Rise

by Heather MacKinnon

   Suddenly, the weight on top of me disappeared, and I struggled to take in a deep enough breath. There were screams and snarls and tearing and snapping sounds coming from every corner of the room, but I was paralyzed where I was.

   Finally, everything went dark as I lost the battle to stay awake.

  Chapter 49

   “Beatrice! I need you to get to The Asheville Initiative with Doc Monroe and whoever else you can round up. Now.”

   I blinked my eyes open as the room spun. I still couldn’t see clearly, and I reached up to wipe at whatever was clouding them. I squinted down at my hand and saw it was covered in crimson blood. The sight made me queasy, and I squeezed my eyes shut so I wouldn’t lose my breakfast.

   Abraham was still yelling into his phone, but I tuned him out. I needed to figure out what happened and why as soon as possible. With great effort, I heaved my top half into a sitting position before big, gentle hands pressed me back down. My first instinct was to fight against them until his voice reached me.

   “El, it’s okay. It’s just me. I want you to stay down until the doctor gets here.”

   I blinked up at Abraham, my vision still fuzzy. “What happened?”

   I didn’t need perfect vision to see his jaw tense and his lips purse. “There were three humans that attacked us when we came through the door.” He shook his head before looking back down at me, his expression torn. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.” He looked away, his jaw ticking with the strain. “I shouldn’t have let you walk in first. This is all my fault.”

   I reached up to cup his face. “Hey. This is not your fault. Don’t say that.”

   He leaned into my hand but shook his head. “I should have walked in first. I should have made sure it was safe for you.”

   It was my turn to shake my head. “You couldn’t have known this would happen. Please, stop blaming yourself. You saved me.”

   He sighed. “Your life shouldn’t have been in danger again.” He pulled away from me and began pacing the lobby. “It’s always you and it’s bullshit.” He spun to face me, his hands fisted at his sides. “I won’t let something like this happen to you again.”

   I tried to sit up, but he was at my side almost immediately.

  “I know you won’t, Abraham. It’s okay. I’m okay.”

   I said the words, but I didn’t really know if they were true or not. Honestly, I would have said anything in that moment to get the haunted look off his face. I tried to assess my injuries, but my head was pounding, and I could barely think straight. I was glad Kyle was on his way. I knew neither Abraham nor I would relax until we knew the babies were okay.

   “Holy shit. What happened here?”

   Abraham spun around, his body crouched over me in a protective stance. I stretched my neck to look around his big form and found Matt standing in the doorway, his eyes wide as they assessed the room.

   “Get the hell out of here,” Abraham snarled.

   Matt apparently didn’t have the best survival instincts, because he walked farther into the office as his head whipped back and forth. “What happened?” he repeated.

   Abraham growled, and I reached out to place a hand on his back. Matt wasn’t a real threat, and he needed to tone it down.

   “We were attacked,” I said simply. “We’re waiting for the authorities to show up. You should probably leave,” I suggested, hoping he’d take a hint and get lost.

   His bright green eyes widened even further when he caught sight of me. He took a couple steps forward, but something in Abraham’s gaze must have changed his mind because he stopped short in the middle of the lobby.

   “Ellie, what happened to you?”

   “She was attacked, Miller. Didn’t you hear her the first time? Now, get the hell out of here.”

  Matt shook his head and wrung his hands together. “I hope this doesn’t have anything to do with your cousin.”

  Abraham’s shoulders tensed further as I struggled to see around him.

  “I don’t have a cousin,” I said.

  Matt’s eyes widened further. “She said she was your cousin. Why would she lie?”

  I had a bad feeling about this.

  “What was her name?” Abraham grunted.

  "I don’t remember! We only talked for a couple minutes and then she was gone.”

  Abraham took a menacing step forward, and I was seriously starting to worry about Matt’s future wellbeing.

  “What did she look like?” I asked.

  Matt shook his head and met my eyes. “Pale, dark hair, dark eyes. She had a really high-pitched voice too.”

  I closed my eyes as the blood in my veins began to simmer. “Peyton,” I growled softly so only Abraham would hear. “That wasn’t my cousin,” I said loud enough to include Matt.

  “This is all my fault,” he muttered. Too bad for him, he was in a room with two werewolves that would have heard him even if he’d whispered.

   Abraham took another step forward. “What do you mean this is your fault? What did you do?” he spat.

   Matt’s eyes darted from Abraham to me and back again. Finally, they settled on me. “She stopped me outside the office last week when I was heading to my car. She said she and your uncle wanted to talk to you about your wedding, but you weren’t answering their calls. She said you were making a huge mistake, and she needed to talk to you before you went through with it.”

   Abraham’s whole body froze as my breath got caught in my lungs.

   Oh, shit.

   “And what? You thought you’d help them keep her from me?” Abraham snapped. “What was in this for you, Miller? Thought you’d be there to pick up the pieces when I was gone?”

   Matt shrugged, and I squeezed my eyes closed. If that man got out of here in one piece, it would be a miracle.

   Abraham growled and took another step toward Matt. I knew I needed to wrap this up and get him out of the office before Abraham tore him apart like he had the other three humans who’d dared to cross him today.

