Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel
Our only card was that the rogues didn’t know we knew about the trapped witches so they had no idea we were going to try and save them.
The night passed, all of us too on edge to sleep. We waited all hours and into the morning.
The witches said nothing.
I knew that was our answer. They were giving themselves up. Letting us know that they were not on our side.
“Not necessarily, Beautiful. The rogues can refuse. If they do, we cannot go,” he said, tying his belt to his waist.
I had hoped their curiosity to see what card we were playing would be enough to get them to agree.
But the fact they hadn’t was very telling. They were confident. Too confident and it was terrifying.
We were still in the nursery, dressing in our clothes that could be the last ones we wore.
Derik in his brown pants, cream tunic tucked into his beltline. He put on a brown leather vest with it. He looked so put together, so refined. His set jaw was telling though. He was anything but.
Kai had an open black vest that went with his black pants, his abs on display as usual. He was not modest but with a body like his, I didn’t blame him.
It gave me something to ogle too.
And then Brax.
His teasing humor had vanished around the time the sun had come up with no word of the witches.
He had put on his tan pants with a cream linen shirt that was roughly tucked into his double strap belt.
They all had their boots on and looked at me.
I had taken care to wear something for them all. If it was going to be my last outfit, I had to make it killer.
I wore my dark brown leather pants, a black shirt with a low neckline and a corset overlay. It had wide straps on my shoulders then went down to tie at my front, pushing up my bust. Then it flared out at my waist and behind me.
It was dramatic and intimidating. Exactly what I wanted to be.
My boots and the choker pendant with my Alpha’s initials on it made it come together.
Anetta had had the pendant made since I hadn’t had a chance to get the tattoo yet.
My Alphas stared me down, Kai’s eyes on my cleavage, Derik’s on my berried lips, with Brax coming forward to steal the first kiss.
My hair was braided into the back of my head, half up-half down.
I kissed Brax back, frowning when I tasted guilt on his tongue.
“No,” I whispered.
He smiled and shook his head, “No channeling, Spitfire. It’s cheating.”
“Then don’t get in your head about this. We are not handing you over. They will attack and we will have to fight either way. This is not on you,” I soothed.
He shrugged, “It’s me they want. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have considered putting this all to rest if it was you?”
I shook my head, my eyes setting to show him how much I meant it. “Before I became a Mom, I wouldn’t have even asked. But now I am, Brax. We can’t leave them. Not for the rogues, not for the witches. So if that’s what you’re thinking of doing, let me know now.”
Brax held my face in his, kissing me again. “I couldn’t leave them anymore than I could leave you, Spitfire,” he promised.
“Good,” I said, going to our kids.
Zale and Enzi were quiet, like they knew something was happening. Even Alaric, who was much more vocal than his siblings most of the time, was less so.
Tears welled again. The idea of leaving them was like a knife in the heart, and I hated it. But I knew they had to go to be safe. If we kept them here, the rogues would go straight for them. They would attack the mansion until it was nothing but rubble, and they would tear through the city and us to do it.
So we had to make sure they were nowhere near it when it happened.
Mom was happy to have them anyway, promising to protect them. Galen too.
Which was all I could ask for, but it still hit me hard.
It did mean Mom wasn’t in the war, and that was comforting too.
She was staying with the humans in the village.
We didn’t want to risk us all being in one place. So the humans and vampires would fight once we couldn’t.
I hoped it didn’t come to that.
Cain came in then, Beenie coming after him.
Her red hair stood out on her entire black outfit. Her black leather pants, vest, and undershirt matched Cain’s.
It would have been comical on any other day. But not today.
“We need to go. The sun is setting and the countdown begins once it does. I want to be back before nightfall in case the rogues decide not to give you that long after all,” Cain said.
I nodded, my tears falling as I scooped up Zale.
He curled into me. It made me cry more.
I handed him to Brax who kissed me, saying nothing.
Derik wrapped Alaric up, putting a knitted hat on him, his own jaw ticking, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Kai picked up Enzi and held her close, putting her blankie on.
Cain and Beenie grabbed their bags and I stayed by the window.
I couldn’t say a true goodbye. I couldn’t take them down there, put them in a carriage that was leaving the city.
So I stayed in the nursery, crying as my children left my protection.
It was the hardest thing I had ever done. Torture paled in comparison.
I blinked away my tears and opened the window slightly, looking out over the forest. I had my border up but I could see over it into the dense trees.
I knew they were out there. Waiting.
I couldn’t wait to give them the fight they were waiting for.
When my Alphas came back, they were quiet. Brax had tear streaks, Derik had his rigid jaw back, and Kai shook with a barely contained rage.
I swallowed and turned back to the window, looking up at the sun that was slowly sinking beyond the horizon.
“And the countdown begins.”
32. The Chaos
Lorelai
It was almost midnight. The sun had set hours ago.
Cain had come back with Beenie a while ago. That had been a slight relief.
The children were safe, they hadn’t been followed. It was the only relief.
The moon was almost at its peak and I looked over at Brax who was glaring at the forest out the window of the mansion. “We should head down there, we need to be in our positions,” I said.
Derik nodded and went to the door. He opened it, leading us out.
We went down the stairs, the silence deafening. I knew wolves were going to die. There was no way they couldn’t and my heart thumped loudly at the idea of it.
The rogues knew others could die and they didn’t care. They didn’t care that the humans they turned into betas had sacrificed their lives because they would die in a situation like this.
It was exactly why Derik had expressly told Ryleigh to stay with the humans. To protect the children. Those were her only tasks and his only wishes for her.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?