Savior, Alpha Ch. 04

*****

All eyes were on the battle and Emily saw her chance. She leapt up and rushed at the two males holding Ethan down. She hit them with enough force to send them both sprawling. Ethan shouted, "Emily, run!" before shifting to wolf.

*****

The McKenna males piled out of the truck and prepared to head for the Winters compound. Callum had them all together as he led them forward. They were almost there when Emily burst through the treeline, chased by a male. Eddy and William headed for the pursuer while the rest pressed forward to see what remained.

*****

Anne had pulled her left paw up, blocking her throat. Ryan grabbed her foreleg and savagely ripped at it. She managed to kick his legs out from under him and, surprised, he let go. He stood up as she got to her feet, favoring her foreleg. He grinned as he watched her red blood drip to the earth as she panted, head down. Ryan howled his triumph before rushing Anne again.

*****

Beth and Nick were approaching the compound when they heard the sounds of battle and smelled blood. A quick look at the other and they shifted to wolf. Nick led the way, wanting Beth behind him.

*****

The male chasing Emily tucked his tail between his legs and adopted a submissive posture. Eddy and William snarled at him. He rolled over, exposing his belly and William took him by the throat. At a nod from Eddy, the rival wolf was killed.

*****

Ethan was facing off Luke and both now had minor injuries. Luke was good, older, a veteran of many battles. Ethan, however, wanted this ended, quickly. He had to focus on this fight so he couldn't see what was going on with Anne.

Ryan howled and both Ethan and Luke turned to look. Anne was still standing, so Ethan took the opportunity to attack Luke. Ethan got ahold of his neck, but wolves' necks have loose skin for a reason. Luke shook him off, leaving only some small puncture marks and a gash on his neck.

Snarling, circling, they both looked for an opening. Ethan's eyes flicked to Anne and Luke took the moment of inattention to rush him. Jaws open, Luke closed on Ethan. Ethan caught the movement and turned to counter him. While Luke managed to rake Ethan across the muzzle, Ethan managed to catch a fang in Luke's ear. A crunch and a rip and Luke backed and whined, shaking his head.

*****

The McKenna males approached as both fights reached their conclusion.

*****

Damn, her leg hurt. And she was so tired. How could she beat him? How could she possibly win? Ow. Ow!

He howled his triumph and rushed at her. Stepping forward, she stumbled on her bad foreleg. She twisted as she went down and he was taken off balance by her movement. Up! Get up! She struggled to get upright and her nose was to his underbelly. There was no noise from her as she ripped into the soft flesh.

Ryan yelped and jumped up, eyes wide and snarling as his intestines started to bulge through the opening. He yowled in pain as he came at her again. She twisted and body checked him. Down again, she grabbed his neck while he snapped at empty air. She felt the blood spurt as she closed her jaws. His muscles twitched one more time before he lay still.

Anne looked at the three dead males arrayed around her, settled back on her haunches, and howled.

*****

Callum and the others howled as well, ringing Anne, Ethan, and Luke. Luke was having difficulty walking, and keeping his balance. Ethan came in, knocked him to the ground, and ripped his throat open.

Dead. All five of the intruders were dead.

Their gambit had been unsuccessful. But at what cost to the Winters pack?

*****

Emily headed back at the sound of Anne's howl.

Beth and Nick rushed in, to see what had happened, and where the children were.

Anne teetered and ended up on the ground, on her right side, whining, panting.

Ethan rushed to her side as confusion reigned briefly in the yard.

Beth ran over. "Nick! Get the first aid kit, bandages. Emily. A good sized hide so we can carry her."

Callum interjected. "We should get her to McKenna. The truck's just past the treeline."

Ethan stroked her fur as tears welled up in his eyes. "You did well, my Alpha. Hold on for me."

Her eyes closed as Beth rearranged the tissue in her bloody foreleg and wrapped ripped up bedsheets around it, pulling tightly to Anne's yelp of pain. Ethan, Callum, and Eddy lifted her onto a hide as Beth wrapped a large bandage around her belly. She was panting, and whining, as they carried her to the truck.

"Where're Lorna and the kids?"

"Evan's at McKenna."

"We told Lorna to take the children and go. They should be at the cave."

*****

"OK, Sam. I want you and the others to clean this place up before returning."

"Em and I will get Lorna, Grant, and Rose."

"Alright, Nick. Get something to eat, maybe sleep, then lock up the place and come over to our compound. It may not be safe for you to stay here alone."

"Dad, maybe I'll just stay here and make dinner for everyone."

"Good. OK, everyone. See you all later."

With that, Eddy drove the truck away. Callum sat in the front seat with his eyes closed, listening for what might be his mother's last breaths.

"Ethan, just keep pressure on it, as much as you can." Beth watched Anne's breathing, the gash on her side, her eyes, her gums. Her blood was pumping because of the fight and the adrenaline. They had to keep her from losing too much.

Aftermath

She was still alive when they brought her into the McKenna's Medical Lab.

As she was carried upstairs, other members of the pack, and her children, began to gather. Beth, Alana, and Sandra started working on Anne. Ethan shook off any attempt to tend his wounds.

Beth spoke to her as she loosened the bandages. "Anne. Anne, if you can hear me and are able, it would make it easier if you could shift to human."

Alana had retrieved an IV bag and Sandra was mixing a measured amount of salt into some previously sterilized water. Anne's transformation went slowly, her breathing rapid, pain on her face. The change took energy and she had little remaining.

