by Donna Flynn
“I have already sent some men to look into it, but I will meet with you later and discuss that.” Gregory told him his first concern being his son and his mate.
“I will go and make some coffee we could be in for a long night,” Nina said brushing her fingers against Lucan’s arm as she passed him on the way to the door. “Would you like to help?” she asked Hailey who looked to Cade for approval.
“Go ahead, I’ll stay here and talk to my brother.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek and she smiled shyly before following Nina out of the door.
“I suppose everything is okay now?” Lucan asked his brother.
“Trevor was forcing her to bond by threatening her family.”
“She is not his mate why would he do that?” Mather asked looking perplexed.
“That’s simple, somehow he found out she was Cade’s Bond Mate and he knew the quickest way to engage him in a fight would be to threaten his mate and if nothing else he would have the one thing Cade always longed for,” Lucan told him. “Think about it he wanted to ensure neither of us would come back and if he killed Cade it would force me to challenge him.”
“But you have beaten him before, he had to know you would again,” Mather argued.
“Ah but he had an ace in the hole,” He explained. “Blade would have made sure I did not survive. He probably would have made sure Trevor would not have either, to make it easier for him to step up and challenge everyone else, then once you were dealt with he would be Alpha.”
“I was so stupid, I should have paid more attention, but I spent too much time running the pack and not enough time monitoring my children,” Mather said looking suddenly old and beaten. “You two and Mercy are all I have left. She does not know I exist and you both hate me too much to ever forgive an old man’s foolishness.”
“You got that right,” Cade answered snidely.
“Cade now is not the time,” Lucan, said sternly.
“What, he gets to walk in here, apologize, and you just forgive him?” He growled his wolf rearing its ugly head. “Well don’t expect me to follow your lead! He deserves what is happening, he brought this all upon himself and if Mercy doesn’t make it I’ll kill him.”
“Cade!” Gregory shouted. “We will all discuss this at a later date, but for now we are here for Mercy and like it or not he is her father and has earned the right to be here with us.”
“He is not her father,” Cade argued. “A father is one who cares for and nurtures their child Lucan is more her father than he could ever be,” he bit out angrily.
“Cade?” Hailey appeared at the doorway biting her lip nervously glancing between the men in the room.
“I’m fine,” he said gently if speaking to a child, holding out his hand to her. She ran effortlessly to his side hugging him close as he forced himself to calm. “It’s alright I was just upset.”
“I was worried,” she whispered tightening her arms around him.
“I know and as usual you rushed in where there could have been danger.”
“You would never hurt me I know that,” she told him confidently.
“Your right, I never would, but still use more caution.” He kissed the end of her nose and hugged her close.
“I wasn’t sure what you all put in your coffee so I brought everything up,” Nina said coming through the door with a large tray in her hands that Lucan rushed to assist her with carrying.
“Thank you,” he told her placing the tray on the nightstand then placing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.
“It was no problem, it’s going to be a long night we could all use a little pick me up.” Everyone looked to the bed where Mercy lay motionless and the room grew silent. All assembled were aware that there was every chance it could be her last night amongst them.
Chapter Nineteen
Mercy woke to an eerie silence, her eyes blinking furiously in the bright light of the afternoon sun that streamed through her windows. Her head ached and her body felt as if had been through a war. Vividly she recalled the attack and the horror of seeing Alec bloodied and close to death. A lump formed in her throat as she recalled the final moments before she passed out.
Had her efforts to save him been in vain or had he somehow pulled through. Her eyes searched the room frantically for anyone who might know, but the room was empty and eerily quiet except for the soft hum of a machine hooked to an IV pole that was pumping something into a tube connected to her arm.
She realized they must have drugged her to keep her down, but she had to find out about Alec. She pushed the covers back prepared to climb from the bed, but froze the instant she saw the jagged scars down her legs and felt her stomach muscles tugging tightly across her abdomen. With dread, she reached for the hem of her t-shirt and slowly lifted it, sickened by the multitude of bruises and stitches on the portion of her stomach not wrapped tightly with bandages.
Her eyes filled with tears and a sharp cry of disbelief escaped her lips. The hideous sight of her injuries revolted her and she shoved the shirt back down unwilling to look upon them anymore. Her body shook and loud sobs escaped her throat as she closed her eyes trying to accept what had happened without falling to pieces.
The door opened suddenly and Alec quickly walked in looking a little worse for wear, but alive. It was the best sight she could have hoped for and her sobs grew louder.
“Angel don’t.” He came to her side, swiping away the tears that fell down her cheek trying not to be hurt when she flinched away from his hand.
“So we both made it,” she said softly closing her eyes to avoid seeing the hurt on his face she knew was there.
