Chapter 22 - Declan
We pulled up short when we came to a narrow passage in the woods, too small for our car to get through. Not willing to wait, I scrambled out of the car and shifted, running into the woods while the rest of the Gold Wolves followed suit behind me.
We charged through the woods. My head spun with rage and panic as my wolf bristled with fury, wanting to tear into anything that got in our way. It was all I could do to keep my cool. Where were Dani and Mira? I knew we had to be close, but there were no traces of them or any other shifters. What if we were in the wrong place?
Panic threatened to consume me. Then, I caught their scents. Relief that they were nearby ran through me, fueling my sprint. They were here. We were in the right place. We were going to get them out of here.
Any glimmer of hope evaporated when I heard Dani shriek. My wolf bristled in fury. They were in trouble.
Snarling, I pushed myself to run faster. I could hear the other Gold Wolves behind me, keeping pace despite my all-out sprint. I didn’t look back, instead focusing on Mira’s scent and getting there before it was too late.
Finally, I saw them. I pulled to a stop, needed to assess the situation before running head-first into the fray, ignoring my wolf’s urging to do just that. I stayed where I was as the other Gold Wolves joined me.
Harrison was holding Mira against him, her hands pinned to her side even as she struggled. Off to another side, Dani struggled as another shifter held onto her.
“Marry me, and the girl can live, or you both die,” I heard Harrison threaten Mira.
That was enough. Rage and protectiveness overcame all rationality. Furious, ready to kill every single person there, I pushed forward, breaking through the ring of shifters and charging straight into the center. I rounded on Harrison, growling and snapping my jaws. Mira’s eyes widened, shock and relief radiating off her.
“Daddy!” I heard Dani behind me. I swished my tail in response but didn’t take my eyes off Mira and her captor.
Harrison’s mouth had dropped open in surprise, a flicker of fear in his eyes. That brief instance of fright and surprise dissipated almost immediately. His lips curled into a sneer.
“I should have known you’d do something stupid like this,” he jeered. “Still, I suppose I should thank you. You’re making my job a lot easier by coming here.”
I shifted back to human, not taking my eyes off Harrison. “Are you all right?” I asked Mira.
“As all right as I can be,” she responded.
I glanced at my daughter. “Dani, are you okay?”
“I’m okay, Daddy,” Dani said. “I bit one of them.”
A corner of my mouth tugged upward. “Nice job,” I murmured. To Harrison, I said, “I’m going to give you one chance to let them both go.”
Harrison sneered. “I guess your mate saved me the trouble of coming after him,” he said to Mira. Then, to me, he said, “You really want me to kill you in front of your mate and daughter?”
“Talk’s cheap,” I scoffed. “Put up, or shut up.”
Harrison’s eyes flashed dangerously. He shoved Mira into his second-in-command, who gripped her arms even as she struggled to get away. He was so absorbed in holding onto her that he didn’t notice the second shifter sneaking behind him.
“Let’s finish this quickly,” Harrison drawled.
“I agree,” I said, then shifted.
The instant I turned back into a wolf, Jackson pounced. He landed on Rex’s shoulders, snarling in fury as his jaw clamped on the back of the shifter’s neck. Rex cried out in pain, releasing Mira. As soon as she was free, I moved toward her. Jumping, I grabbed the padlock keeping the collar in place and jerked down. The padlock snapped, and the collar fell to the ground.
The instant the collar parted from her neck, before it even hit the dirt, Mira shifted, turning into a wolf who looked ready to murder the next creature to cross her path. Without acknowledging anyone else, she jumped over me, not running into the woods but heading straight toward the shifter holding onto Dani, fangs bared as she snarled.
By now, the entire area was consumed by pandemonium. The other Gold Wolves had charged in, each taking one of the enemy shifters, the way we had done hundreds of times.
Harrison jumped toward me, shifting in mid-air, his clothes tearing to shreds as he did. I moved out of the way just in time, reaching my paw out to swipe at his side. My claws raked along his flank, and he howled, more in rage than in pain. His jaws snapped at me, pulling out a thick tuft of my fur.
