The Human |✔|

Song for the chapter:

Hold On (I still want you) by Chord Oversheet

***

Victoria's pov

"Victoria what's wrong? "

"No times for questions Luka. Just get in you car and come home now. Please!"

I threw my phone on the table and ran out behind Emma after I got my message to Luka. She shifted in her wolf so we could be there faster, and I clenched on to the robe for her as she ran through the mass of trees. Minutes after, we approached a group of wolves and I noticed that some were shifted and some still in human form.

I also noticed that Caleb was in his own wolf form, growling and snarling at the man I assumed was Samuel. He was as tall as Lincoln was, and shared most of his features. He was, however, slightly slimmer and looked too old for his age.

Samuel had a calm smile on his face, and two wolves stood behind him. He didn't come alone.

Stella was beside Lincoln crying away, since the plan seemed like it completely backfired. Lincoln's face was still the same as when he left the house minutes ago. It was like he didn't know what to do.

"Aahh my mate is finally here" Lincoln's brother purred as we came into sight.

All heads snapped to me as I approached them. Lincoln looked more irritated at the fact that I didn't listen to him, but I held my head high and strutted towards them.

"I'm no mate of yours, no matter what this woman promised you. I am the Luna of this pack and you are trespassing "

He blinked a few times before doubling over in laughter. He really was crazy.

"So Luka got her huh? You weren't lying mommy Stell" He said with the most annoying amused looked sketched on his face.

"I told you I wasn't! " She cried, obviously overwhelmed by the situation.

"Ah ah" He held up a finger to quiet her. "But I am upset about your little stunt. Taking another man's mate to try and send me away." He clicked his tongue and smirked at me.

"But to make it all better, I suggest I get that one"

I cringed and stepped back as he came closer to me, but Lincoln blocked his way.

"Lil bro" Sam sang. "Don't you want me to be happy? "

"This is not right Sam and you know it" Lincoln growled threateningly and protectively.

"I was wronged first Lincoln!"

His former calm demeanor was now gone and replaced with anger.

"She was mine! Mine! And they took her away from me. So I don't care if I'll take someone else's mate"

He shoved Lincoln so hard that he fell, and marched in my direction. Lincoln was scrambling to his feet and Caleb's wolf looked conflicted. He didn't want to leave Ashley but he didn't want me getting hurt either.

"Stop" I warned lowly, and he surprisingly obliged. "I'm not going anywhere with you"

"Oh yes you are love" He was about to grab me, but Lincoln punched him to the ground with one hard fist. Samuel's wolf pals started growling, but Emma and Caleb sized up to them, showing them that they won't win this fight.

Lincoln and his brother rolled and punched each other as we all just watched in awe. They bared teeth and flashed eyes, growling and grunting as they fought. I looked to Stella but she just looked scared and helpless.

Finally, Lincoln ended up on top of Samuel, holding down both his hands at the side of his head.

"Stop Sam stop! "

Sam kept shuffling but Lincoln just held him tighter.

"I said stop!" Lincoln repeated with more authority. He finally stopped fighting and glared at his brother in hurt. I could see that Samuel was just a wolf that was wronged, but he was also deaf to reasoning.

"Look bro I know that you miss Claire "

"Don't call her name! " He started wiggling again, but Lincoln held him firm.

"I know she was taken away from you. But you have to let it go. Look, couple years ago I contacted some packs that Luka didn't call, and one was willing to take you in. Victoria was imprinted on. Maybe the same will happen to you if you just let it go. I'll call the pack again and you can find a new mate there. One who's mate is dead or one that the moon gifted to you. Just please Sam, give it a shot " He tried to appeal to his emotions as we all watched in anticipation.

Sam was quiet. Really quiet. He didn't blink, he didn't flinch, he didn't even breathe. Lincoln slowly got off him, and Sam sat up and gazed into nowhere.

We all were still, as we anticipated his next words or actions.

