Page 34 of It’s Kind of a Bunny Story (Hey There, Hop Stuff #3)
“ I f you start feeling overwhelmed or tired, tell us, okay?” Copeland wrapped a blanket around my legs. “I don’t care if the alpha requested your presence. We’ll get you out of there immediately.”
“Would you stop fussing?” Laughing, I batted his hand away. “I’m a big girl and can handle myself. Which reminds me, is this wheelchair really necessary? My legs still work.”
“You’ve been in a hospital room for over a week. We’re not going to risk exhausting you the first day Dr. Blaine is allowing you out of here,” Fletcher explained.
“I don’t like it when the three of you gang up on me. You guys get so bossy,” I playfully huffed.
“If you prefer, I’ll be happy to carry you,” Linc offered.
My cheeks warmed. It was embarrassing enough that I was going to be wheeled in front of the alpha. But to be carried in front of him? With our size difference, it would look like Linc was carrying a kid instead of his bonded mate.
“Um… I think I’ll stick with the wheelchair.”
“Suit yourself,” Linc shrugged. “Just let me know if you change your mind.”
“Do we know why the alpha wants to see me?” I asked, fiddling with the fringe on the edge of the pastel plaid blanket.
“It’s a surprise,” Copeland whispered in my ear before standing and pushing the wheelchair down the hallway.
A sleek, cobalt blue SUV was waiting at the curb in front of the hospital. The moment we stepped outside, the driver hopped out and hurried around to open the side doors of the vehicle.
“Your ride awaits, milady.” The sweet, older gentleman gave me a wink, and his bushy mustache turned up in a smile.
“How nice!” I beamed back at him. “Thank you, kind sir.”
He tipped an imaginary cap and waited until we’d all slid into the back seat before shutting the door and making his way back around to the driver’s seat.
“Do you know where we’re going?” I asked, resting my head on Fletcher’s shoulder and lacing my fingers through Copeland’s.
“You’ll see.” Copeland gave my hand a squeeze. “Be patient, little rabbit.”
We’d driven for about an hour when things began to look familiar.
Surely we aren’t going there…
I kept the thought to myself, unable to believe what my eyes were telling me. But as the miles passed, it became clear that we were headed back to the last place on earth I ever wanted to visit. Blackberry Burrows.
“Tell him to stop,” I squeaked, hardly able to speak through the tightness in my throat. My pulse pounded in my ears. “Please!”
Fletcher turned, catching my chin and forcing me to meet his gaze. “Breathe, Charlee. You’re safe. No one is going to touch you.”
“You can’t be serious!” I half-shrieked, half-sobbed. “My last visit there didn’t exactly earn me any friends.”
“I think you’re going to find you have a lot more friends than you realize once we get there,” Fletcher tried to reassure me.
“And I think you’ve lost your mind.” I hadn’t meant to say it, but I couldn’t help it.
Had he forgotten what I’d done to obtain the information about the toxin? It had involved threats, a knife, and a whole roll of duct tape. There wasn’t a chance in Hades the burrow or the council was going to welcome me back with open arms.
“The alpha is already there with some of the pack. And they’re waiting on you.” Linc’s calm tone quieted my rising panic. “We don’t want to ruin the surprise, but let’s just say the council is no longer calling the shots.”
“Oh.” Not sure what else to say, I slumped back against the car seat and remained quiet.
What could’ve gone down in the past week to make my mates feel so confident it was safe for me to return to the burrow?
“Right on time,” the driver declared, rolling through the open gates of Blackberry Burrow.
Sitting up tall, I peered out the windshield, and my jaw dropped.
At least half of the pack was filling the courtyard in front of us. Alpha Cillian, Cyrus, Rig, and Monroe stood in front of them. Monroe radiated pure excitement as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
But the biggest shock of all, and what had me gripping the edge of the seat, was seeing the entire council on their knees on the sidewalk. Their wrists and ankles were shackled, and a chain linked the men together. Pack security stood behind them, guarding them closely.
The SUV rolled to a stop, and Copeland reached for the door handle. “I’ll get your wheelchair. Hold on just a moment.”
“No.” I grabbed his sleeve. “I don’t want it. Please.”
His brows drew together, and it was clear he was about to disagree, but something in my expression stopped him.
