The Cost of Love

Chapter 29

Her flush of embarrassment as she sunk lower in the booth was all I needed to see. 

"Fuck," I breathed. "You ran away, didn't you?" 

"I had to! You don't understand, my father would've never let me hear you out," she cried. "I couldn't just let you go," she continued, a little brokenly. I felt my heart soften; I could understand that. 

"Kiara," I said slowly. "I think your father may kill me if he finds out you're here." 

She wrapped her arms around my neck, bringing me closer. I could smell her slight strawberry scent, and I couldn't help my immediate inhale. "I won't let him," she said. "He'd have to get through me first." I raised my eyebrow as she grinned teasingly. "I've had a really great trainer to show me some cool moves lately." 

I chucked and pressed a kiss to her lips, only pulling away when we heard Nate's phone start to ring loudly in the empty diner. He pressed it to his ear, walking away so he could hear whoever was on the other line better. When he came back, he looked visibly more stressed; his black hair was standing up at angles as if he ran a hand through it a couple hundred times. 

"That was Cameron," he said to Riley. "Theres a nearby pack that's having some trouble with the hunters. Apparently they kidnapped the Alpha's daughter or something, I don't know." 

Kiara and I whipped towards each other, alarm evident in both our eyes. 

"Do you think everything's okay?" Riley asked, her light eyebrows knitting together in genuine concern. 

"I don't know, Riley, but I'd rather get home and not take any chances of being caught in the crossfire. Plus you and the baby should get some rest, we've been out for a while," he finished, eyeing his mate's stomach with a mixture of extreme love and concern. 

"Wait. You're pregnant?" Kiara exclaimed, at the same time I said, "We have to go back." 

Riley nodded, her cheeky grin widening as she cradled her stomach gently. It made her look younger than she was. "It's really early, about six weeks," she said. 

Nate wrapped his arms around her from behind, his hands coming to rest on her flat stomach. No wonder he was being so protective. He was sporting a shit eating grin himself, and I couldn't help but marvel at their happiness and wonder if I'd ever be that calm and content. Yeah, the thought of being responsible for something so vulnerable scared the shit out of me, but maybe with Kiara it wouldn't be so bad. Fun, even. 

I chuckled as I remembered how Kiara told me I needed to have more fun. That drunken pack house party was the start of it all. And it seemed like forever ago. That was when I still believed werewolves were dangerous creatures that needed to be exterminated. The thought brought me back to reality as I ran a hand through my already disheveled hair. 

Kiara was chatting with Riley, no doubt congratulating her on her pregnancy. "Kiara, we have to go back," I repeated. "There's going to be a fight." I knew Saxton. He's worked on this plan for too long not to see results. The thought made my hands curl into fists.