Under Your Skin {Were Plot}

[Ashling Lawerence]

Continued from For the Love of War

From a great distance, Ash felt strong arms scoop her up and a low, throaty voice talking to her. On some level, she recognized the fact that Caleb had come and his tone was angry. Why was he angry? Shock had sent her system into shutdown mode but she thought she should know why he was upset.

Forcing her eyes open, she registered the fact that she was in a vehicle. Caleb's face came into view and she sighed. He'd come for her. He'd actually come for her. That thought made her brain relax a bit and the events of the night came rolling back.

SON OF A BITCH!! KAERA!!! SHE HAD TO TELL HIM ABOUT KAERA!!!

"Caleb!" she croaked out through a bruised throat. "CALEB!! They took..... The were's...... THEY TOOK KAERA!!! You.... you have to.. call .. Wulf..."

Hoping he understood what she was saying, the blond felt unconciousness welling again. With great effort, she tried to keep herself together but a sharp pain was intruding. She felt as if fire where in her blood and she began to try to rub at her skin. What was wrong with her???

Just then, the car seemed to come to a sliding stop and she realized that they were at a .. Hospital? Caleb had brought her to the hospital? Was she that gravely wounded?? With that thought still trailing through her brain, Ash gave up the fight and let blackness slip over her.

[cal]

His foot pressed hard against the accelerator like it was made of lead. With a look on his face as if he was ready to kill someone slowly and painfully, Caleb wasn’t wasting any time as he came through more than a few close calls as he raced like a madman towards the hospital.

There was no concern in his mind other than Ash. Never mind the sharp shards of glass piercing his hand and arm from when he had broken the car’s window to get in, never mind that his bare chest was covered with the dancer’s sticky blood, never mind that the bastard that bit her had her cursed.

He could remember how it had been when he had been awakened when the curse had came into effect, the raw anger and savagery, the thirst floor blood and death. It had almost overcome his humanity completely. He still had recurring nightmares about all the things he had done back then. But she knew her, she was Ash, she was good and strong and he would be there for her and help her get through this, he would not allow her to slip like he did.

If he could only manage to get her to a hospital in time.

Her voice intruded on the turmoil of concern and anger of his mind. “Hang in there Ash, don’t worry about that now. We will get her back, first I need to get you patched up. Ash? ASH? Can you hear me? DAMMIT!”

It was wrong that right there he couldn’t bring himself to care about calling Wulf? That his mind was completely consumed with saving the blonde dancer? Either way he didn’t freaking care. The bastards that attacked her would pay for this.

Pressing his feet against the break, the car spun out of control for a mere second and came to an abrupt halt in front of the hospital. Jumping out of the car, Caleb rushed to the passenger’s side and then pushed to the front doors with the unconscious blonde in his arms.

“I NEED HELP HERE!” he called out.

“YOU DOC!” he growled to the dark haired woman in white scrubs, “I’VE GOT A BLEEDING WOMAN THAT NEEDS YOUR HELP, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!”

[Mercedes Rowe]

A man came barging through the doors with an unconscious woman in his arms. He barked out for help and that was when Mercedes realized that he was calling for her. She didn’t need him to tell her to hurry because the moment he stepped inside she smelled blood, along with a mixture of different werewolve scents all over the unconscious girl.

Her throat tightened with fear for the woman. “Bring her this way!” She ordered the man. She ran into the double doors into the emergency room and pushed a gurney in his direction.

When the girl was settled Mercy pulled the fabric from the wound to expose the gaping hole. The wound festered with malice. The woman in her wanted to wince as she recalled the day she was attacked, but the doctor in her took over and got right to work. “What’s her name?” She asked.

The team of staff was already around her, helping. “Get a saline drip going now!” She yelled at one of the nurses.

By initial inspection she could tell that bones had been fractured. Her face contorted with anger for what had happened to her. She called out to another nurse to call radiology and get them down there for an x-ray. She needed to see if exactly all the damage done to that shoulder, which could be better seen on film.

The gurney was being shoved through the halls. Mercy had her feet propped on the side, letting them wheel her also as she peered into the unconscious woman’s eyes and listened to her heart. “We are losing her! We need someone to get a ventilator hooked up!” She refused to let this woman die under her care. She brought her knees up next to Ash and started to do chest compressions to keep her heart pumping.

