AUTHOR'S POV, Earlier
Sebastian walks through the trees, away from the moon bathing grounds. He grabs his jaw, rubbed the part where Scott punched him. Greatly, Scott was holding back. His brother would've broken his jaw. This is the first time Scott has lifted a hand on him. Instead of sulking about it, Sebastian was smiling. All along, he thought Scott have forgotten about Diana. He felt relieved seeing him broken, and hurt. It was enough for him to hope that they can be fixed as soon as Diana is found.
Sebastian reached the part where Reina says he found Damon meditating. He looked around the flat bed of moon flowers and wild grasses. If he's right, the hatch to the underground bunker should be somewhere nearby. Damon wouldn't be spending too much time on something for nothing. To the islet where theres nothing but trees, greens, and an abandoned bunker. He walked around, stomping even. He couldn't even remember how the bunker's entrance looked like, or what exactly he is looking for. What he only knew, it is hidden on the ground.
He circled a couple more times. Stomping on the moonflowers positioning upward. Suddenly, Sebastian's boot clunked on a rigid metal. His eyes flickered, as he hurriedly crouch down swopping a pile of leaves away. "This is new", he thought, knitting his brows at the shiny rectangular metal door on the ground. After several tries of opening it, the hatch finally opened to a narrow stairwell going down.
Sebastian waited for a moment, preparing himself as he stare at the dark. Whatever's in that bunker feared him. A splinter of suspicion lodged itself in his thoughts ever since Damon's name kept appearing in every random situation. Damon's ring in Diana's home. Damon's constant knowledge about Priscilla's whereabouts. Damon's rowing activities. Damon's meditations in the islet. He tried to justify it, convinced himself at least that Damon wouldn't do something he'd regret. But that splinter dug deeper.
Downright, he descended the narrow steps. He was afraid that he might be probably right. As soon as the smell of new paint welcomed him at he bottom of the stairs, his doubts began to confirm itself. The walls were smooth, recently finished. The galvanized steel floor looked newly laid. The cold air drifted upward from an expensive ventilation system is definitely new. "Damn it", he whispered at the not so abandoned looking bunker anymore. The lights were triggered open as he go forth. He became more suspicious. Questions filled up his head. Is this Priscilla's doing? Is Damon here? Why aren't there anyone? Whoever built this had reason, he thought. And despite his thoughts have led to definitive conclusions, he was still unwilling toward Damon.
A metallic groan echoed above. Sebastian stopped. Someone has entered the hatch. "Who's there?", his voice echoed deep, as he hear the footsteps going down. He waited, and saw someone walking down the stairs, unhurried and steady. Sebastian's clenched fist loosened when he saw the face of the man who followed him.
"Whoa! Sorry did I scare ya?", Gunner asked shyly.
Sebastian eased up with a long sigh. "No. I'm just surprised to see you here. I never see you as the nosy type", Sebastian snapped.
"Me? Nosy? Pfft", Gunner muffled a soft sound as he roll his eyes. "How's the...", he gestured his finger on his jaw.
"It's healing. I wouldn't mind another slugfest", Sebastian dared, glowering with his fists ready. "It's my mistake to ask for your pack for help. Your Alpha is goddamn rapist".
"Whoa, slow down Mayweather. I'm not here to fight ya", Gunner crossed his wrists, shaking his head. "I.. I'm sorry. I didn't know what's got into Roman. He was wrong", Gunner gulped.
"Tell that to Diana", Sebastian turns away. He didn't hear Gunner leave. He looked back and sees him still standing in the hallway. "What are you still doing here?".
"Okay, I followed you. I don't think I have properly thanked you for saving my life last time", he said, nearing Sebastian, eyes wandering. "Can I just at least... make up for it?".
"No. And, don't mention it. Now go back to where you came in", he said sharply, unfazed.
"Oh-kaaay ... ?", Gunner slowly turned around, rubbing the back of his neck, but his curiosity led himself back to Sebastian. "Wait... Did you liked them flowers?", he asked, his face completely serious, with quiet expectation.
"The... what?", Sebastian scowled.
