least take a shower master?" I sarcastically asked Becka.

"You think you can manage by yourself? I don't sponge baths Gunner." She replied with a smirk.

"I can try." I managed to get up with some help from Maddox and made my way to the bathroom.

Chelsea's POV

My parents and I were kicked out of our pack when the Alpha found out about my mother being a hybrid. I was only 8 years old at the time and I was the reason the Alpha found out. I had been using witchcraft in public, not knowing what I was doing, and the Alpha saw it. He was furious.

My dad said we were going to his buddy's pack out west but we never made it. The car broke down and we were taken in by a couple rogues. One attack after another and constantly on the run took its toll on all of us but we managed. I had just gotten my wolf at 13 and we were on our way to celebrate, when tragedy struck. We were attacked by a pack for wondering to close and I lost both my parents. Ever since then I had been on the run.

I grew up hating the witch side of myself. The rogues would "punish" me for not being a full-blooded wolf. Once I was old enough to learn what I was, and what I was doing wasn't "normal" by wolf standards, I tried to forget about it but the rogues in the camp I was in reminded me every day of what I was. I quit practicing witchcraft and focused on my wolf, Athena. If it wasn't for her, then I honestly don't know if I would be here today. She saved me more times than I care to admit.

After not practicing witchcraft for a few years now, I was a little scared of what I was about to do, but I had to. Gunner needed me right now and all the other witches were busy with the transporting of the refugees. I was setting the candles up when Gunner's dad walked in.

"Here's one of her shirts. Will this work?" He asked handing me the shirt.

"That's perfect." I gave him a reassuring smile. "I do need you guys to be quiet throughout this. I have to focus and can't be having any distractions." I looked directly at Ben when I said that last part.

"Should I get the Alpha here for this?" Ben asked.

"No need to bother him just yet. He's busy with the recuse mission. Besides I think it'll just make me more nervous than I already am." I said lighting the candles I had set in a perfect circle around me.

Ben handed me the map of where Cheyenne was and I laid it on the floor in front of me and then grabbed her shirt and sniffed it. I focused on her and the location and somehow I knew exactly what I needed to do and say. I went on with the spell and when I opened my eyes I was no longer in Ben's room but someplace I had never been before.

"Alida! Alida stay with me!" Some guy was hovering over a girl's body who was being moved on a gurney. There was blood coming out of her neck. It looked like she had just been attacked. Memories of my parents came flooding back and I wanted to bail but Athena talked me through it and gave me some of her strength.

This guy kept calling her Alida but I was looking for Cheyenne, but this girl smelled like the shirt Gunner's dad brought me. This had got to be the right girl. They probably changed her name, I've seen it happen to often in the rogue camps.

I followed them to a room where they put her on a bed and the guy was calling for someone called Alex. A woman came rushing into the room half dressed, she must have shifted at some point. She immediately pushed everybody out of the way and went straight to the girl. She put her hands over the wounds on her neck and closed her eyes, lowered her head, and started mumbled something in what sounded like ancient Latin. Only really old witches knew that language. There were very few of them left so I was told.

I stood by and watched and listened. Alex got the bleeding to stop and then went over to talk to the guy that was hovering over this girl's body.

"Jax, she's going to need a lot of healing time. I'm not sure how long it's going to take. She's lost a lot of blood. Good news is that Miah's teeth just missed her artery otherwise she wouldn't have made it off the field. I will do some research into helping the progression of her healing process but as of right now, she needs to be left alone but closely monitored." Alex told him and he just nodded and thanked her.

I felt myself losing the connection and next thing I knew I was gasping for air.

"Chels! Chelsea!" I heard Ben's voice calling my name. "Chels are you ok? What happened?"

"I…I'm…I'm ok." I stumbled out. "I need to get to Gunner now!" I tried getting myself up off the floor but I was weak from doing the spell. I forgot how much energy it takes to pull something off like that. My mother always warned me about that too.