Cernunnos - 9. Chapter 9

Cyn trembled. He just realized what he had done. He had confirmed three lycan to attacking his herd. Sitting up on the bed, he struggled to make heads or tails of his actions. I...understand they did wrong by this new law, but...what will happen to them? I...don't want to be the reason they...what if they die? They don't deserve that, not for hunting.

"Sh...Sheamus?" He watched the wolf turn to him and smiled as he pointed up a finger, telling him to wait. Cyn sat patiently as the lycan returned to his phone call.

"Yes, Alpha. I'll get an update on the team and inform them of their new tasks." Sliding his phone back into his front pocket, Shea gave Cyn his full and undivided attention. "Sorry, Cyn. What's up? Remember something else?"

The buck folded his hands in his lap. "What's...going to happen? To those three?"

Shea tucked his arms in and sat back down in the small chair. "Well, we're not sure. This hasn't happened before, and we also don't know if they've done it multiple times. Depending on the severity, the least that would happen would be jail time. But if they admit to doing it on several occasions, Alpha Claude might decide to sentence them to exile, maybe even death."

Death? The powerful word kept ringing in Cyn's mind and grasped with the intention of never letting go. They...they might die? Because...because of me? His eyes stung from the forthcoming tears welling in his eyes. Balling his fists, Cyn let out a cough-covered sob.

Shea watched in both confusion and shock. What...is he crying for? "Hey...Hey, Cyn?" He grasped one of the fists buried in the deer's lap. "What's going on? Talk to me."

The deer spoke, but another cough came out. Clearing his throat, Cyn muttered, "I...don't want them to die. Not...because of me." Conflict bubbled in his mind and he couldn't hold back his tears any longer.

The lycan sat in disbelief. He's crying for...the assholes that tried to kill him? Is he that peaceful? So nomadic that he wishes no harm to anyone but himself? "Cyn. Hey, look at me." Shea quickly and innately took both of the cernunnos' hands into his. "Why? Why are you defending them? They did wrong by attacking you."

"Because!" Disturbed by the sudden outburst, Shea leaned back, but kept his hands on Cyn's as the smaller shifter blubbered, "I...I should have died!" A cold chill wavered through Shea's heart. "That wolf should have killed me, and I should be lying lifeless on the ground!" With every word passing through his lips, the deer sobbed harder. Tears falling onto his lap and chest, emotions took over.

He...really thinks he deserves to die. No friends, no loved ones. Just pure instinct. Live or die, and he's stuck on the fact he escaped death's grasp. He feels cheated, but by the wrong side! Shea stood. His own body began moving on its own. I need him to open his eyes...and his mind.

Cyn felt the large and warm hands leave his. Looking back to the seated lycan, he noticed that Shea was now standing and had stepped closer. Rubbing his eyes to dry his tears, Cyn whispered with his phlegm-filled throat, "Sh...Sheamus?"

"Scoot over." The bedridden shifter's face remained blank and swallowed hard. After a moment of hesitation, Cyn shifted himself to the far edge of the hospital bed. He was shook to the core when the lycan took a seat on the edge of the bed and brought his legs up. Sweeping his vision from the foot of the bed to the head, Cyn saw that the large man had taken up the majority of the bed as Sheamus' body faced his.

The two stared at the other's set of brown eyes until Shea spoke, "Don't say words like that, Cyn. I know you are from a whole other world than my own, but you are a shifter. Our pack values every life equally, and you are no exception." Shea felt a desire and smiled. "Can I...can I touch your face?"

Cyn swallowed hard, still in disbelief that the lycan had been so unabashed in his advancement! The deer nodded and saw a hearty smile appear on Shea's face. The big man lifted his hand and Cyn watched carefully with no air flowing inside his lungs. A finger landed on the side of his head, brushing aside a lock of hair from the front of his face. As the finger barely scraped his forehead, the buck’s skin shivered.

“Do...do you know why I crawled into this bed with you?” In utter loss of words, Cyn could barely find the willpower to shake his head. “Because as I lay here, I’m doing the same thing you are.” Leaning his head up slightly, Shea made his defining point, “We’re the same. Right here. The laws are new, and not every shifter out there is accustomed to them yet, but you are the same as us now. A shifter deserving of a chance at life. We may be different species, and my wolf is a predator to yours, but even my animal’s instincts have no interest in causing harm to you.”

