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Hellen walked past Brandt and Kaid as the darkness was beginning to set, acting like it was the most normal thing in the world for her to just walk away from Havoc and Analise’s reception.

She was hoping that no one would think her leaving was out of the ordinary and not call her out on it.

She just couldn’t fake it anymore, and that meant it was past time for her to go.

Naturally, with her nosy family, it wasn’t to be.

Brandt’s attention was locked on the dust trail Remi’s car had left behind, so when Hellen walked right through it to cross the road and start toward her house, he saw her right away. He didn’t hesitate. “Where you going?!” he called out.

Hellen didn’t stop walking, or turn around to speak to Brandt, she just kept going when she shouted her answer loud enough for him to hear despite the fact she was walking away from him. “I’m going to go home and get a little rest. I have a headache.”

“You coming back out for the bonfire?” Brandt asked.

“I might, let me see if I can get rid of this headache first,” she answered, now fully across the road and preparing to jump over the deep ditch that ran parallel to the road.

“Alright. But listen, be careful by the ditches and all the lots with the tall grass in them. Watch yourself. I’d have sworn I saw some gator tracks out by my place yesterday,” Brandt said.

Hellen stopped walking and turned to face Brandt. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, yeah. Big ole muddy mess on the bank there where we launch the boat. Looks like it’s been back and forth a few times, but I’m not sure if the last of its tracks were coming or going. Just be careful so you don’t get bitten. It’ll move along eventually.”

“Thanks,” Hellen said as she jumped over the ditch and changed direction to go see the tracks for herself. She hurried toward the banks of the river near Brandt and Barron’s homes to get a look at the gator’s marks for herself. “Please let it be him,” she begged the quiet night around herself.

~~~

“What are you looking at?” Havoc asked, walking up behind his Alpha and resting a hand on his shoulder.

“Nothing.”

“Staring off into the darkness indicates it’s something.”

Brandt shook his head. “It’s really no big deal. Just strange.”

“Strange?” Havoc asked.

“Hellen just left. Said she had a headache and wanted to rest and see if she could get rid of her headache.”

“She’s probably just tired.”

“Yes, but if her head’s hurting that bad, why’d she change direction and go off toward my house when I told her to watch out for the gator I found tracks from yesterday?” Brandt asked.

“Probably going to see if it’s her gator that made the tracks,” Havoc said.

“Her gator?!” Brandt asked, turning to look at Havoc.

“Yeah. She told Analise the reason she’s been gone so long is trying to save this gator that somebody tried to kill. When she got back to where she’d left it after coming in to check on Emmalyn when all that happened, it was gone.”

Brandt shook his head slowly. “You people are really just incapable of telling me a damn thing before it all goes to shit, aren’t you?”

“It’s not my shit, and it’s not even gone to shit. And it’s not a big deal. She deals with wildlife all the time — it’s her job. Maybe she just wanted to take a look for herself so whether it’s the same one or not, she could keep it safe if she needs to.”

“Maybe.”

“You going to check on her anyway, aren’t you?” Havoc asked.

“Probably.”

“Go right ahead, then. I’m going to prepare a bonfire. Think I’m gonna see if I can make it in the shape of a big ass heart before I light it.”

“Are you not even the slightest bit worried?” Brandt asked.

“About the fire?”

“No! About your sister fucking with an alligator.”

“She told Analise it’s not that much different than Gerald. She knows what she’s doing and if she needs me, she’ll let me know. I have faith in her. Don’t you?” Havoc asked.

Brandt huffed a sigh. “Yes, I do. Go build your big ass heart.”

Havoc chuckled and slapped Brandt on the back. “Come on, let’s light it up!” he said before he jogged off in the direction of his wedding guests.

Brandt thought about it and looked off into the dark one more time, then turned and reluctantly followed Havoc back to where the rest of their family were busily building the frame for the bonfire.

He lasted all of about fifteen minutes before he decided he had to make sure she was alright.

When he decided he needed to check on Hellen, he looked around for his mate and found her seated on the porch swing mounted in the open space under Havoc and Analise’s raised home.

She lazily swung herself back and forth with one barefoot as she watched the family all pitching in to build the bonfire.

Even Analise, still wearing her wedding dress was standing on a ladder, adding pieces of wood to the large heart shaped frame Havoc had quickly bent out of rebar.

“You look relaxed,” Brandt said.

“I am. Feel a little guilty that I’m not participating, but I’m tired,” Tempest said.

“You deserve to be as relaxed as you want to be,” Brandt said, sitting beside her and joining her in the slow steady swinging.

“I think after the fire, shortly after the fire, I’d like to go home,” Tempest said, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“We can go now if you’d like.”

“No, Hellen already left, and Remi and Bailey left. I don’t want everybody to leave before it’s really over.”

“Honey, there’s a reason for you to leave early if you want to. We can go now.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Tempest thought about it. You sure Havoc and Analise won’t mind? I mean… you're Alpha.”

“They won’t mind.”

Tempest hemmed and hawed over it for a few seconds, before she shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Let’s just stay a little longer, at least until Remi gets back. And then after the bonfire’s lit and we’ve oohed and ahhed we’ll go.”

Brandt nodded, his arm around his mate, his attention seemingly on the heart-shaped frame now filled with so much wood that it didn’t look at all like a heart. “You mind if I run off real quick?” he finally asked. “I’ll be back.”

“Annnd there it is,” Tempest said.

“There what is?”

“The real reason you don’t mind leaving early.”

“I’ll be right back,” Brandt promised.

“Spill…” Tempest said, smirking at him.

Brandt lowered his voice and spoke just loudly enough for her to hear, and no one else to be able to overhear.

“Hellen left. Said she didn’t feel well and wanted to go home to rest. But when I told her to watch out for the gator we saw the marks on the riverbank from yesterday, she suddenly got real interested and changed direction like she was headed there. ”

“You know she’s all about wildlife conservation. That’s probably all it was.”

“Yeah, makes sense. But then Havoc said she’s probably trying to make sure it’s not her gator.”

“Her gator? She’s got a gator?”

“Apparently the reason she was gone so much recently is because she found a gator she was trying to nurse back to health, and it went missing when she was here right after everything with Emmalyn.”

“Oh, well isn’t that interesting?” Tempest said, more of a statement than a question.

“I just feel like I need to check on her.”

“I get it. Go ahead. I’ll be right here.”

“I won’t be long, love.”

“Just be careful. Whether it is her gator or not, it still doesn’t know you.”

“I will.” He kissed her and got up, quickly making his way away from the celebration to go check on Hellen and ask her about ‘her’ gator that nobody had bothered to tell him about before. Especially if she thought it was possible this thing tracked her back home.

