Page 62 of Freed

“They’ll be fine,” Maddox says. “They’re just running off some steam.” But he doesn’t need to tell me that because they both tell me individually through the pack bond.

“Sorry, angel. I need to run to settle my wolf. I won’t be long. Stay indoors.”

“I’ll be back soon, pretty girl. Love you.”

“Love you,” I tell them all through the bond as I settle back against Maddox.

He tucks my head under his chin and holds me tightly. I close my eyes as Hunter and Gage take their seats on either side of us.

Even without speaking of specific events that caused all that pain and torture I went through, I feel a bit raw and unnerved. Being surrounded by them soothes me, and when Maddox’s chest starts to rumble, it helps me even more.

“Are you purring?” Hunter asks, making Maddox stop. I tilt my head up to him, placing my hand on his chest.

“I like it.”

“I read about it in the book,” Gage tells us. “It’s called an alpha purr, and it’s done to soothe your mate.”

I nod as I tell them, “It is soothing.” Instantly, Maddox starts purring again, and I try to snuggle even closer, letting the sound and his scent sink deep inside me. Someone puts on a sitcom on the TV as we settle back on the couch.

Although sleep doesn’t come, I’m just happy to be here with my mates. And if I want to check on Bain and Chase, I just have to look inside to see how they’re feeling. Their anger and rage are starting to lessen now, and that helps me relax even further.

I just hope that we can soon find a way to end Blaze and stop this once and for all. I’m ready to live my happily ever after. And for that to happen, he needs to be out of the picture… for good.

Chapter 22

Hunter

Iplay with strands of Cherry’s hair as I stare at the TV. I’m not even sure what we’re watching, and my mind is somewhere else completely. Being reminded of what Cherry went through, and that one of the people responsible is still out there, plagues me.

I need Blaze dealt with. We all do.

Glancing over, I see Gage furiously typing away on his laptop. Hopefully, he finds something. Needing to get out of my head a little bit, I ask, “Any ideas, Gage?”

He looks up at me, his eyes wide. Then he glances at Cherry.

“What is it?” she asks, sitting up a little. She must sense something in him because he slowly turns back to his screen as he licks his lips.

“I think I found a way to defeat him.”

“Really? How?” I ask, leaning closer and resting my chin on Cherry’s shoulder.

“As you know, Maddox took one of Dr. Jay’s notebooks from the lab. I scanned the pages and converted them to text so I could search them more easily.”

Of course he did, I think with amusement.

“It talks about what he did to Blaze to turn him into—Well, whatever he is. Anyway, I’ve been researching everything about what he did, and I think… I can reverse it.”

We all just stare at him in stunned silence for a moment before Maddox finally speaks. “Really? You’ve never played with chemistry before, are you sure?”

Gage glances back at his laptop and nods with a little more confidence in himself. “Yes, I can do this.”

“You’re amazing!” Cherry says, leaning forward to throw her arms around him.

“Seriously, that’s amazing,” I tell him with a smile.

Cherry pulls back as Gage goes into some details that explain further, but we don’t understand. “I need a few supplies, but I think I can have it done within a couple of days. I might even be able to make enough that we can all keep it on hand.”

“We’re back,” Chase says through the bond right before the backdoor slides open. Chase and Bain walk in, completely naked, since the clothes they were wearing are currently lying in shreds around us. Chase winks at Cherry as they head down the hall, presumably to get dressed.