Page 34 of His Sunshine Baby (The Silver City #2)

“No, Elena, you go home and focus on getting better, okay?”

“Don’t leave me out of it!”

“Elena, I’m the one who’s going to be left out!” she yells. “Don’t you think I’m frustrated too? I’m already scared enough for my babies, now I’m going to be the trigger for when that damned Dark Witch will attack, and there’s nothing I’ll be able to do because I’ll be too focused on giving birth!”

Only then do I realize my cousin’s crying too, with red eyes and a raspy voice. She walks up to me, facing me, voicing her emotions out. She’s twirling her messy curls, her thing when she’s frustrated or stressed… or both, I guess.

“Elena, you’re the fighter,” she says. “I’m the healer, the protector. I was never a fighter, okay? It was always going to be this way, right? You’ll be healed by then, but I won’t be able to fight. Trust me, I hate it. I hate standing on the sidelines, but this time, I probably won’t have a choice. You’ll be the one this time. Okay?”

I shake my head. I hate this whole situation. Nora won’t be in the battle, but she’ll be the target. The first fucking target of that Dark Witch. She doesn’t care about me, the half-breed. In a way, I was lucky to have a human mother. But Estelle…

I turn to my daughter, who's playing with James, trying to catch Boyan's tail and barking with excitement. Estelle will be a target too. I take a deep breath and turn to Nora, who’s clumsily wiping her tears away.

“Promise me you’ll protect her.”

“What?”

“All three of the Black brothers and I will be fighting, so if anything happens to me and Nate, you’ll be the only family Estelle has left. Promise me you’ll protect her. I can fight, but I won’t be able to focus if I don’t know my daughter is safe.”

“Elena!” yells Nate, but I turn to him.

“Don’t act like you don’t know, Nate. It’s going to be an all-out war. They’ll need both of us, and Estelle… I love Danny, but his family is mostly betas, and they’ll probably be on the front lines too. Nora will be the only one to protect our baby.”

“Stop it. Nothing will happen to you, to us.”

“I’m just saying if…”

We stare at each other for a few seconds, a heated tension between us. I’m dead serious, and I don’t care if he doesn’t want to hear the truth. Nora gently takes my hand.

“Elena, it will be alright. We’ll win, okay?”

I nod, but the truth is, I don’t have the confidence.

Sylviana’s expression is too dark to be confident. She’s blankly staring at the children. How much does she really know? Our Good Witch realizes I’m watching her and leaves the room without warning. Liam follows right after her.

I let out a big sigh.

“Anyone else want to add something not depressing about this?”

“ … I’m hungry. ”

I can’t help but chuckle at Boyan’s out-of-the-blue sentence. Immediately, both kids jump on his back.

“ I’m hungry too! ”

“ Me too! ”

“Let’s have brunch,” says Tonia, heading to the kitchen as if this was her own house.

Meanwhile, I exchange a glance with Nora.

“Is it me or did James just…”

“Mind-link Boyan and Estelle? Yeah, he can do that. Estelle’s not the only precocious one,” sighs my cousin. “Royal babies are full of surprises.”

Gosh, such a headache. Behind me, Nate chuckles and walks up to me, hugging me from behind. Damian and Nora silently walk to the kitchen, leaving us alone with Boyan and the kids.

“Aren’t you taking advantage of the situation?” I ask.

“You think?”

He has no intention to let go, apparently. I sigh. I’m in no mood to fight now, so I just rest my head on his shoulder, enjoying this innocent hug for a while. It’s too much emotion for one morning. Seeing this as a silent agreement, Nate goes ahead and kisses my shoulder.

“Hey.”

But he ignores me, and keeps going, climbing up to my neck. Oh, gosh, he’s so…

“ Ahem. ”

Boyan the bear-sized wolf is staring at us, with a blank expression, clearly reminding us we’re not alone. Crap. I push Nate away and escape, hearing him chuckle behind me. He’s so annoying!

After texting Daniel to come over, we enjoy a big family brunch in the garden. It’s a nice day in July and frankly, when we’re all gathered like this, it doesn’t feel like it could end in a few weeks. Liam and Boyan, in their wolf forms, keep the kids entertained as long as we feed them too. I get why Nora needs Boyan as a nanny; James is an energy pill. Not in a bad way though, he does listen to his parents.

I realize my best friend is staring fondly at his fiancé. So cute. I can’t help but wink at him, making him blush immediately.

