Chapter three

Kennedy 

I woke the next morning, cuddled with Samantha. She was still asleep after our long night, rescuing Zeke and calming me down with her entire clan. I slip out of bed and decide that I want to show my gratitude by making everyone breakfast. 

I find that everyone was stall asleep and made it easier for me to get started on the task at hand. I found everything needed to make the blueberry muffins my mother and I made when I was a kid and got to work. 

I must have zoned out making muffins because I jumped as Samantha wraps around my back, two hours later. I tremble in her arms as her strong arms held me tight and she whispers soothingly in my ear. I relax against her chest and she loosens her arms around me. 

I turn in her arms, nuzzling my face in her neck and breathe in her vanilla and lavender scent. Her hand slips up the back of my shirt to trace one of the many scars on my back. I've been finding it soothing and she picked up on that rather quickly. 

I shutter a calming breath and lay my head on her shoulder. I notice a small crowd of clan members in the kitchen and wonder how long they'd been there. "We could smell cooking, but wasn't expecting to see Sam's mate," a short, long haired woman says with a light smile. "We couldn't get your attention and thought it was best to get Sam."

"Please, call me Kennedy," I say quietly with a light smile. I gesture to the muffins and say softly, "Please help yourselves to the muffins. They're a thank you for your acceptance."

Anna steps in front of me, cradling Amanda with tears in her eyes. Aqua blue eyes met mine and I step away from Samantha. "Zeke told me what you did for him and what they did to you for treating him. I just wanted to thank you for taking care of him and bringing him back to me," she chokes quietly with knowing eyes about my pain.

I feel Samantha rub my arms from behind me and flinch under her touch. "Please don't touch me," I choke in a scared whisper. 

Anna looks behind me at Samantha and gently shakes her head. Her hands drop and I avoid any contact as I head back towards her room. I didn't want anyone else to know what those bastards did to me. I'm just glad I never got pregnant by them. I'm not even sure I can get pregnant with Samantha with all the beatings I took.

I curl up in her warmth from where she just left the bed and sob in the pillow. Fresh vanilla and lavender fills the room and as Samantha enters a few minutes later and curls up against my back. She kisses my shoulder and I look back at her. "I loved what we shared, it felt different. They did it to Claire too," I choke between broken sobs. "I'm not sure if I can give you an heir. What good of a mate am I if I...?

"Shhh, we can find out when you're ready," she says in a soothing whisper. "There's nothing wrong with you."

"Will you go with me when I find out," I ask in a choked whisper and she nods lightly. "I'm not sure if I can wait to find out."

"We can go now if you want," she says softly and I nod vigorously. 

We waited an hour after testing before the doctor walked in. Her face gave neither positive or negative expression. I clamp down on Samantha's hand as tears rapidly roll down my cheeks. Her lips moved, but it was as if she was on mute.

I guess she was talking to me, because when I didn't answer her, Samantha kneels in front of me with concerned eyes. "Did you hear anything she said," she asks with concern and I gingerly shake my head as tears roll down my cheeks. "She said that the damage she saw the other day, after a full exam while you were asleep, is gone. My blood healed your internal damages."

Relieved sobs escape my lips and Samantha scoops me from the chair, sitting with me across her lap. I hold onto her as she gently rocks side to side. She slips her hand inside my shirt, caressing my stomach and I shutter a calming breath. 

A soft knock on the door before a middle aged woman pokes her head in. "Zeke wishes to speak with your mate Sam," the other woman says softly.

"I need a few minutes to calm her down," Samantha says quietly and the woman nods, walking away.

"I could use a distraction," I say in a shaky breath. 

"Okay," she says softly kissing my temple. "Thank you Martha."

"My pleasure," she says with a sympathetic smile. She looks at me and says, "If you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to ask."

I hug her and choke quietly, "Thank you."

She gives my back a comforting rub and says, "You're welcome sweetie."

Samantha leads me to where Zeke was recovering and Anna was sitting with him, holding Amanda. "I'll come back..."

"Wait," Zeke says quietly as I turn to leave with Samantha. "I just wanted to thank you, for taking care of me and for coming back for me."

