by A Lonergan
Tracey’s eyes ducked down submissively. She bared her neck to me. “Yes, Alpha.”
My shoulders slumped when she cleared the room. There was a hierarchy for a reason. She couldn’t keep challenging me like she was doing and expect to get away with it. I knew she was fighting for her rank and still didn’t know what to do with herself. But she wouldn’t find a spot beside me if she couldn’t mind her wolf. If she wanted or needed the Beta position that badly, she had to take it up with her father, not me.
Chapter 7
Jade
Alice prepared the children for the move. I no longer had work I had to filter through and figured I needed to work for my money somehow. I couldn’t simply sit in an office all day and do nothing. At least not around here. If they didn’t expect me to do anything, that was fine. But my wolf and I weren’t content with sitting idle.
Just as we were clearing the manor and all the children had their belongings, an explosion rocked the ground beneath my feet. The children flew from their footing and I watched in slow motion as the force threw me too. I grunted as I made impact with the side of the house. Something wet trickled down my hairline as I lifted my head to check on the kids.
They all seemed fine, they hadn’t been hit with the force like I had. Alice shouted something but I couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in my ears. I closed my eyes and shook my head to clear the sound but it only made it worse.
A whimper escaped my lips as I made it to my feet. Alice grabbed as many hands as she could and they took off running. Were we under attack? We hadn’t put together protocols for this yet. Guardians surrounded me within seconds. Mav had transformed and his hands had longer talons than mine did with a partial transformation.
Archer put his hand on the small of my back while we ushered the rest of the children forward. Where was Tracey? Knox? Had anyone been injured? The bleeding in my forehead had stopped almost immediately. The ringing in my ears was gone now. The sounds of children crying and people shouting made my heart hurt. Rafe wouldn’t let this stand. Had he managed to get the elders out? Mav and Archer watched over us as we made it to the safe house we had created for the children. We had planned to put a wall up like a barndominium style like we discussed but didn’t have time. Now I wondered if this would do anything. Once the kids were all in the building, Granny smiled at me before she closed the door behind them. As long as all the children were safe and accounted for, that was all that mattered.
“We have to find Rafe,” I said to Mav.
His yellow eyes turned to me. He shook his head. “Those aren’t my orders.”
Archer clenched his jaw together. “We are to get you to Rafe’s home and keep you safe with Ford.”
“I need to find Rafe, I need to make sure he’s okay.” The two men before me were no longer my friends, they were soldiers.
“He can take care of himself but only if he knows you’re safe. The rest of the Guardians are with him, as well as Tracey.” Mav’s back was straight as he looked through me.
I pouted. “Fine, I know you can’t break an Alpha order but I’m not happy about this.”
Neither one of them said a word. Ford was waiting in the living room when we got there. He jumped from the couch immediately when we walked through the door. “Where’s my mom?”
I opened my arms and he immediately dived into them. He pressed his face into my shoulder and I scented sadness and desperation in the air. He didn’t like feeling like he couldn’t help. I understood the feeling. “She’s with the witches and Granny. She’s going to watch over them and help the best she can.”
“Archer?” His eyes snapped to mine. “Please go make sure that the kids and Alice will be okay?”
“I can’t break Alpha orders unless you give me orders,” His voice was strained.
“Archer, go watch over Alice and Granny. Make sure nothing happens to them. I will obey the orders Rafe gave the both of you if you do that. I don’t want to cause trouble but this will help ease both of our worries.”
Archer slapped to attention before he bowed his head. He was gone before anything else could be said. It hit me what I had done. I took a step back and Ford wrinkled his eyebrows. “You must have accepted the mate bond or that would have never happened.”
I shook my head. I didn’t understand it. I didn’t want to even focus on it right now. I pressed my hands together and watched as Archer shifted midrun in the front yard. Mav watched us both with careful eyes but didn’t say anything about what I had done. There was no time for words, he was a soldier today. He was a soldier now.