“ Oh, stop it. Where are you at with Mr. Perfect Abs? ”

“ How do you know about his abs? ”

“ He was in an amazing sporty outfit when he got you. Very fitting. Tight. Well, I have an eye for that. So? ”

“ Nothing… ”

“ Oh, shut up, Boyan said you were shamelessly hugging just minutes ago. ”

“ Why did you ask if you already know! ”

We bicker a bit longer. Daniel and I got so used to mind-linking each other at his family dinners, we can keep going for a long time without anyone even noticing. It’s a bit impolite, but with this topic, we are certainly not going to mention it out loud.

“ So, you’re giving him the goods. ”

“ No. ”

“ You really want to give him the goods. ”

“ No! ”

“ Oh, please, girl, you lived alone in a freaking forest for four and a half years. You’re not a nun, and you live with your very, very sexy ex-sex-friend-almost-boyfriend who had the great idea to get an even sexier body in the meantime. You’re hungry. ”

“ Daniel, shut up. ”

“ Hungry and starving… ”

I decide to ignore him, but his smirk is not subtle. I hate how right he is sometimes! I need to focus hard on something else to elude both Daniel’s eyes and Nathaniel’s direction. I eat a bit more and try to participate in Nora and Damian’s debate over the baby’s name, which, surprisingly, they haven’t agreed on yet.

An hour later, Daniel needs to get back to work, and James and Nora need their nap. I guess it’s time for us to go back too. Thank Moon Goddess Estelle shape-shifted back, and we carefully explained to her why she should learn to control herself from now on. Though Silver City’s humans are used to werewolves, we can’t have people, especially young ones, running around and shape-shifting in front of their noses all day.

Nate drives us back to his apartment, and Estelle is sleeping soundly in his arms when we get to the elevator. I take note that playing with her cousin managed to make her that tired. I just hope she won’t be sleeping too long and be hard to put to sleep tonight.

When Nathaniel closes her bedroom door, I let out a long sigh.

“What a morning, huh?” he says.

I nod, landing my ass on the living room couch. Nate comes to sit opposite me with a faint smile.

“What are you smiling for?” I ask.

“I think I’m a bit crazy. I know we’re about to face a never-seen-before war, yet all I can think about is how happy I am that you and Estelle are living here.”

“You idiot,” I say, pushing him with my foot.

He grabs my ankle and, without warning, starts to caress my ankle. The feeling of his fingers on my skin makes me blush like crazy… I try to get away, but the sofa isn’t that big. He pulls my legs onto his knee, and I don’t have the strength to refuse him. Gosh…

I don’t want to give in to him so easily, but when he keeps caressing my skin, I don’t say anything. Why did I wear something so short? I mean, it’s summer, but still. Nathaniel keeps going, silently moving to my leg, his electric blue eyes still on me. So annoying… I’m blushing.

“You’re not too tired? You should take your meds.”

I shake my head. I hate taking medicine, it makes me drowsy. I would rather stay here and snooze on the couch with him. Nathaniel doesn’t add anything either, but he won’t take his eyes off me. This is such a strange situation… A few days ago, we couldn’t have been further apart. It took a witch’s attack to bring us back together. So, what now?

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. I may be a slow healer, but I can still heal. It doesn’t hurt more than a sprain now.”

To prove my words, I take off the useless sling that was holding my arm, and pull down my shirt to show the pink scar on my shoulder. I was wondering if he might feel disgusted by it, but he just nods with a satisfied look.

“Can you move?”

“Yeah. It just aches a bit if I use my muscles too much.”

Wait, he’s not thinking of doing anything too… straining, right? I frown a bit, recalling Danny’s earlier words. I don’t know how much I can trust my own self control right now. I’ve been sex-deprived for a few years, after all… I wonder if that’s the case for him too.

“Nate.”

“Hm?”

“Did you sleep with anyone else after I left?”

He doesn’t answer, but goes as white as a sheet, which pretty much gives away his answer. Fuck. I had hoped for something different. I click my tongue, a bit annoyed. I guess I was the only one living like a nun.

“Nothing serious,” he says. “It was only a few one-night stands.”

“Fuck you, Nate.”

“I swear, I never saw them twice.”

“Fuck you and shut up.”

He looks down, and from his expression, I can tell he is swearing internally, probably pissed at himself. Serves him right. I’m not in a forgiving mood anyway, so I’d rather not talk about this again. At least he’s not giving me the alpha male excuse.

Following this, I see him take a deep breath. I wonder where his deep thinking brought him to. Back then, I thought I had learned to decipher his emotions but now, it’s like we’re back to square one all over again. It annoys me a bit. It’s not like we both have a clean slate, anyway.

