by EA Hunt
“You—”
“Taylor!”
She looked up when her mother rushed into the house.
Amanda ambled over to her daughter. She pulled her child to her feet and wrapped her arms around her. She kissed her daughter's hair. She leaned back and wiped at her child's tears. “I’m taking you to Doc Monroe. I want you checked out.”
“Momma…”
“No arguing, Taylor Hart,” Trevor slightly growled as he walked over to his daughter. He placed a hand on her head. “Your mom is taking you to the doctor as soon as you tell us what happened.”
Taylor looked at her dad. He was ready to kill. She released her mother, took a step, and wrapped her arms around her parent. She laid her head on his chest. “Ok.”
Trevor wrapped his arms around his daughter. He bent and kissed her hair. Whoever hurt her, he would kill them. Damn pack law. He would kill the bastard who tried to take his child's innocence.
EA
Willie and Freddie stood on one side of Trevor while his father and Theo stood on the other. Atlas stood in the middle of Willie's living room as Martin and Garret walked in.
“Alpha, Garret would like to apologize for any harm which he has caused the bas—…Taylor,” Martin said when his son had stumbled into the house. Martin could smell Taylor Hart on the boy. He was about to question his son when Peter and David showed on his doorstep requesting…no, demanding, their presence at Willie Hart’s home.
Trevor growled. His daughter was not a bastard. He took a step. Willie stepped behind him and Freddie blocked his path to Martin and Garret.
Sure his nephew was caged-in, Atlas spoke. “Taylor says you were high and—”
Garret looked at Atlas. “drinking.” He’d chased Taylor through the woods. Had almost caught her about fifty yards from Willie’s front door but he’d stumbled and lost his footing. Once his footing was gone, so was she. Damn he had enjoyed the chase and would have enjoyed his prize once he had her.
“You are what, sixteen? Who gave you the alcohol?”
Garret shook his head. He was not going to tell Atlas that. The human would be in trouble and would be run out of town—something Garret was not going to let happen. “I won’t answer that.”
“I am your Alpha; you will answer the question,” Atlas reminded him. He was not in the mood for the child’s impertinence.
“You can ask me again and I will tell you the same,” he replied. He could smell Taylor in here. Garret wondered where the fresh meat was hiding.
“I will find out,” Atlas reminded him, and he would have whoever it was leave town. “Tell me what you did to Taylor Hart.”
Garret gave him a smirk. “Didn’t she tell you? She’s been flaunting it around town for months now. I’m surprised I’m the only one who—”
“You little bastard,” Trevor lunged for the teen. Bill grabbed his son around the neck. He dragged him from the room.
Atlas never took his eyes off the teen. “Tell me. Trevor may have left this room but Taylor’s uncles are still here.” He looked at Martin. “Do you know what’s happened?”
Martin shook his head as he looked at his son. “What have you done?”
Garret still faced Atlas. “She was walking home from the school. I watched her. I always watch her. When she’s cheering in the stands at the game or doing drills. I watch her. That beautiful body of hers,” he shivered. “She gives me chills. I see how she sways her hips through town. How she bends over and picks up her sister, taunting all us boys with that nice ass of hers. I watch. And tonight I decided to take,” Garret finished. Before he could say another word he was thrown through the front door.
Tyson rushed the teen and began pounding him in his face. He’d been on his way home from patrol when he’d seen his sister and mother going into Doc Monroe’s office. He’d crossed the street and heard his mother talking to Monroe. Once he knew the basics he had come to Willie’s to tear the teen apart.
Garret punched Tyson in the side. He could hear a rib crack. Good. He rolled to his side and stood. He wiped his hand under his nose. Garret looked down—there was blood on his hand—then at Tyson. “Come to defend the slut?” he chuckled. “Every teen and man wants a shot at your sister and her mother.” He licked his lips. “I wonder if mother and daughter would be into a three way?”
Tyson growled as he barreled towards Garret. Halfway there he shifted and tore into the teen. He grasped his neck before Garret could shift and bit down. He could hear the life leaving the boy’s body.
