When Hayward’s plan to ambush the ruling triads and the ruling mated couples of the many neighboring packs when they had come to speak with Jace had fallen apart, Hayward’s anger had been directed at her. He had blamed her for their failure. He had accused her of warning Jace Beckett of his plans. In that moment of accusation, Vera knew that Hayward was just like every other man in her life—selfish, cruel, and crazy. When Hayward had ordered the silver collar placed around her neck and set enforcers to guard her to keep her from traveling back to Beckett’s land to inform him about any of Hayward’s plans, it had solidified Vera’s understanding that she was of no value to Hayward any longer.
This last time he had hit her had been the catalyst to her decision to escape and make her way back to Beckett’s land. She knew she was going to die. She couldn’t survive without a roof over her head, even if the cabin she had been living in had been a rotten excuse of a house.
Her eyes had been opened. She now knew that Hayward had realized so many years before that Neil and Kurt had been omegas. It was obvious that he had deduced that their children would also be omegas. Vera finally understood that she was never the one that Hayward had wanted. He only wanted the omegas that she would give birth to. It was a bitter pill to swallow to know that she was considered worthless except for the cubs that she had birthed—cubs that she hated with all that she was.
She touched the hilt of the small dagger that she had taken from one of Hayward’s enforcers the night before when she had slipped some herbs into his drink. He had been such an easy target at the time, but she knew that everything was going to change once he awoke and found that she had left the cabin. When she didn’t show up to cook breakfast, the entire pack would be alerted to her leaving. Hayward would be furious. She knew he would come after her and make an example of her. No one defied him and lived.
Yeah. She was going to die. But she was going to be certain to see that Shelly and Synthia died first.
Chapter 47
Max watched Shelly as she moved slowly around the kitchen. She was wearing black sweatpants and a pink maternity sweater that came to her knees. The way it hugged her full belly made him smile. The way she constantly caressed her belly no matter what she was doing made him feel warm inside.
He watched as she folded two heavy blankets and set them on the back of the couch and wondered what she was up to. He looked at Eli and saw that his triad partner was at a loss to understand Shelly’s plans just as much as he was. Eli shrugged then turned to watch Shelly as she opened the refrigerator and began pulling out the items she would need to make a sandwich.
“I’ll make you a nice roast beef sandwich, sweetheart,” he offered as he came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist to pull her back against his chest with utmost care. Shelly sighed and leaned against his shoulder, looking up at him and smiling softly. “You doing okay, Shelly?”
“I am. I’m just a little tired. My back aches a little bit. Do you think you can give me a massage later?”
“Let’s go upstairs right now,” Eli offered. “I’ll give you a massage and relax you. You can stay in bed and take a nap. I don’t like that you’re tired, sweetheart.”
Shelly laughed softly as she turned in his arms and kissed his neck before pressing against him and deeply breathing in his scent. She rested against his chest and sighed with contentment as Max came up behind her and pressed against her, kneading the sore muscles of her lower back with careful strength.
“That feels so good,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
Max kissed the back of her neck and rubbed his cheek against her silky hair. “Eli is right, baby,” he told her quietly. “You need to rest. Our cub will be born soon. You need to be relaxed and rested so you’re ready to birth her.”
“I have something planned for this afternoon,” Shelly told them firmly as she pushed out of their arms and stood facing them. She rested one hand on her lower back and one on her swollen tummy, trying to ease the strain on her body.
“What, baby? What do you have planned?” Max stepped forward and reached up to caress her cheek lightly. “Do you need me and Eli to help?”
“I don’t need you to help, but I do want you to meet me at the lake for a picnic,” Shelly told them both. She was excited to share a quiet afternoon with her men beside the beautiful lake. She knew it would be romantic and fun. How could it not be? Max and Eli made everything romantic and fun.
“It’s a little cool outside, sweetheart,” Eli said cautiously. He didn’t want to disappoint their mate, but he was concerned that she would catch a chill.
“I know. That’s why I’m dressed in warm clothes and I have two heavy blankets that you can bring with you when you’re ready to join me,” Shelly explained. “I’ll go in a little while and take the packed picnic basket. You can join me when you finish the piece that you’re working on.”
She was so very proud of the carpentry work of her mates. Their skills had created so many beautiful pieces. Pack members had commissioned works for their own homes once they had visited Max and Eli’s workroom and had seen the many stunning creations that her men had made. Her mates had also brought many pieces to town that had been sold in the local consignment shop.
“Please,” Shelly whispered when she saw the way her men were hesitating. She knew it was because they were concerned for her health, but she wanted to have this special time with them.
“How about if we bring everything out to the lake for you first?” Max offered. “You can sit and relax while we finish the chairs that we’re working on for Abbey.”
“We’ll bring a lounge chair for you, and we’ll make sure you’re tucked in nice and warm,” Eli added.
“I’ll be too hot,” Shelly protested. “It’s only a little cool. It’s not like it’s the middle of winter.”
“Baby, please humor us,” Max said as he leaned forward and kissed her temple lightly. He slipped his hands beneath the soft sweater she was wearing and slowly caressed her belly.