My claws swiped at his snout, and he stumbled backward, giving me enough time to look around and take stock of everything. Glancing behind, I saw Mira’s wolf standing over the body of the shifter who’d held Dani, a frightened Dani standing next to her. Mira made eye contact with me, her tail swishing. I could tell she wanted to help, but she knew she had to protect Dani now. Then her eyes widened, and she growled out a warning.
Before I could react, I heard a growl behind me, and heavy paws slammed into my shoulder blades. Harrison’s weight forced me to the ground, pinning me in place. His claws dug between my shoulder blades, scouring my flesh. I snarled, rolling, throwing around my weight as I tried to push the pain between my shoulders out of my mind. Harrison’s jaws clamped around the back of my neck. Just before he was about to crunch down, I turned, rolling over onto my back, pinning him beneath me.
His paws and hind legs shoved upward, sending me flying across the clearing. My side slammed into the trunk of the tree before I collapsed to the ground. Grunting, I tried to get up, my legs burning.
Harrison tore toward me, his jaws outstretched, fury blazing in his eyes. His jaws clamped around the side of my neck.
This time, I was ready. My paws swiped out, hitting his throat and dragging thick, jagged wounds behind them. The wolf howled in pain and released me, backing away. I lunged, shoving the wolf onto his back. Harrison struggled, writhing as he tried to get out from underneath me. I pinned him down and went for the throat.
Bone crunched beneath my teeth. Harrison stilled, his eyes going sightless as his body went limp.
I stepped back, waiting to see if he moved. All around, I could sense both sides waiting to see if the other alpha would jump back up. When it became obvious that he wouldn’t move, a flurry of movement rustled around me as his crew scattered.
I shifted back to human, wincing at the pain in my side and the burning in my upper back. But I could handle those injuries, given the outcome.
“Daddy!” Dani ran across the clearing, breaking away from Mira to charge toward me, her arms outstretched.
Relieved, I scooped Dani up in my arms, squeezing her tight as she wrapped her arms around my neck. It might not have been the best idea, considering some of the injuries howled in protest as soon as I picked her up, but I sure as hell wasn’t about to put her down.
“Hey, kiddo,” I muttered. “You doing okay?”
She nodded into my shoulder, holding onto me for dear life. When she finally pulled her head out of the crook of my neck, she wiped her eyes.
“I knew you were gonna come,” she said. “I wasn’t worried. Not ever.”
I had a funny feeling that wasn’t entirely true, but I wasn’t going to call her out on that.
“I’m glad you were so brave,” I said. “That’s not easy to do in scary situations.”
“It wasn’t scary. I wasn’t scared,” she scoffed.
“Well, even if you were, that’s okay. I get scared sometimes. I was scared for you guys.”
“You do?” she asked dubiously. When I nodded, she hesitated, then said, “Okay, maybe I was a little scared. But only a little.”
I gave a warm smile, then pulled her into another hug. “It’s all right. It’s all over now.”
“Thank you for coming,” she said.
“I’ll always be there for you,” I said, then winced as something dug into my shoulder. I turned to look at what it was, then blinked in surprise. Claws. Dani’s claws.
“Dani, your hands,” I marveled.
“Huh? Oh, sorry,” Dani said, and the claws transformed into fingers. “I didn’t notice. I don’t know how to control it.”
“No, no.” I shook my head. All my worry and anxiety, the adrenaline still rushing through me, went to the back of my mind, making me go temporarily mute. “Are you… you can shift?”
She nodded, straightening a little in pride. “Only partially, but yeah. Mira helped me.”
My brow furrowed, then Dani told me the short version of the story. When she was finished, I laughed, holding her tight against me.
“I just wish I had been there to see it. I’m so proud of you. You beat me by an entire year, you know,” I said.
She puffed with pride. “It’s all thanks to Mira. She took care of me and made sure I was okay.”
