Shane smiled and started towards her again as he whispered, “It is finally time, Alyssa.”
He pulled her up by the arms, and Grace knew she should fight but she was defenseless as she continued to see that young girl and her broken spirit. Shane crashed his lips to hers, and Grace gagged as he plunged his tongue into her mouth, and he wrenched back as she threw up all over him.
“You bitch,” he murmured before lifting his hand to hit her when the door crashed opened.
“Do not lay a hand on her,” Artur’s deadly voice echoed around the room, and Shane spun around to look at him.
Artur stood naked in the doorway and Shane’s hand tightened on Grace’s arm as Grace stood there her eyes still focused on the young woman a hand to her mouth.
Her eyes narrowed with grief as she pulled her arm away from Shane’s hold and she dropped down next to the young woman pushing back her lank hair, and lifting her head gently to place it in her lap.
She lifted wounded eyes to Artur as she told him, “He killed her without hesitation.”
Artur could feel the pain and grief that was rolling through Grace, and his wolf wanted to comfort her, but they needed to take care of Shane first before they could hold Grace. His hard eyes went to Shane who stood there rage building in his eyes, and he crouched as he snarled at Artur.
“You are not taking Alyssa from me,” Shane growled.
“He thinks I am my mother,” Grace whispered absently as she looked back down at the girl.
“I know, sweetheart,” Artur told her grimly.
There was noise behind him as Amy, Steve, Ted rushed into the room, and Artur glanced at them briefly, before he returned his intense stare to Shane who stood motionless next to the bed.
“Grace,” Amy said walking over to her as Steve and Ted stared at Shane.
Grace looked over at Amy, and she said with sorrow, “He killed her Amy. She was scared and alone, and he took advantage of her when she was at her lowest. But it is my fault because if I had never let Ted talk me into going to the pack house that day, she would still be alive.”
Amy knelt down next to her, and placed a hand on Grace’s shoulder as she told her, “We will take care of her now, Grace.”
Grace nodded her head as she continued looking at the young girl and she whispered, “He took what little of her spirit was left.”
Sweetheart, Artur stated calmly, it is not your fault that Shane was obsessed with your mom. The beautiful eyes you inherited from her are what he latched onto you to latch onto your mother.
Grace heard him and she knew he was right, but she felt a piece of her crumble for the lost of this innocent girl who should have not have lost her life because of an obsessed man.
“Let’s get going,” Steve said, and walked over to Amy and Grace. He carefully picked up the young girl as Grace rose unsteadily to her feet. Amy placed her arm around her waist, and Grace placed an arm around her shoulders to steady herself. She gave Amy a small smile but Amy could see the grief in her eyes.
“She is not going anywhere,” Shane growled before he shifted launching at them. He never made it to them as Artur shifted meeting him head on before they crashed through the window.
Grace felt her heart stop to a slow beat as she watched Artur go through the window with Shane. They went outside to where the two wolves were going at each other holding nothing back. Shane snapped at Artur’s back legs but Artur was faster and latched onto his side. He shook him off, but Artur was agile and he landed on his paws. Shane’s wolf crouched low as he growled, and Artur waited for the attack. Shane launched himself at Artur changing in mid-launch to attack his flank that Artur was shocked for a second before he growled and with tremendous force through him off.
Grace watched with wide eyes as they continued to fight and she was terrified that she was going to lose Artur just when she found him.
Steve still holding the girl in his arms said softly, “He is strong, Grace, and if anyone can beat Shane besides me, it is Artur.”
Grace smiled wobbly at his joke but her eyes stayed on the battle. She paled and gasped as Artur went down, and the howl that Shane made before he went for the final attack had her clenching her hands into fists. Suddenly Artur sprung up and catching Shane off guard, he gripped his throat between his powerful jaws and bit down. Grace watched as Shane’s eyes widened before they latched onto her, and in that moment of death, Grace could tell that he recognized her for who she was as she saw sadness in his eyes before they closed.
Artur shifted rapidly, and although he was hurt and bleeding, he needed Grace more than he needed anything else. He walked over to her and he pulled her into his arms. He clasped her as close he could possibly get her, and he felt the tears on his shoulder as she started to cry. He wrapped his arms around her as she stood shaking in his arms, and he whispered, “Let’s go home.”
She nodded her head as she cried on his chest not able to hear the note of finality that was in Artur’s voice as he looked over her shoulder, and met the eyes of his Alpha as Steve repeated his words to the pack, “Let’s go home.”
Artur held Grace tight to him as they drove back to the back house, and once there everyone rushed out to make sure that they were safe.
Artur took Grace up to their room as he could see the grief that was still going through her for the young woman Shane had killed.
“Artur,” Grace began as she walked over to the bed and sat down. “Can we give her a proper burial as she has no one else from what Shane told me?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” he told her sending the message to Steve who immediately confirmed that Amy was already working on it.
“Grace…” Artur began only to stop as she looked at him with wounded violet eyes and shook his head as he walked over to her, and gently kissed her forehead. “Go to sleep, sweetheart, and we will talk later.”
