“Hold on, don’t move till I get his fucking death trap off you.” Zac wrapped his fingers over the collar, silver burned his flesh. The hunters love their freaking silver! He gritted his teeth again and yanked it apart. Something clicked in the car and Annmarie scrambled into his arms. A fire bloomed through the pickup causing a blast to throw them back into the brush and dirt. That fucking hurts! Zac checked over Annmarie who clung to his chest.
“Are you hurt?” he asked and she shook her head against him. A squeal of tires rang out behind him. He tightened his grip on the pup, ready to shift and run to keep her safe. His heart raced in his ears while the truck continued to burn. He turned to see Raymand’s grill hurtling toward him. Zac let go of a shaky breath, it was over.
“Thank you!” Annmarie rubbed her head against him, and he held her close. Is this the reward of being a father?
Chapter Fifteen
Rayne
Grogginess slowly released its grip on Rayne and she managed to open her eyes. Memories of being cut and bleeding in the shack rolled around like waves, giving her bits and pieces at a time. A weight pressed into her right side and she glanced down. Her beautiful little girl’s hair covered her arm. She lifted her other hand and touched her hair checking if this was a daydream or real life. Please, don’t let this be a dream!
“Oh, thank goodness.” She let out a sigh of relief and kissed her head. Relief flooded her system and the receding pain lingered in her back. Only a muscle ache was left and even that faded over the last few minutes of being awake. Rayne scanned the room and found her own sheets covering her body. The baby blue walls no longer gave her a sense of comfort like before she imprinted and almost lost her daughter. She wanted to know where Zac was and how he managed to get her little pup back home. Hints of pride in him bloomed in her chest. He did it for you! Her wolf rumbled in agreement. She glanced down at Annmarie again, giving her a solid reminder he still wasn’t ready for kids and her joy faded. The lingering scents of Jacob and Zac rolled around the room.
She wished Zac rested next to her instead of leaving her alone. Will he stay or is he leaving me to raise two kids? Her heart ached because she didn’t know the answer. Yet she had given herself up to him to save their wolves. At least it’s what she kept telling herself the longer she rested with her daughter. She leaned down and kissed Annmarie’s head, the marshmallow scent filling her nose bringing a sense of peace.
“Oh good, you’re awake. And the cuts should all heal and you still smell pregnant.” Jennine walked in with a tray of breakfast: eggs, pancakes, and bacon. Rayne’s stomach rumbled with hunger, thankfully nausea didn’t follow seconds later. Annmarie stretched her arms up letting go of a yawn which became contagious and everyone else yawned too.
“It smells good, Aunt Jennine.” Annmarie jumped up and grabbed the tray of food. “Can you get me my hat?” She patted her head and a sad look crossed her face. Rayne smiled, her little girl didn’t seem hurt and was already complaining about her lack of hats.
“It’s right there, my sweet.” Jennine pointed to the nightstand where a brown hat rested. Annmarie scrambled for it and slammed the fabric into place. Her shoulders no longer slumped as she returned to the food. Jennine glanced between them and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Thank you.” She took a bite of bacon. “Where’s Zac?” she spoke through a mouth of food.
“He’s at his house. After he healed both of you up, he called me here to keep an eye on you.” Jennine raised her brow while looking at Rayne. Her heart hurt, Zac had taken her free pass and she had no one to blame but herself.
“I…” Her explanation died in her throat. Everything felt hallow in her mind.
“Oh, and Jacob has been calling twice a day to make sure you’re okay.” She arched her brow in the ‘really’ look Jennine did so well.
“How long were we asleep?” She grabbed a piece of egg and popped it into her mouth. As she chewed she stretched out her sour muscles.
“It’s Thursday morning.” Jennine shrugged. “So, about two days.”
“Ah, man I missed school.” Annmarie snapped her fingers and then giggled before scarfing down a pancake. She rubbed her pup’s back. Affection filled her heart toward Zac and Annmarie.
“You’re going back tomorrow and this time I’ll be early to pick you up.” Rayne never ever wanted to experience the pain of missing her child again. It would be a while before she managed to relax or if the hunters stopped taking pups. Maybe finding the missing kids could help calm her down.
