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A shudder went through Muriel, but she shook it off and pasted on a smile Helen knew was forced.
“Turns out one of those elders helped plan the attacks on our den.”
Helen took that in. Her family had been attacked, but they weren’t part of the Holloway den. Why had they been targeted? Or had they? Had they been caught in a trap that had never even been set for them? God, she needed to find her family. See if any of them had survived. She’d wanted to find her sister first, but what if Hadley hadn’t survived? She had to make all of them a priority. If her brothers were alive, they’d help the Holloways with the recovery of those taken. They’d search the entire world to find Hadley. Hadley had been only fifteen years old when they’d been attacked. God, she’d be twenty-one now. A young woman. What had she faced at the hands of the monsters who’d taken her?
“Are you okay?” Muriel asked, running the now empty shopping bag through her fingers.
Helen wiped the tears from her face.
“Do you know where my mate is?” she asked instead of answering.
“I think he headed to the cabin where they’re holding the prisoners they’ve taken,” Muriel offered. “They’re under heavy guard.”
“Fletch is guarding them?”
“More than likely, he’s questioning them. The den enforcers have been interrogating the few men they took alive, trying to get as much information as they can from them.”
Fletch was an enforcer for Laramie Holloway and the den. He’d said they were like family. She’d seen the easy relationship between the men when they’d been in the kitchen together. Still, male bear shifters were highly protective of their mates and families, but enforcers, much like their alpha, tended to take that protection to the extreme.
Helen jumped up, shoving off the sheet as she reached for the clothes Muriel had laid out for her. She made quick work of pulling them on. The jeans were a little loose at the waist, but there was a belt included, so she tightened it to help keep them in place. She ignored the bra, not wanting it against the bruises and cuts still healing on her skin. Instead, she pulled on the long-sleeved T-shirt before sitting and reaching for the socks and shoes provided for her.
“Eat first,” Muriel ordered, pointing at the tray. “Then I’ll show you where to find him.”
Helen reached for the plate, eating the eggs, bacon, and toast faster than she should have. She got a little teary when she finally noticed the two cups of milk on the tray. Fletch must have done that for her after noting how much she’d enjoyed it during their snack. Finishing the second glass and setting it aside, she stood once more.
“I’m ready.”
“We’ll have to be sneaky on our way out. The males get a little crazy with the protection around here.”
“What do you mean crazy?” Helen asked.
“The Holloway den lost most of their females during the attacks. A few have shown up from the Langston den, now that Emersyn is here and mated to Laramie, but not enough. With the female bear shifters still at such low numbers, the men tend to go overboard with the need to protect those of us here. I think they’d wrap us in bubble wrap and keep us hidden if they could, but Jemma won’t let them.”
Muriel grinned at that disclosure before continuing.
“She was the one there when you were found,” Muriel added. “She keeps everyone on their toes and maybe, drives them all a little crazy with her shenanigans. Emersyn has a soft spot for her now, though, so Jemma gets away with most of it.”
Muriel picked up the tray. “We’ll just head to the kitchen and put these in the dishwasher then continue out to the backyard. We can get where we need to go from there.”
This time, Helen paid close attention as they went downstairs and through the large house. She noted the front door but followed Muriel as she led her through a dining room with several tables in it. Some had people still sitting at them, but Helen made a point of not meeting any of the eyes she felt on her and Muriel. She heard the argument as they pushed into the kitchen she’d been in last night or earlier this morning when she’d had cookies and milk.
“Am I a prisoner then? Is that what you’re saying?”
“You know you’re not a prisoner, Jemma, so knock it off.”
The woman in question crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the hulking male facing off with her.
“I’m either free to come and go as I want or I’m a prisoner. You can’t have it both ways, Brock.”
“I’m not having this argument with you again. God knows, I have better things to do.”
Helen didn’t think he caught the hurt in the other woman’s gaze. She wouldn’t have caught it if her attention hadn’t been focused on Jemma.
“Look who’s up and around!” Muriel called excitedly, a little too excitedly for Helen to think it had anything to do with her. More than likely, Muriel was trying to diffuse the palpable tension between the other two people in the room.
Brock Holloway turned to glance at her. He looked so much like the other Holloways she’d met she had no doubt he was one of the brothers. She knew there were seven of them but didn’t know all of their names.
“It’s good to see you, Helen,” Brock offered, forcing the scowl from his face. “I’ll let Fletch know you’re awake.”
