The Alpha's Prize
Chapter 28: The knife

Fear and panic began to rise within me as I stared down at the knife that had struck Cain in theback, just below his shoulder. The blade didn't appear to be embedded too deep, but blood wasnow pooling around the wound. I didn’t know what to do, and my frazzled nerves were getting thebetter of me as my wolf howled with sorrow at the sight of our fallen mate. I leaned down andplaced my ear to his back, listening for a heartbeat, and I almost cried at the relief I felt when I heardthe faint sound of a beating heart. Reeling back, I did the only thing I could think of and pulled theknife from his back, then tore pieces of my shirt off and tried my best to wrap his wound, hoping tostop the bleeding or at least slow it down enough to get him home.

After I had horribly wrapped him up, I stood to my feet and realized that Erik was still here. He wasjust standing there, appearing to be half dazed, but he also had a look of satisfaction in his eyes. Myupper lip twitched, and a growl erupted from deep within my belly. “You fucking bastard.” I sneeredat him, and his attention turned to me now.

A sadistic smile spread across his face. “He doesn't deserve to live, and he doesn't deserve you,” Eriksaid, not giving two shits about what he had just done.

My chest heaved, and I started to see red, only able to focus on Erik and the depths of his betrayal. Ilunged forward and tackled him to the ground, throwing punch after punch. We struggled on theground, fighting for dominance, battling each other for the win

Erik was stronger than me, there was no doubt about that, but I was fueled with anger andvengeance at this moment. He hauled his arm back and swung, hitting me right in the jaw, and Iflew off him. For a brief moment, the impact left me feeling dazed. However, I quickly regainedmyself and jumped to my feet. Erik followed my movements, and now, we both stood there, staringone another down. As we continued to glare at each other, something on the ground caught myattention. I looked down and noticed it was the knife; I picked it up, held it tightly in my grasp, andpointed it at Erik.

He snorted, “Put that down before you hurt yourself, and we both know you won't use it anyways.”Erik said cockily.

I grinned wickedly. “You would be surprised at what I would be willing to do for those that I love,” Isaid in a cold tone, hoping that Erik would catch on to the hidden message that he was no longerone of those people.

His face fell, and those blue eyes of his darkened, telling me he caught onto the hidden meaning inmy words. Erik's lip tilted up in a snarl, and he narrowed his eyes. “You used to love me until thatmonster brainwashed you.” He said harshly, and I laughed at his words. Erik furrowed his brows andwas taken aback by my laughter as he stared at me with a bewildered expression. “I never lovedyou, Erik, not like I love Cain. I just cared deeply for you and loved you on a different level. Now, Ifeel nothing but hatred towards you.” My words were like venom, striking him in the chest as hesucked in a deep breath and held onto it. I could see the hurt on his face and the heartbreak in hiseyes. However, Erik quickly masked those emotions, and fury took over his features now.

I had once thought I knew the man standing before me, but it was clear to me now that I neverreally did. Today I had seen a side of him that was dark and sinister, a side that he had hidden fromme and everyone else.

That was the difference between the two of them. Cain didn’t hide his dark side; he didn't givepeople a false sense of character. Instead, Cain showed everyone precisely who he was and ruledwith that side of himself that people feared. Cain was so much more than that, though, and therewas more to him than the fearsome monster everyone saw him as.

We stood there, glaring at each other, and I tightened my hold around the handle of the knife,prepared to strike as the rage coursed through me, wanting revenge for what he did to Cain. Just asI was ready to plunge the blade deep into his chest, a noise to the right of us grabbed our attention.Both of us froze where we stood, and our heads whipped in the direction of the noise.

I stared off into the distance, trying to replace the source of the noise, and as I focused on the trees,Gunnar finally emerged, looking like something from a nightmare. Gunnar was covered in blood,and a thin layer of dirt covered his skin. As I continued to look him over, I noticed a few scrapes onhis body, but nothing too serious. I was ecstatic to see my brother, even though he looked ratherintense and furious right now. However, the angry beast would work in my favour in dealing withErik.

I turned my attention back to Erik, but to my dismay, the little fucker took off when he had thechance because my dumbass was distracted. Sighing in frustration, I rubbed a hand down my facebefore glancing around me again to look for Erik, but he was nowhere to be seen, and I felt stupidfor letting him get away. I turned back around and rushed over to Gunnar, wrapping my armsaround him in a hug. He returned the hug, squeezing me tightly, before pulling back. “Are youalright? Are you injured?” Gunnar asked while inspecting my body.