The women began irrigating the wounds as she whimpered. Ethan was holding her right hand. "Don't hold it in, love. Yell. Scream if it helps." Her eyes fluttered and her head twisted, teeth clenched. "I know it hurts. Let it out."

Beth examined the mess of her forearm and started putting things back into place. At least he hadn't broken it. While they did have some dissolvable sutures and other things, compliments of a veterinary practice, she was loath to do too much. Some of the muscle was tacked back into place, and the skin overlaid.

Meanwhile, Evan had found out that his parents had arrived and followed the others upstairs. Unable to see anything or get through, he shifted to wolf and scooted between legs, settling himself at his father's feet.

"Is mama gonna be OK, daddy?"

Ethan looked at Beth. Her response was noncommittal. He closed his eyes briefly before answering his son. "I hope so, Evan. They hurt her pretty badly."

"But she won, right?"

"Yes, she did."

*****

Nick arrived at the cave and called to Lorna. He jumped in as she, Rose, and Grant came out of the second chamber. She took in the look on his face. "How bad is it?"

"It's bad." A sigh. "It's getting late. We'll go home tonight, eat, get some sleep, and head off to McKenna in the morning."

"All of us?"

"Yes, for now."

"Are mama and daddy OK?"

"Your daddy's fine, sweetheart, but your mama's been hurt. That's why we're going to McKenna tomorrow." Rose looked up at him and he hugged her. "It'll be alright." Lorna saw by his eyes that he wasn't sure it would.

"Emily?"

"Home cooking supper. Let's go."

Lorna tidied up and they took off for home.

*****

Emily had been working on the food. Warm teardrops splashed occasionally into what she was preparing.

Sam, William, and Colin had moved the bodies some distance off, downwind and downslope. A shallow grave was dug and the remains of the five attackers dumped in and covered. Most scavengers would be undeterred.

The bloody ground in the yard was dug up and replaced with clean earth.

The men then came in and got a drink and something to eat before returning home.

*****

Alicia had been moving among the gathered pack members trying to thin the crowd a little. There were whispers among those assembled. "Matlin." "Three." "She beat three." A few were sent off to finish making dinner. "We need rooms for three couples and three children. We have visitors for a while." Some of the others now moved off to prepare some space.

*****

Sandra had been cleaning Anne up and Alana started stitching up the belly wound as Beth finished with her arm. Ethan stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "Stay with me, love."

Feeling movement, Alana took a moment to check on the baby. Ethan looked up. "Is everything OK?"

"I think so. We'll check a bit further when we finish here."

Still breathing rapidly and shallowly, her eyes flickered open again. She looked at Ethan, rather sadly. With her good hand, she pulled him closer with surprising strength.

"Anne, love, save your strength." The word that came out of her mouth was quiet, and he didn't catch it. Her eyes started to close.

She mustered what little strength she had left. Ethan saw the pain on her face. "Di..Diana." And her eyes closed.

Ethan and Beth's eyes met, their expressions grave. Callum looked at them. "What?"

"She's named the baby."

Alicia pushed everyone out and closed the door. Anne was obviously feeling that one or both of them wouldn't survive.

Alana felt something else now. "Beth?" She indicated her mother's lower body with her chin. Their nostrils suddenly flared as Beth parted her friend's legs. "She's bleeding."

"How bad is it?"

"Ethan. There's a high probability she's going to miscarry."

"No. It's too early. The baby won't survive."

Beth shook her head. "I'm sorry, but, with her injuries, it might be better if she did. She's using a lot of energy maintaining the pregnancy that could be concentrated on healing. If she was a full wolf..."

Ethan closed his eyes. "I wanted this so much."

Beth looked at the defeat in his posture, exhaled. "We can try to stop it and see how she does."

He looked at Anne, at her pregnant belly, and down at Evan. She'd almost died having his brother. He didn't want to lose her. Should he just let it happen? Let nature decide? Oh, but he wanted this baby. He was so looking forward to the birth. And a girl! He might lose another one of his children. Oh, god, why was this happening?

Beth had a hand on her belly, trying to gauge how bad it was, while Ethan decided. She looked back at him. "Lea, get the belladonna." She spread her friend's legs and raised her knees to give her access. Ethan raised his eyebrows. "I'll try to stop it, Ethan. I can't promise it will work."

"Alright. Lea, Lana, you should probably watch this."

"Sandra, why don't you get her hair braided up?"

Ethan held her good hand and stroked her hair. "You did it, Anne. You can do this too."

He kissed her, then looked at the three women working to his right. Beth was taking the opportunity to teach the others. Ethan closed his eyes and listened to her heartbeat, her breathing, and the murmur of the other women. He breathed in her scent, different, richer now.

Now that the immediate threat was over he began thinking over what had happened. His family, his brother, had tried to kill his wife and their little girl. Ryan had intentionally chosen this time to attack; he had known she was pregnant. Ryan also knew he was here, had taunted him, hadn't cared that he was planning to destroy his family.

Anne had not only had to kill his father, but she'd now killed one of his brothers, as well. Had Dylan known about this? Had he sanctioned it?

Ethan began to get angry now. Then he caught the sounds of the women again. He opened his eyes and looked up.

"We're done. The bleeding has stopped."

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Thank you."

"I'll have someone bring up a tray. You will eat something."