“Cailin?”
She blinked, clearing her thoughts at the sound of Mel’s voice. The Jamenson women were scouring through old texts the elders had given them, looking for a way to defeat the demons. The children had all been evacuated from the Pack, along with many of their other Pack members.
The loss of innocence, the lack of laughter and giggles made Cailin want to weep.
She cleared her throat. “Sorry, were you talking to me?”
Mel tilted her head, the Alpha female taking note of all of Cailin’s tics. “I was just asking if you were done with the book; you haven’t moved past page two. What’s wrong, honey?”
Mel was only two years older than Cailin and hadn’t spent the majority of her life within the den and living among wolves, but right then, with the power running through her veins, Mel seemed so much wiser.
“I’m just inside my head,” Cailin said honestly. “No worries,” she lied. “Here, take this one.” She handed Mel the book underneath the one she’d been trying to read. “I’ll actually work on this one now that I’m awake.”
Mel took the book, set it down, and then pulled Cailin into her arms. Mel had been standoffish, afraid of touching others because she hadn’t been used to it. Times had changed, and now she was just as tactile and loving as the rest of them—if not more so.
Hannah blew out a breath then fluffed her curls. The woman’s hair would not be tamed, not matter how much she tried. Cailin had a feeling it was just one more thing Reed and Josh loved about her.
“So, I need chocolate,” their Healer said, closing the book she had with an audible thump.
“Did someone say chocolate?” Ellie asked, closing her book as well. She smiled then, the darkness that had been in her eyes for so long finally fading away to a shadow. Maddox and Charlotte were so good for her.
“I brought molded chocolate, actually,” Willow said with a smile. Jasper’s mate stood up and went to a basket near the door. “I’ve been toying with chocolates for the bakery.” A sad smile reached her face. “Well, at least I had been. Now with everyone gone…” She shrugged. “It hadn’t seemed prudent. But Jasper and I were home alone without Brie and I…” Tears filled her eyes, and she shook her head. “Help me eat this so I don’t eat it all on my own.”
Bay stood up and helped Willow with the basket. “I could use a handful or four of chocolate. Without Micah at the house, I swear Adam is a nervous wreck.”
Lexi raised a brow, taking a piece of chocolate from the basket. “Just Adam?”
Bay blew a raspberry at her. “Okay fine. We’re all nervous wrecks. Hence the chocolate.”
Cailin took a milk chocolate molded in the shape of a wolf’s head and bit down. Flavors burst on her tongue, and she practically had an orgasm right there. “Oh God, Willow. Make these. Please. I’ll pay you. Lay prostrate at your feet. Just tell me what you need.” She gobbled up the rest of her piece quickly then reached for another.
In a world of war, pain, and loss, sometimes chocolate made things just a little bit better when hope was lost.
Cailin bit into her next piece, this time a paw print, and leaned against the armchair. Bay and Ellie had both taken the seat, cuddling into one another on the large piece of furniture. Willow leaned on Mel’s legs from the floor next to the couch while Hannah and Lexi sat next to Mel.
Everyone ate silently, the nirvana that was Willow’s chocolate too decadent for words. She’d be a hit when the Pack could reconnect and use the bakery again.
That thought cooled her quickly.
What if they never came back?
“What is it, Cailin?” Ellie asked. “I’m not the Omega, but Maddox told me that you’re feeling something way off.” She tapped the side of her head and winced. “Sorry for acting like a Peeping Tom, or whatever, but we’re all worried. Not just about you, but everyone.”
Cailin finished the last of her chocolate, licking her fingers to make sure she got every last morsel. It was, after all, the best chocolate in the history of chocolate. And if she kept thinking about it, she’d be able to ignore the looks and worries of others for a few more moments.
She let out a sigh. Not even chocolate could fix this. “What if they can’t come back?”
Willow choked on a sob and shook her head, and the other women—all mothers now—closed their eyes, petting each other. Bay’s hand came down on Cailin’s shoulder, and both of them let out a breath.