Gunner cleared his throat. "The flowers.", he repeated. "I didn't know what you like so, I sent all the colors. Red, blue.. Purple. Yellow tulips?",
Sebastian blinked. Those flowers that were constantly sent to his office. "Why would you give me flowers?", he wondered.
"Well..", a reluctant smile touched Gunner's lips.
Sebastian looked away. The realization caught on, that somehow felt strangely and irritatingly pleasant. "You know what, never mind", Sebastian groaned, turning his back from Gunner. "You can stay".
"Really?", Gunner raised his brows, as he rush beside Sebastian. "So, where are we?".
"Our abandoned bunker", Sebastian says.
"It doesn't look abandoned to me".
"Exactly", Sebastian snorted. They pushed deeper the corridor. Followed the hallway until they reached a door. Sebastian grabbed the handle and twisted it. Of course, it's lock. He tried again, harder this time. The hinges groaned, but the locking mechanism didn't budge. He jerked the handle violently, expecting it does the magic, but still, it didn't.
"Hey uhh..", Gunner stood behind him, folded his arms across his broad chest. "Are we supposed to be in here?", he asked, while Sebastian aggressively yanks the door. "The moon is about to be full any minute now. And your brother will soon be chasing wolves up there. We should go, don't you think?", Gunner asked again.
"GUNNER", Sebastian barked, looking over his shoulder. "Shut it, I'm trying to concentrate here", he scolded the tall masculine Beta wolf who kept asking questions. He went back punching the electronic lock, then, rattled the frame.
Gunner let out a sharp sigh, pulling Sebastian to the side. "Here, let me do it".
"Be my guest".
Gunner rolled his shoulder once, planting his boots firmly against the concrete. He didn't have to study the lock. Not even inspect the hinges. He simply measured the door with his eyes, then drove his heel into it. The corridor shook. Then, he began to slam his body against the door. A loud thud echoed down the hallway. He continued to beat it, pushing the handle downward. Then, he repeatedly kicked it hoping it'll break. Sebastian instinctively wince at the strong force Gunner uses.
"It won't open that way, dumbass", a voice erupted behind the two. Neither of them sensed her coming.
"What are you doing here?", Sebastian widen his eyes seeing Reina, who's one brow is raised.
"Back at you, Sebastian. What are you doing here?", she fired back.
"A hunch", Sebastian answered quickly. "I got a hunch Damon's cooking something here. You?".
Reina takes out her phone, showing the tracking map with a green dot blinking. "The tracker, remember? I tracked mom and it led me all the way here.", she looks at Gunner, with a cringe as if the wolf scent in him disgusts her. "And you? what's your excuse?".
"I uhh..", Gunner stalled, glancing at Sebastian.
"He's just here", Sebastian answered for him.
Reina shifted her gaze from Gunner to Sebastian. "Great. Looks like my brother is changing clans now", she pursed her lips, glaring.
"It's not what it looks like", Sebastian sighed.
"Whatever you say. Now out of my way", she narrowed her eyes at Gunner, forcing her way to the door. She examined it at first, and noticed the palm size screen by the door handle. "It needs face recognition. You can't can't just jam it like a neanderthal", she began tapping the screen for the hidden settings menu.
Gunner left his mouth open, while Sebastian watched with a curved lip. "She dated a nerd", Sebastian whispered to Gunner.
"I'm starting to like your sister", Gunner is genuinely impressed watching Reina's fingers dance across the screen.
"She has a type, and standards", Sebastian answered, smugly.
A few more taps, a soft digital click chimed, and the door opened. "Voila!", Reina exclaimed as the lock disengage. Gunner opened the heavy door, with a slow hydraulic hiss. The cold air from inside spilled into the hallway. The three stepped inside, and the light was immediately triggered as soon as their presence was sensed.
"Check the rooms", Sebastian's gaze rapidly swept inside the room surrounded with white walls, white ceiling, and bright lights.
"Yes sir!", Gunner followed, but then, he paused before going in another door. "And what are we looking for exactly?", he asked.
"It's someone", Sebastian blurted out, as Gunner headed in one room.
Together, Reina and Sebastian examined the first chamber they went in. The medical cabinets lined on one wall. Stainless steel bed in the corner of the room, with leather restraints hanging neatly on the sides. The room smelled too sterile. Reina's eyes darkened. "This isn't a storage. This is a lab".