“Fine. But it is Friday, I can miss one more day.” Her eyes pleaded with Rayne, but she shook her head. The cute chubby cheeks gave her an innocent appearance.
“Nice try, sweets.” Jennine winked. “But you could take advantage of the rest of the day and go watch TV.” She motioned to the door.
Annmarie kissed Rayne then grabbed her plate and ran from the room. Here comes the disappointment talk. Jennine pressed her lips into a thin line.
“How could you be so fucking stupid?” She narrowed her eyes on Rayne.
Rayne shoved her hand through her hair and didn’t meet her gaze. “What do you mean?”
“You pushed your mate away. That’s what I mean.” Jennine shoved against Rayne’s arm. “Eat.” She clicked her tongue. “The baby needs food.” She snapped her finger then pointed to the other plate. Rayne picked up a pancake and ignored the syrup on the tray. She popped a piece in her mouth and let the melt on her tongue. Jennine always made the perfect pancakes and these warmed her up more than normal.
“He kept saying he didn’t know if he could handle taking care of another man’s kids. What did you expect me to do?” She chewed on another bite. Arguing with her friend might be pointless but Rayne wanted her to understand her side. “We mated to keep our wolves and I said the ball is in his court. He had to be the one to make the choice.” She finished the eggs in silence, Jennine rocked a little on the bed but not too much to spill the food.
“Do you want him?” Jennine folded her arms in front of her large chest. Soon her own boobs would swell beyond measure and be a pain in the ass. She glanced down at her stomach to find a little bump already forming. The second baby made her pop out faster than her first. The image of trying to squeeze into jeans made her wolf wince.
“I…I do but I have to think of my babies. Their happiness comes first.” Rayne pointed toward the door where Annmarie had run through earlier. “You don’t get it, Jennine but you will once you find your mate and have kids. They always come first.” Rayne hated playing the ‘you’re not a mom’ card but it was the truth.
“Well, I may not have kids, but I do know you deserve happiness too.” Jennine shoved her hands through her hair and sat straighter in her seat. “Eat more, I’m guessing it’s a boy and he needs more.” Rayne stuck her tongue out then bit into a slice of bacon. Annmarie shuffled around in the other room and Rayne fought herself to go run to her. Her daughter’s heart didn’t sound elevated, so Rayne stayed put.
“Yes, I would love to be happy with Zac and he makes me happier than Jacob ever did.” Rayne wiggled in her spot.
“That hurts.” Jacob leaned against the door with Annmarie at his side. Her breath stalled in her lungs as she cursed herself out. “When were you going to tell me you’re pregnant?” Anger filled his gaze but she ignored it.
“Why do you care? You’re the one who left.” Rayne’s stomach turned and she cursed herself for not hearing him enter the house. She had been so focused on Jennine and Annmarie’s heartbeat that nothing else really affected her. Jacob isn’t a threat like I thought, her wolf reminded her.
“She’s my daughter and that kid is mine. Yes, I fucked up, but my mate wants to meet Annmarie and when that one’s born, him or her too.” Jacob’s mate seemed nice and hints of envy rolled through Rayne’s system at their happiness. Why can’t my own love life be easy? “She’s outside right now.”
“I look like fucking hell,” Rayne hissed through her teeth. A sudden
awareness of her too tight shirt and shorts made her look like a tramp. It had been three days since she showered last. Her heart raced in her chest.
“Oh goodness no, you look like you just went through hell to save our daughter.” Jacob tried to make light of everything like always. Rayne bit back a retort since her daughter stood next to her ex. She let go of a shaky breath, trying to calm herself down.
“Just bring her in.” Rayne picked at her food while Jacob walked away with Annmarie. Rayne knew deep down if she had any chance of finding peace with Jacob, she had to let this play out. Jennine grabbed her hand and pulled her close. At least I have one person on my side.
“You’re strong and you can handle this.” Jennine kissed her hand with a smile. “Now, after we deal with this and get you a shower, there’s somewhere you need to be.” She winked and a sinking feeling rolled through her belly. Jennine wouldn’t let it go. The woman was as bull-headed as the alpha about getting her way.
