North stopped her and looked down. “Should he be here for this conversation?”
“I…I think he needs to be told what’s being done but not be there for it.”
North nodded. “I’ll tell Mom when we get inside.”
They walked inside without knocking and found Logan talking with Edward in the living room while Pat poured iced tea.
“Let me help you, Pat,” Lexi said when they walked in.
Pat waved her off. “I need to do something with my hands. Go sit down. You guys had a long trek from the elders’ area.”
Lexi looked down at Pat’s hands and frowned. The Alpha’s mate wasn’t shaking, but her tension seemed high.
“What’s wrong?”
Pat looked over her shoulder at Edward, who gave her a nod. “It seems we’re having visitors here any minute now. As soon as North called to tell us about the Talon Alpha, Edward called the Brentwoods.”
The Brentwoods were the ruling family of the Talons.
“Is Gideon Alpha then?” Lexi asked. Gideon had been the eldest son of the Alpha and was therefore Heir of the Pack. He and his brothers had also fought to keep her and her family in the Pack but had failed because Joseph had ruled the Pack with an iron fist.
“Yes, though it had happened only a few days ago, hence why I wasn’t told yet. Gideon had wanted to ensure the Pack wouldn’t rise against him once he took control. He was very interested to know how I’d heard, but I didn’t mention Emmaline’s name.”
North let out a low whistle. “Lots of change. And I’d like to know how Emmaline knew as well, but I think it has to do more with magic and the moon goddess than with a mole.”
Edward nodded as Lexi sat down next to North. “I agree. She’s always been more connected to the voices in the wind than most. I’m glad she listened to them this time and was able to warn us.”
“Wait,” North said. “You said visitors. The new Alpha is coming here? So soon after taking control?”
Logan let out a growl. “Apparently the Brentwoods want to make good with the Pack and ex-Packmates they’ve ignored for so long.”
“Logan,” Lexi admonished, “Gideon and his brothers and sister were always good to us. It’s not their fault they had shitty parents.”
Logan snorted. “I didn’t see them caring for us and trying to help us.”
“They let us leave the Pack without being hurt, and it was Gideon who made sure Joseph didn’t kill me as soon as they understood what had happened to me and what was growing within my belly. Remember that.”
North growled beside her, and she leaned into his hold. “It’s okay now,” she soothed, even though she was nervous at seeing any of them again. “The Brentwoods… at least these are good ones. I saw two extra glasses, Pat. I take it Gideon and another are coming then?”
“Yes, Gideon rather than Ryder, the Heir, because the Alphas need to meet, and he was also told of your…situation. Emmaline told us a few days ago, Lexi. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. We wanted to make sure that we could actually do something about it and not leave you wanting.” Tears filled Pat’s eyes but she blinked them away.
Lexi sucked in a breath but didn’t say anything. How could she when all they had wanted to do was help her and not get her hopes up.
“Also, Gideon’s cousin, Mitchell, who is the Beta, is coming with him since the Alpha shouldn’t travel alone.”
Lexi nodded. It made sense, but it was still a bit scary to think about. She hadn’t seen any of the Brentwoods since she’d been kicked out of the Pack. She wasn’t sure how they would receive her. She might not be looking for approval from them since she was in her new home now, but deep down she knew she still wanted it. Sure, she’d told Logan that the others hadn’t hurt her and had even gone to bat for her, but she’d still had to leave.
She’d still been banished.
North squeezed her knee then moved so they were leaning with their foreheads together. “If Gideon is coming here, then this might happen sooner rather than later.” She watched his throat as he swallowed hard. “Do you want to wait?”
Lexi let out a breath. “I…I think that if they leave their den and come all the way over here, then we should get it taken care of. I’m ready to do this.”
North closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring. “I will be by your side the entire time. We will do this and I won’t let you leave me. I just found you. I know you want to find your wolf and I know it’s time to do it. If we wait…well then it might be too late. I’d rather you do this now, when you’re strong. I won’t leave your side.”
She cupped his face. “I trust you with everything I have, North.” She met his gaze, knowing he’d see the tears there that hadn’t fallen yet. “So, yes, I want to figure out if I can find my wolf. If I can’t…well, you know what will happen. You know I can’t last much longer like this.” She tried to smile, but the pain in his eyes made it hopeless.
Logan growled beside her, and she turned. “You, sister mine, need to let me in on your medical issues.” The betrayal on his face surprised her. “I…I always knew we were lucky that you’d lived past a certain age, but you never told me it was this bad. You never told me you were in such need of your wolf that you’re about to risk dying by mauling in order to achieve it.”
“Logan,” she started then stopped herself. What could she say? She’d hidden her pain and wants for years because she didn’t know what to do with them. There hadn’t been any real hope, so she hadn’t wanted to make Logan worry more than he already was. Then they’d been on the run and they’d had to raise a baby and learn to live on their own, in hiding.
“Drop it, okay? I’ll watch them tear into you and hopefully save you. Then I’ll stand back and let you raise your son and I’ll be the best uncle I can be. If the worst happens?” He growled. “If the worst happens, then I’ll die inside, but Parker won’t be alone.”