He felt the way it tightened momentarily and was concerned, but it eased almost immediately. He would have to keep an eye on her. Shelly never complained. Max knew that he and Eli had to be the ones who were vigilant in their observations to ensure their woman’s health and safety. Pressing against the generous swell of their daughter, he said a silent prayer to Mother Fate to watch over their mate and their cub. Life was everything it was for Max and Eli because of them.
“Only if you give me a good kiss,” Shelly told him, squealing with delight when Max swung her into his arms and kissed her soundly.
She was panting when he ended the kiss, and she was not one bit embarrassed when she emitted soft growls of desire. Her wolf wanted him. So did she.
Before she could tell him so, Eli pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss that made her toes curl. His mouth was hot and delicious. She gripped his hair tightly and held on, knowing she would fall if he released her. After receiving amazing, hot, and sensual kisses from her sexy men, she had no strength left in her legs.
When Eli pulled away, she couldn’t even open her eyes. She knew she must have looked a sight with her eyes closed, her lips swollen and red, and soft pants escaping her, but she didn’t care. It was good that her men knew how much she loved what they did to her.
“I don’t think I can move,” she whispered, hanging limply in Eli’s arms and laughing softly when she felt Max wrap his arms around her to help lift her and carry her to the couch.
They set her down carefully, placing one of the decorative pillows beneath her head for comfort. She was boneless as they arranged her body on the overstuffed couch. Sighing with contentment, she allowed them to get her comfortable.
When she felt them pushing up her sweater and pulling down her sweatpants to expose her belly, she opened her eyes and watched them. They looked at her belly with such happiness, it nearly took her breath away.
“Look what we did, Eli,” Max whispered, reaching out and touching their woman’
s belly lightly.
“Beautiful,” Eli said softly as he leaned forward and kissed the warmth of Shelly’s tummy.
“Hey, I had a little something to do with it, too, you know,” Shelly protested, laughing softly when her men’s loving eyes met hers. “We all did a good job making our Allison.”
“We sure did,” Eli agreed.
“And it was fun, too,” Max added, smiling when both Eli and Shelly laughed.
“It was beautiful,” Shelly said gently, loving the way her men looked at her with such love and happiness.
“It was,” Max agreed.
“Every time is beautiful,” Eli said softly as he kissed her belly one more time, chuckling softly when their cub moved within their woman.
The sudden tightening of her abdominal muscles caused Eli to look down at their woman’s belly in concern. He not only felt the contraction, he saw it. Looking at Max, he raised his eyebrows in question.
I felt it, too, Eli.
Do you think she’s beginning labor?
We’ll soon find out.
“Will you have a picnic with me by the lake in about an hour?” Shelly asked them, drawing their attention.
“Okay, baby. We’ll be there in one hour,” Max promised.
“Yay!”
Shelly’s outburst of joy made them both laugh. Her excitement and happiness were contagious.
Let’s give her some time to relax, Eli. We’ll talk to her about her contractions when we meet her for lunch.
Do you think she’ll be okay by herself? Shouldn’t we be with her?
Shelly doesn’t seem fazed by them. It could be labor. It might not be. Time will tell.
How can you be so calm, Max? Eli asked him, panic evident in his voice.
I’m not calm at all, Max said quietly. I’m scared, I’m worried, and I’m getting ready to panic, but I can’t allow my feelings to make Shelly anxious. You know our little omega will pick up on our stresses and start feeling some of her own.
Eli nodded as he returned his gaze to their woman. She was lying back on the cushions of the couch with her eyes closed and a soft smile on her face. He and Max continued to caress her belly, loving the intimacy of touching their woman and feeling the strong movements of their cub within her.
“By the Fates, I love you so much, Shelly,” Eli whispered, the intensity of his feelings pushing all worry aside for the moment.
“How did we ever get so lucky to have you as ours?” Max asked quietly, completely overwhelmed by the gift of her in their lives.
Shelly opened her eyes and fixed the gentle blueness of them on her sweet men. She could feel their worry. She could feel their fear. But mostly, she could feel their love.
Shelly sat in the lounge chair that her men had set up for her. It was strategically set so that she could look out across the crystal blueness of the lake and relax as she waited for her mates. She had to admit that the blankets that they had tucked around her were keeping her toasty warm. Goodness, but they were overprotective of her!
She looked around the area and noticed that there were several downed branches about fifty feet from her. She realized that the previous night’s sudden rain storm had caused some damage to the area. Shelly was in no condition to be moving the fallen pieces of trees. She knew that Max and Eli would help her clean up the area when they came back. It would give them some additional firewood to stack behind their home. Winter wouldn’t be long in coming, and Shelly was in her nesting period.
Max and Eli had been very sweet about it. They didn’t laugh at her when she insisted on stocking up the cabinets with canned goods, packing the freezer with meats, or making jars of jams and jellies. They had actually helped her with whatever item she felt an urge to stockpile.
It was when she had gone shopping with them to buy yarn, baby clothes, and diapers that her men had been more than a little emotional. They had been even more intent on getting everything that they needed for their baby than she was. It was more than sweet. It was touching, and it showed her exactly how much her men already loved their little girl.
