Rise

by Heather MacKinnon

   Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could do about it from here. Shortly after the battle, Abraham had dispatched Bea to Charlotte to take over that pack until a new alpha could be assigned. Technically, since Abraham killed the last leader of the Charlotte pack, he was their new alpha, but he didn’t want the position. Unlike Conrad, my husband had no desire for the power that came with running two packs.

   It had been hard to adjust to life in the lodge without Bea, but hopefully Abraham would figure out a permanent solution for the Charlotte pack and she could come back home. What condition she’d be in, I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t help her if we weren’t even in the same city.

   I reached the stairs and began climbing them to the third floor. Abraham wanted me to check in after my last appointment and he was in his office as usual. I figured check in really meant lunch date which actually meant sex, but I wasn’t going to complain. Again, I didn’t know if it was the pregnancy hormones or what, but I couldn’t get enough of him. Thankfully, the feeling was mutual.

   “Callista, I can walk.”

   “Barely.”

   There was a deep masculine sigh before I heard a hiss and a low curse.

   “See? Just stop being a pain in my butt and let me help you.”

   I turned the corner and Wyatt and Callie came into view. It had been a couple weeks already, but my heart still filled every time I saw Wyatt up and walking around.

   It had been touch and go for a little while. The bullet Paul had fired at Wyatt struck his spleen and ruptured it. He’d been bleeding internally when we got him to Doc Monroe, and according to him, we’d almost been too late.

   Kyle was forced to operate on Wyatt immediately to remove his spleen and patch up everywhere else the bullet had struck. We were all lucky he’d made it out of that alive.

   I’d learned later on that, despite the fact he’d been shot, as soon as he could, Wyatt had attacked Paul, killing him and eliminating the threat against me. That had used up the last of his energy and that was why I’d found him on the ground so close to Paul’s body. I tried not to think about it too often, but if Wyatt hadn’t taken Paul down, I might not be here today.

   I’d always be grateful to my protector, but he would barely listen to my thanks. He insisted he was just doing his job, and if he’d done it better, he wouldn’t have gotten shot. The fact that he could still be that exasperating even after recovering from major surgery assured me he’d be just fine.

   “Hey, Callie. Hey, Wyatt. How are you feeling?”

   The former shot me a smile and the latter only grimaced. “Fine, Ellie. Don’t worry about me.”

   I shook my head. “Not gonna happen, pal.”

   He rolled his brown eyes as he struggled down the stairs. Whether he liked it or not, Callie had been practically glued to his side since he’d gotten injured. Even though he complained, I had a hunch he liked it. A lot.

   “Where are you two heading?” I asked.

   Wyatt was grumbling in pain, so Callie answered for him. “He has a check-up with Doc Monroe. We’re heading there now.”

   I frowned. “Everything’s okay, right?”

   Callie opened her mouth to answer, but Wyatt beat her to it. “I’m perfectly fine. I just want everyone to quit fussing over me.”

   I walked past and patted him on the shoulder. “Again, not gonna happen, pal.”

   Callie laughed while Wyatt continued to grumble all the way down the stairs.

   I made it to our floor and hurried to Abraham’s office. When I knocked, he called for me to come in. Without needing to communicate, he pushed his chair back as I rounded his desk and took a seat on his lap. He pulled me close and kissed the top of my head.

   “How were your meetings, baby?”

   I sighed and snuggled into his big chest. “Long. Nothing I can’t handle, though.”

   He kissed me again. “I’m well aware. You’ve done nothing but handle every change in your life with grace and I knew this would be no different. You’ve become an amazing alpha and I’m proud to have you by my side.”

   I pulled away so I could look in his eyes, mine filling with tears. “You always have so much confidence in me, even when I didn’t deserve it.”

   He shook his head, his expression serious. “I’ve always seen how amazing you are, El. I was just waiting for you to catch up.”

   A tear escaped one of my eyes before I buried my head in his chest and breathed in his familiar scent.

   The past few months had been a rollercoaster for me, but I wouldn’t have changed one second of what we’d been through. It took being bitten and turned into a werewolf to find my spot in the world, and I wouldn’t have given it up for anything. Sitting there in my husband’s arms, I knew we’d face whatever came at us next together and get through it just like we always had. I had him, I had my family, I had my pack, and that was all I needed.

  Epilogue

  Abraham

   The room was quiet for the first time in a long time.

   Too long.

   My poor mate had struggled through sixteen hours of hard labor before we’d been gifted our first child. A boy.

   My son.

   After that, the other two made their grand entrances quickly and my family had been complete. Of course, that didn’t slow down the pace of the frantic energy in the room.

   The babies needed to be evaluated, El needed to be checked out, and everyone needed to be monitored for a while before both Kyle and Doreen were satisfied. I was thankful for their dedication to my family’s well-being, but I was also glad to have them gone.

   Now, in the dim, quiet room, I held my daughters while El nursed our son.