“Tyson!!”
He didn’t want to listen. He couldn’t protect his mother from Joe Gil and his goon but he damn sure was going to protect his sister from this animal.
“Tyson!! Release him now!”
Tyson tried to shake off his father’s Alpha powers but it was hard. He released a deep breath, shook Garret more, then released him. He turned, lifted his leg, and peed on the teen. Tyson lowered his leg, then walked back into his uncle’s home.
Martin walked over to his son. He’d let this play out because he had known his son was wrong. Despite the fact he was twenty-four hours away from challenging Atlas for Alpha, his son had broken a cardinal rule of the pack: you never hurt a woman. He bent and checked his son’s pulse; he was still alive. Barely. Martin looked at Atlas. “Permission to take him to Monroe?”
“Granted. While there, make arrangements for him to be somewhere else. I will give you twenty-four hours, then I’ll handle things,” Atlas told him. He wanted this child nowhere near the women of this pack or his town.
“I have family in South Carolina. Nowhere near Patty,” Martin implored. He didn’t want the Alpha coming after him because Patty could be in danger.
“Twenty-four hours,” was all Atlas said before he turned and walked back into Willie’s house. He looked at his nephew. He was still in wolf form. Trevor was trying to talk him out of the form but the boy was too riled and wouldn’t change. Atlas leaned against the doorframe. He was going to let Trevor handle this.
“Tyson, I command you to turn back,” Trevor said to his son. While he and his father were verbally battling in the kitchen, his son had come out of nowhere and beat the crap out of Garret, almost killing the boy. He pushed his power out more. “Turn! Now!”
Tyson released a breath and turned.
Trevor exhaled. He walked over to his son and pulled him into his arms. “I know,” was all he said as his son began to cry. Trevor closed his eyes and kissed his child’s temple. How much more could his children take?
Chapter Six
Pitch black. The house was pitch black by the time Theo walked into it. He and Lucy had been in a heated make-out session when he’d been called to Willie’s about Taylor. He’d wanted to beg off, then Willie had explained his niece’s injuries and he knew he needed to be there for her and his brother. So he’d apologized to his mate, kissed her once more, then rushed from the house—promising to call her when he knew what was going on. He walked down the hall of his home to his bedroom. Between Lucy’s confession and Taylor’s attack, it was like fate was playing with the Hart family to see what would break them. Nothing could or would. They stood as one.
Theo opened the door of his bedroom to Lucy and Stacia sleeping in his bed. He smiled at them as he walked over to the bed. He bent and kissed each on the head. If anything happened to either one of them he wouldn’t want to live. He sat on the bed. Now he knew why Trevor was so cranky and miserable when Amanda had moved back to her townhome—because she was the reason he lived and she always would be.
“You’re home.”
Theo smiled at Lucy. “Go back to sleep.”
Lucy shook her head as she sat up. She reached out and took his hand in hers. She didn’t know what happened to Taylor but the way Theo had rushed from the house it couldn’t have been anything good. “How is Tay?”
Theo smiled. Only family called her Tay. He was glad Lucy was starting to see herself as family. “She'll be ok. Her mother took her to the doctor a
nd Trevor and Tyson will make sure all are ok.”
Lucy nodded. She could see the sadness in Theo’s eyes. Whoever had hurt the young girl had hurt the whole family. She lifted until her knees were under her then wrapped her arms around Theo. She kissed his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
Theo wrapped his arms around his mate. He turned his head and inhaled her scent. He was sorry too. For her. For Taylor. For his family. It was just a sorry situation for all.
EA
Amanda released a breath as she walked over to her son. He was lying on the floor of his sister’s room in wolf form. She shook her head as she placed a light blanket over him. Tyson had come home covered in blood and angry. She’d tried to talk to him but all he’d done was allow her to clean the blood away, then he had shifted again, walked into his sister’s room, and laid down on her floor—going to sleep there but always on guard. She patted his head. “Watch her tonight, then in the morning we’ll talk,” Amanda told her sleeping son.
