Both of us.
The wolves pulled Dr. Beppu out of one of the bedrooms. She leaned on the shoulder of a female wolf, while the other nurse was carried out by a male. The nurse was bloodier than the doctor, but they both appeared to be okay.
The only survivors, like Zach and I.
“Aki…” I whispered. “Please hold it together.”
* * *
Against my nature, I was forced to concede and sit on the sofa with Zach and Otome, awaiting a video call from Hitoshi Murakami. A command directly from him was final.
“You must hate me,” the Japanese pack beta broke the silence which had sat thickly between us.
“I don’t blame you.”
“I’d blame me. I really would. If the roles were reversed.”
She was a wall I wanted to break down, yet a friend at the same time. I didn’t answer her.
“Yua told me I must stay in Shelter 3,” she said, “to be their leader over there while she came here. High Alpha commanded her to be by his son’s side.” She shook her head. “Now she’s dead. I have failed her.”
This was Shelter 1. “And now you’ll make me fail Akira.”
She took a moment to answer. “Akira Murakami is dangerous. He’s gone mad. He’ll kill you too.”
“He had the chance to and didn’t. I can stop him.”
Otome shook her head. “That’s not going to happen, Gabriel. I’m sorry. Plans are already in place to deal with him.”
A severe twinge in my head, spreading to the back of my neck. “Fuck.”
“Are you okay?”
I pushed through the surge of pain. “What plans?”
She looked behind her. “I can’t say.”
“Tell me.”
“I’m not permitted to. You’ll have to speak to High Alpha.”
I wish he’d hurry up and call. “I’m sorry for your loss, Otome. I really am. It shouldn’t have happened, and whatever I say is no consolation. But Akira isn’t a monster.”
She lifted a hand. “Please. I don’t want to hear that anymore.”
“Okay.”
More silence, more waiting.
“How are the survivors?” I asked.
“The nurse passed away from her injuries.”
I realized then I didn’t know either of the nurse’s names. That was bad, appalling. I should have asked out of politeness. I’d forgotten my manners.
“Dr. Beppu is fine,” she added.
I nodded. “I’m glad.”
There was a tablet resting on my knees. After five more minutes of silence, it vibrated, prompting me to answer a video call.
This would be the first time I’d spoken to High Alpha since he’d discovered I’d lost my power.
I hit the green symbol to receive the call, and Hitoshi Murakami appeared on the screen. He was in the Alpha Chamber, sat on the black chair carved from the bones of the first wolves.
“Hello, Gabriel.”
Zach tensed beside me.
“I am pleased the internet connection is working properly now. Otome? If you would excuse us, please.”
She stood and bowed. “Yes, High Alpha.” She left the living quarters for the kitchen—where most of the wolves were gathered.
I turned to look at Zach. He was staring at the screen with his one eye. Then it widened with surprise.
I returned my attention to the screen. High Alpha was using sign language. It was now my turn to be shocked.
After a few seconds, Zach moved his hands, responding.
It was the first time that father and son had communicated.
A shame Aki was missing it.
Zach sniffed, then released a heavy breath. Were those tears?
When the two men were done, the cold, dark eyes of High Alpha found me. Even through this screen, they emitted so much menace. It just came so naturally to the man.
“How are you, Gabriel?” he asked.
“I’m okay, sir. Thank you. Sore. Desperate to get out of here.”
“These are deeply disturbing events.”
“Yes, sir.”
“My son has been infected with elven magic.”
“Sir?”
“I have reports here from the SCU inside Shelter 1. There are traces of elf magic there. Faint yet hanging in the air. Somehow, Gabriel, they managed to penetrate the safe house and snare my son.”
I licked my lips, resisting running for the door and bellowing Aki’s name. “That would have required extreme casting.”
Elven magic required a transfer of power into an object to use. Yes, it could be pretty powerful, but powerful enough to do this?
“Indeed, Gabriel. The SCU are trying to trace its origins.”
He paused, and I waited with bated breath. When he took these pauses, it meant something big was about to come out of his mouth. I’d picked up on all of his ticks over the time I had worked for him.
“I want you to go out there and find him.”
Really big. “You do, sir?”
“Yes. I do.”
“I tried to get through to him. He didn’t listen, but I think I can get through to him with more time. I know I can.”
High Alpha nodded. “I believe you may be the only hope he has. There is no way for us to track him without a werewolf, and the SCU have been given orders not to use anti-magic on him directly or for any force to be used. I do not want him harmed, no matter the danger he presents. If we lose him or the hope he carries in his swords, then it is over. No sunrise, no Akira. I cannot allow that to happen. We have to work delicately.”
“He would only take the energy anyway,” I said, “if any was used against him. Just like he did with the anti-magic here.”
“Correct. Now, this will be challenging without your werewolf senses. But a plan is in place to cover that and your injuries.”
Without my senses… “Sir, I—”
“Our first time addressing this new version of you,” he said. “I understand why you kept it from me, but you understand my reach, do you not? That nothing will stay hidden from me? I knew when you left the dead city.”
