Vaughn
“I’ve got him, son. Take care of Henry.”
“The mark of a guardian,” Zaire said.
“The Chosen One,” she explained.
“All of the guardians carry such marks, each one unique to their position in the circle.”
“And what exactly does Henry’s mark mean?”
Zaire looked at Meshaq instead of answering, so Vaughn turned his attention to the hellhound.
“Meshaq?”
“He is the seer, Vaughn. The one who has been hunted.”
Vaughn closed his eyes and breathed before turning back to Henry. “Zaire, do you feel any sort of magic on him? Did she harm him in any way?”
“I will check, Alpha.”
She closed her eyes and drew in a breath as a pain-filled groan came from the other bed. Vaughn glanced over at his mate and found Sam’s eyes fluttering open.
“Henry,” Sam groaned.
“I’ve got Henry,” Zaire said. “Check on Sam.”
Vaughn hurried around the bed and to Sam’s side. His father had Sam’s injured hand taped down and they were picking small shards of glass out of his skin. “He’s fine,” Vaughn whispered. “You’re both fine.”
“I feel like shit,” Sam complained.
“I bet you do. She zapped you with something.”
“Tell me, Vaughn.”
“Tell you what?”
Sam gave him a look, and Vaughn couldn’t help but touch him again. He ran his hand over Sam’s hair and smiled. “I’ll tell you later. He’s fine, though. Zaire’s making sure he’s okay magically, and I’m pretty sure Meshaq hasn’t stopped snarling since we got here.”
“Good. The others?”
“Outside with Nana and my mom. Once I’m sure Henry is okay, I’ll let them in. Most of the pack is here, too.”
“Dinner,” Sam gasped.
“And we’ll still have dinner. Don’t worry.”
“Shifters never miss a meal,” Sam teased, even as his eyes started to close again.
“Rest. I won’t leave you.”
“Take care of our boy,” Sam said as his eyes drifted closed.
Vaughn’s dad gripped his shoulder. “He needs stitches,” Stuart said. “Otherwise he seems fine. Probably a touch of shock so we’ll want to keep an eye on both of them for a couple hours.”
“Okay. Thanks, Dad.”
“Get back to your boy.”
“Yessir.”
The next couple hours passed in a blur for Vaughn. He took care of both Sam and Henry as needed, watched over the other cubs with his mom and Nana, and comforted the rest of the pack as he was able.
Meshaq and Zaire had filled him in on the prophecy and how it would affect Henry’s life. Now he just had to explain it to Sam, along with the knowledge that whoever the guy had been with Mrs. Foote? He hadn’t gotten that way naturally and none of them had any idea how he’d managed it.
By the time Sam opened his eyes again, Henry was already awake and surrounded by the other cubs.
Ollie had been particularly upset that Henry wouldn’t wake up, so the two boys had been cuddled together for almost half an hour while they waited on Sam to come around.
Vaughn knew he was waking up from the changes in his breathing, but he hadn’t opened his eyes yet.
He left the cubs and went back to Sam’s bed, holding his unbandaged hand as he started to stir. Vaughn wanted to be the first thing Sam saw when he opened his eyes.
And he was.
Sam smiled at him and squeezed his hand. “Time is it?”
“Time to feed some hungry cubs.”
Sam grinned.
Ollie shrieked and leapt off of Henry’s bed. Vaughn managed to catch him before a catastrophe occurred, and he held him close for a moment. “Ollie, settle down.”
His eyes were wild and he reached desperately for Sam.
“It’s fine. Give him here.”
Vaughn growled low, and Ollie stilled, looking his way for a moment before he stopped moving.
“I’ll be real gentle, Alpha. I just need my Sam.”
“I know you will. I need you to slow down for me, though, okay?” Vaughn pecked a kiss onto Ollie’s head and set him gently on the bed. He immediately curled up against Sam and began petting his chest carefully.
“I missed you, Sam. You don’t go to sleep again, okay? Only with Ollie.”
Sam kissed his hair and cuddled him close. “I’ll do my best. Were you a good boy for Alpha?”
Vaughn couldn’t help but chuckle as Ollie nodded his head so hard his head thumped against Sam’s chest. Sam groaned out a laugh and the other kids drifted over to surround the bed. Vaughn went to get Henry, who was still incredibly weak but ready to be out of bed.
Everyone else began to drift into the room once Vaughn got Henry settled beside Sam.
William had a chair pulled up beside the bed and he sat with Sam’s free hand clutched in one hand and his cane in the other.
Natasha sat on his lap and leaned her head over onto Sam’s arm, resting there beside him and basking in the simple touch of pack.
Ben settled on the other side of the bed and Vaughn stood behind him. The boy was fascinated by the medical treatment they’d been providing and he wanted to know what all the equipment did. Vaughn and his dad took turns explaining things to him as Ben kept a close eye on both Sam and Henry.
The rest of the kids were sitting on the bed at Sam’s feet, wanting to be close as well. A variety of pack members drifted in and out of the room until finally, Nana announced that the cookout was still happening and everyone needed to get to work.
Of course, everyone listened and she winked at Vaughn as everyone but William and the kids cleared the room. She’d spent all day cooking, and she wasn’t going to let all that food go to waste.
No, they’d celebrate the safe return of Henry and Sam while they continued to work toward what they needed to do to make sure nothing like what happened earlier could ever happen again.
Zaire had already promised to return with the other awen she was affiliated with, and it had drawn a surprised gasp from Meshaq once she made the vow.
Since he’d never met them, Vaughn didn’t understand, but he could tell from Meshaq’s reaction that it was big.
Meshaq was frustrated as well. The shifter who died had different magic, something that didn’t make sense.