“Your fathers are the absolute best, Allison,” she whispered to her daughter. “They love you so much. I can’t wait for you to meet them.”
Shelly hadn’t said anything to Max or Eli because she didn’t want them to worry, but she had a feeling that their little girl was going to be born very soon. The baby had dropped lower in her pelvis the day before. It was a little more difficult to walk comfortably. Shelly found herself waddling to accommodate the way her hips were spreading as her body readied itself for the birth of their cub.
“I would appreciate it if you could make a quick arrival,” Shelly told her daughter softly. “I’m a little afraid of giving birth. Martha told me that it’s a natural thing to be worried, so I’m not going to dwell on it.”
She stretched just a bit as a soft twinge began again in her belly. Placing her hands beneath her pink sweater and tucking them into the waistband of her black sweatpants, she felt the tightening of her stomach muscles. She didn’t know if she was actually in labor or if her body was just trying to ready itself for the event. She’d been feeling increasing pressure in her back and stomach all morning.
Looking over her shoulder toward the home that she shared with her sweet wolves, she realized that she wanted Max and Eli with her right then. She knew she was overreacting. She made a conscious effort to take deep, calming breaths. She wasn’t about to panic her men when there was no need.
Vera watched from her place within the tree line. Shelly was sitting comfortably and covered with blankets. She was also pregnant. Vera had watched as her two mates had carried out the lounge chair, blankets, and a basket that had to be filled with food. They had settled Shelly in the chair, covered her, and kissed her before leaving her to go back to the old alpha home. The happiness of Kurt and Neil’s daughter just served to infuriate her and fan the flames of her hatred for her daughter even brighter.
She stepped forward slowly, climbing over the many downed branches and making her way toward Shelly. One tree limb was particularly huge, its branches sharp from the way it had been broken in the previous night’s storm. She slipped, scraping her left forearm on the jagged piece of branch, swearing under her breath at the injury. The pain was nothing compared to how she had already suffered. It just made her more determined that Shelly and Synthia pay for every moment of pain, degradation, and frustration that she’d been forced to suffer over the years.
She smiled with satisfaction when she saw the moment that Shelly spotted her. The shock on her face was priceless, as was the good dose of fear that flashed through her eyes. Vera may mean nothing to Hayward. She may be weak from lack of food. She may be cold and suffering with the thin clothing and the silver collar that she wore, but she could still strike fear in Shelly’s heart.
“What’re you doing here, Vera?” Shelly called out to her as she struggled to get out of the lounge chair and face her.
“I have no place else to go,” Vera said calmly, walking toward Shelly and doing her best not to alert her to any threat. She knew that she would be able to contact her men through their link, and they would be there before Vera could carry through with her plan. “Please, Shelly. I’m tired. I’m hungry. And I’m suffering. No one will help me.”
“You should have thought about that before you tried to kill my baby,” Shelly told her calmly, her voice cold to match her heart. “You should have thought about that every time you beat me or Synthia. You should have thought about that when you were cruel to my fathers. You should have also thought about that when you tried to kill Laurie Young and her baby.”
“I did what I thought I needed to do,” Vera protested.
“You thought you needed to be cruel and vicious?” Shelly spat back, her usually calm soul burning bright with anger. She stood with some difficulty and faced Vera, determined never to cower to her ever again.
“I needed to make you and your sister strong,” Vera said without remorse.
“Your fathers made you soft and weak.” She hesitated a mere fraction of a second before continuing. “As far as Laurie Young is concerned, I did what was necessary to rid this pack of her human infection. Her presence weakens the pack. She is diluting the power of our shifter world.”
Shelly shook her head at the absurdity of Vera’s words. There was no hope for this woman. She felt no remorse for her actions, and she actually thought that what she did was justified.
“I had to kill her. Just like I have to kill you,” Vera said calmly as she slowly stepped forward and pulled the knife from the waistband of her pants.
Shelly saw the knife and raised her arms to grab for Vera’s wrist. She took firm hold and twisted, determined to knock the weapon from her hand. They struggled for a moment, Shelly reaching deep inside of herself to push aside her fear so she could protect herself and her baby. Vera pushed at her with surprising strength, knocking her off balance and forcing her backward.
Shelly stumbled over the lounge chair and fell onto her back on the other side of it, hitting the lakefront sand with a jolt. Vera followed her down, landing hard on top of her. Pain shot through her stomach as Vera’s weight slammed against her.
Max! Eli! Help me! she screamed through their link as she fought with all her strength to keep Vera from using the knife against her. She felt the rush of fear that radiated from both men. Vera is here! She’s trying to kill me!
Baby, we’re coming! Max yelled.
I’m going to kill that bitch! Eli’s anger was blazing hot.
Vera took advantage of Shelly’s distraction, knowing she had to be talking to her mates. She punched Shelly’s shoulder with her free hand and tried to tug her hand that was holding the knife free. She knew she didn’t have much time to finish the deed. She could already hear the thundering of running footsteps drawing closer. She also heard the angry growls that were coming from Max and Eli as they ran toward them.
Shelly's Forbidden Mates [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 45