“By the Fates, I love to feel our baby moving inside of you,” Drew whispered. No matter how many times he felt the new life inside of their mate, it never ceased to amaze him. Even after feeling the same thing with his many patients, what he felt with their mate was so much more, because the child belonged to the three of them. The miracle of their cub within Suzie’s body made his heart soar with happiness.
“I feel the same way,” Carter whispered, kissing Suzie’s temple lightly as he experienced Drew’s thoughts through their mating bond.
“So will you allow Drew to tell you, baby?”
“What?” She looked up at him in confusion.
“The sex of our child,” Carter reminded her.
“Okay,” Suzie said after a moment. She turned to face Drew and tightened her arms around him. She kissed the mating mark she had left on his chest and snuggled against him. “I love you, Drew. Please don’t be disappointed if it’s not the gender you want.”
Drew laughed out loud, drawing her gaze up to meet his. “Suzie, I am so thankful to have you back. I love our life together and the life we’ve created together. I have to admit I don’t agree with Carter, though.”
Both Suzie and Carter looked at him worriedly. He saw the anger on Carter’s face and knew his triad partner was about to punch him for his words.
“I do care, Suzie,” he explained, smiling. “I don’t want an alien. I want a boy or a girl.”
“Not funny, Drew,” Carter told him immediately, growling at him.
“Sorry,” Drew told him, laughing lightly before sobering and looking down at their mate. “I know the sex of our child, but I really wouldn’t care if we had a boy or a girl, honey. I will love every cub you bless us with.”
“Really?” Suzie asked, worried.
“Yes. Really.”
“Okay. Then what are we having?” Suzie asked him firmly.
“We’re having a girl, honey.”
“A girl?” Suzie whispered. She turned to Carter and saw the wide smile on his face. “Are you going to be able to handle raising a girl, Carter?” she asked him warily.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Do you think you’ll be able to rein in your temper when our daughter starts dating?”
The smile deteriorated from Carter’s face immediately. “I will forbid her to date,” he answered gruffly.
Drew laughed. Suzie giggled. Carter didn’t find the situation funny at all.
“I think every man should have a daughter,” Suzie told him softly. “It will make him see things from a whole new perspective.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t think we have to allow her to date,” Carter mumbled.
“Really?” Drew goaded him. “Are you willing to let our daughter miss out on a happy life with her mates?”
Carter was silent for a minute. Suzie could feel his worry. Reaching up, she touched his cheek gently, running her thumb across the stubble that she loved so much.
“Don’t worry, Carter,” she told him. “You’ll have a long time before you’ll have to deal with that. Besides, our daughter will be smart just like her daddies. She’ll know to wait for the men who will fill her heart with love—just like I did.”
Carter looked at Drew in shock. “Why are we getting these visions, Drew? Isn’t it enough that we’ve had to suffer all these years without our mate? Now we have to see what our life would have been like if we had her with us? The Fates are cruel.” He turned and stalked away. “I’m going to find Jace right now. The sooner we put our plan in place, the better. I can’t take this anymore.”
Drew watched him walk away. The vision had been beautiful—and heartbreaking. He wished things had turned out differently for them, but they hadn’t. He couldn’t take it anymore either.
Chapter 7
Carter walked beside Jace and Jackson as they patrolled the area beside the lake. As alpha, Jace could feel the strong emotions rolling through Carter. He knew Drew’s triad partner had something important to discuss with him.
“What’s on your mind, Carter?” Jace asked him directly. There was no point in ignoring the obvious.
“Drew and I wanted to let you know that we’ll be leaving your pack within the year,” Carter told him firmly.
Both Jace and Jackson stopped walking and turned to face him. Their intense gazes nearly bore through him. He looked down in deference to their authority, but he was not going to change his mind. Neither he nor Drew could handle the life they were living anymore.
“Why is that, Carter?” Jace asked him finally. “Has something happened that I’m not aware of that has caused you both to want to leave your home?”