“I said he needs to tell me. I’m not begging him to take us in.” Rayne pulled her hand away and glared at her friend. She smacked Rayne’s leg and returned the stare.
“I never said to beg, I only implied you need to talk to your mate.” She clicked her tongue, then shoved the last piece of bacon into Rayne’s mouth. Bitch! You’re lucky I love you! Her wolf’s words almost made Rayne smile.
“You’re pretty,” Annmarie said before the entering the room. Great, I’m getting replaced by a model of some kind. Rayne pushed back her hair and pulled up the blanket more. She faced the woman who had broken her life into pieces and took her first mate.
“Bobby?” Rayne stared at her old friend from high school. Jennine pushed Rayne’s mouth up when it hung open too long, who in turn smacked her friend’s hand. Jacob had mentioned a few times how pretty Bobby was and now it all made sense. One fucking month of waiting and things would have been so much simpler. Why didn’t I wait? Annmarie wiggled onto the bed and Rayne pulled her close. I guess it’s not all so bad.
“Hi, Rayne.” She didn’t quite meet her gaze. After so many years of being connected to Jacob, she thought they would just be okay but now they had both found their true mates. Rayne wanted to be pissed at Bobby but she couldn’t bring herself to it.
“Sit down so we can talk about custody for Annmarie and soon this baby. Once we come to an agreement, we’ll bring it to the alpha.”
“Deal.” Jacob picked up Annmarie and gave her a big kiss. “I’m so glad you’re safe, my dear.” Now he acts like a dad.
Chapter Sixteen
Zac
Zac sat in Raymand’s office waiting for him to come down with his mate. The large wood desk rested a few inches from his seat, papers scattered over ninety percent of it, only the desktop screen looked to be in the right place with hints of dust coating the stand in the back. Raymand normally didn’t like messes but Zac guessed this disaster was due to Annmarie going missing. The alpha did care and showed it in odd ways. Maple’s scent had changed signaling she was pregnant a few days ago. He was happy for the alpha and his mate, but it only reminded him of Rayne and her soon to be swollen belly. Giving his mate space had been harder than he expected. He had fucked up when he said he wasn’t ready for Annmarie before she went missing. His mind raced, trying to think of a way to make it up to Rayne. He had no clue if she knew who actually brought Annmarie home.
“Zac, how are you feeling?” Maple slid into a chair on the side while Raymand took his usual spot near the computer. Raymand reached for the papers but Maple beat him to it.
“Better, thank you. I’m here to make the official report about the fight between me and the hunters and what I observed.” Zac wanted to talk about the fight days ago but with Rayne and Annmarie still sleeping, he couldn’t focus on anything. His wolf perked up at the thought of them.
“Well, we know most of it from when we picked you and Annmarie up. What else do you need to tell us?” Raymand snatched the papers from his mate then shoved them in the desk while Ash slipped into the room.
“Do we have a new plan other than the buddy system to put into place?” Zac shoved his hands through his hair. “They want the kids for test subjects for fuck sakes.” He growled low at the idea of Annmarie becoming a lab pup.
“I’ve raised the patrols but it’s like they have inside information somehow.” The alpha smacked his fist onto the desk.
“The wolfbase seems to still be secure so I don’t think it’s from that,” Ash pitched in.
“I still don’t trust it like you do.”
“There’s something that keeps bugging me, the symbol on the pickup and the van.” Zac adjusted in his seat as the memories of the night flooded his mind. His skin crawled as the image of Annmarie with the knife to her throat filled his head.
“Can you describe it to me?” Maple grabbed a sticky note and pen then handed it to Zac.
“Two large D’s overlapping.” His wolf kept trying to push him to go back to Rayne’s house wanting to see her in person instead of the pictures Jennine sent him. Soon after he left Rayne at her house with her daughter, his wolf became more restless by the hour. Zac shook himself mentally and focused on drawing the logo to the best of his ability. “I’m not an artist by any means, but it’s the best I can do.”
