Chapter 9

POV Aiden

Moving the flashlight from one side to the other and back again. I tired retracing my steps. Had I gone to the right or more straight, maybe a little of both.

Cherry black dots became visible on the ground increasing in number and size as I moved forward. Leaning down I ran a finger across one. "Blood." Juxes confirmed. This was not like the small pools of dried blood in the first chamber, this was older. Following the increasing drops and streaks of blood my flashlight found the object my foot had earlier. At first, I couldn't make out what it was, moving closer I bent down. It resembled a wet brown paper bag that had been sprayed with dark red dye.

Reaching to pick it up my heart sank upon realizing what was in my hand. This is a piece of hide ripped from the flesh. The fibers that used to hold skin to muscle sticking to my fingers as I turned it over chocolate brown hair on the other side unmistakably werewolf. Not much bigger than a piece of paper with jagged edges.

"This was torn off." I said, dropping the piece back to the ground.

"Why is it wolf?" Juxes asked.

"You know the stories as well as I do. Something sinister happened here." I replied.

Continuing to follow the chunks of hide and trail of dried blood we came onto what I was hoping I wouldn't find. The body of a wolf, all the hide ripped off exposing muscle and spilled guts bloated in decay. Tongue sticking out of its mouth and hazy eyes open and staring at me.

Hearing the warriors pull up outside I made my way out to help them set up. We were able to get a generator into the first chamber and run extension cords to big stand lights inside. Once the first two lights kicked on the silhouette of two more bodies could just be made out past the first. Two more large lights illuminated the whole cave.

The other two bodies were lying next to a fire pit, haphazardly tossed aside. Limbs and heads contorted in unnatural positions. Both considerably larger than the first.

We all spread out looking for clues as to what happened and who they were.

"Alpha." The one closest to the larger bodies called out. "Something over here you need to see." Behind the two bodies torn fur had been piled up and made into some horrific bed. "I think the little wolf was bedding down here next to them.

Surveying the scene, I finally said what we were all thinking. "This was her family and judging by the size of the male he held some importance."

Alphas and Betas were naturally bigger than others. The roles usually handled down generation to generation. He was the size maybe a little smaller than Darien's wolf Alex, who's a blood born Beta like me.

"Alpha over here." Another called. A small hole in the cave wall with a decent sized stone on the ground next to it. "If you put this up against the hole the markings match the wall." He continued. "When they were attacked, I think they hid her in here."

Shining the flashlight into the hole it was deeper than it looked from the outside. A shredded pink dress and something faintly gold colored and shiny could be seen inside.

"You think you can reach that?" I asked shining the flashlight on the golden object.

"This is what caused her to shift. Hiding away while her family was tortured and killed. I can't imagine anyone going through this, let alone a child." I shook my head in disbelief. "Get Dr. Stevenson up here, I need to know how long ago this happened, who they are and why they were hiding up here. She's been hiding up here with the bodies of her family." My heart breaking at my own words.

"I think Dr. Stevenson has been at the clinic with Dr. Isaacs since this morning Alpha." One of them said.

My head snapped in his direction. "Why?"

"I'm not sure, his car was parked next to Brents truck when we headed this way. I can only assume he's there." He replied.

I started to reach out for Elijah, then reconsidered, he could be doing something important, and I didn't want to distract him. Then thought about Eric but after a few moments I decided Brent would be best.

Brent feeling me make the connection "Alpha, what can I do for you sir?"

"Is Elijah there with you?"

"He's here in the operating room with Candice." He relied.

"Uggg" I groaned "I knew this was too much for her, we should have just called him in the first place." I thought, not realizing the link was wide open and he could hear me.

Brent's anger noticeable in his tone but not wanting to disrespect the Alpha he replied, a small pause before each of his words. "Actually, Alpha once she had been receiving fluids for a couple hours and her fever came down a little, she came to. Started thrashing around trying to claw at Candice and pulled her iv out."

I went to respond but his pace picked up and he continued telling me what happened. "Candice had me reach Elijah because she wanted to sedate her but nothing available at the clinic was in a small enough dose. She also wasn't sure how much to give her being so underweight, running a 103 fever being so young and already having her wolf. Dr. Stevenson wasn't sure either but had a low dose sedative, he grabbed it and a few other things and rushed over."

"How is she now?" I asked not sure I wanted an answer.

"Haven't heard from them in over an hour, I know she's really sick and they are doing everything they can. What did you find?"

The warrior placed a gold medallion with a broken chain in my hand, turning it over in my hand I answered him. "What nightmares are made of Brent."