**Potential trigger warning** Liam’s POV Fred signals we’re very close and we can see some lights ahead. We cut the engines, not wanting to alert them. I link for some men to stay on the rigs to come with supplies once we’ve taken over and the rest of us to shift. As soon as we shift, Kalen whimpers. He knows Emma is hurt badly. Fred leads us up a trail. There’s a concrete building up ahead with cars around it. We quietly skirt around the treeline. I’m disgusted by the cages full of women. Looking back at my warriors, they all look enraged. We go just another 500 feet and I stop dead in my tracks. I SEE RED. Zak’s POV We’re sneaking up on the camp, seeing dozens of women caged around this place when Alpha stops dead. He releases a blood curdling growl. I look up to where his gaze is fixed and let out a whimper. Luna is strung up by her wrists, her head is completely limp. Her shirt missing and the word “whore” branded across her bare abdomen. Emma’
Grace’s POV Emma is unconscious, pulse in the 30s, blood pressure too low. She is clearly unstable. I get busy working, placing a central line so we can get fluids into her as quickly as possible. I hadn’t yet noticed Liam. When I glance at him, he is a shell of my son. He had pulled back to give us space to work but wanted to be close. “Liam, go ahead and hold that hand, we’re done with that arm. She needs to feel you”. Without a pause, his hand is there. His forehead to the arm. “Liam love, keep holding onto her but I’m going to transfuse your blood into her. She needs blood immediately and we can at least start with some of yours”. He doesn’t hesitate. He exposes his arm, never glancing away from Emma. It is devastating to see him like this. I continue to assess the trauma, taking note of the dislocated shoulders, fractured ribs, femurs… Jesus, did they run her over with a tank? I gently unfold the trauma blanket, discovering the brand on her abdomen read
Ruth’s POV Sitting on the helicopter, I’m trying to desperately wrap my head around what has unfolded. I’m sitting next to my supposed mate yet I feel numb. Thankfully he is giving me some space and hasn’t tried to push boundaries or even speak for that matter. I have been watching mom tend to Emma the entire ride. One of the nurse comes over and asks if I need anything and I almost want to get angry and tell her to fuck off but I take a breath and politely tell her I’m fine. Inwardly I’m dying. I literally suffered nothing other than the humiliation of being bound, gagged and stuck in a cage. Emma took the beating for both of us and it killed me. Killed me knowing that she is fighting for her life and I walked out without a scrape. I have never seen my brother empty before. Even when dad and Alice died, he had substance. This is different. She is his substance. I’m shaken from my torment when my mate speaks for the first time, “I’m sorry”. “For what?”, I am too
Grace’s POV I left the hospital around 4am to get some sleep. Emma is in good hands. I’m exhausted but desperately need to check on Ruth. I had some colleagues check on her earlier and felt so guilty for not having gotten to her sooner but I know she understood. The suites are deafeningly quiet. I knock on Ruth’s door, nothing. Entering her suite, “Ruth?”. I quietly whisper as I search for her. I find her asleep on the couch. I grab a blanket to cover her up when I hear her stir. “Hi sweetheart”. “Hi mama, how’s Emma?”, she asks, sitting up. “She’s stable now sweetie. I'm so sorry I couldn’t attend to you last night”. I grab her so tightly and pull her into me. The harder I hug her, the more I realize that my daughter was almost lost to me. She could be the one in Emma’s shoes and I start crying. Ruth rubs my back, “mom it’s okay. I’m okay. Please don’t cry, I’m okay”. I can’t help it, I’m overwhelmed that my daughter was in this situation and came that cl
Zak’s POV Leaving the hospital, it dawns on me just how strong I’m going to have to be in these next few weeks. I have never seen Alpha hand over the reins so passively. I want to be there for him and Emma. I’m lost deep in thought when I run into Ruth. “Oh god Zak, I’m so sorry!”. Reaching out to steady her, “Ruth how are you feeling? Wait, why are you here and what are you doing here? Why aren’t you resting?”. She has a sort of guilty countenance which I find odd. “I want to check on Emma and Liam. I wanted to ask too if I can help organize the women’s housing and pack organization. I need to help with this Zak, please. I want to help”. She sounds desperate. “Of course you can help. I would love it actually since the women aren’t too fond of the men which I can understand and we could really use as many women as possible. But Ruth… you went through a lot yourself. Are you sure you don’t need some…”. Before I can even finish my sentence, Ruth starts crying into h
Ruth’s POV Standing outside of Emma’s room, it’s surreal seeing her so motionless. She lies still. I force myself to open the door. Liam looks up at me and a small smile comes across his face. I remembered to bring some of his favorite snacks since I know he won’t have been eating, along with a stack of bridal magazines, some nail polish and some various board games. “Mind some company?”. He nods as he ruffles through the snack bag which warms my heart. The way to my brother’s soul has always been through food. I’m happy to see him eating something, even if it is cheetos. “Moving in?”, he chides in between crunches. “I could live in the broom closet, next to you Liam”, I say light heartedly. I know mom has been harping on him to not spend so much time here even though it’s hardly been 24 hours. Grabbing some nail polish, I’m debating between two colors when Liam butts in… “that one”. I lift my left hand and raise an eyebrow. “You prefer this one? That’s a surpri
