Max led me into the house where Jack was waiting for us.“What’s going on?” I asked Max.“Take Jack and go up the back stairs,” he instructed, cutting off throughout the house. “Keep lights off and stay away from the windows.”I put an arm around Jack’s shoulder and did as we were told. I took him up to our bedroom and into the bathroom. The walk-in closet didn’t have any windows, so I tucked him inside there. I left the door cracked and mind-linked Max.‘Who is it?’ I asked. ‘What’s happening?’‘The perimeter guards caught several foreign scents,’ he replied. ‘We suspect it’s likely a scouting party.’‘Even if they don’t see us, our scent is all over the property,’ I pointed out.‘I’m already on it,’ Max replied.I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I trusted that he had a plan. My heart was racing. I was sitting on the floor looking through the crack, trying to listen to what was going on. The house was eerily quiet. I could barely make out subtle creaks and clicks over the sound of m
“Enough,” Max ordered.I stepped back a few paces, breathing heavily after our sparing session. I put my hands on my knees, leaning over as I worked to catch my breath. We were only on the second day of training. I felt a bit ridiculous but Max kept assuring me I was doing well.“Good, Luna,” Max said through his own labored breathing. “You’re a natural.”“It’ll be easier once I’ve healed,” I said, taking the water he offered. “I’ll be able to move better without worrying about reopening wounds.”“You’re still doing just fine,” Max said. “Take a rest. I need to go check in with the others.”I nodded. Max headed inside and I went to sit under the oak tree next to Jack. I offered him the bottle of water. I leaned against the trunk of the three and looked out over the yard, admiring the work I had put into it. It was thriving. Even without me here to tend it. Lucas must have had someone come in after we left to dispose of the wolfsbane I had brought in. Whoever it was replaced them with
It was late when we arrived at the manor house. Jack was fast asleep. We didn’t want to wake him, so Lucas carried him up to the spare bedroom. Heading to our room, I started to get changed into my sleep clothes. Lucas cam up behind me as I removed my shirt. His hand touched the small of my back near my healing wound.“This looks better,” he said softly.Nova purred at his touch. I leaned into it. We missed him. We missed moments like this.It was strange. Being here again. I’d gone through so much in this house. So many changes. Accepting Lucas was one of them. I was the one distance then. Too afraid of what our bond meant. Now, I felt like Lucas was pulling away from me.I turned to face him.“Lucas, tell me what’s wrong.”He shook his head, taking my face in his hands. “I’m just worried about you, princess,” he admitted. “I promised you safety. Yet, things seem to keep getting more dangerous every day.”I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head against his chest.“I never
“Stop, Tarrah, seriously, it hurts,” I urged, trying not to laugh so hard.Tarrah and Motty had been with me all day. Taking care of me along with Jack. I was already feeling a lot better, which made being stuck the apartment harder. Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t in any shape to be working yet. But I could have at least been at the sight overseeing the progress.Alas, I knew Lucas wasn’t going to let me leave the suite without him for a while. So, I settled for whatever distraction Motty and Tarrah could provide. Plus, Tanjie kept me informed with plenty of updates through video calls. All of them did a lot to help keep my spirits up. That in turn helped my keep my mind off of where Lucas was. He didn’t tell me where he was going when he left, but it wasn’t hard to guess.By late afternoon, I felt well enough to get out of bed and move around a bit. We moved our gathering to the kitchen where Motty and Jack started to make dinner. The apartment was filled with conversation and the arom
Sutton had a restless night. She struggled to get comfortable enough to get any decent sleep. After a few hours of watching her suffer, I insisted on bringing her home. Ultimately, she managed to talk some sense into me and stayed for the remainder of the night.It was almost noon when I finally got her home and settled into our bed. Tarrah and Motty, who had been on away on a trip, were already there and ready to start watching over her. Sutton seemed happy to have them there. Once they were settled in and Sutton was thoroughly distracted, I used the opportunity to slip away. I had guards posted outside every entrance and two inside the apartment. I wasn’t going to take any chances.I had thought that Jack was sticking close by to be with me. I was sure the whole experience had been traumatizing. But when we got home, I realized it was Sutton he was refusing to go far from. As soon as we got home, he was getting her drinks, asking if she was hungry, making sure she had everything to
I accepted that I couldn’t go into the operating room. Settling with demanding to know what the hell happened and how. No one knew where the attacker had come from or who he was. They only remembered hearing Sutton scream. They rushed to her aid to find the stranger standing over her as she shielded Jack beneath her.I grappled with the fact that Sutton had sacrificed herself for Jack. It made the situation harder to deal with. It didn’t help that I had to fight the urge to take it out on everyone there. To yell and scream about how stupid they were and how could they let this happen. But I knew it wasn’t their fault. They couldn’t have had any idea that Sutton was in any kind of danger.That was my job. And I failed.Rhonen paced heavily in my mind. The doctor finally stepped away from Sutton and started heading toward us. Jaden’s hand on my shoulder kept me from storming in.“Alpha Lucas,” the doctor said as he walked out the door, “Luna Sutton is doing just fine.” Relief washed thr