"Keep searching", Sebastian murmured, as they walk deeper inside.
"Looks like we'll be in this together", Reina spoke quietly. For a long time, The Devlin siblings have been moving stealthily alone. Not making each other find out of their moves. And tonight, they all went together, sharing common goals... and intuitions. "I'm scared", she admitted.
Sebastian grabbed Reina's hand. "Hey, thanks Rei. For everything", he pulls her, squeezing her hand.
"Don't mind Scott. He's just in his asshole era.", Reina smiled. "But, if you keep this Roman thing up, and choose him over our family, I'll be the one punching your face first", she glared.
Sebastian barked a laugh. "I'd like to see you try", he scuffled her hair on the top of her head.
The room next to the bed chamber opened into something larger. Something that they were not expecting it would have. A glass enclosure stood in the middle like a luxury prison. A large bed. A table and a lamp. Comfortable, but still a prison. "You think Damon did this?", Reina asked, gaping at the glass walls.
"I don't know anymore", Sebastian muttered, eyes on the unmade bed as if someone have slept in there.
Gunner went in, and frowned. "Looks like someone's being held captive here", Gunner worded everyone's thoughts. "I'm guessing the Luna?".
Sebastian's eyes dropped. He noticed a tag on the floor that reads a price for a diving gear. "A wetsuit?", he wondered, putting it down on the stainless table close by. A heartbeat skipped in his chest.
Across the room, Reina crouched. "Dried blood", she found a dark trail stretched across the polished floor towards another closed door.
"I'll check it", Gunner followed it, while Sebastian and Reina remained where they were, examining the glass prison. Gunner opened the room and stopped, completely still. His jaw tightened, but he didn't turned around. "Uh.. guys?", he called, voice lower than usual. "What was your hunch again?", unsure how to reveal what he's seeing at the moment. The cold air blew, carrying a rotting scent. Sebastian and Reina exchanged glance, and walked toward Gunner who have closed the door. "I don't think you should see it".
Sebastian walked to the door anyway, opened it and smelled the strong decaying scent over something heartbreakingly familiar. "Sebastian, don't", Gunner argued, stepping into the doorway with his broad shoulders filling the frame. Sebastian tried to move around him, until he meet his eyes. It was a look that made Gunner stop arguing. Sebastian stepped in and froze, just like the body on the floor. He didn't have to look closely. Her hair. Her nails. The clothes when he last saw her... and her favorite shoes she always believed lucky. His chest tightened, until the air seemed thin. "Mo.. mom".
Memories of her ran in his mind.
Her morning yoga on the porch. Her bland cooking that ends up with the butler preparing something else. Her insisting to personally put food on their plates to make sure they eat the right portions. Every ordinary moment suddenly became something would never happen again.
"Who is it?", Reina squeezed herself between the two large men. Sebastian caught Reina, covering her eyes for her not to see such a gruesome state of their mother. Twisted on the cold floor, head bashed with skull fragments exposed, and her neck bent in an impossible angle. No matter how hard he pulled her away, Reina knew in her heart who was in that room. One glimpse between Sebastian fingers, all else shattered. "No... no, no..", with desperate strength, Reina clutched on Sebastian's arms, twisting from his grasps. "Mom no!!", her scream ripped through the bunker. She couldn't stop calling Priscilla, as if the repetition would wake her up.
Sebastian wrapped both of his arms around her and lowered them on the cold floor. Reina buried her cheek on Sebastian's arm, eyes still on the lifeless body of their mother. Sobbing violently, that every breath shook Reina's body. Sebastian held her tightly, that his tears finally escaped silently. He rested his chin on the top of Reina's head, "I've got you". It was all he could say.
Gunner stood outside the room motionless. His fists were clenched so tightly that the veins stood out beneath his skin. He looked away, giving the siblings what little privacy grief could offer. He wasn't looking for something like this. His mission was to watch Sebastian Devlin's every move, and follow him wherever he goes. Nothing prepared a man for hearing someone's heartbreak.
Eventually, Reina's sobs became quiet shivers. She wiped her face with her trembling hands. Neither of them spoke. Sebastian's eyes wandered across the room, past the blood, past the shelves. Then something clicked. The wetsuit. His head snapped back to the laboratory, then to the glass chamber. "Reina...", Sebastian called. Reina looked up, eyes swelling. "...the lake".