Grace nodded her head and scooted back on the bed not going to admit that she doubt sleep would come easy at the moment.
Grace, you need to sleep, her wolf told her softly, and Grace did not argue with her as she closed her eyes.
Artur stayed in the room a little longer to make sure that she was asleep before he left the room unaware that as soon as the door closed behind him, Grace’s eyes flashed open and she tears slid down her face.
Oh, Grace, it was not your fault, her wolf said mournfully.
I know, but she was still young, Grace told her.
So are you was her wolf’s retort.
Grace did not have an answer to that remark so she laid there until finally her eyes closed in exhaustion from the sadness pulling at her.
Artur went downstairs as Grace’s pain pierced through him, but he did not go back upstairs. He knew that she wanted to be alone now, and he would allow her this time alone. His jaw tightened as he walked into the living room where the others were resting except for Amy and Steve.
“They are in the office,” Kale answered as he looked around the room. “Amy is making the arrangements for the funeral of the young woman who was killed.”
“Do we know who she is?” Susan asked as she sat on the corner of the couch.
“No,” Amy said as she entered the room with Steve. “Steve has been calling around, but no one was able to tell us much about her. Considering the fact that Shane kept her isolated, no one even knew that she was on pack territory and even Alpha Tomas was shocked when we called him.”
Steve flinched here as he told them, “We had to explain about Shane, and Alpha Tomas was not very happy with our explanation.”
“What did you tell him?” Artur asked suspicion in his voice.
“We found him at the cabin with the young woman, and it looked like someone had attacked them killing both of them,” Steve told everyone with a stern face.
“In other words, you lied,” said Ace with a shake of his head.
“I doubt Tomas was going to believe us if we told him the truth,” Steve said dryly.
“True,” Ace said thoughtfully
running a hand through his hair and Susan laid a hand on his arm.
“It is for the best,” she told him quietly.
She looked at Amy, and asked, “So when are we leaving?”
“Hopefully, the day after the funeral,” Amy said before looking at Artur who winced slightly.
“Grace does not know yet,” he told them.
“Artur, she needs to know so she can get ready,” Steve told him with a slight frown.
“I am going to tell her, but right now, she is feeling at fault for happened at the cabin,’ Artur informed them.
“It was not her fault,” Ashley whispered.
“We know that, and so does Grace in a way, but she still feels responsible,” Artur retorted. “I am hoping that the funeral will help her to come to terms with it.”
Steve suddenly frowned as he asked, “Amy, when is the funeral again?”
“Two weeks,” she told him turning to him with a questioning look. “Why?”
“In two weeks, Grace has to be off this territory,” Artur reminded them.
“Do you think…?” Amy began only to stop as Artur scowled, but Steve was the one who answered her unfinished question.
“Yes, I am sure that they will be here on that day,” Steve said in a harsh voice.
“Then we will leave after the funeral,” Amy said her tone ringing with the authority of a Luna, and everyone looked at her in astonishment. She looked at them with her eyes determined, “They are not going to chase Grace out. She will walk out with us and by her own will.”
Smiles began to cross everyone’s face and Steve put an arm around her waist tucking her in close to his side, and said aloud, “Well said, my Luna.”
“Let’s get ready then,” Ashley said with enthusiasm.
“Finally,” Susan said with a laugh, “we are going home.”
Ace looked at her with a slight frown, “The rogues will still be there, Susan.”
Susan, Ashley, and the other woman looked at him as Susan said firmly, “We know, but we rather be in our own territory dealing with those rogues then in this territory where the pack turns their back on their own members.”
The men looked stunned at the determination in their mates’ eyes, and each man nodded their head in agreement.
“Then let’s get started,” said Steve his authority ringing through the house, and Artur had to laugh as the pack members looked at him with humor.
“We were planning to, Alpha, as your Luna had already said so,” as one of the female members said, and her mate laughed as Steve shook his head.
“Just get going,” Steve growled among laughter as the room emptied.
Steve and Amy looked at Artur who had a slight smile on his face before he turned to them and said, “Everything is going to be all right.”
He nodded his head and turned heading back upstairs to check in on Grace, and as he opened the door, a wonderful smell hit him.
He stood frozen in the doorway as his eyes widened and he whispered quietly, “We…are going to have a baby?”
Grace, asleep, unconsciously placed a light hand on stomach as her wolf purred with satisfaction, my pup, I was not sure until now but I will wait for Grace to learn it for herself.
Artur blue-gold eyes were shining with a golden light as he went back downstairs and although Steve and Amy saw it, neither one said a word to him.
“Did something happen?” Amy asked Steve later that evening as they lay in their bed.
Steve laughed as he hugged her to him, and he sniffed her gently loving the smell of her, and the smell of his children.
“Amy, did you notice sweetheart, that you smell different?” Steve asked her in a husky voice.
Amy blushed as she replied, “I was wondering how long it would take you to notice.”
