Choices

Henri’s POV

            Turn around right now Henri. We owe Gabe and Dare an explanation.

            No we don’t Angie. Besides, this way we can make sure that we never lose anyone again and Gabriel always have a mate if we don’t succeed in this.

            But they will lose us Henri. And they will feel exactly how we are feeling right now. We can’t do that to them.

            I refuse to just sit back and let them die for me Angel! If I can’t stop this on my own, then giving my life for the lives of others will and they will be safe. They might not like what I’ve done, but at least they’ll be alive.

            What about Gabriel? He’s waited so long for us. I shake my head and block her out. I could feel my brothers try to break the walls that I had placed in my mind, but I just made them stronger. They would just try and convince me that my idea was foolish, even though they didn’t know what it was.

            I laugh softly as I ran through the woods. If they knew what my plan was, they would have every pack within a hundred mile radius looking for me. Angel kept trying to talk to me to get me to turn back, but I just kept blocking her out as well. It pained me greatly to leave Gabriel, but I was doing this for him, for my brothers.

            You wouldn’t be doing this if Dean hadn’t died and you know it. Somehow she managed to slip through my shields. Running faster, I try to keep my mind from traveling over the events of the past several months. I had to stay strong, just until I reached their stronghold.

            Goddess what do I do when I reach them?

            I see that you’ve decided to sacrifice your life instead of joining with Gabriel to stop them. Why?

            It’s just easier this way, for everyone. Please tell me what to do when I find them.

            Ask for Declan Moss. Tell whoever finds you that you will only speak to him. When they bring you to him, you will know it’s him because of his eyes. The right one is a jet black and the left one is a forest green. Once you’re before him, look him in the eye and say, “Tá mé an ceann atá tú ag lorg.” He will understand.

            What does it mean?

            It means “I’m the one you’ve been looking for.” Henri, you could choose to mate with Gabriel and stop the war from happening instead of giving your life up.

            No, this is the only choice for me. This way I insure that everyone I love will stay alive. They won’t die for me. Not when I can prevent it. Have you picked his new mate?

            Her name is McKenna Stone. You would approve of her Henri. She’s lost her first mate to a few hunters.

            Good. Could I ask about Dare’s mate? I know that he’s worried that he won’t find her. I hear her sigh softly. What happened?

            His mate died the year he found you. He doesn’t have a second one. That’s rare among my children. And it’s rare for a wolf to have four mates.

            Please give him another mate. Derrick needs one though it might not seem like it. He would make a perfect mate for any she-wolf. But she’d need to be perfect for him as well.

            I’ll send him a second mate. Both Gabriel and Derrick will meet them the second your last breath leaves your body. I could hear a twinge of sadness in her voice. Thank you goddess, for everything.

            The link between us fades as I race through the night. Derrick’s voice floats around, but I shove it out. I would not bend in my resolve to protect those I love. No matter the cost I’d have to pay to keep them safe.

Derrick’s POV

            I was standing in Henri’s room still holding her note when Ryan, Aaron and Shane walk in laughing. But the second they notice the empty bed, they become quiet. Ryan looks at me and freezes. “Where is she? Do not tell me she’s dead.” His voice was so soft with fear that I couldn’t speak. So I just hand him her letter.

            Looking out the window, I try to focus on Angel, Henri’s wolf. After what seemed forever, I could finally hear her. Although her voice was very faint, I could still hear her. Angel, it’s Dare. Can you tell me where you and Henri are?

            I can’t. All I know is that we’re in the woods. She’s blocking me out and she won’t tell me anything. All I know is that she decided that it would be easier for everyone if she gave her life in exchange for the lives of every pack wolf. She made a deal with the moon goddess regarding you and Gabriel, but I didn’t hear what it consisted of. Sorry.

            That’s fine. If you find out anything that would help us find y’all, let me know.

            I’ll do my best. You’ve taught Henri to well Dare. That was all Angel said to me before I lost her voice. I sigh and turn around. Everyone was staring at me. “What?”

            “We asked you if you knew how she hid her scent from us and why all we smell if wolf’s bane?” I shrug and look at each of them. I remember handing Henri Dean’s necklace and I remember it burning my fingers ever so slightly. I frown as I mull over my thoughts. “I think I might know how she did it.”

            They were arguing softly among themselves, but the second I uttered those words, the room was as quiet as a tomb. “How Derrick, how did she hide her scent?”

            “Dean’s necklace.”

            “What has his good luck charm have to do with this?”

            “I think that it just wasn’t a good luck charm. I have reason to believe it was a wolf’s bane stone.”

            “But that’s impossible! The council had every last one of those destroyed after the rouges figured out how to make them, and the knowledge was ripped from every supernatural creature’s mind.”

