The old pack house was indeed...old. It was just a short walk from the new pack house. It was perched on an adjacent hill. The pack houses watched over the valley wear the Thunder Heart pack dwelled. The newly built home was never meant to be the new pack house, just a residential home for the former Alpha and Luna. As they entered the old pack house, the air seemed to shift. The scent of old cedar and forgotten secrets was suffocating.
Charlie was waiting for them "We opened the door to confirm Phoebe's story and waited for you to arrive". Stacy peeked in the doorway. A narrow passageway stretched before them and Stacy shuddered. She hesitated before securing her hand in Colt's and stepped inside. It was like the air suddenly grew colder, carrying the scent of the old cedar with it. The walls had a slight shimmer of purple like glitter had been thrown on the walls. "Amethyst, to bind and suppress magic and negative energies." Colt explained through the mind link.
The silver locks in Stacy's hair began to glow faintly. At first it was just a faint glimmer, lighting dust that floated around them like lost fireflies. The passage opened into a round chamber that was quite large. The stone room was windowless, cold, and it felt just wrong in so many ways. Heavy iron rings were embedded in the walls along with silver chains. A wooden table stood in the center, its surface scarred and stained with violence. Then Stacy noticed something strange.
Stacy's breath caught, figures stood against the wall, silent and unmoving. Their shapes were unmistakably human, but time had reduced them to dust and bone. Silver shackles still bound their wrists to the wall, the chains taut, as though whatever held them captive refused to release them, even in death. As Charlie moved forward to inspect the corpses his eyes widened in horror. He looked at Stacy and said "They are Bloodborne, see the insignia?" and pointed to the collar of the corpse. As Stacy's hair grew brighter from the strong emotions, The Guard member gasped and pointed to the faint markings. Symbols were etched around the chamber, half erased from time. "Binding spells". Behind them, something shifted, a whisper in the dark, they were no longer alone.
There lay a female fae, curled within an iron cage a dim shimmer flickering at the tips of her fingers and toes. Iron and enchantments gnawed at her magic rendering her useless. Stacy noticed the burn marks on the females hands and ankles. There was no room for doubt as to what happened to her. The fae slightly opened her eyes and pointed "My mate...help".
Stacy stood up quickly, dragging Colt with her to the other cage. She gasped at the man in a fetal position, every single one of his ribs was showing. Instinctively she reached for his wrist to find a pulse. "He's alive! Quick Colt we have to get them out!" Stacy crouched down, her body bursting with adrenaline, instinctively she held her hand to the lock, palm facing outward. The iron cage pulsed with a dull red glow, as though it was breathing. She pushed herself harder and silver ribbons from her palm seeped into the lock, slipping between gears and enchantments. The cage trembled and BAM! The door to the cage exploded outward, freeing the male prisoner.
Stacy returned to the woman's cage and spoke softly to her "We are gonna get you out of here sweetheart, but I need you to promise you or your mate won't hurt us, we are here to help you. Can you make that promise? That you won't hurt anyone in the Thunder Heart pack or any members of The Guard." The woman nodded her head and said "I pr-promise not to hurt anyone in the Thunder Heart pack or The Guard." Stacy nodded "Ok, go back as far as you can." Stacy stilled herself and focused of freeing the female just as she did with the male.
The member of The Guard looked at Stacy and Colt "We can't move them, too many broken bones, it may kill them before we can save them." Stacy was scared "Devany please help me. I can't let any more die." She closed her eyes and let Devany come forward. Her eyes opened to the strong silver shine that further lit up the chamber. Stacy crouched down next to the female and with her left hand, she placed it right above the heart. With her right hand she drew a circle in the air that immediately lit up silver. Stacy placed her hand directly over the female's heart. Warmth rippled outward, threading through muscle and bone. At first she eased the sharpness of the pain, untangling fear and despair, letting the fae's body know that the danger was gone. Shimmering threads of silver escaped from the circle.