She looked at her daughter curled up on the bed. She stepped over her son and placed a hand on her daughter’s head. Taylor had some cuts and bruises on her chest and stomach but she hadn’t been violated. She rubbed her hand lightly over her daughter’s head. Even though her daughter hadn’t been raped, she was traumatized. It taken Amanda fifteen minutes to get her daughter to allow Monroe to look at her. And when he did, her daughter had held Amanda’s hand the whole time, not letting her leave the room. Amanda swallowed. She removed her hand, turned, stepped over her son, and headed out of the room. Her daughter and son were hurting and there wasn’t a lot she could do about it.
Amanda entered her room to Trevor on the phone. He still hadn’t told her what happened to Tyson or what happened at Willie’s once she and Taylor left. She walked over to the playpen in the room and checked on Viv. She was sleeping well. She reached in and covered her baby with the blanket. Tyson was with Taylor and Viv was going to sleep in their room tonight. It seemed the Hart men wanted to keep their most precious cargo as close to them as possible.
“Make sure he’s gone. I don’t want to wake in the morning and still have him in this town,” Trevor growled before he hung up the phone. He didn’t want to hear anything Peter had to say, he just wanted Garret gone. He placed his phone on the night stand, turned, and faced his mate. She was checking on their youngest. He released a breath. Tyson’s not talking had scared her when he’d come home covered in Garret’s blood. She’d asked only once what happened. When she hadn’t gotten an answer she’d cleaned their son up then sent him to his room. The thing was, Tyson didn’t go to his room. He stripped, shifted, and was now lying on his sister’s floor making sure she was protected. Viv was in their room, where she would stay until Garret and his father were out of the state of Georgia. Trevor knew they would never come to his home, but some of the things Garret had said had him and Tyson on edge. He walked over to his mate. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Let’s get some sleep.”
Amanda leaned into him. Sleep was a relative term tonight, but she would give it a shot.
EA
What the hell?! Theo sat up in the bed, careful not to wake Lucy and the baby. He looked at them. Lucy had the baby close to her chest, swaddled in a blanket, her head resting on the baby’s. He smiled at them. They looked so precious. He reached out and placed a hand on her head. When he had tried to leave earlier, all Lucy had done was lie him down on the bed, then lie her body half on top of his right side, close to the baby. She had kissed his chin then drifted off to sleep. He had wrapped his arm around her, loving the fact she was there.
When Theo heard the noise again he got out of the bed and headed towards his bedroom door. He would kill anyone who tried to harm his girls. He walked out of the room, careful not to make too much noise. He wanted to have the element of surprise. He walked down the hall listening for the person’s movements. They were in the living room. He plastered himself against the wall and inched down the hall. He stilled at the entrance to the living room. He crouched, watching as the darkened figure tore through the baby things Lucy and Amanda had purchased the other day. He growled lowly. Why would anyone tear up baby things?
Theo slowly moved from his position, making sure the person couldn’t see him. He moved to the back of the couch, out of the view of his intruder. He was going to take this person down, then he was going to find out who they were and try not to kill them for coming into his home with his wife and baby present.
“Theo?”
He turned his head quickly as Lucy turned on the hall light and came towards him. Damn, he should’ve woken her and told her to stay in the room.
“Theo, I—” Lucy stilled. She swallowed. “Duncan,” she breathed. Lucy turned and was about to take a step when he grabbed her nightdress and pulled her towards him.
“I knew I would find you,” Duncan breathed in her ear.
Lucy licked her lips. “Please Duncan—just leave. There is nothing here you want.”
“Oh, I beg to differ.” He sniffed her.
“Duncan, the ba—”
“I don’t want that bitch. I want you and I will have you.” He ran a hand down the front of her body. “That man hasn’t touched what’s mine, has he?”
“I have.”
Duncan turned the both of them to face Theo.