“I promise you can smother me all you want once we leave and I’ll love every minute of it! But after everything they put me through, I want to stand tall and look down on them.” It was spiteful and a little mean. But let’s be real, they deserved it and more.
“Dang, girl! You’re hot when you’re vengeful.” Linc rumbled in approval, sending me a look that had my stomach performing a perfect gymnastic floor routine.
“Well then, lead the way.” Copeland sat back in his seat and motioned for me to step out first. “We’ll follow you… our wee warrior.”
It was a shame I’d worked so hard to save him, only to have to kill him a week later.
He’d picked the perfect moment to use the nickname, since I couldn’t make a scene with everyone watching. Fletcher and Linc dissolved into laughter.
Copeland’s cocky grin told me he thought he’d won, and that wasn’t going to fly. Making my way over his lap to exit the car, I ‘accidentally’ planted a foot between his legs. Hard. His wince told me I’d hit my mark.
“You better watch yourself before I ask the alpha for an extra set of those chains,” I warned.
Copeland wiggled his eyebrows and swatted my butt. “Don’t tempt me with a good time.”
“I swear I don’t know what I’m going to do with you!” I mumbled under my breath, exiting the car with as much grace as I could muster.
Without a word, the men filed out and moved to stand at my back. They were a wall of power ready to take down anyone who dared to touch me. Some of my stress melted away.
This was so much better than sneaking in under the cover of darkness with nothing but a knife, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit it. There was nothing wrong with being strong, nor was there any shame in being protected.
“You’re finally here!” Monroe squealed, running up and throwing her arms around my neck.
“She’s perfectly on time,” Alpha Cillian commented from behind her.
“Yeah, well, it felt like we had to wait forever to show her our surprise!” Monroe protested.
Alpha Cillian held out his hand for me to shake. “Charlee, we want to thank you for the great service you did not only for our pack, but for all the wolf packs around the US.”
I couldn’t have hidden my confusion if I’d wanted to. “But I’m the one who brought the trouble to your doorstep.”
“No, you were the catalyst that brought the potential threat to our attention. And then you risked everything in order to right the wrongs that had been done—wrongs that you had no part in creating. Our pack wanted to honor your bravery and sacrifice by rectifying the wrongs that were done to you.” The alpha motioned toward the people in chains.
My eyes trailed over the faces of the men, and a couple of women, who were bound in chains. Each of them had taken part in my years of torture and mistreatment. They’d either ordered it, or they’d done it at their own hand. Not a single face was missing.
“How did you know?” I asked.
Was it possible the wolves were mind readers? Had they forced the council to confess to how they’d treated me?
Copeland rested a hand on my shoulder. “While we took turns staying with you at the hospital, Fletcher helped us gain access to all the records that we needed. It turns out the council keeps very detailed files on every female rabbit in Blackberry Burrow.”
I twisted my head to look up at Fletcher, surprised to find his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Why didn’t you tell me, Charlee? I didn’t know it was that bad.”
He’d been there to witness the big things like when I’d been tossed in front of the council, and when they’d ordered that I be imprisoned, caged, or beaten.
But there was more he’d known nothing about.
All the small punishments, the insults, the deprivation, and the cruelties done behind closed doors.
“If you had known, you would have done something stupid. Something that probably would’ve gotten you killed.
Just because my life was in ruins didn’t mean yours had to be as well,” I answered honestly.
“Fletcher, I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember, and seeing you happy was the only thing that brought me joy.
Besides, I didn’t want to waste the precious minutes we were able to steal away by pouring out my burdens.
I wanted to pretend those things didn’t exist and focus on our time together. ”
Fletcher pulled me into a hug, nearly crushing me.
“I need to breathe,” I wheezed when he didn’t let go.
The alpha cleared his throat. “Once Fletcher located the records, your mates hunted down every single person mentioned. While they did that, the rest of the pack scoured the rest of the records to get an idea of exactly what we were dealing with and how to fix things. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single person on the council with clean hands.
None of them deserve to be in any position of power, so it’s time for change at Blackberry Burrow. ”
“I couldn’t agree more. But how is that going to work?
Most, if not all, of the male rabbits like the way the council runs things.
If they are allowed to vote in the burrow leaders, they’ll pay lip service to what the alpha demands while continuing to do the same things behind the scenes.
” As much as I wanted to be hopeful, I had my doubts that change was possible.