Chapter Four
Nyx
After excusing myself to take a shower—before I need a second to compose myself after that—I decide that I do, in fact, need a coffee.
Not because I’m tired by any means. I’m oddly wired and wide awake mentally, but my body is ready to tap out and fall into a deep slumber.
I really need to start leaving clothes in all of their guest houses because I realize as I dry off that I have nothing to wear except yesterday’s clothes. Naturally, I do the only sensible thing. I fish one of Maverick’s large shirts out of the drawers and slip it on.
Wandering toward the kitchen, I’m still trying to come to terms with my start to the morning when I find the consequences of my actions staring back at me.
All three of them.
“Well, good morning!” Cade grins, lifting a mug in greeting before taking a sip.
My cheeks burn as my eyes dart between the three of them, not sure if I’m more caught off-guard by their sudden appearance post-coitus or the fact the three of them are willingly in the same room without Alpha Daxton as a mediator.
Lex slides off his stool, heading over first. He leans down, kissing my forehead. “You okay, Red?”
“Yep,” I quickly reply. Too quickly. “I didn’t expect you all to be here so soon.”
“You took fucking forever in the shower,” Maverick scolds, because somehow this is all my fault.
For a moment, I have to wonder if this was planned.
And if so, when? Did they mind link using our weird four-way cellular connection and I just didn’t hear it?
Or do they also have their own weird function of being able to communicate now.
In that case, should I be a little annoyed that I was purposefully excluded? !
Damn. I miss the days when I plotted against them, and not the other way around.
“You’re not an innocent bystander, Maverick,” I snap back, leaning into Lex. “Oh, and thanks for the heads up.”
My sarcasm doesn’t go unnoticed, his responding smirk infuriating me. Lex moves his arm around my waist, pulling me in closer.
“We have a big day ahead of us,” he says, attempting to ease the tension.
“Yeah—big,” Cade adds on with a sly innuendo.
I clench my jaw. “Very big,” I agree, annoyed that somehow I’m now on Maverick’s side in this battle.
Cade laughs. “You do like them big.”
When my eyes darken and look at the mug in his hands, he pulls it toward his chest protectively.
“This kink of yours is getting out of hand,” Cade mutters. “Stop throwing things at my head.”
“Oh, but I just can’t help it,” I say sweetly. “Your big fucking head is just an enticing target.”
Maverick’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise as Cade gives a feigned, wounded look.
Lex’s body shakes with silent laughter, clearly enjoying the fact I’m cuddled up to him. “We’ll circle back to this conversation later,” he murmurs. “But yes, big day. I’ll be heading off with Knox and Beau in an hour.”
That jolts me back to unpleasant reality. Shit. In my morning bliss, I had momentarily forgotten that the alphas were making their way back to the packs. You know… war and all.
“Beau’s going with you?” I ask quietly, gazing up at him.
Lena’s friendly face comes to mind and it’s even more confirmation that I’m doing the right thing by staying behind in Shadow Creek. It didn’t even occur to me that others may be in the same position.
She and Beau have barely been apart since her birthday, and now, she’s about to face the same worrying situation as me.
Lex nods once. “We need to check in on our mother. She’s aware of the situation, of course. But I’ll be busy preparing everyone and given we don’t know what will come of everything once we deal with Orson…”
He trails off and my heart breaks. His face is tense, almost unreadable. But I can see it—the unfinished words, the worry.
The fact that some of his pack might come to Shadow Creek and never return home.
Including people like Beau…
And others too. Families might get ripped apart, mates lost. And suddenly, I find my head turning in Maverick’s direction.
He locks eyes with me, face expressionless. But I know he can read my mind, even without mind link.
“It will be okay,” he says confidently. “Everything is just a precaution to be on the safe side.”
Fuck.
If Maverick of all people is attempting to comfort me, it’s just an even more indication of how serious and bad this is.
We both know that it’s not okay. Nothing about this is. Multiple packs have already vanished, legacies lost. And if anyone knows how devastating it is to lose a mate and the consequences, it’s Maverick.
He watched his own mother be murdered by another pack, the result killing an alpha from pure heartbreak.
And then it hits me. All at once.
I never thought I’d hope that the three men in this room wouldn’t love me, but now, I secretly beg that they don’t. At least… not enough to kill them if something happens to me.
“You’re going to die, young wolf.”
Four packs stand to lose here. Three of them have alphas directly tied to me in every way imaginable.
The silence stretches on, and I’m taken aback when Maverick sighs, putting down his water bottle. He walks over to where Lex and I are standing, his hand brushing the side of my face.
“Nothing is going to happen, Nyx. We just have to be prepared from all angles.”
“Promise me if anything happens to me that you will be okay,” I say quietly, wishing that it was just the two of us having this particular conversation.
Even though I’m aware Lex knows the intimate details too, this isn’t our story to share.
Though from what we’ve been told it’s fairly common knowledge, other wolves putting the puzzle pieces together.
Still, knowing the story and living it are two different things.
Maverick’s eyebrows furrow. “Stop it,” he replies sternly, voice cracking slightly. “You’re going to be fine.”
“I mean it,” I answer. “I need to know right here and now before you go that no matter what happens, you’ll fight for your packs—our packs.”
I look around at Lex and Cade, silently insinuating that this applies to them as well because that’s the sad reality… It is our story now. Just hopefully with a different ending this time.
Emotion crosses Maverick’s face, almost making me regret my choice of words. But I don’t care. I need them to know that if I die, if Lydiana’s prophecy is true, that they will survive.