Assuming that Caleb was following behind them, she turned her head and quickly stated, “You can’t come in the operating room, but you will need to answer some questions.” Her eyes searched his. She wanted to tell him she knew exactly what had happened. She knew what a werewolf attack looked like. Hopefully he saw the look and knew to give whatever story he was comfortable with, but she hoped it wasn’t the truth.

No matter what though, she knew this girl would never be the same. If she saved her Mercy knew she would be one of them.

[cal]

Furious anger and concern swirled into his mind that it was hard to control that part of him that wanted to tear apart everything in sight. Caleb didn’t stayed long enough in the scene, he had rushed to get Ash into the hospital but his acute senses had registered the myriad of scents there, he would be able to track down every and each one of the bastards later, once he’d get a scent, he would never forget and could track his prey to the very pits of hell itself.

But revenge would have to wait as he struggled to swallow his anger and focus on the situation at hand. Following the doctor’s orders, he rushed to carry the woman in his arms to the gurney so they could patch her up.

She would make, he wouldn’t accept anything else. Even if they hadn’t been together for long, Caleb felt a bound to her, she knew exactly who and what he was and had accepted him whole. There was no telling if their relationship would endure, but that bound he felt wasn’t something he wouldn’t take lightly.

Following the doctor’s as they treated her and rushed her towards the emergency room, he gave them space to work, making sure he didn’t stay in the way.

“Her name is Ashling Lawrence,” he replied to her question and then turned to look at Ash in the gurney. “Hold in there Ash, show us you’re a fighter.”

Her wounds were serious, he knew that with the knowledge of someone that had a lot of blood in his hands, enough that could flow like a river.
Stopping in his tracks when he was told he wasn’t allowed into the emergency room, Caleb complied. No matter how much he wanted to be there, he knew he would just stand in the way if he did.

And that was actually the first time he remembered to breathe. The air inside the hospital was filled with the smell of chemicals, disinfectant and…something else.

With an angry snarl as the others disappeared into the room, Caleb launched himself at the dark haired doctor, pinning her to the wall and holding his arm at her throat. She was a were…one of the ones that had hurt Ash? Was she planning to finish the job? He would rip her head off before…wait…leaning closer, he sniffed her. Her scent didn’t match any of the ones he had smelled back at the scene, didn’t seem to have a link to any of them.

Pushing back his growly self, he let the doctor go from his grasp.
“You’re not one of them. I’m not seating and answering questions, I have some furry bastards to torn to pieces. You get in there and save her, otherwise I will be adding you to the body count!”

Not nice, but then again he had a vicious beast inside him begging to be released and to feast on the blood of those who hurt her, he had no time to play nice.

[Mercedes Rowe]

The gurney had almost made it into the operating room when the man she was looking at grabbed her from the gurney and pushed her against the wall. His arm pinned her by the neck and instantly the wolf in her rammed forward. It wanted to get loose and tear this guy apart. The snarl on her face was evidence to the fight within her. The pupils in her eyes had changed to slits. She was on the verge of changing, so close..

She fell to her feet when the man let her go. It took all she had to will the beast down. She wanted to throw him against the opposite wall, but she had to compose herself. If the staff saw this type of behavior, yet again, they would make her leave. She took deep, rasping breaths before she finally calmed, but even then she glowered at the man that made threats at her.

A male nurse came out, “Dr. Rowe, is everything fine?” He had a concerned look on his face. He had seen the way Caleb had grabbed her.

“Perfectly,” she told him sharply, never removing her eyes away from Caleb.

The nurse nodded and went back into the OR.

“Keep your hands to yourself from now on or I will have you permanently removed from hospital property. Then you won’t know how she is doing,” she told him and turned, pushing through the OR doors. She never gave him a chance to speak anymore to her.

By the time she reached the gurney the anger had faded. That man might have royally pissed her off, but she still had a duty. She would help this girl as best as she could. She was happy to see that when she was yanked away from the girl that someone else took position with chest compressions, which was being replaced with machines.

“Get her a blood transfusion,” she said gruffly. Great, the man that had brought her in had just made her night.

