by Eva Harper
“We visited a few packs, even my supposed mate’s brother’s pack. She made us wait outside, and we left as quickly as we got there. Went to a few more packs, and the next thing you know, we’re grabbed from the middle of the forest muzzled and shoved in crates. They brought us to that cabin and held us there for five days.”
“And Pilar and Verona, Saskia told them the same thing?” She nodded. I thanked her and walked over to Theo.
“This makes me sick,” he murmured, staring at Verona.
“It’s Saskia’s fault,” I told him, tugging on his arm to follow me a few steps away. “She’s the one that told the girls to follow her. She said their mates were in danger.”
“I thought they weren’t mated yet?”
“They aren’t, they recognized them by scents from clothes Saskia had.”
Theo looked over my head.
“Theo, she’s not lying,” I insisted. His blue eyes looked back down.
“I know. I just don’t know what Saskia’s end game is. Why would she tell us blatant lies only for us to save the girls?”
Joella set a roll of gauze down and walked toward us. We shifted to be facing her, bracing ourselves for any other news.
“What the hell happened to these girls? That one can’t stop crying.” She pointed towards Pilar.
“They were led into an ambush by Saskia,” I said lightly. “They were muzzled, crated, and held in a cabin for five days.” Sadness took over Joella’s expression, and she sighed. Felix walked up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Joella, you should sit,” Felix said in her ear.
“I have to finish Pilar’s ankle first,” she told him, leaving his embrace but pulling his hang to follow her.
“You should rest,” Theo whispered to me. His hand wove into my hair, and he looked at me like he already knew I wouldn’t comply. I gave him a look.
“I’ll rest when Verona is healed.”
He sighed and let my hair go, bending down to kiss the top of my head.
I picked up a damp cloth and started wiping blood and dirt off Verona. She was caked in layers of filth. okmSuddenly, her eyes flashed open, and she gasped for air. I reached for her arms to press her back on the table.
“Verona, you’re okay. You’re safe.” I soothed. She thrashed against me, eyes rapidly searching the room. Olympia hopped off the table and came to the other side of Verona.
“You’re fine,” she said firmly. “V, it’s okay. She’s a friend.”
Verona settled back, resting her eyes for a moment.
“Verona?” I said softly. Her eyes opened again. “How did you get outside.”
“They tried to rape me,” she wheezed, looking off into the distance. I became stiff. “Dragged me out to the woods and started to tear my clothes off when your cars scared them off. They ran.”
“You’re safe now,” I assured her, grabbing onto her hand. She relaxed back on the table momentarily before her body started convulsing. “Joella!”
She ran over, placing her hands on either side of the girl’s head.
“She’s having a seizure,” she spat out angrily. “Help me turn her on her side.” We picked her up and held her steady until her body settled. Joella heaved out a breath.
“We need to find out who her mate is,” Joella stated.
“Why?”
“Because she might not last much longer, and his blood could help her. She should at least meet him,” she said sadly, rubbing her thumb over Verona’s pale cheek.
“We need to get the clothing scraps.” I stood up and paced the floor.
“The scraps?” Pilar yelped softly. I nodded, looking over at her in pity. “We have them.”
Joella’s head snapped to her. “What?”
“We have them,” she said again, leaning over to reach something from her back pocket. She pulled a piece of black fabric out, bringing it to her nose before she held it out for me to take.
I took it, smelled it, and handed it to Theo. He inhaled the scent and looked at me, I nodded.
“This is my brother Gabriel’s scent,” Theo told Pilar. Pilar looked confused and then whispered Gabriel’s name, smiling. Her tan skin filled with color for the first time since we met. “Where are the others?”
Olympia pulled a white piece of fabric from her pocket, handing it to us.
“Reese,” Theo confirmed.
Joella reached into Verona’s pocket’s, finding a blue scrap.
“Eli.”
Stuck Together
Theo lifted both of his arms and pulled on the roots of his hair.
