Chapter 43

Chapter 43
Chapter 43

Dex rushes to me and unties the ropes. I burst into tears when he takes me in his arms.
"I'm sorry," I say, sniffling. Only now does it dawn on me that it could have ended very differently. Dex rubs my back soothingly. "Shhhh, you're safe now," he whispers.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" he asks when I've calmed down a bit. I let him go and nod.
"Dex!" Bruce calls, alarmed from downstairs. He must have gone downstairs when Dex untied me. "Can you walk?" he asks, extending his hand. "I think so." I slowly stand up, and he starts to lead me out of the room. I look around the room; the walls and floor are covered in blood. 
"We can't just leave her here like this," I say, looking down at Vivian. "We'll deal with it later," is his answer, and I let him lead me downstairs. 
"Dex!" Bruce calls again. "He's gone!" Dex curses under his breath. "Are you sure?" Dex asks as we enter the room. It looks like a battlefield. Which it actually is. Tables are shattered, glass and blood cover the floor; it's a complete mess. From across the room, a groan sounds, and then Reece's head emerges. His face, too, is covered in blood. I scan the room. "Where's Ronan?" I ask worried.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Reece groans, and Bruce runs over to support him. Just then, Ronan jogs in through the back door, or at least what's left of it. 
"I lost him," he gasps. "Please tell me we got that woman," Reece says. Dex and Bruce nod. "Yeah, she's dead. Dex took care of that."  Bruce answers. "We did it together," Dex says. "Bruce caught her off guard by shooting her in the shoulder." He clarifies when he sees Ronan's questioning look. "That bitch had some pretty strong magic. Without Bruce, I don't know if I could have handled her," he says honestly. "Wait a minute," Reece calls, disbelieving and confused. "You shoot your mate?" His eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. "Just to wound. But yeah." Bruce answers coolly. "Damn, that must have taken some willpower," Ronan mutters. Bruce shrugs. "I'd already accepted that she wanted nothing to do with the mate bond."
For a moment, a hint of pain crosses his face, and I feel for him. In a split second, it vanishes, and he says, "What now?" as he looks around. As if he's only just now noticing the devastation. No one says anything.
"We're going home, getting some rest, and we'll figure it out tomorrow," Dex finally says. The men start to walk outside. 
"Wait! What about Vivian?" I ask. 
"What if the residents come back? They're already coming back to a house that's been vandalized. Are we really going to let them come home with a dead body in one of the bedrooms?" The men exchanged a quick glance. "Seriously?" I exclaimed, somewhat shocked. "You don't think we'll get in trouble for this? Your blood's everywhere, the police will be at your door in no time, and then you'll be arrested for murder!" My voice rose, half-panicked because I can’t understand how they could be so reckless. Dex takes my hand. "You don't have to worry. At least half the police staff are our own. I'll brief them in a moment," he said reassuringly. "As for the rest, I don't think anyone lives here. It looks more like a safe house." I’m not sure if I believe that last part, and I look around skeptically. 
"And if anyone does live here, they've been away for a long time. The only smell in here is Alex and Vivian's." Bruce adds, clearly seeing that I'm not convinced.
"Are you sure?" I ask finally. "Yes, Bruce is right. Please don't worry. Let's go home. To Claire." That last part convinces me.

It's quiet in the car. The men are staring outside, probably looking out for Alex.
"Are you okay?" I ask Bruce, gently placing a hand on his knee. I feel Dex stiffen next to me, and I gently squeeze his hand with my other hand, hoping the message is clear, that he doesn't have to worry. He puts an arm around me and pulls me close. I roll my eyes. "Bruce?" I say when he doesn't respond to my question. He looks up. "Hmm?" He glances briefly at the hand on his leg, and I quickly pull it back. "Are you okay?" I ask again.
He smiles. "Yeah, don't worry." His eyes say, but he clearly doesn't want to talk about it, so I let it go and nod with a small smile. Hoping he'll be ready to talk to me soon. I know we hurt him, even though he understands we can't do anything about it. And I hate it. I hope I haven't lost him as a friend because of this. I hope he'll let me be there for him now that he's officially rejected his partner. I've heard that really hurts you, even if you're the one who did it.
I snuggle into Dex's embrace, and he kisses the top of my head.