   “Matt, what did you tell her?” I asked.

   Matt’s eyes met mine again, their green depths swimming with remorse. “She asked when the best time would be to get you alone, so she could talk to you, and I told her you’d been coming into work early lately.”

   “Did you let her in, too?” Abraham snarled.

   Matt shook his head fast. “Of course not.”

   “Of course not,” Abraham mocked him. “It was enough that you told her just when Elizabeth would be alone and most vulnerable.” He fisted his hands so tight I could hear his knuckles grinding. “What if I hadn’t been here with her, Miller? They would have killed her and that would have been on you. I suggest you get out of my sight before you end up like the other men in this room.”

   Matt’s wide green eyes looked around at the carnage again and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Are they d-dead?”

   Abraham snarled. “Well, they’re not napping.”

   “Matt, you should go. You don’t need to get caught up with the police.”

   His eyes met mine again. “You’ve already called the police?”

   I nodded, although I knew that was a lie. I wasn’t sure what Abraham was going to do about the situation, but I knew he’d be talking to his enforcers before he did anything.

   “Please,” I said. “Just go.”

   “Yeah, you’ve done enough,” Abraham spat.

   Matt swallowed harshly again before nodding, and without another word, he left the office, closing the door behind him. It was only shut for a moment though before Beatrice, Wyatt, Wes, and Doc Monroe came spilling through.

   Beatrice’s icy blue eyes assessed the room carefully before landing on me. She winced and grabbed Kyle’s arm, pointing in my direction. The doctor raced across the room, and soon I had him on one side of me and Abraham on the other.

   “What happened here?” Kyle asked.

&n
bsp;  I opened my mouth to answer, but Abraham beat me to it.

   “One of them tackled her into the wall. She hit her head, but I don’t know what else happened because I was busy with the other guy.” His remorseful eyes met mine, and I gave him a soft smile.

   I knew there would be no way to keep him from blaming himself, but that wouldn’t stop me from trying.

   “I hit my head and then he tried to strangle me, but he didn’t get too far before Abraham pulled him off.”

   My fiancé squeezed my hand almost hard enough to hurt. “Why didn’t you shift, El? You know you’re more powerful as a wolf.”

   I shrugged, the action pulling at my sore throat muscles. “I was trying to hold off for the babies.”

   Abraham swallowed harshly and shook his head. He picked up my hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. “But, El, you could have died.”

   I shrugged. “I would have shifted eventually,” I said, but even as the words fell from my lips, I knew they weren’t entirely truthful. My vision had darkened, and I knew I was seconds from losing consciousness and I still hadn’t shifted. Apparently, my desire to protect my unborn children was stronger than my self-preservation.

   “Abraham, give me some space. I promise I’ll give you a full update as soon as I have more information,” Kyle said.

   He looked like he was going to argue with the doctor, but he finally nodded and got up to join the other werewolves.

   With more room to work, Kyle got started examining me. He shone a light in my eyes and poked and prodded as I worked to remain calm. Finally, I couldn’t wait anymore, and I asked him the only question that mattered.

   “Are the babies going to be okay?”

   Kyle pursed his lips as he continued his examination. “You aren’t experiencing any cramping, are you?”

  I shook my head quickly.

  “Well, it looks like your head took the brunt of the impact, but I won’t know more until we get you back and do another ultrasound. I’m positive you have a concussion though, so regardless, you’re going to have to take it easy for a day or two.”

   I shook my head. “I don’t care. The only thing that matters is the babies. I need to make sure they’re okay.”

   Kyle sighed and nodded. “I suspected you’d say that. It should be safe to move you, so let’s get you back to my house and find out, okay?” I moved to get up, but he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Slowly, Ellie.”

   I nodded and did as he asked, using his support to crawl to my feet. When I was upright, I got my first good look at the lobby and winced. Poor Callie would have to close the office for the day again, so they could get the place cleaned up.

   Abraham must have seen me get to my feet because he broke away from the other enforcers and hurried to my side. “What’s going on? Is she okay?”

   Doc Monroe placed a hand on Abraham’s shoulder. “She has a bad concussion, but I’m pretty sure everything else is okay. We’re taking her back to my place, so we can do an ultrasound to check on the babies.”

   Abraham nodded once and wrapped an arm around my waist. “I’ll drive. Let’s go.”

   He called out a few commands to the other werewolves as he walked me slowly out the door and to his truck. It amazed me how different our attitudes had been when he’d parked his truck to now as we got back into it. Was it only thirty minutes ago that I was looking forward to a quickie with my fiancé? Now, I was fisting my hands and hoping like hell my babies were all okay.

   Abraham drove even faster back to pack lands than he had to get to the office. He passed the lodge, heading straight to Doc Monroe’s house before hopping out of the truck and racing around to my side. He wrenched my door open, and I’d just gotten my belt unbuckled when he scooped me into his arms and carried me up their drive.

   “I can walk,” I told him.

   He shook his head. “Don’t fight me on this right now,” he grumbled.

