I could hear my heart beating in my chest. Sometimes I could hear Devon moving around in the bedroom. Sometimes David would move to glance down at me over his shoulder. It was dead silent. The calm before the storm, like my father always said. It felt like an eternity, but it was all probably only a few minutes. I tried to ignore the heat spreading through my body. My mind kept trailing off to what we did last night. It was hell but I also kept my mind from creating horrifying scenarios. What if one of them got killed?
“How are you doing, doll?” David called out softly for the fifth time.
I swallowed. “Fine.” I wasn’t going to tell him how scared I felt.
A loud growl from the bedroom had me falling silent. I gripped the knife tighter to my chest when I heard a soft thud. The silence lasted for only two seconds before a loud bang broke it. The cabin shook and for a moment I feared that the roof would collapse onto us. David cursed loudly.
“Take cover!” he suddenly yelled.
I gasped when he suddenly climbed into the tub with me. He tugged my head against his chest and wrapped his arms around my back. I felt more weight coming down on top of us. Soft fur brushed against my exposed skin. My body jerked when I felt the cold wet nose against my cheek. The weight shifted and then it came down fully over us. It felt like he was crushing me. I wanted to push at him and demanded that he get off, but they had to be in here with me for a reason right? As soon as the thought left my mind, I heard the explosion. The whole cabin shook harder than it had before.
The wolf growled against my ear. David’s arms tugged me closer against his chest. And then the only thing I could hear was the sharp ringing in my ears. I opened my eyes and wished I hadn’t. Thick clouds of smoke were slowly swirling around us. I fought the cough that wanted to escape. The body on top of us suddenly jerked. David sucked in a sharp breath.
“Can you carry her?”
A growl answered him.
“You’re faster on four legs that she’d be on two. Take her on your back and run. I’ll distract them.”
I reached out to clutch his shirt. There were a lot of things wrong with his plan, but before I could voice my concerns, we were moving. The weight on top of us disappeared. David grabbed my arms and tugged me up. I was lifted and then placed onto Devon’s back. I gripped the fur tightly when he moved. Turning my head, I watched through teary eyes and thick smoke as David moved out of the bathroom. In an instant gunshots filled the cabin. The sharp sound pierced straight through my heart.
“RUN!”
Devon didn’t hesitate. He instantly took off. I gripped him tighter with my legs and arms. Turning my head, I buried my face against his fur and tried to breathe through the sudden panic that gripped me. We couldn’t leave without David. We couldn’t leave him behind and run away.
Suddenly cool air assaulted my skin. The sounds of guns firing faded until I could hear nothing but the sound of Devon’s paws hitting the ground and his harsh breathing. I pressed my face tighter against his chest as a sob fell from my lips. It wasn’t right. We needed to go back and help him.
Devon slowed to a stop. He threw his head back and let out a loud howl. It was answered mere seconds later by another, and another. I raised my head and glanced around. I didn’t have to search for long. Wolves ran out of the trees and towards us. Devon growled making them freeze. He made a strange gesture with his paw and growled again. I didn’t understand what he was doing but his pack did. They took off running in the direction we came from.
I clutched him tighter when clawed hands suddenly gripped my hips from behind.
“Let him go.”
I recognized that voice. I glanced over my shoulder at Wrin. He tugged on my hips. He was helping me down. But the moment I was off Devon’s back, he turned and ran backs towards the cabin. I trashed in Wrin’s arms but he held on tightly. His low irritated growls did nothing to ease my struggling.
“Grab more men and head to the cabin. Hunters have attacked. Alert medical,” he ordered loudly. “Move!”
His grip on my waist tightened when he started moving again. I fell limp in his arms when the tip of his claws dug into the skin of my stomach. I refused to glance up. I didn’t care where he was taking me. The moment he turned his back, I’ll be running towards my mate to help them. Was David still alive? Had the men made it to him in time? Was he lying somewhere close to death? I glanced up when I was lowered to the floor.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Wrin warned before spinning on his heels and walking out of the door.
I raced forward to stop him from closing it, but I was too slow. The lock clicked in place a second later. I slammed my palms against the wood.
“Let me out! You have to let me out! Wrin, let me out!”
***
Someone was in the room with me. I could feel them hovering over me. My body tensed when a hand suddenly slid under my knees and another behind my back. Scruffy fur brushed my bare skin. I hadn’t realized how cold I was until I was hugged against the warm body. I shivered but made no move to cuddle closer to the warmth. Wrin’s familiar smell slowly drifted towards me.
“You locked me up,” I softly accused.
“If I hadn’t you would’ve tried to go back to the cabin. Locking you up in my room was the safest option. Nobody comes down here and they wouldn’t have heard you.”
“You didn’t have to lock me up.”
“I did.”
He started climbing stairs. Earlier I was too focused on Devon and David to realize where he was taking me. But no I was fully aware of the fact that we were in some kind of basement. Why the hell did he live in a basement? After a few minutes of hesitation, I reached up and wrapped my arm around his neck.
“Is everyone okay?”
“No one was injured. Your mates are hunting them.”
“Is it bad?” I questioned.
His hesitation made my stomach turn. “No.”
It was an outright lie, but I didn’t call him out on it because we were suddenly surrounded by pack members. I pressed my face against his neck. I could feel their stares and hear their whispers. They thought I was the cause of the hunters attacking. They thought it was all planned and that I was the informant. They saw me as a traitor and they wanted me punished for it. Because of my human blood, they see me as the enemy.
Wrin’s arms around me tightened. He suddenly stopped, leaving me no choice but to give in to the curiosity. I raised my head and turned to see what had made him stop. Four men blocked our path to the elevator. My eyes moved from one to the other. They had to be the same age as Devon and David.
