Page 35 of A Luna's Revenge (Stone Mountain Shifters)
Jenson
Stone Mountain City is a vast metropolis similar to New York City in the human world. The most significant difference is that we have a much smaller crime rate per capita, primarily due to the Alpha Commander. He is in charge of all the packs in this territory and has the power to control all wolves here, including Alphas.
Each Alpha is free to run his pack as he sees fit. There are higher laws mandated by the Alpha Commander that govern all. These are laws to protect everyone's freedom. Fated mate bonds fall under the higher laws because it’s rare for pups to be born outside fated mate bonds. Therefore, due to population decline, fated mate bond tampering is a severe crime. The goddess makes these pairings, and you will receive many blessings for accepting the union. However, you will also receive condemnation for unjustly rejecting your fated mate. Everyone is free to choose who they mate, and rejection is legal.
For this reason, the Alpha Commander has developed a task force, and he has placed me on it. But I am not sure how long I can keep up this ruse. My life has been on a downward spiral since my mate mark disappeared, and I can no longer feel Charlie in my soul. Nothing matters any longer; I am just going through the motions.
The last few months, I’ve spent at the bottom of a bottle trying to wash away the pain. The only thing that managed to do was keep me so out of touch with reality thatthe divorce Charlie wanted was approved before I realized it. I was devastated.
It has gotten so bad that my Beta has taken over running the pack. I know he is just trying to give me some time to recuperate, but it just seems to be getting worse instead of better.
The task force has a meeting today. It was formerly scheduled to occur in the headquarters buildingbutsuddenly changed to the annex. I received a text just this morning to that effect. We still check in through the main desk but are directed through the back and into the adjoining building.
There seems to be an inordinate amount of security on duty today.
Scanning my key card with my trembling hand, I look up to see the back of Charlie going into an elevator. “Charlie!” I shout as the doors of the elevator close. I sprint to the elevators and am stopped by one of the enforcers.
“Excuse me, sir.” He manages to get my attention. “We need to get you signed in before you go any further.”
“But…my mate…she just got on that elevator.” I stumble. My clothes are disheveled, and I probably don’t even look like I belong here. “I’m Alpha Jenson Black.”
The enforcer nods. “Let’s get you checked in.”
After what seems like an eternity, I finally get through security. “Can you tell me where Charlie Black was going? She signed in just before me. I watched her get on the elevator.”
“Sorry, Alpha, no Charlie Black in the building.” He studies the computer screen. “There was a Charlie Marks that came in just before you. And, before that, Charles Simpkins. But no Charlie Black.”
His voice just becomes a buzz in my brain. Charlie Marks? Reggie Marks transferred packs just after Charlie left. Could she be married to him now? Were they having an affair behind my back? “Where can I find Charlie Marks?”
“Twelfth floor, conference room 1299, on the top floor.”
“Thanks.” I quip and move to the elevator bank. Once inside, I punch the button for the 12th floor and lean against the wall, gasping for air. Thoughts are rolling through my addled brain. It’s hard to keep a sane thought when my entire body has been soaking in an alcohol-infused haze for months.
Exiting the elevator, there is signage before me.
Dazed, I turn to the right and round the corridor, approaching the conference room. Thoughts swirl about Reggie and Charlie; how long have they been together? Was she cheating on me all this time? As I approach the conference room, I hear voices inside. I slam the door back in time to see Charlie standing from the conference table. "It's true!"I gasp.
Charlie
Oh, my goddess, it's Jenson! "Jenson?" I whisper. I notice he doesn't look so good as he is paler and thinner than I remember.
"Charlie!" He chokes out as he reaches for me.
"What's going on here?" Alpha Stone exclaims.
"That's my wife."
"Ex-wife." I correct.
He eyes me up and down, pausing at my stomach. "Wow. You sure work fast. You must have been pregnant when you left." He sneers. "Who's the father?"
"What?" I am in shock. He gets another she-wolf pregnant and then dares judge me. I feel a murderous rage; at least I waited until we had divorced before I moved on. He is lucky I can't shift because Lana is ready to slice and dice his junk off. My claws come out as I reach out for Jenson.
A loud, explosive shock wave rips through the air.
Reggie
As I monitor the security feeds, we hear an explosion in the distance. I scan the security cameras until I spot a plume of smoke to the west of headquarters. “What is that?” I shout at the techs seated at the control console.
“Reports are coming in of an explosion at the treasury building. Emergency vehicles and enforcement have been dispatched to that location.”
“Where are the units coming from that will respond?” I ask because all resources are concentrated on this building right now.
“From here, sir.”
That will leave us short coverage. Before I have time to think and determine how we will compensate, another explosion sounds further away. “What now?”
As we search the video feeds, my tech yells, “Another bombing to the east. It appears to be the theater complex.”
Thank the goddess, that is an empty building at this time of day. Unfortunately, more units have been dispatched to the location several miles away, leaving us vulnerable. Two more explosions are heard faintly as I realize these are distractions.
“Sir, reports arecoming in that the Stone Mountain Genetic Research Institute at the Science Square has been hit.”
A loud explosion shakes the building just a few seconds later, making it tremble and groan. A heavy cloud of dust fills the room as ceiling tiles start to fall and alarms blare. I’m thrown to the floor by its force.
“No! No, no, no.” I scream as I leap into action. I attempt to race out the door to Charlie, only to find the exit blocked by a beam.
Charlie
In the aftershocks of the explosion, the building quakes and leans a bit. A massive plume of dust engulfs the room. Choking for air, I am knocked to the ground.
Roland rushes to me. "We need to get you out of here." I can barely hear him over the alarms. As the building trembles, he lifts me in his arms and tears out the door. Luckily, since we are at the end of the hallway, an emergency door is next to the conference room. Roland pushes the bar on the door to open it, and more alarms sound.
The stairwell has a thick dust cloud, and I can smell smoke. I vaguely make out that other people are following us down the stairs. As we continue down, the smoke gets thicker, and I choke on the fumes. The sprinkler system finally engages, and we are quickly doused with water. I grip Roland tighter around his neck and press my face into his coat in an effort to take in a clean breath. Finally, we make it to the ground floor. We exit the building, but Roland keeps running to the park across the street. As Roland sits me on a bench, we look up to see that a massive chunk of the building is missing as it sags to the side.
It’s utter chaos. Ambulances and fire trucks begin to arrive. Coughing and choking to breathe, I feel horrible pain in my lower back. I lean forward, screaming as a gush of water soaks the front of my skirt and legs. "Goddess, Roland. My water just broke."
Without missing a beat, he rushes me to the nearest ambulance. "We need help." He yells. "She's in labor. She has inhaled a lot of smoke."
A burly EMT rushes up. "Let's lay her on the stretcher." I am writhing in pain and can't seem to manage a full breath. The EMT lays me back gently and straps an oxygen mask to my face. "Breathe deeply." He says, "Shhh. Easy, miss. You’re safe." He doesn't skip a beat but continues to connect wires and leads to my chest and stomach. The monitors come to life, and we can hear the racing heartbeats of my pup and me. "Relax for the baby. Take deep breaths." He goes to the back of the ambulance and shouts. "Rex, we need to transport. Female with smoke inhalation in labor." After closing the doors, he places a blood pressure cuff on my arm and continues his ministrations.
I feel the vehicle rock as his partner climbs in the front and shifts the running ambulance into drive. Through the window, I watch Roland, disheveled and panting, as he turns to look up at the chaos of the burning building. My eyes stay on him until we turn down the street toward the hospital. As he disappears from view, my mind slips into darkness.