“Alpha, we’ve thought about this for a while,” Carter told him seriously, looking up and meeting his intense gaze without flinching. “We’ve been having trouble staying in control of our emotions. Being without our mate for all these years is causing us to question every decision we make. In our professions, we can’t risk hurting someone because of our debilitated state. It’s best if we leave.”
Jace looked at Carter, his blue eyes flashing golden as his wolf paced inside of him. There was absolutely no way he was going to allow either Carter or Drew to leave his family. He understood that being without a mate had made them suffer over the years. He honestly didn’t know how they had managed to survive it. They were strong men, but if they left the pack, they would certainly die. He could not allow that.
“Carter, I understand what you’re telling me,” Jace told him calmly. “I can’t imagine the pain you both have experienced from being separated from your mate, but to leave our pack would not be the best avenue for you to choose.”
“Alpha, we have always appreciated all that you’ve done for us and our families,” Carter told him sincerely. “You took us into your pack when we needed protection. We were a mess.”
“We were glad to accept you, Carter,” Jackson spoke up, raising his hand and placing it on Carter’s shoulder and squeezing it lightly. “All of you became part of our family the moment you arrived.”
“All of us feel the same, Jackson,” Carter told him calmly. “That’s why Drew and I have to leave.”
“I don’t understand that logic, Carter,” Jace told him, crossing his arms across his massive chest. “Explain it to me.”
“Jace, how would you feel if Drew made a mistake because he’s lost control of himself when Laurie goes into labor?”
Jace looked at Jackson and knew real fear at the thought of losing their mate. He turned to face Carter once again.
“And when Nikki has the twins she’s going to conceive, the danger to her will double. The focus and ability we’ll need to successfully help her birth her cubs will be more intense. As each member of this pack needs our medical attention, our fear and worry increases. Jace, we will fail them. We can’t keep it together any longer. And when we fail them, it will be serious. We can’t take the risk and injure one of our pack family. Now do you see why we have to leave?” Carter asked him firmly. “We can’t take a chance that someone will be put at risk, and possibly die, because of us.”
Jace nodded slowly. “I understand why you and Drew may need to be removed from your job duties,” he admitted. “What I do not understand, and I will not accept, is that you will leave our family.”
Carter’s mouth snapped closed. He had no answer to his alpha’s sincere words. He couldn’t tell him the plan that he and Drew had discussed that would explain their reason for leaving.
Jake’s head snapped up, and he breathed in deeply. A fierce growl erupted from him, and his eyes flashed golden as his wolf fought for freedom.
“What’s wrong?” Carter asked him quickly, seeing Jackson reacting exactly as Jace was.
“Danger,” Jace growled.
Jace stripped off his clothes immediately, shifting into his massive, black wolf and bounding toward the lake. Jackson stripped and shifted, racing after his alpha without hesitation. Carter didn’t know what the danger was, but he wasn’t a
bout to walk away if his alpha and beta needed his help. He pulled off the ring Suzie had put on his finger fifteen years earlier and tucked it into the front pocket of his jeans then stripped and shifted without delay. His wolf raced after the two men who had given Drew and him, as well as their families, a second chance at life.
The three wolves bounded from the cove of trees to stand beside enforcers Alexander and Butler, who were in their wolf forms. Their mate Nikki was waiting at the water’s edge with a piece of a fallen tree limb clenched in her grip. There were five wolves standing before them, their stance threatening. Calling upon their magic, Jace, Jackson, and Carter shifted to their human form. Alex and Butler shifted to join their packmates.
“Shift now,” Jace’s deep voice boomed at the wolves. There was no mistaking he was alpha. There was a slight hesitation, then a shimmer of blue, and five men stood before them. They all looked like they needed to shower, and they definitely looked like they needed a meal. Jace and Jackson stepped toward them, their raw power filling the area.
“These men are from my old pack,” Carter spoke up as he recognized Boyd and the enforcers who had destroyed their lives. “I wouldn’t trust them, Alpha,” he told Jace, the anger in him obvious.
