Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Harlow
Snuggled beneath the blankets, I feel the bed dip, and a feral snarl tears out of me.
My hand instantly falls into the bassinet next to my face.
I sit upright, and Thane holds his hand out to me.
I blink the haze away and sigh after picking up his scent.
I rub my eyes, trying to determine how long I was asleep for.
Tugging the blanket higher, I feel no tension on it and glance around to find Leon and Rhen gone. Their scents remain strong, however, so I know they are close. I turn my head, hearing the shower running, and I let out a breath of relief.
"Leo? You … you didn't …" I stop. I can’t blame him if he did. He has wanted vengeance for years. I will not deprive him of it, but some part of me hopes he will have a change of heart.
Thane grips my chin, tilting my face up and forcing me to meet his darkened gaze. I swallow, seeing the thoughts swirl in his eyes.
“He’s alive,” Thane assures me. I chew my lip, and he lets me go. Thane kneels beside the small bassinet, and his hands pull the blanket down slightly, allowing him to see her face. He brushes Scarlett’s cheek with the back of his finger.
“You can take her out. You still haven’t held her,” I remind him. Thane shakes his head.
“Let her sleep,” he whispers, his brows pinching slightly. I can feel his anxiety through the bond, his worry bleeding into me. “I need to go speak with someone, but I will return home soon. I’m taking Leo with me,” he tells me. I sigh, a little disappointed he isn’t staying, yet also curious.
“Where are you going?” I ask, a little uneasy about him leaving us.
“Just to Tal’s, and then we’re going to retrieve Leo’s daughter. I also need to look into something. Raidon —" he stops, and we listen as footsteps come down the stairs. Speak of him, and he shall appear. Raidon moves across the room before dropping into the Den.
“Go. She’s fine with us,” Raidon tells him. I don’t get a chance to argue as Thane is already climbing out of the Den. I purse my lips, slightly annoyed as Raidon cuddles beside me.
He pulls me to him, digging into his pocket. My troubled thoughts about Thane are quickly forgotten as I snatch his phone. I want to call Zara to let her know about Scarlett. My fingers jab the screen before finding her number and dialing, just as Scarlett starts to squirm.
The phone rings a couple of times before Raidon moves, leaning around me and reaching for our daughter. He grabs her, cradling her close and rocking her while I wait for Zara to answer. When the video call connects, I see her beaming face, smiling brightly at me.
“I have a surprise for you,” I chuckle.
“So do I,” she giggles. I tilt the phone just as she does, nearly dropping it when I see not two, but three bundles, in Jake’s arms.
“Wait, you had her?” Zara gushes, jerking the screen back to her face.
“And you had three?” I ask. “A litter!” I gasp, shocked.
“Yeah, my pack ain’t shooting blanks, that’s for sure.
I tried to tell them that the scans were wrong.
You saw how huge I was. I was twice the size of you.
Let me see. I want to see her," Zara says, peering into the phone as if she can stick her head through it.
Raidon slides Scarlett into my free arm, and I tilt the screen, listening to her gush.
Raidon pulls me back against him, watching Zara over my shoulder as she baby-talks to Scarlett.
“What did you name her?” Zara asks.
“Scarlett,” I tell her, and she smiles softly, her face glowing. I suddenly realize I don’t recognize the background behind her.
“Wait, where are you?” I question and Zara snickers.
“I was wondering when you would notice.” She smiles softly. “I’m at the hospital. We had a few complications with our extra surprise.”
“Wait, you left the property?”
Zara nods her head, and I nearly start crying at the thought of her leaving the house. I know it is the hormones, but still. Zara is agoraphobic, and this is an enormous achievement for her. We managed to get her into the yard while I was visiting, but that was it.
“Okay, I want to meet my nieces or nephews,” I tell her, and she turns the camera to Jake.
“Two nieces and a nephew,” she says. “Meet Sophie, Sabrina, and Samson.”
I can’t stop the huge grin that splits my face. At the same time, I can’t wrap my head around the fact that she had triplets inside her this whole time.
By the time I get off the phone with her, Rhen and Leon are out of the shower.
“Thane?” Leon asks, climbing into the Den.
“Wait, he went alone with Leo?” I ask, my head turning to glare at Raidon.
“Thane can handle himself. Besides, Leo has his own agenda. He won’t risk his daughter, especially now that they’re going to get her.”
“Wait, but Leo’s —" Leon starts to speak, only to be cut off by Raidon’s growl.
“He’ll be fine.”
Rhen curses, also not happy about what is happening. “So, he already left?”
“We’ll speak about it when he gets back,” Raidon says, his voice threatening. I don’t understand the need for secrecy. What’s going on?
“You’re hiding something. Either tell me, or I will go looking for Thane,” I snap at him. Raidon reaches for me as I climb off his lap, but I slap his hands away. He grits his teeth, shooting a look at Rhen and Leon.
“He’s gone to question Bree and pick up Leo’s daughter.”
“Why does he need to talk to Bree?”
“Because Bree is Curtis Black’s daughter.”
I blink at him. He could have told me she has tentacles and webbed feet. That would sound more plausible than what he just said.