Kane’s POV We make it back to our cars just before sunrise. The wolves collapse where they stand. They’re exhausted, and I can't keep pushing them. We’ll need to camp here for the day, and pray to The Goddess that the Templars don’t come after us. I lay Adare on a soft patch of grass and limp around the back of the SUV to find some clothes. I drag out a thick coat for Willow and find a pair of jeans for myself. Some of the Alphas had the forethought to bring Omegas with them, and they are bustling around, preparing food and bringing clothes to their warriors. I fall next to Willow who is busy freeing Adare from his bindings, and fold my coat around her frail shoulders. She is turning blue and shaking from head to toe. “Come on,” I say softly, and help her into the coat. “You need to eat something and get some rest.” “Adare needs a clean nappy, and he has to nurse.” We have exactly zero supplies for the baby. I call an Omega over and explain the situation to her. She nods and takes
Kane is gone by the time I wake up. It’s mid-afternoon, and Adare is still sleeping soundly. I guess the last few days were too much excitement for him too. Regardless, I wake and nurse him, calling Justine over to help me with the makeshift nappy before I finally get out of the car. I like her and trusted her right away. It’s a shame she’s not part of our tribe. I need a bath and clean clothes. I stink to high heaven and I desperately need to pee. I stretch and yawn, looking around the campground. The wolves are recovering quickly, and getting ready for the day. We’ll need to move on soon. The only advantage we have over the humans right now is that we can easily move into territory they have difficulty accessing, but they’ll find their way to us sooner or later. Tully comes bouncing up to me, a huge smile on her face. “Hey,” she chirps and holds her arms out to take Adare. “Come, I’ll show you where you can pee and wash.” Like me, she just shakes the trauma off. When you’re used
I’m terrified. I can’t move. All I can do is lie here and hyperventilate. “Come on, Willow,” I scold myself. “You are not this weak. Get up! Move.”I am just barely aware of Kane’s presence. I don’t even know when he showed up. “You are having a panic attack,” he says. “Again.”“No.”“Yes,” he answers me, and like that night in the bedroom lifts me up and sits behind me.I’m still frozen. Terror cycles into anger, which morphs into a weird kind of glee that makes me laugh like a maniac, but before I can examine this rapid shift between emotions, I’m back to being petrified. “What’s wrong with me?”“I don’t know.”“Where is Adare? Something’s wrong with Adare. He’s in danger.”“He’s fine. He’s with Phillip.”I trust Phillip, but why do I feel like my mate just delivered my son into the hands of The Templars? “No,” I screech and try to get away, but Kane yanks me back and wraps his arms and legs around me. “I need to get him. They’ll kill him when they find out what he is.”“Calm down.
Kane's POVI keep an eye on Willow while she climbs up the embankment, only when she’s safely at the top do I turn back to the witch. “Thank you. I know you put yourself at risk to do this.”Katherine smiles and nods. “I haven’t done many good things in my life.”“That’s not your fault.” She gives me a sad smile. I wish I could do something for her. “Do you want to come with us? Back to my kingdom?”“No. I have to get back. The others depend on me.”“Okay,” I say softly. “Stay safe, Katherine.”She nods and turns to walk away, but just as quickly she turns around and returns. “What the priestess said…she didn’t mean it, you do know that, right?”“Are you sure about that?” I ask, folding my hands across my chest. “What if the magic just forced her to tell me how she truly feels?”“No. The magic in those collars, it…twists every beautiful thing into something ugly. Especially that wolf-killer they put on her. I can’t make you understand, but it’s always like this. It’s like…we want to d
Kane's POV We stop at the first village we come across. Willow is exhausted and Adare needs proper nappies. The pup is fussy and starting to stink a little from the soiled clothes. There are exactly three businesses in the little village. A pub, a clothing store, and a general store that sells everything from freezer meals to aspirin. Usually, I’d find a place like this charming, but I’m in too much of a foul mood today to enjoy it. The old human behind the counter looks up when I walk in, a bell above the door announcing my arrival. I turn on the charm, even though I don’t feel like it. “Good afternoon,” I say. The old man nods at me. “How ye doin’?” I don’t answer him. He doesn’t really expect an answer, it’s just his way of saying hello. I walk down the isles, aware that the man’s eyes are on me at all times. I suppose I must look a bit suspicious in my filthy jeans and muddy t-shirt. I grab some wipes and a box of nappies and take the few items back to the ancient register. “
We are home. Finally.Kane unlocks the door to our apartment and sends my guards on their way. “Tell Leo to send up someone else…tell him to choose only from the guards that volunteered to take the oath.”“Yes, your majesty,” Phillip says and disappears down the hallway.Tessa took care of the two Omegas we brought with us. “I want them to report to me tomorrow morning at nine,” Kane said.“Of course, your majesty,” Tessa agreed.“From now on, they’ll be the only two allowed to attend to me and the queen.”I could see the confusion on our butler’s face, but she didn’t question Kane, just kept agreeing with him.Sighing, Kane drops his bags and looks around the apartment. It’s clean, as always, but the Omegas couldn’t erase the traces of magic left behind. The shadows of the runes someone drew on the floor are still here, and I can see scorch marks left behind by candles.With Adare cradled in one arm, I hover my other hand over the spot, feeling the magic they left behind. It’s powerf
I sit at the kitchen counter, watching Kane prepare breakfast. It’s so normal that I can almost believe that we were never separated. Adare is bouncing on my lap, his legs and arms flailing around. “You are a busy boy today,” I say and hold him upright.The baby gives me a big, toothless grin that melts my heart. Kane looks up from the stove and smiles, but doesn’t say anything. The silence between us is natural and comfortable. I thought it would be weird to be back, but it’s the opposite. “I have to go find Tully later,” I say. “Apologise to her.”“Don’t the two of you share a mind link?”“We do, but she’s either blocking me or still asleep.”“I would rather you didn’t leave the apartment today, Willow.”I look over Adare’s head at my mate who is staring at me with a worried frown between his eyes. “I spent the last week locked up in a tiny room, now you want to do the same thing to me?”“It’s not forever…just until we have the castle fortified and a process in place to detect human
Kane's POVI reluctantly leave Willow and Adare. It would be best if I spend the day with my family, more specifically Willow, so I can reconnect with them, and give our heavy hearts some time to heal, but Jackson already texted me asking when we can talk. There’s too much to do, and I can’t wait until another attack before I do something about The Templars.Phillip and Arlene are already on their posts, standing on either side of the front door. “Good morning,” I grumble. “What are you doing here?”“Uh…guard duty, King,” Phillip says.“You’re supposed to be resting.”“We rested,” Arlene replies. “Now we’re back.”“We don’t trust the others, King,” Phillip adds.I can’t really give them a sermon on the issue of trust. I can barely bring myself to trust the ones I’ve known all my life. “Very well.” I sigh and rub my eyes. “I emailed you a list of the wolves that are allowed up here. No one else comes near my family.”“Yes, King,” they say at once.I drag my feet away from the apartment