Ascension of a Gamma novel Chapter 64

Chapter 64 Eyes Closed

Anna

My ears rang as I regained consciousness, the sharp piercing sound splitting my head into two. My body felt sore and weak and heavy as I pushed myself off the ground. Screams sounded around me, a low echo amidst the ringing. And where the mansion had once been, a great fire that reached the heavens. The van burned, too, a blazing yellow and orange eating its interior.

Father.

I swayed to the sides when I stood, thoughts of his death consuming my mind.

Father. Beta David. The Delta Unit.

My legs like lead as I dragged my feet into the burning structure, warmth creeping down my cheeks. It couldn’t be. This hadt o be a nightmare – a very surreal nightmare.

Images of Father getting his neck ripped off flashed before my eyes; of Father

calling behind me with an arm outstretched; of my knight’s brave team. My stomach churned. I tasted acid in my mouth. Unable to hold it back, my knees gave away and I vomited all the contents o f my stomach. Tears and snot mixed with the disgusting bacterial infestation that spilled on the ground. After several heaves, I’d let out all it contained. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I stared at the mansion, the weight of their deaths crashing down on me

The ringing on my ears had calmed a little, in its place the fire’s remorseless crackling

“Anna,” I heard someone say.

I hadn’t realized someone was shaking m e by the shoulders. I tensed then slowly turned my head to the side.

“Anna,” he repeated, his hands cupping my cheeks.

I held out my hands to touch his face. My fingers sank on soft skin. It was real. He… was real.

Tears rolled down his cheeks as his hands went up to my head then down my hair.

“I’m here. I’m here,” he whispered.

My arms wrapped around him

immediately, pulling him close to me as I cried.

“I’m here,” he repeated, rubbing a hand down my back

I couldn’t form any word as I reeled my emotions in to keep me in control but the relief from seeing him again was making i t impossible.

A group of young men emerged from the woods, running towards us.

“Alpha!” they called

The pack. What about the pack?

Claws clutched my heart as I was reminded of the children.

What about the children?

I pulled away from him and shakily got to my feet. He helped me up and only then did I notice that he was in no better shape than I was. His clothes were a burnt and tattered mess, and he had scrapes and burnt skin where it showed. I grimaced, afraid to look down at myself.

A young boy, appearing to be in his late teens, came over to us as the group of young men dispersed in different directions

“Look for survivors!” one of them shouted

To my relief, he said, “Alpha, the women and children are being evacuated to the safehouse.”

He looked at me with an anxious expression. “Please come with me.”

“She’s alive!” someone shouted, a few meters away to our right. A couple of warriors immediately went over to assist.

“Alpha, we have to get you to safety,” he urged.

“Come,” said Father, holding my arm.

Looking back, I recognized that it was Sabri.

Where are the others?

“Medic!” another shouted, just a couple meters from Sabri.

They’re alive!

I halted in my tracks and freed my arm. Father looked at me confused.

“I have to go to them.”

I ran towards Sabri, but he grabbed my arm.

“I have to get you to safety, Bella.”

Just then, howls came from the direction of the packhouse. Father’s face hardened. He shoved me to the warrior and in a cold voice said, “Take her to the vault, Chuck. Use force as needed.”

His bleeding had stopped, and the burns were mostly healed.

“No!” I screamed, earning a hardened gaze from him. “I am not going to sit around in a vault when I can do something to help. They’re under my Order, Father. Let me, us, help you.”

His eyes softened as he cupped my cheek.

“You are brave, Bella, just like your Mother. But now, I need you safe.

He placed his forehead on top of mine.” The pack needs their Alpha.”

He kissed the top of my head before shifting into his wolf, eyes a deep black with an ugly jagged scar that ran across his left eye. Howling, more of the warriors joined him and they disappeared

into the woods.

“This way, Alpha,” said Chuck, dragging me away.

I’m not the Alpha. Father will come back. I’m not the Alpha.

Sabri was already on her feet, and so was Nalia.

Kicking Chuck behind the knee, he bento n his right, letting go of my arm. Before h e could spin around, I sprinted to Nalia. Ten meters away from her, a shout came from the woods.

“Breachhh!!!”

The warning was cut short as a man went flying out of the woods, his body rolling o n the ground before it stopped. He didn’t move after.

The warriors gathered as Chuck ran in m y direction. Then, rogues emerged from the woods. Howling and snarling, the

warriors charged on them.

“Luna,” said Sabri.

I hadn’t noticed they were on my side.

“Alpha,” said Chuck, grabbing my arm.

Nalia pointed her sword to him, threatening to pierce through his neck should he make the wrong move.

“Let go of my Luna.”

Chuck growled but she didn’t flinch. He let go of my arm and she slowly lowered her sword.

My eyes widened at the next thing I saw. After a single blink, Chuck was sucking the life out of Nalia’s mouth.

“Holy shit,” said Ethan, chuckling.

My head shot up to him.

“You’re alive,” I whispered.

He grinned but there was no light in his eyes.

“Reese, status: deceased. Ty, status: deceased. Nalia, status: aroused. Current Mission: In Progress,” he reported.”

Luna -” he said, his eyes shifting to the battle happening behind me before adding,” – your call.”

Reese… dreamed of surpassing the Alpha. Ty… had a daughter to take care of.

He threw me away to save me. He sacrificed his life for mine.

“I-I

“Luna,” he said in a low voice. “Please… respect their passing.”

I bit on my lip and held back the tears. They were brave warriors until the end of their duty.