“Why the hell did she gather all of my brother’s mates and lead them into an ambush?” he fumed. “How the hell could she even know who all of you were mated to before they did?”
“Mates can sense each other through smell,” Joella said.
“But they visited Gabriel’s pack, how did my brothers not recognize their scents?”
“We waited outside pack lines,” Olympia told us. “Saskia told us it was safer this way.”
“So, she drags you on a hunt for your mates, brings you to them, but then doesn’t allow you to meet them.”
“Verona wasn’t with us yet,” Pilar said softly, glancing over at the younger girl. “Maybe that’s why we couldn’t go in. Maybe she needed all three of us for something.”
I could tell Theo’s mind was reeling, moving too fast to put the pieces together.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be focusing so much on the mate thing, but what about the ambush? If she was going to hold you for ransom or something, there would be no reason to do that.” I continued to pace the room as I talked.
“Do you know who took you?” Theo asked Olympia. She snorted.
“No.” She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t recognize them, but they knew Saskia, they called her by her name.”
“Listen, this is great and dandy,” Joella cut in. “But we need to get Verona to Eli if she wants to have a chance at surviving. This girl has been through a lot. She needs him right now.”
“How are we going to do that?” Pilar softly asked, her eyebrows curling up in worry. She would be a good Luna. “Will she be okay on the drive?”
Felix came into the room, a hand covering the voice-piece of the phone in his hand. “I just got off the phone with Alpha Horik, he said you’re more than welcome to use his plane. They live only twenty minutes west of us. You’ll be there in about an hour. It’s the safest way.”
“I’m going with you,” Joella announced, packing up the things in her medical kit. Felix grabbed her hand to stop her.
“Jo,” he said softly.
“Felix, this girl needs me.” Felix didn’t let her hand go.
“Jo, our baby needs you. You need to stay here.”
“You’re pregnant?” I asked her. She looked over at me and, after a few moments, nodded. Her shirt pressed up against a small bump of her belly that I hadn’t noticed in the
“It’s not safe for you to fly.” Felix pushed her back into her seat.
“Felix, I’m fine to fly. It’s not close to my due date,” She grabbed his hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I could never forgive myself if this girl didn’t make it to her mate safely before she even met him.”
“I can’t come with you, I can’t leave the pack,” Felix said sadly. She nodded and pulled him closer to her.
“I love you,” she said lovingly in his ear.
We waited for them to part, looking down to give them a moment alone. As they let each other go, Joella looked at us expectantly.
“What are you doing? Get the cars ready,” she snapped. We moved quickly into action. Theo and Joella lifted Verona carefully into one of the cars. Felix and I helped Pilar and Olympia into another vehicle.
Felix stood at Joella’s door, whispering something to her. She blushed and kissed him once before he closed her door.
Theo led us to Alpha Horik’s pack, where we were greeted at the border by Drax Horik himself. He led
us to an airstrip with a sizeable plane, prepped, and waiting for us to board.
“Thank you,” Theo said as they clasped arms.
“Mates are a gift,” he said happily. “Plus, I hate crazy she-wolves.”
“You and me both,” Theo said, chuckling darkly. I stood on the steps of the plane, waiting for Theo. He jogged up behind me, and we found two seats.
I had never been on a plane before, which was evident to Theo as I gripped the armrest so tightly my hands turned white.
“Nervous?” he teased. I ignored him, trying to take deep breaths as the plane jolted into motion. “You’re going to be fine.”
“Hold my hand?” I asked him, my eyes still closed. His warm hand came under mine and squeezed back just as tightly.
I didn’t let go of Theo’s hand the entire flight, even when he tried to pull away. Olympia and Pilar sat next to each other, speaking quietly about their future mates. Joella was next to Verona, who was strapped down to a gurney, with the rest of Caddy’s warriors.
We landed on a flat strip of the road south of the packhouse. Gabriel, Reese, Eli, Sloane, along with multiple warriors and medics stood waiting for us. When the plane was secure, the door to the steps opened.
