Several of the Guardians were standing on the porch to the healer’s home. It was common for the men to guard the home the alpha’s mate was staying at while she gave birth. Any child born to their leaders was to be protected at all costs.
“How is she?” Dane asked Evie as he entered the yard. The young female was there with a gun strapped to her hip, and she wore a pair of gloves Ranger had ordered for the mated female warriors to wear in case they were ever in a position where they had to touch another male in combat.
“She’s just getting started,” Evie replied without any emotion on her face. “So far, Harold says she looks great and the cub is doing fine.”
“You okay?” Dane asked, lowering his voice. He knew Evie had admitted after her mating to Kye that she was unable to bear cubs due to the damage done to her when she’d been kidnapped by the wolves at such a young age.
“I’m happy for them,” she said through clenched teeth and turned on her heel. He didn’t need to worry long. Kye, her mate, intercepted her and took the warrior into his arms. Within a few minutes of whispered words, the Evie he knew was back. Her smile brightened when Kye pulled away.
The door to the healer’s home opened and Olivia took the steps down off the porch after the males moved out of her way, insuring she wouldn’t be touched by any of them. As she walked, he watched as her long, blonde hair bounced with each step. She wore a black tank top and a pair of denim shorts, along with black hiking boots. His mate was beautiful and didn’t need to wear expensive clothes to enhance her beauty. He actually liked the way she looked in her outdoor clothes.
“Hey,” she said, stepping into his outstretched arms. “This is exciting.”
“It’s only going to get crazier as the night progresses,” Dane explained. “The older females are probably cooking a feast as we speak.”
“Mmm, food,” Olivia hummed, rubbing her flat stomach. “That sounds good.”
“Let’s go back to the main house and see what they have,” he offered. “It’s going to be a while before the cub is here.”
“Where’s Landon and Cole?” she asked as they walked. He took her hand and held it tight as they crossed the alpha’s backyard, passing the fire pit.
“Cole is getting his brother set up in a guest room,” he answered. “I’ll make sure they eat as well.”
“No, let me do it,” she protested, stepping onto the back porch. He released her hand and let his mate walk ahead of him just so he could stare at her ass as the denim hugged it just right. He remembered the softness to her skin when they mated, and his beast roared from the memories.
As she opened the door, a wave of pain wove through the pride. Olivia cried out as she sank to her knees. Dane’s body froze as he lunged for his mate, and the women inside the house screamed.
“Dane, what’s happening to me?” Olivia cried, trying to crawl through the threshold to reach him. He couldn’t speak. Hell, he could barely breathe.
“Talon…distress,” he choked out as the feeling subsided. Dane rolled to his ass and leaned against the side of the house, reaching for Olivia. “Our alpha can push his powers out to the pride. Something’s wrong with Liberty.”
“Oh no!” she gasped, rolling to her knees.
Another push of power from his alpha froze them in their tracks. No matter how hard Dane tried to move, he was stuck in his spot. Olivia sat on the wooden deck with her eyes wide.
“What do we do?” she asked when the power subsided.
“We rally around our alpha,” Dane said in a rush, grabbing her hand. They took off across the yard, returning to the healer’s home. When they arrived, all of the Guardians were there, waiting for the door to open for an update. Every pair of eyes were glowing amber, and Evie was the first one to break loose and head for the door. She was stopped when Harold’s mate, Luna, stepped out. The look on her face told everyone what they feared.
“The cub is in distress, so we are going to have to move Liberty to a hospital to do an emergency delivery,” she announced. “The alpha asks that five Guardians gather and follow the ambulance when it arrives, to provide protection.”
Winter raised his hand in the air as the pride began to all talk at once. Being Talon’s second-in-command, he was in charge when the alpha was unable to make any decisions. Once everyone quieted, the faint sound of sirens reached their ears.
“Booth, Axel, Storm, Taze, and Lucky will go with our alpha,” Winter announced. “Take two trucks. Stay with the ambulance and report to me as soon as you can.”