   I looked down at their perfect faces, still a little pink, but so perfect my heart ached in my chest. When I could finally tear my eyes from them, they sought El. My mate. The mother of my children and the most amazing woman I’d ever known.

   As if she could feel my gaze, she turned to me, her beautiful brown eyes filled with tears.

   “I’m so happy,” she whispered.

   A single tear streaked down her face and I itched to catch it, but nothing could make me move from my spot. I’d been snuggling with my girls for the past half hour and I couldn’t ever remember being so happy.

   Except, of course, when El agreed to marry me.

   Or the day she told me she was pregnant with these little miracles.

   Or even the day we’d finally had our ceremony.

   Okay, so I was a pretty happy guy. It seemed like every day I had a new reason to count my blessings and it all started with the woman lying on our bed, nursing our son.

   He’d been the first to come out and the last to drift off to sleep, but I could tell he was almost there. He’d been nursing for the past few minutes and his little body had finally had enough. It was tough work being born, and he’d done all he needed to do today.

   I looked back at my mate and smiled. “I am too, baby. I’m so proud of you.”

   Another tear traced down her face and my heart twisted in my chest. I yearned to hold her, to make sure no other tears escaped her eyes, but I knew they weren’t out of sadness. I knew she was just as blissfully happy as I was.

   I could feel it.

   Just like I’d felt every ounce of labor pain she’d endured. Although the pain wasn’t as intense for me, I’d felt each contraction twist my gut, knowing I couldn’t help her. That this was something she needed to do herself and I couldn’t shield her from it.

   She’d handled the drawn-out process with the grace she met every obstacle with. Even red-faced and sweaty from exertion, she’d been the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

   We stared into each other’s eyes for a long time, speaking things that didn’t need to be said and basking in the soft glow of our happiness. Today was the beginning of the rest of our lives and I couldn’t wait to live it with her.
/>
   Footsteps thundered through the sitting room outside our door and I barely suppressed a groan. How they’d managed to wait so long was a mystery, but I knew it was time. Our tiny bubble of peace and solitude was about to be popped in a very real way.

   El smiled and shook her head. “What took them so long?”

   I shrugged as there was a light knock on the door and it swung open to reveal the most tenacious of my sisters.

   “Can we come in now?” Evey whispered.

   I nodded, and she spilled into the room, followed by Callie, Bea, Del, Will, Nana, and even Clyde. Our whole family had come to greet the new additions to the McCoy clan, and I felt my heart swell inside my chest.

   Half of them crowded around El while the other half circled me. Their eyes filled with tears as they each reached out shaking hands to touch our children. I watched as my family met my babies and knew I’d never felt love like that before.

   “What are their names?” Evey asked.

   I looked to El, giving her the opportunity to explain. It had been her idea after all.

   She gave me a smile and cleared her throat. “Well, I know repeating the first letter is popular with werewolves, but I liked the direction your parents were going in. Since your parents named you all Abraham, Beatrice, Callista, Delilah, and Evelyn, we thought we’d pick up where they left off.”

   Evey sniffed, and I met her eyes over the rest of our guests. She was remembering our parents as acutely as I was, and we shared in a moment of commiseration for our loss.

   That idea had stuck with me through all nine months of El’s pregnancy. How I’d wished our parents could have still been around. How happy they would have been to be grandparents. How unfair it was that they were ripped from us so young.

   My temper rose as I remembered what Conrad had revealed right before I’d ripped his throat out. He’d admitted to being the one who’d killed our mother, and subsequently, our father.

   One of the babies in my arms grunted, and I worked to calm myself back down. Now was not the time to think about such dark things. I needed to remember what I had and not what I’d lost.

   I looked up to find El watching me from where she lay. I knew she’d felt what I was feeling, and I worked even harder to calm myself. I shot her a tense grin that she returned before she continued.

   “So, anyway, we had names picked out for girls and boys from each letter because we didn’t know who’d get here first.”

   “And?” Del asked as she took a seat at the end of our bed. “Who was it and what’re their names? I’m dyin’ here.”

   We both chuckled as El held up our son. “This little guy came rushing out first and his name is Franklin.”

   There was a round of oohs and ahs as El placed him into my youngest sister’s arms. Evey sniffed again and reached out to trace a finger down his cheek.

   “Welcome to our family, Franklin,” she whispered.

   El looked over at me and the rest of the room followed suit. I cleared my throat and nodded to the baby in my right arm.

   “Next came Gracelynn.” I jerked my chin to the baby on the left. “And then Hadley finally made it out last.”

   Nana clapped her hands together softly. “Franklin, Gracelynn, and Hadley,” she whispered. “They’re perfect.”

   I smiled at my mate again before I focused on my grandmother. “Would you like to hold Gracelynn?”

   Nana rushed over to my side and carefully scooped the baby from my arms. I found Will toward the back of the group and nodded at him. “Will, would you like to hold Hadley?”

   His eyes widened before he crossed the space and held out his hands. I gently placed my youngest baby in his arms and watched as the original werewolf looked at her with eyes full of wonder. He turned toward El and shook his head.

