Chapter 16

Alpha Kate’s POV:

"Help Me!" I scream for Erick. I cannot let Jason die. This cannot be happening. He saved us from Liam. He does not deserve to die.

Belle walks over to Jason. She is looking at him oddly. Belle touches him and turns her head to the side. "He will be fine," she says. Belle walks out of the house to me.

"I will be right back, my love," I say to Kate. She nods her head and holds Jason.

I grab Jeremy and hold him up. I have to get him to the truck and then come back for Kate and Jason. Belle walks behind me as I drag Jeremy to the truck. John is ahead of me with Raven. Belle is humming as she walks behind me. I look back at her to make sure she is okay.

"I am fine, Daddy. Do not worry about me," Belle says and continues to hum as she walks behind me. I want to know more about the humming, but right now, I want to get Jeremy and Raven secured.

I shove Jeremy into the back of the truck with Raven. John and Bryan stand by with them. I look around for Tone and Ralph. Tone is helping Ralph into the cab of the other truck.

"Tone," I holler out to him. He finishes helping Ralph into the cab of the truck and comes over to me.

"Yes, Alpha," Tone says.

"I need you to help get these two secure. You will be riding with Kate and me. All of you watch Belle while I get Kate and Jason," I growl.

"Yes, Alpha." Tone says.

"John, you got this?" I ask him.

He steps down from the back of the truck. He has Raven and Jeremy secured, but I want all eyes on these two. Bryan gets into the back and sits with them.

"I got this. Go get Kate and Jason. I will watch Belle," John says.

As I walk away, Belle is humming louder. Raven and Jeremy begin to scream. I turn back to see Belle smiling at me. The humming only affects Raven and Jeremy, no one else.

I run to the cabin and rush through the door. Kate is still on the floor with Jason. "How is he?" I ask her.

Kate sobs. She is brushing his hair with her hands. "He is blinking, but he is still not out of it. He went through a lot to get rid of Liam and seal the realm," Kate says.

I kneel down beside her. "Is the realm closed, now?" I ask her.

She nods her head. "Yes. The Imperial power is gone. They cannot link with the realm anymore. The ancestors are gone, and that means maybe I can be normal," Kate says.

I do not think all the ancestorial Imperial abilities are gone. I think Belle has all of it inside her now. The look on her face, the humming, maybe this is what they wanted all along. That scares the hell out of me.

"Let me help you, okay. I will carry him for you," I say to Kate. I grab her by her upper arm and help her to her feet. She falls into my arms. She is still crying. "It is okay, my love," I say as I rub her back.

Kate breaks away from me and watches as I pick Jason up from the floor. He is limp as I carry him, but he is alive. Jason opens his eyes for a moment to see me moving him out of the house.

"Do not drop me, big fella," Jason says, then closes his eyes again.

Kate walks beside us. We put Jason in the back of the truck that Ralph is in, and she climbs into the back with him. "Kate, he will be okay," I say to her softly. She nods her head.

I leave her with Jason to check on Raven and Jeremy. Belle rushes to me. "He will be fine, daddy. Do not worry," She reminds me. She keeps saying that Jason is fine. I am not so sure.

"Come with me," I say to Belle. She takes my hand. I walk Belle back to the truck. John follows me. I help Belle into the back with her mother. She sits down beside Kate and takes her hand.

John and I watch her. "I want Tone to ride with me. You take Bryan. Drive Raven and Jeremy straight to the pack jail. I will be there as soon as I settle Kate, Jason, and Belle," I say.

"Yes, Alpha," John says.

John starts to walk back to the truck. "Lock them up separately. As far away from one another as possible. I do not want anyone talking to them for any reason. Lock them up and stand outside," I say.

John looks at me and shakes his head. "You think they might influence one of us?" John asks.

"I do not want to take any chances. I have no idea why they turned, John," I answer him.

"Yes, Alpha," John says.

John goes back to the truck. John and Bryan leave with Jeremy and Raven. As he drives away, I cannot help but wonder how I will break all of this to Meaghan. Raven's betrayal will destroy her. She does not deserve this. The last two men in her life have betrayed her pack. Meaghan loves her pack and always puts the pack first over herself. Maybe it is time she put herself first.

I check on Kate and Belle. They are both sitting in the bed of the truck. Jason is lying with his head on Kate's lap. "Do you want me to put Belle in the cab of the truck with me?" I ask her.

Belle smiles. "No, daddy. I have to stay with mommy and Uncle Jason," she says.

I get into the truck and crank it. Then I realize what Belle said. She said, Uncle Jason. Is he a brother to Kate? We can figure it out after we get him back to the house.

I drive straight to the house. Ralph does not say anything to me. He mumbles something under his breath occasionally and looks back at Jason, Kate, and Belle. Whatever he saw scared him. I bet he wishes he would have stayed out of this situation.

I pull into the house. The team of wolves that are guarding the house comes to the truck. "Help Kate. I will take care of Ralph," I say.

I get out of the truck and go around to open the door for Ralph. He steps out slowly. He stands on his own, a little shaky, but he is able to walk into the house. I stand close to him, making sure he can get inside. He sits down on the couch and falls asleep almost immediately.

Belle is the first one inside the house. She looks at Ralph sleeping. "When he wakes up, he will not remember anything," Belle says. She walks away humming.

"Where are you going, Belle?" I ask her.

She stops and turns around. "Bed, daddy. It is late," Belle says.

Belle walks to the stairs, waits a moment then goes up to her room. I hear the door close to her bedroom. I will check on her after I get Kate and Jason settled.

Tone carries Jason, and one of the other wolves, Demetri, helps Kate into the house. "Where do you want him?" Tone asks. He looks over at Ralph and then back to me. His eyes grow wide seeing Ralph sleeping.

"Take him to the back bedroom across from Meaghan. It is the one on the right," Kate says. Cassie's old room. No one has used it since Cassie left. She converted a room for Vivian upstairs close to the children. She will not let anyone use Cassie's room since she left.

Tone carries Jason to Cassie's old room. Demetri stays with Ralph. He looks him over. "He is fine. He needs sleep," I tell Demetri.

I go back to Cassie's old room. Kate is sitting beside the bed Jason is lying on, holding his hand. "He needs to wake up," Kate says.

"He will, Kate. Why did Belle call him Uncle Jason?" I ask Kate.

She shakes her head. "Because he is my brother. Not by Alexander. I know that much. He belonged to my mother, but I do not know who his father is," Kate answers me.

"Kate, I need to get things settled with Raven and Jeremy," I say.

Kate looks at me. "First, we need to talk to Meaghan. She needs to know everything," Kate says.

"We do not know everything," I say.

Kate begins to cry. "I do. I know everything. The realm showed me," Kate says.

I lean down and kiss her on the forehead. "I will talk to her before I leave," I say.

I close the door to Cassie's old room and walk across the hall to the room where Meaghan and her two babies are sleeping. I knock gently. She does not say anything or respond to my knocking on the door. I push the door open. I have to wake her and tell her what has happened. I turn on a lamp so I can talk to her. She is gone with the babies.