Shea watched as the smaller man blinked wildly and looked between the two bodies. The wolf’s heart was beating faster as he laid so close to Cyn. He’s so innocent. My wolf is howling for me to protect him with all my strength. Is...is he meant to be here with me? I feel as if I must hold him. Hold him tight, and never let go. “Do you understand, Cyn?”

Still in disbelief of the larger man climbing into the bed with him, Cyn couldn’t help but let his heart flutter from both the intrusion of his personal space and the kind-hearted words spoken. Sheamus...really doesn’t want to eat me. There are still lycan out there that do, but him and his friends don’t. Focusing on the giant body that lay before him, Cyn’s cheeks grew heated. He’s...so warm! We aren’t touching, but it feels like we are. No...no one has ever been so close to me like this! His breaths became uneven but he could only smile. “I understand.”

“Good. I understand how you feel, and I could never relate to that. I only want you to know that you are valued. Arric wouldn’t have kept you here if you weren’t. He may have made himself seem like a nice guy, but he can be ruthless at times. From how he’s been acting, he’s ready to turn the pack upside down to make you welcome here.”

The large leather-jacket bound shifter came back to Cyn’s mind. That guy seemed like a man who would always be angry. If he is being nice, then...then it must be real. My...my race is not doomed to be fodder! “Thank you.”

Hearing the whispered words created another gentle smile on the lycan’s face. “Any time, little man. Just want you to-” His words were interrupted by a small gurgling sound between the two men. Shea immediately looked down, found the source, and huffed out a laugh. “Hungry again? Would you like another salad?” The rosy cheeks on the man next to him made Shea smile even harder. “I’ll take that as a yes. More salad and water coming right up.” Swinging his legs outward, the wolf returned to a seated position in order to stand and made his way to the door. “I’ll be right back.”

Watching the shifter walk away, Cyn couldn’t help but look at every detail of the man. Sheamus is much bigger than any of the buck cernunnos I’ve seen in their human form! The legs are similar, but the upper body is wider and more muscular. Then, the- “Cyn?” The deer’s gaze quickly rose up to the turned head staring at him. Blushing, he knew he had been caught. “It’s alright to stare. That just shows me that you’re interested.” Shea gave a quick wink and muttered a laugh underneath his breath, “You’re not too bad, yourself.” The wolf faced the door once again and slipped through, leaving Cyn to be speechless.

Turning his attention to Jaime, he gave the order to fetch another large salad bowl, earning a flashed wide-eyed stare from the smaller wolf. “He’s...eating again? Does he have a wolf’s appetite or something?”

“Not sure, but his stomach growled. See if you can’t round up some trail mix for him as well, or maybe a muffin.” Jaime nodded and walked away. The commander surveyed the hallways before returning inside the room. “Jaime’s going to get you some more food. He should be back in a few-” A slight knock on the door, followed by two scratches sounded through the room and Shea straightened his posture. “Cyn. Come with me, we’re heading to the bathroom.”

“Why?” The deer grew confused as his body didn’t need to be relieved, “I don’t need to-”

“It’s not that. Jaime just gave a warning. I don’t mean to alarm you, but we need to get you to a safe place. Then I can see what’s going on outside.” Hearing that something is wrong, Cyn’s body began to tremble. “Hey.” The lycan took a few steps closer and whispered, “It will be okay. Jaime and I can handle ourselves. We just want to secure the area. Standard procedures, got it?” Putting his trust into the shifter once more, Cyn gave a meek nod as Shea advanced and placed himself to the deer’s left side like before. “I’ll have you just stand in the corner and I will be back before you even know it.”

Carrying the cernunnos to the bathroom, Shea placed Cyn against the back wall and gave a sincere smile to his new friend. He stepped back and made his way through the first door and onto the second, slightly opening it and whispering as silently as his throat would let him. “Report.”

“Hauser. Wandering the hall. Hasn’t spotted us...yet.”

“Get in here.” Darting his eyes around to the working staff, he spotted a familiar face. “Nora!”