“Elena, would you marry me?”

… Has he gone crazy now? I look at him, speechless. What the heck was he thinking to utter those words now? Is he that desperate?

“No. Hell no.”

No way I’m ready for this kind of thing, and certainly not with a man who just confessed he had sex with Moon-Goddess-knows how many women since I’ve been gone. Unlike my expectations, he slowly nods, not looking surprised.

“I thought you’d trust me more that way.”

“You think marriage prevents cheating? Are you serious?”

“It works for Nora and Damian.”

“Your brother and my cousin are fated mates, they’ll stay faithful to each other basically for life. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but neither of us is anything close to that,” I reply angrily.

I get up, annoyed at him for some reason. He can’t compare me to Nora. I’m not my cousin. I love her, truly, but we’re worlds apart. In the way we were raised, grew up, fought, and found love, Nora and I are absolutely nothing alike. If it wasn’t for a blood test, I wouldn’t even believe we’re the same family and our parents were twins.

I see him get up too, and just as I’m about to walk away from him, this idiot follows me all the way to the kitchen. I try to ignore him and grab a glass of wine. Nathaniel chuckles, annoying me a bit because I’m torn between ignoring him and asking what is so funny.

“Stop laughing.”

“I’m not laughing.”

“You’re having fun, anyway. Nothing is fun–”

“Elena, calm down.”

Before I can protest, he corners me, putting his arms on either side of me, hands on the counter. I’m so surprised I miss the chance to say anything. Moreover, he’s already dangerously close, and his scent becomes a bit of a problem. It’s alluring. Too alluring.

“It’s fine. Estelle will be fine, so will we.”

“I saw my baby shape-shift for the first time today, Nate, it’s not–”

“It’s the natural order of things, she had to shape-shift one day. So what if she’s early and a Royal? You already knew that, right? It’s pointless to worry over that. She is who she is. I don’t care how many witches come after her, I’ll protect my daughter.”

“Our daughter.”

“Our daughter. Elena, I’m her dad, alright?”

“That’s easy for you to say now!”

He smiles, annoying me to the core. Can he just drop that attitude of his? He takes one step closer. I didn’t realize he could come closer and still not touch me. He’s driving me crazy. I have to look away so as to not look at him now. It’s unnatural. He knows. We both know.

“Estelle has two powerful uncles, the greatest Luna aunt, and her parents are warriors. Her mom is the strongest, toughest she-wolf I know. She’ll grow old and beautiful like her mom.”

“Stop the sweet-talking, idiot…”

Of course, he doesn’t listen.

I freeze when his lips get dangerously close. I’m taking a deep breath in, but right before our lips touch, he suddenly changes direction, and softly kisses my cheek. I blush. That. That!!

“Elena?”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

Before he can add anything else, I grab his hair, and pull him in, kissing him fiercely. “That’s how you should be kissing me!” is what I want to say, but of course, my mouth is too busy for that. Moon Goddess, his lips, his taste… I missed this so much. His hands are already caressing my body, my neck, my hair, while I moan under our passionate kissing. How did I survive without his kisses for four years? How? Nate’s tongue is on mine, driving me crazy, stirring up the heat from the depths of my body, making me burn all throughout. I’m trembling, grabbing him, kissing him hard and deep.

“Elena… Elena…”

His voice is consummated by desire, and driving me equally crazy… We’re both going nuts. I don’t know. I keep searching for air, but I want his kisses more. I’m cornered in his kitchen, his arms all around me, caressing my skin and undoing my clothes skillfully. I’m so hot… I want more, more.

My self-control flew out of the window as soon as he touched me. I hate him… I hate what he does to me, and this foolish body of mine for craving him when I should be resenting him for… I don’t know, at least a few weeks more. Nate lifts me without warning, getting rid of my outfit and having it slide down to my ankles until it drops to the floor. He makes me sit on the kitchen counter, and I immediately entrap him between my legs. I’m in my underwear, in his kitchen, facing him. I’m hot. So fucking hot.

His fingers keep caressing my skin, my thighs, my waist, my back. I shiver and let the sparks crawl under my skin, a wave of pleasure slowly rocking back and forth. I struggle to get him out of his shirt, making him chuckle… I make him shut up with even more kissing, our tongues fighting to get a better taste of the other. When I suddenly feel his fingers on my panties, I grab his wrist, freezing.

It’s… not…

“Elena?” he asks, out of breath too.