Leo’s POV I was going crazy in my own madness when I had decided to phone Zak. I need a purpose. Of course! How could I have been so self involved?! Here I am whining about being love sick when there’s an entire hall full of trafficked women and children. I swing by Dan’s apartment but he’s not there. Also try ringing him, but no answer. As I enter the pack hall, there’s a lot more chatter than I’m expecting, mostly women which I do expect but as I round the corner what I do not expect to see is Ian looking like Tim the Tool Man Taylor, building bunk beds for small children. I swear, he looks like a saint over there. The kids clearly adore him, the women too. As soon as I walk in, the women step back in terror and look down. Noticing their discomfort, Ian steps forward. “Ladies, it’s okay. This is Leo- he is Zak’s brother. He’s here to help too”. He offers me his hand and to my dismay I shake it. Whether it was to comfort the women or out of surprise, I’m no
Ruth’s POV It’s been a very, very long day. I spoke to so many women and all their stories were painfully similar. Even some of their husbands had sold them out. It was nearly 8pm and I desperately needed dinner and a bath. We had served dinner to everyone else and had breakfast settled with a plan for tomorrow. Leo slipped out already which made me more comfortable. Ian starts toward me, “do you mind if I walk you home? Make sure you get there ok?”. His gesture warmed my heart. “Actually, I’d like to make you dinner if that’s ok?”, smiling at him and reaching for his hand. Walking hand in hand, we head for my apartment. “What do you like to eat?” I ask while rummaging through my fridge. He seems mildly uncomfortable being in my apartment. I motion to the island stools, “please, make yourself comfortable. Can I get you something to drink?”. He seems awfully quiet and still hasn’t answered the questions. Walking around to where he’s sitting to face him, “are
Liam’s POV *about six weeks later* “Liam, stop pacing”. I look up at Emma who is in labor but can’t push yet. “Why is she so calm?” Kalen nudges. I just shake my head. I have no idea how she’s this calm but it’s going on 20 hours now of labor and contractions but she hasn’t been able to actually push yet. “Oww… ehhh”, Emma lets out a slight shriek. I rush over to her. “Baby, tell me what you need”. Grace comes in, also cool as a cucumber. “Is this like a woman thing Liam?”. Kalen is just as nervous as I am. “Kalen buddy, I have no idea. But I’m freaking out too”. She squeezes my arm, oh shit that hurts. “Oh sorry baby”. I rub her hand, “no, squeeze all you need it’s fine”. I may regret that later. Grace checks her progress, “ooh, Emma my girl, you are finally ready. You feel like you can push?”. Emma takes a breath in, “no, I’m just gonna chill here a while and do a crossword”. She giggles, “yes, please… get them out of me!”. Grace looks at me, “you
Emma’s POV “I can’t believe it’s already been three weeks. Are you sure everything is ready?”. I’m a nervous wreck. Ruth is curling my hair, getting us ready for the ceremony. “Relax, Emma. Darling. Everything is set, just chill”. Grace comes in, followed by Savannah, Michelle and Dana. They’re all dressed and look stunning. Each chose their own style of emerald dress with gold jewelry. Grace in a gold dress. “Mama Grace!”, I look her up and down. “You are gorgeous”. She twirls and curtsies. Ruth scolds me, “quit moving child”. I sulk, “sorry mother”. She finishes my hair and light makeup. “Oh boy, the moment of truth. Hopefully it fits”. I step into the bathroom and shimmy into the gown only this time Grace steps in behind me. “Oh honey, you look stunning”. I look at myself in the mirror as she laces up the gown. “Thank you Grace”. She pulls a box from a bag and reveals a stunning pair of emerald earrings. “Oh my, Grace. That’s too much”. She swats my hand
Liam’s POV Luckily we anticipated these waits and brought a deck of cards. We got some odd looks but we had fun with our parking lot poker. Finally my Luna emerged after what felt like eternity. “You win us some money honey?”, her voice is like food for my soul. I scoop her up and spin her around, making her squeal a little. “We get to pick lunch huh?”, as I leave a little kiss on her mark. “Yeah, you guys pick Hooter’s or something?”. I squeeze her into me as Zak chuckles. “Why on earth would be take an entourage of our women folk there?”, Zak chides. “Culture Zak. Besides, Ian’s never been I bet”. He busts out laughing. I nip Emma’s shoulder lightly, “what did you guys do in that dress shop that has you so defiant miss Emma? No. We aren’t going to Hooter’s nor would we. Believe it or not, we’ve actually never been AND… I’ve heard their food sucks. Besides, I’ve got all the hooters I want right here”. I playfully caress her boob. Dana giggles, “You started
