The Alpha's Redemption

I Smell Trouble

Kane

When I crossed back over into our land there was only a couple of hours left until sunrise. On the rare occasions I found myself with some downtime I would head out for a drive, sometimes I’d stop and walk along the streets. Since I didn’t have a set route to patrol as my pack did I found myself just wandering around aimlessly. There were nights I went out purposely seeking trouble and others where I would stay in the shadows trying my best not to be seen. 

I parked my truck on the side of the packhouse and slowly made my way to the front door. Before I went inside I saw one of my guy’s cars come speeding down the driveway, stopping only inches before he drove straight through the hospital door. The two of them got out and I watched them pull a female from the backseat. She appeared to be unresponsive which although concerning, was not what piqued my interest. 

My entire pack is extremely well disciplined and highly trained, every single one of them can maintain complete calm and composure even in the most unpredictable of situations. So what could possibly have them acting like a bunch of rookies? I’ve got a few hours until everyone is back so what the hell. 

I walked off the porch and headed to the hospital. When I walked in I heard the chaos continue. Whatever was going on even had our doctor worried.

“How did you find her?” She asked. 

“I told you, we heard her scream and then saw that bloodsucker bite down on her neck. When he saw us coming he dropped her and took off.”

“When did she start doing this?”

“When we got to her she was convulsing and we know that means the change is imminent. But then she just stopped and we saw her veins start to do that.” 

As I walked down the hallway I started to pick up on a scent that stood out amongst the rest. As I got closer it became stronger and even Onyx started to take notice. When I was outside the door it completely engulfed me, causing me to stop dead in my tracks. It was the familiar sweet and savory smell of burning hickory wood mixed with saltwater. By this point, Onyx was going completely crazy, but everything about this was wrong. 

“Kane, that smell is our mate.” Even though I felt it too it didn’t stop the sharp pain that hit me right in the heart. Our mate was dead.

Bracing myself against the wall, I placed my hand over my chest hoping to ease the ache. “You and I both know that’s not possible.” Our mates are the other half of our souls, you only get one and there are never second chances. 

“Take a big whiff and tell me I’m wrong,” he yelled causing the pain to shift to my head. 

“I’m not saying it’s you who’s wrong, the situation is. We need to be cautious because this woman could be a danger to us. You and I both know she is not our mate. She is not Minna.” At the mention of her name Onyx let out a small whimper and he backed down. 

I approached the room door with caution. If her scent alone could make me feel like this what would happen once I see her up close? When I finally got the courage I walked into the room. My two guards looked at me and regained their composure while the doctor remained hovered over the woman. 

“What do we have?” I asked, trying hard to avoid looking down at the table. 

“Vampire bite, but there are … complications,” Dr. Garcia said before standing up and moving to the side. “See.”

Reluctantly I lowered my eyes and was hit with immediate tunnel vision. I know Dr. G was talking but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. All I could do was stare at this creature. Her skin was pale and I could tell it wasn’t just from the blood loss. Her body type was a complete contradiction. She appeared to be athletic but somehow also appeared soft and delicate. Her hair was a pale, bluish-gray color with a few streaks of purple mixed in.  She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, since - I shook my head and felt the fog lift. Onyx continued with his show but I needed to step back into reality. 

“I’m sorry Doc what were you saying?” 

She gave me a puzzled look and then pointed down to the woman. “Her veins. I’ve never seen anything like this before.” 

When I looked back down I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed it myself. I saw the puncture wound from where that fanger had bitten her but then I saw what the doc was talking about. All of the veins in her body were glowing bright red. Never had I seen anything like that. I glanced down at her legs and they were normal. 

“Why is it only on her upper body?” 

“The only thing I can assume is the venom only made it to this point before her body started to reject it."

“That’s not possible,” I said as I looked back down at her. There was no way that a human could fight off the change. 

“Her temperature is also right around a hundred and nine. From what I know of human anatomy between the bite and the fever she should be dead or a vampire by now. Yet here she is. It’s like her body is repairing itself.” 

“And you’re sure she’s human?”

“Without a doubt,” she said. 

There was my answer. This woman was being used as a pawn by someone, but the question is who. I could feel the heavy sadness of Onyx because I was feeling it too. I looked over to my men and gave them a nod. 

“You both did good tonight. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes, Alpha,” they replied in unison before walking out of the room. 