“I… I…”

My head is in such confusion right now, I don’t even know how to formulate my thoughts into words. I’m red from head to toe, out of breath and excited. He stares at me, confused, half-naked and in about the same state as I am.

“I… I had a baby.”

“I already know that,” he replies, a bit confused.

“It means my body changed. I… My… I mean, sex is not going to be… to be like before.”

He chuckles, caressing my nape with a tender look in his eyes. I don’t think he’s getting it, but a wave of anxiety overpowers me in a few seconds. What if he’s disappointed? What if he doesn’t like my body anymore? What if we have the lousiest sex ever and…

“Elena, look at me.”

He manages to get my attention, but I shake my head.

“You know what? Let’s forget it. This is a bad idea. I can just…”

But while I struggle to escape him, he keeps smiling and holds me back, until I stop fighting and sigh.

“Elena Whitewood, I love you.”

Holy Moon Goddess, why does he have to be so cheesy right now? I’m blushing like crazy, trying to evade his eyes, but he caresses my neck, speaking softly.

“I don’t care how much your body has changed. I want to embrace the woman I love. That’s all I am thinking about. I’ll love it because it’s you. I don’t care how much your body changes, my sunshine. Even if you get wrinkles or gain a hundred more pounds, I’ll love this body of yours.”

“Sh… Shut up…” I stutter, even more ashamed right now.

Is he saying that because he noticed I took on a bit more weight? Before I can say anything else, he slowly kisses the tips of my fingers. His mesmerizing blue gaze is on me, making me crazy. He kisses each of my fingers one by one, then goes to my palm. It’s like this part of my body is suddenly connected to another, more intimate part, and sending electricity there. I shiver, burning inside. His kisses move to my wrist, and keep climbing higher and higher, until he reaches my bra. His lips go in between, and, skilled as he is, that bastard, he takes it off in a matter of seconds. It’s best not to think about how he got so skilled.I breathe louder as he keeps kissing, fondling, and caressing me. I reach out for his warmth too, my arms go to his back, stroking it, going lower. I can’t strain my shoulder, but I won’t let him do it all by himself either…

The heat goes up in the kitchen, and before I know it, we’re both naked against each other, hotter than ever. My heart is thumping in my ears, I’m… excited beyond words. It’s Nate. Nathaniel. The man I left four years ago, the man I’ve been wanting for four years. I don’t know if I should be glad or regretful, but it’s way too late. I want him. I want him so bad. When we unite our bodies, I can’t hold back a cry of pleasure. It takes the two of us a few seconds to recover just from that deep, forceful contact. We kiss again in that short lapse of time, unable to hold it. It’s like it never happened. Like we’re back to four years ago but… with something better. Something more fusional between us, something I don’t want to miss ever again. His body is bulkier, manlier, and I can’t handle it all. The muscles moving under his skin are driving me crazy.

Nate keeps moving, inside, and I can’t hold it. He’s gotten even better, if it was possible. My extremities are going crazy with lust, tickling, and I need to focus on breathing so as not to explode. He’s not even going fast or wild, it’s just… so, so good. He remembers my body, how to make me go insane with pleasure. My stomach is bursting, my insides overwhelmed by the friction of our bodies between my legs. Worst thing is, I have to be careful not to be too loud; I’m scared it will wake Estelle up, and I really don’t want that.

“Nate… Nate… More… Please…”

As if he was waiting for my go-ahead, he suddenly accelerates, and I wasn’t prepared. I breathe and moan, grabbing his broad shoulders to hold on, the blood rushing. After a while, I realize his erratic breathing mixes with his husky voice, calling my name. I hear it, again and again, as he keeps thrusting, creating sparks inside, making me cry out.

After a while, I finally feel it coming. I don’t know how long we’ve been like this, but I can’t take it anymore, and I can feel him tensing up, groaning louder. A few seconds later, we both explode, like a firework in my head and our joined bodies.

“You… Are you okay?” he asks, out of breath.

I slowly nod.

Moon Goddess. How did we spend hours having sex before? Just a few minutes and I’m so freaking tired. Nathaniel doesn’t seem as exhausted as I am. He just kisses my shoulder while I rest on his, caressing my back.

“I missed you… I missed you so much…” he whispers while gently hugging me.

To my own surprise, his words bring me to tears. I hug him back, hiding my pathetic sobbing in his shoulder.

“Elena? Are you in pain? Did I…”

“Shut up…” I sob.

He sighs, and lifts me up again, holding me effortlessly. Damn it. Between his strength and his new muscles, I’ll get really addicted to his new body.

