Her Protectors

ELARA 

I stood in the center of the dark living room, holding my phone tightly, and listening to the loud quiet of the house. I had double-checked the front door and I had checked the back door lock too, but my hands were still shaking so hard that I dropped my car keys to the floor.

I knelt down quickly, picking up the keys, and my body felt exhausted. 

Taking those pills earlier always made my muscles feel weak and now my stomach was churning with fear and sadness. My wolf sat low in my chest, making a tired whimper that made me feel even weaker than I already was.

Out on the street, the deep rumble of motorcycle engines broke the silence.

My heart jumped into my throat, and I backed up toward the stairs, thinking it might be Damian coming home to stop me. But the sound was different. The engines stopped right in front of my driveway, and the headlights shone bright white through the living room windows.

Three doors slammed shut outside, followed by footsteps coming up the front porch stairs.

Someone knocked three times on the front door. 

"Elara, open up. It's Ronan."

I let out a huge breath of relief, rushing over to unlock the door with trembling fingers. I pulled the door open, and the cold air hit my face immediately.

Ronan stood right at the front of the porch, looking huge and broad in his black vest. His short black hair was messy from the wind, and his gray eyes looked over my face, taking in my wet cheeks and pale skin. The thin scar through his left eyebrow twitched slightly as he jaw clenched.

Beside him stood Jace, leaning his arm on the doorframe. He had messy black hair falling over his forehead, and his blue-gray eyes were locked on me with a worried look, lacking his usual mischievous grin.

Kieran stood slightly behind them both, his dark green eyes cool and observant as he looked past me into the dark house, then down at the small suitcase sitting by my feet.

"Are you hurt?" Ronan asked, his voice low, as he stepped inside.

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "I'm just... I'm tired, Ronan."

Jace walked right past Ronan, grabbing my suitcase off the floor with one hand. 

"Louis called us ten minutes ago and told us what happened. He was ready to tear the city apart, but Ronan told him to stay put while we handle you."

"Where is Damian?" Kieran asked quietly, stepping in and shutting the front door behind him.

"He's still at the club with Brielle," I said, my voice cracking on her name. I looked down at my hands, feeling that awful embarrassment burn in my chest all over again. "He told me I was confused because I was tired, and then he saw the pregnancy test on the floor."

Ronan froze completely, turning around to face me. "The pregnancy test?"

"I'm pregnant, Ronan," I said softly, looking up into his gray eyes. "I found out today. I went to the club to give him the news, and I caught them together."

Jace cursed under his breath, gripping the handle of my suitcase so hard his knuckles turned white. "That absolute bastard."

Ronan didn't say a word for a moment, but his chest heaved with a deep breath, and his hands curled into tight fists at his sides. "Get your coat, Elara. We're leaving now."

"Where are we going?" I asked, grabbing my jacket off the coat rack and pulling it over my shoulders.

"To our compound in the Blackridge Mountains," Kieran answered, taking my arm very gently to calm me as I stumbled slightly. "Damian won't dare step foot on Blackwood territory, and Louis will meet us there as soon as his pack meeting in Eldermere finishes."

I nodded, letting Kieran guide me out the front door. My legs felt so weak that every step down the porch stairs felt like a battle, but Kieran kept a firm grip on my arm, making sure I didn't fall.

Kieran opened the door of a large black SUV parked behind their bikes, helping me get into the back seat. Jace threw my suitcase into the trunk, while Ronan stood by the driver's door, looking around the dark neighborhood to make sure nobody was around.

As soon as Ronan started the engine and drove away from the house, I leaned my head back on the leather and closed my eyes, and my wolf gave another weak, miserable sigh deep inside me.

"She looks really sick, Ronan," Jace said from the front passenger seat, looking back at me through the middle mirror. "Louis said her wolf was always quiet, but she looks like she hasn't slept in weeks."

"I took my medicine tonight," I muttered, my voice sounding small and distant even to my own ears. "Damian gives me medicine every night to help my wolf stay calm."

Kieran turned his head from where he sat beside me in the back seat, his green eyes narrowing. "What kind of medicine, Elara?"

"I don't know," I murmured, pulling my jacket tighter around myself as the car began climbing the steep mountain roads. "Just white pills. He said my wolf is defective and weak, so the pills stop me from passing out."

Kieran didn't say anything to that, but I saw him look up at Ronan in the rearview mirror, and a silent, dark look passed between the three brothers.

After an hour of driving deep into the dense trees of the Blackridge Mountains, the SUV pulled up to a massive gate. The gates opened automatically, and Ronan drove us to a private dirt road leading to a huge stone compound surrounded by high fences.

"We're here," Ronan said softly, turning off the engine.

Jace opened my car door and offered me his hand. "Come on, little bird. Let's get you inside before you freeze out here."

I took his hand, and his warm fingers wrapped firmly around mine, pulling me up carefully. I walked inside the main house, looking around.

It felt nothing like Damian's grand, fake house in the city.

"You're sleeping in the room upstairs next to mine," Ronan said, taking my bag from Jace and heading up the stairs. "Kieran, go make her something warm to drink."

"I don't want to be a bother," I said, stopping at the bottom of the stairs, feeling bad for making them do all this work for me.

Jace put his hand gently on my shoulder, giving me a rare, sincere smile that made my chest feel a little lighter. 

"You're Louis's sister, Elara. And you're family to us, even if we haven't been around much lately. You're never a bother."

I looked at him, feeling a sudden lump in my throat. 

For three years, these three men had barely spoken to me, keeping their distance whenever I visited Louis, but now they were protecting me without asking for anything in return.

"Thank you, Jace," I whispered.

He squeezed my shoulder softly before letting go. "Go on upstairs. Ronan will show you the room."

I walked up the stairs slowly, holding the handrail as my energy continued to drain away. Ronan was standing outside an open door at the end of the long hallway, waiting for me.

He set my bag on the bed inside the cozy room and turned to face me as I walked in. He looked down at me, his gray eyes dark and serious, looking like he wanted to say something, but then he pulled back slightly, setting his hands on his belt.

"Lock the door from the inside when you go to sleep," Ronan said, his voice deep and rough. "Nobody gets in here without my permission."

"Okay," I said quietly.

He stepped back outside pausing right at the door. 

"Damian won't touch you again, Elara. I promise you that."

Before I could answer, he pulled the door shut, leaving me alone in the warm, quiet room.