“There has to be a way,” Cailin continued. “You know? Absolute evil might be absolute, but that doesn’t mean it’s unbreakable. It just means it’s pure.”
“And that’s what Caym is,” Mel added. “He’s tortured us, killed us, and taken so much of what we hold dear. But we’re still here. Never forget that. We’re not backing down, even if that seems like the best thing to do.”
“She’s right,” Bay added. “Caym might be my father…” She winced, and Ellie rubbed her shoulder. “He might be my father, might have my blood, but he’s nothing to me. Nothing. There was a way to get him to this plane. There will be a way to get him out.”
Ellie let out a breath. “The Centrals killed my cousin to bring him here, and Caym killed my twin to stay. We know death brings him here.”
“Maybe life will send him back,” Cailin breathed.
Hannah sat up, a frown on her face. “That would be a balance, a symmetry, that the Fates would like. But how would that work?”
Cailin closed her eyes, willing a magical plan to pop into her brain where everything would become pretty and perfect. So not going to happen. Not in the world she lived in. Not in the world Caym lived in.
“So we need life,” Cailin whispered. “Or something like it. Or maybe we’re going down the wrong track. I mean there have been births since Caym showed up after all.”
Lexi moved so she sat next to Cailin, leaning in. “Maybe not the right birth. It’s a track. One we haven’t really looked at. Well, Emeline might have, but she hasn’t told us yet. That elder is so quiet I never know what she’s going to say when she does speak.”
Bay let out a small laugh. “She’s cagey because that’s how she’s had to live for hundreds of years. She’s getting better. And she’s honestly working on Caym and North.”
Lexi winced. “She’s working on the spell that caused North’s blindness, but my mate won’t let her work too hard. He’d rather take out the demon than get his sight back.”
“That’s my brother for you,” Cailin said.
Lexi gave a sad smile. “Yes. That’s my mate. And as for my brother, you’re making him happy, Cailin. I don’t know if I’ve said that. I love that we’re sisters in two bonds.”
Cailin leaned into Lexi, her wolf rubbing along her skin, liking the other woman’s new wolf. Lexi had been a latent wolf, stuck in her human skin and not able to shift, until recently. Things had changed so much since everyone started mating, and Cailin wouldn’t change the outcomes. People had found their other halves, their bonds. They’d had children and found even more to adopt into their families. The good didn’t outweigh the bad, not yet. But it was a start.
Mel rolled her shoulders then let out a breath. “Okay, we have more books to look at. The men are all at Jasper and Willow’s with more books. I say we work for another hour then head to them. At some point we all need to cuddle.” The Alpha female blushed. “Or whatever.”
Cailin closed her eyes and groaned. “Please don’t tell me any details. It sucks that all my girlfriends are mated to my brothers. The images in my brain right now require more than bleach. Maybe a blow torch.”
Lexi giggled. “Just don’t talk about your mating, and we’re golden.”
Hannah laughed, her eyes dancing. “You mean you don’t want her to talk about Logan’s penis?”
Lexi made fake gagging sounds, leaning into Cailin. “Stop it. Please. For the love of the goddess. Stop it.”
“It’s a nice penis,” Cailin said deadpan, and the women broke out into laughter.
“Nice? T
hat’s it?” Ellie asked with a smile.
“I’m not listening,” Lexi said as she plugged her ears.
“Well, it’s nicer than nice. Like oh-my-god-let-me-bow-down-to-you-and-stare-in-utter-amazement nice.” Cailin batted her eyelashes at Lexi, who growled.
“I’m a freaking wolf so that means I can still hear you when I cover my ears,” the other woman mumbled. “Maybe I’ll start talking about North’s penis.”
“Oh God, please don’t,” Cailin shouted.
“I hear Lexi likes North’s penis so much she does exactly what she’s told,” Willow teased.
Lexi blushed then shrugged. “What can I say? North knows exactly what he likes and tells me what to do. It’s hot.”
Cailin closed her eyes and prayed to the moon goddess for this conversation to end. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”
Mel raised a brow. “Brought what up, honey?”