“Well, it looks like Logan’s stolen my lines,” North said, his voice gruff with tears.
Her own tears, the ones that she’d held at bay, finally fell. Great, she was falling apart, and she hadn’t even told her son what she was doing yet.
She took a deep breath, inhaling the scents around her and froze, noticing a scent that had been there all along, but she’d missed it. “Parker’s here?” She gasped as she stood up. She’s been so stuck in her own head she hadn’t put the pieces together.
Pat nodded. “Logan brought him over, but he’s upstairs.” The woman came over and kissed her cheek. “Go tell him your plans and be strong, baby.”
Lexi gripped North’s hand and dragged him upstairs. There was no way she was doing this without him.
Parker sat on the bed reading a book and looked up when she walked through the door. Tears streamed down his face, but he didn’t say anything.
Her baby was way too smart and clever for his own good.
“Parker…”
“I don’t want you to die.”
It was like a kick to the solar plexus, but she walked to him, sat on the bed, and pulled him into her arms. He went willingly, and she broke down all over again.
“I don’t want to die either.” There was no use making empty promises she wasn’t sure she could keep.
“I know what you’re going to do. I heard them talking when they didn’t know I was there.”
Lexi closed her eyes tight. “You shouldn’t eavesdrop.”
“I had to. I was afraid you’d keep it from me.”
She pulled him back so she could cup his face. “Never, Parker. I would never do something like this and hide it from you.”
He swallowed hard. “Just come back. Okay?”
She choked on a sob but didn’t lie to him, only held him while North held her. She didn’t know how much time had passed before Cailin walked in the room.
“Hey, Parker. I’m on my way to Willow’s bakery. Want to join me?”
Parker nodded against Lexi’s body, and Lexi gripped her son tight.
“I love you, M
om.”
“I love you too, my Parker.”
She kissed him and let him go. Parker stood then went to North, throwing his arms around his neck. North looked surprised for a moment before hugging him close.
“Take care of her, okay?” Parker whispered.
North ran a hand through Parker’s hair. “Always, Parker. Always.”
Soon Lexi found herself in North’s clinic, a robe wrapped around her while she sat in North’s lap. Though it might look odd considering they were both on the exam table, they didn’t care. He hadn’t wanted to let her go, and while she might have wanted to stand on her own, she knew North needed this.
Once Cailin had taken Parker away, Edward had said he would be meeting with the Talon Alpha with Jasper and Kade in attendance in another part of the den. It was their protocol, and he didn’t want Logan or Lexi near them in case the resentment was stronger than they feared.
“Well, son of a bitch,” Logan mumbled, and Lexi turned.
Gideon and Mitchell stood in the doorway, looking the same as they had the last time Lexi had seen them. That only made sense considering wolves didn’t age, but it was still a bit jarring. It was as if no time had passed, yet looking into the pain and darkness in their eyes, Lexi knew they’d missed a lot.
Logan, who had been off to the side, walked right up to them, and before Lexi could blink, Gideon was cursing at his bloody nose, and Mitchell had Logan against the wall by his throat.
“Logan!” Lexi scrambled off North’s lap—not an easy thing to do in only a robe—but was pulled back by her mate.
“Let them handle it,” North whispered.
“Men. Stupid, stupid men.”
“Let him go, Mitchell,” Gideon ordered.
Edward strode in with Kade and Jasper behind him. “Well, that’s a great way to start this,” the Alpha mumbled.
Mitchell growled then let Logan go. “Keep your hands off the Alpha, Logan.”
“Always the Brentwood bastard,” Logan spat. “You might be one too, but you weren’t the son of the Alpha. You’re the cousin. Remember that.”
“Stop it, Logan. Just stop it!” Lexi screamed. “Getting into fist fights and acting like stupid cavemen won’t help it. Were Gideon and Mitchell part of what happened with Joseph? No. Are they here now to help me?” She looked at Gideon, who nodded, the blood on his face making him look even more dangerous than usual. “See? They’re here to help. Stop acting like an idiot and keep your hands to yourself.”
A laugh boomed from Edward. “I love the women in my family. They stand for no shit. Let’s let that one punch and subsequent strangle be the end of this.” He let out a long breath. “Now I have to do the one thing I hate more than any other as an Alpha. Gideon. I’ll have to be the one who bites first and last since she’s of my Pack now.”
Gideon looked at Lexi. “Is that what you want? To be a Redwood? We’d have you back, Lex.”
North growled, low and menacing.
“I’m a Redwood now, Gideon. But thank you for the offer.” Really, what else could she say?
The Talon Alpha nodded then pulled off his shirt. Lexi blinked and turned to her mate. She wasn’t in the mood to look at any naked man but North. Plus, she was scared out of her mind.
He cupped her face then kissed her. Hard. “I love you so fucking much, Lexi. Don’t leave me. Please.”
She sniffed then kissed his jaw, the rasp of his unshaven beard scraping along her lips. “I love you too, and I’ll do all in my power to come back to you. I promise you.”
He nodded then looked over his shoulder. “While Dad and Gideon are shifting, help me tie her down with the chains so she won’t fight the attack.”