   “I’m very happy everyone is safe and sound, Granddaughter. And I’m glad you’ve allowed me to be a part of this.”

   I reached out to grasp Will’s shoulder. “You’re family, Will. And our family always sticks together.”

   I felt those words to the depth of my soul and knew they were some of the truest I’d ever spoken.

   Our family had been though a lot. Everything from our parents’ death, to the betrayal of my cousin Calvin, to the conflict with my uncle Conrad had brought us to this place. I’d like to say that all family deserved an equal part of our lives, but we’d learned the hard way that wasn’t true.

   However, every person in that room had proven over and over that they were the good kind. The forever kind. They’d been with us through our ups and downs and never strayed far from our sides. That was the kind of family you held onto. That was the kind of family you laid your life down for.

   As I watched my relatives pass around my children, I sat down next to my mate and pulled her hand into mine. There was so much love in the room that I felt it in every breath I took.

   Our babies had been born into a great family and I’d be sure to teach them how lucky they were. As they grew, they’d learn what it meant to love not only each other, but every extended relative they had. Our children would grow up with the love and attention that had been missing from my poor mate’s life. They’d know what it meant to be loved and cherished every day of their lives. I couldn’t think of a better way to end one story and begin another.

  Dear Reader

  Whew! It’s been a long journey and for those of you who’ve been with me from the beginning, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. For those of you who are new, I want to thank you for taking a chance on me and my Southern Werewolves. I hope you’ve all enjoyed Elizabeth and Abraham’s story because I loved writing it.

  Looking for more from the Southern Werewolves Series? Wondering what was going through Abraham’s head when he found out El was pregnant? Sign up for my newsletter here and I’ll send you a bonus scene from Rise and you’ll get all your questions answered!

  I’m not done with this world or these characters yet, so keep your eyes peeled for more!

  Acknowledgements

  No book is a one-man job. Rise was no exception and I have a few people to thank for helping to get me to this point.

  First, as always, I need to thank my husband, Ryan. You’re my number one supporter and the strongest backbone I could have ever asked for. You’re always there to remind me why I love doing this on my darkest days, and to keep me grounded on my best days. You’re my best friend and the reason I can do what I do. I love you and I’m thankful for you every day.

  Next, I need to thank Brianna, my ride or die beta. You deserve extra thanks this time for taking on extra work for me. When I was feeling a little lost, you stepped up to the plate and filled a role that you didn’t have to. Thank you for reading Rise as I wrote it. You helped to shape this story in a way I never would have been able to on my own. It wouldn’t be what it is without you and I’ll never forget that.

  The next person I need to thank is my other beta Jade. As always, your insightful feedback was invaluable. I know your time is coveted and I’m lucky you still carve some out for me. Please, never leave me!

  Lastly, I need to thank all my readers who’ve devoured this series. You’ve made my dreams come true and given me opportunities I’d only ever dreamed about. I hope I’ve done this series justice and I hope you stick around for future projects of mine. Thanks for your time, thanks for your dedication, and thanks for loving my werewolves.

  What’s Next?

  If you’re already missing the Southern Werewolves, I’m here to help! Even though Abraham and Elizabeth’s story has concluded, that still leaves a lot of characters who have stories of their own to tell. If you loved the McCoy sisters, then you’ll want to stick around for my next series that features all of them! First up is Callie McCoy and the blurb for her book is below!

  Can she deny her destiny and ignore the pull of her soul mate?

  Callista McCoy is a strong, well-educated
werewolf with no desire for a mate. Sure, she’s seen how great love has worked out for her brother, but she’s not in any rush. Her work as an environmental scientist and activist is enough to keep her busy and her love life is the least of her worries. But when one of the new wolves in her pack starts to make her feel things she thought she’d successfully suppressed, her only hope is to ignore him. And avoid eye contact at all costs.

  Wyatt Carter’s only concerns are taking care of his sick mother and proving his worth to his new pack. But the moment he gets a look at his new alpha’s sister, all bets are off. There’s something irresistible about Callie that draws him in. Something that makes him want to get close to her. So, why is she so determined to push him away? And how hard is he willing to push back?

  With the pack expecting an attack any day, will Callie keep pushing Wyatt away, or will she finally give in to what she’s fought against for so long?

  More from Heather MacKinnon

  Southern Werewolves Series

  Shift

  Howl

  Rise

  Love in Providence Series

  Send Sunshine

  Beyond Beautiful (Coming spring 2019)

  Standalones

  Changed

  Trying

  About the Author

  Heather MacKinnon is a romance author living in North Carolina with her husband and two troublemaking dogs. She grew up on Long Island and spent her young adult years in various states in New England. This led to her subsequent addiction to Dunkin’ Donuts lattes and her gratuitous use of the word “wicked”. After a lifetime of enjoying other people’s words, she decided to write down some of her own. You can get up-to-date information about Heather MacKinnon’s books at www.heathermackinnonauthor.wordpress.com.