Theo was the first one out, helping a limping Pilar down the steps. I waited until they were down the steps to leave with Olympia. I stood in front of her, halfway turned around to assist her, but she continued to push me front-ways and tell me she was fine, over and over.
Gabriel immediately was at Pilar’s side before she even got off the last step. His usual steel exterior was gone and in its place was concern, love, and longing. He took Pilar’s arm from Theo and helped her down. She took one step before Gabriel leaned down and lifted her off her injured ankle. She gasped girlishly and held onto his neck.
Reese was too busy looking at Gabriel and Pilar happily to notice Olympia right away. She was at the end of the stairs before Reese’s face wrinkled in confusion, not expecting his own mate to reveal herself immediately after Gabriel’s.
Theo hadn’t disclosed to Gabriel that the girls were their mates, only said that they were needed when we landed.
Reese’s eyes lit up, and for once, he didn’t look like he was laughing at someone else’s expense. I had only known Olympia for a short time, but I knew she was extremely strong-willed. The moment she saw Reese, her warm skin filled with a deep pink blush.
Theo and I waited as Pilar and Olympia were united with their mates. Joella coughed loudly, getting our attention. Theo jogged up the stairs and grabbed one corner of Verona’s stretcher. Joella, Theo, and two warriors carefully brought her down.
I watched Eli’s face turn from utter joy to devastation in seconds. He pushed past everyone else and gripped the stair rail. As soon as she was down, Eli was leaning over her battered body, tears filling his eyes.
“What happened?” he trembled.
“We will explain later. She needs you right now,” Joella soothed, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“What can I do?” he asked quickly. His hand grazed her forehead, cheek, and then gripped her hand.
“She needs your blood.”
Without hesitation, Eli’s fangs descended, and he ripped his wrist open. Joella helped him prop her head up and funnel his blood into her mouth.
Verona’s pale skin became stained with dark red, but almost instantly, her heartbeat strengthened.
Eli wiped a drop of blood from her lips.
“You did good,” Joella told him. They lifted the stretcher once again, and Eli gripped her hand, walking beside her as they brought her to the packhouse.
Sloane rushed over to Theo and me the only ones still standing by the plane. She threw her arms around him, reaching out to pull me closer to their hug. She let us go and wiped the fat tears from her cheeks.
“This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives,” she wailed.
“It still is,” Theo told her. I nodded and curled into his side. Sloane looked at us before grabbing us in another constricting embrace. We laughed and held onto her tightly.
We followed everyone else to the packhouse, but before we went in, Theo pulled me back. I was about to ask him what was wrong as he gripped my face tightly and kissed me. I was startled, but love quickly spread throughout my body and our bond. He leaned back, and I kept my eyes closed, leaning up, trying to stay connected.
“Margo,” he said seriously. I opened my eyes and listened. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Theo,” I said honestly, still confused.
“Please, don’t ever leave my side,” he said, smiling at the ridiculousness.
“Never,” I said anyway.
Joella called our names from inside, and we hurried in. Verona was in the medical room; there wasn’t much they would do for her there other than monitor her. If anything went wrong, they would have to transfer her over to the hospital building I had woken up in twice. Eli refused to leave her side, annoying the doctors who had to work around him.
Gabriel, Reese, and their mates waited out in the main room, huddled closely. They held each other close, inhaling scents, touching skin.
“Is that what we looked like?” I asked Theo, looking up at him at my side.
“Not at all.” He laughed. “I’m pretty sure you looked like you wanted to kill me for the first few days.” I looked down, ashamed. I couldn’t even think about hurting Theo now.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. I felt his hand reach down and hold mine.
“It’s okay, you make up for it now.” I could hear the teasing in his voice, and I bumped him lightly with my hip.
Joella walked over to us. She was tying her long hair up in a ponytail as she approached.