They had her hooked up on all sorts of machines. The ventilator kept her heart pumping now. There was a steady rhythm flashing across the screen, but she was still losing a lot of blood.

The radiology team showed with a portable x-ray machine. She stepped away to give them a moment to get a shot of the girl’s shoulder. When they finished she went back to helping stabilize her while they got the film printed off.

[cal]

If Caleb was in his right state of mind he might be impressed by the defiance he saw in the female were, but in the state he was in, all he did was huff and give her a dismissive look.

He wanted to kill and maim something, he was just wanting for something to give him a reason to it. That was the state he’d been when he was at the Dogs of War, the time he’d see all red and he freaking hated it, to feel so out of control. Caleb knew he had to do something fast or he would lose it completely and start hacking everyone’s throats.

Swinging his fist harshly against the wall, he felt the bone on it give in and break under the impact. Good, physical pain, something to concentrate on.

It wasn’t a time to regress to being an animal, he had to think and be smart about it. Ash mentioned Kaera and he had already picked her scent at the scene. Maybe he should do what she had asked of him and call Wulf. The doctor would fix her, she’d better.

Pulling the phone from his pocket with his good hand he called Wulf’s number and waited for the familiar shifter voice to answer on the other end.

“Wulf, this is Caleb. I’m here at the New Orleans General Hospital, Ash and Kaera were attacked by a pack of werewolves. Ash is in bad shape, she is in the operating room, I don’t know what happened with Kaera.”

The were knew what this meant, it meant war, as simple as that. Both sides could have heavy losses on this and as much as he’d be sympathetic to his’ race plea and anger, he wouldn’t side with them after they had just attacked his friends and nearly killed his woman.

“No, I’m not going to just sit here and wait until you…” there was a lot of growling on his side as he listened to the shifter on the other end. Breath Caleb, think about it, there are too many of them to go head on, that stubbornness almost got you killed with the Dogs of War.

“Alright Wulf, but you better hurry,” he growled before shutting off the phone.

Looking down at his hand, the bone was already starting to mend itself, he cold fell it. And so he started to remove the shards of glass that had stayed attached to his arm.

He hated waiting.

[Mercedes Rowe]

Mercedes was worried for the woman under her care. The blonde was beautiful, and she knew the man out in the hallway cared deeply for her. Why else would he have reacted the way he had? She was so angry the way he acted, but she dealt with this sort of behavior quite a lot. She never could blame how people reacted when they were losing a loved one, and that’s why she was no longer angry at the man for exploding the way he had.

The x-rays showed a lot of damage to the woman’s bones. Inside she was thinking about the pressure the werewolf would have had to use to do that much damage. He was out to maim and succeeded. It made her sick with grief. It only made her recall too many horrible memories of when she was attacked as a small teenager. It had been a long torturing process to understand what had happened. She still hated the thing she had become, but she gave up on brooding over it.

She worked alongside the team of medical personnel to clean the wound, set bones, and graph wherever needed, along with stitching her up in many places. Mercy was very slow and careful to piece the wound together without the woman’s shoulder looking horribly maimed, at least, as best as she could, but it was far from looking wonderful.

It was going to be a long night. This much extensive damage wasn’t something that could be easily fixed. It would take the doctor hours to get it all completely set and stitched. She was already feeling slightly fatigued from the long hours she’d spent at the hospital, but she knew with her were stamina she would manage. Plus, she couldn’t afford a break. She would work diligently until the woman’s wound was completely closed up.

The sleeves of her white scrubs were covered in the woman’s blood, as well as the front of them. That poor woman had lost a lot, but she held on. She was definitely a fighter.

The doctor had accomplished a lot. The woman under her care was completely stitched up and in the recovery room. It took a grueling three hours. The exhaustion showed on her caring face.

For now they needed to wake the woman up. She had been under the anesthesia for long enough. “Ms. Lawrence?” Mercy laid a gentle had on the girl’s arm. “Ashling Lawrence?” She tried to pull the girl out of unconsciousness by speaking her name over and over. “It’s time to wake up, dear,” she called out to the woman. “Your friends are waiting to see you and make sure you are well.”

