Chapter eighteen

Lucian’s POV

The room was quiet as I held her in my arms. There were sudden shouts from downstairs, and I saw Tessa move, almost waking up.

I frowned; she doesn’t need to be woken up. Especially to loud shouting.

I slipped on the silk boxers and pulled a sweater on over my head.

I opened the door, careful not to make too much noise.

I closed the door behind me, and the shouts were louder now. Making my way down the stairs and running a hand over my face, I saw Natalie and Nate yelling at each other from across the room.

Natalie’s face was soaked with tears and by the looks of it, so was Nate’s. They both saw me, and the house went dead still.

I looked at them in complete horror because neither one of them were normally angry people, they were the jumping beans in the pack house.

“I demand to know what’s going in here,” I said and placed both hands on the back of the sofa. Natalie broke down in tears and Nate looked at her and for the first time in my life, I saw something inside him break.

“What’s going on?” I heard Tessa say softly and saw her rubbing her eyes in the middle of a yawn. I mentally cursed and knew that I wouldn’t be able to take her to bed now.

She looked at Nate then at Natalie who sank to the floor in a pool of tears and sobs. She frowned and walked slowly towards the young woman.

She knelt beside her and put a hand on her back.

“Natalie, sweetie. Tell me what happened.” The way Tessa said those words warmed my heart.

Natalie rocked back and forth. Not saying a single word.

Tessa frowned and looked at something before she too dropped to her knees.

“Oh my god.” She murmured and covered her mouth with her hands. Her body trembled as she held Natalie and I saw the tears running down my mate’s face.

She whispered inaudible things to Natalie, and I looked at Nate as he watched his mate with a painful expression.

Nate went to his mate and sat with her, rocking her and forth, and quietly said he was sorry. I stood there, utterly clueless as I watched this whole scene play out.

Tessa left the pair to themselves and came over to me, reaching behind me to the landline on the wall.

She dialed the number for the pack doctor and I turned to her.

“What’s going on?” I asked her as she waited for someone to pick up.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

“Natalie was pregnant,” she said softly and looked painfully at the couple on the floor.

Giving a moment for that to sink in, I looked at her in confusion.

“Was?” I said and she nodded slowly.

And then it hit me. Natalie had lost the baby.

She must have seen my expression because she nodded and then straightened.

“Doctor? We’ve got a she-wolf who’s just lost her pup. Yes, there’s a lot of blood. I don’t know, you have to ask her. Thank you so much. Goodnight.”

She put the phone down and rubbed her forehead.

I stood in front of her and drew her towards me, holding her in my arms.

The phone rang again and before she got a chance to pick it up, I grabbed it.

“Hello?”

“ALPHA! THERE’S WOLVES! CROSSING THE BORDER NOW. ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY!” One of the border patrol guys screamed followed by loud rustling and angry snarls. I put the phone back as the sound of flesh broke through the phone.

There were lights from outside, indicating that the doctor had arrived.

I turned to Tessa and her body shook, her eyes wild with fear.

“Tessa, listen to me, go up and grab a few things for the both of us in a suitcase, okay? Take only what’s necessary,” I told her and kissed her forehead as she nodded, turning and sprinting up the steps.

I went to let the doctor inside and went over to Nate.

“Nate, I need you to go pack a suitcase with a few things for you and Natasha. Bring it downstairs and then you need to go over to all sections and get everyone out and tell them to take the buses down into The Mcgraw lands. It’ll take the wolves at least two hours on foot to reach section C, so start there.”

He looked at me then at Natalie.

“Don’t worry. I’ll look after her. I promise,” I said, and he nodded. He gave his mate a kiss and she tugged on his shirt.

“I have to go, sweetheart. I love you. Doctor Bryan will take care of you, and I’ll see you when you wake up.”

Her lips quivered and he gave her a more passionate kiss before breaking away and rushing up the stairs.

“Doctor...”

“I’ll put her in the pack of the van and call Vanessa to get the kids ready Alpha. She will be safe with me. We’ll leave as soon as she gets here and follow behind the buses,” he said and put a hand on my shoulder.

“You saved me and Vanessa. I owe you my life. You can trust me with her.”

I sighed and nodded. I stood up and Nate came down the stairs with the single suitcase.

“I’ll meet you back here,” I told him, and he nodded, looking at his mate before sprinting into his wolf. I heard the distant sound of fabric tearing and the rustle of leaves under quick paws.

I ran up the steps and opened the door to where Tessa was folding her clothes into the big suitcase.

I pulled out my suit and changed into the soft fabric of my white shirt. We busied ourselves in silence until I let out a very frustrated sound when my tie didn’t want to tie.

My pack lands were being invaded and my mind was pounding.

Tessa came up to me and took the tie from my hands. She tied the red tie around my neck and smiled at me. It was a sad smile, and it broke me and my wolf to see her like this.

“Hey, it’s going to be ok. Go have a shower and get dressed I’ll pack the rest of my stuff,” I told her and kissed her softly, I hugged her tightly and she wandered off into the bathroom.

It wasn’t until I heard the water that I began packing my clothing and necessary items into the suitcase.