Steve growled as she looked at him teasingly through her eyelashes, “Not soon enough” as he flipped her over, and she laughed loudly before he kissed her.
Down the hall in their own room, Artur and Grace snuggled close and Grace said, “Someone sounds happy.”
Artur grunted his agreement as his hand ran through her hair untangling any strands and Grace closed her eyes at the relaxing motion. She was about to drift off to sleep again when her wolf’s voice whispered, listen closely, Grace, and maybe you will discover something that will lift your spirits.
Her wolf’s suggestion confused her, but as her wolf never steered her wrong before, Grace took a deep breath and listened. Suddenly, she stilled and her eyes flew open as she heard it. It was so low, but she heard it anyway, and she turned to Artur with violet eyes beginning to shine with a new light.
Artur watched the shadows recede from her eyes although they did not completely disappear, and he knew that they would in time, but not right now.
“I am…” Grace started only to stop, and Artur waited patiently as his hand stilled in her hair.
“Yes,” he finally whispered as the silence grew.
Grace swallowed before she stated, “I am pregnant.”
Artur’s could not hide the grin that stretched across his face as his hand tightened in her hair and he drew her down to kiss her passionately.
“When did you find out?” Grace asked breathlessly as she pulled back.
“This afternoon when I came to check on you,” Artur told her honestly his hands coming up to frame her face, and his eyes were shining with joy.
“You are happy,” Grace whispered watching those eyes, “even though the child could be like me.”
Artur only laughed as he said, “That’s what makes this even better because I would not want it any other way, or any other woman.”
“You truly mean that,” Grace said as tears glittered in her eyes, and Artur caught them before they fell.
“With all my heart,” he told her quietly. He looked at her intently before he told her, “Amy has arranged for the young woman to have a funeral in two weeks time.”
Grace’s eyes widened but she did not have time to say anything as Artur continued, “After the funeral, we are leaving.”
A frown appeared on Grace’s face as she asked, “Where are we going?”
“We are heading back to our pack territory,” Artur told her waiting for her response.
“I thought the rogues had overrun the place,” Grace asked, as she looked down at him her violet eyes still lit from her discovery.
“They are,” Artur said with a nod of his head, “but we all agreed that it would be better there then here where my mate is prosecuted by a pack that does not know her value.”
“Artur,” Grace whispered her eyes widening at his words.
She began to shake her head, but Artur’s hands were firm and kept her in place as he said, “It is not the only reason, Grace, although it is the most important reason to me. The pack wants to return to their homes and Steve has learned that the rogues we were having problems with have been creating problems for other packs too. That is why I have been so busy these last few weeks. Steve and I have been creating alliances with the other packs so we can defeat the rogues, but it is going to be a struggle.”
Grace nodded her head as a smile tilted her mouth, “So this has been in the works for a while?”
Artur grimaced slightly, but he nodded his head.
Grace sighed before she said teasingly, “So does that mean I need to find another place to live?”
Artur growled low as he pulled her tightly to him, and he said fiercely, “With me, Grace, is where you should be.”
Grace started to giggle and Artur realized she had been teasing, and he tightened his arms, as he said darkly, “Not funny at all, Grace.”
He was glad that she was giggling, though, as she lay against him, he told her the rest of what he, and Steve planned.
Two weeks later, Grace and the others stood inside a tucked out of the way cemetery hidden by trees.
“Uncle Ted,” Grace said her eyes wide as she looked down at the three markers lying in the middle of the cemetery. “I though
t…”
“Not everyone agreed with the Alpha,” Amy’s mother said stepping forward and Grace swung around to look at her.
“Ma’am,” Grace said.
She stepped forward and looked down at the graves, and she told her, “I could not let them stay on that field like that so I had some people help me to move them. These individuals were ones that your father and mother helped without asking for anything in return.” She looked around the area before she continued, “We brought them here so that they could be at peace.”
She turned back to Grace and she said through her tears, “I am sorry that I could not tell you until now.”
Grace shook her head as she knelt down by their graves and said, “I understand, but now I know that they were not completely abandoned by their friends.”
She placed a kiss on her fingertips before touching each marker, and then she looked at the one next to her mother.
“Arlina,” she asked looking up at Steve and Amy.
Amy smiled as she informed her, “Steve finally talked to someone who knew of her even though he never met her. According to what he understood, a few years ago a she-wolf went missing from her parents’ home one night. It was believed that she was taken because she had shown some unexplainable powers that frightened many of the pack members.”
“What powers?” Artur asked as he helped Grace to stand and Grace gave him a mocking glare, which he ignored.
“Unfortunately, that information was not given,” Steve told them, and Grace looked down at the grave.
“I hope that you are finally at peace, Arlina,” Grace whispered. She turned her head to look at her parents’ grave and she sighed gently. “I am leaving finally like I planned, but I am leaving with friends and my mate. I hope that I am making you proud.”
“You are Grace,” Amy’s mother stated without a doubt, and Grace smiled as Artur’s arms slid around her waist.
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