Reina stood abruptly. "Go", she said. "I'll stay here with her", her voice cracked.
Sebastian looked toward his mother's body. "I'm not leaving you".
"You have to", Reina looked at him. "We need answers. And whoever killed mom, and took Diana, we're seconds getting to it. Time is essential is right now".
Sebastian hesitated, but he knew he had to go to protect the people he had left. Damon is still missing, and he owe them a lot of explanation. "She's right. I'll go with you", Gunner said firmly. The two men found themselves running off the room, back to the long hallway. Sebastian bursted out the hatch, with Gunner close behind. They both sprinted out, with eyes flown to the sky. The moon is still full and surely, the lycan is somewhere in the islet.
That frisson didn't slowed them down.
Nearing the moon bathing grounds, a different kind of chaos welcomed them back. The packs in their wolf forms roaring, not against a lycan, but each other. The Barlowes hid behind the shadows of the trees, steering clear from the brawl. Gunner veered to the battlefield, shoved himself between two wolves, earning a kick on his abdomen. "Stop!! Guys!!", he urged. Growls echoed through the clearing. Savage blows exchanged. Neither of the wolves were stopping. "Where's Roman?!", he yelled, but no wolf responded.
Allen caught Gunner, but he only got shoved away. Gunner pushed through a pair of fighting wolves, until he sees Roman slamming against Scott, strong enough to crack a tree. He approached carefully, but the two Alphas continued to madly trade blows as if there's none in the world would ever stop them. Both were bleeding with their eyebrow cuts and torn ear. Scott lunged at Roman, Roman met him halfway. Gunner grabbed Roman, only to be shook off, eager to fight without surrendering.
"Roman", Gunner mindtalked his Alpha. "We found Diana".
Roman froze for a half a heartbeat. He deliberately staggered backward and lifted his hands in mock surrender. Scott, breathing hard, assumed victory. Without another word, Roman turned and ran. His pack immediately followed. Scott frowned. "What the hell..".
Meanwhile
With no time to waste, Sebastian went straight ahead to the shore, leaving Gunner entering the fray. He pushed the rowboat across across the shallow waters, and sailed across the lake. His hands trembled as he paddale away from the shore. The oars sliced through the blackwater, with the reflection of the moon so perfectly looking endless. "Diana!!", only echoes answered.
Away from the nasty wolf skirmish and loud noises, Sebastian hurriedly looked over the calm waters. He sweep every ripple, every shadow, every reflection. His breathing grew ragged, peering his eyes far and wide. "Diana!", he called for the endless time. Then, a handful of bubbles broke the surface. It was small, and so easy to miss. Sebastian stared, making sure he saw something. More bubbles appeared. His heart slammed against his ribs, and without another thought, he dove.
The freezing water swallowed him whole. Darkness surrounded him, but it was nothing to his wolf senses. Particles drifted like ash as he kick downward. He searched underwater, and... nothing. Losing air, he resurfaced and dragged in one long breath before diving back in. The bubbles appeared once more. He followed them, kicking his legs and moving his arms widely... deeper into the bottom of the lake.
He looked around, and there, just beneath him... a figure. His stomach dropped. In a wetsuit, Diana floated upright with her hands and ankles bound with a thick rope. He reached her and sees an oxygen tank resting against her back, with its gauge pointed to empty. Diana gave him a faint smile, before closing her eyes.
It was then his heartbeat became deafening.
The heavy ropes bound her wrists and ankles to a massive stone. Immediately, his finger fumbled with the knots. When the ropes finally slipped loose, he pushed Diana up the surface as fast as he could. Sebastian wrapped an arm around her waist, and kicked upward with everything he had left. His chest screamed for air as he flutter his legs. The surface felt impossibly far away, but he didn't stopped reaching for it.
Then...
The moonlight exploded across the water.
Sebastian bursted through the surface, gasping violently. He hauled Diana into the rowboat, calling her name. "Come on, Diana. Don't do this to me", he gently slapped her face but she remained flat on the boat. Not moving. Not breathing. Sebastian rowed once, then twice in frantic strokes back to the dock, and started compressions between each pull. "No Diana, stay with me".