            “Then how do you explain the reason it burned my fingers when I gave it to Henri and when we try to find her scent in this room or in the territory, all we find is wolf’s bane? I’m telling you she’s wearing a bane stone.” I suppress a sigh and look at a picture of Henri and me on my phone.

            “Henri’s wolf managed to talk to me for a little while. She said that Henri made a deal with the goddess regarding myself and Gabriel. Angel also told me that Henri was going to sacrifice her life in exchange for the lives of all pack wolves. She’s doing this to stop the coming war between us and the vamps, hunters, and rouges.” I hear a growl behind me. Whipping around, I see Gabriel standing in the door.

            “Angel doesn’t know what Henri’s deal with the goddess is about, and she doesn’t know where they are. She’s keeping Angel blocked just like the rest of us. I know Henri, she’s doing what she believes is the best way to prevent our deaths. Even if it means that she has to be the one to die.”

            “We have a lead on the headquarters of the enemy. I’m sending several of our warriors and trackers to check it out and report back to me.” Gabriel’s voice was as cold as ice, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. I nod once at him. “Keep me in the loop Gabe.”

            “I was planning on it Dare.”  We will find her before it is too late. I refuse to just let my sister give her life for me. I refuse to give up on her like she has given up on herself.

Ryan’s POV

            I couldn’t believe it, even though I read Henri’s note with my own eyes. I try to reach out through our bond, but all I could feel was her sadness, heartache, and a strange acceptance of death. This scared the stuffing out of me since I knew that Henri was one to never give up easily.

            Henri? Henri, please answer me. I need to talk to you. You have all of us scared senseless. I stood in her room for an hour keeping the link between us open. With a sigh, I slowly turn towards the door. But before I could take a step or close the link, I hear Henri’s voice.

            What do you want Ryan?

            Why did you run sis?

            It’s the only way I can insure that everyone I ever cared about that’s still alive right now will stay alive.

            What about us Henri? Your death will affect all of us. But it will hit Gabriel the hardest.

            No it won’t, at least not for long.

            What do you mean?

            I made a deal with the goddess.

            Tell me.

            If I tell you, you cannot tell Gabe or Dare.

            I’m not making any promises.

            YOU. WILL. NOT. TELL. THEM! I could hear the alpha power in her voice and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to tell unless she lifted the order. I won’t tell.

            I hate using that you know.

            Yeah, so tell me about the deal.

            When I was unconscious, the goddess brought me to a place between death and life. She told me about the coming war and how Gabe and I could stop it. We could both mate and stop it together, or one of us would have to sacrifice our lives for the lives of the others.

            I chose the latter. I will not lose Gabriel on top of the others I’ve lost so far. I wouldn’t be able to handle it. So, I struck a deal with her. If I died fighting or sacrificing my life, she would give Gabriel and Derrick another mate. The second my last breathe leaves my body, they will find their mates. And they will not be able to reject them.

            Henri don’t do this to us, to your family. Everyone misses you and wants you back.

            I have to do it Ryan. Please, please understand. If I don’t, many of our kind will die. And I will not allow that knowing I could have prevented their deaths. Crap!

            What! What’s wrong Henri? I couldn’t keep the panic out of my voice. Nothing brother, I wasn’t watching where I was running. Tell the others that I’ll always love them. And that no matter what, I’ll always be looking out for each and every one of y’all. With that, the link is gone. I could feel a small hint of fear washing through it, but that was all.

            Suddenly, I smile. She had told me that I couldn’t tell Derrick or Gabriel about the deal she had made, but she didn’t say anything about telling Shane or one of the others. Or I could write it down and leave the note in Gabe’s office or slip it to Derrick. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.

            I grab a pen and a tablet off the table beside the bed.

            Derrick,

            I talked with Henri for just a bit. And I have reason to believe that she’s going to let them kill her in exchange for the lives of the rest of us. I don’t know what would make them accept her deal. One life for millions of others. That doesn’t seem a fair exchange to me.

            She made a deal with the goddess in regards to you and her mate Gabriel. In that deal she managed to get you and Gabe another mate. But the catch is that y’all will meet them the very second she dies. She’s clever you have to give it to her. She told me that neither you nor Gabe will be able to reject them.

            You have to find her. She ordered me not to tell you, but she didn’t say anything about writing you and letting you know.

            Ryan

I walk to Derrick’s room and slip the note under the door. I could hear him coming towards me so I bolt down the hallway. Even though I went through a loophole, I still defied an alpha order, and I knew that the pain from that would be hitting me soon. I just hoped that I made it back to my room before it hits me. As I lay on my bed waiting for the pain to come, I let my mind drift over my childhood.

            I knew that I should have treated Henri with more love and affection than I had given her. I’ve tried to make it up to her over the past month or so that she’s been here helping us. But now, by her own plan, our time together is running out. And I didn’t know where she was. For hours I laid there, but the pain never came.