Chapter Eight
T he moon shone, blanketing the dust and debris, bringing the deepest of shadows to life. Blake walked over. “It’s time we took you home,” he said, smiling.
“My home no longer exists Blake,” I almost cried.
“It does Summer. It’s just in another place now.”
Biting my lower lip, I paused, unsure but certain at the same time. Was I ready for this?
His eyes met mine, stormy blue, and earnest. "Our home is your home, sweetheart," he urged softly. "We have plenty of space, and you'll be safe there."
I recoiled instinctively, old fears and older scars ravaging through my mind. Go home with three Alphas? Put myself at their mercy, in their territory? Every survival instinct I possessed screamed in protest.
But beneath the fear, a traitorous whisper of temptation unfurled. To not be alone, to have someone to lean on...
"I... I don't know if it’s the right idea," I hedged, torn between the need to belong and the ingrained need to run, to protect myself at all costs.
"Please, Summer?" Anders' gentle voice joined Blake's, his tone soft and coaxing. "You're injured, and you've been through a tremendous shock. Let us help you. Let us keep you safe, at least until you're back on your feet."
I wavered, his concern melting my resistance.
"Yeah, princess, don't be stubborn. You already said yes." Zach appeared by Anders' shoulder, his smile a little too bright, a little too sharp.
I turned toward him, and his scent hit me. Deep cedarwood, with a trace of warmth that reminded me of home, of something safe. I groaned, frustrated by the involuntary attraction that stirred in my chest.
Zach smirked, sensing my reaction. He stepped closer, wrapping his arm around my waist in a confident, almost possessive gesture. “I take that as a yes,” he said, his tone teasing yet reassuring.
I shouldn’t want this. I tried not to. But when he pulled me close, the steady beat of his heart against mine, the scent of him, both warm and familiar, something inside me cracked. That flutter in my chest, that slow, simmering heat... it betrayed me. It whispered that maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to keep standing alone in the wreckage.
The word stuck in my throat. Don’t say it. But the moment I met his eyes, soft with something that looked too much like hope, the resistance slipped away.
"Yes," I breathed. It barely made a sound, but it echoed in my head like a scream. What are you doing?
Three faces shifted, their tension melting, joy creeping in. Zach’s breath escaped in a small whoop, like he’d been holding it too long. He pulled back and kissed me on the forehead. Anders' fingers threaded through mine with such care that it made my throat tighten.
“You’re ours now Summer,” Anders murmured, and instead of panic, the words wrapped around me like a blanket. I hadn’t realized how cold I was until then.
I WALKED FOR FIVE MINUTES before my knees gave out. The adrenaline that had sustained me through the chaos of the day suddenly evaporated, leaving me exhausted, trembling and the soles of my feet stinging. I lurched sideways, bracing for a painful impact with the rubble-strewn ground, but it never came. Instead, powerful arms wrapped around my waist, halting my descent and pressing me back against a solid wall of muscle.
"I've got you." Blake's deep voice rumbled through me; his breath warm against my temple. "I won't let you fall."
Tears of exhaustion and overwhelming emotion pricked at the corners of my eyes. I blinked them back, clinging to the tattered remnants of my composure. "I'm fine," I insisted, even as my body betrayed me, sagging further into his unshakable strength. "Just... just give me a minute."
"Summer." He pulled me into his arms. "You don't have to be strong all the time. Not with me. Not with us."
A shudder worked its way down my spine. My very soul yearned toward his words, even as a lifetime of brutal self-reliance held me back.
"Let me carry you," he murmured, his lips brushing the delicate skin just below my ear. A request, not a command, laced with a tenderness that made my heart ache.
My resistance crumbled like the buildings around us, reduced to dust in the face of his persistence. I sighed, then I nodded, accepting defeat.
Blake needed no further encouragement. In a single smooth motion, he swept me into his arms, cradling me against his warm chest like I was something precious and breakable. His heartbeat was a steady drum beneath my cheek, as his arms banded around me. He held me like I mattered, like my safety and comfort were paramount above all else.
A lone tear tracked down my cheek, disappearing into the fabric of his shirt. If he noticed, he chose not to comment, tightening his grip and brushing a soft kiss over my hair.
We moved through the ruined streets like that, Blake's strides sure and purposeful as he picked his way over shattered concrete and twisted metal. The pain of my injuries had faded to a distant hum, eclipsed by the growing warmth kindling deep in my chest.
Trust. It was a fragile, fluttering thing, as delicate as a butterfly's wings and as easily crushed. But held securely in Blake's embrace... I felt the first stirrings of hope take root.
I didn't know what the future held. Didn't know if I was strong enough to lay my battered heart in the hands of these males who called to every denied instinct in my soul. But for the first time in longer than I could remember, I wanted to try.
Blake carried me the last few yards to the waiting car, his pack mates falling into step beside us. Zach reached out to squeeze my hand, his smile softer than I'd ever seen it. Anders brushed a strand of hair from my face with a touch so careful it made my breath catch.
"Ready to go home?" Blake asked as he settled me in the plush confines of the back seat, his blue eyes intent on mine.
"Yeah," I whispered past the sudden lump in my throat. "I'm ready."
Blake smiled and slid in beside me, his arm coiling around my shoulders and drawing me into the shelter of his side. Anders clambered into the driver’s seat, with Zach calling shotgun.
As the engine purred to life and we pulled away from the devastation of my old life, I let my eyes drift closed, my head coming to rest on Blake's broad shoulder. I didn't know what tomorrow would bring, what challenges we'd face. But here, surrounded by the steadfast warmth of my alphas... I finally allowed myself to believe I wouldn't have to face it alone.