“… I missed you too. You jerk.”

“Elena, I…”

“You damn jerk. I hate you…”

I hear him chuckle and kiss my neck again.

“I know. I’m sorry. And I love you, too.”

“Stop saying that. I still hate you.”

“Mhmm.”

I know he doesn’t care, but I’m still annoyed at him.

A bit.

“Bath? Shower?” he asks softly.

“Hmm… A bath.”

“Alright. And maybe we can go for a second–”

“Shut up!”

I hear him chuckle while he carries me to the bathroom. Damn it.

I wake up, completely bewildered, but the cries of my daughter are the best alarm clock. I frown, confused before I recognize Nate’s place… and his voice. Sounds like he’s already with her. I still need to go and check what happened, my wolf mom instincts won’t have it. I find a shirt of Nate’s and put it on before walking out of his bedroom.

When I walk into the kitchen, he’s hugging her, while our baby girl is sobbing silently on his shoulder. He glances at my bare legs, but I ignore him and walk up to them.

“Oh, baby. What happened?”

“I woke up and… Daddy wasn’t here, and you weren’t here, Mommy… So, I was really scared and I cried a lot…”

“Don’t be scared, little star, we’re here. I always told you, didn’t I? Mommy will always be here for you.”

She had one of those panics again… I caress her hair and kiss her wet cheeks, but I leave her in her dad’s arms since he’s doing a nice job already. My heart becomes so warm every time I see him with her…

“Do you want a hot chocolate, baby star? I think you’re hungry, my baby. You skipped dinner last night, remember?”

She nods and decides to come to me. Nathaniel hands her over to me without a word but keeps caressing her hair. She looks so much like him with those big blue eyes of hers still sparkling from all her tears earlier.

“Daddy… Can we have breakfast now… Please?”

He smiles and kisses her cheek, and we head together to the kitchen. I have her sit up on the counter and take a stool to sit on the other side with a little smile, brushing Estelle’s hair. Looks like Daddy’s in charge of breakfast.

“What does our baby star want to eat?”

“I think our empty stomachs call for brunch,” I immediately state with a wink.

I know he gets what I mean. He smiles and turns to Estelle, kissing her forehead.

“You like a good potato omelet, baby?”

Estelle’s all curious, watching him cook with wide eyes. Nate goes all out and makes three big potato omelets, with some bell peppers, smoked salmon on the side, and toast. Of course, our princess gets her hot chocolate while her dad and I gulp down our dose of caffeine. We cheerfully eat breakfast all together in the kitchen, and the tears from earlier are easily dried up. Estelle laughs with us about my useless attempt to help Nate and tells us all about her play date with her cousin last night.

When she’s done eating, she runs to her bedroom to play, leaving us alone in the kitchen. I’m still chewing on that delicious toast when Nate walks over to my side, putting his hands on my ass. I’m so surprised I don’t even have time to protest before he takes a bite of my food.

“Hey, let me eat, you wolf.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Well in that case you should have cooked more.”

“I’m not talking about the food…”

Oh… I guess my bare legs did give him an idea, hm? He hugs me, taking a long sniff… Do I smell? Not that he seems to care. He puts gentle kisses on my shoulder.

“Nate, stop it…”

Estelle’s literally next door, we can’t go overboard here and now… although I feel his arousal tickle mine. He groans but finally gives up, leaning away.

“Someone’s been working on their self-control.”

“Don’t tempt me,” he sighs. “You’re the one walking around with bare legs in my apartment.”

“I didn’t think the sight of my bare legs would get you excited.”

“Any bare part of you is exciting.”

“Even if I’m not shaved? And I got fatter?”

He rolls his eyes. I might as well get a check on my insecurities…

“Yes, and you didn’t get fatter. I think you got even thinner, but no worries, I can take care of that for you.”

“Are you planning on fattening me up?” I put the toast down.

“I like your curves. By the way, did you think about my question?”

What question is he talking about…? Oh, that.

“Oh, hell no, Nathaniel Black,” I scoff. “I’m not marrying you. Or anyone.”

“Are you sure? Estelle would look so cute in a little white dress.”

“She can wear one when she gets married. I won’t.”

He frowns, either because of my refusal or the idea of our daughter getting married. Ugh, I feel like he’d be one very protective dad… let alone her uncles. Sorry, baby. Either way, I finish my toast while he’s lost in his thoughts.

“Please marry me,” he insists.