Then he looked at me and smiled. He lifted his head to the sky and laughed. He freaking Laughed. His wolf friends stood tenser as Sam's head turned towards them.

"Now" was the last thing I heard, before I was lifted from my feet and onto a hard shoulder. Before two seconds passed, I heard growls and clothes tearing, indicating another wolf had shifted. It all just happened so fast.

I noticed that Samuel was running with me on his shoulder, and a thudding sound from behind us made me know that he was being chased.

Suddenly we were tackled, and I went flying into the soft damp grass. Realization kicked in when I saw that Lincoln was holding down Sam once again, but Sam surprised us both and shifted too under Lincoln's weight.

A scream from where we earlier stood startled me out of my gaze, and I was torn between going there, or staying with Lincoln.

But what help could I possibly give to Lincoln? They were fighting once again, but this time in wolf form. The growling and ruffling only got louder from where Emma was, telling me that they were fighting too.

I gasped as I saw them all already covered in blood. Emma was fighting one, while Caleb was fighting the other. I could see that they both were struggling, but Stella was no where to be found.

Rogues practically spent their whole life fighting, so as much as Emma was Alpha blood, she was up for a challenge.

Caleb I knew could've easily taken him, but it was obvious that Ashley being there was distracting him. His first and only instinct was to protect her since she couldn't shift when pregnant.

I ran over to her and wrapped her in my arms. I knew it wasn't the best, but I hoped it provided Caleb some comfort to know she's okay.

"I got her Caleb. Just focus! " I shouted, trying to make him feel somewhat assured.

And with that, he was in full Beta mode. With one spin he tackled the wolf to the ground and sank his teeth in his neck. When he was certain that he was dead, he ran over to Emma to help, but in a flash, something big and brown attacked him out of thin air.

Ashley and I screamed in fear as Sam bit Caleb hard in his side. A howl of pain escaped his mouth while Ashley tried to get free from my grasp.

My eyes frantically searched for Lincoln, and to my relief he emerged from the trees only seconds after. He was bruised, but he was still fine.

Caleb was trying hard to get the upper hand, but the bite in his side was making it hard for him. Lincoln pushed off the wolf that was on top of Emma and ran towards Sam. But sadly, he wasn't swift enough, since Sam's teeth sank deep into Caleb's neck, and we watched as his body started to go limp.

Without hesitation, Lincoln tackled his brother again, finishing him off for good this time by holding him beneath one paw, and using the other paw and his mouth to break his neck. One last whimper came from the wolf that Emma had, as he too died when she bit him hard in his neck.

I finally let go of Ashley as she dashed to Caleb who had now shifted back to his human form. I followed closely behind, seeing how much blood he lost as he writhed in pain. Ashley grabbed the robe that I had brought for Emma and pressed it to his wound, trying to stop his bleeding.

"Ashley let me do it" I offered carefully. She growled at me as she continued to press the cloth against his wounds, but she was crying too hard to do it right.

"Ashley please. I'm a pack doctor remember, I can help him" I didn't even notice when I started crying too, but luckily she obliged and let me observe his wounds and the damage.

"Lincoln! Emma! Someone take us to the hospital now! "

It didn't even seem like Lincoln knew what was happening, he just stood there gazing at his dead brother.

His brother who he'd just killed.

Emma layed flat on her belly as we struggled to get Caleb on her back.

"Lincoln! " I tried again, this time snapping him out of his daze. His eyes widened as he ran towards us, seeing the situation at hand.

"Shit" he muttered as he helped us with getting him on Emma's back.

"I'm gonna go with him to the hospital. Lincoln, shift back so Ashley can ride your wolf " I rushed out.

"No I want to go now" she protested, still a teary mess.

I was about to answer but Lincoln once again shifted for her to come with us. With her in this state, I understood why it would've been hard for her to leave his side.

Within minutes we were in the hospital, and Caleb didn't look well at all and neither was the whole mess. My crying was getting worse and we had a pregnant hormonal mate on our tail as we wheeled him into the room.