Zac handed it over to Raymand and leaned back into his chair. He rubbed his hands over his face trying to think of a way to fix their problem. Once he safely rescued Annmarie, there was no going back. He wanted to be the little girl’s father but now he needed to convince Rayne. He wondered if he had kept his mouth shut, they would be at his home instead of Rayne’s.
“I’m setting up a task force to actively follow leads. I’m fucking tired of being a step behind him. Have anyone in mind?”
“My brother might work well for this. He’s been debating on joining the Denver PD for a while now.” Zac suggested and Ash nodded.
“I can give him a call along with Kirk Gankins and the Harter twins.” Ash pulled out his phone and Raymand nodded.
“I trust them.” The alpha nodded then turned to Zac.
“There’s something else.” Zac scratched the back of his head. A few sets of footsteps sounded from the living room, but he didn’t think anything of it. Wolves always came to the alpha’s house for pack problems.
“Here, Ash. See if you can come up with something that matches.” He handed it over and Ash snatched it up and walked out of the office. “Now what’s this something else?”
“I need to know some tips on fatherhood.” Zac swallowed hard and Maple shifted around in her seat. Everyone in the pack knew Raymand was legally adopting Cora, the pup they saved a month ago. And he had a terrible time adjusting to being a father.
“Are things working between you and Rayne then?” Raymand placed the piece of note in the top right drawer.
“I haven’t talked to her yet but I’m going to after I see you.” He paused and rolled his shoulders. “I know it’s a big step but I can’t picture my life without Rayne and Annmarie.” His wolf nodded as a familiar scent rolled up his nose.
“I think you may want to turn around,” Maple whispered, and Zac swiveled around in his seat to find Rayne, holding Annmarie’s hand. His heart leapt in his chest till he saw Jacob standing next to them. Why is he here? His blood raced through his head.
“Rayne. Jacob. What brings you here?” Raymand kept his voice even but when Zac glanced back hints of amusement filled his gaze. How could he possibly be amused at this crap?
“We’re here…” Rayne started but stopped when she met his gaze. His wolf howled as anger rolled in his stomach.
“Are you two getting back together?” Zac stood and faced them. He attempted to swallow but his mouth had dried up too fast. His wolf growled, ready to fight Jacob for his mate. She belonged to him, not the fucker who walked away.
“I sure hope not.” A hand wrapped around Jacob’s shoulder and the scent of another female rolled into the room. Zac hoped the alpha heard the other female talking
in the other room and it was why he tried to hold back his laughter.
“Don’t worry, mate, I’m not leaving you.” Jacob chuckled and turned to kiss a woman with blonde hair. She had a sense of beauty but nothing close to his Rayne’s radiant glow.
“I would never go back to him.” Rayne shook her head, hurt in her eyes. Then why the fuck did she hesitate?
“No, we’re here for a custody agreement,” Annmarie pipped in and Zac checked her out, thankfully there were no pink scars on her neck. His beast paced inside wanting to be closer to Rayne.
“Does that make you happy?” Zac asked trying to let his mind work on what he just heard from the little girl. The custody agreement was about Annmarie. And you weren’t included, jackass, his wolf piped up and his heart dropped like a stone in water.
“Yes. I get to see both Mommy, Daddy, Bobby and you all the time.” She grinned brightly calming the raging beast. His heart swelled with love toward the small pup.
“You want to see me?” He kneeled down in front of her and she placed her arms on his shoulders. The little girl had sass just like her mother but he had no problem trying his best to raise a strong girl.
“Ah, yes. You saved me.” She leaned in closer, “And you are Mommy’s mate after all.” She kissed Zac’s cheek, warmth filled his soul.
“Of course, I saved you.” He didn’t know why Jacob didn’t come to help.
“Don’t you want to be with me and Mommy?” She tipped her head to the side and he looked up to Rayne. Love for both of them bloomed in his chest.
“Yes, I’d love to be with your mom and spend time with you.” Zac smiled at Annmarie, she gave him a hug then let him stand. “Can we talk?” He extended his hand for Rayne who nodded. Zac pulled her from the room of onlookers and brought her into the living room.
“You shouldn’t have said that to Annmarie.” Anger filled her gaze and he gently pushed back some of her hair from her face.
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