"I'm sorry if I made it worse for you. I didn't want you to die when you kept mentioning your mate having your baby. I didn't want them to end up like me," I choke quietly as tears roll down my cheeks. "I'm sorry I didn't try to bring you with me."

Samantha takes me in her arms and I shutter a calming breath. "You're both safe now," she says softly, reaching up my shirt to stroke one of the scars. 

*Claire*

"I can't get enough of the vanilla and lavender scent. It's soothing.

"I know," I mutter quietly as I breathe in the sweet mixture.

"Hold onto me," Samantha says quietly and hoists me up with my legs around her waist. "Let's get you calmed down, okay?"

I nod against her shoulder and she walks me out of the hospital. She ignores several members as they call out to her and continues to our room. She locks the door before undressing me and bringing me to the bathroom. I look at her confused as she draws the tub and she just gives me a small smile.

She grabs a hair tie and puts my waist length hair in a bun. She adds some lavender oil to the tub and discards her clothes too. She helps me in the scalding water and sits behind me. I hum a content sigh and rest against her. 

"We never got to go another round, but I'll understand if you need time," Samantha says quietly, tracing her fingers over my scars.

"Can we wait a day," I ask in a choked whisper. "I wasn't expecting what happened to me to resurface so soon after escaping."

"I'm not going to make you do anything you're not comfortable doing, please don't be afraid to tell me if something does," she says softly kissing my cheek and rests her hands on my stomach.

"Thank you," I say quietly and place my hands over hers.

"My parents said you could join me when I face the council. They said they wanted to see for themselves that you exist and I'm not saying it just to take over," she says quietly and I look back at her.

"How will they know I'm not just some random person? I thought mates shared a mark," I ask curious. 

"We're supposed to bite each other and it turns into a tattoo looking mark, like the tribal tattoo you saw on Zeke," she says quietly and I nod lightly. "I'll let you decide when you're ready for that."

"How does it work?"

"We bite each other's shoulder during an intimate moment," she says with a light smile. 

"How long before you face the council?"

"Three days."

*Claire*

"We need to form the mate's bond before she goes in front of the council. They could kill us both if there is no valid proof we're her mate."

Tears fill my eyes and turn to face her. "Is it true," I ask in a choked whisper and she looks at me confused. "They'll kill us if we don't have the mark?"

"Its happened before, yes," she chokes quietly as tears fill her eyes. 

"Then I don't want to wait," I choke quietly and turn to straddle her lap. I shake my head and say as tears roll down my cheeks, "I don't want to lose the first person who showed me love other than my parents."

"Let's take this to the bed," she chokes quietly, giving me a kiss. 

Samantha 

We sat, facing each other, rocking back and forth. I took the band from her hair and it fell like a curtain around us. Our breaths were raspy as we held eye contact and she showed no sign of discomfort. 

She trails kisses along my jaw and down my neck. "Kennedy," I moan softly as she grazes her teeth on my shoulder. "We have to be in sync with our bite. Are you sure you want this?"

She looks up at me with tears in her eyes and says in a choked whisper, "You saved me, let me save you."

I nod lightly and we press our mouths to each other's shoulders. I could feel our orgasm build and together we bite down as we ride out our climax. I felt this warmth burn around where Kennedy was biting my shoulder and it felt intoxicating. 

We pull from each other's shoulders and I take her in a passionate kiss. Our blood mixed in our mouths, sealing the mate's bond. We break from the kiss and lay in each other's embrace. I could feel her heart beat as if it were beating inside my chest. I could feel Claire beneath the surface of her skin and she was purring with affection. 

I trail my fingers over her side and Kennedy nuzzles her face in my chest. She shutters a content sigh and I take a look at her shoulder. It was already healing and the mate's mark taking place of the bite mark. I feel as she lets out a sleepy sigh and moments later sleep takes over.

I woke to faint tracing on my shoulder and open my eyes to Kennedy propped up next to me. Jer facial expressions were soft as she studied my face. "Hi," she murmurs quietly.

I give a sleepy smile and murmur quietly, "Hi."

