Chapter 58

Erin’s POV

A board game?

I wasn’t really in the mood to play a board game, but I could see the pure excitement on Seth’s face. I found it difficult to say no, so I agreed to play a game with him.

He chose Monopoly.

I should have known he would choose the longest game there was. I didn’t argue though; I sat on the couch in the living room as he set up the board game on the coffee table.

“This is my favorite game,” he admitted. “It’ll keep us busy for a while.”

“Is there a reason you’re trying to distract me?”

“No,” he said. “But if we are going to be stuck here, we might as well do something to keep our attention at bay.”

He was right, who knew when I’d be able to leave this packhouse. If I didn’t do something to preoccupy my mind, I would soon lose my mind.

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings earlier,” Seth randomly said during the game.

I glanced at him, frowning.

“You didn’t hurt my feelings,” I lied.

He gave me a knowing look that showed that he didn’t believe me.

“I care about Alpha Gavin, and I care about this pack. I only want what’s best.”

“And you don’t think I’m what’s best,” I said, a mocking smile decorating my lips.

I was kind of teasing, but also very curious.

“I think the pack deserves a Luna that actually wants to be a Luna…” he said. I made a move on the board, which made him laugh. “Now you have to go to jail.”

I smiled, moving my character to the jail spot.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you laugh,” I pointed out as he took his turn.

“I love this game,” he shrugged. It’s not often that I get to sit here and play board games.”

“I imagine he keeps you busy.”

“It’s part of my job,” Seth shrugged. “I don’t mind it.”

“Even a Beta needs a break,” I said in return.

He was quiet for a moment.

“I can take a break when I’m dead,” he teased.

For the first time since I arrived at this packhouse, I laughed.

…

Gavin’s POV

“I don’t think many of the patients are ready for visitors, Alpha,” one of the doctors said as Gavin stood in the waiting room of the hospital.

“I need to know what they remember about the night of the fire,” Gavin said. “I already gave it a couple of days. Those who can speak can tell me what they know.”

“I just worry that it might be too much on them. They endured a lot of traumas from that evening,” the doctor said worriedly.

“I’ll try not to be too harsh, but this is important,” Gavin told the doctor with finality in his tone.

After a moment, the doctor nodded and led him toward the back rooms where the patients were being held. Most of them were in the burn unit where they were being treated for their burns.

Gavin had a suspicion that it was Bane that had started this fire; as soon as someone described Bane in the least, then he would know for sure that it was Bane, and he would be able to do something about it. But until then, he had to stay down.

He was brought to the room of an older woman that lay in her bed with half her face bandaged. At first, Gavin didn’t think she was awake, but then she blinked as she stared up at the ceiling.

As Gavin entered the room, she lifted her head tiredly and peered over at him.

“Hello, mam,” Gavin began as he made his way into her room. “I wanted to speak to you about the other night.”

She didn’t say anything; she laid her head back down and continued to stare at the ceiling.

“The night of the fire, I know it’s hard to remember and think about, but I need to know if you saw anything out of the ordinary. Anyone lurking the halls, any sounds, smells… anything?”

She was quiet for a long moment before she spoke in a weak and tired voice.

“A red cloak.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I saw a red cloak,” the woman said again; she peered over at him. “Walking down the hall.”

“A red cloak? You mean there was a person wearing a red cloak?”

“It was a woman.”

“A woman? Did you see her face?” Gavin asked, furrowing his brows together.

“No.”

“Then, how do you know it was a woman?”

“I just knew…” she said, lowering her tone. Her voice was sounding distant. “It was a woman in a cloak…”

Her breathing began to grow rapidly as she thought about the memory of the other night. Her body began to shake, and a small whimper escaped her lips.

“A woman in a red cloak…” she said in a quivering tone.

Gavin took a step away just as her heart monitor began to go off like crazy.

The doctors ran into the room, shoving past Gavin and ordering him to leave as they tried to calm the woman down.

“I told you, they aren’t ready, Alpha!” One of the doctors growled.

Ignoring him, Gavin turned and left the room, going into the room next door. This room belonged to a gentleman whose facial scar tissue was completely wiped from his features. It was clear to Gavin that he had just had treatment and they hadn’t bandaged his face yet.

He was admittedly difficult to look at.

“Why are you in my room?” The man asked hoarsely, peering over at Gavin.

“I’ve come to ask you what you remember the other night,” Gavin answered.

The man was quiet for a short moment.

“I remember getting my face burned off,” the man spat. “I remember the pain I felt because of your hospital, Alpha.”

“I know it’s a difficult memory. But I was told that there was a woman in a red cloak. Do you remember seeing her as well?”

“Are you joking?” The man hissed. “You’re asking about a woman? Have you no shame? Look at my face?!” The man growled loudly, echoing through the room. “Get out of my room, you heartless prick!”

Gavin typically wouldn’t have taken this kind of attitude from anyone, but he couldn’t blame the man for being upset. He was clearly not going to get any answers from this room, so he nodded and turned away.

“You are a disgrace of an Alpha,” the man hissed. “You deserve whatever you got coming to you.”

Gavin wasn’t sure what that meant, and he didn’t stick around long enough to find out.

Gavin went through a dozen other rooms; some patients weren’t even awake, and some refused to speak to him much like that man.

There were a couple of others that remembered a red cloak as well but couldn’t determine whether or not it belonged to a man or woman.

It seemed as if nobody saw her face though.

It wasn’t until one bedroom or a young girl, a teenager, that Gavin got a little more information.

Her injuries weren’t as bad in her face so she seemed functional. However, she couldn’t move her legs because of how badly they were burned. She was wrapped in bandages, beside her face and she looked so sad when Gavin entered her room.

But then, she looked surprised once she recognized him as the Alpha.

“Alpha…” she breathed. “I didn’t know you’d be visiting.” Her face reddened in embarrassment.

“I’m trying to figure out what people remember from the other night. I was wondering if you remembered anything?”

She frowned as she thought about it.

“The screaming…” she whispered. “And the heat… it was so intense. So scary.”

“I understand that,” Gavin said, lowering his tone and his gaze. “I apologize for seeming insensitive and I hope you have a quick recovery. But do you remember a woman in a red cloak?”

She thought about it for a moment, recognition flashing through her eyes.

“Oh, yes… how could I forget,” she said, shaking her head. “She was a woman of fire.”

“What?” Gavin asked, raising his brows. “What do you mean?”

“She came out of the flames,” the girl explained. “I didn’t see her face because of the red cloak, but she walked out of the flames. The flames didn’t touch her at all. She was a woman of fire.”