“We must get you both into the basement,” He reminded me of someone meant for the secret service and as he led us down the hall, I realized that was exactly what he was. He was Rafe’s personal guard. It was completely out of my element. Ford tucked his hand into mine and I gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Rafe will let me know when it’s safe.”
As far as I knew, the Guardians didn’t carry cell phones. Even though I had overheard Knox trying to convince Rafe that OnlyFans wasn’t a bad website and it was a valid form of income. “How will he tell you?”
Mav tapped his temple with his pointer finger. “We all have a special bond as Guardians but when you formally swear into the pack, you’ll get Alpha link as well. Rafe will be able to reach you anywhere unless magic is involved.”
That would have been nice to have when I was taken. Mav pulled a key from the pocket on his jeans and unlocked the door with a soft click. I expected something more tactical waiting for us on the other side, but it was just a set of stairs that went down into the darkness.
A shiver shook my shoulders as it reminded me of all the horror movies I had watched growing up. But I knew Mav and I knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to us. Ford’s hand grew clammy in mine and I wondered how afraid he really was. He looked angry more than anything else with his eyebrows pulled together and a scowl tainting his lips. I gave his hand another reassuring squeeze before we descended the stairs. Mav went down first and checked all the corners of the room before he flicked the lights on. They buzzed overhead and there was that creepy feeling at the back of my neck again.
Except the basement was nothing but an in-home gym set up. It had a little couch in the middle of the room but there was only workout equipment everywhere else. There were zero windows which gave me some reassurance.
Ford withdrew his hand from mine and threw himself down on the worn couch. He didn’t look as afraid now. Mav marched up the steps quickly and relocked the door. I watched as sparks exploded across the door. Mav didn’t even blink. “He has this place magically reinforced. You don’t have to worry about anything happening down here. These spells were done probably one hundred years ago.”
Ford smiled. “Granny put them to protect the Alpha family when my dad first became Alpha. It wasn’t a gym before. My dad kept all of his guns and military weapons in here, as well as a first-aid center.” He pointed to the door on the other side of the room. “Rafe had it all reframed in and now there’s a fully functioning bathroom in there. I miss what this place used to be but it was important to Rafe to make this home his own now. He has to make his own new memories here. He can’t be tainted with the past.” Ford’s words were wise for how old he was but I didn’t make a comment. Alice had raised him right and had made sure he was well taken care of.
Mav sat down with a straight back beside Ford. He ruffled his hair slightly but other than that his face and body remained stoic. “We work out here with Rafe during the week. Each Guardian has a key and we are welcome whenever. There is also another entrance so we don’t always have to go through the house but that’s Guardian knowledge only.” He winked at me and I felt some of the tension leak from my shoulders. “I think the coast is clear.” He squinted his eyes as he listened to his Alpha’s voice in his head. “They aren’t sure where the blast came from. It was magical but there is no one around the border of the Pack Lands.”
“Does Pack Law know what’s happen
ing?” I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought to ask before.
Mav looked at me out of the corner of his eye before he shook his head. “I’m not sure. That’s Rafe’s place to get them involved if he thinks they need to be. It would be undermining Rafe’s authority as our Alpha if we did that without counseling with him first.”
My face went slack. That wasn’t what I was suggesting at all. I was merely asking about it. I didn’t say anything. Mav nodded to himself again as he listened to the voice in his head.
“We are good to go,” He bounced up the stairs, his back was no longer rigid and his shoulders weren’t so tight. The sparks ignited again across the door as he slid the key into the lock. They dissipated within seconds. Rafe was waiting on the other side of the door when it was yanked open. He pulled me into his arms and looked me over for any injuries. When he saw Ford over my shoulder, his face finally relaxed.
“How is Mom?” Ford asked anxiously. His eyes darted around the room, as if he was waiting for the entire place to fall apart.
