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“How did you two know to come here?”
“Sam knew. She just got up and walked out the front door, practically running over here. I had to follow her because when she gets like this, it’s basically a bit like she’s sleep walking. Honestly, she can’t really hear or see us right now - Amara’s in the same position,” Luke explained. I nodded slowly, hating this whole thing.
“Alright, well how long do you think they’re going to be in there?”
“At least another hour or so. It can take pretty long for them to go through the vision and message from the Goddess. Let’s make some coffee for them while we wait,” Luke suggested, gesturing toward the kitchen area. I took one last look at Amara, wanting more than anything to go in there and be with her, but knowing that Luke was right. It didn’t look like either of those girls needed me around, so I followed him into the mini-sized kitchen that was off the living room.
We got a large pot of coffee made and poured two cups. We settled down on the small table that was squished into the wall, waiting for the girls to make their way over to us. I couldn’t hear anything but their rhythmic breathing and the pounding of their hearts. I had to settle myself that it was enough for now.
I cleared my throat, turning to Luke. I hated to ask him for a favor, especially with the way I had acted when we first got here, but this wasn’t something I really had a choice in. It was necessary. “Luke, I’m going to need to go for a run soon. My wolf is normally on edge and the last few days - along with everything that’s happened during them - has made it even worse.”
Luke snorted. “I can tell. We’ll go for a run as soon as we can get the girls settled. Sound good?”
I nodded, appreciating his willingness to help me get my wolf under control. We fell silent as we waited for the girls to finish whatever they were doing. I couldn’t stop myself from shaking my leg in an attempt to curb my anxiety. I could tell it annoyed Luke to no end, but he didn’t say anything about it. It was almost an hour later, on the dot, that I heard the girls start to murmur to each other. I glanced at Luke and he nodded. I shot out of my seat and almost sprinted to the room.
Sam walked out with Amara right behind her. “Amara!” I cried, gathering her up in my arms. I buried my head in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent deeply. She gasped in my arms, but melted into my embrace. I squeezed her tightly and didn’t want to let her go. She started giggling and I was so happy to hear that sound that I tightened my grip.
“Dean, I’m okay, but I won’t be if you don’t stop trying to squish me in half!” Amara laughed. I loosened my grip, letting her feet lower to the floor, but not allowing her to move away from me. My wolf wasn’t going to let me get any further than a few inches from her right now. I eased back a bit, but kept my arms wrapped around her waist.
“What happened? Are you okay?” I rushed out. Amara looked up at me with a soft smile, looking amused. She nodded.
“I’m okay. There’s a lot to explain, but honestly, I’m exhausted. I need to knock out for a few hours. Do you mind if we go through everything that we learned in the morning?”
I nodded. “Of course. We made you guys some coffee in the kitchen. Do you want a cup?”
She smiled at me - a real smile, but shook her head. “No, I would like a cup of water though. I’m going to head to bed right away and coffee would not be conducive to a good night’s sleep for the rest of the night.”
I nodded again. I gripped her hand and walked her into the kitchen, helping her sit in the chair I had vacated when she came out of the room. I walked over to the counter and grabbed a cup, filling it with ice and cold water. I set it gently on the table and watched her eagerly gulp down a few swallows of the water.
“Let’s get you two into bed,” Luke said, ushering the two girls back into the room. They climbed into the bed, holding hands like the best of friends. I frowned, a bit confused as to how they seemed so close already, but I wasn’t going to argue. Amara needed a friend to support her in this journey.
Luke stepped out and closed the door behind him, turning to me.
“Let’s run.”
22
Luke
I fucking hated the idea of leaving Sam alone, unprotected, but I knew there was no way I could get her back to my cabin tonight. She needed to be with Amara. I kept glancing behind us at the house, not totally sold on leaving Sam and Amara alone. I didn’t get a chance to spend much time dwelling on my thoughts. Dean shifted in front of me, not even bothering to take off his clothes. His wolf shook his fur out and growled a bit, looking up at me with an impatient stare I knew all too well.
I sighed, shaking my head. I pulled the shirt over my head and called my own wolf forward. He eagerly pushed ahead, causing the shift to start. It was a quick transformation, my own wolf shaking and stretching as the shift finished. Dean looked over his shoulder at me, sneezing with impatience. My own wolf just shook his head, ignoring him. I huffed out a breath and started loping toward the forest. Dean followed closely behind me.
A few of my pack watched with shrewd and perspective gazes as we moved through the town. Jake slid into our miniature formation, sticking close to my other side. I watched as a few of the pack members who had shifted were looking closely at Dean. I sent them all a command to stand down. I knew that Dean had pissed them off when he and I had our fight, but we didn’t need the crown coming to investigate us. We were already dealing with intruders trying to figure out how we protect our lands. If they ever figured it out, Sam would be in incredible danger. My wolf let a low snarl loose, his lip curling over his canines and slober dripping from his mouth as we moved quickly to the forest, picking up the pace.
We sprinted for what felt like hours. I kept us moving as fast as I dared. I had to wear my wolf out to keep from sprinting back to Sam’s side and I knew that Dean needed to get some of his emotions out too. When I felt like we had run enough of our anger and frustration out, I slowed down near a small clearing that was on the edge of the town. We needed to get some rest and be back to normal before we walked back into the town. Dean was on everyone’s shit list right now and I didn’t want him to be walking into a situation where he couldn’t protect himself because he wore himself out too much.
“What are we doing here?” I glanced over to see that Dean had shifted back and was standing in front of me, naked and out of breath. I pulled my wolf back, my bones rearranging with painful snaps as I shifted back. I sucked in deep breaths, keeping my exhaustion hidden, although I spotted Jake clock it and moved closer to me.
“We’re resting up for a bit,” I explained.
“Why? I want to get back to Amara. I don’t like being away from her for so long,” Dean scowled. I rolled my eyes.
“Dean, I know you want to get back to Amara. It’s not a fucking secret and it’s definitely not one you could ever fucking hide, but right now, we’re resting here for a bit. I don’t want you walking through my pack unless you’re at your full strength,” I explained, trying not to throttle him. Jake’s annoyance rolled off of him - which made him easy to read, even if we weren’t pack mates. I huffed out a breath, running a hand through my hair in an attempt to stop the urge to smack the shit out of him.
Jake shifted, pulling Dean’s attention away. I had always been grateful for his timing and ability to read my needs. He was the best beta a guy could ask for. He gripped Dean’s shoulder, shaking him a little. “You know how this works. You may feel good now, but your wolf just went for an intense run. You need to chill for a bit. Just hang out for a bit and talk to us,” Jake said.
Dean sighed, running a hand down his face. He plopped down on the ground, looking absolutely miserable. I felt for him. I knew exactly how it felt to be in his situation.