"Beta Ashley, I'm gonna have to ask you to wait out here" Doctor Monroe said as we got Caleb off the stretcher and on the bed.

I heard her protests, but Lincoln seemed to get her to stay. I was panicking and scared, something a doctor should never be in a situation like this, so I was just screaming orders at the poor nurses as I cried horribly.

We can't lose Caleb. We just can't.

I threw down the sponge after we finished cleaning him off, but I could see that he was slipping away slowly.

"Where is Tara with the blood! " my breathing got unleveled and my vision was just blurry; nothing seemed to be going right.

"Caleb! Caleb stay with me please" I cried as I dabbed a stream of sweat from his forehead. His eyes bobbed once and offered me a weak smile. He coughed again but this time blood followed with it.

"Doctor Deslandes " Someone called, but I ignored the voice and cleaned the newly spilled blood from Caleb's face.

"Doctor Deslandes"

"Caleb you're gonna be just fine just please hold on"

"Luna! " I was spun around and faced by Doctor Monroe as he gazed at me sadly.

"This is too personal for you. I suggest you go be with your family. We'll do everything we can in here". He suggested,seeing my condition too. I was just as panicked as Ashley.

I processed his words then glanced at the nurses hooking up the blood. They looked slightly uncomfortable because of my constant shouting, so I decided to take his advice.

"Please stay with us Caleb. We need you. Ashley needs you" I wiped the tear that fell from my eyes and onto his forehead as a nurse placed a ventilator mask on him. Placing one last kiss on his cheek, I exited to the hall where everyone was.

Ashley was still sobbing, and so was Emma who was dressed and sitting in a chair. Lincoln paced back and forth looking even more scared and torn than me.

He just lost a brother, I can't imagine how he'll feel if he loses another one.

I sat beside Ashley in the corner and hugged her tightly. Her crying only grew worse in my shoulder.

"He'll be okay Ash, it'll be okay" I cooed even though I wasn't entirely sure if I believed that too.

My heart ached at the whole scene. All of this could've been avoided, but it wasn't the time for throwing blame.

An hour passed and still nothing from the doctor. Caleb'sparents and Chris arrived, and he had no clue where Stella was.

Two hours passed and still nothing.

Three. Four.

Then Luka came.

"Luka" I whispered in relief as I jumped on him, my crying resuming in an instant.

"Sshh it's okay Angel" He rubbed my back soothingly as I broke down for the fourth time today. "I got you. He'll be okay"

I really wanted to believe him, but every minute that passed made me believe the worse.

Emma was obviously beating herself up, Lincoln looked tormented, Chris seemed lost and confused, Caleb's parents looked broken, and Ashley...Gosh Ashley.

She was wrapped up in Caleb's mom's arms. She looked tired but wouldn't dare close her eyes. She would sniffle now and then, but her eyes never left the door that Caleb was behind.

It was all just sad.

"I shouldn't have left" Luka muttered.

"But you couldn't have known Luka, it's not your fault " I told him truthfully. If I knew Luka, which I do, I know he'd try and blame himself.

Deep down, everyone was blaming themselves.

Emma thought that if she'd had just told us everything this wouldn't have happened.

Lincoln thought that if he'd had fought better, this wouldn't have happened.

Chris thought that if he'd had known his mate better, this wouldn't have happened.

Ashley thought that if she hadn't gone with Stella to see Sam, Caleb wouldn't have followed her down there and this wouldn't have happened.

And me? Well this was all about me. It had my name written all over it, even if I didn't know anything until this morning. But it didn't matter who's fault it was. What mattered was that Caleb was behind that door battling for his life.

Once I was out of Luka's arms, he pulled Lincoln into a hug, and for the first time since I knew him, I saw Lincoln cry. He was scared, heart broken and he felt like he failed us all, though it wasn't true.

But being the oldest, he always had that burden. He always felt like protecting us was his responsibility. He must've felt hopeless knowing that he couldnt save his own brother, that alone Caleb. He didn't even bother try hiding it. He just cried. If you were to search the saddest place on earth, you would find that hospital hallway.

