Fourth Hope

by Clare Atling

  ‘Baby, wake up. Please wake up. I need you.’ She stoked the blood away from his fur, but she could see the huge bite marks around his neck. She didn’t even want to think about what he would look like if he changed back into his human form. The blood that pooled underneath him was sticky and was soaking into her jeans as she kneeled beside him. ‘Please, Colt. I love you, please wake up.’

  Still he didn’t move. She glanced around the room and saw that Brandon was out cold on the floor, but still breathing. Logan was currently attached to Marcus’s hind legs and Seth was on his back, trying to pin his wolf to the ground. Hope was torn between helping her brothers and helping Colt. She knew she couldn’t choose. She could, however, distract Marcus with the hope that her brothers would recover long enough to take him down.

  ‘Hey, dog breath,’ she called out. ‘You want to play? Then take me instead of Callie. Think how much fun the pack would have with the Penn Lake Princess?’ Although her voice sounded calm and confident, inside she was shaking with fear.

  Marcus’s eyes flashed to her as he shook her brothers off and started the chase. Hope screamed and ran through the double doors behind her into the restaurant. Great plan, Hope, she thought to herself. Shit, she only wanted to distract him, but now he was chasing her through the doors. She ran as fast as she could, but he was faster. Marcus grabbed her hair and pulled, sending a sharp pain through her skull. She twisted to face him. He had turned, once again, into his human form.

  ‘You think I would let my pack touch a filthy whore like you? Taint my new pack with your fucking blood? The only thing you’re good for is death.’ He gripped her round the throat so tight Hope couldn’t breathe. She struggled best she could and tried desperately with all her added strength to get his hands off her throat. The darkness was creeping in and all she could focus on was Marcus’s blue eyes and the sinister smile on his face. ‘I’ll enjoy killing the rest of your family, right before I take...’

  His eyes suddenly went wide and his grip loosened enough for Hope to break free. She staggered back and fell against one of the tables, gulping in huge breaths. As Marcus turned around, she saw a huge steak knife in his back with Colt standing in front of him. Her mate was alive and had saved her.

  ‘You will never touch my mate or this family again,’ he said. ‘You are nothing to me.’ With that, he stepped up and twisted his father’s neck. The crunch and snapping sounds made Hope’s stomach lurch as she fought desperately not to be sick. It was over. Marcus was dead. She looked at Colt and smiled. Her mate had saved her. Colt, however, just stared at her with blank eyes before collapsing to the ground.

  ‘Colt!’ She ran to his side. Seth and Brandon were right beside her. Logan, who had now changed back to his human form, walked over to where Marcus’s body lay.

  ‘I’ll take him outside and burn him in the woods,’ he said. He walked past Hope and she felt his hand on her shoulder. He picked up Marcus’s body and walked through the doors.

  ‘Colt, baby, please…’ Her tears were streaming down her face as she laid her head on his chest. ‘I love you so much,’ she whispered.

  ‘I’m sorry, Hope,’ said Brandon. ‘We didn’t get here quick enough. Are you okay?’ He was rubbing her back as Callie, Maggie and Sarah came through the doors.

  ‘Logan said it was over...’ Maggie looked at Hope with such sad eyes. ‘I’m so sorry, Hope.’

  ‘I can’t lose him. He can’t die. Please, someone has to help him…’ Hope sat up and looked at Colt’s pale face. ‘You can’t leave me, Colt. I can’t say goodbye.’

  ‘Hope…’ said Sarah gently.

  ‘Please, just give me a minute alone with him.’ Hope sniffed and wiped her eyes with her hands. ‘I’ll meet you out front.’

  ‘Okay. We’re just outside, all right?’ Seth kissed her head and took his mate’s hand. Hope watched each of her brothers as they took their mates and led them outside.

  ‘You did it, baby.’ She brushed the hair away from Colt’s head. ‘You beat your father. Now you can go and we can run their pack together, the way it should have been from the start. We can start afresh and teach them all about what a real pack and family should be like. Okay?’ She kissed his still lips once and then placed her head back on his heart. ‘I love you so much,’ she whispered and she let the tears run free, sobbing, onto his chest.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  Sarah was cradling baby Zak on her hip, trying desperately to keep his hands away from her hair, which she had just pinned up.

  ‘Where is your daddy? He and your uncles should have been here half an hour ago.’ Sarah tickled the baby’s chin, making him giggle.