“She’s fine,” Rafe rubbed his hands down his brother’s arms. “Her and Granny both held down the fort rather well.”
“What’s going on?” I managed to ask.
Rafe ran his hand down his face. “It was a magical blast so it didn’t do any damage to structures on the property but instead, was targeting people. It followed the high numbers preparing to go to move into the safe house. I would imagine it was Damian’s way of either trying to scare us or kill the rest of the witch kids. I’m not sure.”
Ford looked up at his brother with determination. “Can I go to Mom?”
Rafe ruffled his hair like Mav had done. “Yes, but be careful. The ward should be down around the building. Just don’t do anything stupid.”
Ford rolled his big brown eyes. “I’m not the rule breaker around here.”
He was right. Rafe was the rebellious spirit and Ford was the one that seemed to have his head screwed on straight. Rafe shrugged. “The Alpha has to be rebellious sometimes.” He winked at me and a fluttering started up in my stomach. I ducked my head away from his gaze so he didn’t see my expression. Mav didn’t miss it though based on his knowing smirk. “We should go check on your parents.”
How had I forgotten about them?
Chapter 8
Rafe
Not having Jade’s parents living on the Pack Lands made things more difficult for me. I forgot to think of them in the scheme of things but they were just as vulnerable as we were, if not more. We had magical wards set up around their property but that didn’t mean it did much. It hadn’t stopped the blast from hitting my mate. It hadn’t stopped Damian.
My shoulders ached from not sleeping right and my head felt fuzzy from lack of sleep. I trusted the Guardians to protect my home. I trusted them with my life. With my mate. But it didn’t matter, no matter what I did, I couldn’t sleep. I patrolled the Pack Lands and the entire perimeter to make sure the magic was still working and that there weren’t any tears in it. Granny had made sure me and my men could see the magical force protecting our people so we could ensure it stayed up.
Lucas intercepted us on the run through the our territory. He practically knocked my mate off of her feet and a growl rumbled through my chest. I still didn’t like him and it wasn’t because of who he was. We had grown up together. I had protected him. I had accepted him but now, I couldn’t accept how close he was to my mate. I couldn’t accept that he had slept in the same bed with her, that they had shared little space with each other. The only reason he was still alive was because he was Lucas. My wolf didn’t seem to care much though. He was angry about Lucas currently hugging her but I tried to swallow it back. It did nothing but put a wedge between me and my mate. It did nothing but put a wedge between me and my pack.
Though everyone would understand perfectly well if I tore him apart. It was in our nature to be protective of our mates and our families.
I cleared my throat and tried to be nice. “How is your family doing since you got back?”
Lucas’s eyes softened as we ran through the woods together. Jade had filled him in that we were going to make sure her family was okay. I could see the anxiety in her eyes and shoulders. She was worried sick and had every right to be. Why hadn’t I thought to check on them before I went to her? Because my mind had only been on seeing my mate safe. Nothing else mattered to me or my wolf. I hated it and loved it all at the same time but I didn’t recognize the feelings. They were so foreign.
“Mom is loving every second she can get with me. She invited me to teach the children in a few weeks. I didn’t know if I should accept. I feel like an outsider still.”
My shoulders relaxed. “I think you should. It would help you feel like you’re a part of this pack again. It will give you a connection.”
Lucas smiled softly and I could have sworn I saw gratitude in his eyes. “You think so?”
“Yes, and it would get your dad off of my back too.” We both chuckled at that and it eased the tension a bit but not a lot. It was enough as we broke through the tree line and the Rivers’ home came into view.
Lucas leaned forward to kiss Jade’s cheek. “Let me know if you need anything.”
He slightly bowed his head to me in respect and it eased something inside of my wolf which was surprising. He would have ripped anyone’s head off for kissing our mate but he didn’t blink an eye and disappeared within my mind.
