Wren’s POV

“Nathair!”
“There’s too much blood!”
“Where’s she hit? WHERE’S SHE HIT!”
“The heart.”
“THE HEART!?”
“She’s going to wake up. She has to.”
“IS SHE WAKING UP!”
“Hey, Spades? Spades!”
“SPADES!”
"Spades? Wake up.”
“RAH!” I clutch my burning chest. Oh, mierda infierno, que nos duelen!*
“She’s back...” This same voice chuckles hysterically, “She’s awake, although I’m not sure her brain sustained! She’s rambling some gibberish shit!”
“It’s Spanish, Grah! Asshole! Grrrnn!” Kilian?!
I open my eyes, blur veiling my vision, and turn my head towards the sound of a fistfight. On the ground, I see a naked Kilian wrestling with... Krin!? Isn’t he one of his Gammas? They're choking each other. This is sure not my typical rise and shine...
There’s some crazy shit in the air, and it’s not love. Flashes thunder across the room. We’re being fired at?!
“Hi, Daredevil, remember me?”
I gaze upward, and above me is... a fucking ghost.
Puta Madre...*
Brown hair, golden eyes... That bitchy smirk.
“Bret?” Well, fuck. Galathena’s Mustar is really something.
I blink a couple of times when this ghost clutches my shoulders.
The fucker is real!
“Bret, you little scumshit!” Next thing I know, my nails deep-sink into this traitor’s eyeballs.
“Rahh! Spades, for the love of gods!” He snatches my wrists, plastering them against the mattress right up above my head. “Bloody Chimeras,” he brambles.
With a hand rubbing his eyes, Bret aims like an irresponsible numpty and pulls the trigger, sending a blast of energy across Krin’s skull.
This bastard collapses on Kilian, blood splurting all over the place like a broken sprinkler.
“Alpha Kilian!” I bark. “Alpha, get with it!” Kilian is frosted, Krin’s crimson waterfall splattering on his face. “Alpha!”
Kilian finally turns to me and sort of wakes up from a fog of shock, shoves this butchered Krin to one side, and roars, “Let’s gear up! Nathair, you know what to do!”
Kilian, back to his usual self, Bret gets to have all my attention. I spit all the rage I’ve got, and trust me, with this lingering hangover, my saliva must be acid!
“Woman...,” Bret growls. “Forget everything.”
He wipes the venom from his cheek and lowers his head enough to brush his lips against my ear. “It was all my fault. I thought it be a good idea. King Daryl offered this treatment. Your dad wanted you to forget. Have a happy life. Something new. Erase your past. I was ridden with guilt to find out what it really entailed. I volunteered myself so you wouldn’t have to experience this alone.”
That monologue can’t be hurled at my face like that!
“Bret, do you really think it’s time to do this!?” My tears are about to barge in any second now, and I won’t allow it.
“When is it a good time, Wren? If I’m not mistaken, I hadn’t time to talk through it with you after you shot a laser at my head,” he grates.
“Aren’t you supposed to be rotting somewhere, then?”
He sniggers, his ears turning into a strange red hue. “Well, it’s a funny story, really.” Bret nods, a satanic grin slashing across his face. “Listen, right after you turned my brain into jam, I woke up, and guess what?”
“I don’t know. You brushed your teeth?”
“Wren.” His clasp just stopped inches from my cheeks. I think he was about to squeeze the pulp out of me, but he refrained. “My arm gets hacked off. So I passed out from the shock, you know, the usual.” He then giggles for more. He’s not right up there...
“But girl, I wake up again! And I’m burning, flames eating my body as I smell my flesh crisping!”
“What’s your point, Bret?”
“The point, Wren... Is... how many times do I have to FUCKING die to get to you?”
“Well, I’d say three times?” I titter. Gods, he’s heating up, eyes steepening. He’s not going to shift for this?! It’s ridiculous!
“Hey, triple 0, need a gun?” Kilian says to Bret, breaking up this awful exchange.