I will not sully their honor by apologizing.

Sabri joined beside him, their faces determined, looking forward to joining the action.

“I can’t let my people die,” I replied. “We have to help them.”

“What about the Alpha?” asked Nalia, casually standing beside Chuck.

“How fast can you clean up?” I taunted.

Their lips pulled into a smirk. Sabrina

reloaded her guns, Nalia drew out both swords, and Ethan, while chuckling, shifted into a dark brown wolf.

“Protect my Luna,” warned Nalia to her mate before joining the others.

“I’ll protect my Alpha,” he said firmly, looking me in the eye. “We’ll have to take a detour, but I’ll get you there safe.”

He grabbed my wrist and dragged me with him. I wished I hadn’t looked back. Many of Father’s warriors laid lifeless on

the ground while more rogues kept spilling into the open. The Delta Unit fought alongside the warriors, but at his rate, we’d get run over. There were too many of them.

Father…

A growl made Chuck stop. A rogue spotted us fleeing from the main battleground and was now running towards us. He pulled me behind him protectively.

“At my count, run as fast as you can and never look back.”

No. There has to be something I can do.

“Three.” Two more rogues joined the pursuit

“Two.” I looked around for anything I could defend myself with.

“One!” he shouted, pushing me to run.

“I can’t leave you here!” I screamed, trying to look for anything… anything I could use.

“Alpha, please… run,” he urged.

Why isn’t there anything! No, wait…

I raised the skirt of my dress and from the thigh holster around my right thigh, I pulled out the small blade Father gave m e. The handle a perfect fit in my hand, I held it in front of me.

“I can help,” I said firmly. “We will fight, and we will win, and we will live.”

The rogues now close, Chuck shifted into a wolf with brown and blonde patches of fur. With a snarl, he charged at the three, attacking the one in the middle. Since he was slightly bigger and faster, the rogue i n the middle fell on the ground. Within seconds, it was drowning in its own pooling blood. The one on the left tackled

“Three.” Two more rogues joined the pursuit

“Two.” I looked around for anything I could defend myself with.

“One!” he shouted, pushing me to run.

“I can’t leave you here!” I screamed, trying to look for anything… anything I could use.

“Alpha, please… run,” he urged.

Why isn’t there anything! No, wait…

I raised the skirt of my dress and from the thigh holster around my right thigh, I pulled out the small blade Father gave m e. The handle a perfect fit in my hand, I held it in front of me.

“I can help,” I said firmly. “We will fight, and we will win, and we will live.”

The rogues now close, Chuck shifted into a wolf with brown and blonde patches of fur. With a snarl, he charged at the three, attacking the one in the middle. Since he was slightly bigger and faster, the rogue i n the middle fell on the ground. Within seconds, it was drowning in its own pooling blood. The one on the left tackled

Chuck and the one on the right came straight for me.

Crouching, I waited for it to approach. Closer… and closer… my hand tightly gripping my weapon. At long last, it leaped into the air.

While airborne, I carried my body forward as swiftly I can, bending backward as low as possible as both hands gripped the handle and raised it high. The blade sunk on its stomach, and as its motion continued, so did the cut. Warm liquid coated my hands, trickling down to my arms, a few dropping on my face.

The rogue dropped to the ground, its organs spilling out of its stomach. As the paws began to shift back into feet, I turned away, my breathing loud in my ears.

Kneeling into the ground, I felt sick to my stomach as I saw the blood on my hands. I took a life.

Rogues were enemies. It wouldn’t have hesitated to kill me, but it didn’t discount the fact that I killed a person.

I felt nothing but sickness to the very depths of my stomach. Looking around, I saw the battle unfold before me.

I saw the Delta Unit support each other as they took down rogues. I saw my warriors, young men in training, get their lives ripped out of them.

I saw rogues ruthlessly take life away for seemingly no reason. They didn’t care for the wolf beside them, each hungry for their own fill of violence and murder.

Where was the honor? They were defending the pack, defending themselves, defending their companions from their own kind.

All I saw was duty. Duty to protect that which they cared for to the extent of their own lives instead of the warrior beside them. This was what they took pride in. Amidst the violence, blood, and chaos lied honor.

I felt like vomiting, but I had no more to heave out. The knife slid from my hand. I rubbed them on my skirt. I stank of a man’s blood.

A growl made me look to the right. My

eyes widened in shock to see a scruffy looking man aiming a gun at me. I’d never seen him before. I didn’t know who he was and neither did he know me, but his black eyes reflecting flickering yellows burned with cold, cold hatred and fury. With the fires casting streaks of pale yellow on his face, his dark eyes gleamed a dangerous red that froze me in place.

Carson produced a white cloth and applied pressure on his wound. Blood soaked the cloth immediately.

“Hurry, Bella,” he urged.

you.”

I could feel his grip weakening. I was losing him. The only family I had left. My very own father.

“Look around you. Warriors are dying around us, Bella. Backup is on its way. For now, I have to get you to safety.”

“This way!” they shouted, as half of them moved to our front and lead us to the right. The rest stayed behind us.

From where we were, gunshots and howls vibrated through the air. More… more of them were dying.

“The faster we are, the sooner we get to Liam and the others,” he explained, then i na softer voice, said, “The Red Claw Pack needs their Luna, Bella.”

“The faster we are, the sooner we get to Liam and the others,” he explained, then i na softer voice, said, “The Red Claw Pack needs their Luna, Bella.”