Page 34

MACK

W hen he stepped into the dining hall with Ella, Mack was surprised to find almost everyone in there. Along one wall, a buffet had been set up and delicious aromas wafted throughout the room. His mouth watered.

Unsurprisingly, given he’d leaped out of the chopper, mated with his girl, then taken her out to meet his wolf.

He was starving.

Ella would accept it fully over time. Callan was right, talking was important. Shifting and being all hey look at my wolf was a stupid move.

Ella tugged him over to the food and Craig and Brianna joined them, looking extremely somber.

He met the commander’s eye, and the male shook his head, which told him not to ask. Perhaps they’d had an argument.

Mack glanced around the room to check he hadn’t missed a vibe. The original SLCs—Tom, Kurt, Lance—were seated together with their mates

Marcus looked up as he bit into a bread roll as Craig walked across the room and sat. His lowered brows showing he’d picked up on something, too.

“Want some chicken?” Mack asked Ella.

“Yup. Um, does everyone know?” she whispered as she leaned against his arm. “About...?”

Mack did a quick look around the room and nodded.

“Um, excuse me, do you all know I’m a wolf?” he asked loudly, and Ella dropped her face into her hands.

“Yup. Old news.” Ben chimed, and Anna elbowed him.

“So is Maddy.” Piper pointed her fork.

Ella lifted her face and then smiled over at the female.

“Sorry, I couldn’t tell you.” Madison shrugged. “It’s cool though, right?”

“Um. It’s... I’m still adjusting. But yeah.” Ella blushed and he could have kissed her right there.

“I get it,” Madison replied.

“Don’t worry, El, aside from a long run now and then, there’s nothing you need to worry about,” Kurt said, biting down on some beef. “If you need to talk, you can come to me.”

Fuck that.

“She can talk to me,” Mack growled

“Well, look at you, a real chatterbox now.” Callan chuckled and Mack shot him the bird.

Lance glanced down at Sofia’s plate. “Babe, you need to eat more than that.”

The Italian was a loner. Not at all social with the other females. So, it was weird seeing her seated with everyone else.

“I’m just a little...ugh no, I don’t want to eat anything.”

Brianna glanced at Anna, then they both stared at Sofia.

Mack piled food onto both his and Ella’s plates and ignored her gasps and claims of never being able to eat all that. He would. His wolf consumed a lot.

“How long have you been feeling sick?” Anna asked behind them.

“What. Are you sick? If it’s that fucking serum, I’ll go back and re-kill Xander!” Lance started freaking out and Mack finally understood the insanity of the mated male now.

He’d literally destroy the earth to protect Ella. God knows he’d destroyed enough bike chains to spend time with her when they were younger.

He’d messaged his brother while walking through the mansion and told him they’d bonded. His response had been a range of emojis—an eggplant was one of them.

Idiot.

“I don’t think it’s the serum,” Anna said, reaching over and taking Sofia’s pulse. “I think we should do a pregnancy test.”

The entire room stopped eating and glanced up.

With only ten million vampires to eight billion humans, it was rare for females to get pregnant. When they did, it was a cause for success.

Sofia’s eyes lit up, her eyes snapping to Lance’s. “We’re pregnant?”

Lance tossed his utensils on the table and they clattered onto the floor. Then jumped up and pulled the Italian female with him, kissing her so hard he was waiting for Sofia to burst at the sides.

Ella leaned into Mack with an aww while he balanced his overflowing plate.

“We need to check first,” Anna laughed, but it was too late. All the females were hugging Sofia.

First Brooklyn, then Charlotte. Cassy was next, and Lucinda, Tom’s mate, twirled her around. Madison kissed her cheek, and Amber, Darnell’s mate, lifted her glass of water from the opposite side of the table in congratulations and tapped it against Piper’s.

“Isn’t it weird how vampires are becoming pregnant so quickly these days?” Virginia, Callan’s mate, asked.

Ella and Mack sat down near them.

“My mom said that too.” Ella arranged her plate while Mack poured her a glass of water.

“Guys! She might not be pregnant.” Anna laughed. “We need to check.”

“She is,” Lance said. “I thought I sensed something yesterday.”

Wow.

That was kind of wild.

“Happy for you man.” Tom slapped him on the back.

“Same.” Alex tugged Cassy back down beside him, clearly wanting his mate close.

“Ditto.” Craig plonked down at the end of the table, and Brianna sat on his lap.

Neither of them had any food. Mack took a couple of mouthfuls, watching Ella do the same, but as everyone settled back down, he kept an eye on the commander.

Chew, chew, chew.

Something wasn’t right.

The longer he watched, the more the warriors became tense, as if they too were becoming aware. Even Elijah and Jason, who were assassins employed by Ari and didn’t know the team vibe as well as the others, were starting to chew slower and glance down the table.

Craig watched them all, thoughtfully.

And let’s face it, the big guy didn’t really do emotions all that well, but they were plastered on his face. Then he glanced at Brianna and her eyes were full of tears.

“Okay, fuck this.” Kurt dropped his knife and fork loudly. “What’s going on?”

The females went quiet, their eyes darting around because they had missed the denseness around them while celebrating the maybe-baby.

“Mack?” Ella was still beside him, and he draped an arm around her, pulling her closer.

Craig didn’t respond. His eyes simply drifted over each and every one of them, almost looking like a king himself.

Then he lifted his face to Brianna and wiped a tear off her cheek.

“He won’t tell me.” She slammed her face into his neck and sobbed.

Fuck.

Cold ice slammed into his chest as fear began to take hold . No . No, this couldn’t be happening. Surely not yet. Not this fast.

“Fuck,” at least five warriors said at once, and chairs scraped along the floor as they stood abruptly, getting ready for battle.

Mack tossed his napkin, ready to do the same.

“Sit,” Craig ordered, his voice powerful and commanding. “This is as it should be. All of us together. The king’s warriors. With our mates. Proud and strong.”

The ice solidified in his chest as Mack glanced down at Ella. When her eyes lifted, he said the only three words that would ever matter.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Tears slid down her face.

“Fuck that. We are not sitting on our asses.” Darnell stood and punched his fist against the wall, glaring at the commander.

Ben, Logan, Tristan, Oliver...they all stood.

Kissing Ella, Mack pushed his plate away. If they were going to war, he was going too.

Craig smiled.

The hell?

“Fuck, I love all of you cunts.” Craig's eyes glistened with emotion, which was probably the most terrifying thing any of them had ever seen.

“Jesus Christ,” Kurt muttered.

“There is nothing we can do. Sit down. Kiss your mates.” Craig’s smile vanished as he looked at the clock on the wall. “Now.” Then he turned and kissed Brianna as if it was the last thing he would ever do.

It occurred to them all that it might be, as they took two heartbeats to look at one another and then do what they’d always done.

They’d obeyed Craig Giordano, their commander.

Mack pulled Ella up and crushed her to his chest.

A blinding flash of light filled the room as someone yelled, “God save the king—”