“I’m sure she did,” I said. My eyes drifted over to Mira, who was currently standing with Jackson. She was talking to her brother, but every so often, her eyes darted over to me, then away again. There was a tension in her shoulders that I doubted had anything to do with the ordeal she had just gone through.
An overwhelming need to talk to her, to tell her everything, washed over me. I couldn’t let her get away. Not again. Not after everything.
“Nolan?” I called.
He glanced over from where he had been talking to Trent about potential prisoners and trotted over. As he did, I turned to look at Dani again.
“I’m going to go talk to Mira, all right?” I told her. “There’s something I need to talk to her about in private. Are you going to be okay if I leave you with Uncle Nolan?”
Dani’s eyes lit up at the name of her favorite fake uncle, and she nodded.
“Hell, yeah, I get my favorite job!” Nolan picked Dani up from my arms. “Heard you were quite the fearsome warrior. Biting thugs four times your size? Total badassery right there. Gonna give your dad a run for his money in a few years?”
“Yeah! And look what I can do now!” She grew her claws again and showed him.
Nolan whooped. “Atta girl! Now we gotta teach you how to use them.”
Dani giggled. Knowing she was in safe hands, I turned my attention away from her to Mira. She had been watching us even as she continued to speak with her brother. When I approached, Jackson fell silent, watching the two of us with amused interest.
“How’s she doing?” Mira asked, looking over my shoulder at Dani. Something about the fact that this was her first question made me love her that much more.
“Doesn’t seem too worse for wear, despite everything,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at her. “Looks like Nolan and Chris are already planning her training schedule for the next decade now that she’s earned her stripes.”
“And you’re okay with that?” Mira asked. “I thought you would be more protective over her.”
I laughed, watching Dani bare her teeth and growl, showing her fangs, much to Nolan and Chris’s delight. “I don’t think I have much of a choice one way or the other,” I said. “And I’d rather her be prepared in case something like this happens again.”
“God, I hope not.” Mira shuddered. “Once was enough for me.”
I put my hand on her shoulder. I noticed the way her body tensed for a brief moment before she leaned into my touch.
“Thank you,” I said. “For keeping her safe and for keeping a cool head around her. I think she weathered it as well as she did because you were there to help her.”
“She made it easy. She’s a brave kid,” Mira said, smiling fondly at Dani before glancing up at me. “She gets it from her dad.”
“She wasn’t the only brave one, you know. You were incredible. How are you doing?” I asked, looking her up and down. She had a scratch on her cheek, and I could swear there was something different about her scent, but I couldn’t place what it was.
“I’m… okay,” she said. “A little freaked out. Tired.”
The words lingered in the air. It was obvious there was more she wanted to say but couldn’t. She looked over at Jackson, and I realized why. Jackson realized it, too, at almost the same time. He blinked, eyes flicking between the two of us as understanding dawned.
“I’m going to go somewhere else,” Jackson grunted. He gave Mira another tight hug. “Glad you’re okay, sis.” Then he nodded at me and walked over to help Trent.
“Really, how are you doing?” I asked her. “I want you to be honest with me.”
“I’m okay,” she said. “Really. It’s just been a crazy few days. A lot’s happened, and I’m still processing some of it.” She bit her lip nervously as she debated something. I could sense some nervousness, and I hated myself again for the way our last conversation ended and for storming out the way I did. I wanted to make it up to her, to be honest with her. After everything, it was the least she deserved.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” I said. “Actually, there’s a lot I need to tell you, but I’m not sure how to say any of it, so just bear with me.”
She stayed silent but gave a short nod of understanding.
“I’m sorry. For all of it. Ever since we were kids.”
She blinked.
“And I mean everything,” I went on. “Including rejecting you. Dad told me I had to be strong. He said showing any weak emotions would contradict that. So when you told me you loved me, though I knew I felt the same way, I pushed it out because I thought it made me too vulnerable.” I sighed. “For years, I thought that was the right choice. I think I started to realize what bullshit it was when I started working with the Gold Wolves. But it wasn’t until Dani came into my life that I really realized that Dad was full of shit. I couldn’t imagine treating my daughter the way he did me, or trying to teach her that being warm and caring was a sign of weakness.” I gazed into Mira’s green eyes. “I mean, look at you. You tried to run away from a psychotic alpha because you cared about Dani and her safety.” I paused. “I’m babbling a bit, aren’t I?”
