The Council Ch. 14

"Help her," Loretta whispered brokenly. "Please help her." She buried her face in Ashleigh's fur and wept softly as she cradled her friend. "Ashleigh," she moaned through her tears. "Why did you do it, honey? I told you to be strong, that Nors was coming for you. You shouldn't have sacrificed yourself for me."

Freya's heart dived as she realised that the wounded wolf was her brother's mate. It was obvious to see the wolf was mortally wounded. Nors would not survive this loss. With a loud groan she dropped to her knees before the wolf.

"Make her shift to human form," she said tersely, her voice brusque as her fear for her brother's sanity overwhelmed her. There had to be something she could do for the wolf. She had promised Nors she would protect her.

"Shift, Ashleigh," Loretta whispered softly. "I know it hurts, honey, but you have to shift."

With a tortured whimper Ashleigh obeyed her Beta. She screamed loudly as she lost the strength of her wolf and agony raced through her body. She couldn't stop the cries of agony or the tears falling as pain engulfed her entire body. She knew she was dying. The last beating the vampires had given her hadn't been healed by their blood. The talons ripping through her had gotten to something vital deep within her.

"Baby....safe?" she managed to whisper through tortured breaths.

Loretta's tears were dripping on her face as her shaky hands stroked her cheeks lightly. "You saved the baby, Ash," she wept quietly. "You were so strong and brave, the bravest little wolf in the entire Hanlon pack. Jared and Millie will be so proud of you, honey."

A faint smile crossed Ashleigh's pain filled face and her eyes fluttered opened. "I'm glad the baby's safe, Loretta," she sighed in a very quiet voice. She took a deep shuddering breath.

"Tell Nors I'm so sorry I had to leave him." She took another deep painful breath, a small groan issuing from her lips as tears streaked down her face. "Will you tell him how strong I was, Loretta? Will you make sure he knows how much I love him and how much I want him to be strong too? Don't let him hurt himself. Tell him I want him to live and hopefully one day find love again." Her words trailed off as if she had used the last reserves of her strength to get them out.

Freya listened to the little blonde woman speak and felt something twisting deep within her. The wolf was dying and instead of being concerned for herself she was more concerned for an unborn child and that Nors would live and not succumb to his grief at losing her.

If someone would have told her that she would find herself respecting a wolf of all things she would have laughed until she was hoarse. Freya Eriksson looked down at her brother's mate and found herself not only respecting the other woman but also feeling some liking towards her too.

"You will tell Nors that yourself, wolf," she said gruffly ripping into her wrist and holding it to Ashleigh's mouth. "This will not heal you completely but it will give you enough strength to hold on until Nors can arrive. Drink, Ashleigh."

Loretta moved out of the way, scrubbing at her cheeks even as more tears flowed down her face. She prayed with everything within her that Ashleigh could hold on until her vampire came. Her wounds were grave but Freya seemed to think Nors being there would somehow save Ash. How, she didn't know. She could only keep praying that he could do something to bring her friend back.

Freya helped Ashleigh drink, listening intently to her heartbeat as she did so. It sounded stronger with each passing moment. Her blood was Ancient and would sustain the wolf a lot longer than the weak Elder blood that had been fed to her but she needed proper healing internally and for that Nors needed to be there.

From what Caleb had explained at the meeting, if Nors shared a direct blood to blood contact with Ashleigh then he could fully mate with her. It did cross Freya's mind that she could let the wolf die. She could keep Nors sane enough that he could finally move on with his life and there would be no need to have a wolf in the family.

But then she remembered what her brother had done for her, how he had put himself through such pain to save her life all those centuries ago. Caleb's words also came back to her as did her promise to Nors. Lastly the bravery of the little wolf actually impressed her enough to wonder what she was like as a person. Nors found something of worth within her. Perhaps she would try very hard to hold to her promise to accept the wolf as part of her family.

Freya's gaze switched to the brunette, who she now knew to be Andrei's mate Loretta. She scented the other woman deeply, curious about all the fuss being made over an unborn child.