“I’ve touched, licked, and caressed the body you threw away,” Theo said. He was hanging on to his wolf by a thread. If Duncan didn’t let his mate go, Theo was going to rip the man apart.
Duncan laughed “I’m to believe that? This bitch knows her place and it’s with me.”
Lucy could see Theo’s wolf in his eyes. She held her breath. She needed to play this right or Theo would shift and hurt her by accident, trying to get at Duncan.
“One: my wife is not a bitch and if you call her that again I will not let you live. Two: her place is with me, our baby, and the half dozen other babies I plan on bringing into this world with her. And three: I suggest you let her go or I swear to you I will kill you,” Theo growled. He was about to let his wolf loose but he needed Lucy out of the way before he could. He looked at his wife and winked at her.
“I will—”
Lucy elbowed Duncan. When he grunted and released her, she ducked just as Theo’s wolf jumped on the man. She rolled away from them. She was about to call out to Theo when she heard a gunshot. Lucy watched in horror as Theo’s wolf fell on top of Duncan’s unmoving body. She scrambled over to Theo. “Baby?” She moved his body off of Duncan’s. There was bullet hole in his chest. She petted his head. “I’m going to call for help.” She bent and kissed his snout hoping against hope she did not lose the one person she was coming to love more than she thought she ever could.
EA
This was not how she thought her life would be. When she was younger she had thought she would be a housewife or she would be a pastry chef part-time and a mom—not standing in the waiting room of the town’s clinic, her deranged ex handcuffed and receiving treatment in one room while the man she loved was in another, a bullet being removed from his chest. Lucy wiped at her tears as she started to pace. When she’d called the Harts, all but Trevor had shown at the house. Atlas had called the Sheriff to handle the GBI and Duncan, while the others had gotten Theo out of the house and to the clinic. It was easy to explain Duncan’s bites. It wasn’t ease to explain why there was a wolf in her home. Lucy stopped pacing. She looked at Mary Hart, who was sitting calmly with Anastasia, rocking the baby in her arms. Mary was calm and collected while Lucy was a nervous wreck.
“My dear, please sit down. You will wear a hole in the floor.”
Lucy sighed. “Why aren’t you mad at me? Why aren’t you saying you hate me?”
Mary shook her head. She placed the baby back in her carrier, stood, and walked over to Lucy. She took her hands in her own. “Now why would I say something like that to my son’s mate?”
“Because if I would have never come here, Theo wouldn’t
have a bullet in his chest.”
“Maybe, but then Theo would not have you in his life and I would not have my precious grandbaby,” Mary said as she placed a hand on her cheek. “My dear, before you, Theo really had no direction. It would be work, home, and family. Nothing more, nothing less. It was as if he was missing something and that something was you. You gave him a purpose, my dear.” Mary smiled at her.
“I still feel guilty. Duncan—”
“No one knew he had found you,” Mary said as she removed her hand. If she had it her way, Duncan would have been killed for all the pain he’d caused.
No. No one knew that while bleeding, Charlie had written down Theo’s license plate number and given it to Duncan. “I—”
“Lucy, Mary?”
Both turned at the sound of Monroe’s voice. “Is he ok?” Lucy asked. She needed Theo to be ok.
Monroe smiled. “See for yourself,” he replied as he moved to the side.
Lucy launched herself at a bandaged covered Theo.
Theo held his mate with one arm as he hugged her to him. While Monroe was digging out the bullet from Duncan’s concealed weapon, all he had thought about was his mate. Getting her home, getting her naked, and starting on their next baby. He turned his head and kissed her hair. “I’m ok.”
“I am so sorry I—”
He squeezed her a little. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m alive and I’m here with you.” He kissed her temple.
Lucy pulled back. She sniffled and gave him a half smile. “Can we please go home?”
Theo smiled and nodded.
“Well, you two need to rest and I need to take care of my grandbaby for the evening,” Mary said. The way her son was holding onto his mate not only would Amanda be giving her more grandchildren soon but so would Theo and Lucy. She picked up the carrier and diaper bag.