When we arrive back at the packhouse, it's quiet and everyone seems asleep. The only one still awake is the omega watching Claire. She rushes out before we've even gotten out of the car.
"Oh my goddess! What happened?!" she calls from the doorway. "Don't worry, Thal, we're okay," Reece says casually, putting an arm around her. She blushes. "Keep it in your pants, Reece." Dex grunts, and with a sigh, he removes his arm. With her gaze fixed on the ground, she scoots forward. "She hasn't been awake for a moment," she says, handing me the baby monitor.
"Thank youfor watching her," I say. "Of course, no problem. Everything for the future, Luna," she says hastily, her gaze still fixed on the ground.
"What? Who told you that?" I ask, shocked, even though there's only one person she could have heard it from. Hearing my surprise, she finally looks up, her face a mirror image of mine.
"Oh, sorry... I..." she stammered. "Isn't it true then?" Her shock gives way to disappointment. Dex and I exchange doubtful looks. "Yes, it is," Dex says, breathing a sigh of relief. "But the question is, how do you know that?" Dex asks.
"Oh, Lucy came shortly after you left." She'd clearly been crying, so of course I asked what was wrong, if there was anything I could do for her. And then she told me," she says. Dex raises an eyebrow. "Lucy told you Lilly is going to be my Luna?" He sounds skeptical. "Well... not in those words. She was pretty upset." She glances at me briefly. "She said some not so nice things," she adds reluctantly.
"What did she say?" Dex asks, frowning, and I can tell she doesn't really want to answer. "Uhm..." Her eyes dart from me to Dex. "Thalia, what did she say about your Luna?" Dex sounds angry, and I feel sorry for her. I put a hand on his arm. "Dex, it doesn't matter. Lucy is hurt; we hurt her. It's only natural she'd react like that. Whatever she said, she probably didn't mean it." I try to soothe him.
Thalia doesn't know where to look, and when Dex nods, I thank her again for babysitting and wish her a good night. She quickly leaves, probably afraid that Dex will change her mind and still want to know what Lucy said.
"I could use a beer," Ronan says, trying to ease the tension. "Yeah, me too," Reece chimes in, and we walk inside.

We sit in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, fatigue hits like a ton of bricks. "I have to go to bed. Clair will be waking up in a few hours," I tell the rest as I stand up. Without waiting for an answer, I head towards the stairs. I raise my eyebrows as Dex walks beside me. "I know the way, you can stay downstairs," I tell him, but he shakes his head. "Not a chance." His tone leaves no room for discussion.
I stop at my door. " See you tomorrow then?" I say hesitantly, but he looks at me intently, opens the door, and walks inside. "Uhm, what are you doing?" I ask, a little confused. "You didn't think I'd leave you alone after tonight, did you?" He walks toward the bathroom, and after glancing at the sleeping Claire, I follow him, still a little confused.
Part of me is happy, relieved that I won't be alone after tonight. But I'm also nervous. What if he wants to complete the mating bond? I don't know if I'm ready for that, at least not tonight. And certainly not with Claire in the room.
I hear the water running and follow him.
"Relax, we're taking it slow. I promise I'll try not to do anything. Let me take care of you." He pulls me further into the bathroom. "Try?" I ask teasingly, raising an eyebrow, and he chuckles. He holds up his hands, laughing. "I'm just a man," he says with a grin, and I roll my eyes. He takes my hands again. "But I'm serious. Just let me take care of you tonight." His eyes tell me it's not just for me, but that he needs it for himself too.
I nod and let him help me remove my clothes. Standing naked before him, I'm overcome with uncertainty, but then I remember his look at the lake. How he looked at me in my bikini, and the feeling fades. I return the favor. For a few seconds, we stand naked, facing each other. He runs his hands over my arms, and I step into the shower. I hiss as the water flows over the small wounds on my wrists. He brings my wrists to his mouth and kisses them softly. As soon as he steps in, the water turns red. I grab a sponge and soap and begin washing him silently. The only sound is the splashing of water on our bodies and the floor. When I'm finished, he does the same to me. Slowly, and with a tenderness I hadn't expected, he moves the sponge over my body. Memories of my time with Brent are surfacing. A mixture of sadness and gratitude brings tears to my eyes. Sadness for my loss. Brent certainly wasn't my first love, but he was my greatest. Grateful for the fact that I get to experience such unconditional love once again.