Chapter 164: The Empty Nest
Sierra's POV
The house felt dead without him.
I walked into the nursery and stared at the empty crib. The blue blankets were still there. The stuffed wolf Adrian bought. The mobile that played soft music. Everything was waiting for a baby who wasn't coming home.
My chest hurt so bad I couldn't breathe. I picked up the blanket and held it to my face. It still smelled like Alexander. Like milk, baby powder and home.
"Sierra." Adrian's voice came from behind me. Soft like I might break if he spoke too loud.
"I can't do this." I dropped the blanket. "I can't pretend I'm okay when my baby is gone. When I don't know if he's crying, sleeping or if he misses me."
"Lena texted an hour ago. He's fine. Eating well. Sleeping." Adrian pulled me close. "He's safe. That's what matters."
I pushed him away. "Don't tell me what matters. You're not the one who carried him for nine months. You didn't feel him kick. You didn't bring him into this world just to send him away two days later."
The words were mean. But I couldn't stop them or stop the anger burning in my chest. Adrian's face went pale but he didn't fight back. Just stood there and took it.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean that. I just… I miss him so much it hurts."
"I know." He wiped a tear from my cheek. "I miss him too. But we're going to get him back. I promise."
I wanted to believe him, to think we could fix this mess and bring our baby home. But Marcus was still out there killing people, hunting us. And until he was gone, Alexander couldn't come back.
Three days passed like torture. I barely ate or slept. Just wandered through the house like a ghost. Adrian tried to help but nothing worked. Not his words, his touch. Nothing filled the hole Alexander left behind.
On the fourth day, Adrian called a meeting. The dining room was filled with Alphas from packs all over the region. Big men with hard faces and scars that told stories of old wars. They looked at me with pity. Like I was some weak mother who couldn't protect her child.
"Marcus has gone too far," Adrian said. His voice was cold. "He killed three of my guards. Threatened my mate. My son. It's time we end this permanently."
"What are you proposing?" Alpha Raymond asked.
"A coordinated assault on his compound. Hit him hard. Fast. End him before he can run or hide." Adrian spread a map on the table. Red circles marked Marcus's territory. "We'll need at least fifty fighters. Maybe more."
"That's suicide," another Alpha said. "Marcus's compound is a fortress. High walls. Armed guards. Weapons we can't match."
"Then we find another way in." I stood up. Every eye turned to me. "There has to be a weakness. Something he's not protecting."
Adrian looked at me. Surprised. Like he forgot I was there. "Sierra, you don't need to…"
"Yes, I do." I moved to the map. "This is my fight too. My baby. My pack. I'm not sitting on the sidelines while you plan a war."
The room went quiet. Some Alphas looked uncomfortable. Others were angry like a woman had no place in war talks. But I didn't care. I was done being weak. Done hiding.
"Fine." Adrian's jaw was tight. "But you're not fighting. Not this soon after giving birth."
"We'll see about that."
The meeting lasted hours. Plans were made. Teams assigned. But one Alpha, Richard, stayed quiet through it all. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Scars that cut across his face like lightning. He watched the map but didn't speak until everyone else left.
"I have information," Richard said. "About Marcus's compound."
Adrian leaned forward. "What kind of information?"
"I've been watching him for weeks. Sending scouts. Taking pictures." Richard pulled out photos. "His walls are strong. Guards everywhere. But he has one weak spot."
"Where?" I grabbed a photo. It showed Marcus compound surrounded by forest. The picture we took when we surveyed the place. High fences. Guard towers. But in the back, a stream ran through the property.
"Water supply," Richard pointed. "Comes from the mountain. Runs through his compound. Under the walls. If we go in through the water, we can avoid the guards. Get inside before he knows we're there."
"That's risky," Adrian said. "If he catches us in the water, we're trapped. No way out."
"It's the only way that doesn't cost fifty lives." Richard’s voice was flat. "Your choice, Alpha."
Adrian looked at the photos. Then at me. I could see the war in his eyes. The fear of losing more people. The need to end this. The weight of every decision crushing him.
"We do it," he said finally. "But we need to train. Plan every detail. One mistake and we're all dead."
The next morning, Ben found me in the kitchen. I was staring at cold coffee. Not drinking. Just staring.
"Adrian told me about the plan," Ben said. "And about your request to fight."
"I'm fighting," I said. "Don't try to stop me."
"I'm not." He sat down. "I'm here to train you. Get your strength back. Make sure you're ready."
"When do we start?" I asked.
"Now."
We trained for two weeks. Every morning, night. Ben taught me to punch. To kick. To move fast and strike hard. My body was weak at first. Soft from pregnancy. But something inside me was different. Stronger. Like giving birth to Alexander unlocked something wild in my blood.
I could run faster than before. Hit harder. Sense danger before it came. Ben noticed too. His eyes would go wide when I dodged a hit he swore would land. When I knocked him down with strength that shouldn't exist in someone my size.
"You're different," he said one day. Breathing hard. Bruised from where I'd landed a solid punch. "Enhanced somehow."
"I know." I felt it in my bones. In my blood. "Being with Adrian changed me."
"Good." Ben grinned. "We'll need every advantage we can get."
Adrian watched us train from the porch. I could feel his eyes on me. Feel the conflict in him. Pride that I was strong. Fear that I'd get hurt. Love that made him want to lock me away from all danger.
But I wasn't that girl anymore. The one who ran and hid. I was a mother, mate and a fighter. And Marcus was going to learn what happened when you threatened my family.
On the last day of training, Richard came back. His face was grim.
"Marcus knows we're planning something," he said. "He's doubled his guards. Added cameras. Set traps around the water supply."
Adrian cursed. "How did he find out?"
"Doesn't matter." I wiped sweat from my face. "We're still going in. We're still ending this."
"It'll be a bloodbath," Daemon warned.
"Then we bleed." I looked at Adrian. At Ben. At every person willing to fight. "But we take him down. No matter the cost."