“Move,” Wrin growled.
The man directly in front of us growled back. He uncrossed his arms and took a step forward. Bright blue eyes locked with mine. To my surprise, the four men turned and moved to surround us in a small half circle. Wrin’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly. I glanced up at him for reassurance, but he didn’t look at me. His attention was focused on someone who was moving towards us through the crowd. The path finally cleared, revealing his stepfather.
“Hand her over,” he ordered softly. “We have the right to take her and seek revenge for her betrayal.”
Wrin slowly lowered me to my feet and then used one arm to push me behind him. My eyes widened when the men stepped closer until we were almost touching. Blue eyes caught my gaze again and gave me a wink. I stared at Wrin’s back since he was too tall for me to see over his shoulder. My heartbeat increased. We were outnumbered. If they started a fight I’d be left no choice but to defend myself. It wouldn't end well for me at all.
“Valeria is in no way related to the Hunters, nor did she work with them,” Wrin spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “Your Alphas will back this up since they were with her the whole time. Smell her. It is clear that they have spent their time at the cabin mating.”
Low mummers drifted around the room. Some of the people turned and walked out. I realized that most of them were young—barely in their twenties. The room was half empty by the time they had all left. I caught sight of a few of them lingering near the doorways on high alert.
“You are no longer the leader of this pack. You no longer have a say in what happens to traitors or any other problematic members. You handed the title over to your son. If you feel the need to extort your power, then challenge Devon.” Wrin growled. “But I assure you, you will not walk away intact. You might not walk away at all.”
“How dare you!”
“How dare you!” Wrin growled. “How dare you accuse your Alpha Female of such treacherous deeds? I will be sure to take this matter up with the council. You are causing unnecessary trouble.”
“You—”
“Now if you’ll excuse us. My Luna is tired and would like to get some sleep.”
I was escorted back up to the top floor by five men. Wrin asked two of them to keep guard outside the door before he pushed me inside. He closed and locked the door behind him and then turned to me and ordered me to stay by the door.
He walked past me and disappeared down the hall. He reappeared five minutes later with a nod. After ordering me to stay away from the windows and not to leave, Wrin took a seat on the couch. I stood there for a few more seconds before I turned and headed to my bedroom. When were they going to return?
I decided to take a shower before joining Wrin in the living room. He refused an offer for something to eat or drink and told me that it would be a while before either of my mates returned home. That was his way of ordering me to head to bed. I was tempted, but not so much that I followed his order. Instead, I grabbed a pillow and a thick blanket from my bedroom and curled up on the couch. My eyes fluttered closed a few times but I forced them open. I wasn’t going to sleep until I knew that Devon and David were both okay.
***
“Shh, it’s me,” the deep voice soothed me. “Go back to sleep, baby.”
But sleep had long since deserted me. I reached out to rub the sleep from my eyes before glancing up at the face hovering a few inches above me. I sucked in a deep breath. Leaning forward, I pressed my nose against his skin and sniffed. All I smelled was sweat and outdoors. No blood or medicine. He was in one piece. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Devon pressed a kiss against my cheek.
“We’re okay.”
I could be dreaming. He felt real and he smelled real. But I just needed to make sure. I pulled my face away from his neck and turned my head. My lips searched and found his. They instantly parted for mine but he held still. I slipped my tongue into his mouth and stroked his. He groaned and slipped an arm around my waist to tug me against his chest. Pleasure shot right through me.
A whimper fell from my lips, I needed more. I needed to feel his warm skin against mine. I needed to feel him inside me. Where’s David?
“Shit,” I heard someone groan. “If you want me to stay then take all that to your bedroom.”
Devon growled. He pulled away and turned his head to whoever had spoken. I instantly started pressing kisses against his neck. His chest rumbled against mine. He suddenly stood and gripped my ass to pick me up. I wrapped myself around him as much as I could. Another voice had my head snapping towards it. My eyes found David. Nausea made my stomach turn. My body numbed when I took in his appearance. Dizziness hit. A strange sound fell from my lips.
“Hey.” My eyes snapped up to his when he stepped closer. “It’s not my blood. I promise you doll, I’m fine.”
My eyes dropped down to the blood on his chest again. How could it not be his? I wanted to go to him and make sure that he was unharmed, but Devon held me tightly. He started walking away even as I clawed at his shoulders. Devon carried me down the hall towards the master bedroom. He kicked the door closed and turned to walk into the bathroom. I glanced up when he lowered me to the floor.
Devon cupped my cheeks and gave me a small smile. “We’re tough, Val. The only way we’d go down is if we lose you, but I know that it’s never going to happen because no matter what, we will always be there to protect you.”
“And if you’re not?” I asked softly.
“One of us will always be around you.”
I nodded. All I wanted right now was them. I didn’t want to worry about all the other problems that were piling up. I didn’t want Devon and David to lose the trust of their pack because of me. I focused my attention on Devon. He set the temperature of the water before undressing. After pulling towels from the cabinet against the wall, he turned towards me to help me undress. There was no question whether I wanted to shower with him or not.
He handed me the soap and a washcloth and then he stepped under the water. After rinsing his body he stepped towards me. I washed every inch of his skin, including his hair. And then he washed me. When I was rinsing the soap from my body, the shower door slid open. David entered and closed the door softly behind him. His eyes locked with mine. I moved towards him. He opened his arms for me and I stepped right into them. Devon stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. His head dropped to my shoulder where he pressed a kiss.
For the first time in years, I was home and I never wanted to leave.