I put my hands up and shook my head. “Stop, I'm fine. Are you alright? Like you are standing herecovered in blood?”

Gunnar's expression turned neutral. “It's not mine, they scratched me a few times, but it's nothingthat won't heal. One of them got away, though.” His lip twitched at his own words, clearly angrywith himself.

I pursed my lips, understanding his frustration. “Do you know which one it was?” I asked him.

He gently shook his head. “No, I don't know. Now, you need to tell me what in the fuck is going onhere? And was that Erik I just saw a moment ago?” He questioned in a dark and demanding tone.

I sucked in a deep breath. “First, I need you to help me get Cain back to the pack house. He needs adoctor and, on the way, I will tell you everything.” I told him.

He hesitated for a beat and ground his teeth together, telling me he didn’t want to do this, that hedidn’t want to help Cain. Then, finally, his features softened a little. “Fine, where is he?” He asked mein a huff.

I started to walk in the direction of where I had left Cain. “He is over here,” I told Gunnar.

We reached Cain, and he was still lying there, looking lifeless. But I could hear the faint beats of hisheart still, which eased some of the turmoil that stirred within my belly.

Gunnar furrowed his brows. “I don't see any major injuries that would immobilize him. So, whathappened?” He questioned me, and I realized I was still holding the weapon responsible for Cain'sfall. “Erik stabbed Cain in the back with this,” I said, raising my arm and showing him the knife.

His eyes widened, and his chest rumbled. “Get that fucking thing away from me!” He snarled.

I lowered my arm back down. “What is the big deal?” I remembered bits and pieces of Adela'sinformation regarding the danger that the blade posed for supernaturals.

He frowned. “That blade was forged by a Volva, Freja. It is perilous, and you shouldn't even beholding it.” Gunnar said as he scowled at the knife in my hand.

I looked down at the blade curiously and wondered why it was created in the first place. When I wasyounger, dad had told me stories about Volva's or also known as witches. He said that they weregood people, and they helped our kind. So, why did one create such a deadly weapon and whatmade it so lethal?

I turned my gaze to Gunnar and then down at my mate, knowing that my questions would have towait until later. Right now, I needed to get Cain some help. “I need you to carry him back to thepackhouse, please?”

Gunnar exhaled heavily. “I will do my best, but he is a big boy, and it may be difficult for me to carryhim that far.” He told me truthfully, and I knew it would be a struggle, but if we could get closeenough, then I could try to mind-link with someone in the pack to help.

He bent down, then flipped Cain over and onto his back before picking him up bridal style andstanding to his feet. Gunnar scowled at me, “You fucking owe me big for this shit!”

I snorted and gave him a frivolous expression. “Yea, yea. Now come on, we need to hurry.” Gunnargave me a deadpan stare and shook his head at my impatience; before we started to walk. Now, wefaced a new dilemma, replaceing our way back to the pack house as neither of us was familiar with thisland, and trying to navigate through the woods, in the dark, was going to be tricky.

As we continued to walk through the dense forest, Gunnar peered down at me. “You still haven'ttold me what the fuck is going on, Freja?” He said while struggling to carry my mate.

"So, I had told you that there was someone who was planning to kill Cain and me, right?” I askedhim.

He nodded slowly, glancing between me and the path ahead of us. “Yes, why do you think I showedup tonight? Since you told me that, I feared even more for your safety. So, I decided to come backand on my way there, was when I heard the commotion. I was just glad that I decided to cutthrough the trail that connects our lands.” Gunnar confessed, and I was thankful that I had such acaring and loving brother even though he was a pain in my ass and a big goofball at times.

I smiled cheekily at him. “Aww, that's so sweet.” I teased, and Gunnar just glared at me. “Well, Idiscovered that it was Cain's brother, Calyx, that was devising this plan, but I also found out thatthere was someone else working with him. At first, I had an idea of who it might have been, but Iwas very wrong.” I looked up at Gunnar, giving him a commiserating look. “Lazarus and Adela hadbeen working with him the whole time,” I choked out, still distraught over my own sister's betrayal.Gunnar stopped in his tracks, and his body tensed. “What? Adela was working with him to kill youand Cain?” He questioned with an incredulous tone.

