Emma twisted her hair up into a clip and dabbed concealer under her eyes. She was tired but excited to take Caleb to the hospital. She had been living in a cocoon the last couple of weeks. It was easy to pretend everything was normal and Daryl would be part of their life soon, but the reality was that while she still had hope that he would wake up, he may never be an active part of her life again. She had a son to raise and a pack to lead, so she had to focus her priorities. Her mate was still at the top of that list, and that included making him a part of their son’s life in the best way possible. She was going to take Caleb with her every morning to visit Daryl and tell him stories about his dad. She pulled herself from her deep thoughts and walked to her closet. She chose a soft blue blouse and black pants. She pair it with with ankle boots and a thin gold necklace Daryl had given her. Then she checked the diaper bag before putting on the baby sling. She checked Caleb’s diaper befo
Quincy stood behind the Luna as she spoke to the pack. Pride filled him as he scanned the crowd. The members of Broken Paw pack were happy and content. While they missed their Alpha greatly, they loved and respected the Luna and the switch to her running the pack had been smooth. She was quiet and reserved, but she was also kind and intelligent. Her inner strength wrapped in a soft spoken demeanor worked well with their people. They were a calm, level headed bunch who appreciated that pack hierarchy kept their lives running smoothly. The Alphas he had conferenced with that morning knew the pack well, and were considered allies. It troubles him that they weren’t more supportive of Emma, but they didn’t know her very well. He would have to organize a meeting with them so she could solidify her own alliance with them instead of relying on her mate’s connections. Once they got to know her, they wouldn’t have any qualms about her remaining in control of the pack until Her mate work up or Go
As Emma approached the common area where the party had been set up, Veronica found her and offered a blanket to cover herself. “Are you okay Luna? You look…” Veronica hesitated, and Emma cut in. “I’m fine. Thank you. How did you fare,” she looked her assistant over for injuries. “I’m fine. They didn’t make it far enough into the pack to reach my area.” Emma nodded, “That’s good. I’m going to go shower and will be ready to assess the pack soon. Take a few minutes for yourself before I find you.” She strode off in the direction of the pack house, not looking back at her Beta. He was a distance back from her, but she could feel his eyes on her. ‘Hera, it’s safe to leave the safe room. Please bring Caleb to my suite and remain there with him until I return.’ She waited for Hera’s answer before checking on her next priority. ‘Paul, is my mate safe?’ Paul’s reply was quick, ‘Yes Luna, they didn’t make it inside to hospital. I think they were too focused on the crowd outside.’ She breathed a
Quincy left Emma to get dressed and went into the pack common room. Ivan and Leo were the first to report to him. Then Paul and the other squad leaders arrived. “Luna Emma will be joining us in a few moments. Until then, is there anything that needs to be addressed urgently?” He looked across the room for anyone to speak up. “Okay, since no one has spoken, I am going to assume that everything is being taken care of efficiently. Are there any reports of rouges that escaped the attack? So far we have assumed that every one of them is accounted for in the dead.” He paused for someone to speak and again no one did. “Let’s try to relax until the Luna arrives.” Quincy watched her walk into the room. Wet hair, a loose tee shirt, faded jeans, and bare feet, with her head held high and her eyes alert and taking notes as she looked across the room at their warriors. “I am so glad to see all of your faces joining me here this evening. Everyone, please take a seat. Veronica will be taki
Ivan glanced at Leo before they both looked at him expectantly. “Paul is right, that I should have planned for this. I know better than anyone else, except for Alpha Daryl, who she is and what she’s capable of. I should have known she would join the fight, but I expected her to stay with Caleb. He is her top priority right now.” He sighed, “I’m not worried about the pack, we can smooth that over easily. I will talk to her about her security team and see how she feels about it. If she wants me to remove myself, then I will. Otherwise, I will not be leaving her security team.” Leo looked at him with a stern, knowing look and he felt pressured to say more. He weighed his options but knew it would be better to talk with the people he trusted the most. “He’s also right that I am probably too close to her. Lately, I see her as more than my Luna or even a friend. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’ve already chosen her as my mate." Ivan coughed, choking on his own spit and Quincy narro
Daryl felt like he was floating. He could feel his body, he did a mental check to confirm that he still had all of his limbs. He felt his toes, his legs, his fingers, and his arms. He felt the rise and fall of his chest as he drew in breaths and exhaled slowly. The way his body felt reminded him of a feather floating slowly down to the ground. It felt peaceful and a little scary all at once. He didn't know if he was alive or dead, submerged in complete darkness or blind, he tried to remain calm and absorb as much information as he could. The problem was there was very little information to learn. Time went by, but he had no way of knowing how much, but unlike the feather, he never hit the ground. He just remained suspended in the air. When he grew frustrated with the lack of information around him, he replayed the explosion in his head, searching for any clues as to what had happened and where he was now. 'Surely I'm not dead. Death cannot be an endless abyss of consciousness in the m
Emma sat in her room, folding laundry as Caleb slept, and thought about Quincy. Nothing had drastically changed between them. He was always by her side, assisting her as needed in both pack duties and with Caleb, but he was doing that anyway. They were more physically affectionate with each other. It wasn't unusual for him to touch her, hold her hand, or occasionally give her a quick kiss, even in front of the pack. To her surprise, no one had anything negative to say about it. If they had any objection, no one was voicing it. The elders seemed pleased with their budding romance. A few of them had made small comments about the benefits of having a strong man that the pack trusts, like Quincy by her side, now that Alpha Daryl was not able to lead the pack. Caleb was growing fast, and she enjoyed having someone to share all of his firsts with, but there was still a big part of her heart that was lying in that hospital bed with her mate. Every day she felt divided in two, her mate bond
Quincy walked Emma out of the pack house, down the stairs, and opened the door to a big black truck. He helped her climb into the passenger seat before walking around to the driver seat. He buckled his seatbelt and glanced at her. "What do you have in mind for tonight," he asked her. The deep rumble of his voice made goosebumps pop up on her arms and a little shiver shot up her spine. She licked her lips, suddenly a little nervous being with him. She tried to play it off, hoping he wouldn't notice. She tilted her head slightly, matching the glance he was giving her. "Nothing in particular. You have me all to yourself this evening. Let's go somewhere we won't be interrupted." Quincy gave her a grin and pulled out of the driveway. He laced his fingers with hers as he drove. "It's nice isn't it, getting out of the pack for a little bit. Not having to worry about everyone else," he asked her. Emma watched the forest as they left their pack behind. "I think even being away from them, I wi