Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Fallon
Every creak of the settling wood, every whistle of wind against the steel siding makes my muscles tense. I sit on the edge of the sofa, my elbows on my knees, staring at the dead fireplace.
I’m tired, but sleep feels like a foreign country I can’t get a visa to visit.
Soft footsteps pad down the hallway. Amber appears in the mouth of the living room. She’s swimming in one of Knox’s white T-shirts. Her hair is a messy halo around her head, her eyes soft with sleep.
A smile tugs at my lips before I can stop it. Seeing her in his clothes—it does something to me. Marks her as ours.
“Hey,” she whispers, coming closer.
“Hey, Sunshine. Couldn’t sleep?”
She shakes her head, wincing slightly as she sits next to me. “Headache. It’s a dull throb right behind my eyes.”
I lean forward, grabbing the bottle of aspirin from the coffee table and a bottle of water from the mini-fridge nearby. I shake two pills into my palm and hand them to her.
“Here. Drink.”
She downs them obediently, washing the tablets back with half the bottle. “Thanks.”
I brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers linger against her warm skin. “Why are you up? It’s late.”
She sighs, leaning her head on my shoulder. “I couldn’t turn my brain off. Too much noise in there.” She taps her temple.
I shift, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. Her scent hits me—jasmine and rain, with that underlying rich musk of Amber.
It’s my favorite smell in the world.
“What kind of noise?” I ask.
She hesitates. “About Luke. About today. About... everything.”
I squeeze her hip. “You want to talk about it?”
“No,” she says quickly. Then she pulls back to look at me, her eyes searching my face. “Are you mad at me?”
I’m confused. “No. Why would I be mad at you? You did nothing wrong.”
“I mean... I was worried that you would be. That I scared you off.”
“Amber.” I cup her cheek, forcing her to hold my gaze. “Look at me.”
She does, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
“I love you,” I tell her. The words feel big, filling up the quiet room.
Her eyes well up, spilling over. She lets out a shaky breath. “I love you, too,” she says softly.
I lean in and kiss her. It’s not a hungry kiss, or a demanding one. It’s a seal. A promise. Her lips are soft, moving slowly with mine.
I trail my mouth down her jaw to her neck, breathing her in.
She smells incredible. But under the jasmine, under the sweet scent of her skin... something is different.
It’s faint, buried under layers of soap and exhaustion, but my Alpha nose catches it. It’s a metallic tang, like the air before a storm.
I pull back slightly, frowning.
“What?” she asks, her fingers twisting in my lap.
“Your scent,” I say slowly. “It’s... shifting.”
She flushes, a bright pink that travels down her neck. “Oh.”
“How bad is the headache?” I ask, changing tactics but keeping my hand on her nape.
“It’s manageable. The aspirin helps.”
“And your cycle? When was the last time you were in heat?”
She freezes, her embarrassment palpable. “I... I don’t know.”
“You take heat suppressants?”
She shakes her head.
“You’re late?”
“I don’t know,” she repeats, looking down at her hands. “I... before. When I was using. The pills, the whippets... it wrecked me. I haven’t had a real heat since... since before Maisie. My body is just... confused.”
I process this. It explains a lot. The drugs scrambled her biology. Now that she’s clean and safe, her body is trying to reset itself. It’s fighting to find its natural rhythm again.
“Sunshine, I think you’re going into preheat,” I tell her, dipping my head to kiss the pulse point on her throat.
“No. There’s no way.”
“I think we should set up an appointment with Dr. Hale soon, but I’m like, fifty percent sure. You told us you’ve been clean from drugs for a while. I think your body has healed itself back.”
She shakes her head, panic rising in her eyes. “I can’t be in heat. What am I going to do?”
That confuses me. “What do you mean? We get you through it. We’re Alphas, remember. Amber, I’ve spent my life waiting for you. You think your biology is going to scare me off? I’m an Alpha. I was built to handle you.”
She relaxes against me, her breath tickling my collarbone. “You’re not disgusted?”
“I’m honest,” I say softly. “I would never be disgusted by you. I want everything you have to give.”
She lets out a wet laugh and buries her face in my neck.
“How long have you been clean?” I ask, nosing her hair, inhaling her scent again. The metallic tang is still there, but it seems fainter, or maybe I’m just getting used to the layers of her.
“Years,” she says. “Since before I ran.”
“Good.”
“I think you may be right. My hormones are just... waking up,” she murmurs against my shoulder. “Which explains the mood swings. And the horniness.”