~~~

Hellen made her way through the wooded area separating her and Havoc’s road from Brandt’s.

Using her ability to see in the darkness, she was careful, aware of everything around her, and where she stepped.

When she finally reached Brandt’s road, she stopped and stood quietly, sending out her senses to search for any creatures that didn’t belong there.

Not picking up anything other than the usual local wildlife, she approached the riverbank between Brandt’s and Barron’s homes.

She had no problem locating the slides on the bank, and after making sure there was no gator in sight, she knelt beside the slides to get a better idea of how fresh they were.

She compared the size of the slides to the length of her legs and decided that from the size of the slides and the tail drags clearly scratched into the mud, that it could very easily be her gator that left the marks.

In her opinion, though there were multiple haul outs and slide in spots, she was pretty sure they were all made by the same gator.

But that didn’t mean that it was her gator.

She stood and brushed the mud off her hands across her thighs, remembering too late that she was wearing a dress for her brother’s wedding.

“Oh, well, that’s what water is for, right?

” she asked aloud. She heard the slight movement of the water and looked out across its surface, hoping to catch sight of a one-eyed, scarred up gator.

But instead, all she could see was the moon’s reflection on the water’s surface, giving it a mirror like quality, making it harder to make out any shapes that might be out of the ordinary.

“I hope it’s you. I hope you’re alright,” she said softly.

She stood there, looking at the tail drags that had cut a path through the slide marks in the mud and experienced an enormous amount of guilt for leaving him defenseless and alone.

“If you’re here, you might want to find a better place to be.

If my family thinks you may be a threat, you might not be as safe as I’d hope you’d be. ”

“Who you talking to?” Brandt asked, walking out of the darkness behind her.

“Shit, Brandt! Scare the hell out of me, why don’t you?” she exclaimed.

“Sorry, hon. I thought you knew I was there.”

“I’m a little distracted.”