Chapter 9
Jade
I was thankful for our workout clothes. Rafe had worked out earlier in the day and was wearing his workout clothes when the blast happened. I had intended to run around the property to help ease my anxious mind. I had never been a runner before Nalia but after everything had happened, I felt like I needed to run more than I ever had in my life. It was an itch in my legs and my soul. As we knocked on the front door and my mom looked at me with surprise, I was glad for some kind of excuse.
“Jade, honey, is everything okay?” Her eyes lit up when they landed on Rafe. I should have thought about it more. He shouldn’t have come with me but it was too late to turn back now.
I smiled brightly and pretended to be winded. “Yes! We were on a run and I just thought we would stop by for a minute.”
She wiped her hands on the dishtowel tucked at her waist. She looked at Rafe again. “Its so nice to see you again, dear.”
She had on her sweet voice today and it made me want to double over in laughter. Thank goodness my dad was the love of her life or there was no telling how she would spend the rest of her days. She would probably spend them at the pool with all sorts of cabana boys surrounding her. My mother loved to talk about progression and sexism but she was probably more of the problem than she was helping. I snickered to myself as Rafe pretended to be embarrassed. Like the man needed a bigger ego than what he already had.
“I’m making cookies,” my mom announced as we followed her into the kitchen. The kitchen was always the main hangout ground for her. “Would you like to bring some to Tracey from me?”
I smiled. “Yes, I know she would love that.” There weren’t many vegan food options that I cared for but my mom’s cookies were some of the best. They tasted better than regular cookies and that was saying something. Especially considering that I loved cookies more than just about anything. Probably not steak but that was Nalia’s preference I was sure. There were two racks of cookies cooling on the counter and I could see two in the oven. She must have been really bored and didn’t know what to do with herself.
When my parents weren’t traveling and my father was busy, my mom baked. She would bake everything in sight until she was out of ingredients. She would deliver all the goodies to her church then go buy more groceries. Somedays she would learn a new skill with baking like fondant.
The first time she had made it, it had looked incredible. But it tasted awful. I had learned my lesson that day. Always let Mom try her experiments first. Especially with them being vegan. I didn’t know why she didn’t o
pen a bakery. She would be a hit. I leaned against the counter. “Where’s Dad?”
She slid a cookie from the baking rack and took a bite from it. Some chocolate smeared across her bottom lip as I pulled two bottles of water from the fridge. Rafe’s eyes calculated everything around us. He didn’t miss a thing while I spoke to my mom. His shoulders were still tight.
“He had to go into the office. There was an emergency on their computer system and they needed him to go in to diagnose it.” Dad was a jack of all trades. I would give him that. He wasn’t a computer expert but his work knew his strengths and he had many. My stomach did a flip. Was he safe at his job? Why couldn’t they leave to go out of town again?
I nodded my head and looked to Rafe. His eyes were focused on me again. They looked like molten heat and it did something to my insides. I cleared my throat again and hoped he couldn’t smell what his look was doing to me. “Will you go up to my room and grab my suitcase? I didn’t grab it last time I was here and if we are going to go on that trip, I think I’m going to need something bigger than what I have back at home.”
Rafe’s brows crinkled briefly before he nodded and marched up the stairs. My mom’s brows rose on her forehead. Shit. We were a new couple, at least to my mom. How did I explain that he had been here before? I chewed on my bottom lip. “We are going to the beach in the next few weeks. Tracey is hating the snow.”
Her face relaxed and I thought she was going to forget that Rafe knew the outline of the house like the back of his hand. But then she spoke and I knew it was too good to be true. “So he’s been here before?”
“Yes,” I didn’t know how I was going to recover from this. They knew I wasn’t a saint but it still felt awkward. “He helped me move out my things a few weeks ago. Don’t you remember?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t care if he was here or if you’re sleeping with him. Those things don’t matter to me. All that matters to me is that you’re happy and treating yourself with respect. I would hope that he would be, but if he doesn’t, I hope you have enough respect for yourself to walk away from that. No matter how hot he is.”