The five Guardians ran toward the dorm to gather the vehicles. A bright flash of light off to the side of the healer’s home announced the arrival of the sheriff and resident angel who watched over the pride.
“She’s going to be fine,” he said as soon as the pride began to hurl questions his way. “The cub will be okay, too, but it’s going to be a rough delivery. I was told by the gods to give you the news because of Talon’s distress and how much it affected the pride. I’m sorry, but I need to talk to Talon.” He dipped inside the healer’s home and, a minute later, a sense of calm rolled through the pride, causing everyone to relax.
The ambulance arrived shortly after, and the remaining pride members moved away and made room for them to enter the clinic. Even with the sheriff’s words, the pride was uneasy. Liberty was well loved, made obvious by the tears in the eyes of the women in the crowd.
Liberty’s moans of pain from her labor echoed into the night as the human paramedics wheeled her out. Harold stopped at the door to his home and clinic to kiss his mate. He didn’t say anything else as he rushed toward the ambulance with Talon in tow. The alpha didn’t even look over his shoulder to address his pride. He only sent out another blast of calming magic as the doors on the ambulance closed and they left the land with two vehicles following them off into the night.
Chapter Fourteen
“Explain to me what I just felt,” Olivia demanded. Liberty had just been rushed away in an ambulance because the baby was in distress. The pain she’d felt on the porch was worse than having her own heart ripped from her chest. All she understood was it had come from Talon.
“Talon can push his powers out to the pride,” Dane began. “The alpha’s magic is strong, and he can calm us or turn us into killing machines. He wouldn’t do that unless we were under attack, but he gives us his strength. What you felt was his desperation at his mate and cub being in distress.”
“Is that because I took his blood?” she questioned. They were still standing in the yard of the pride’s healer, and she didn’t want to leave just yet. Nova and Evie were upset, as well as all the women in the pride. She wanted to stay and help console them.
“When you took the alpha’s blood, he became a part of you,” Dane stated. She felt sadness radiating from him because of Talon’s distress. She wanted to console him, and in doing so, reached out to touch the side of his face. She didn’t realize she’d come close to his ear until he took her hand into his and moved it away.
“I’m sorry,” she frowned.
“Let’s get back to Cole,” he offered. “I’m sure he’s wondering what’s going on, but didn’t want to leave his brother.”
They said their goodbyes to the pride and turned to leave. There was no need to find Cole. He was already heading in their direction. The look on his face said it all. He was worried, but when his eyes landed on hers, he calmed.
“What happened?” Cole pulled Olivia to his chest and wrapped his arms around her as tight as he could. She could hear his heart racing, and that was just another thing she was learning about being a panther. Super hearing…check!
“Liberty had to be rushed to the hospital,” Olivia said, pulling back slightly so she could look into his eyes. Dane’s hand on Cole’s shoulder completed their circle, and the mating connection calmed her. She hoped even though Cole was human, she calmed him as well.
“The cub was in distress,” Dane continued. “We will know more as soon as they get to the hosp
ital.”
“They’ll more than likely take the baby by cesarean section,” Olivia announced, knowing a little about babies from a friend in Florida who’d had her little girl right before she had to move back to Olive Branch. “When they decide to do the surgery, it’s usually quick.”
“I’m sure one of the Guardians will let everyone know,” Cole offered.
“Let’s head to my room,” Dane suggested, taking Olivia’s hand. Cole took the other one, and she smiled widely. The panther that lived inside her eased and faded to the back of her mind like it was also tired and needed to rest.
Olivia bit her lip as they walked. She wanted to ask Dane about the damage to his ear, but she didn’t know if he was ready to tell her. Each time she came close to exposing or touching it, he always redirected her hand. He never got angry at her for the action, but it still bothered her.
After a quick shower, she climbed in the bed with her mates on either side. It was well after two in the morning before she rolled on her side to face Dane. His left ear was exposed, and she traced its mangled shell with her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to touch it and place a kiss on it to let him know it didn’t disgust her.
