Page 133 of Claimed

Me, shooting and poisoning strangers. Malachi being hauled up into the sky because he becomes part of the negativity infecting a pack. Women, sold for their bodies, forced…

I weep uncontrollably, looking at the look of pain on Roger’s face. He didn’t have to die. He didn’t deserve it, certainly not in pain like this.

I’m still bawling when Grey is suddenly moving my hand so Roger’s drops. I stare at it as Grey lifts me and carries me outside, sitting down on a chair, rocking me, purring for me.

Fresh air would be nice, but the air here isn’t fresh. It’s foul. It’s tainted. Like all of us.

“He t-taught me to read and write,” I whimper. “He taught all of us until a few years ago when he started going blind. He…he… was so kind. He would bake cupcakes for us once a month and h-he could draw anything. He drew every one of us a picture of ourselves when we graduated with that hand … that that just went lifeless in my grip.”

“I’m so fucking sorry, baby,” he whispers, rocking me.

Roger is gone. Kimmy is in terrible condition. Patsy’s not doing great and Jillian, another elderly lady in the pack isn’t much better than Roger was a few hours ago. It’s doubtful she’ll make it through the night. Patsy’s now looking like she’ll sleep, but Jillian has been crying out in agony, keeping a lot of people from getting sleep. Nobody’s complaining. Kimmy had been crying a lot, too, but finally settled about a half an hour ago, which meant the other four children who may not have consumed as much as Kimmy have been able to fall asleep.

Kimmy was born missing her right arm. She’s frequently sick. She’s developmentally slower than other kids her age. And as much as he’s done to ruin us, I’m still having problems wrapping my mind around the fact Wyatt ordered her and so many others to be poisoned to death.

It’s a slow, painful death taking this poison he had me serve to some of the alphas in Arcana Falls. I’m so grateful that theyonly had one dose. And that I gave them less than I was told to administer to them. Glad most of all that they were strong alphas so could recover.

I speak, “I’m so, so angry at my brother that I think if he walked in here tonight, I’d take my fingernails to his face and claw his eyes out. I’m not sure anyone could stop me from strangling him to death, even if I had to die while doing it. That’s how much I hate him, that’s how much I want him to pay for doing this to everyone.”

“I know, Blossom,” Grey says.

His expression is tight. His eyes are flaring with emotion. I know he feels me right now. Feels my pain and sorrow. I feel both his anger and my own. I hate this. I hate it all so much.

Gus and Linc carefully move Roger out of the building, and I watch them carry him toward the back.

“He would want to be buried, not burnt,” I rasp. “He’d want his body to feed the creatures underground.”

“They aren’t burning anybody,” Grey says, rising and setting me on my feet. “They’ll get buried. You should get some sleep, Blossom.”

“No,” I deny. “I don’t think I can.”

Nobody has been allowed to leave but the non-sick were allowed to have their beds brought into the mess hall. It would’ve been too tight for everyone, but then Grey and Jase walked the men from that back corner down to the beta training barracks.

Eloise told me about it after I saw her having a quiet conversation by the door with Grey and Jase just before those men got moved.

I didn’t ask questions, was busy helping the ill, but I could feel Grey’s anger in my chest as well as see it plainly on his faceand Eloise later whispered to me that she doesn’t know what’ll happen to them but that the rest of the men were in the beta training cabins and that she gave Jase and Grey the gist of who is who among the men.

“Jared brought his Airstream,” Grey says. “Says we can have his bed. He’s gonna sleep on an airbed in his pickup.”

“I don’t want to take Jared’s bed,” I say. “everyone else is sleeping on mattresses on the floor in there, I’m–”

“No arguments wife,” Grey asserts. “You aren’t sleeping on the floor in there and we’re also not sleeping in that fuckin’ trailer you lived in.”

I look down. “I’ll do another round with some ice water. They need more fever medicine in another hour. I’ll try and sleep after that.”

“Your shift is over for the next six hours, woman. Mitch is there. He and someone else can do those things. You need to sleep,” he says grouchily.

I don’t argue. “Let me just wash up,” I say and move back inside, over to the sink area and use hand sanitizer on my hands before I dip a paper towel into the bowl of soapy water and wipe down my face and hands before I wet another square in the next bowl of clean water to rinse off with. We have that limited amount of water that was brought today so we’re rationing for tonight. I overheard Grey talking to Dr. Blakely who said he ordered a water tanker to be delivered and parked here tomorrow, and he’s already taken water and soil samples and is having them sent to a lab tomorrow.

“I’ll see you in a few hours,” I say to Cat Savage who is holding her clipboard out and going over something on it with Dr. Blakely. “Grey’s making me rest a bit.”

“Me too,” she says. “We’ll all rest a bit. Nobody needs medication for a while.”

“I’ll keep watch, look after things. I’m not tired,” Dr. Blakely says.

“Thank you for everything,” I tell them both.

Dr. Blakely gives me a look of sympathy, but says nothing, instead focusing on reading the clipboard while Cat gives me a tired half-smile, squeezing my hand with affection.

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