“We’re all going to be okay, Red,” Lex murmurs softly. “Trust us.”
“I do trust you,” I reply without breaking eye contact with Maverick. “All of you. But this whole thing is bigger than me. There’s too much at stake.”
Cade whistles low. “For someone screaming half an hour ago, you’re being way too serious.”
“Mug.”
He grins. “In my hands.”
“I’m very quick,” I warn.
Maverick grips my chin. “Nyx,” he sternly growls, pulling my attention back to him.
“There is nothing I wouldn’t do for my pack.
I’m sure Lex and Cade are the same too. But I won’t promise anything…
except that I’ll keep you safe. I already made that mistake once,” he pauses, shooting Cade a dirty glare.
“I won’t make it again. You don’t need to worry about the witch’s ridiculous comment. ”
“I’m inclined to agree,” Cade says, standing from my seat.
He heads in our direction, purposefully leaving the mug behind.
“Between the four packs, Orson doesn’t stand a chance.
But we’re obligated to step in here, to end this situation before it gets further out of control.
Historically, we know the consequences. But that means we also understand everything better than anyone else. ”
That’s true. I’m sure Lex and Maverick won’t want to admit it, but having Cade in our little circle now is an advantage we desperately needed.
“Do you think it would be possible to read some of Ophelia’s journals?” I ask Cade.
He nods. “I’ll bring some back when I return.”
Swallowing, I gather my strength and force a smile. “Thank you. I suppose we should get you to Alpha Daxton’s office. Life might be strange right now, but if we’re late, he might murder me before Orson gets the chance.”
Beside me, Lena is tense, her whole body rigid with clear anxiety. I think it’s because of that that somehow I manage to keep myself composed—at least on the outside.
A group of us are standing on the field near the training facility to see off the alphas and the other pack members.
Even though Alpha Daxton is staying behind for once, I can still see the worry on Luna Grace’s features too.
I love how much she cares about others. That’s what makes her perfect to run the day care.
In her eyes, beyond the pack hierarchy, there’s no reason for animosity and hatred toward other wolves.
We’re all the same. And now, our packs are entwined with one another.
An extended family.
Apparently, Lena and I aren’t the only ones who have found our mates in the visiting packs. My eyes scan the small crowd, recognizing so many people I grew up with, bonding with them on a level I wish didn’t exist right now.
So many new mates and now they are already forced to be separated. I can only imagine the utter agony it must be for them, not even factoring in the possibility that some might be in heat. But this needs to be done. Just hopefully we can return to normalcy soon.
I already said my detailed goodbyes in Maverick’s kitchen, so our public farewell was more brief. We tried to set an example of strength, to show it would be okay. But now, watching the retreating backs of my mates as they disappear into the woods, I wonder if people can tell it was all a lie.
“We should have gone with them,” Mira says, voice quivering.
“You know we can’t,” I tell her with a sigh. “It would slow everything down. And we can’t pick. I don’t want to.”
Mira howls in agreement, probably feeling the growing distance too. She’s grown exceptionally close with Titus since Lex’s arrival and now, she’s barely had time to bond with Colt and Odin.
Cade assured us both that Odin would take Mira for a run when they returned, much to the glares of Lex and Maverick. Clearly, Cade isn’t up to date on my history with runs in the woods. Well, except of course for the small incident where Ezra smashed my head with a rock and kidnapped me…
“Will they be okay?” Lena asks in a small whisper.
I nod without hesitation, breaking out of my trance to smile at her. “Of course they will be. They will be back before we know it.”
Lena’s brows furrow, lips tilting down. “This fucking sucks. I understand why Beau needs to go alone, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.”
“I know,” I murmur. “Once this is all done, we’ll never have to do this again.”
The words leave my lips before I’ve had time to truly contemplate them. I frown, Lena’s shoulder dropping forward.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m sure you’ll work it out.”
All I can do is nod because I want to reassure both of us that perhaps we can make this work. But at some stage, I will have to do this again. And again. And again.
Maybe it will get easier with time. Maybe when we don’t have to worry about wolves lingering in the dark waiting to attack, I won’t drown in the suffocating pain of being separated from my mates.
“Nyx,” a voice calls out from behind us.
Lena and I turn around at the same time, surprised to see Reese standing there with Sarah. My eyes instinctively drift down to their locked hands, taking a moment to enjoy the fact that one of us gets what we want.
Sarah offers a small, polite smile which I return as I walk over with Lena.
“Hey,” I greet, my voice sounding exhausted. “It feels like it’s been forever.”
Reese nods in agreement. “My birthday.”
I think back to all those times when Reese worried he wouldn’t find his mate. See—everything happens for a reason, all in good time. I just have to trust that the universe knows what it's doing.
“How about we grab some ice cream?” I offer to everyone, glancing over at Lena to gauge her interest.
“Absolutely,” she breathes out, obviously desperate for the distraction as well.
Reese looks at Sarah. “Coming?”
She smiles warmly at him, eyes lighting up, as if she’s just seeing him for the first time all over again.
“I need to take my brother to Dr. Madison for a routine check-up, but next time definitely.” Pausing, she turns to us.
“I really want the opportunity to get to know you both better. Maybe we can catch up for pancakes soon.”
“You told her about the pancakes,” I laugh, eyeing Reese suspiciously.
“It’s the easiest way to win you over,” he admits sheepishly. “That and coffee.”
“You’re not wrong,” I smile. “I’d love that, Sarah. I can't wait. But for now, I promise we’ll return him in one piece.”