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
Ian’s POV Ruth is a really good cook. I do not know how in this world I got so lucky. My mate is the most kind, caring and complete knockout of a woman plus she can cook. We sat and talked for a long while before I see her yawn. “You better get to sleep Ruth, you’ve had a long day. I’ll head out and let you rest”. As I’m grabbing my coat she grabs my hand, “Ian, I don’t want you to leave”. I turn to look at her and she looks nervous but confident at the same time. “Ok, I can stay. I can sleep on the couch or the floor or wherever”. I would never presume anything with any woman but especially not her. She steps closer, grabbing my jacket and setting it down. “No, I don’t want you to sleep on the floor or couch. I want to be near you. I’m not ready to do that… yet… but I don’t want you to leave. Is that okay?”. My wolf is doing laps in my mind. That is way more than okay. Gently brushing her cheek and trying to hide my giddiness. “It’s definitely okay”. I lean
Grace’s POV It’s been 7 days. Imaging shows most of her fractures are healed except for her spine. This is unprecedented for a werewolf, why isn’t she healing faster? With Liam’s blood and her own wolf, she should be completely healed by now. Her brain swelling has gone down yet any attempt to wean off of the ventilator has been unsuccessful. We’ve been at a stand still. Liam looks ragged. He hasn’t left this room once. He’s slept every night here, eaten every meal here, showers in there… he needs a break. “Morning”, handing him some coffee. He’s gotten into a routine of stowing his bed so he’s not in the way of staff. He’s like a hospital ghost. “Morning”, he whispers. “Do you think she can hear us?” he asks me. “Absolutely I do”. Looking at Emma then back to him, “Liam can you feel Morrigan?”. He shakes his head with a sad no. This answers my question about the slow healing. “Are you sure you don’t want to see your…”... “no, mom.. I want to wait to see the bab
Emma’s POV Everything hurts. The lights are dim but my head is killing me. My immediate thought is to the baby. The last thing I remembered was Morgan protecting my pelvis and telling me she was preserving life. Suddenly I smell Liam and all of the pain melts away. I can’t turn my head very well for some reason but he’s near. Turning my hand palm side up toward the door, he comes in and takes my hand, resting his head on my shoulder. He’s sobbing fiercely. I wrap that hand up around his head. “Good timing Liam, Emma wants to see the baby”. Liam’s blood shot eyes dart up to mine, “you know?”. My hand gently wipes his tears and his lips find mine. Whispering gently, “Morgan told me”. Grace wheels the ultrasound machine closer and is about to raise my hospital gown, explaining how the goop will be cold on my skin when I suddenly remember my branding. With a panic my hand shields my abdomen, “no!”. Looking away, I feel ashamed. I don’t even know what word they
Ruth’s POV I woke up to the most glorious message from mom, “EMMA WOKE UP! Get your butt down here”. I shriek slightly which scares Ian awake. I send out a group message to Zak and Leo letting them know I can’t come to the hall just yet as promised as I need to go see Emma asap.Told mom I’d take in some of Emma’s clothes and apparently Liam is wearing some of her clothes? Not sure about that one. Gathering a bag for Emma and some of Liam’s clothes, we rush over to the hospital. I don’t know why I feel so nervous. Part of me is scared to see her, to face her. I still am feeling so guilty for walking away unscathed. Getting to her room, they’re drawing some labs so I set the bag down and stay out of the way. As expected, the boys come down the hall. “We should’ve known first thing probably wasn’t the best timing to come see her but I needed to see for myself she was awake and alive”. Zak almost looks like he’s about to cry at his confession. Shockingly so does
Liam’s POV Helping Emma to the shower, I really wasn’t expecting her to be as weak as she is. I felt compelled to carry her but I don’t want her to feel helpless either. Letting her lean as much of herself on me as needed, we made it to the shower. Helping her out of the hospital clothes while the shower warms, she has shockingly lost a fair amount of weight in a short period of time. Her ribs seem to jetty out of her back or maybe it’s the terrible lighting but both Kalen and I whimper silently as we see our mate weak and shrunken. We are so used to seeing her powerful and strong, full of piss and vinegar. I don’t let her see the pain in my eyes. I strip down too so I can hold her upright in the shower. Her legs seem really wobbly. “Baby lean into me and I’ll wash you okay”, I gently encourage her. I can tell she seems slightly frustrated but allows me to help her. I wash her hair for her, being very gentle and taking care not to get any soap in her eyes unlike
Ruth’s POV A few hours later, we each get a text saying Emma is ready for us. Having no clue what kind of shape she really is in, I am both terrified and excited to see my sister. I let Zak and Leo walk ahead down the hall so I can take Ian’s hand, offering him some comfort. I know he’s nervous as hell right now. I can tell he’s been preoccupied with his thoughts the last few hours and it’s been eating at him. “Ian, relax. I know Emma wants to see you. Trust me”. Knocking on the door, Grace gently opens for the boys ahead of us. “Hey there little sister… you gave us a little scare there for a minute”. Even Leo is all smiles, seeing Emma sitting upright. Walking into the room, my lip starts quivering and butterflies start taking over. I can’t stop these emotions. Emma makes eye contact. Her eyes soften and she smiles, signaling for me to come to her. I can tell she’s weak. “Ruth come here. Hug me. Are you okay? Did anything happen to you? Let me see you”. Sh
Grace’s POV The kids are visiting with Emma. I need Leo’s help moving something heavy from my office. I see him about to walk stoically down the hall when I call out, “Leo, come here a sec”. He smiles and his eyes brighten. He always has enjoyed feeling useful. “Yeah mama grace?”. “I need your help moving my cabinet… can you lend me a quick hand?”. He throws his arm over my shoulder and we head toward my office. We’ve made it about 10 yards when he stops dead in his tracks and gasps. He’s staring straight ahead with laser beam focus. I follow his eyesight to one of my patients who is working on walking with one of the therapists. Michelle was one of the captives from the camp. She was one of the girls who had been abused, not sold. Her leg had been caught in a trap, requiring surgery. She is rehabilitating. Mentally and physically. She was really focused on her steps when I see her smell the air around her and slowly look forward, meeting Leo’s eyes. She qu
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