She kept probing at the woman’s sleep induced thoughts until she started to move and groan, sure signs that she was coming to. They didn’t need her awake long, just enough to make sure she would be fine.

[Ashling Lawerence]

Show me what it's like
To be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be
Say it for me
Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth saving me

A Nightmare.

That was what Ash felt herself locked within. Savage faces shifted around her with bared teeth and blood dripping from the tips of razor sharp canines. Her breath came hard into her lungs and shearing pain radiated through her right side. The monster was after her but she couldn't get away. Its huge paw held her down while other beasts feasted on her flesh. She wanted to scream but no voice would come to her. She was all alone in a world full of nightmares with no one to save her and no one who could stop the pain.

Then, from a distances, she heard another voice. One that didn't belong to the creature on top of her. Who was it? Why was she calling to her? Ashling decided it didn't much matter if it meant she could escape the horror of her mind. Something told her if she could just find the person calling to her, it would all make sense and thing would be better.

Gradually, her long blond lashes fluttered opened and her blue eyes stared around her in confusion. Where was she? No sooner than she thought that then her visioned focused on the woman hovering over her and she frowned. She had evidently been the one calling her but why? She didn't know the woman, did she?

Then everything came together and Ash suddenly knew where she was. A glance down revealed that she lay in a hospital bed with tubes and cords running from her body to various machines at the bedside. Confusion was chased by understanding as the pieces dropped into place.

"OH GOD!!! OH MY GOD!!" she said with a cry. "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!NOOOOOO!!! THIS CAN"T BE HAPPENING!!!!"

Everything that she had hoped was merely a dream had happened. She and Kaera truly HAD been attacked by a rogue band of weres and the monster in her mind was none other than the one who'd taken great pleasure in torturing her. The one who'd ripped into her flesh like it was a late night snack and left her for dead.... No, not dead... Worse... To become a monster like him.

On the tail of that thought came the panic. She couldn't live like that. There was no way she could allow that monster to make her into one like him. Ash would not allow that to happen. No innocents would be wounded by her hands.

It was with that resolve in mind that the panic left her and pure purpose ghosted over her features. Looking beyond the good doctor, she spied a small tray on the roll away table. On that tray lay a surgical scalpel that would do as well as anything for what she needed. It would also saved her beloved friends and family from having to do the deed themselves.

Gathering herself for a burst of speed, Ash propelled herself out of the bed, knocking the woman aside. With quick movements, she ripped the IV from her arm and knocked other cords from her body. Shrill alarms sounded even as she lunged for the forgotten tray. Help would be arriving any second so she pushed herself past the pain of her injuries. It wouldn't matter for long anyhow.

It took her mere moments to snatch up the blade and lay first one wrist open and then the other. It then occured to her that those cuts alone would not be fatal since the nurses and doctors would no doubt reach her in time. She had to do something that was irreversible for even modern medicine.

As the blood ran freely once more and made her fingers slick, she then brought it to her throat for the final stroke.

[Mercedes Rowe]

Ashling finally started to come through. Mercy smiled warmly at her. “Glad to see-” Her words were cut off as the girl started screaming bloody murder. Mercy recalled all too well the same feelings when she found out what her attacker was. The grief of it all slammed her in the chest.

“Shhh…it’ll be fine!” She went to rub a gentle caress over the woman’s arm to try and sooth her when the girl rolled and grabbed for the tray of equipment. Her hazel eyes darted to what the girl was reaching for. She went to try and intercede, but was too late as the girl got a hold the scalpel and slit both of her wrists. She had moved so fast that Mercy barely had time to stop her, but she managed to grab Ash’s wrist as she went for her neck.

“NURSE! GET ME A SEDATIVE IN HERE, NOW!!” She screamed out to the nurse’s in the waiting hallway. If Ash’s friends were in the waiting room they might see the sudden commotion that was going on around the recovery room that Ash was in.

A nurse came barging in, along with some other of the medical team.

At this point Mercy was pushing Ash against the bed. Her hand reached out to grab the scalpel. In the process it slid against her palm, carving a deep gash in it. She hissed and jerked that hand back. Blood oozed and dripped from the opening. The other hand never let go of Ashling’s wrist.