“We should get some rest, we’ve been up all night,” she grinned tiredly, running a hand over her belly. “This little pebble’s making me tired.”
“You’re more than welcome to stay here with us,” Gabriel said behind her. She turned around and faced them; Gabriel had his arm around Pilar’s shoulder, and the other held her hand.
“Thank you,” she accepted.
“We should get home, we’ll be back later,” Theo told his brother. We said our goodbyes and shifted, running home. It was a slow run, more of a fast walk. We collapsed on the porch as soon as we got there.
“We should have taken the car,” Theo whined. I shuffled to my feet and tugged Theo’s arm, pulling him through the doorway. “What are you doing?”
“Taking you to bed,” I bent down and kissed his head before standing up again. I had to use all my strength to drag his body. He laid on his back, allowing me to scoot him across the hardwood floors. I came to the steps and stopped, stuck.
He closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows like he was waiting for me to come up with something. I sat down on the first step and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind. He turned his head, close to my face, and kissed my cheek.
I attempted to pull him up a step but failing and slammed back down into the step painfully. I let out a high-pitched whine.
“Oh, no,” Theo said dramatically, turning over, so he was hovering over me. I laughed tiredly and rubbed my hand over my bottom. “Come here and let me look at it.”
“Theo,” I said happily, hiding my face behind my hands.
“What?” He looked at me innocently. I shook my head at him and kissed him quickly. He skootched back and grabbed a blanket from the edge of the couch and covered us with it. He set his arm out on the ground to put my head on.
We laid on the ground, too tired and lazy to make it up to bed. We slept there, sunlight streaming in through the windows, curled up on the hard floor, my head on his arm, and his hand on my backside.
It was dark outside when I was woken up as Theo shifted his body, apologetically looking at me while he moved his arm. I grumbled incoherent words and shook off the sleepiness.
“Come on, you can go up to bed,” he said, blinking heavily.
“You aren’t coming?” I
wiped my mouth, hoping I didn’t drool on him while I slept.
“Gabriel just mind-linked me.” He shook his head. “Albia just came to him and said she knows where Saskia is.” I stood up and fixed my clothes.
“I’m coming with you,” I said, following him to the kitchen.
“You don’t have to,” he said, smiling, as he grabbed an apple from the fridge. I closed the door and got his attention.
“Hey.” I reached up and grabbed his chin. “We’re a team, you and me. We stick together, alright? Everywhere you go, I go.”
“Everywhere you go, I go,” he repeated, kissing my head.
Wolfsbane
When we arrived at Gabriel’s packhouse, it was deadly silent. Theo opened the door hesitantly and stuck his head in before me. We wandered in slowly.
“Theo,” Reese greeted. We turned and noticed him coming out of the kitchen with a glass of water.
“Hey man, where is everyone?” Theo asked.
We trailed after Reese, who took us to the hospital wing where Verona was sleeping. Eli was in the same place, in a chair next to his mate, holding onto her hand. Everyone looked up as we entered, nodding a silent greeting.
Reese handed the glass of water to Olympia and stood next to her shyly. Pilar was sitting on a windowsill behind Gabriel, arms wrapped around his shoulders. Sloane sat in the corner, violently knitting something that unraveled every time she moved her fingers.
“Where’s Albia?” I asked quietly.
“In the pack cells,” Gabriel said, not looking up from his stare with Reese.
“The cells?” Theo asked in outrage. “Why is she in the cells?”
“When you hear her story, you’ll understand,” Eli spat. His face was murderous, but he kept the same gentle grip on Verona’s hand.
“Will you take us?” Theo asked his younger brother. Gabriel nodded, turned and kissed Pilar, and then led us out. We climbed down two sets of stairs into the basement and then through another dark corridor.
I clutched Theo’s hand in mine.
“Through here,” Gabriel told us. He pushed through a set of doors. Two warriors stood guard, allowing us to pass freely. There were cells along the walls; classic metal bars and cement floors held only Albia.