Emma’s POV Since Ruth got Liam on board with shopping, we just lumped the maternity wedding session into the trip too oh and… PEDICURES! The boys don’t know what’s coming. As we roll into the salon parking lot, Liam grumbles something and looks at Zak. “Zak, did you know about this?”. Dana and I giggle, “remember what you said Alpha, that you’d be willing to do it with me?”. His face goes super serious and almost pale. “Luna, I’d literally die for you but this… this is a lot to ask. Zak help me out”. There’s a smirk on the Beta’s face, “sorry boss, no can do. I do remember you saying you’d try it. Besides, my woman wants one too so here I am. Just suck it up”. Liam wraps his arms around me and kisses my temple. “You’re lucky I love you so damn much. And you…”, pointing to Zak, “definitely knew about this”. As we exit the SUV, Zak quips back, “pretty sure you’re the only one who doesn’t know Liam”. No one could miss the group of our brooding men, who insist on walkin
Erik’s POV As I lay on the mattress, I am at peace with the decision to die. I deserve it and I hope it’s not swift or painless. I deserve whatever is coming. There are no clocks in these cells so I have no way of knowing the hour. I begin to doze off eventually until I hear a voice in my cell. That’s the same voice that rang through my head in court that day, telling me judgment was upon me. I open my eyes and see a pair of purple eyes staring at me from the corner. “So it was you? Why you’re interested in these matters I don’t know but…”. She comes out of the shadows somewhat, revealing her face. Her long hair cascades down her face, framing her angelic face. “To what do I owe the honor of a visit from a Goddess?”. She’s studying me, not speaking. Finally, I relax back into the bed and lean against the wall. “My blood asked me to grant you a delicate death but I sense that isn’t what you want”. Her blood? Who would…? “Are you saying Emma is your blood
Liam’s POV Holy crap. My Luna just suggested anal to me. Kalen comes forward, “it’s natural bud, go for it”. I scowl at him, “maybe for you, you’re a dog. Besides, I don’t want to hurt her”. Wait, does this mean she’s done that before? Suddenly I feel insecure. And on cue, Emma tells me I’d be her first. Great, now my dick is impossibly hard. There’s no going back from this erection. She leads us into the bedroom and reaches for a gift bag. “Who gifted you lube?”I'm suddenly very pissed. She giggles… “no baby, it was a gag for the baby shower- it’s KY jelly. They use it for birth but um… well, I sort of googled this once like last week… cause…”. Before she could finish, I had her pinned on the bed. She laughs in between kisses, “so you’re not mad I googled it? It was a ‘how to’ but yeah, a lot of ummm interesting things came up. But I wanted to be prepared and I wanted to try this with you”. I kiss all along her mark, making her arousal thicken around me. “No ba
Emma’s POV As soon as Liam left, I realized I only have two hours to accomplish my plan. I reach out for Selene, praying she’s listening. “It’s sort of an emergency and I wouldn’t be contacting you if I didn’t need to”. There’s a tingling in my mind followed by, “meet me downstairs for tea”. I gently make my way downstairs, honoring the promise to my mate and doctor. I love referring to Grace as my doctor. It makes her sound so official. I see Selene sitting in a corner chair, sipping on a cup of tea. “I’m glad you’ve made yourself comfortable”, I tease. She smiles, “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better”. As I take a seat, I remember Liam screaming at her last night. “Does my feeling better have anything to do with Liam cursing you last night?”, I lift a brow questioningly. She smiles but doesn’t reply. “What is this favor you speak of?”. I grab for the second cup of tea, secretly wishing it were hot chocolate. Only when I look back at the cup, it’s cha
Michelle’s POV During recess, I let Dan and Savannah have some private time. At this point, I no longer cared about my own testimony but she was pregnant with that monster’s child… My uncle’s. How would Dan react? If roles were changed and it were me, I’m not sure Leo would be so happy. Sure he’d accept it because it wasn’t my fault but he would try and kill Erik I’m sure of it. I’m brought from my thoughts with the smell of coffee wafted under my nose. I giggle, opening my eyes to find Leo baiting me. “Don’t think too hard darling, that’s my job”. He kisses my cheek, handing me my coffee. We sit in comfortable silence for a bit, soaking up some sunlight when we’re summoned back into the courthouse. “The council has agreed after deliberation that all parties tried, are guilty of all charges laid before them”. They laid out the punishments for the lower ranked members and finally made it to Erik. “With regard to the former Alpha Regent, Erik is to be execute
Savannah’s POV I had been feeling extra emotional these last few days. I chalked it up to the impending trial and everything as a whole. This has been a tense time for the pack and group. Seeing Erik yesterday was overwhelming. It caused a lot of flashbacks and worsened my already bad night terrors. Dan has been such a sweetheart. He gives me plenty of space which I know is so hard for him, especially being an alpha but I know he knows I’m going through a lot. I have kept a secret calendar marking off the days since the horrid night Erik took my virginity. It’s been 45 days and no cycle. Shit. When I had been at Ruth’s house, I remember she had some pregnancy tests in her bathroom but how the hell would I get in there? What about the clinic? Would they just give me one discreetly? Dan cannot know about this. Waking up extremely early, the morning of the trial, I ran over to the hospital where I had been visiting the girls- Anna, Hannah and Bree; that Regan h