“WHERE’S THAT SEDATIVE?!” She yelled, afraid what could happen in that small span of time. She was suddenly afraid what Ashling might say in front of the mortals. It hit her that she needed to get her out of this hospital. She needed to put her in a safe haven of sorts where she could take care of her without the mortals finding out about the werewolves. Also, she didn’t want them to get harmed in the process.

The loud beeps and wails of the machines assailed her senses. The beast in her was furiously agitated.

This was turning to out to be one hell of a night.

[Wulfgar Fenrisulfr]

Like I need to defend my own innocence
So what, I did it, I admit it, and I'm pleading the 5th
One more anthem for the know it all

There was a storm rolling in.

Lightening flashed and thunder rumbled outside the city's municipal hospital. The skies were eerily lit by the electricity that flashed with a fierce vengence and the winds that blew rattled windowpanes through out the historic city. That was the thing about living on the Gulf. You never knew when unexpected storms could pop up or when something wicked might blow through.

So, it was really no surprise that the arrival of a black SUV in the parking lot heralded the presence of yet another storm in the making. As it slid to a stop and men started stepping from the thing, the weather seemed to esculate around them. The grim faces as they strode through the rain and into the emergency room doors bowed wrath for anyone who tried to stop them.

Of course, there were very few men capable of that feat and even few brave enough to try.

As a huge blond warrior of a man stepped into the building, he was flanked by men that looked every bit as deadly as he. Gone were the modern diplomatic masks they'd been forced to done and in their places were the deadly ernest warriors they were born to be. Icy blue eyes slanted towards the only other man in the room that deserved notice and the Viking prowled forward.

"Draven.... We are here.... Now what do we know? Has Ashling regain conciousness? What happened?"

[Ashling Lawerence]

Now the story's played out like this
Just like a paperback novel
Let's rewrite an ending that fits
Instead of a Hollywood horror

So much happened in those moments that Ash had a hard time remembering even later what exactly had gone down. All she would remember is that one moment she was struggling to end her own life and the next she was held down by a woman who wrestled the blade away. With a cry, she struggled and then saw the woman wince.

Looking down, Ash realized she had cut the doctor and suddenly the fight went out of her. With a cry of anguish, she dropped the scalpel and heard it clatter to the floor as alarms and the pounding of feet sounded around her.

"Please...." she pleaded up at the woman. "I can't live like this...You have no idea what will happen..... Kill me.... If you have any mercy in your soul... Please kill me now! Before someone else gets hurt!!"


With the adrenaline rapidly leaving her system, the blond teetered on the verge of collapse. The shoulder wound from earlier had been torn open and fresh blood dripped with a morbid splat. All in all, the recovery room now looked like something out of a battle zone but Ash couldn't bring herself to care. Not with so much at stake.

"You can't save me from what is already in my veins.. The best thing you can do is to let me go...If you truly want to help.... That is what you can do...."she whispered, almost begging the doctor to understand something she probably didn't have a clue about.

[Mercedes Rowe]

Mercedes was breathing so heavily from fear that this night was going to cause her to shift in front of all of the medical staff. The thing was....this woman broke her heart. She was once in this same position. It had taken her a good year before she partially accepted what she had become. She continued to go into medical school because that’s all she had ever wanted to do. Of course, the fear of being caught was always there. They would kick her out of the medical practice so fast if they knew what she was.

Her hazel eyes shifted quickly towards all of the people around her. They were going to get suspicious if they kept hearing what the girl was rattling on about. She slid off of the girl after the scalpel fell to the floor and turned to them, “She’s fine now. Please leave and get the man that brought her in. She wants to talk to us in private.” She grabbed a piece of gauze off of the tray that the scalpel was on and pressed it against her hand.

She needed Caleb in here to show Ashling that she wasn’t alone. The woman needed to hear not from one, but others that she could do this.

After they had all filed out, albeit the security personnel were now hovering outside the recovery room door, Mercy leaned in towards Ashling, dropping her voice to a whisper. “I know how much fear you must have right now, but I can help you through this. I know what’s it like. I’ve been in the exact position as you. I thought killing myself was the answer, but it isn’t.”

She smiled then, trying to calm the girl’s nerves. “I mean…look at me now. I’m a doctor here. Sure, if they only knew what I was capable of they would probably kick me out, but I have managed to fight this battle. It can be done. I promise you.”

