Chapter Forty-Three #2
Nix lifted a brow. “Maybe in years, but in experience I have two lifetimes to pull from. You do not. In our last life, Megan and I stayed hidden. We were weaker because of it. Amy has learned to be better in this life.” Megan chuffed in agreement.
“But there is one thing you are missing.” Lynn’s eyes focus on us.
“We are here to protect our human souls. We shift to become more agile, stronger, and wilder, but our lives are intertwined. We are your first protectors. Because you give us life. No wolf would ever look down on you for allowing your wolf to do its Goddess-given duty. Nor would another woman ever condemn you for surviving what you have.” I felt my eyes and voice shift again, and Megan’s eyes met Lynn’s.
“And if they do…well, that just shows how corrupt they have become.” Megan leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You survived the worst.” She pulled back to look Lynn in her eyes. “Now what are you going to do to thrive in the life you have left?”
I left Lynn to think over what Megan had said. ‘You survived the worst…now what are you going to do to thrive in the life you have left?’ Her words echoed in my mind as I walked back to my room.
Nix settled next to Megan. She suffered more than anyone should. I nodded as I walked. But she has come back and is rebuilding herself.
Megan laid her head down on her paws. She is doing better than most. She closed her eyes. I don’t think I would have been able to survive that. Nix hummed her agreement.
“I think that in situations like that, no one knows what they are truly able to do. Not until it’s happening and you have to find a way to keep your sanity.” I murmured as I opened the door and stopped mid stride, hand still on the handle.
Rowan was walking out of the shower, freshly clean, and completely naked. “Hey.” He smiled as he stood there bare to the world, using the towel in his hands to dry his hair.
I felt blood rush to my face, and I forgot to think as I stared at my mate.
That was until I heard a scream from behind me.
I jolted and slammed the door shut. Whirling on my mate, I pointed my finger, and my eyes glared daggers at him.
“You did that on purpose.” He snorted as he kept drying his hair, but he kept his mouth shut.
“Are you trying to show what’s mine to every woman in this pack?
” I heard the growl in my voice before I realized how agitated my wolves were.
What Lynn told me affected all of us more than we realized.
Nix’s voice was a soft whisper cushioning the words that came out. One of ours faced four men and couldn’t stop them from doing everything they could to ruin her. We promised to protect her, and we failed. I growled again. My anger was hanging by a thread.
He froze, realizing his mistake, but then he noticed something.
“I’m not the one who left the door open.
I came out because I heard you, and you are allowed to see me naked.
” He smirked. “Hell, I want you naked right now.” I watched his body respond as he walked closer to me.
“But you froze, and that poor Omega saw more than she bargained for.”
I felt my face grimace as I realized he was right.
“Well, I didn’t expect you to walk around our room naked!
” I shot out while waving my arms in the air.
I pointed at him. “Be more observant of the wolves around.” Then I stomped to the shower to wash off the last few days with his chuckle following me.
At least he wasn’t taking my outburst to heart.
I felt a bone-chilling cold take over my body, so I quickly stripped and stepped under the scalding water. The steam filled the room quickly as I washed my body and hair. Then, I dropped into a crouch against the tiled wall. I felt the tears fall, but the water whisked the evidence away.
Rowan found me like that. I heard a hiss right before I felt arms pull me from the ground. “Why do you have the water this hot?”
He must have heard my teeth clacking, as his face fell into a concerned frown. “I’m cold.”
“I can see that, but why?” He frowned as he turned the water off. The soft clicking of my teeth was the only sound in the room. Rowan pulled a hot towel from the warmer and wrapped me in it before he put me down on the counter. “Talk to me.” He grabbed a second towel and started to dry my feet.
“I can’t tell you what Lynn told me.” I knew my eyes were unfocused as I remembered her words, but I couldn’t help it. Her face and words haunted me.
“I don’t need you to spill her secrets…just yours.” He moved up my legs as I huddled in the towel. “Why are you like this?” He moved to my arms. “Talk to me.”
I took a deep breath and met his eyes. “I failed in protecting her.”
His hands froze for a second before he moved on to my hair. “She blames you?” His question was soft, but I heard the steel behind it.
“No. But I wish she would.” I looked away and ended up staring at the sink. “She blames herself.” My hand gripped his to stop him drying my hair. “They tortured her. In ways I can’t say, but I am sure you understand. But she blames herself. What she did to survive.”
He growled. “No one should feel ashamed of surviving something like that. You do what you have to do.” I nodded.
“I agree, but she doesn’t see it that way. And in here.” I tapped my chest. “In here I ache because I swore I would protect her and then I left her in that cesspool.”
“She stayed to protect your mother.” I nodded again.
“She is a Gamma protecting her Luna.” His voice was low, coaxing.