Jace nodded to acknowledge that he had heard the man, but he never took his eyes off the five men before him. “Carter seems to think you can’t be trusted,” Jace told them firmly, no hesitation in his commanding voice. “I agree.”
Carter stood next to Jace and nodded at the man closest to him. “That’s Boyd,” he told him calmly, a soft growl escaping him as he looked at the man. “He’s the one who carries out the alpha’s punishments. I would find out why he’s here and who he’s after.”
“We’ve come for Mitchell,” Boyd spoke up before Jace could question him. “Our alpha has changed his mind about banishing him.”
Alex and Butler stepped forward, their arms crossed over their chests as they stood beside their alpha and beta. They knew there was no way Jace would allow Mitchell to be returned to his previous alpha to be the recipient of more brutality. Alex, Butler, Jace, Jackson, and Carter were going to defend and protect the cub with everything they had.
Carter growled low, his protective instincts overwhelming him. He was determined that nothing was ever going to harm Suzie’s little brother again.
“Mitchell will not be returning to your pack,” Jace told them angrily. “He is under my protection. He is part of my pack now. Go back and tell your alpha that he has no claim over him. If he wants to challenge me, have him come here himself. I will gladly fight him.”
“You might want to rethink that, Alpha,” Boyd answered, his voice filled with contempt for the man before him.
“Why is that?” Jace stepped toward him only one step, deriving great satisfaction when the man took a defensive step away from him.
“Because Mitchell’s sister Susannah is being held by our alpha until Mitchell is returned to us,” Boyd told him, disrespect dripping from his voice. “You remember Susannah, don’t you, Carter?”
Carter howled as he leaped forward and took Boyd down to the ground. The other men from the intruding pack stepped back as Carter lost control. Jace stepped forward but waited silently as Carter pinned Boyd beneath him, his hand squeezing the arrogant man’s neck without mercy.
“What have you done to her?” Carter snarled.
“Nothing,” Boyd gasped. “Yet.”
Blue energy swirled around Carter as he shifted back to his wolf form. His lethal jaws surrounded Boyd’s neck immediately, and he bit down firmly, drawing blood.
Jace and Jackson stood by their packmate, waiting. They would not interfere with Carter’s show of power. Although it was news to them that the woman who was from Carter and Doc’s previous pack was also Mitchell’s sister, they would support Carter in whatever he needed. It was obvious that this woman was someone special to Carter, and in turn, special to Doc as well.
Jace remembered their description of their life within their old pack on Alpha Randall’s pack land. Their time living there had been filled with prejudice and abuse. Knowing now that Mitchell came from the same pack and had suffered the same abuse gave Jace a better understanding of the life the cub had been subjected to. Jace realized that both Carter and Doc had taken an instant liking to Mitchell and had set themselves up as protectors for the cub since he had come to their pack land. They must have been drawn by the similarity to his sister’s scent.
“Stand down, Carter,” Jace told him softly, stepping forward to touch the wolf’s shoulder lightly. “We’ll make sure this woman is found and protected.”
Carter’s growls slowly eased, and he released Boyd’s throat. Stepping back slowly, he called upon his magic to shift him back to his human form.
“Where’s Suzie?” Carter demanded, his eyes never leaving the downed man’s face.
“Some place safe,” Boyd said, standing slowly. He ignored the blood that was dripping down his neck. “When you bring Mitchell to us, Alpha Randall will trade him for the girl. She has outlived her usefulness to the pack since her dreams have stopped. She is worthless to us now. Since Mitchell has the sight, he can take her place.”
Carter’s growl filled the quiet of the lake area. Jace stepped forward slightly, showing Carter his support.
“Go back to your alpha,” Jace commanded, his deep voice breaking the silence. “Tell him Mitchell will not be coming back.”