She hoped Caleb hurried. She didn’t want this girl to do something else, and she wanted him to keep Ash calm while she fixed up the woman's wrists before she bled out everywhere.

[cal]

Caleb hated this waiting game, absolutely hated it. He’d rather be out there, ripping someone apart, but instead he was there pacing from one side to the other of the waiting room, scaring everyone away in the waiting room with his patented angry growly face.

He didn’t need his enhanced senses to tell him to whom the angry voice belonged to, there weren’t many who had the guts to approach him when he was in a mood like this.

“She is still in surgery,” he growled out, “I haven’t heard from her yet. There were weres, quite a few of there, it was an ambush, Kaera and Ash didn’t had a chance. They took your sister and left Ash there to die…”

Before he could continue, a nervous looking male nurse approached them. “You’re the one that brought Miss Lawrence, right? She woke up from surgery but something is up, she is trying to kill herself, the doc…”

Before the man could say any longer, Caleb gave a growl that silenced him and pushed the man away as he run towards the surgery room. He didn’t need anyone to guide him, he’d only have to follow the scent.

Pushing the doors, his eyes got sight of Ash inside and he was relieved to see she was alive, but his relieve didn’t last long as he noticed the scent of freshly spilled blood in the air and the look in hers and the doctor’s faces. He knew exactly what she was going through.

“Ash that thing inside you, that beast, you think you felt it yet? It is worse than you think, the fury, the bloodthirsty…but it is still you in there. You can control it and not let it control you. I can show you how if you let me. Dammit Ash, you’re a fighter! If you give up and take the easy way out you will only be giving a victory to the bastard that attacked you, and I won’t let you do that!”

Stepping towards her, he allowed her see the untamed savagery in his eyes and the steel conviction of the man underneath it as he held out a hand for her.

“Come on Ash, trust me. I went through what you’re feeling, I can help you to deal with that but you have to let me.”

[Ashling Lawerence]

I was blindfolded
But now I'm seeing
My mind was closing
Now I'm believing
I finally know just what it means to let someone in
To see the side of me that no one does or ever will
So if your ever lost and find yourself all alone
I'd search forever just to bring you home
Here and now, this I vow

With the fight drained from her body, Ashling trembled with fatigue even as her eyes shifted wildly around the room. She didn't want to hurt the doctor, or anyone else for that matter, so she forced herself to grasp on the reins of her control. She could practically feel the animal within her snarling like the caged beast it was. IT lurked just beneath the surface and it wanted her creaning down that one way street that would put her firmly under its control.

THAT she couldn't allow to happen.

From what she knew of from the few weres she'd been around, it would just speed up the transformation and put the beast in power. It was the first mistake that most new converts made and she had to remain focused.

Then, suddenly, her brain registered the words the other woman spoke. Blinking rapidly, her blue eyes shot back to the docter and she shook her head a bit in confusion. She was a werewolf? It seemed to unbelievable to contemplate. How did she work in such a bloody environment where the stress level was off the wall? Emotional upheaval was the biggest strain on a were's control and this place would be one of the worsts for that.

"Your... Your a were?" she asked, blanching and trying to pull away.

It occurred to her suddenly that she didn't know who it was who'd launched the attack on Kaera and herself and for all she knew... The doctor might be one of them. Not likely but possible. Just that thought had the panic rising again and her muscles tensed to fight again.

Just then the sound of boots hitting the hallway floor registered and Ash twisted with the new fear that others might be coming. Maybe the doctor had called them... Maybe they were here to finish the job they'd started.

Unreasonable? Yeah. But the beautiful blond was past the point of reason.

Thankfully, it was Caleb's face that greeted her when the footsteps stopped and the newcomer revealed. Unfortunately, right behind him were Wulf, Brom, Erik, and Kaera's mate, Banning Valdanshe. Just the sight of all those men made her want to cringe. She'd failed them all so miserably she didn't know how they would ever forgive her. They were probably here to tell her not to bother coming back to the house once she was released. That thought had tears springing to her eyes even as she looked back to the were.