Lexi sucked in a breath.
She hated this part.
They chained her down, apology in their eyes, but she let it happen. She’d taken off her robe so the Alpha’s teeth had direct access to her skin when they bit down—something she really didn’t want to think about.
Soon the room began to fill with Jamenson men and women. Each with a role that would be assigned to him shortly or there for moral support. Though she knew it would hurt them to watch, she also knew they wouldn’t be anywhere else. During the painful process, they would stand united.
This was just one more reason why Lexi knew she was in the right Pack and doing the right thing.
Hannah came in, her body stiff but determination in her eyes. “I helped Melanie through this, and I will help you through it as well,” she said then gripped her hand. Pat came in and gripped the other.
The Alpha female looked at them individually, Kade, Jasper, Mitchell, Adam, Reed, and Josh. “You have one job,” Pat said, her voice firm. “Hold back Logan and North to keep them from stopping this. They are both going to want to stop her pain, and it will only make things worse. They have to be in here or their wolves will take over, and that will be worse than anything, but they need to stay away. We’ve done this before. We will do it again.” She cupped North’s face then Logan’s, murmuring into their ears. Then she came to Lexi’s side. “I will see you when you wake up, my darling. This will be painful, but you will survive. You’re my daughter now. I won’t lose you.”
Lexi licked her lips then nodded. The fear overwhelmed her, but she had to stay strong. She had to do this.
She met North’s gaze and never wavered.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two wolves prowling in the room, but she didn’t focus on them. She focused only on her mate.
She screamed at the first bite again with the second, then went limp with the third.
Through it all she kept her gaze on her mate, who screamed with her and tried to fight off his brothers. They were stronger though in numbers and kept him back.
The fiery pain scorched through her, rendering her helpless. She felt the burn with each bite as the enzymes seeped into her skin like hot pokers. Bile filled her throat, and darkness swept over her—much too slowly.
The agony ripped through her, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her lover’s eyes.
He kept her sane.
He kept her alive.
The darkness filled her, and she fled the pain, finally tumbling into unconsciousness.
Chapter Fifteen
“She’ll wake up soon,” North whispered to himself—the same thing he’d done hundreds of time over the past four days.
He rubbed his hands over his face and cursed softly. Why hadn’t she woken up? He could still hear the screams, not only from her but from himself and Logan. He could still smell the copper scent of blood and taste the acid on his tongue as he fought not to vomit.
Thank the gods she’d passed out only a few minutes into the process. As soon as his father and Gideon were done, the Alphas had shifted back, pale and looking as if they each wanted to crawl into a hole and die. His mother had taken his father home while Mitchell had taken the Talon Alpha back to their own den, their part in helping Lexi over.
North was sure that wouldn’t be the last time they heard from the Talons, but that wasn’t his main concern right now.
No, all he wanted to do now was see his Lexi open her eyes.
“North?” Parker whispered as he walked in the room.
North raised his head and held out his hand. The boy immediately tucked himself close to North and sat in his lap, not too big to need comfort.
North would take all the comfort he could get at this point.
He tried to remain strong, though, because this boy, his son in every way but blood, needed him to be.
“Why won’t she wake up?”
North closed his eyes, praying for strength. “It takes a lot of energy to heal and become a wolf.”
“But she won’t even know if she changes into a wolf until the next full-moon hunt, right?”
“Yes. Once she wakes up,” and she would wake up, “it takes the first full moon to bring on the change.”
“So even when she wakes up, her wolf could still be hiding? So all of this
could be for nothing?”
North squeezed too-knowing Parker tighter. “We would have at least tried, Park. That isn’t for nothing.”
“There are my boys,” a soft voice said from the bed.
Parker and North both looked up, holding their breaths.
“Lexi.”
“Mom.”
She was pale, too pale, but her eyes were open. Thank the gods.
Parker was up in a flash, softly putting his arm around Lexi’s shoulders. She didn’t raise her own arms, but North could see that she wanted to.
Parker pulled back. “Am I hurting you?” he asked, his voice small.
“No, baby, I love your hugs.”
“What about my hugs?” North asked through his tightening throat. His knees shook in relief that she was alive and breathing. He didn’t know how to hold back his emotions anymore, didn’t know how to remain the calm Jamenson. All he wanted to do was throw back his head and howl in utter relief.
“Come here,” his mate whispered, and he went to her willingly.
He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers softly, not wanting to hurt her in any way. He didn’t care that his tears fell on her cheeks. He was just so happy she was awake. They’d made it past one more step. Now they just needed to ensure that she would be the wolf she’d always wanted to be.
North also had another step to take, but this one wouldn’t be with Lexi by his side.
His wolf growled, eagerly anticipating their next move.
Lexi blinked up at him as Parker got into the bed with her, cuddling to her side, the pup needing his mother more than ever before.
“What is it, North?”
He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear then cupped her cheek. “Everything’s fine. I’m going to go get Hannah and make sure you’re really okay. I love you, my Lexi.”
Lexi studied his face, but he made sure she wouldn’t see any hints of what he planned, of what he needed to do.
“I love you too.”
Hidden Destiny (Redwood Pack) Page 15