And the worse part was, it was just getting started.

Doctor Monroe finally met us in the hallway, but his expression alone gave us the answer we didn't want to hear. He looked to each one of our expectant faces and sighed.

"We did all we could to save him. " He muttered, hsnging his head in grief. But that was all we needed to hear.

With that, Emma had started weeping again, not even before he finished talking. I threw my hand over my mouth to muffle a sob, no longer wishing to be here.

"He lost too many blood and his body rejected the first few bags we tried to give him"

"So what are you saying? " Luka asked, though we all knew what he meant ,we just needed to hear it.

"He's gone "

And that was it..

I fell into Luka's chest as the sobs raked my body once again. The cries from Emma and his mom sounded loudly from where they sat. My heart ached as it felt like something has been pulled from it with an acid dipped needle.

How could he be gone? He wasn't supposed to be gone! He was supposed to be fine. He was supposed to fight.

He was supposed to be alive.

I could hear the cries of all his loved ones in the dimly lit hallway, I even felt a few tears on my forehead from Luka. But despite all the cries, I didn't hear one person.

I slowly pulled me head of his chest to look at Ashley. Her state scared me more than if she'd had been in a tantrum. She just sat there, with her knees against her swollen belly as she rocked back and forth on the chair. I wiped my eyes and slowly stepped to her.

"Ashley? " I whispered as calm as possible while I sat beside her.

"He's not gone" She croaked.

"Ash"

"He's not gone" she repeated, shaking her head slowly.

"Ashley I know this is hard but-"

"No! He's not gone! " She screamed as she started to cry again. "I said he's not -aaaaah! "

I panicked as she screamed in pain and held her chest as she doubled over with wide eyes.

"What's happening?! " I asked in fear, not knowing why she was feeling pain.

Luka rushed over to us and held her up, examinibg her with familiarity."The mate bond is being broken"

And with that, another agonising scream sounded from her lips as she shook violently.

"No! " she shouted through the pain. "He's not gone! "

My blurry vision scanned the area for help when she screamed again, but everyone looked as helpless as me.

"I said he's not gone! " She repeated. "He can't be! It's not real. It's not real"

My heart broke for her as I watched her hurt. Luka had a look of understanding on his face through his pain, since he knew what she must've been feeling.

"Caleb!" She shouted. "Caleb don't you dare leave me! You hear me! "

I held her tighter since I had no other clue of how to comfort her.

"Please don't go" She sobbed. It came out as a whisper as she finally slouched into me. I held her for what felt like ages as she emptied her eyes on my shoulder.

All I could think about was how we'll never see Caleb again. We'll never hear his jokes or be met with his radiant smiles. I'll never hear his manly scream again whenever he bumped into Twinkle. I'll never see his forced frown again when I steal out his bacon.

Caleb was gone, and there's nothing we could do about it.

Another hour passed and we all migrated to the waiting room. No one said anything, all you could hear was the whispers of staff, or the sniffles of one us.

The nurse said they were cleaning him up and getting him dressed to be taken away, but they were taking awfully long.

Ashley was now in Lincoln's arms, since I got tired and cuddled into Luka, but Lincoln looked as if he needed to be held too.

"I love you so much Angel" Luka whispered in my ear as he held me extremely tight against his chest.

I knew this whole moment was torture for him, even if he was being the strong Alpha. But me being there offered him a comfort beyond understanding. I know, since I had the same feeling.

"I love you too Luka. So so much" His grip on me tightened impossibly closer, and I heard his steady heartbeat as it soothingly calmed me.

For the first time since I got there, I felt an ounce of peace because of him.

A crashing sound had all our heads snapping to it's source, and we saw an excited looking Doctor Monroe as he turned the corner and stopped infront of us.

He catched his breath before gazing at each of us with relief and utter joy.

"You wouldn't believe it. He's back"