  ‘Well,’ said Maggie, ‘you said no one was to wear black, as we had too much upset the last year, so they had to change their suits.’ Maggie was as huge as a whale, but no one would dare tell her. Hope laughed as she watched her try to get up.

  ‘You laughing at me, Hope?’ Maggie barely made it up. Since they’d found out her and Brandon were expecting twins, Logan and Seth had been on catch-up, trying to get their mates pregnant again. They weren’t going to let Brandon ‘win’ this baby race.

  ‘No way,’ said Hope. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it.’ She smiled at her family. She loved them so much and was grateful for all their support over the last year. Her mother came in, carrying baby Daniel, and immediately passed him over to Callie, his mom.

  ‘The boys are just outside,’ said Hope. ‘I’m going to take the babies out to them so they can get seated for the ceremony.’ She gathered up Zak and took him outside, then came back for Daniel. Her little nephews were just the most special things she had ever seen; but, after taking them for a few hours, she was glad to give them back. Mary returned with Christopher right behind her.

  ‘Baby girl, you look beautiful,’ said her father. ‘I’m so proud of you and all you’re doing.’ He kissed her and wrapped her up in a firm hug, covering her with warmth like only a father could.

  ‘Thank you, Daddy. I miss you so much, but I wouldn’t change anything for the world.’ Well, there was one thing she would change, but she would never voice her concern to her parents, not on a day like today.

  ‘I love you, baby girl. Let’s get you out there. Your groom is waiting and not very patiently, I might add.’ He smiled and took her arm in his as she followed her bridesmaids out the door.

  Callie, Maggie and Sarah all looked stunning in their pale pink dresses, but everything fell into place when she spotted the one man she couldn’t live without. Colt was standing at the end of the white carpet waiting for her; it took everything she had not to run to him. Her father must have sensed this and whispered to her.

  ‘He’ll still be there in ten more seconds.’ That made her smile.

  The last year had been hard work. Colt suffered massive injuries from his father’s attack and, although he was covered in battle scars, she still thought he was the handsomest man she had ever seen and he was soon to be all hers, legally. After the attack, her brothers had carried him to the car and taken him to a local hospital, where the doctors gave him blood and sewed up what bite marks they could. They explained he’d been attacked by a bear and the doctors seemed to believe them. Although Colt couldn’t change into his wolf for a few months after, he recovered patiently at their home. Hope loved playing nurse to her patient. As soon as he was healthy, Hope and Colt left Penn Lake to take over the pack that Marcus had tried to tear apart. They still had a lot of work to do, but they were slowly winning the battle.

  Having reached the altar, Hope kept her eyes on his until her father released her arm and gave her over to Colt. She placed her hand over his scarred face and leant up to kiss him.

  ‘I love you.’ It was all she needed to say. The last year had been a real trial of ups and downs, but her family had been behind her all the way. Today, she was getting married to her mate in front of her new pack and old. Her three best friends stood beside her, while her brothers and nephews stood behind Colt. Th
eir second-in-command, Tyler, stood the other side of Colt. He had helped Colt round up the scattered pack members and build a new life for those who wanted to rejoin.

  No one mourned Marcus’s passing, although she knew it had taken Colt a few weeks to come to terms with what had happened. Life was just perfect and she couldn’t wait to tell Colt that they were going to be adding to their little family in seven months’ time. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t told him so far, but she wanted it to be her wedding gift to him. She knew her mom was going to kill her for falling pregnant before getting married, but figured once the baby was here she would forgive Hope and Colt.

  ‘I love you too,’ he replied. ‘Now, shall we make this legal? I want to get this over with so I can get on with our honeymoon.’ Colt waggled his eyebrows at her making the rest of the guests laugh, even her father. She loved this family with everything inside of her – Seth and Sarah with baby Zak, Logan and Callie with baby Daniel, and Brandon and Maggie with baby twins. Her life was perfect without any drama.

  ‘Umm, guys…’ Maggie spoke up and blushed as everyone turned to look at her. ‘I think you better make it quick as my waters have just broke.’ Well, almost no drama, Hope snorted to herself. She really did love this family.

  The End

  Thank you for reading the final instalment in the Penn Lake Wolves series. Hope you enjoyed all of them. Watch out for a possible spin-off, involving Colt and Hope’s new pack, coming next year.