   Sensing how close to the edge he was, I let this one go. Doc Monroe raced ahead and opened the door for us, and Abraham whisked me inside and directly to the examination room.

   Abraham helped me undress and, soon, Doreen was there, a worried look on her face. I tried to remind myself that she was just as anxious as I was to find out if the babies were okay. That her expression didn’t mean she already knew to expect bad news.

   Despite the reassurances I kept repeating to myself over and over, I gripped Abraham’s hand hard as Doreen fired up the machine.

   When the overlapping thumping sounds of multiple heartbeats rang out in the room, my nose immediately burned with tears.

   “I’m still seeing three heartbeats here,” Doreen said.

   My body deflated onto the exam table as the worry I’d tried to keep at bay fled my system. My babies’ hearts were still beating. They were okay.

   “Does everything else look good?” Abraham asked, his hand still gripping mine.

   Doreen nodded as she moved the wand around inside me. “I don’t see any issues at all. There are still three healthy babies in there. You two have nothing to worry about.”

   The tears I’d been trying to hold back now raced down my face. Abraham tried to catch them with his rough fingers, but there were too many for him. I met his anxious blue gaze and smiled.

   “They’re okay,” I whispered.

   A big breath gusted out of him before he pressed his forehead to mine. “I know, baby. You’re all going to be okay.”

   After that, Doc Monroe came in to clean up the cut on my head before sending me off with strict instructions to stay in bed at least until tomorrow. I had no doubt I’d be following his instructions no matter what. Abraham wouldn’t hear of anything less.

   He drove us back to the lodge and insisted on carrying me up to our room where he gently placed me on the bed. He then turned to our dressers and pulled out a comfy t-shirt and shorts for me. With slow gentle hands, he undressed and redressed me with all the care in the world.

   When I was dressed and beneath the covers, he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on my lips. “I’m so sorry, baby,” he murmured against my mouth.

   I pulled away and frowned at him. “For what?”

   He sighed and turned his head. “I never should have let you go in first. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

   “You were being a gentleman, Abraham. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

   He shook his head, his jaw tensing. “It should have been me they got to first. I should have been the one on the front line. I shouldn’t have ever let you walk into somewhere before me.”

   I reached up and cupped his jaw with my hand. “Please, don’t blame yourself for this. It wasn’t your fault.”

   He nodded, but I knew my words weren’t penetrating. He felt like he’d failed me and I knew nothing I could say would change that idea in his head. I just had to hope that time would eventually erase those thoughts.

   “I don’t want you going back there,” he said.

   I rolled my eyes. “Abraham, we’re not doing this again.”

   He shook his head again and pulled away from me. “Bad things only happen to you when you leave pack lands. How can you expect me to be okay with you going back there?”

   I pulled myself into a sitting position and had to close my eyes for a moment while the room spun. When everything was still again, I opened them and speared him with a look. “You promised not to do this. I’m not giving up my job, Abraham. That isn’t an option that’s on the table right now.”

   He ran his fingers through his hair and tugged on the ends as he paced away from the bed. When he spun back around, the expression on his face was so lost, my heart ached. “What can I do then? How can I keep you safe?” His voice was as broken as the look in his eyes and my hands itched to hold him.

   “We’ll come up with a compromise. That’s how this works, remember?”

   He watched me
silently for a moment before nodding. “A compromise. What kind of compromise?”

   I yawned and shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”

   He sighed and crossed the room to the bed where he pulled the covers up to my chin. “Get some sleep, baby. I’ll wake you up in a couple hours and we can talk more then.”

   I nodded as another yawn escaped my lips. “As long as we’re clear I’m not quitting my job.”

   He sighed. “Yes, we’re clear.”

   I smiled as he kissed my lips again and left the room. I knew it wasn’t easy for him to rein himself in like that. Knew it about killed him to know I’d be leaving pack lands again as soon as I was cleared by the doctor, but he was trying and that was all I could ask for.

  Chapter 50

   I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep, but when my phone rang from somewhere in the room, I crawled out of the bed to find it. Abraham must have brought my things up while I’d been passed out because my purse and briefcase were on the couch along the wall. Before I was able to pull out my phone, it rang again, but this time with a text message.

   I pulled out my cell and clicked on the message.

   Evey: Hey, can you talk for a sec? I have some ceremony questions for you.

   I stifled a yawn as I tapped out a response.

   Me: I’m in my room. Just come in.

   I crossed the room to climb back in the massive bed when my phone went off again.

   Evey: What are you doing home???

   I nestled into my pillows and began to draft a response when someone came through the outer door and wasted no time whipping open the interior one. Evey stood there, phone in her hand and a worried expression on her face.

   “What the hell, Ellie? Are you okay?”

   I shrugged and put my phone on the nightstand. “I’ve been better.”

   She crossed the room to sit at the end of the bed. “What happened? Are the babies okay?”

   I knew this wouldn’t go over well, but it was better she heard it from me than someone else. So, I launched into the story of my awful morning, purposely keeping the parts about me and Abraham vague. I knew werewolves were pretty open about sexuality, but that didn’t mean his sister needed to know the details.