“Alpha, I’m afraid if I give her anything it may cause adverse reactions. If it’s ok with you I’d like to continue to monitor her before you have someone bring her back.” 

I gave her a quick nod before I myself stepped out of the room. As of right now, there were only two people I needed to tell about this situation. I linked Berke and Ryker and asked them to meet me at the hospital. When the two of them were standing in front of me I told them all the information I had and then together we walked into the room. 

“Has anyone checked her pockets?” Berke asked. 

“No, we were all too focused on this,” I waved my hand over this woman’s lifeless body trying to reiterate my point. Berke however seemed unphased by how this woman appeared. 

Ryker on the other hand was obviously intrigued. He ran his finger along the line of one of the veins in her arm and I had to stifle a growl. My feelings aren’t real. It shouldn’t matter to me that he was touching her. 

“She’s hot,” he said quietly. 

“f*****g men,” Berke mumbled. 

“No, she’s burning hot. Feel her skin.” 

Berke reached out and placed her hand on the woman’s arm. “f**k, she is hot.” Berke then carefully rolled the woman onto her side and pulled out a large wad of cash from her back pocket. “Stripper?” She asked before tossing the money at Ryker. She rolled her the other way and found her phone in the other pocket. She removed the phone from its case and inside was an ID and a debit card. “Kallisto Lykaios. Well, that’s a mouthful. It says she lives over on Burgundy Street.”

“What kind of name is that?” Ryker asked as he continued to count the cash. 

“It’s greek.” Both of them looked at me. “Her last name is anyway. Lykaios means wolf in greek.” 

“Maybe she’s a wolf,” Ryker replied with a shrug. 

“Does she smell like a wolf to you,” Berke clapped back at him. 

“Wait, what does she smell like to you?” I quickly asked, causing both of them to raise their eyebrows at me. 

Berke bent down and took a long whiff. “Fruity, like all those other human girls who buy those sprays at that bath and whatever store.” 

Ryker decided to sniff her as well. “Oh yeah, back before Aubrey I dated a girl who shopped there. That’s definitely what she smells like.” 

I ran my fingers through my hair and turned to face the wall. Whatever was going on with this girl it was obvious that I was the target. It’s possible that this was the work of the Ever Green pack. They had remained a threat off and on for the past five years. They may have found someone to collaborate with and this girl was as much a victim as my pack and I were. But there was no way to know for sure. 

“She’s our mate Kane,” Onyx spoke his words calmly. “I know you say it’s not possible, but I feel it. If you had any faith left you wouldn't be having any doubts either.”

“You do realize that if I were to believe that I would be betraying Minna. Kind of how you’re betraying Echo.” 

“Don’t ever say that,” he growled at me. I knew it was a low blow but I wanted to make sure he remembered what we had. “Just do me a favor. Please don’t make any stupid decisions about her without consulting me. Whatever fate you sentence her to affects me as well. Just remember that.”

As much as I hated to admit it Onyx was right. This wasn’t something I could make a rash decision about. I needed evidence and answers before I did anything. Luckily for us, a human posed no danger to the pack, so I had time. 

“Kane, you need to see this.”

I turned around and the two of them were staring intently at Kallisto. Great now I was calling her by her name. Closing the gap between me and the table Berke moved out of the way so I could get a better look. 

I looked down and saw that the redness of her veins was starting to fade. It started at her fingertips and slowly moved upwards. I followed the lines that all led straight to the bite on her neck. Then slowly that began to fade as well. Not even a scar was left behind. 

Instinctively I reached out and grabbed her hand. The moment we touched a giant bolt of electricity coursed through us. The sparks traveled up my arm and a warmth I haven’t felt in forever rushed through me. It had been so long since I felt whole and I wanted to savor it. 

When Kallisto let out a loud gasp I instinctively moved closer to her. She shot straight up and I could feel her fear and panic running through me. The two of us were now face to face and my eyes locked onto the most beautiful blue ones I had ever seen. 

We held each other's gaze and I felt myself sinking deeper and deeper. I knew I should pull away, no one wants to wake up with a stranger in their personal space. Especially after just being attacked. But within seconds this woman had become my gravity. I felt like I should say something. Onyx was encouraging me to do other things, that although tempting were definitely not appropriate. As I sat there contemplating my next move I felt her fist connect with my jaw. How's that for a reality check. Maybe staying away from her will be easier than I originally thought.