“No, Nate. I just agreed to live with you, now you want to wed me? Are you nuts? Do I get any room for thinking at all? You’re rushing things.”

“Well, considering we went rather quickly from being reunited, to living together, and then having sex, I figured…”

I slap his shoulder. He needs to learn to freaking slow down!

“It’s a no, you idiot. And if you insist again, I’ll even take a step back and sleep with my daughter instead of you.”

“You’ll miss me first,” he mocks me.

“Oh, shut up!”

I push him away and walk to the bathroom, and I make sure to lock the door behind me. Since when was he so clingy?

I enjoy my time alone with my thoughts while in the shower. Since when was he so into marriage… Did Nora and Damian give him ideas? Or is it his way of making sure I don’t run away again? Either way, I’m not ready. And there’s so much going on… I go back to the bedroom to grab some jeans and a tank top when Nate walks in. I ignore him at first, and instead, try to desperately take care of the stupid mess that is my hair.

“I need a haircut, this is too annoying,” I growl.

“I could recommend a salon down the street.”

I nod.

“By the way, don’t you have work?” I ask. “I don’t think I’ve seen you on your computer since we came here.”

“Don’t worry, my HR director is happy to get rid of me for a while. And we have other matters at hand.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Elena, if something big and bad will happen in a few days, we need a back-up plan to protect Estelle. I feel bad bringing it up, but I don’t want to wait until it’s too late. I know you’ve probably thought about it already, so tell me.”

Oh… I do guess work is nothing compared to what’s headed our way, and he does have a family to take care of now. We both do.

“Yes, I thought about it. I was thinking of asking Danny.”

“What?”

He seems unhappy with my choice, so I explain.

“He’s not a good fighter at all, but he’s fast. If things don’t end up the way we want it to, he can take Estelle away from Silver City, fast. We talked about it after Reagan’s funeral, and Daniel agrees with me. He will hide during the fight with Estelle and leave if things turn bad.”

“I hate that idea. And where would they go?”

“Well, from what Reagan said, my mom was a gypsy from the east, so I was thinking they’d run east until they find some human town to hide in.”

“Elena, no. I’m not letting my daughter leave Silver City alone with a weak wolf. No offense to Daniel, but if anything happens to me, I want to be sure she’ll be fine.”

“If something happens to you, Nate, we will both be too dead to deal with what happens to her! Do you have a better idea? Everyone will be fighting, so–”

“Damian has a plan already.”

“What?”

“We talked about it after you came back. Damian’s been planning things for months, with William, Nora’s… well, your cousin too. The Sapphire Moon has a safe house in the north, and they know how to get there secretly. When her labor starts, Nora will most likely be moved to the Sapphire Moon territory. The witch doesn’t know of your connection to this clan, and will most likely focus on the Blood Moon clan’s territory. She’ll go with James, and the Sapphire Moon will protect her.”

Nora didn’t mention any of that when I saw her last night!

“You want Estelle to be with them?” I ask, surprised.

“Yeah. Sylviana knows about this plan and approves of it. She’s already placed some more witch protection spells or whatever there. Elena, the children will be safe, and Daniel can go with them if it makes you feel better. Liam will be there too.”

“What? Liam? Why would he be there instead of fighting with you?”

“He will be fighting, but from the rear, like a defensive position. That way, if things turn bad, Nora and Liam can leave together.”

… My Goddess. They had this much planned already. I know this whole plan makes sense, but the mere idea of my daughter being forced to run away with her aunt and uncle, without me and Nate… I shudder. At least I’m glad Nate also thought a lot about it. I repress my tears.

“Alright,” I nod. “I trust your brother anyway. If there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s protecting his family, including his niece, I guess. I just… I hate that we’re planning all this when we just promised we’d never leave her. I’ll have to explain it to her before that time comes.”

“I know,” Nate sighs. “I feel the same as you.”

“… Before that, I need to talk to the White Moon clan.”

Nate’s surprised, but there are a few things I need to settle before this all goes down.

“If we have to fight, I don’t want it to be like last time’s mess. We lost lives because our Alpha didn’t make the right choices. I need to be sure things are as they should be over there. I need to talk to Clark and Chris.”

“Okay.”

I frown.

“I’m going alone, Nate.”

“Yeah,” he chuckles. “I’d expect so. I’ll watch the baby meanwhile.”

“And Nathaniel, I need to ask you something.”

He frowns at my serious tone, especially as I rarely use his full name, but there’s one thing I need to be sure of before I go back to face my pack once and for all.

“Who killed Diego, Nate?”