The women laughed again, the last of their tension easing away. “Okay, I’m done,” Cailin said, finally catching her breath. “Let’s get another look at those books.” She moved to stand, only to blink, becoming lightheaded. “Whoa.”
Hannah was at her side in an instant, her hands hovering over Cailin’s body.
“I’m fine,” Cailin said, more to herself than the women in the room. “Just got up too fast.”
Hannah cupped her face, her eyes full of light. “Maybe, but, honey, that’s not all.”
“What?” Cailin asked, worry filling her quickly.
“You’re pregnant,” Hannah said simply.
Cailin blinked. “Uh, say what?” Pregnant? No way. She’d just mated with Logan a month ago. And before that, she hadn’t had sex in a year. Or maybe more. When had she and Noah broken up anyway?
“Cailin, look at me,” Hannah said.
“What?”
“You’re pregnant, honey. You and Logan are going to have a baby.”
Cailin swallowed hard then smiled. “A baby?”
Hannah nodded. “Yes, sweetie. Now do you want us to take you to Logan now? I don’t think we’ll be doing any more research tonight, and your mate is bound to feel something off in the bond if you keep looking so dazed.”
“A baby.”
The girls took their turns hugging and kissing her, showing how happy they were with the new arrival.
A baby.
She put her hand on her flat stomach and smiled. She was going to be a mom. Logan, a dad. Even surrounded by war, the loss, the pain, they’d made something special.
She needed Logan.
Now.
“I need Logan.”
Hannah laughed. “Yes, honey. We know. Go to him. He’s right across the bend. Can you make it on your own?”
Cailin nodded then stood up. “I’m good. I’m really good.” Scared as hell, but she’d worry about that as soon as she told Logan.
A baby.
Goddess, a baby.
****
“Sorry we beat you up.”
Logan snorted at Jasper’s words and closed the old text. There wasn’t anything about a demon or binding spell in there anyway. “We’re good. I beat up North when he mated Lexi, so we’re even.”
North raised a brow, his clouded eyes on Logan even if he couldn’t see. “Really? That’s how you remember it?”
“Just telling them the truth.”
“You’re so full of it,” North barked with a laugh. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
North laughed again, and Logan let out a sigh. At least they could all laugh at the little things. Right then, looking at book after book that told them nothing wasn’t helping.
Logan sat on the floor, surrounded by books and Jamensons. While he was connected on some levels through his mating with Cailin, he still didn’t feel as much a part of them as he should have. Each of them had been through years of connections and were all brothers.
All except for Josh, of course, but the man was one of Reed’s mates so he already had his place. Josh had already had his place outside of the mating as well.
Logan, again, felt like the odd man out.
Which made him crazy because he shouldn’t have felt that way. He’d been helping protect the Pack with Adam’s Enforcer duties and Edward before the attack and his mating of Cailin. He’d already started cementing his role in the den before everything had gone to shit, yet he still felt out of place.
His wolf needed something more, something to counteract the extra magic in his veins due to the moon goddess.
Yet he had no idea what it was and how he was going to fix it.
It might just be something he’d have to get over as time moved on.
At least he had Cailin. She was worth everything.
“What’s wrong?” Maddox asked, his eyes as probing as ever. The Omega had done his best not to push when it came to Logan, but sometimes there was only so much a man could do.
Logan understood that, but it didn’t mean he wanted to deal with it right then.
Jasper, who sat by Reed and Josh, tilted his head. “You’ve been off for a while, man. I know it doesn’t have to do with Cailin because when you’re with her you’re the most relaxed we’ve ever seen you.”
“It’s true,” North added. “I might not be able to see it, but my wolf and I can feel it.”
“We’ve each been through so much shit I’m pretty sure we can help,” Adam put in.
Logan wasn’t sure the man was even conscious of the fact that he rubbed his prosthetic leg while he said it. Logan couldn’t even bear to think about the pain the other man must have been in when Caym had ripped the limb from him. He held back a shudder. Adam was stronger than most when it came to pain, and Logan respected him for it, but that didn’t mean he wanted to talk about his feelings.
