Chapter 11
Night in the bunker.
Henley
Uncle Ferno spent the day escorting Parker and me around the island.
I got to meet a lot of people, and I’m certain I’ll remember none of their names, but everybody was so nice.
Nearly everybody commented about how much I look like my mother, which made me curious.
So, we spend our evening looking at pictures.
My mother was young. She never got to reach the age of twenty five. She was only twenty two when I was born—four years older than I am.
It’s not fair that I never got to know her, but life isn’t always fair. I’m just blessed that I was raised by an incredible father, for which I am grateful.
In the middle of the night, I wake to a loud sound outside the house. Parker jerks upward, his eyes going gold as his wolf is close to the surface.
“Is that a tornado siren?” I ask, blinking to try and clear my eyes.
The door to our room is suddenly thrust open, and guards rush inside.
“The island has been breached,” one of the guards says. “We’re under attack.”
Parker jumps out of bed and slips on a shirt. I move a little slower as I get out of bed to join him.
“What do we do?” I ask. Maybe I should spend learn how to fight, but I’ll do whatever I can to protect the phoenixes.
Parker looks between me and my guards, his golden eyes glowing in the dim light of the room. “My only goal is to keep you safe.”
I shake my head. “No, Parker. We can’t just hide. The island is under attack. People could get hurt, or even killed. I can’t hide away while everybody else suffers. If I did, I wouldn’t be worthy to be a queen.”
“Henley,” he growls my name.
I look him in the eye. “Would you hide away if your pack was attacked? You’re the future alpha. You’re the one who is supposed to protect the pack.”
“Not to interrupt, but your mate is right,” the guard says.
I glance over, expecting him to be talking to Parker, but he’s looking at me.
“You must remain safe because, without you, we have no leader. Your mother chose to leave to protect us, but she shouldn’t have,” the guard says. “Our people have suffered as a result. But you’re here now. You’re giving us a second chance. And I can’t allow you to throw it away.”
My chest aches at his words. “So I’m just supposed to hide while others get hurt? While others possibly die?”
“Yes,” he answers bluntly.
Before I can respond, Will bursts into the room. The guards turn, ready to attack.
“It’s just Will,” I say quickly. “Don’t hurt him.”
Will breathes heavily. “Are you guys okay?”
“We’re fine,” Parker answers. He looks through the doorway. “Where is Blaine?”
The sirens are still going off in the background, but I can hear more footsteps as others run through the house.
“We need to get you somewhere safe,” the guard says.
They start to corral me. Parker and Will press in around me, getting swept into the center. I’m about to stop and demand to know where Blaine is.
“As soon as the sirens started, Blaine took off. He went to find Keagan to make sure she’s safe,” Will answers.
“Oh, thank God,” one of the guards mutters under his breath.
I glance over at him.
He grins sheepishly at me. “Keagan is my baby sister. I feel better knowing that a wolf shifter will be there to help protect her.”
“Introductions can wait until you’re in your safe spot,” one of the other guards reprimands.
I sigh.
I may be the future queen, but I practically have no authority when it comes to the matter of my safety.
With Parker on one side and Will on the other, the guards walk in a tight circle around us.
We are led down the stairs to the main level of the house.
We head to a part of the house I haven’t been in before, which isn’t all that surprising.
This place is huge. We eventually end up in a windowless room on the bottom floor of Uncle Ferno’s home.
Uncle Ferno is sitting on a chair in the room, and his shoulders sag in relief when he sees me come in.
Once the door shuts behind us, the sound of sirens is cut off.
Parker and Will both spin around and look at the door.
“This is a completely soundproof iron room. Once the door is shut, it can only be opened from the inside,” Uncle Ferno explains. “We’ll likely be in here for the night, so you may as well get some rest.”
I look around the room and realize it’s a lot larger than I initially thought. There are even hallways that lead to different portions of the bunker.
“Is everybody okay out there?” I approach Uncle Ferno. “It doesn’t feel right for us to be in here while others may be getting hurt or worse.”
“The crown must be protected,” one of the guards says.
Uncle Ferno nods. “I’m sorry, Henely. I know you want to be out there to help protect others, but you need to survive. Your duty is to be in here and wait.”
I don’t like that. And from the annoyance I feel from Parker, he doesn’t like it either.
Parker steps closer. “I agree with your uncle—you should be in here. But I’m an alpha. I should be out there. I could help—”
Uncle Ferno cuts him off. “Absolutely not. Your duty is to be at your mate’s side. If you’re out there and get killed, it could also kill Henley. We can’t allow that.”
“What about me? Can I go join the fight?” Will asks.
I roll my eyes at him. “If we’re stuck in here, so are you.”
“The door is shut. We will not open it again until we get the all clear,” Uncle Ferno says.
I sigh. “Which room is ours?”
Uncle Ferno points to a hallway. “Pick whichever room you like.”
I march off in the direction he pointed. The rooms have bunk beds in them. I pull Parker into one of the rooms, and my guards follow us.
“Top or bottom?” I ask Parker.
He grunts and pulls me onto the bottom bunk with him. He pulls me against his side, and I know better than to argue that there isn’t enough room for both of us.
“Are the guards staying in here?” Will asks.
“While in the panic room, we will stay by our princess,” the guard explains.
Will climbs onto the top bunk. “If they’re staying, I’m staying.”
Parker grunts his approval.
“It’s my first sleepover,” I say to lighten the mood.
Will peeks his head over the top bunk to look at me. “I’m glad to know being mated hasn’t affected your poor sense of humor.”
“Next time I have a sleepover, you’re not invited.” I stick out my tongue at him.
“We’ve had a sleepover every night since we got married,” Parker says.
I turn in his arms so that I can face him.
Will groans, and I hear him shift—likely rolling over so he doesn’t have to look at us.
Parker puts his forehead against mine. Don’t look at me like that.
Like what?
He sighs. Like you want to devour me.
“Stop flirting,” Will says, his voice muffled by something—probably a pillow over his head.
“How do you even know we’re flirting?” I ask. “We did not say one word out loud.”
“Go to sleep,” Parker says softly and kisses my forehead.
But how am I supposed to sleep now? The others are in danger and it doesn’t feel right to be locked up safely while they’re fighting for their lives.
It’s going to be a long night.