Rescuing His Captive Mate: Saving The Future Luna

Chapter 128 - Artem - Another Victim

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Artem

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 Star had gone out to dinner with the Luna Queen, Juniper, Acacia, my sister, and two female guards. I wasn't worried about anything bad happening, not with that many people in the group. So, while they enjoyed their girl's night out I spoke with the others that were with us at the house, Reece included.

We were sitting down to dinner, absent Doc, Griffin, and Lana as they had opted to stay in the infirmary. That also led Leelin to stay in the infirmary as well. So, at dinner was myself, Kent, Toby, Morgan, Reed, Bailey, Samuel, Reece, Vincent, Gabriel, Paul, and Cedar. My conversation was mostly with Reece, Vincent, and Gabriel as they were sitting closest to me at the table.

"So, is it just those fourteen boys that have been affected? There weren't any others?" Reece sounded like he either heard something to the contrary or had some sort of sixth sense that made him suspicious.

"Those are the only ones in comas." He apparently realized that I worded that specifically to tell him that there was indeed another problem.

"So who else is affected and how?" He raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"My brother." Kent answered. He was always the one who broke the news about or explained the details pertaining to his brother.

"What happened to your brother?" Gabriel sounded diplomatic as he questioned Kent.

"Once Artem took over the pack the first boy we saved was my little brother Nico." Kent lowered his head and I heard the sorrow that he still felt about all of this. "When we went to my family home to free him I demanded my grandfather tell me how he had put on the talisman, and how to take it off."

"Did he not tell you?" Reece sounded angry on Kent's behalf.

"No, he told me. Once I got Nico here the first thing I did was try to rip that talisman off of him. I managed to do it too, as hard as it was."

"So what was the problem?" Vincent sounded like he didn't understand as he asked this question. "If you got the talisman off of him then he should have been able to get better, right?"

"No." Kent was shaking his head, I could see how red his eyes were. "You see, only the person who put the talisman on them or the creator of the talisman could remove them or the wolf would be driven mad. So, that meant that my grandfather had to take it off of him."

"What happened to your brother?" I would sense a rage building in Reece then, it was definitely something that not even I, as an Alpha, would want to feel directed at me. He truly was a lot more powerful than any of us here.

"He's still here. He is locked away on the sixth floor. As soon as the talisman came off of him he shifted into his wolf for the first time. But his wolf had gone feral. The moment he shifted he tried to attack everything he saw. It took all four of us to subdue him and take him upstairs."

"That's horrible. Have you had any luck in reaching him?" Vincent sounded like he had just heard the most tragic thing in his entire life.

"No. He is still feral. But he is my baby brother. I love him yet I couldn't save him when we were kids. I wanted to save him now that I was strong enough and all I did was make it worse." I heard Kent take a shaky breath, he was clearly holding back his tears. "I haven't given up hope though. I never will. He is my brother and I will be there for him for the rest of my life."

"Can I see him?" Reece's voice was flat, matter of fact, and emotionless. He didn't sound like he was judging or anything but it still surprised Kent when he heard those words.

"I-I don't know if that is wise. He tries to attack everyone that he sees. Even with me bringing his food to him every day he still tries to bite me. There has been no getting through to him."

"I can understand that." Reece nodded but still, he continued to push on. "However, if his human mind is in there then we can possibly reach him. We've brought people with us that I think can help the boys that are in a coma as well as your brother."

"Really?" Kent looked hopeful. It was the first time that he had shown any type of hope in regards to his brother for a long time.

"It's possible."

"Then I will take you, right now, let's go."

"Hold on Kent." I made a stopping motion with my hands to calm him down. "At least wait until we are all done eating our dinner first."

"Oh, yeah, that would be a good idea huh." Kent was rubbing the back of his head with an embarrassed look on his face while the rest of us laughed.

Once we were all finished eating the meal we headed upstairs, Reece, Vincent, Gabriel, Kent, and myself that is. Kent was in the lead since he was the one that always dealt with his brother. I often came up here with him, since I had known Nico when we were kids as well. He had been such a great kid. He took the abuse from his family in stride and tried to be as happy as he could. Kent always promised him that he would come back for him and Nico held onto that promise like it was a life preserver.

When we reached the farthest door on the sixth floor Kent and I were in the lead. I could feel the nerves and anxiety that was pouring off of Kent. I think he feared that the Alpha King, despite his words, was wanting to see if his brother was too much of a danger. He most likely feared that the Alpha King was going to execute his brother. Every ounce of excitement from before had left him and now he was a nervous wreck.

With slow and halting movements Kent reached for the door and turned the knob. I could already hear Nico on the other side. There were the distinct sounds of his breathing and even a wolfish snoring sound that was coming from him. Nico was definitely asleep at the moment. If we were lucky then he would remain asleep during this entire visit.

Once the door had been pushed open we saw Nico laying on the far side of the room. He was bigger than a real wolf but so much smaller than that of others of our kind.

The scent that was coming from the room was strong. It wasn't just the smell of the animal waste that was in there, it was the animal itself. The dark and rage filled energy of the wolf. It was ominous and heavy.

"How long has he been like this?" Reece asked, sorrow in his voice.

"About three months." Kent answered with his eyes locked on Nico's wolf form. "I have had to use tranquilizers and other people to help me hold him down but I have been cleaning up after him. I have washed him and I make sure he is fed. It's dangerous and I have been bitten quite a few times, but I won't stop. I won't give up on my brother."

"You're a good man, Kent. I promise you, we will do what we can to help you and your brother while we are here." Reece's voice was steady and firm and it held a note of conviction that said that no one should ever mess with him when he was determined to do something.

"Thank you, Alpha King. Thank you and your wife and all of you who are here."

"There is no need to thank us, Kent, it's our job, isn't it?"

Shortly after that Star and the rest of the women returned from dinner. They seemed to have had a fun evening that was filled with laughter. I was happy to see that. Star hadn't been smiling that much lately and anything that brought that beautiful smile to her face was perfect in my opinion. I was glad that she had bonded with the Queen and her friends. I too felt a little closer to our friends from Colorado. I think this whole situation might actually be able to be fixed. The boys, Nico, Star's past, we were going to settle it all, thanks to the Alpha King and Luna Queen.

I held Star in my arms that night, smiling at the prospect of a future where we had next to nothing to worry about. I dreamt about a pack that was loyal, children that were happy and healthy, Star as my wife and her belly big with pregnancy. All of it was perfect and just what I wanted in life. 

I just hoped that tomorrow we would find answers.