The boat slammed against the dock. Sebastian carried Diana out of the boat, and laid her on the dock. Immediately, he positioned himself over Diana, and he continued another round of compressions. "Help!! Help her!!", he shouted, counting the number of inward forces he does on Diana's chest.
Roman, followed by his pack, just reached the dock. His world narrowed, seeing Diana's body lying across the planks. It is really her. He already forgot the pain from Scott's beatings, his bruised knuckles, and the bleeding cuts on his face. She looked impossibly small. Her soaked hair clung to her face and neck like strands of seaweeds. Moonlight drained what little color remained on her skin until she looked carved from marble instead of flesh. The black wetsuit wrapped around her body that she had became frighteningly thin. Far thinner than the woman he'd last held. Every natural tendency of his Alpha imprint demanded her. One second he was reaching the dock, the next thing he was already beside Sebastian, slamming his knees on the wooden boards.
"Don't you touch her!!", Sebastian snarled. Water dripping from his face. "Where's Scott?!", he asked. "Someone get Scott!!", he ordered, but nobody moved.
"Move!! I'm doing it!!", Roman's voice echoed. "If you don't let me help, I will lose my Luna!!". Sebastian stared at him, then moved aside. Roman immediately tilted Diana's head back. One breath, then another through her cold mouth. He resumed the compressions. Again... and again.
Scott arrived at the dock with his entire pack close behind. He led himself towards the fraught voices. The desperate counts. The wet squelches and heavy grunts. His boots stopped dead with just a glimpse of the woman between the broad men swarming around her. Everything else disappeared. His eyes forgot to blink. Stretching his neck farther more. One more look, he'll be convinced. After a clear view of her pale face, all he could see was Diana.
She was barely alive, with Roman breathing life back into her mouth. Scott couldn't move. He anticipated the day of finally seeing her, but never this way. In a blink, he surrendered to his urges. Breaking his vow of ignoring her if he sees her. When he could no longer keep the wolf in him, he moved across the dock. He stopped when Diana jerked, as water exploded out of her nose and mouth. She laid to her side, struggling to breathe, expelling water from her chest. A long, desperate breath tore her lungs. Everyone released their breaths, as if they hadn't realized they were holding.
"Give her some space", Sebastian breathed.
Diana's eyes fluttered open. Confusion hits first as she feel the roughness of the wooden dock. Then, she winced on the pain that hurled inside her abdomen, and the stings from her wrists and ankles. She sits up, and felt small at the overwhelming presence of shirtless men around her. Diana's gaze darted wildly from face to face that surrounded her. She threw her trembling hands up, trying to shield herself. "Don't... come near .. me!!", her hoarse voice was barely audible. She no longer recognize safety even with familiar faces.
While her frightened eyes swept over each of them, Scott and Roman realized one thing. Neither of them she called for help. In fact, Diana didn't call for anyone. She scanned their faces, identifying which one might hurt her next. In the middle of the packs, and the two Alphas, she was alone. Scott never expected fear from her. His resentment dissolved, and the explanations he sought after disappeared. His guilt of not finding her and not even trying to understand her decisions cut deeper. Seeing Diana going to pieces, he just wanted to hold her. Warm her. Calm her. However, the look on her face only makes him turn his hand into a fist. He failed protecting Diana. He failed his Luna. Finding her is just the start of the battle, and earning back the trust that captivity stole will be another chapter.
"Diana...", Sebastian extended his hand. "It's Seb. You're safe now", his voice gentler.
Roman stayed on his knees, careful to leave space between them. "No one is going to hurt you, Luna. You have my word", he didn't reached for her. He waited for her to choose.
Her eyes wandered. Her breaths calmed a little, but her body continued to quiver. Cory in the back waved his hand. Lucas beside him had his worried gaze pinned on her. Lowering her hand, her eyes caught a woman gripping Scott's arm. Fresh tears welled in her eyes. She shrank bank instinctively from the shivers that spread through her bones. Her teeth chattered violently, curling with her arms around her shoulders. "I-it's.. It's Damon", she uttered weakly. "Ta-Tamara got D-Damon".