Especially when Logan wasn’t even sure what his feelings were at the moment. He couldn’t put it to words himself, so how was he supposed to explain it to others?
Logan blinked and looked up as Kade got up from his chair and made his way to Logan’s side. The Alpha sat down next to him, his shoulders back but heavy, as if the weight of the world rested upon them.
In reality, that was the case.
If the Redwoods lost, they would die, and the demon’s focus would move from their den and onto the world at large.
Humans weren’t safe.
They never had been.
“You’re lost,” Kade announced from beside him, his voice low, deceptively casual.
Logan blinked. “Lost?” Was that what he’d been feeling? Yes, but not really. He’d found Cailin, cementing himself to her. He shouldn’t have needed anything else.
“Lost,” Kade repeated. “You’re mated to our sister, yes. You have that bond. But what about everything else? You aren’t just Cailin’s mate, same as she isn’t merely yours. You’re both individuals who have purpose. Cailin’s found hers by helping Jasper.”
Jasper let out a sigh. “I don’t know what I would have done without her. Now that the Pack is evacuated, my role is really to help those who remained behind. Meaning us.”
“You, though, you don’t have a place,” Kade said, and Logan winced.
“That’s how I used to feel,” Reed said. “I’m one of the only ones without a power in my family.”
“You’re not alone there,” North added in. “But we found what we needed to do within the Pack to help out. It soothed us and our wolves within.”
“I don’t have the power from the moon goddess, but Edward appointed me as one of his enforcers,” Josh said softly.
They paused for a moment, remembering the Alpha whose life had been cut short. The father that had been ripped from them far too early.
“That brings up something I need to discuss with all of you,” Kade said at last. “Some of the men who were my father’s enforcers won’t be working for me. They’re older than I am, watched me grow from a pup. Even though they will bow down to my wolf to acknowledge my dominance, I can’t ask them to bow for the man.”
&nb
sp; Adam cursed. “You know they will, Kade. They’d put their lives on the line for you. They’ve done so in the past.”
Kade nodded. “That’s true. But they’re in pain from losing their Alpha as well. I know in my heart and through the bonds that not all of them want to continue. I’m okay with that. I want to bring in new enforcers anyway. Men that are mine. Not just my father’s.”
“That makes sense, Kade,” Maddox added. “It doesn’t make you any less of an Alpha to want to make your own circle. It’s what’s been done in the past, and frankly, what must be done now.”
“I’m with you, Kade,” Josh said, his tone not letting in any argument. “I fought for your father, I stand by my mates’ sides, and I will fight for you.”
Kade quirked a grin. “I would expect no less from you, Josh. Plus, you didn’t watch me as a pup. I can use that.”
Adam rubbed his jaw. “Until you and Mel have more children, or until the goddess moves our powers around, I’m your Enforcer.”
Jasper nodded. “Yes. As the Enforcer, you protect the Pack. That won’t change. But as enforcers, we need men to protect the Alpha.” He grinned. “Not that Kade can’t protect himself, but you know us wolves. All claws and teeth. We need the extra.”
Kade turned to Logan and narrowed his eyes. “That brings me to you, Logan.”
Logan raised a brow. “Me?”
“Yes, you. You’re fucking strong. Loyal to those you protect. And you’re one hell of a wolf. I could use you as an enforcer. What do you say?”
Something warmed within him, and he nodded before thinking it through. Yes. Yes, this was what he’d been missing. A purpose for himself, for his wolf.
“Good,” Kade said then cut his palm with a knife he pulled from the sheath. “I vow to be your Alpha. To protect and rule in the goddess’s grace.”
Logan cut his palm, the stinging gone in an instant under the intensity of his Alpha’s gaze. “I vow to protect the Alpha as an enforcer. To protect under your rule in the goddess’s grace.”
They put their hands together, cut to cut, and another bond snapped into place. Not the same as a mating bond, nor the same as Pack member to Alpha. This one was of pure loyalty, pure dedication.
Fighting Fate (Redwood Pack #7) Page 14