"I wanted to make you something special, but Claire can't go without your scent," she chokes quietly.

"You're welcome to wear my clothes if it will help her," I say softly and she nods lightly. I move her hair to see her mark. "Each pair has their own mark that matches."

A knock at the door causes Kennedy to hide in the closet and I quickly threw on the clothes I took off before our bath. I open the door to Anna who looked concerned as she rubs Amanda's back as she grunts with refusing to sleep. "Are you and Kennedy doing okay? You've been in here an entire day," she says with concern. 

"It's been a whole day," I ask surprised and she nods lightly. "How's Zeke doing?"

"He's eating whatever muffins that were left from yesterday. I also came by to talk with Kennedy if she's up to it," she says quietly and I let her in the room.

Kennedy exits the closet wearing one of my favorite hoodies. She had her face buried in the hoodie with her eyes closed and takes in a deep breath of my scent. I could feel through the mate's bond that Claire was calm, but I needed to know she'd be okay if I left her alone.

"Will Claire be okay if I leave you alone with Anna? I need to check in with my parents," I say quietly and she nods lightly with her face still hidden in the hoodie. I kiss her forehead and say softly, "I'll only be a half hour, hour at the most."

"She'll be fine Sam," Anna says with a smile, playfully slapping my shoulder. 

A protective  leopard growl comes from Kennedy as she steps in front of me. "I'm not hurt, just a playful smack," I say in a soothing whisper and she relaxes against my chest. I look at Anna and she had an understanding look on her face. "No hitting of any kind in front of her, please."

"I'll spread the word," she says softly and looks at Kennedy. "I would never hurt Samantha."

I watch as Kennedy's gaze switched to a restless Amanda and her facial expressions softened as tears fill her eyes. "Can I hold her," she asks in a choked whisper, never taking her eyes off Amanda. 

Sympathy fills Anna's eyes as she hands Amanda over to Kennedy. I could feel her relief through the bond and kiss her forehead. Anna gives me a reassuring smile and I leave them to go find my parents. 

I bump into them in the kitchen and they were relieved to see me. "Is everything okay with Kennedy? Martha told us about your visit yesterday and how emotional she was," my mother says with concern. 

"She was upset that she wasn't going to be able to give me an heir because of the abuse. Turned out that my blood healed her internal damages and made it possible for her to get pregnant," I choke quietly as tears fill my eyes. "After trying to calm her down, she asked me about my meeting with the council. I guess her leopard filled her in what could happen because she started to freak out about losing the first person to show her love since her parents were killed. 

"We completed the mate's bond yesterday and we just woke up before Anna showed up a few minutes ago," I choke with a smile as I could feel her through the bond. "I can feel how happy she is right now."

My mother exposes my left shoulder, revealing the crowned heart mark from Kennedy. I could feel the panic through our bond and took of in the direction of the pull of the bond. I found her in the den, standing protectively in front of Anna and Amanda. Two unrecognizable men were closing in on them and I shift into my leopard as I took them both to the ground.

I clawed out their throats and turn to see Kennedy holding them in a protective embrace. My parents run into the room and took notice of the situation. Kennedy was in full on protective mode, shielding Anna from the gory scene. I knew she'd make a great Queen and someday a very protective mother. 

Zeke runs in, taking in what happened and tried to relive Kennedy from protecting Anna and Amanda. She lets out a protective leopard growl and I shift back into my human form. "Zeke, let her calm down. She's protective of her new clan and is very protective of Amanda," I say in a soothing tone and he nods with understanding. "Help me get rid of them. Maybe she'll calm down once they're gone."

Zeke nods, grabbing one of the bodies and we bring them to the morgue for cremation. I take a quick shower before returning to where I left Kennedy holding Anna and Amanda. She was feeding Amanda a bottle while Zeke was calming down Anna. 

I check on Anna and she was falling asleep to Zeke stroking her hair. I sit next to Kennedy as she brings Amanda to her shoulder and gently rubs her back. Kennedy looks up at me with sad eyes and I knew there was only one thing that would take that sadness away.

"Give it time," I say in a soothing whisper and it was all she needed to hear to give me a sad smile.