Lords, thank you. My Alpha’s timing cannot be more perfect.
“There’s more heading our way!” shouts Nathair from the back. “We need to move. Tilmer’s under attack!” Since when are we all friends? Is this another fucked up dream of mine?
“Is this a custom from Galathena I’m unaware of? Ya know, blissing out, aiming shots at the sky kind of celebration?!” I shout across the loud zaps. Not worth the back of my mind...although, still, I got to probe this nightmare taking place. What in the actual Space Fuck!?
“No, sweetheart! Bringing you live updates from the last rampart of a free Galathena!” she chuckles. My the girl is still damp from Mortar.
“We were having quite some fun before this showstopper....em...” She stops and twirls her pistol with a finger in the loop, pinching her nose bridge, deep thinking, or so it seems. “What’s your name already? Ah, yes, Brat. Brat, here, needed a chat. Kilian and I were sorts of more or less inclined, aside from a few fists flying here and there...” She cracks a smile, walks towards Kilian’s famous wall, and hits the button. As expected, shelves of weapons appear. She undocks a heavy machine gun from the charging station and pursues, “...but then a flash grenade came to say hello. Next thing we know, Krin stands above your busted chest, a smoking pistol in hand.” She pulls a few latches, winds up this weapon, and finishes with a wink,” you know the rest.”
There’s a throat clearing, and I realize Bret is in full bloom, a weird ass smirk assaulting his face. “Erm... It’s Bret, gorgeous. Bret.”
Nathair throws him a glare of disinterest, so this fool says,′ but for you beautiful, you can call me anything you want.”
“Do I look like a give a number two?” she says, her hips swinging to the right, resting this fat gun against her shoulder. “Little shit,” she then snort-mumbles, eying Bret from eye to toe.
And I’m just laying here on this now that I look at it blood-soaked mattress, straddled by Bret, listening to this confusing exchange taking place between him and Nathair... like it’s normal!
“Little shit? I’m good with that. I-I kinda like the sound of it.”
“Spades, is this dog really acquainted with you?” Nathair if only you knew...
Pushing him, I lift myself up. “He’s-he’s not his usual self!” I say, my eyebrows crashing with dark interest.
“Spades, let your Beta show you how we handle goddesses.” Ah... fuck. He's doing it again. Bret's a hopeless romantic. He just can't help it.
Nathair’s composure slips, but not in the way I expect from her. As she gazes forward, she takes gulps of air, stroking her hair like a maniac. It’s already flattened out, girl!
Suddenly, a metallic object rolls on the floor. My eyes dart to Kilian, who, rushing to his combat suit, stops to jump his terrified eyes into mine. He shouts, “FLASH GRENADE, CLOSE YOUR EYES!”
BAM!
“Spades!” Kilian sprints over to me, carrying combat gear in his hand.
Despite the situation being more than dramatic, I can’t help chuckling as he grabs my foot. “I can change on my own, you know.”
“Yeah...” His palms lightly press on my cheek, “Sure you can.” he rasps, a little fear contaminating his gorgeous eyes. “Hurry now. We got to get moving,” he says, shoving the suit in my arms.
I haven’t finished zipping up my attire that we all stall at once. There’s Hataro outside, and he’s not in the best of company...
“Alpha! We have your Beta!”
“What is your name already? I know Alpha Kilian doesn’t like unannounced guests...” Hataro, man. Just don’t play it that way. With despair in my eyes, I glance at Kilian. Bringing his index finger to his sealed lips, he edges closer to the entranceway— the doors ripped in half from a rocket blast, I suppose.
“Shut up!”
Nathair’s whistle catches my attention, and I’m quick enough to grab the pistol she throws at me. I pull the slide and warm up this beauty.
Bret rolls to the left and crouches on the other side across from Kilian.
And I, well, I waltz out.
*Oh! Fucking hell, it hurts!
**Holy shit