I grin against her skin. “I noticed.”
She grinds her pelvis down on my thigh, and I have to bite back a groan. The friction is electric. We sit there for a long time, just breathing together.
The anger I felt earlier at the thought of her facing that man alone is leached out of me, replaced by a deep need to claim her.
Then her phone rings on the coffee table.
She jumps, her heart rate spiking against my side where she leans. She looks at the screen, her face paling.
I know what she’s thinking. It’s what I’m thinking, too.
Maybe it’s Luke.
“It’s Norah,” she says, swiping to answer. “Hello?”
I listen, tracking the panic rising in her voice instantly.
“Norah? What? What’s wrong?” Amber is on her feet in a second, her hand gripping my knee tight. “Okay. Breathe. We’re coming. Stay there. Don’t push yet. We’re on our way.”
She hangs up, her hand shaking.
“Her water broke,” she says, her eyes wide. “We have to go. Now.”
“Let’s go.” I stand up, grabbing my keys from the table. “I’ll drive.”
She’s already moving toward the bedroom to get dressed, but I notice Eli isn’t just standing there. He’s efficient, calm amidst the storm.
“Go get dressed, Amber,” Eli says gently, steering her toward the hallway. “I’ll pack a bag with a change of clothes. We don’t know how long we’ll be there.”
She nods, looking at him with wide, grateful eyes, and runs off.
The commotion wakes Knox, who stumbles out of his room looking disheveled but instantly alert.
“What’s going on?” Knox asks, rubbing a hand over his face.
“Norah’s headed to hospital. Her water broke,” Eli says, already unzipping an overnight bag near the sofa.
“Merde,” Knox mutters. “Is Jude with her?”
“Yes. We need to move,” I say.
And then we’re all running.
We screech to a halt in front of Fox Hollow Medical Center. I throw my truck into park, not bothering with a proper spot, and we all pile out. The automatic doors slide open and we rush into reception.
Jude is at the desk, barking out Norah’s name. The receptionist points us down the hall toward Maternity.
We take over a small waiting lounge. It’s cramped with all of us, but nobody cares.
Jude paces. He wears a track in the linoleum. Maisie sits on a small plastic chair, a stuffed rabbit on her lap, her legs swinging. Eli sits next to her, whispering a story, keeping her calm.
Wren and Simon are already there, Wren clutching Simon’s arm so hard her knuckles are white.
Amber sits on the other side of Maisie, bouncing her leg nervously.
I stand near the window with Knox and Ryker, looking out at the snow swirling in the parking lot lights.
The mood is a mix of celebration and apprehension. We’re waiting for a baby, but the shadow of Luke is still hovering over us.
Knox scans the parking lot, his eyes narrowed. “It’s too open,” he murmurs. “Trop exposé.”
“He’s not going to try anything here,” I say, though I keep my voice low. “It’s a hospital, Knox. Security is everywhere.”
“He’s a coward,” Knox says, his jaw tight. “Cowards strike when you’re not looking. I don’t like that she’s exposed.”
“She’s not alone,” I remind him, nodding toward where Eli, Jude, and Ryker form a protective circle around the women and children. “We’re here. Jude’s pack is here. He’d have to be suicidal to walk through those doors.”
Knox nods, but he doesn’t relax his vigilance. “Si jamais il vient...”
“He won’t,” I say firmly.
Hours bleed together. The clock on the wall mocks us. Two hours. Three.
Ryker goes to get coffee for everyone, returning with cardboard cups that taste like burnt beans but keep us moving.
We all sit up straighter, waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
Jude, Dorian, and Ryker are called in and we don’t see them again for a couple of hours.
Five and a half hours after we arrived, the door opens.
Dr. Hale steps out. He looks wrecked. His hair is standing on end, his scrubs wrinkled, but he has a look on his face. A look of pure, unadulterated awe.
“Rosalie. Seven pounds, two ounces. Perfect. Mom and baby are doing great.”
A collective breath releases in the room.
“Can we see?” Wren asks, wiping her eyes.
“Give them a minute,” Simon says, wrapping an arm around her. “Then you can flood the room.”
The room is filled with cheering and excitement. I look at my girl. Eli and Knox are holding her in a hug.
Norah made it.
Rosalie made it.
I look back out the window at the dark parking lot. Luke is out there somewhere, but he doesn’t matter. Not right now.
We’re together, and we’re safe.
We all made it.