“A bit,” she said, a smile tilting the edges of her lips. “I think I’m willing to forgive it, though.”
“Point being, I cared about you, even when we were younger. Truly, I did. I tried to show it when we were alone, but I didn’t know how. And it scared me, too. I thought caring about you and wanting to be with you was a sign of weakness that I needed to stamp out. It was easier to bully you and pick on you and reject you than to admit I cared for you. But now I’m through with that. I’m done trying to keep you at arm’s length.”
I pulled her toward me, holding her shoulders, refusing to let go of her as I met her gaze. I needed her to understand the sincerity in my words.
“I don’t want you to leave, and I don’t want you to stick around as only Dani’s nanny. I love you, and I want to be with you.”
She didn’t say anything for a long moment, just continued staring in my eyes, as if daring herself to believe what I was saying. My heart thudded in my throat as I waited for her to speak. I didn’t know what she would say. She could yell at me and storm off, she could tell me it was too late, or—and I dared to hope this—she could return my feelings. These scenarios all seemed equally likely in that agonizing moment of silence.
“You love me?” she asked. She sounded like she was rolling the words around on her tongue, testing them out.
“Yes,” I said. “You and Dani are the most important things in my life, and I love you so much.”
She beamed, then reached up and pulled my head down so our lips met. I pulled her against me, trying to convey all the love and passion I felt for her in that single kiss. The kiss deepened as my wolf howled in triumph. My grip on her tightened. All that mattered in that moment was the two of us.
Finally, she broke away. “I love you, too,” she said. Then, she took a deep breath, color flooding her cheeks. “And there’s something else I need to tell you. There just hasn’t been the time, and I didn’t really know how.”
“What?” I asked.
She opened her mouth, hesitating for a moment as though trying to figure out the right words.
“You know how you just said Dani and I were the most important things in your life?” she asked.
My lips quirked upward, though I had no idea where this was going. “I vaguely remember that from a couple of minutes ago,” I teased.
“You might want to add a third person to that list.”
My brow furrowed. “Jackson?”
She laughed, then shook her head. “No, not Jackson. In fact, I don’t think you’ll meet this person for a few more months.”
I stared blankly, trying to figure out what she was saying. It couldn’t be anyone from her old pack, and I couldn’t think of anyone else she would expect me to consider as important as her or Dani. After a long moment, I finally gave up.
“You’re going to have to explain it to me,” I said.
“Fair enough. Sorry, it’s just hard to come straight out and say it, but here it goes.” She took a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut before opening them again, her gaze locking on mine. Worry and hope vied for dominance in her expression. “I’m pregnant,” she said.
The words rang in my ears. I stared, my jaw going slack, the words not quite registering. Because there was no way she’d just said what I think she said.
“You’re… pregnant?” I asked.
She nodded, eyes searching my face anxiously.
My brain felt as though it was swimming through thick soup. I thought about how her scent had seemed different. Of course it had. She was pregnant. Mira was pregnant. With my cub.
“Say something before I freak out,” Mira pleaded, and I realized I had been quiet for a long time.
I didn’t have the words. Instead, I broke into a dopey grin and pulled her back toward me. I lifted her in my arms and kissed her, trying to convey everything I couldn’t articulate in that single kiss. I wasn’t sure how successful I was, but she at least appeared to get the gist.
“I love you,” I said again when I finally, reluctantly broke the kiss. “And I love our cub.”
“Cub?” Jackson’s voice pierced through the facade that Mira and I were alone. I turned to see all the Gold Wolves and Dani staring at us. Jackson was slack-jawed as he gaped at Mira. “Did you say… cub?”
Mira nodded with a grin.
“Guess you’re going to be an uncle for real now,” I told him. Then, to Mira, I said, “Come on, let’s go home.