He had roots everywhere, eyes and ears in places I couldn’t imagine. That’s what made him king.
“It doesn’t matter,” he continued. “You still work for me. I know of no one more capable of undertaking this task. You and Akira have a special bond. I know that. I have seen that. It is this bond which could save him.”
It had to. I nodded. “I will save him, sir.”
“So, we come to the plan. The SCU have used traces of Akira found in Shelter 1 and added them to a newly developed device. It only requires a few fibers to work. With it, you will be able to track Akira quietly to wherever he is. An SCU agent will be attending you as backup, and to make sure the device doesn’t malfunction. But, as I have said, this is a quiet operation. It will be carried out on foot. No vehicle usage. I do not want any attention drawn to you. Do you still harbor your hunting instincts?”
I actually did. The power was gone, but the wolf memory lingered. “Yes, sir.”
“Be Gabriel Dawson, the hunter, the beta in a new shell. You are still you. Embrace this new version.”
I nodded, a rush of instant galvanization perking me up. He could do that, rustle up his soldiers in such a way.
“You are my beta,” he said. “In my eyes, you always will be.”
I didn’t know how to think of him now, the foundations of my loyalty shaken. They’d been rocked for a long time by the way he treated Akira, the quakes intensifying as I discovered more about Akira’s past.
But he wanted to save his son. His sons. This softer side was as shocking to me as it was to Aki, and he still regarded me as his warrior, as his right-hand man even though I hadn’t been much of one. I’d been more Akira’s.
“Thank you, sir,” I answered.
He regarded me through the screen for a few seconds. “I will place this responsibility on your shoulders, as I have done in our time together. In many ways, I have taken y
ou away from your true duty as my beta by having you as Akira’s protector. It wasn’t fair of me to do this. I know some would regard it as a waste of your skills, that to be beta is to be my complete second, not chasing a bad-tempered hunter like Akira. But it wasn’t without care of thought. You became my beta because you were the best. I wanted the best for my son.”
He never talked like this. It was unnerving. “I have enjoyed being with him, sir.” Every minute, even when he was being an asshole.
I loved him. He’d burrowed himself into my heart, mind, and soul, enraptured me with his strength, his ability to keep fighting, and he made me laugh.
My beautiful, flawed Aki. I wanted him back in my arms, to have a life with him away from this. No more dancing around our feelings, exploring the love we’d declared for one another, embracing every single moment of life.
“I know he is quite the handful.”
“That’s true,” I replied.
His lips twitched but didn’t break into smile. “Now we have the predicament of your injuries. I have a solution, Gabriel. I will instruct Dr. Beppu to prescribe you a supply of Formula GX. There is plenty of it in her stores.”
I’d been expecting him to say that. Formula GX had a Ginseng base, plus a blend of adrenaline and Creatine to dramatically stimulate activity. An adrenaline shot turned up to a thousand. I wasn’t fully aware of the technicalities on how it was made, but it would provide strength and speed to any wolf, boost our already fast healing properties if they needed boosting. It wasn’t used often because of the risk of addiction and overstimulation.
I was human. It wasn’t the best thing for a human to take. However, it was the only tool I had to get me up and running. I would drink gallon of it if I had to.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I would not subject you to Formula GX for no good reason.”
“I know, sir.”
Another pause, another big announcement coming. “You are, of course, well aware that I am planning a counterattack against the elves.”
“I am, sir.”
“It will be coming within the next hour. It will not hinder your efforts in any way.”
I waited. He didn’t elaborate, only added, “Be ready for the rain.”
It was already raining. Tenshi, what did he have planned? A surprise. He didn’t want to say too much. He did that sometimes, to keep everyone on their toes, and because it was his prerogative to give out as much information as he saw fit.
“I will contact Dr. Beppu immediately.” He then signed to Zach, who signed back. “Good. Zach will be going with you.”
“Okay.” I turned to smile at High Alpha’s son.
“I will also make sure you are both provided with the appropriate equipment. We will not speak again this side of the attack, Gabriel, so I wish you every shred of luck. May the tenshi bless you in your endeavors.” One more pause. “Please save my son.”
The video call was over.
Chapter Eight
Gabriel
Dr. Beppu hadn’t approached me. Five minutes after the video call, she’d given me a strange look and vanished into her bedroom.
I knocked on the door. “Doctor?”
“Yes?”
“May I come in?”
“I’m not feeling too well.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. This will only take a minute.”
Avoiding me?
Silence.
I knocked the door again. “Doctor?”
“Come in.”
I entered her room—a single bed and a desk she was sat at. She looked up at me, left arm in a sling from her injuries. It had been fractured.
“What can I do for you, Gabriel?”
I didn’t dance around the issue. “You have been asked to prescribe me a drug,” I said in Japanese.
“Sir?” Dr. Beppu responded.
So, we were playing this game? Not for long. “Formula GX.”
“I, erm, yes.”
“Good. I need it now. I’m preparing to leave the safe house.”