Personally, she couldn't see the appeal to having something growing inside her but Andrei was ready to kill to protect the child and Ashleigh was ready to give her life in its defence too. Loretta's arms were wrapped protectively around her stomach as if holding something very dear to her. It made no sense to Freya but it did pique her curiosity.

She scented the cinnamon scent that was the mother and then the scent of lilac which had to be the child. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she inhaled more deeply, stretching out her mental abilities and aiming a shaft of conscious thought towards the lilac scent. A faint echo came back at her and she blinked in surprise.

"What?" Loretta croaked out, her voice cracking and her arms tightening around her stomach as she watched the vampire staring intently at her body. "What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice full of suspicion.

Freya looked up at her fighting the urge to roll her eyes. What did the stupid wolf think she was doing? Mentally harming her child? As if that was possible. "I was merely checking that the child still lived," she answered drolly. "Though why you were all so concerned is beyond me. It is perfectly fine."

Her dismissive tone angered Loretta and she snarled slightly caught between the urge to move back from the vampire or stay close to Ashleigh. "You may not understand our love for our young, vampire, but know that we will fight to the death to protect our children," she ground out through clenched teeth.

Freya did roll her eyes then and let out a weary sigh. "I was alluding to the child's heritage," she retorted waspishly. "You are all so intent on your child being Were that you never once stopped to consider its father. You just assumed it would perish. Vampire physiology is much stronger than Weres." Her tone was coldly arrogant, her expression smug as she turned away to check on Ashleigh again.

Loretta sat there stunned for a moment, her thoughts in turmoil. The vampire was correct, she had just assumed her child was a Were. She hadn't considered that it was a vampire who had fathered it. If she had only stopped to consider that possibility then maybe she and Andrei wouldn't have had to suffer the agony of thinking their baby was dead.

She swallowed hard and moved closer to Ashleigh, stroking her hair gently and feeling a little relieved that her friend didn't appear to be in as much pain as before.

"How did you know about the baby?" she asked the vampire without looking at her.

"That was what the meeting was about," Freya answered in a bored tone. "Caleb was explaining how Andrei was able to mate with you. It was because he healed you with a direct blood to blood contact when you were dying. Once the mating was completed he was able to procreate with you as you now both share the same hybrid physiology. You are stronger and will heal from more grievous wounds than other Weres. Andrei can now father children when no other vampire can."

Loretta's eyes widened as the news sank in. No wonder she had been able to withstand the beatings better than Ashleigh had. No wonder her child had survived them too and also survived her shifting to wolf form. Another thought came to her and she gasped loudly.

"That's why you're waiting for Nors to come," she whispered softly. "So he can heal Ashleigh as Andrei healed me and then they will be able to complete the mating."

Freya nodded. "I can keep her alive for a time but she needs Nors. If he doesn't come soon then I may be forced to heal her myself to keep her alive. If that happens, I don't think she will be able to mate fully with my brother. It may still be possible, we would need to ask Caleb if he knows, but I personally believe that Ashleigh would become immune to my venom only and her physiology adapted to me. Once this adaptation occurs I don't think it can be changed."

Loretta felt her heart sink at the news. Ashleigh appeared to be resting, her face pale and her eyes closed. Her breathing was laboured but the wound in her side wasn't bleeding as badly. "Can't you call Nors to come right now?"

The vampire's cold green eyes met hers. "They are fighting a civil war up there for you, wolf. Nors is a bit busy at the moment trying to ensure that those you love stay alive until the battle ends."

Closing her eyes, Loretta tried hard not to call out to Andrei. The thought of the fighting above them scared her witless. Vampire against vampire and all because they had found their mates within the Were community. She swallowed hard and bit her bottom lip. They could only wait and hope the fighting ended soon and their people were victorious. Stroking Ashleigh's hair again, Loretta settled down to wait for the outcome of the war above them.

To be continued...