“Alpha, Suzie is in danger,” Carter told him quietly, his anger barely under control as he stared at Boyd. “She belongs to Drew and me,” he finally admitted, his voice strong and proud. “She’s our mate.”
Jace nodded briefly, acknowledging Carter’s admission. He was now obligated by pack law to aid in the release of the woman. She was part of a triad mating waiting to bond. No man or wolf could stand in the way of a fated mating.
“Your alpha is breaking pack law by preventing the mating of Drew, Susannah, and Carter. My pack formally challenges yours. I officially place myself in the position of Susannah’s advocate, and I will defend her right to choose her pack and claim her destiny.”
Boyd snorted and stepped back. “It won’t matter,” he stated arrogantly. “Our alpha will be sure to keep her away from Carter and Drew. And he’ll make sure we get Mitchell back, too.”
Jace remained still as the men glared at him, watching the intruders warily as they seemed to come to a consensus. It was only when he saw Boyd look at Nikki as she waited silently in the water that a warning growl left him. He saw the flash of anger that crossed Boyd’s face and knew that the wolf shifter held contempt for Alex and Butler’s mate. The way Boyd was looking at Nikki with vicious anger and murderous intent made Jace growl, blinding fury filling him. The thought of Nikki being the recipient of Boyd’s violence made his gut tighten. His hands fisted at his sides. He would not allow any harm to come to Nikki. As part of his pack, she was now his to protect and defend.
“Be careful, Boyd,” Jace warned him. “I have no reservations about sending you back to your alpha dead.”
Boyd’s attention snapped back to him. “I will give my alpha your message,” he told him in clipped tones. Despite his words of submission, anger flashed in his eyes, and his lips curled back as he growled.
The five intruders shifted back to wolf form and turned to run back toward the cove of trees. Jace watched them go, his thoughts racing with the possibilities that could present themselves because of this confrontation. There was much planning to do with his beta and their lieutenants. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on Carter’s shoulder.
“Go and tell Doc we’ll be getting your mate back, Carter,” he told him quietly. “It will only be a short time before she’ll be here with you both where she belongs.”
Carter turned toward his alpha and experienced the first rush of hope he had felt in a very long time. “Thank you, Alpha.” He was barely able to get out the words, his voice hoarse with emotion. He bowed his head in reverence, thank
ful for Jace’s unconditional support. Shifting quickly, his wolf turned and raced away from them.
Drew!
What?
Boyd was here. He’s demanding Mitchell come back to Randall’s pack, and he’s threatened Suzie.
The pain he felt coming from Drew rushed at him through their link. It was a moment before the pain eased slightly.
We need to go to her, Carter. The pain in Drew’s voice was obvious. We need to take her home with us. Maybe we can figure out a way to protect her and her mother until we can get them free.
Jace has sent word back to Randall that he will fight on behalf of Suzie and Mitchell. He told me to tell you we’ll have Suzie here with us soon. We won’t have to do it alone, Drew.
Carter could feel the relief that rushed through his triad partner. Even more than that, he held guarded hope that their lives would finally be lived as they should have been—as a united triad blessed by the Fates.
Chapter 8
Jace turned and faced the small group who waited silently in the detention cabin. Mitchell, Dean, and Mia stood as a united team by the door of the cabin. Mitchell had something to tell them all, and Dean and Mia were there to support him.
Jace looked at the children Laurie had gifted him and Jackson with and couldn’t contain the pride that filled him. Despite his worry over this situation, he was surrounded by the love of his family—a family he never thought he would ever have. Jackson stood beside him, sending him support and a needed sense of calm. Jace could feel through their bond the same pride and love Jackson felt for their children. Mitchell now held the same place in their hearts as a cub who was an important addition to their family.
“Don’t worry, Mitchell,” Jace told him strongly. “We’ll have your sister here before you know it.” He looked at Carter and Doc as they stood beside the old wooden desk in the center of the room and saw their cautious hopefulness. He could also feel their worry and their despair. He totally understood and empathized with them.
Susannah's Saviors [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 10