“It’s horrible what she went through, and we will make sure everyone who touched her dies.
But if you ask her if she regrets it, I know she would say no because it could have been your mother.
Or you.” I felt another tear fall because I hated that he was right.
“You diminish her when you talk about it like you are.” I reeled back and almost smacked my head off the glass.
“Before you get mad, think about it. What is a Gamma’s duty? ”
“To protect her Luna.” My answer was low.
“And why did they catch her?”
Her words came back to me. “She called me…with a warning. And they took her in right after.”
He nodded. “Don’t diminish her by blaming yourself. She protected her Luna.” Rowan kissed me and then turned and left me on the counter to think.
There was a pounding at the door, and I groaned. I rolled over in the darkness and realized I only had a few hours of sleep. Three at most.
“What is that?” Rowan’s voice was a hoarse yell.
I chuckled as I dragged myself out of bed. I had enough forethought to grab my robe before I trudged over to the door. I turned back as Rowan was about to move, and I barked at him to get back into the bed. “Stay put. No one else gets to see you naked.” I pointed a finger at him.
He laughed as he settled back into the bed with the blanket pulled over his lap. “We are wolves, love. Everyone is naked.”
I snorted. “Nice try, Lycan, you shift without taking off your clothes. No one gets to see you naked. Understood?” Rowan grinned and nodded once before I turned back to the door.
I opened it as the person knocked again.
“What’s wrong? Dad?” I pulled the door completely open.
“Why are you here so early? I figured you’d be busy with Mom?
” The man had the decency to blush as he shook his head.
“I mean, I was, but we have a situation, and I figured you and Rowan wanted to be there.”
Rowan perked up at that. “What’s wrong?” I heard him shift and knew he was about to get up. I turned as he shifted again and pointed back to the bed with a growl. He snorted. “He’s a man…and your father!” The disbelief in his voice was filled with exasperated amusement.
“Well, you should have thought about it before you flashed the Omega. Now you have to deal with two very territorial wolves. Congrats.” I smirked before turning back to my father. His smile made me point at his face. “Shut it.” He held up his hands. “Now what is going on?”
My dad snorted, but it disappeared quickly. “Theo wants to talk.”
I felt my eyebrows furrow. “About what?”
My dad shrugged. “I don’t know, but I figured you would want to be there.”
I nodded. “We both would. Give us a minute to get dressed, and we can head down together. Plus, it will give me a second to gather what I need.”
“What do you need?” My father gripped the door as I tried to shut it. “For what?”
“For the spells.” I looked at him, and I saw the pain in his eyes. “I know you don’t agree with me. But the Goddess has tasked me with this. I will use everything at my disposal to save us.” His hand dropped from the door.
“But…magic shouldn’t be used for darkness.”
I smiled up at him and his almost childlike outlook. “Darkness is relative.” I grabbed his hand. “You will torture and kill someone who betrays the pack, right?”
He nodded. “Of course. When they go against the pack, it is up to the Alpha to protect everyone. You know this.”
“I do. I did it for you. And I would do it again to save the pack.” I shook his hand. “This is the same thing, just on a larger scale. I’m the Queen Luna, and I will do anything, give anything, to protect our kind. Even if it costs me my soul…or my life.”
My father stared at me for a moment. “I remember you as my little girl, still running around with pigtails, and chasing after Loki.” He closed his eyes for a second, and I was surprised to see a tear trembling on his lashes.
“When did you grow up into this amazingly strong woman?” He took a shaky breath and cleared his throat.
“You don’t need me anymore, and I don’t know how to feel about it. ”
I laughed and poked him. “I grew up because I had to. I am who I am because you and Mom raised me to know what is right. But you are wrong.” He lifted his gaze to meet mine.
“I will always need my dad.” I pulled him down so I could kiss his cheek and then I pushed him away. “Give us a minute and we will be out.”
He nodded. “Mind-link an Omega to grab everything you need, and they can meet us downstairs.”
I shut the door, and Rowan got up from the bed, walking to the closet, and I had to stifle a groan. Nix snorted. Our mate is perfect, but you have more important things to do instead of staring at his ass.
Megan chuffed. I can’t blame her. I stare at Erubus too.
I snorted as I followed him into the closet. He was buckling his belt as I stepped in. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” I answered too quickly, and I felt the blood rush to my face.
“You were looking at my butt, weren’t you?” His voice was laced with amusement.
“I was not.” I grabbed some clothes and got dressed.
“Liar.” He shot back as he pulled on his shirt.
“Bold of you to assume I’m lying.” I shot back as I pulled my shirt on.
He laughed as he walked out. “Bold of you to assume your wolves didn’t already rat you out.” Then I heard the door open and shut.
Son of a bitch. Traitors, both of you. I glared at my wolves, and they just laughed.