Chapter 203: Darach’s Escape
I opened my mouth. Technically there was one solution I could think of, but I was reluctant to voice it.
If the first part of the prediction didn’t come true, every part following after would be moot. Personally, I didn’t see a great need to unlock my true potential, at least not at the cost of their lives.
Simply put, none of them would die if I rejected one of them. But which tie could I sever?
A decision that would have been simple mere weeks ago was now unthinkable. Despite Damon’s multiple personality flaws, I had come to love him for the strength of his character underneath it all. And to remove Blaise was nigh unthinkable; I would sooner remove every organ from my body by hand than to sever my bond with him.
"Harper?" Damon prompted, "I know you have a solution. What is it?"
"Damon, if it came down to Blaise and I, who would you choose?" I asked.
If he chose Blaise, then it would be easy for me to tell him my solution. I would propose a rejection, and he would then accept it, since he wanted Blaise to live more than he wanted me as his fated mate, and we could all move on and live our hopefully very long lives.
Damon paused. "Why are you asking?"
"Because it’s important," I said, barely restraining the urge to roll my eyes. "Answer the question."
"I would choose you," Damon said firmly.
Well. That tossed all my ideas out of the window.
"I’ve answered your question, now you’ll answer mine. What is the solution?"
"I don’t have one," I confessed with a sigh, sinking into the soft leather of the car seat. Damon gave me an incredulous look, refusing to believe me, but I merely waved a hand.
Maybe I could ask Blaise that very same question and see if I would get a different response, but the chances were slim. Blaise and I were mated for a longer time than Damon and I were, and I doubted he would be willing to step aside, even if his brother’s life was on the other end of the equation.
Damon continued to look displeased at my lack of reply.
"Damon, it’s fine. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. After all, Alpha Burke also mentioned how Luna Cassidy’s words can be interpreted in various different ways. The threat might not even happen."
Although I was finding it very difficult to find alternative interpretations for ’losing him forever’ that didn’t include death. Was one of them going to be stuck in an eternal coma? That sounded honestly worse than death.
Damon seemed like he was going to argue further, but then he paused.
"It’s Darach," he confirmed with a scowl. "Blaise has confirmed it, and he doesn’t look good."
"Then we have to take him back to Nicole, and quickly," I said, pursing my lips as I glanced behind us, half-expecting Blaise to be carrying Darach back.
However, Damon was silent. I didn’t have a good feeling about this.
"Damon, we’re taking him back with us, right?" I asked, my heart racing with worry. Damon wasn’t meeting my eyes.
"If we take him back, Thunderstrike will have every right to wage war with us," Damon growled out softly, his eyes focused on the bumpy mountain road ahead.
"No matter what their personal gripes are with each other, Alpha Thorton and Darach have not disowned each other. They are still father and son, and Alpha Thorton can easily accuse us of kidnapping and injuring his son after humiliating his daughter."
"Personal gripes―" I spluttered at the massive understatement. "Damon, if we send him back, he’ll be tortured and killed! We’ll have to take him back with us! Damon, he did so much to help you!"
Damon closed his eyes for a brief second, gritting his teeth. "I cannot risk Fangborne’s safety over him. Besides, it’s not as though he did it for us. He did it for his sister! Darach hates me in particular, I doubt he would choose living with me over death."
I scoffed. In the end, Damon simply did not want to be in close proximity with Darach, due to the guilt of his past behavior.
"Stop making excuses. If you’re not going to save him, I will," I said, threateningly. "And you know I will burst through this window if I have to. Besides, you’ve already pissed off Thunderstrike so terribly, what’s one more slight?"
And unless Damon wanted the entire car to roll down the mountainside, crushing the cars of his fellow pack, he would have to let me do as I wanted.
Damon let out a pained groan when he realized I had him cornered.
"Fine." He said, "I’ll let Blaise know to deposit his bleeding body in our car. I hope you’re okay with it."
"I will be," I said, satisfied.
True enough, Damon kept his word, and Blaise came bounding after in his wolf form with a naked, bleeding man on his pack. I gasped as I caught sight of the litter of cuts and bruises all over Darach, and his limbs seemed to rest oddly as I tried to place him on the carseat.
"Oh my god, what happened to you?" I asked, feeling so overwhelmed with my own uselessness. I could only grab a few towels to soak up the worst of the wounds. If only Nicole was here!
His face was frighteningly pale, and he was also shivering. Yet when I laid a careful hand on his forehead, his skin was radiating more heat than a furnace in winter.
"Damon, we need to hurry back! He’s going to die at this rate!"
Damon cursed, and turned back quickly to glare at me. "Are you intending to spend the entire journey sitting next to his naked body?"
"Are you jealous?" I barked back, upset at his priorities. "Really, Damon?"
"Of course not, now swap with Blaise first before I change my mind and turn him into roadkill!" Damon demanded.
