Chapter 31 Lina
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Lina
The pack wedding between two of Knox’s warriors looked beautiful from what I could see through Noah’s window.
Fairy lights strung between trees created a magical glow in the growing dusk, wolves in both forms mingling freely.
Some stayed on four paws, others wore their human skin, all celebrating together in a way I’d never witnessed before.
The bride wore a flowing white dress that caught the light as she danced, while her new husband kept spinning her with obvious adoration.
I wanted to be there. Wanted to see more of Knox’s world, meet his pack members properly instead of hiding away in Noah’s house. But we’d agreed it was too dangerous with Mary still out there plotting.
The twins played quietly on the floor with their blocks and toy wolves, building elaborate pack dens with the focus only children could manage. They’d been picking up on my mood all day, giving me extra hugs and showing me their drawings with unusual solemnity.
“Mama sad?” Thea asked, abandoning her blocks to climb into my lap with Mr. Unicorn clutched tight.
“Just thinking, baby.” I smoothed her dark hair, breathing in her familiar scent.
My ribs still ached from Mary’s attack three days ago, though Knox’s careful tending had helped them heal faster than normal.
The enhanced healing from his bite was useful, even if I still wasn’t sure how I felt about being permanently changed without my consent.
Through the window, wedding laughter carried on the evening wind.
Someone had started a traditional pack song, voices joining together in harmony that made my chest tight with longing.
This could have been our life if Knox hadn’t run.
We could have been part of this community, raising our children among their own kind instead of hiding their nature in Pine Valley.
The singing cut off abruptly.
A scream pierced the night. Then another.
Howls erupted, but these weren’t the joyful sounds of celebration. These were alarms, warnings, the sound of a pack under attack.
Through the window, I watched the wedding scatter as massive shapes tore through the crowd. Not regular wolves. These were wrong, twisted, moving with the jerky gait of rabid animals. Rogues, diseased like the one that had bitten me.
“Upstairs,” I ordered the twins, already moving. My heart hammered as I herded them toward the stairs. “Remember the safe room? The big closet in Noah’s room?”
We’d practiced this. Knox had insisted on emergency drills after Mary’s attack, showing the twins how to hide, how to stay quiet, how to protect themselves if the worst happened. I’d thought he was being paranoid. Now I blessed his caution.
“Yes, Mama,” Rowan said, grabbing Thea’s hand. His little face was serious but not panicked. My brave boy.
They ran up the stairs as glass shattered somewhere on the first floor. Not the kitchen window, maybe the living room. The sound of claws on hardwood followed, then snuffling, searching.
I pushed the twins into Noah’s master bedroom, then into the walk-in closet. It was bigger than most bedrooms, with a small window for emergency escape and a lock on the inside. Knox had reinforced it himself, making it as secure as possible.
“Stay quiet, no matter what.” I kissed both their foreheads quickly, trying to keep my voice calm. “Don’t come out until I say so or until Knox or Noah comes for you. Promise me.”
“Promise,” they chorused, Thea’s eyes wide but trusting.
I closed the closet door, hearing the soft click of the lock engaging. Good. My babies were as safe as I could make them.
Now I just had to keep whatever was in the house from finding them.
Claws scraped against the bedroom door, testing. Then harder, deliberate. Whatever was out there knew someone was in here. The door shuddered under the first impact, wood creaking ominously.
The bedroom door shuddered under the assault, each impact making the frame crack a little more.
The beasts slammed against it with inhuman force, snarling and slavering loud enough that I could hear the drip of saliva hitting the hallway floor.
My hands shook as I grabbed my phone, frantically scrolling to Knox’s number.
He’d be at the wedding, fighting, but maybe he could send someone. Anyone. The door splintered further with a sound that made my teeth ache. They’d be through any second.
The phone rang once. Twice.
“Knox-” I started the moment it connected.
“Sorry, he’s busy,” Mary’s voice purred through the speaker, saccharine sweet. “He’s protecting me right now. Too busy for you. Again.”
The line went dead.
No help coming. Of course Mary would find a way to twist the knife even during an attack. She had his phone, which meant she was at the wedding, which meant...
The door exploded inward in a shower of splinters.
Two massive beasts prowled into the room, and up close they were even worse than they’d looked from the window.
They didn’t speak, didn’t posture or threaten.
These weren’t regular rogues with some shred of humanity left.
These were rabid animals, and they were sniffing the air, heads already swiveling toward the closet where my babies hid.
I stood between them and my children, grabbing the nearest weapon I could find. A ceramic lamp from Noah’s nightstand. Not much against werewolves, but better than bare hands.
Behind the closet door, I heard Thea whimper softly. Then Rowan’s whispered “Shh, we promised.”
My babies were feet away from monsters, trying so hard to be brave.
The first beast lunged without warning. I swung the lamp with all my strength, shattering it against the thing’s skull. Ceramic shards exploded everywhere, but the beast barely flinched. Claws raked across my shoulder, tearing through shirt and skin with casual ease.