Stacy exhaled and guided the shimmering threads into the shattered body that lay before her. She willed the threads to slip beneath the skin. The broken bones began to stitch themselves back together. Loud creaking sounds blended withs crackles and snaps filled the chamber and then silence. The female fae was breathing normal. Stacy moved to the male and repeated the process, the last thing she remembered before losing consciousness was the males eye opening and him whispering hoarsely "Thank you".
Stacy was waking slowly, the first thing she felt was weight. It was if her body had been encased in concrete, dense and heavy. She heard a sound, a thin and distant beeping as if someone was tapping glass underwater. As she tried to move toward the sound, her body refused to respond. Panic started to ripple through her mind as she focused on her eyelids. A soft light peaked through her eyelids, a soft milky glow beckoned her to open her eyes. She blinked and the room steadied into reality, and there was Colt holding her hand, smiling and caressing her hair. "I knew you were faking".
Stacy giggled. "Are they ok?". Colt smiled at her with all the love in his heart. "Babe, relax a bit. You were so magnificent, you need to worry about yourself for once. Don't worry, they are ok." He kissed her knuckles. "Can we go see them? I really feel fine, I promise." Colt sighed in frustration, there was no point in arguing with her, besides she was his mate, if she wanted something then he will go through hell to get it for her. "The doctor said it's ok. They are up and eating."
The pair walked hand in hand through the halls of the clinic. Nurses and patients bowed to them, showing respect and awe. Rumors have already started to flow through the pack about how Stacy had healed the severely injured fae. There are always stories about Alpha's who could heal or have abilities. Those have long been dismissed as fables because abilities haven't appeared in centuries.
When Stacy and Colt entered the room of the pair, their beds had been moved closer together so that they could hold hands. Stacy smiled knowingly because she knows the importance of feeling the touch of a mate. "Are you feeling better?" Stacy asked the female softly. The female recognized Stacy as the one who freed her. "Yes malady. We are healing faster than expected." That made Stacy feel better. "I was so worried about you guys. May I ask what we can call you?" The female fae was impressed.
"You know the way of the fae. You asked me to make a promise and you did not ask our names. How do you know?"
Stacy frowned "I-I really don't know, I just found out last week that I was a werewolf, an Alpha werewolf at that! I have no clue about anything or how anything works. It just seemed the right way to speak to you."
The fae smiled "You are a natural. You may call me Nessa and my mate is Niall."
Stacy bowed in respect "It is an honor to meet you. I'm Stacy and this is my mate Colt. May I asked what happened and you ended up being tortured"
Nessa sighed " It would be easier to show you. That is my magic, I can show you things that happened. If you trust me take my hand. I promise I will not hurt you."
Colt urged her through the mind link "It's ok, she made the promise twice now." Stacy reached for Nessa's hand and held it firmly.
The moon was low over the forest, in it's light the forest seemed to breathe, leaves curling, shadows shifting as though the trees themselves were leaning in to protect her. Nessa was radiant and happy as she held Niall's hand while they watched two small children splash in the creek bed. The summer kissed their skin and peacefulness filled their hearts. A twig snapped nearby. The sound wasn't forest made. Something-someone, approached.
Nessa and Niall tried to rise but sank back down with a hiss. The world spun around them as Niall's magic flickered weakly around his fingertips, scattering useless sparks against the moss covered stones. A voice spoke from the dark "Don't try that again." Behind them, deeper in the trees, another presence stirred.
"We've been tracking you since sundown. You can't escape." The children were screaming in fright and Nessa and Niall were knocked out with hard hits to their heads. When they woke they were in the chamber. "Tell us where they are!" and a red bolt hit Niall in the chest. "NO!!!" Nessa had screamed. That brought the attention to her. Nessa's arm had been force behind her back, dislocating her shoulder. "Tell us where they are!" Nessa stuttered "Who?" before she passed out. Niall's voice boomed "WHERE ARE MY CHILDREN?" before a hooded figure shot another fiery red bolt into his chest.
The scene folded into other scenes of torture and pain. Hooded figures came and went with poisons, pain, and burning iron.
Stacy released Nessa's hand and was sobbing "Your poor sweet children, where are they? "Nessa's eyes brimmed with tears threatening to spill over "I don't know".