Hearing the whispered command, the slender nurse stepped forward with a bent neck. “Yes, Commander?”

“This room needs to be locked with us in it. Is that possible?”

Nodding, the female shifter caught the stress coming from the two lycan, “Yes, of course.”

“One more thing. How fast can you eliminate the stench of our patient?”

“Easy. I have spray disinfectant and I can cover the door and walkway.” Earning a nod from the larger wolf, the door closed and the nurse went for a cleaning cart nearby. As she grabbed it, she looked down the long hallway that led to the waiting area and saw the concern. Another shifter? Civilian clothes and looks determined. Is...that guy after the deer? In a hurry, she palmed the spray bottle and misted the area surrounding the door to room 224 and moved on to the next room and continued. Need to make it seem inconspicuous. She went back to the room on the other side of 224 and misted there as well. Finishing up by sanitizing her area and the walkway leading to the rooms, she placed the bottle behind the small monitoring desk and inside a cupboard.

“Excuse me?” Nora turned around quickly, surprised at how fast the man reached her. She gazed at the spiky bleach-blonde hair and dusted goatee on the shifter, and almost admired the gravely soft voice that spoke to her, “This might sound strange, but has a cernunnos been admitted?”

Nora threw on her best poker face and raised one of her untrimmed brown eyebrows. “You’re kidding, right? You’re asking this on the second floor? That’s what a reception desk is for, but there's no need to head back down there. I can already tell you that a cern has never been admitted to this wing in the past five years.”

The blonde man’s face grew irritated as the lady offered a smart tone with him, but as he was going to retort, Nora spoke first once more, “Unless you have plans to visit someone, I will ask you to leave. We are very busy at this hour and we can’t have random men hogging up the hallways.” Trembling from the growing irritation, Hauser had plans of really letting the nurse have it, but again, he was too slow to comment, “Do I need to call security? They’ll be happy to show you the doors and file a report to the Beta.”

His anger simmered at the threat and turned on his heels with a snarl. Nora watched the man storm away and went back to wiping the countertop, carefully listening down the hallway. He’s still walking...first elevator ding...door closed...and second elevator ding! She set down her disinfecting wipe and casually walked to the room door, knocking softly. “He’s gone.”

Jaime opened the door and let loose a silent sigh, “How...how did Hauser know?”

I’ve been wracking my head on that since Jaime said he was here. Shea brushed a hand through his hair to relieve some of the pressure. “There’s no way they could have tracked us from the Kettle. The only thing I can think of is if there’s an informant for them within the tracking team, and that’s a likely possibility. As of now, Eike still holds the title of Enforcer. Until that changes, he retains political power that only Arric can fight.” The commander’s attention shifted to Nora. “You are very brave for handling that situation, Nora.”

The light-skinned nurse swayed her shoulders and chuckled, “That was just another Tuesday night for me. I tell people to leave all the time. A gurney can come flying out of nowhere any minute now, and I need these halls cleared.” Nora’s grin turned sour as she recalled Shea’s statement, “You said something about Enforcer Eike? Is he…?”

Shea nodded and turned his head towards the bathroom door, “He’s the cause of all of this, but that needs to be kept on the hush, Nora. I trust you to hold your tongue?”

“Count on me.” She folded her arms and let her brows droop in sorrow. “That poor man. He’s been a mess since he’s arrived. You’ve done a good job with him, commander. Have you thought about counseling work?” When the larger shifter snorted and shook his head, Nora giggled herself, “Didn’t think so, but I’ll let you two get back to helping that cernunnos. If y’all need anything, I’m here ‘til noon.”

“Thank you, Nora. I’ll be sure to tell Alpha Claude how helpful you were.” Hearing the mention of her pack leader, the nurse quickly turned and blushed, responding with a bent neck. “But she’s right. Need to check on Cyn.” Jaime nodded and went back to his post while Shea stepped towards the bathroom door, “Cyn? It’s me. I’m coming in.”

Opening the door slowly, Shea whispered as to warm the buck’s attention, “Everything is fine. It was a false alarm. No need...to...oh, shit.” The lycan stood stunned as he found Cyn standing on all four hooves.