It was then that she saw the concern and rage barely suppressed in his own dark gaze. The words he spoke hit her in the heart and she realized that he was right. By killing herself, she WAS only letting them win. Surely, if these two people could learn to control their inner beast, so could she. She would not give that bastard that attacked her the satisfaction of her death.

When Caleb stepped forward and held out his hand, her own came up and shakily laid within. It was a huge leap of faith but the were was right. He had been through what she was facing and if there was anything Ash knew from the past... It was that he'd always had her back when it mattered. The fact that they had become lovers only cinched the deal because it added trust to the mix.

"All right.... ok..... " she whispered before realizing she was drenched in blood and probably looked like something out of a bad hollywood horror movie. It was then that she also realized that her knees were giving out and she started to collapse. With wide eyes, she glanced beyond the were to the shifters and whispered.

"I'm so, SO sorry..... I didn't do my duty to protect Kaera....I couldn't save her when it counted. There were simply to many of them and they overwelmed us before we knew what was happening. They seemed to want your sister unharmed though if that is any comfort..."

For a moment, Wulf's eyes softened a bit and he shook his head. There was icy hot fury there but also a deep sadness. The others held the same and when the huge wolfs reply came... It wasn't what she expected.

"Don't be a fool, lass. I know it is not your fault. You were as much a victim as Kaera... You WILL live and you WILL fight again another day. The gods willing...your new strength will be an asset to you and by extension... Us. Draven is right... you are strong and you will survive this." he proclaimed before letting the anger take over again. "And those who dared to touch what is ours will be destroyed. It is one thing to attack the men of our clan... but to attack a woman is the height of cowardness. Have no fear... We will hunt them and we will killed them all."

Grunts of agreement came from the men behind him and then they retreated to wait outside the room. Still trembling, Ash fell into Caleb's body suddenly and completely spent as relief, guilt and sadness took over. The ordeal wasn't over yet by any means but she had friends and family at least.

Looking back at the good doctor, Ash sighed and then tried for a little smile.

"I'm sorry.... I didn't mean to hurt you..." she whispered before laying her head on Calebs chest and letting the darkness enclose.

[Mercedes Rowe]

The fear and grief rolled off of Ashling in waves. The look in her eyes when Mercedes told her she was a were. She could tell the woman was shocked. Hell, she was still in shock. This had been a horrible night for her. “Yes…I am,” she flinched as the woman pushed away from her. The fear in her eyes at the recognition of what Mercy was. She could see the questioning look pass her eyes. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help.”

A flood of relief spilled over Mercedes when Caleb ran into the room. She didn’t know if she could be the one to bring a semblance of calm over the hurting woman. Her own inner demons were battling against this rage. She had been hurt in a similar fashion as Ashling, but at a much younger age.

She stepped back to allow Caleb a moment. As she did she went about grabbing things to clean the wounds on the woman’s wrist, as well as prepare to stitch her up. She felt like she was being thrown into an awkward situation as a group of men followed in behind Caleb. The beast in her started pacing within her. She lifted her head in their direction and inhaled the scent that assailed her senses. A feral look came to her eyes, but when none of the scents matched those that were on the woman, when brought in hours earlier, she backed down, pushing the beast back.

The man that spoke of killing (Wulf), was who she looked towards. He appeared as the dominant one of the bunch. Her eyes met his for a moment, “I want to help take those slimy bastards down,” she growled. The beast rammed against its cage. That was her telling them she wanted in on this fight. If she could in any way help what those bastards had done, she would. She still wished she could find the monster that had attacked her.

Her attention was brought back on Ashling, listening to her apologize at these men for not being stronger. It made her angry that the woman thought she had failed. She hadn’t failed them, by no means.

She went to cross the room with the table that was newly stocked with everything she needed. “I’m sorry. You’ve all got to leave, except for Caleb if he wants to stay, but I need to get her stitched up and fast.”

The girl grabbed her attention as she apologized. The corners of her mouth lifted as she shook her head. “There is no need to apologize. It’ll heal. Let’s get you fixed up now, okay?” No sooner had the words left her mouth the woman went unconscious. She bit her lip with worry. “Hurry and put her on the bed. I need to close those. I’m afraid that she’s lost too much blood already,” she told Caleb as she pulled the sheets back.

The night was far from over and she was spent.