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“Is that all you're good for, reporting back?”
Niam snarls at me and comes into my space; by this point, I have been inching the cart and Maddie backward, hoping to get her to the end of the row and find Dean.
“I should drag you and your disgusting pup back to pack lands. Alpha Jake would reward me for bringing back the delinquent Quinn Sullivan.”
A growl rumbles in my chest as my wolf claws at the surface, but along with mine comes a stronger one, far more deadly. Niam looks behind me, and no doubt sees Dean standing there, all six foot two of him. Niam is a good-sized shifter, but he wouldn’t win in a match against Dean. Niam shows his teeth and looks back at me.
“Watch yourself, Sullivan. Jake knows where you are, and nothing’s going to stop him from getting to you. Not even Eli Vale.” As he delivers that last line, he pokes me in the chest.
The world around me fades away as I am pulled into another vision. It’s outside the Twilight Meadows pack house; it’s dark, and the building is on fire. All around me, I see wolves attacking wolves and some prone on the ground. The beating in my ears matches the erratic rhythm of my heart as I watch a war unfold in front of me. A brown wolf crashes through the house window and rolls onto its side, struggling to stand up. A black wolf flies through the window and clamps down on the neck of the brown wolf. A yelp escapes the wolf's mouth as the black wolf viciously shakes his head from side to side, ripping open his throat. Tears fall from my eyes, and I can’t tell if it’s part of the vision or me in real life. I know instinctively this is a fight between the Clearwater pack and the Twilight Meadows pack. All over getting to me, so many lives lost just so Jake can get to me. To the far side of the house, I hear a scream, and my heart nearly stops. It’s Maddie being carried to a truck, screaming and flailing around in the abductor's arms. A scream rips from my throat as the vision falls away and reality comes rushing back into focus.
I’m on the ground, my legs lying off to the side at an awkward angle, Dean holding my upper body off the ground. I look around frantically to find Maddie sitting in the cart, calling out my name. I try to stand on wobbly legs while Dean is trying to get me to calm down, but I need to touch my baby girl to reassure myself that she is OK. I pull her into my arms as tears roll down my face.
“Mama? OK?” My sweet girl. Jake is far too close, and I was an idiot to think I could come here and escape his notice, to come here and be somewhat safe. I am completely overcome with guilt and fear as I cling to Maddie. Guilty for bringing her here and afraid of my vision coming true and Jake taking my baby girl from me. Dean is ushering us to the front door of the store, the cart all but forgotten. I buckle Maddie into her seat and climb in beside her. I need to calm down so that Maddie isn't freaked out any more than she already is.
“Another vision?” Dean says into the quiet of the SUV.
“Yeah,” I whisper.
“We’ll deal with him, Quinn. I promise." A little time passes before Dean speaks up again.
"Quinn…I’m so sorry I left you alone; that was very neglectful of me.”
“It’s OK. Not your fault Jake sent his minions on a hunt.”
“No, but I shouldn’t have left you; toothpaste wasn’t worth it.”
At that, I laugh. I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline wearing off or just that I did not expect him to say that, but it eases the tension in my shoulders. Dean smirks, but I know he feels terrible; really, it wasn't his fault. Eli told me it wasn’t a good idea—I should have listened to him. I'm not so proud I can't see my own mistake in all this. I’m not sure how my life went from lonely in the city to this, but this is my new reality. While living in the city, I hadn't expected my past to catch up with me, but maybe that was just naive. I should have known. I should have prepared. I need to protect my daughter even if that means I give up my life for her. If this vision is a warning, I will listen; there is no time for me to be scared and run away. I need to come up with a plan. Maddie at least has a family more than me now; if nothing else, I can take comfort in knowing that.
I forget to text Eli, and I don't even think to look at my phone while holding Maddie’s hand all the way home. So when we pull up to Eli's office building, he is stomping out, ready to meet us. Dean hops out first, but I'm not ready to get out yet. Maddie has fallen asleep, and I can't take my eyes off her. The shape of her sweet round cheeks and little lips—it’s overwhelming, my love for my little girl. I didn’t really understand before how you could love something so much until I had her. I would die for her without a second thought. I can’t help the tear that escapes my eye; I'm really sick of crying. No matter what, I will protect her. I have to. The door on my side opens gently as I look up and into Eli’s eyes. My ability to hold back my tears is gone as I see the affection and care written across his face. He leans in and scoops me up, pulling me from the SUV. He turns me around so I can wrap my legs around him and hang onto his neck, crying into his shoulder.
He rubs his hand up and down my back, whispering, "It’ll be OK. Let’s get you girls inside.” I nod my head into his shoulder as I untangle my legs, and he sets me down. Walking around to the other side, Eli takes Maddie’s sleeping form into his arms and carries her to a side door of the office building, which leads to a short hallway into his office. After he places her in a pack-and-play he must have set up, we sit on the couch on the other side of the office. I curl up beside him and breathe in his unique scent.
“Where did Dean go?”
A rumble grows in his chest. “He left before I ripped him apart for leaving you alone.” Eli’s muscles tense under my hands.
“Don’t be angry at him…it’s my fault for insisting on going out. I should have listened to you.” He rubs my arm in a soothing motion.
“No, his job was to protect you with his life; he failed. He will be punished.”
I look up into his stormy eyes. I know I can’t ask him to give him special treatment; he is Alpha and must show strength, but it adds to my guilt. “Please, he really did protect us. He is a good Beta.”
“You are too kind, my lilac. Whether he is a good Beta or not doesn't matter. He risked your life for toothpaste; if I don't punish him, others will try and take advantage of me, too. Besides, right now, I'm not feeling too forgiving.” He kisses the top of my head. “But I will think about it.
“Now, tell me about the vision. Dean said you wouldn’t talk about it.”
“It’s not that I wouldn’t talk…it’s that I couldn’t. It was so horrible, Eli. So much carnage, so much blood.” I start shaking at the memory. “I knew Jake would try to come after me, but I thought he would come for me, not anyone else. It was at the pack house. A fire was burning inside, and wolves, half-alive and dead alike, covered the ground. I don’t even know who was on which side. I just knew that this was between Clearwater and Twilight Meadows. Whining from injured wolves filled my head, but that’s not what will keep me up at night…it was Maddie’s screams!” I’m crying all over again, reliving the nightmare of a memory.
“They took her, Eli. Into a truck, and they were going to drive away with my baby girl! I can’t let that happen. I will give myself up before I let that happen.” Eli twists me around to put me on his lap.
“No, you will not. I will protect you. I will kill him and anyone else who thinks they can take you or Maddie away from me.”
I feel the conviction in his words, and I wish I knew for sure that it would be OK, but the truth is that to avoid a war and the nightmare I saw, I need to do this. I need to be the one to protect her…to protect them both.
“I need you to stay in the house where you will be safe. This can’t go on any longer. He sent his pack to threaten my mate, and I will slaughter him for it.” He is trembling in anger, but I need him to understand that now isn’t the time.
“No, Eli! You can’t just storm over there and kill him. You will get yourself slaughtered. You may be one of the strongest Alphas in the area. Still, even you can’t take on hundreds of other shifters simultaneously. We need to wait, come up with a plan or something.” I try to snap him out of his rage, but I can see the war raging inside him. Destroy Jake for what he’s done, or stay with me…his mate…who he doesn’t want to hurt again. I take advantage of his guilt; maybe I shouldn’t, but I need him to calm down to do what I need to do. This time, I will do what is necessary.
