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“I love you, Cory. I’m so thankful you’re here with me. I would’ve died if something happened to you,” she whispered.
“I’m not going anywhere. I will always be there to protect you,” I swore, sealing my promise with another kiss. After a while, I stood and went into the bathroom, running a washcloth under warm water to clean her before we fell asleep again in each other’s arms.
The following morning, Bells had a meeting with her pack to let them know of all the decisions that were made yesterday. No one took the news very well when they found out the council was only sending them a few guards, and they were only slightly mollified when she informed them Crescent Moon and Guardian Moon would be providing more and Evergreen explained his plan for their security.
By noon, there was still a lineup at her door asking to be transferred to a relative’s pack. I understood some of their worries. We hadn’t found the Beta yet, and everyone had lost more than one friend or loved one. Their financial future wasn‘t guaranteed with the loss of several acres of grapes. A lot of knowledge and experience was lost in the attack as the toll of life rose. Three-quarters of the survivors were the women and children who had taken refuge in the pack house, leaving the pack bereft of warriors and men in general.
I was conflicted. Everything in my bones told me Bells should come home, but I didn’t know if it was my gut or my yearning to have her back. I felt like I was missing something, a reason why she needed to come back with me that I could articulate to convince her. Without it, all I could do was respect her need to prove herself.
I still had to give it a try, though, so at the end of the day, I walked into her office.
“Hey Bells, what’s the damage?”
“About eighty-five people want out. Most have family elsewhere, so it shouldn’t be too hard to relocate them,” she said with a sigh, looking down at the pile of files on her desk.
“What’s that going to leave you with?”
“A little over a hundred and fifty,” she answered.
“Bells...” I trailed off not knowing what to say to convince her staying here was a mistake.
“I can do this, Cory. I just need to get things sorted around here and find fucking Hugh.” Her lip trembled, and she looked through some documents on her desk so I wouldn’t see her blink back tears.
“Have you tried to contact your mother-in-law yet?” I asked instead, sighing.
“She left me a voice message, but I haven’t listened to it.”
“Is everything alright there, Bells?” I needed to know what kind of situation I was potentially leaving my twin in. I already felt like she wasn’t telling me everything, but I couldn’t push her when she was so far away from me. It would only widen the gap between us.
“We’re not friends, Cory. But not everyone gets as lucky as you do with the in-laws.” She smiled wryly.
“Nothing connects you to her now,” I pointed out.
“Except a pack.”
“What if you come back to Crescent Moon?” I saw my opportunity.
“I can’t leave, Cory.” Bells crossed her arms, reclining back on her seat, a stubborn look I knew too well settling on her face.
“Why not, Bells? We have the room. We can bring everyone home,” I begged her, but she only seemed to get angry at my request.
“This is home now, Cory. The Moon Goddess sent me here, and I need to see this through. The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes. That’s what you told me, remember?” she threw my words at me.
“Bel—”
“No. My decision is made. You can help me, or you can walk away, but I’m not shirking my responsibilities. I can do this.” There was so much desperation on her face that all I could do was get up and hug her.
“You’re always going to have me with you Bells. Always.” I whispered in her ear.
Uncle Helios, Aunt Nat, Uncle Lalo, Aunt Kassie and all the cousins left the following day. Mom and Dad left with Violet the day after that. Violet was letting Dad and I near her now, but she couldn’t stand to be around other men but Christopher yet, so I sent him back with them so he could help keep Violet feeling safe. She didn’t do well alone, and Dad couldn’t keep an eye on her 24/7. She had a long road ahead, and Mom had already set her up with the pack’s therapist to begin her healing.
Evie and I spent a week at Redmon Moon before we finally headed home. Evergreen and Valeria stayed behind a bit longer while Evergreen continued to set up security around the borders.
Bells’ mother-in-law showed up two days before we left, and she was so overwhelmed with grief that the woman was still on bed rest by the time we left.
Jo came to pick us up, and I left him and Meli with Bells for another couple of weeks so he could help her organize. I promised Bells we would return and help her with the grape harvest in a month. I was planning on bringing anyone willing to volunteer with me. If my sister wanted to prove something to herself, I would help her get there or at the very least give her the means to come home with her head held high, knowing she didn’t quit.
Two days after we got home, we went to Blue Moon for the full moon and Areli’s Luna Ceremony. The escort was not as heavy as in previous months, but we were still taking precautions. While the Vegas casino was shut down, I wanted to ensure they were far away from us.