She blinked to fight off her sleep. She wanted to watch him for a bit longer, but the late hour was quickly sinking her resolve. With everything that had happened with the cartel, and now Liberty’s new baby, Olivia still felt overwhelmed. This new life wasn’t as easy as Liberty and Nova had made it appear to be when they were changed. It wasn’t easy fighting for who you used to be with another entity eating up space in your mind and body.
A hand slid over her hip, and she smiled when Cole spooned up behind her. She closed her eyes, and with a sigh, closed her hand over his.
“Why are you awake?” he mumbled into her ear.
“Can’t sleep,” she replied, causing Dane’s eyes to pop open. She forgot their hearing was enhanced, and she felt bad for waking them both up.
“Why?” Dane yawned, blinking away the sleep from his icy blue eyes.
“I have questions,” she admitted, reaching up to push the hair behind his ear. This time, he didn’t pull away, and she found strength to continue with her curiosity. “I want to know what happened to you.”
“It’s two in the morning, Olivia,” he reminded her. “Can we talk after we sleep?”
“No,” she demanded. “The more you hide from me, the more worried I become. I’ve been laying here for three hours with all these ideas rolling through my mind.”
“I never meant for you to worry about me,” he scowled.
Cole sat up behind her and rested on his elbow. He rubbed his hand over her arm several times and sighed, “We need to know. If you’re having problems with it…”
“I don’t have problems,” Dane interrupted. His eyes flashed amber, causing Olivia’s panther to do the same. The beast pushed at her human skin and she tasted blood as her canines exposed themselves.
“Then tell me,” Olivia growled, feeling her skin prickle with a shift. She had to force her panther to stay inside her mind where it belonged.
“I don’t like talking about it.” Dane continued to keep his secrets to himself. “I’m a worthy Guardian, and I’ve fought to be that way. My ear has nothing to do with my abilities to protect you both.”
“Is that what it’s about?” Cole gasped. “You think you cannot protect us?”
“No.” Dane cursed and climbed out of bed, pacing the floor as Olivia sat up, cross-legged. Cole climbed out of the bed and walked around the end of the bed, but stopped when Dane held up his hands. The claws had extended from his fingertips, and Olivia whined from the sight. The panther inside her didn’t like seeing him upset.
“I have put all my faith in this pride to help me with the cartel,” Cole began. Even as a human, the male growled low in his throat as if he was already a panther. “If I didn’t think you could help me, I wouldn’t have let you take over the search for them.”
“Guys, please,” Olivia whispered, seeing them both swell with anger. Her mates were about to fight, and she coward some. “Don’t fight.”
Both men turned their heads in a sharp jerk, their bodies deflating as they saw what had to be fear in her eyes. A lone tear rolled down her cheek, and she had no desire to wipe it away.
“Oh, Liv,” Cole said as he scooped her up into his arms. Dane immediately pressed himself to her back. “We weren’t going to fight.”
“I just want us to not hold any secrets from each other,” she sniffled.
“I’m sorry,” Dane apologized and stepped away to run his hand through his hair. “I didn’t know it meant that much to you.”
“You mean that much to me,” she said, releasing Cole to turn toward him. She took his hand and pulled him over to the bed to sit down. “Tell us.”
Dane became very still. His eyes glowed amber, but the claws at his fingertips recessed when he took a deep, calming breath. Olivia prayed it was a good sign.
“I have nightmares you and Cole are there, and I can’t save you,” Dane admitted.
“Where are we?” Cole asked, taking a knee in front of Dane.
“In the fighting rings.” Dane shivered. “I was kidnapped when I was fourteen. An evil alpha took me to Mexico and made money off fights.”
Olivia gasped and covered her mouth. She’d seen the damage to his panther’s ear and knew it was bad. Dane had never let her get close enough to inspect his human damage, but that was about to change. He needed to know his disability didn’t change how she felt about him.
