Mike and Colten had stayed quiet much longer than Ella had been expecting but the Beta was first to breath life on the topic.
“Darcy Holtz?”
Ella nodded and before she could open to her mouth to explain more, Colten disagreed.
“There's no way. It's just someone close that knows information.”
Mike began to nod.
“It's not.” Grayson stepped into the room. “Remember how I said something smelled familiar?”
Colten looked to him. “You're back.”
“Yeah, we sped up when we noticed the blood...”
“Blood?” Braxton swallowed.
“He's pretty beat up.” Grayson explained. “I would think more than what's on the surface.”
Ella placed her hand into her mate's lap. “You should go see him.”
Braxton stood slowly from Ella's side, gulping. “Is my mother with him?”
“Yeah, she's waiting for the doctor with him.” Grayson nodded.
Braxton turned back to her and kissed her forehead gently. “I'll be right back.”
“Take your time.”
He left the room, leaving her with her uncles.
Colten cleared his throat. “I really don't see how he survived being pushed off a cliff.”
“Stranger things have happened.” Mike said.
“I can definitely countess to that.” Grayson agreed, giving Ella a look over as he approached the bed. “You okay, kid?”
“I'm fine. I just hope Gale is okay.”
“Colten, you raised a luna.” Grayson gave him a smile but Colten said nothing.
Her uncle, who she'd grown up with, looked sick to his stomach and she'd never witnessed him looking like that.
Mike must have noticed it to because he patted Colten on the shoulder. “Don't worry, we'll get him this time.”
“He's done a lot of damage.” Colten said, “A lot of damage that could have been avoided, had I killed him the first time.”
Grayson didn't look afraid but that being said, Ella didn't think Grayson was afraid of much. She knew Colten wasn't afraid but he was worried and that was a normal emotion for her uncle.
“Did he say anything to you, Ella?” Mike then asked, redirecting the conversation.
Ella nodded. “He said it was revenge.”
Mike started to smile as he swung around to Grayson. “Still pissed about us taking his pack?”
Grayson grunted with a crease across his brow.
“He killed Savannah.” Colten shot. “He has nothing to be revengeful of.”
“He also said something like...” Ella made her voice soft, so it wouldn't upset the alphas, it was something she'd learned from Abigail. “He'd been waiting for me to leave you, Colten.”
“Oh, I'm sure he has.” Colten's breathing wasn't level anymore and Ella hated seeing him so upset but she understood why he was. Her father hadn't been dead all the years he'd thought, which meant her mother's death was still not avenged.
“We need to track him down.” Grayson looked to Mike and the beta nodded. “And we have three packs to do it with, so there so should be no excuses for turning up dry.”
“We'll find him.” Mike nodded to the two alphas. “I'll get on it right now.”
Colten stopped him before he walked out of the room. “Find Pete, tell him to help you.”
#
Braxton entered the bedroom. His mother was sitting on the bed next to his father, a cool cloth on his forehead.
“Mom.”
Azalea glanced up at him and back down to Gale. “The doctor's on her way back, Braxton, you're better to just wait. She had to go get some more supplies.”
Braxton didn't listen to her though, he walked forward and Gale's bloodshot eyes looked at him, though they were almost swollen shut. “Dad?”
Gale parted his purple, split lips. “Did-did she survive?”
Braxton let out a tight breath.
“I told you, Gale,” Azalea was less than caring with him, “she's fine.” She patted his head with a fresh cloth. “I think he's got a concussion. He keeps asking me that same question over and over.”
Braxton didn't doubt that was true, his father looked beat and broken. For him, it was something he'd never imagined seeing. Gale had always been strong and tough, any fight he'd ever been involved in – he'd won. Braxton only knew his father as the alpha he was, not this broken man that was lying in front of him.
“She's going to be fine, Dad.”
“She's g-going to be a good Luna. I can t-tell.” His eyes rolled into his head as he started to cough and gasp for air, making Braxton cringed as he saw the blood come out of his mouth and trickle the side of his cheek.
Azalea stood suddenly when the doctor and her assistant walked back in, she didn't try to help Gale any longer. “Don't you have some alpha's to appease, son?”
“I'm staying with my mate.” Braxton didn't even have to think about that answer, it didn't matter what Colten and Grayson wanted him to do, he was staying with Ella and not letting her out of his sight. “I'll check back soon.” He walked back out of the bedroom and returned to his mate's room as her uncles were leaving.
“We're sending out numerous search parties.” Grayson informed it.
“I can't leave her, I'm sorry.” Though he was far from actually sorry.
Colten looked him over. “I was going to suggest you stay home.”
Braxton watched them walk down the hall and disappear down the stairs, though he wanted to rip the head off the man that had hurt his mate, he couldn't bring himself to part from her side. He walked back into his room and found Ella, curled up with the IV bag almost done dripping.
He shut the door and walked over. “My father is not okay.”
Ella looked up to him with her bright eyes, every minute she appeared to be getting stronger but she still held a deep exhaustion in her expression. “I'm sorry, Brax.”
He lied down on the bed, facing her. “Honestly, I think the only thing he cared about was getting you out of there. He keeps asking if you're alright apparently.”
She was so peaceful to look at, it made his heart swell especially when he thought about her being his. He raised her hand to her cheek and inched close enough so he could kiss her.
She pushed her lips against his and their feverish lips stayed locked together much longer than he expected.
“I feel different,” she whispered.
“How so?” He didn't allow for much distance between them.
“Maybe it's the IV...”
“You're starting to feel better. I know Laura Reynolds has come up with some healing inductions. You may have one running in your arm right now.”
She smiled meekly at him. “Maybe that's it.”
“What else would it be, Daniella?”
She shook head, closing her eyes so she could relax.