I sighed heavily. “Yes, and Erik was working alongside her. Adela said she hated me, that I made heran outcast and made her life miserable. So, she wanted me dead, hoping it would make thingsbetter for her, that she would be the favourite finally. Erik just wanted me back, said I belonged withhim and not Cain. When I told him no, he snapped and tried to kill me, but..." I looked at Cain andclosed my eyes, holding onto the memory of his confession before he fell. My throat began totighten, and the words now lingered on the tip of my tongue, unable to get them out.

Gunnar's features softened. “Come on, let's keep going.”

We continued walking through the forest, beginning to feel a little lost and hopeless, when a figureemerged from the shadows. Both of us stopped and remained silent as the figure came closertowards us. We were both on edge, waiting for the person to reveal themselves, but I was relievedto see that it was one of Cain's pack members, Ryder.

I finally released the breath I had been holding in and slapped a hand to my chest. “Ryder, I am gladto see you,” I said.

Ryder stopped a few feet from us and took in the situation inquisitively. His eyes slightly widenedupon landing on Cain's limp body. “What happened, Luna?” He questioned me.

Following his line of sight, I looked at Cain. “We were ambushed, and the Alpha needs urgentmedical care,” I said in a rush.

He went silent for a moment, and his eyes glazed over, telling me he was mind linking someone. Afew moments later, four other men arrived. Ryder looked towards a few of the men that gathered infront of him. “Take the Alpha and get him to the medical wing immediately.” Then, he turned to oneof the men that stood by his side. “Mind link with Doctor Stephens, inform him of the situation andtell Nurse Rose that the Luna is coming in as well.” The man then nodded before his eyes glazedover.

The other men came towards Gunnar and me. We were both still on edge, and we took a cautiousstep back, suspicious about the idea of strange men approaching us. I had never met any of thesepack members before, aside from Ryder, which made me uneasy about trusting my mate's life withthem. I stood in front of Gunnar, protecting him and Cain, and the men all stopped, looking at eachother unknowingly. Ryder then pushed his way through and stood before me now. “Luna, they haveto take him so that they can help him. I promise he will be in good hands, and nothing will happento him.”

My jaw clenched tightly, and a growl rumbled in my chest at the thought of them taking Cain fromme. But deep down, I knew they were only trying to help Cain, although my wolf and I were againstthe idea of being separated from our mate at such a crucial time. I peered around my shoulder atCain, taking in his state, before squeezing my eyes shut and nodding in agreement. I moved aside,and the men stepped closer to us, now urging Gunnar to hand Cain over. However, Gunnar lookeddown at me hesitantly, needing his own confirmation. I nodded, assuring him it was alright, then themen took my mate and rushed off into the distance, taking a piece of me with them.

Ryder then approached us. “Luna, we need to get you to the medical wing as well; you are injuredand need to be examined. You will be of no good to him if you are injured and unwell” His tonesoftened as he noticed that I continued to look off into the direction that Cain had been taken.Reluctantly, I turned my gaze to Ryder. “He'll make it, right? Promise me that he will be alright?” Ichoked out, my voice deceiving me.

Ryder’s expression became neutral. “The pack Doctor will do everything he can to save the Alpha.However, he will need your strength, if you are strong, he is strong, and you need to be taken careof for that to be achieved.” He told me sternly, and he was right; I needed to have faith, and, most ofall, I needed to be strong for Cain.

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my overactive nerves. “You are right, and I am going to trymy hardest to be strong. So let's head to the medical wing.” I said, agreeing with Ryder.

He gave me a curt nod and then turned to Gunnar. “Do you need attention as well?” Ryder askedmy brother.

Gunnar just shook his head. “No, I am fine and already healing, from what little damage they did.”He looked down at me, getting my attention. “She is the only one you need to be concerned aboutright now,” Gunnar told Ryder in a concerned tone.

I looked at my brother, grief and worry consuming me. Gunnar wrapped an arm around myshoulder, pulling me into him and attempting to comfort me. I felt better knowing Gunnar was withme, that he stood by my side and fought to protect me, as well as Cain. I knew his thoughts andfeelings towards my mate, that he and Cain, were enemies and yet, he had put all of that aside forme because he knew that I was in love with Cain.

Suddenly, the realization of everything that had just happened hit me like a cannon ball, discoveringthe truth about Adela’s feelings towards me and killing her. The betrayal of someone who I thoughtto be a true friend and him trying to kill me, as well as my mate. Now, Cain's life hung in thebalance, and I didn't know whether or not he would survive. My chest began to heave as the darkthoughts swirled in my head, my vision became blurry, and my ears started to ring, everythingspinning around me now, before it all went dark.