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“Hello, Scarlett,” Harlow whispers, kissing our daughter’s head. Thane gasps, and I choke at the name she gave her, knowing how much Thane’s sister meant to him.

“Can someone please get me off this table?” Harlow groans, arching her back.

Thane doesn’t move, staring in shock, like he can’t believe both of them are still here. So I move, scooping my arms under her, and Harlow tucks baby Scarlett closer. Glancing down, I see bright silver eyes peering back at me, and a full head of light brown hair, matted in blood.

“I’ll remove the door,” Thane says, rushing off to the basement door. I hear the sirens grow louder and know they are coming up the driveway. That was the longest ten minutes of my life.

Chapter Seventeen

Thane

After the EMTs leave, I get Harlow settled in the Den and make my way up the stairs. I hear Leo speaking quietly to Elaine.

“I suppose I should retake my seat and await my death upon my mighty throne,” Leo chuckles. Raidon growls at him as I climb the last three steps.

“Why?” Elaine asks. “I know you are part of Corbin’s pack and all, but after what you just did, I am sure all that can be forgotten.”

“Somehow, Elaine, I doubt Thane will suddenly forget I murdered his mother,” Leo tells her, just as I step into the hallway across from the kitchen. Leo turns his head toward me and moves to step past Elaine when he suddenly stops with a gasp. Raidon jumps. Leo’s eyes look down, and it takes me a second to process what I’m seeing.

Elaine gasps. I didn’t even see her move. One second, she is drying her hands on the tea towel. The next, she’s plunged a knife into Leo’s ribs. I watch Elaine stagger back. She’s shocked by what she’s done, as if stabbing him was a knee-jerk reaction, one she had no control over. Leo coughs, glancing down. I stand there stunned. I was supposed to kill him, but for some reason, I am struggling with the idea of him dying.

Raidon, sensing this, rushes over to him, grabbing tea towels and placing pressure on the wound. “Mom!” he growls, snapping Elaine out of her thoughts.

“He killed her,” she says, stunned. She blinks, taking a step back, and nearly falling over her own feet. I spring into action to catch her, the movement pulling me out of my own stunned state.

Once Elaine is steady, I move to help Raidon, which is something that shocks both Raidon and myself. Leo killed my mother, brutally murdered her, yet he saved my mate and my daughter. He saved them, and now I suddenly can’t bring myself to want him dead.

“Elaine, grab the first aid kit!” I snap at her. She rushes off while Leo clutches the countertop.

“Just rip the damn thing out. I’ll heal. Pretty sure she missed anything important,” he lets out with a pained wheeze.

“Help me get him to the chair,” Raidon says.

Growling, I grab his arm, tossing it over my shoulder. Raidon gets the other as we both grab a handful of his pants, hauling him out to the living room and the chair he used to be chained to.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! At least pull the damn knife out before I take my royal throne of death,” Leo hisses at me. With one quick yank, Raidon rips the knife out before replacing the pressure as Leo groans. Moments later Elaine rushes in, looking quite lost.

Raidon snatches the first aid kit from her, and she backs away while Raidon sets to work. Leo’s wounds heal slower than they normally would because of all the fighting today.

“Harlow?” Leo asks, clearly needing a distraction.

“She’s fine,” I tell him. I may not want to kill him, but I haven't forgiven him enough to make small talk.

“Move, let me do it,” Elaine snaps, seeing Raidon fumble. She pushes him aside.

“You don’t have another knife, do you? I expected that from him, not you, Elaine. You should be about saving lives, not taking them. Playing grim reaper doesn’t suit you.”

“I could say the same thing about you, Leo. Hana was my best friend,” Elaine says, still trying to process what she learned and clearly feeling just as torn as I am. Raidon restrains him again and stands back. I watch Elaine work for a few minutes before checking on my other mates. When I return, Elaine is still stitching Leo up and Raidon is questioning him.

“So, Bree is how Talon got involved with Corbin?” Raidon asks. They both look over at me as I move across the room, taking a seat in the armchair.

Harlow is in the Den. I still haven’t held our daughter. I tried. Harlow even offered her to me, but I am terrified of breaking her. Breaking her like I broke her mother.

“You’re looking rather conflicted there, Thane,” Leo states.

My eyes flick to the bastard who murdered my mother. His hands are once again restrained as Elaine patches him up. She, too, looks conflicted.

“Because killing you doesn't seem right anymore,” I growl, annoyed. I want nothing more than to destroy the person responsible for my mother's death, yet I know she would curse me for it after what he just did.