“I'm never letting you go, babe.”
“I know.” She smiled as he kissed her forehead. They stayed in each other's arms for hours, maybe more. Both exhausted but when Braxton did wake, he found Ella's IV had been changed with a new bag.
She didn't wake when he got up, so he decided to shower because it had been days since he'd done so. In the middle of shampooing his hair, the glass door of the shower popped open and Ella stepped in.
He squinted his eyes through the soap and running water as she snugged herself against his naked form. Reaching up, she helped wash his hair clean.
“What happened to your IV?”
“I took it out.”
He grumbled. “Shouldn't have done that, Daniella.”
“They can give me another later.”
He continued to protest till she brushed against him and he forgot all about his grumblings. She kissed his wet skin as he turned to face her, taking her cheek and kissing her.
She slipped her knee against him and it made him lose his composure. He pressed her against the wall of the shower and held her firm.
“You want me to do this?”
She smiled at him. “Do what?”
He took her waist quickly, not caring if her uncles could return at any moment, his mate deserved what she wanted.
#
Ella finished drying her hair with the blow dryer and stepped out of the bathroom as Braxton dressed. He had his jeans on and belt going through the loops as there was knock on the bedroom door.
Ella secured the towel around herself as her mate answered the door, revealing Azalea on the other side.
“Gale won't make it. There's internal bleeding... fluid in his lungs, it's too far gone. He's dying.”
A lump in Ella's throat lodged with her watering eyes. She didn't want to believe the information but she had no choice and Braxton's stunned expression made it worse.
She came to his side and looked in at the woman that would be her mother-in-law. “We'll be right there.”
Azalea reached and shut the door with a nod.
Braxton hadn't moved but Ella laced her arms around his bare shoulders and made him look at her. “I'm so sorry...”
He closed his eyes in reprieve and dropped his forehead against hers. “He killed your mother and now he's killed my father. This is too messed up.”
“Colten and Grayson will find him, they're amazing like that.” Ella hugged him, laying a kiss on his cheek. “Let's go see Gale.” She broke away from him, finding a change of clothes that been lied out for awhile ago. Braxton shifted his head through a shirt and waited for her to join him. They walked down the hall in silence and came to the room Gale Hall would die in.
The man was on the bed, his breathing was low and shallow as he struggled to breathe.
Ella and Braxton stopped beside him and Gale turned his head in the direction they were in.
He smiled weakly at his son.
Ella covered her mouth as she looked away, trying not to burst into tears. Her eyes caught Azalea's disturbed expression. For the first time since Ella had met her, she genuinely appeared concerned for Braxton's father.
Her mate sat on the bed, taking a deep breath he said, “I'm sorry I couldn't find you, Dad.”
Gale stared at him and then lifted his finger to Ella. “She... is all that matters.”
Ella couldn't contain herself further and began to cry, Braxton though, he held an amazingly strong front. “I messed up though, so badly.”
Gale dropped his hand on his son's lap. “Do not ever doubt your greatness.”
Ella placed her hand on Braxton's shoulder, offering him the support he needed. Then Gale began to struggle for his breath and Braxton got off the bed, leaning over his father. “Dad?”
The doctor and Azalea stayed back.
“Do something!” Braxton shouted at them and then Gale's face became lost, like he'd drifted away and Braxton grabbed his father's shoulder to shake the man. “Dad!”
Ella couldn't stand to see Braxton so alarmed and so she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hushing him.
His anger turned to shaking and then he wiped at the tears coming down his cheeks.
The doctor walked over and checked Gale's pulse, the room waited in silence. “He's gone.”
Braxton ripped away from Ella as he stood, rubbing his face.
Ella turned and followed him, glancing to Azalea. His mother hadn't moved from across the room but she was staring at Gale's body in disbelief.
Braxton, however, looked angry and sad at the same time. Ella took his face and made her look at him. “You're okay.” The last thing she wanted to deal with was her alpha mate out for revenge. Colten and Grayson were more than capable of doing that themselves.
Braxton gave her a slight nod, his eyes drowning with his plummeting emotions.
The door of the room opened and Mike walked in, stopping once he realized what he'd walked in on. “Sorry to barge in--”
“What do you want?” Braxton snarled, not looking at him.
Mike paused. “We've found a lackey.”
“Good.” Braxton sneered, “Tie him up, I'll torture him.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “Usually, I'm all for torture but I really should think we should wait for Grayson and Colten on this one.”
“I don't care about them!”
Ella grabbed the front of her mate's shirt. “Stop it.”
Braxton's eyes fell on her and he swallowed.
“Again...” Mike failed to get any words out as he looked to Azalea with his apologies. “I'm sorry, Azalea.”
She stared at him, her eyes watering as she walked to Mike and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Braxton stared at them but once the Beta began to comfort his mother, he flipped, running at them and ripping them apart. “Get off my mom!”
Mike stepped back, holding his hands up.
“What are you doing!” Braxton shouted in his face, “Her husband just died!”
“Braxton!” Azalea snapped, “Enough.”
“No, you leave, now!” Braxton wasn't having it and Mike nodded, leaving the room under the young alpha's command.
Ella stared at her livid mate. “Brax...”
He shook his head, staring at his mother. “What was that, mother?”
“None of your business.” Azalea shot and walked from the room, embarrassed by her son.
Braxton's brow creased and Ella took a moment to think it through.
“Braxton.”
He didn't reply so she stepped up to him and made him reply.
“Braxton.”
His eyes came to her again. “What, Daniella?”
She held her tongue, his anger hadn't subsided, he needed time and maybe she needed to see some more evidence of what she thought was going on with Mike and Azalea.
“Let's go back to our room.” She took his hand and to her surprise, he followed with no resistance.