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He holds onto me until Sebastian steps up with a steaming cup of coffee and taps me on the shoulder to get my attention before handing it to me.
“Thank you,” is all I say before I take a small sip of the yummy goodness.
Breakfast continues in silence, each of us thinking about what’s coming. I spend the time worrying over Chelle and wracking my brain as to what loss she is talking about, praying it isn’t my daughter. There’s no way I could ever come back from that.
I’ve spent the last thirty minutes sliding the food around, back and forth, on the plate Sebastian made for me. I could only stomach a few bites before I felt sick. Each of the guys cast worried glances my way, quickly turning away when I look at them.
“Okay, that’s enough. Let’s go get our daughter and spend the afternoon with her. I want her safely in that bunker well before sundown,” Maverick announces as he scoots his chair back and stands up. I can’t help but notice he barely ate anything either as he scrapes the remnants of what's left on his plate in the trash before he sits it in the sink. Coming back and picking mine up from the table, he does the same.
My excitement to see Chelle takes over and outweighs the negative thoughts trying to flood my mind. Jumping up, I rush over to him and wrap my arms around him, catching him off guard as he turns from the sink.
“Why don’t we all go get her, take her to the park and grab a late lunch before we take her back to Janey so they can be in the bunker before it gets late? I want to ensure she’s safely inside.” Turning to Sebastian as he speaks, I see the guys all nod their heads in agreement.
The day was amazing, but knowing what was to come still hung in the back of my mind, keeping me from truly enjoying my time with Chelle. Leaving her with Janey and the others, even though I knew she was in good hands, ripped my heart to pieces. Knowing it could be the last time I see her, that I could die in the fight because there was no way in hell he was getting his grubby hands on me again.
I cried the entire ride home. Fighting it at first, trying to be brave, but the tears won out and burst from my eyes like a broken dam.
“It’s going to be okay, babe. We’re going to win. Maverick’s dad will no longer be a problem for our family, and we’ll rush back here to get our little girl.” Damien’s words soothe me but don’t take away the fear I have that what my woods woman said will come true. I can’t lose anyone.
“Let’s get some rest; we can take a nap or crash in the living room and just watch a movie. We don’t want to wear ourselves out training. Once it’s closer to time, we’ll get ready and meet with everyone. We start with a manned patrol of the outer borders with mixed supernaturals keeping everyone else in the field where we hope to keep the shit show contained. Less chance for any unsuspecting human to see.” Ryder's voice never falters, a true example of a leader, an Alpha.
Giving him a muffled okay, I lay my head on Hunter's shoulder, allowing the vibrations of the truck to soothe me as we finish the last couple of blocks to our home. Pulling into the driveway, we all slowly pile out of the truck and trudge inside.
Beba, Miles, Miguel, and Landry are all in the living room when we step through the front door of the house. They’re cuddled up on the couch together and my heart melts at seeing her so happy. She’s been such a good friend and I’ve never forgotten how much she gave up in her childhood to spend time with me.
Beba looks up at the commotion from us coming inside, catching me staring at her with tears in my eyes. “Is everything okay? Something happen to munchkin’?” she frantically asks as she jumps up from where she was sitting, knocking Miles over into Miguel.
“She’s fine. I’m just so happy I have a friend like you,” I blubber as she rushes to me, wrapping me in a hug. She holds me there for a couple of minutes before she pulls away.
“Okay girl, I know that tensions are high right now, but are you on your period, or are you pregnant? Those are the only two times you’re this emotional.” Her face spreads into a large smile before she begins jumping up and down, squealing in excitement.
“What’s all this about?” Sebastian’s pointing his arms in Beba’s direction, doing a circular motion around her.
Beba shoots daggers at him before doubling over in a fit of laughter. She finally calms down enough to get out a few words between snorts, “This is a fucking precious. You guys have no clue. I’ll let it be a surprise to you. Come on boys, let's go to my room,” she calls out to her men.
Beba turns, leaving the room with them following close behind her, snorting like a pig the entire way out of the room and up the stairs until I couldn’t hear her anymore.
“What is she going on about?” Sebastian’s eyebrow raised as he asks me and I can tell he’s trying to figure out what she was implying.
“Nothing, she’s just full of it. So what movie are we watching? I’ll get the snacks while y’all pick it out.” I rush out of the room before they can even get the chance to respond.
Once I’m in there, I place my hands on the counter and take a deep breath, taking in Beba’s words. Could I be? I haven’t had my period, but I’ve been under so much stress. It’s something to think about another day. Today, for the little time we have left, I’m going to enjoy being happy with my guys. Tonight, this comes to an end. One way or another.
Chapter 21
Ryder
Lookingoutatallthe brave men and women before me, I’m proud to call this town my home and these people, my family. I was overwhelmed by the mass of support we received from the vampire, fae, and witches. A lot of that support came from the families of Sebastian, Damien, and Tala.
“Okay, people, listen up. We don’t know that it’s happening tonight, but from our source, it sounds like it will. We’ve already sent out teams that will be patrolling the borders of the pack lands. We wanted to draw them here for a reason. This is our home, so the advantage will be here. With us. Killing isn’t what we enjoy doing in our pack, but in this case, it’s what will happen. They’ve left us with no choice. If his life and his followers are spared, then they will keep coming back. You see, they want my mate and our daughter to take their magic from them for themselves and allow evil to prosper while good is snuffed out. We can’t let that happen and we appreciate each and every one of you fighting alongside us tonight.”
A chorus of hootin’ and hollerin’ comes up from the crowd in front of me. Turning to look at Shay, I see how taken aback she is by the love and support she’s receiving. She’s worried. I can tell by the way she’s been wringing her hands together and chewing on her lip, especially the closer it comes to sundown.
“Okay everyone, if there are no final questions, then head to your positions and stay alert.” I wait, but no one speaks up, they just hurriedly move to where we have them stationed for the fight to come. We’d done it strategically, ensuring that we had a mixture of supernaturals in each spot.
Stepping over to where the guys and Shay are along with Beba and what I’ve now come to call her men and the others who aided in her rescue. I can see she’s getting nervous. She had expressed to Beba in a conversation I’m ashamed to say I overheard, that she’s scared she’s going to let us down and not be able to control her powers. That’s the furthest thing from the truth. There is no way in this world she could ever do that.
“Hey, babe. Are you ready?” I pull her to me, out of the arms of my brother.