I bit back a scream, not wanting to scare the twins more. The second beast circled, trying to get behind me, but I grabbed a shard of mirror from Noah’s dresser and slashed at it. The silver backing seemed to sting because it yelped and backed up a step.
Small victories. I was bleeding, they were barely scratched, and I was running out of things to throw.
One beast got its jaws around my forearm, teeth sinking deep. I screamed then, couldn’t help it, and heard answering cries from the closet. My babies knew I was hurt.
A black wolf crashed through the bedroom window in an explosion of glass.
The snarl that came from Knox’s throat sounded close to “mine” but deeper, more primal. The sound shook the entire house with raw fury.
He tore into the first beast with savage efficiency, teeth finding its throat before it could even turn. Hunt burst through the broken bedroom door, joining the fight immediately.
The fight was brutal but quick. These rabid monsters might have been dangerous to a human, but against Knox and Hunt, they didn’t stand a chance.
I sagged against the wall, shoulder burning, lamp shards still clutched in bloody hands. The adrenaline was fading, leaving me shaky and exhausted.
“Mama!” The twins burst from the closet the second Knox gave the all-clear, running to me with tears streaming down their faces.
I dropped the makeshift weapons to catch them, checking frantically for injuries. Not a scratch. They’d stayed hidden, stayed safe, just like we’d practiced.
“We stayed quiet!” Thea said proudly through her tears. “Just like you said! Even when we heard the scary noises.”
“You did so good, baby. Both of you.” I held them tight, probably getting blood on their clothes but not caring.
Knox shifted back, and someone immediately tossed him pants. His eyes were wild as he crossed to us, hands gentle as they checked my wounds.
“Mary,” I said flatly before he could ask. “She had your phone. Said you were protecting her.”
His face went murderous, a snarl building in his throat. “My phone’s at the wedding spot. She must have-”
“Alpha,” Hunt interrupted from the doorway. “Three more locations hit simultaneously. The Hendersons’ house, the school, and the medical center. This was coordinated.”
“Casualties?” Knox asked, though his hands never stopped their examination of my injuries.
“Minor injuries only. The attacks were repelled quickly, but...” Hunt paused. “Someone fed them information. Told them exactly when we’d be distracted, where to strike for maximum chaos.”
“The wedding,” Knox said grimly. “They knew most of the pack would be there. Knew which houses would be vulnerable.”
Cole appeared in the doorway, blood on his shirt but moving easily. “The wedding party’s secure. Minor injuries only, the bride has a nasty claw mark but she’ll heal. But Knox... whoever planned this knew exactly where Lina and the pups would be.”
The implications hung like a stone in my stomach. This wasn’t random. Someone in the pack had told the rogues where to find us, when we’d be most vulnerable.
“Mary,” I said again, but Knox shook his head.
“She’s vicious but not stupid enough to work with rabid rogues. They would have turned on her too.” He paused, frowning. “Though she definitely took advantage of the chaos.”
“Check the council members,” Cole suggested. “Anyone who conveniently wasn’t at the wedding when the attack started.”
They began discussing pack politics and potential traitors, but I tuned them out. My babies were safe. I was alive. The immediate danger had passed. Everything else could wait.
Rowan tugged on Knox’s hand, looking up at him with those serious gray eyes. “The bad wolves smelled familiar.”
Everyone went silent, attention focusing on my too-observant son.
“Familiar how, buddy?” Knox asked gently, crouching to Rowan’s level.
“Like the mean lady,” Rowan said simply. “The one who hurt Mama before. They smelled like her perfume.”
Knox went very still. “You’re sure? They smelled like Mary?”
Rowan nodded solemnly. “The flowery smell that makes my nose itch. It was on them.”
“Could be transfer,” Hunt suggested. “If she was near them before the attack.”
“Or she helped coordinate this,” Cole said darkly. “Gave them information about patrol schedules, house locations.”
“But you said she wouldn’t work with rabid rogues,” I pointed out, shifting Thea to my other hip when she started to drowse against my shoulder.
“Not directly,” Knox agreed, standing slowly. “But she might have used them. Fed them information knowing they’d attack, then positioned herself to look innocent.”
“She answered your phone,” I said. “Made sure I knew you were busy protecting her instead of coming to help.”
“Creating an alibi while ensuring you felt abandoned,” Cole muttered. “Classic manipulation.”
“Hunt, take a team and find Mary,” Knox ordered. “I want to know exactly where she was during the attack and who saw her.”
“On it.” Hunt disappeared with his usual efficiency.
“Cole, coordinate with the other houses that were hit. I want a full report on the attack patterns, timing, everything.”
Cole nodded and left as well, leaving us alone.
“Mama,” Rowan said quietly from where he’d curled against my side. “Are we safe now?”
I looked at Knox, who met my eyes with absolute certainty.
“Yes, baby,” I said, believing it. “We’re safe.”
For now.