She lowered her head over the desk, pretending to read the paperwork there—also known as avoiding eye contact. “Natural recovery is best, sir,” the doctor countered. “I would rather you get plenty of bed rest. It is less taxing on your body.”
“I don’t care what you think. You know your duty, doctor.”
She looked up. “You are human now. You will have to be injected every sixty minutes with the drug.”
“Yes. I know the dosage. I just need you to give it to me.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Dawson. I am not permitted to administer it without the proper authorization.”
“What are you talking about? You have the proper authorization. From High Alpha. There is nothing higher than that.”
“I know, but you are human. As a medical professional, I must override him in this.”
“Are you seriously going against his orders?”
“I have to. I’m sorry. I will suffer the consequences. But I cannot, in good faith, willingly give you Formula GX. It is too dangerous.”
“I’m aware of the side effects.” Seizures, extreme sickness and fatigue, sometimes a three-week recovery. Most humans who had used it suffered these effects. It was a popular drug on the black market. Injecting it every sixty minutes kept the side effects at bay until the supply ended. Then they hit you all at once. If you were human.
On the positive side, it would help to heal my head while in my system, so it wasn’t all doom and gloom.
“It doesn’t matter what you think,” I added. “You have your orders. Don’t break them. That’s a fool’s game.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m supposed to be the beta wolf to High Alpha,” I said. “Do you know how frustrating this is?”
“Sir…”
“No. I shouldn’t play to emotional manipulation. In fact, if I was still lupine, I wouldn’t be able to go out there, would I?”
“No, sir.”
“Let me do this. Sickness will be worth it to save Akira. And you can save yourself a headache for disobeying High Alpha.”
She stared at me for a few seconds. “Do you really want to do this?”
“I do.”
She sighed. “It would be extremely remiss of me to disobey High Alpha. I cannot tell you how terrified I am at the thought of it. At the same time, I am terrified for you, for your wellbeing and safety.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“He killed my nurses, my friends. I am confused, Gabriel. So very confused.”
“I get that.”
“You’re going to save a man who slaughtered his own kind. I know it wasn’t his fault, that it was the elves, and I know we all have to play our part to save him. I do. Our hope hinges on his stopping this silver moon. I just need to process his actions in my mind. I saw him and those white wolves kill…them all. His rage was… I’m sorry.” She straightened. “The elves… We’re living in incredible times, aren’t we?”
“We are, doctor.”
“I will get the formula for you.”
“Arigato,” I replied.
I’m coming for you, Aki. Please hold on to yourself…
* * *
Zach refused Formula GX, feeling fit enough to be out in the streets, determined to fight by my side, and get his brother back. He strapped a machete to his back and slid a pistol into a holster at his hip.
I did the same, but with an extra blade sheathed at my waist, and a med belt strapped to me with a five-hour supply of Formula GX vials and a small syringe the size of one dosage.
I’d been injected with a hit, the pain gone, strength and energy up. I had to keep the bandage on my head, so I was given a waterproof balaclava to keep it dry and to hide my face. Zach too. We were both in black, ready for stalking the shadows.
Along with our weapons, we were handed a metal tube each that resembled a flashlight but with a twist. The exposed bulb at the tip was a pyramid and full of anti-magi
c specially brewed to ward against mazoku. It wouldn’t kill them, or banish them, but it would be a light against their skin-shredding action.
We waited in the pharmacy upstairs for the order to move. Twenty minutes had passed since my video call with High Alpha, and I was still reeling from the way he’d been speaking. I had never seen such vulnerability in a man I always regarded as ruthless, cold. It was as if he was starting to unravel piece by piece.
In a perverse way, the silver moon was a good thing. A terrible thing to think, but real. Look at what had happened—the restoration of the afterlife, Akira finding out he had an uncle, meeting his mum, discovering the tenshi side of his nature, and his dad was… I didn’t know what would happen between them, but hopefully something positive. And Colin was dead too—that slimy piece of shit. Dead at my hands. It was the least I could do to rid the afterlife of scum. I prayed he was burning in the fire pits of Mount Fuji for everything he’d done to my Aki.
“Almost ready,” the SCU agent coming with us said.
His name was Junto, a short, skin-headed guy now with a balaclava smothering his fair skin. Brown eyes blinked out of the holes, ready for action. He didn’t say much, which was good. He was there to do a job, not make friends.
It was his signal we were waiting for.
Junto had an orb in his black-gloved hand no bigger than a ping pong ball, eggshell white. A tiny screen was cut into it, the brightness turned all the way down. Faint, white Japanese characters traveled across the screen.
“He is heading for Bunkyo City, approaching Harimazaka.”
“How far out?” I asked.
“From here, we can do it in thirty minutes on foot if we move quick.”
“Then let’s go.”
I moved forward, taking point, door handle in hand. The rain battered the iron protection in a heavy deluge.
“Ready?” I said behind me.
They were ready.
Chapter Nine
I stopped to look at the Sakura Blossom trees. No blossoms, leaves starting to fall as autumn began to take over from summer.
My mum’s name was Sakura.
Mum.
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