Chapter 16

“Out of the way!” The doctor yelled, forcing his way through the crowd. A group of werewolves followed him, forcing their way through. Daphne watched Mamie follow, holding Blade’s hand as they carried him away. She was going to follow them, but Arthur remained standing in the middle of the town, staring after them with a strange expression on his face.

“What happened?” Arthur said nothing, staring. “Arthur?”

“We encountered two groups of rogues. The smaller group lured us ahead, while the group behind us attacked... They were very cunning.”

Daphne frowned, “But… But Mamie said that rogues couldn’t cooperate, let alone plan. They can’t even communicate—”

“I don't know.”

Daphne froze at his tone.

He looked a little strange, his palms clenched tightly as if he was trying to restrain himself from losing control. He seemed different from the other times he was on the edge of losing control.

“What is it, Arthur?” Daphne pleaded, stepping closer to him. “What else happened out there?”

Arthur stared after the group in silence, frowning a bit. He looked so confused and dazed. Covered in blood and smelling of the forest, she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what happened, but it was clearly bothering him.

“… a wolf… died. I was too late to save him... Blade was actually trying to protect me,” he shook his head. “I don't understand, Daphne. I am stronger than him, and even if I had been attacked, I wouldn't have died, I would have been able to fight, but he…”

He didn't know how to describe or make sense of it. He remembered spotting a rogue in the forest and jumping forward to kill it.

He swatted the rogue out of the air and trampled it with a wet crunch. The scent of blood filled the air and Lucas growled, loving it. Arthur grinned as blood spilled out and pooled around the body.

“Meat!” One of the rogues howled, lunging at Arthur.

Arthur snarled at it and caught it in the face with his paw as the others dealt with another on the other side of their formation. He heard Blade giving the others orders as Arthur tore through a rogue’s flesh with his claws. Blood splashed across his face as he bit another’s neck. He howled as he leaped into another group of them, tearing them apart, enthralled and enraptured by the scent of blood.

He threw one of them aside as one of the patrolmen failed to dodge a blow from rogue. Arthur twisted to get to the wolf, but it was too late. The rogue sunk its teeth into the wolf’s neck and killed him with a crunch of bone. It let the wolf’s body drop to the ground. Blood pooled in the leaves and was streaked through the wolf’s fur as his eyes, clear and dimming stared out into nothing. His paw still twitched as if his soul had just left his body.

His heart lurched as the world began to spin and shimmer on the edges. The wolf vanished, and in his place was Alma with her clear blue eyes and blonde hair streaked with blood and dirt.

Still.

Dead.

“Watch out!” Blade yelled.

Arthur turned as Blade launched himself at the rogue just behind Arthur. Arthur turned on guard, snapping free of the memory, as they tumbled.

Arthur’s heart lurched as the rogue got the upper hand.

“No!”

The rogue sent Blade flying back with a wound across his chest. Before Blade had even landed, Arthur had snapped its neck with a savage crack of bone and turned on the rest of the rogues with a roar.

Mindless and ravenous, the rogues leaped at him, but his fury and guilt had made him rush at them. Before they had landed, Arthur murdered two of them. He turned on the other three, barely hearing Blade giving orders to the others as he tore through them.

How many did he have to kill to make it right? Was there enough blood to undo it? To ease the guilt and confusion burning in him. He thought of Blade’s injury and Lucas only grew more furious.

Arthur grew more furious.

It wouldn’t be enough, not until every one of them was dead. Blade had been wounded trying to protect him of all people. He couldn’t understand it and he didn’t need to. He’d kill them all. He dropped the last rogue on his side of the formation from his mouth and turned, scanning the area.

Two rogues had escaped and Arthur had been listening to them get farther away, keeping track of their stench as Blade had given orders. His unit had been assigned to scout the area for other rogues, then Blade had singled him out to take him back to the village.

"I wanted…" Arthur swallowed. "I wanted to go after them. I still want to…"

Lucas tugged at him, infuriated by the memory. His chest stormed with emotions and fury.

It hadn’t been enough. Lucas growled, urging him to hunt them down and kill them all, to paint the forest with their blood.

He'd been demanding it of Arthur since the rogues attacked them in the forest, but Arthur had held firm. He had followed orders because he wouldn’t risk Blade getting hurt more. It had been hard and everything in Arthur had fought his attempt at restraint from the time he got Blade to his feet until now.

Daphne was shocked. She was proud that Arthur had managed to control himself, but there was something wrong with the way he stared after Blade and the group that had taken him to the doctor.

“Arthur?”

His lips twitched. His shoulders trembled and his eyes flickered with brilliant red light.

“Arthur?” Daphne tried again before he growled and shifted with a howl. He turned and darted off towards the forest.

“Arthur!”

She watched him disappeared into the trees with a sinking feeling.

He’d never not heard her before. Why hadn’t he heard her now?

Daphne woke up alone in her bed the next day. There were no signs that Arthur had returned in the night and a spike of anxiety went through her. She dressed quickly and hurried out of the house to find Mamie. Maybe she had heard something, and if not, she could at least get an update about Blade’s recovery.

“Mamie?” She called through the door as she knocked. “Are you home?”

She hoped so, wringing her hands nervously when the door opened. Mamie smiled at her and threw her arms around her. Daphne was stunned for a moment but hugged her back.

Over her shoulder, she saw Blade seated at the table. His chest was wrapped in bandages, but he didn’t look sickly.

“I’m glad he’s okay,” Daphne said as Mamie pulled back and welcome Daphne inside.

“Thank you for protecting Arthur,” Daphne said.

Blade shook his head, “Arthur belongs to our pack now. Every member of the patrol is supposed to protect their teammates.”

Daphne smiled at him, grateful for Blade’s acceptance of Arthur and his leadership.

“Where’s Arthur?” Mamie asked, pulling out a mug as Daphne sat at the table. “I wanted to thank him for bringing Blade home.”

Blade huffed and got to his feet, grabbing the teapot before Mamie could grab it.

“I can do this. You should rest.”

Mamie rubbed her round stomach and smiled sweetly at her husband. He dropped a kiss on her temple and Daphne felt a little jealous watching how sweet they were together.

Blade sat and poured Daphne’s tea, “Where is Arthur? How come he’s not with you?”

“I… was hoping you had seen him…” Daphne sighed. “He suddenly ran into the forest by himself yesterday and hasn't come back yet.”

Blade froze for a moment. Mamie gasped in surprise.

Blade gave her a small smile and set the teapot aside.

“Don’t worry. Arthur is very strong. He is stronger than any of us. He will be fine.” Blade sighed, sitting back. “Sometimes, I wonder if he is held back by the group as he can’t use his full power... Two rogues escaped; he probably went after them.”

“By himself?” Mamie asked with a little gasp of horror. “But…”

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Blade shook his head. “He killed several of them without any assistance. Two should be nothing.”

Daphne wished she could be as convinced of that as Blade was, but she couldn’t. She thanked Mamie and Blade for the tea and left as soon as she felt it was polite. The walk back to the house she shared with Arthur was slow.

A flash of gold caught her eye and she hurried up the hill to where the house was.

“Arthur!” Her heart swelled with relief. “Where have you been—?”

Arthur lay outside their house covered in blood, curled up. As she reached him, she fell to her knees and began to check him for injuries, but the blood didn’t seem to be his. Still, he was covered in it. He seemed different somehow, filled with melancholy and a mess of emotions she couldn’t make sense of.

“What happened?” She asked stroking his fur, but Arthur slept on unaware of her presence.