“It seems that way, although the last week has been an uncertainty where you were concerned.” His first impulse was to hug her close, but with her injuries and the obvious fact she was now uncomfortable around him he held himself in check. “You should have healed yourself first, then worried about me,” he chastised.
“It doesn’t matter my life is over now anyway,” she told him, clenching her hands on the sheet nervously.
“Your life is not over. It will be different now, but I know you will learn to embrace what you are in time, you’re not a quitter.” He reached for her hand, but thought the better of it and pulled it back.
“I am a monster, the very thing that killed my parents. How can I get past that,” she argued noting the slight tick of aggravation in his cheek as she spoke.
“We are not monsters were just…”
She placed her hand up to stop him. “I’m glad you’re alive Alec. I really am, but I can’t do this right now, just leave me alone. Please.”
“Don’t do this Angel, I care about you so much. I want to help you through this.” He took her hand in his own ignoring her attempts to pull it away. “Let me help you,” he begged.
“I think you and my brothers have helped enough.” She succeeded in getting her hand from his and tucked it under the blanket. “I love you all, but I can’t forgive you for the lies and deceit. I wouldn’t have been happy to know what I was, but I might have understood and come to terms with it. From now on, I want to know everything about what I am and I will need help with that, but it does not mean I have forgiven any of you.”
“What about us?” he asked.
“I can’t think about that right now, in all honesty I’m not sure there will ever be an us. I don’t know if I can live with this.” She met his gaze, her eyes filled with tears and her hands shook under the blanket. “I need time and I need to know if I will ever again be able to trust you.”
He had expected her anger, knew he deserved it for the lies he had taken part in, but her words still cut him deep. “Take all the time you need, I will wait and I will help you learn that what you are is a wonderful thing when you embrace it.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her trembling lips tasting the salt of her tears. “Never doubt I did everything I could to protect you, without you my own life wouldn’t be worth living.”
“I kn
ow,” she whispered.
“Alec can we have a minute with Mercy,” Lucan asked from the doorway.
“Of course.” He looked down on Mercy and frowned. “I will give you time, but do not ask me to stay away, I could not bear that.”
He walked away dejectedly and Mercy turned her head away hoping to hide the tears that slid down her cheeks.
For a few moments, Lucan busied himself checking the IV, pushing the medication button a few times before turning to face her.
“So I suppose this is where you make our lives hell until we have paid for our sins,” Cade said solemnly.
“I don’t intend to make anyone pay.”
They both stared confused by her calm state.
“I want to know what I am and how to control it, to do that I will need your help.” They both looked relived. “Of course this does not mean I forgive either you for lying to me, even if you thought it was for the right reasons.”
“Mercy we…”
She cut off Lucan’s apology with a loud sigh. “It doesn’t change anything that you’re sorry. I am still angry and hurt, give me time like I asked Alec to do. No amount of apologizing is going to change how I feel right now.” Their hurt was easy to read, so she softened her words. “I love you both, you’re the only family I have, but this is a lot to absorb and honestly right now I can’t handle anything else. Apologies will have to wait. I need to find myself, the real me, not the one who has been hiding for so long.”
“Of course,” Lucan said leaning over to place a kiss on her forehead. “You rest I will bring you something to eat in a little while.” He turned and walked out leaving her alone with Cade.
“Kid you are going to be the death of us,” Cade said coming to sit by her side.
“Yeah, well isn’t that what having kids is all about” she joked, grimacing when her rib protested.
“Relax. Think of it this way, now you’re almost invincible.” He brushed his hand down her cheek and smiled. “Never in my life have I been as worried as the moment I saw you on this bed so battered and torn.” He looked so sad she reached out for his hand and clenched it in her own. “Don’t ever leave us, I can’t imagine not having my little sister around.”
“I don’t plan on going anywhere, besides else who would want me now?” she whispered laying her head back against the pillows and closing her eyes as the pain medicine began to take effect.
Cade looked to the doorway where Alec stood watching them worriedly. “Oh I’m sure there’s someone out there,” he murmered, but when he looked down she was fast asleep.
“Lucan must have dumped a lot of pain medicine into her,” he said stopping in front of Alec as he left the room.
“It’s probably a good thing, she needs rest.”
“Go sit with her, she needs you now whether she knows it or not.” Cade patted his shoulder and walked away leaving him to watch over his mate.
Alec walked to Mercy’s bedside and looked down her pale face, happy she was alive even if it meant she now hated him. He took her hand in his and sat on the edge of the bed his love for her shinning in his eyes. “For now My Angel I will do as you ask. I will help you learn to be pack, be your friend, and give you the time you asked for, but later….” He looked out of the window where the sun shone brightly imagining their future now that she was finally part of the pack.
The End