“My nightmares come and go, but ever since meeting you both, they’ve gotten worse. I wake up in a panic because you two are in that ring and I can’t save you. You both die when the other males attack you.”
“Jesus,” Cole said, reaching up to place his hand on Dane’s knee. Dane covered his other mate’s hand with his own and closed his eyes.
“We are fine,” Olivia whispered. “Please tell me that man is no longer running the fighting rings.”
“Talon’s father saved my life,” Dane explained, clearing his throat of any emotion. “He caught word of the illegal fighting and came to shut it down. He killed the man and returned the captives to their homes. I didn’t want to return to my family, so I asked if the Shaw pride would take me in. I came here, took his blood, and healed from what I could. I worked until I was able to fight for Guardianship two years later.”
“Why didn’t you want to go to your family?” Cole asked.
“Ah, my dear father didn’t want anything to do with me when he was contacted, because he thought I wasn’t able to hold a Guardian position with the deafness in my ear,” Dane told them, then shrugged. “I don’t even consider them my family anymore. I have everything I need here.”
“No father should ever do that,” Olivia cried, missing her own father. He was a good man and would’ve loved Dane as if he was his own.
“I know that, and I vow that I will never fail my own children the way my father failed me should I ever be fortunate enough to have them.” Dane stood from his spot and walked out of the room. Olivia knew he needed space, but she didn’t like it.
Cole took her into his arms and let her cry into his chest until there were no tears left to shed. Her heart ached for Dane, and she vowed right then and there to always remind him what an amazing man he was. She and Cole were his family now, too, and if she ever met Dane’s father, she’d use her new claws to give him scars of his own.
Talon rubbed his hand over Liberty’s forehead as she lay on the operating table. Tears leaked from her amber eyes as she looked toward the sheet they’d raised to keep her from seeing Harold taking their cub from her body.
“It’s going to be okay, Liberty,” he whispered, trying his hardest to push his calming powers out to her and the healer.
“What’s taking so long?” she asked, her voice a little louder than usual. His mate was in a bit of distress, and he didn’t know how to make it better. Their cub was minutes from being bo
rn, and they still didn’t know why its heart rate had dropped so far during the early stages of Liberty’s labor.
“I’ve made the first incision,” Harold mumbled behind his mask. “Your cub will be here in a moment or two.”
Talon cupped her face and placed a kiss to her lips, resting his forehead to her cheek. “Calm, my queen. Stay calm. We will know something shortly.”
A cry rang out, jerking Talon to his feet. He swayed, his beast roaring, when he saw his cub. Liberty was crying, but he didn’t know if it was from fear or happiness. The healer said something, but Talon couldn’t understand what he was saying. Nurses scurried around Harold as he pulled the umbilical cord from around the cub’s neck. Another louder cry split through the bustle of people in the operating room.
“What is it?” Liberty snarled. “What’s wrong with my cub?”
Talon’s eyes widened as Harold held the cub in the air, his bright, icy blue eyes shone with tears. Talon’s heart shuddered in his chest when the nurses took the cub and wrapped it in a blanket. Harold held both of his bloody thumbs up and got back to work on Liberty.
“Everything’s fine,” Talon breathed out some type of words. He was in total shock as he plopped back down on the stool next to his mate’s head. He stared into her eyes with more love than he could have ever imagined. “Our son…our son is fine.”
Cole tucked Liv into the bed, pulling the covers over her shoulder once she’d finally fallen asleep. He’d felt her pain as if it was his own. Dane had been rejected by his blood family just like his brother Landon had been when he was just a young man. How could anyone do that to their child?
Closing the door softly, Cole turned to head down the stairs to find Dane, but he didn’t have to go far. He was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, leaning against the wall.
“I didn’t mean to upset her,” Dane said, looking up from his spot on the floor. Cole stood above him and waited for the amber glow to fade from Dane’s eyes. He knew the beast that lived inside him was agitated, and even though Cole was certain none of the shifters would attack him, he knew it was best to give him room.
Dane (Rise of the Pride, Book 8) Page 13