"Tiana!" Amelie called out to the unconscious she-wolf on the ground. "Help me drag her here. She can not die! She was protecting me!" Amelie started to weep.
Isabelle rushed back to her and knelt in front of the two women, panting.
"Help me drag Tiana here. He shot her in the chest! She was trying to protect me!"
"Amelie, calm down…" Isabelle cautioned. The other woman grunted in pain. Isabelle looked from her to Nadia for an explanation.
"She is in labour," Nadia supplied. Fear clouded Isabelle's eyes.
"What?" She muttered and jerked her gaze back to Angel.
"Let me try to get Xavier and Cole," Angel said as Amelie struggled to crawl to Tiana, but Nadia stopped her.
Isabelle dragged her friend towards the doctor. Amelie struggled to kneel and then quickly tore open Tiana’s vest to check her wound. Nadia knelt beside her ready to help. Angel and Isabelle flanked them, in a protective stance while war literally raged around them. Kurt, Blaze, Odwolf and the rest of the Weres had shifted already and were tearing through the assailants mercilessly, somewhat preventing them from coming close to Angel's location.
"I need a knife, a sharp knife," Amelia grunted and shook with tears when she checked Tiana's pulse.
Nadia noted the she-wolf was still breathing but barely. She quickly pulled a knife out of Tiana's boot and handed it over.
Isabelle rushed into the nearest camping tent and came back with a bottle of whiskey. She threw it at Angel who caught it mid-air, uncorked it and helped Amelie to pour it over the knife and Tiana's bloodied chest.
Isabelle cut off paper napkins to dab at the wound, cleaning off the blood.
Amelie took a quick sharp breath before creating an incision on Tiana's chest then dipped in her hand to search for the bullet. She shook with tears when she couldn't get it out on the first try.
"It missed her heart!" she muttered to herself in triumph. Nadia gently squeezed her forearm. And then Amelie breathed a sigh of relief when she finally got it out. Angel poured more of the whiskey over the wound, causing Tiana to flinch faintly.
Using her bloodied hand, she swept the she-wolf's hair away from her face and whispered, "Come on, come on you can fight this. You are one of the strongest women I know, T… Aahh!" She grunted as labour pains hit her again.
"Amelie," Isabelle called trying to get her away from Tiana.
"She can't die, Belle. She was protecting me," Amelie cried, her shoulders shaking.
"Give me your hand, here," Isabelle said, taking her sister-in-law's hand to press it at the side of Tiana's neck.
Amelie let out a relieved laugh when she felt her pulse grow stronger. Isabelle gave her a teary smile.
“She is going to be just fine, you saved her,” she reassured Amelie. The other woman started to cry.
Isabelle pulled her away from Tiana right at the time Cole, Ash, and Xavier got there. Angel saw the human pale and staggered on his feet when he saw Tiana.
"She is alive, Ash, doc saved her," Nadia quickly said to him.
"She still needs to be taken to the hospital to make sure I didn't just infect her by trying to save her," Amelie said. Ash nodded and rushed forward to carry Tiana. “Opaline too needs medical attention,” she added. Jason ran to the other woman.
"Babe," Xavier called and a frown furrowed his eyebrow as he assessed the situation.
"The baby…" Amelie managed to say before she grunted hard. Xavier paled.
"The baby is coming, and she is wounded," Isabelle supplied. Xavier's face went murderous.
"He is dead," Angel supplied with satisfaction, gesturing at the assailant's remains on the ground. Xavier glowered at the dismembered body. Then went to lift Amelie up.
"I think I should take it from here, Ash, Jason and I will get Doc, Tiana, and Opaline to the hospital. You guys hold the fort.' Cole said. Xavier gave him a long uncertain look. "Give her to me, Xavier and take care of Isabelle for me, will ya?" Cole urged.
"Of course but…" Xavier said in hesitation.
"You know you can't come, Xavier, this one time, I promise you this will not happen again,” Cole promised, holding the alpha Were’s gaze.
Xavier nodded and gingerly handed Amelie to Cole.
“She is my future, Cole,” Xavier said meaningfully.
“As Isabelle is. Watch her, please!” Cole said with feeling.
“You know I will die protecting her,” Xavier replied in a low, impassioned growl.
“As I,” Angel added, standing by Xavier’s side. Cole nodded.
"You take care, love," Xavier said to Amelie and she shook with tears.
"I love you," Amelie whispered. Xavier nodded.
"You come back with our son," the alpha Male said in a commanding tone.
"Yes, my love," Amelie replied.
Cole gave Isabelle a warm smile before turning away. He then broke into a run. Ash followed him with Jason. About ten of Ash's men flanked them.
Xavier balled his fist watching them leave, he then gave Angel a cold stare and the two turned to Isabelle and Nadia.
“Stay in between Angel and me,” Xavier said and the four hurried to join the others still fighting the assailants.
Hours later they were still fighting. The grounds were littered with dead and dismembered bodies. By the break of dawn, there were only two assailants left. Xavier had them tied to a tree and gave Nadia a phone to video call her father.
When her old man accepted the call from the other end. He gasped. Nadia tried to smile. She knew she must be quite a sight. She was literally soaked in blood from her hair to her boots.
"Jesus! Are you hurt?!" he exclaimed with concern.
"I have a few scratches but I am well," Nadia answered.
"I am so sorry, princess. It is all my fault. If I had listened to you and found another way to keep you safe, you would not be tangled up in your uncle Antonio's mess. There's a jet waiting to bring you back home, those guys work for me and will protect you —"
"Daddy… I'm not coming back," Nadia said, interrupting her father.
"What do you mean you are not coming back?!"