Meshaq told him that once the black smoke had cleared, all that was left was a human man.
But that didn’t make sense. Vaughn’s wolf wouldn’t disappear once he died.
It would still be there, part of his body, if nothing else.
They’d found nothing on either the man or Mrs. Foote to give him any sort of clue as to where they’d come from or what else was happening.
Meshaq had asked Vaughn’s permission to allow another pack on his land, which Vaughn had given.
Mason and his pack worked as bodyguards in the human world, but they also did investigations.
Meshaq wanted their expertise since using his abilities hadn’t given them the information he needed.
“Okay, who’s hungry?” Vaughn asked.
He received a chorus of “me” as replies. After helping Sam and Henry up, they headed to the house in a big lumpy group. Vaughn had one arm around Sam and the other around Henry as they made their way across the yard.
The rest of the cubs huddled around them, everyone sticking as close as possible. There were multiple pack members in the yard and several hellhounds as well. Everyone stood guard, determined to keep the pack as safe as possible.
Vaughn got everyone settled inside while Nana took care of getting them fed.
He couldn’t stay away from Sam and Henry, though, and found himself drifting over to them and standing behind them at the table.
He wanted to guard and protect, his wolf pacing inside him, not wanting to let either of them out of his sight.
He kept touching them both, a hand to their shoulder, a quick kiss to the top of their heads.
Anything to keep him in contact with them, reassuring himself that they were both there.
He made sure they both ate, checked on the rest of the kids as well, and visited with the other members of his pack. He couldn’t stop pacing, though.
“Vaughn.”
Sam’s voice broke through, and Vaughn turned to his mate.
“Come here.”
Vaughn immediately went to him and cupped his palm around Sam’s cheek. “What do you need?”
Sam wrapped his arms around Vaughn’s waist and pulled him close. “I need you to shift for me, Alpha. The kids, too.”
“What?”
“Shift for me. Please.”
Vaughn stared into Sam’s eyes searching for an answer, but Sam just stared back, steady and calm. “Okay.”
He turned to the others who were busy cleaning up after their meal. The cubs were all unsteady. He could see it now and he turned back to Sam. His mate had seen it.
“I need to shift,” Vaughn said suddenly. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. “Who’s with me?”
He didn’t have to ask Ollie twice. The little guy was naked in approximately five seconds and trembling with excitement. Vaughn laughed and petted his hair. “Go ahead, Ollie. The rest of us need a second.”
Ollie began his transformation, quickly becoming the blue-eyed pup Vaughn adored. He scooped Ollie up and got his face licked in return. Something about holding the squirmy little guy settled Vaughn’s nerves.
The rest of the kids seemed interested as well, and so did quite a few of the adults.
Sam and Henry stood with Sam’s dad in between them, helping him outside to the yard.
The pack began shifting around him as Sam, Henry, and William sat down on the grass.
Henry ended up in between them, and something else in Vaughn settled.
In only took a few minutes before his entire pack was standing before him in their shifted forms. Vaughn walked between them all, still in his human form. He spoke quietly to each of them before ending up back in front of Sam.
The other cubs were settled beside him, their animals seeking comfort from the man who had quickly become a parent to them. A mate. A true alpha-mate at that. Sam was their miracle, their magic. A gift meant just for them.
Vaughn stripped quickly and shifted into his wolf form. He stood proud and tall in front of his mate, who was looking at him with equal emotions. He moved closer and Sam bared his throat, without the hesitation and fear he’d had the first time.
Vaughn caught Sam’s neck in his mouth, pressing just firm enough to make his point, to claim his mate in public in front of his pack. All of the shifters standing around them understood the significance of the gesture. This man is mine.
He stepped back and Sam gave him a mischievous eyebrow wiggle and gestured toward his dad. William looked stunned by the entire moment and Vaughn stepped in front of him, waiting and watching.
Henry sighed. “Grandpa William, you’ve gotta greet the alpha.”
“Uh,” William said.
Henry let out another epic sigh and looked at Vaughn. “How come they don’t know?”
Vaughn couldn’t answer so he waited for Henry to lean his head to the side and demonstrate to William how it was done.
“He… uh, does he have to… uh?”
“He won’t hurt you,” Henry said. He petted William’s arm even as the older man huffed.
“I know.” He still looked worried as he copied Henry’s gesture and moved his head to the side.
Vaughn quickly licked William’s neck and backed away, accepting him as pack while trying not to worry his mate’s father.
“See?” Henry said. “I told you.”
William hooked his arm around Henry’s neck and pulled him close. “Shoulda just listened to you. You’re a smart kid.”
Henry beamed and leaned more heavily into William’s hold.
“Vaughn,” Sam said quietly.
Vaughn moved back in front of his mate.
“Feeling better?” Sam asked.
He was. Everything was simpler in this form. He could rely on his senses, and they told him everything was fine. Vaughn nudged his nose into Sam’s neck again and his mate held onto him tightly.
“We’re home and we’re safe,” Sam whispered against the scruff of Vaughn’s neck.
“We will figure this out and keep each other safe. We will give these kids a fantastic life to make up for the hell they’ve been through.
It won’t be perfect, but it’ll be ours. And they’ll never have to worry about being safe or fed or loved again. ”
Vaughn breathed in Sam’s scent and processed his words.
He sat back and stared at Sam then threw back his head and howled.
The entire pack chorused with him, the sound of their combined voices filling the air.
Henry laughed and lifted his arms, magic flowing around him as the pack celebrated the gifts they’d been given.
Vaughn knew the Goddess had a plan for them all and that she’d put Sam in his path because he was meant to be there.
He would do everything in his power to treasure the gifts she’d given him. Forever.