Mason
I lie on my side as I watch Alaina sleep soundlessly beside me. She's on her side facing me, one hand under her pillow beneath her cheek and the other resting against her belly. Even subconsciously she's doing something to protect our pup. I know how much knowing Mary is being held prisoner by the people who want her is taking a toll on her. I want her to relax, I don't want her to have to worry about any of this. If I can get her to stand back and let me handle this while she takes care of herself and our baby, it will make things much simpler for me. But knowing her, she's going to try to plan something on her own to get Mary back. I can only hope that Brandon can keep her from making any hasty decisions.
I reach over and run my fingers through her hair and smile as the red strands filter through my fingers. I wonder if our child will have her red hair or be blond like me. I can't help but wish for it to look like her. This girl is my life, and now she's carrying our first pup. I didn't even know it was possible to love someone this much. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her. She stirs slightly under my touch so I unravel my fingers from her hair and lean over to press a kiss against her head. I smile at her soft sigh and climb out of bed.
I push down the urge to wake her just to hear her voice because I know she needs to sleep. She took last night's news hard and nothing I did really helped to calm her down. Then I watched her struggle with sleep for almost two hours before she finally gave in and fell asleep against me. I want her to get as much rest while she can, and I have work to do. I have to start planning what we're going to do about that prick. I don't want him to come here for the attack, that's too close to my mate than I would like. The only option I can think of to keep my pack safe is to attack first. The danger is higher of course, but if we can do it right, then maybe we can manage to save more people than harm during this damn war. A clean shot at Dylan and Robert has the best chance of ending this all before it gets out of hand.
By the time I've showered and gotten dressed, Alaina has rolled over on my side of the bed and has her head buried in my pillow. I can't help but chuckle before walking over and kissing her head once more before heading downstairs quietly. I follow Brandon's scent to the kitchen and find him staring at a bowl of uneaten cereal. He glances up at me and bows his head respectfully but doesn't say anything.
"I'm going to be out most of the day, I'm going to need you and Aiden to watch Alaina. I don't want her going out of the house." I sigh and shake my head. "You know as well as I do that she may be cooking something up on her own, so just please keep her occupied," I say as I open the fridge and grab the jug of orange juice Alaina keeps stocked in there. I pour myself a glass and stand opposite of Brandon as I wait for his reply.
"Fine," he grumbles reluctantly. I growl at his disrespect but don't say anything further. I know he wishes to be part of all of this. Mary is his mate and I know he feels responsible for everything that's happening to her. But he needs to remember his duty, especially right now. I will fill him in later. "What are you going to do?"
"That's what today is for. I'm going to meet with the fighters and call Ace and Roman again so we can work something out. I want to attack first, and soon. I won't have them coming here and risk Alaina getting caught in the crossfire."
"What about Aiden and myself? We're part of the pack's fighters, so why aren't we going to be there when the plan is made?" I suppress another growl. He's pushing his luck. "With all due respect, I think Alaina needs to know what's going on too. She's the Luna of the pack." He keeps his eyes on his cereal as he finally lifts a spoonful to his mouth. I glare at him, but I know he's coming from a good place. He's right, Alaina needs to know, but I will fill her in after I've figured everything else out. If I can plan it out first, it will leave her with less things to worry about.
"I need you two to stay here and make sure she doesn't do anything. I can't let anything happen to her because she doesn't trust me to get Mary back to you safely. As her guards, the two of you are to keep her safe and in this territory at all times - preferably in this house for the most part. She can't go to the store, you will send someone. You can go for a run, but in the territory and with extra guards after you let me know. If she steps out of this house, even to just sit on the porch, I expect you to let me know what's going on at all times."
"She's not going to try anything," he states, looking up at me. I know he wants to believe that, but I don't for a second believe that my headstrong mate is going to sit back like she's been asked to. Not when something this important is at stake. She's too stubborn. I can only imagine what our pup will be like. Once Alaina sets her mind to something, she'll do just about anything in her power to see it through. She can be such a pain in my ass, but I love her so there is nothing I can do about it but endure it.
"I want to believe that, Brandon, but we both know how she gets when she wants something. Your happiness is something that is very important to her. I know how much it's been killing her to see you suffer these last two months," he flinches, "and I know how that mind of hers works. If I'm right, she's trying to find a way to make the trade herself and get Mary back, then we've got a lot of work ahead of us to get her to stop."
"She promised me she would let you handle this last night," he explains further. I furr my eyebrows at him confused. "I told her that if anything happened to her because she did something to get Mary back, I wouldn't be able to even look at myself. I told her you wouldn't either and that I would willingly accept any punishment you deemed necessary for her being harmed in any way. She said she would let you handle it, and if staying behind instead of going with you is what I need to do to keep my Luna safe, then that's what I'll do." I nod my head in agreement. Alaina will make everything easier on me if she will do just that.
"Can I ask you something, Alpha?" I nod my head. "When are you planning to attack? I know you still have all the details to plan out, but still."
I sigh and sit down on one of the stools. "I don't know, honestly. I want to end this as quickly as possible, but I won't go into this without being prepared." He nods but stays silent. "If Dylan is taking this long to put something together, taking the time to try to gain allies, then it most likely means he thinks he has the upper hand. I want to reduce the number of losses we could have by taking him when he's not prepared."
"I'll stay with Alaina," Brandon says, nodding his head. "What good would I be in a battle right now anyway," he mutters before turning to leave the room after dumping his uneaten cereal down the sink. I know his wolf isn't happy about having to stay, I wouldn't want to stay back either when I knew my mate was in the hands of a sick Alpha with a fucking vendetta. But as much as I hate to admit it, he's right. If we were to take him with us, then it would put us at a disadvantage with him being distracted.
"Brandon," I call to him before he can leave the kitchen. He turns to look at me, but doesn't say anything. His feelings are plastered over his face right now, there are no words needed. "I will bring back Mary for you, I promise." He tries to smile as he bows his head respectfully before heading back upstairs. I sigh and lean my head against the counter to try to relax. I hear her footsteps coming down the stairs before her scent surrounds me.
"Good morning," I say without lifting my head.
"You weren't in bed when I woke up," she says, her voice still filled with sleep, as she wraps her arms around my waist. I sit back as she leans her head against my back. I smile as I wrap a hand around hers and let the feeling of her surround me. "I was worried you had already left for the day, so I got up to come find you."
"What do you need?" I slide around on the stool and pull her between my legs as I look up at her. "I can't stay long this morning. I have to go find Jason and get the packs fighters rounded up so I can let them know what's going on. I also need to adjust the patrols around the territory."
"I just wanted to let you know that I am not going to do anything behind your back," is what she says. I blink up at her. I know Brandon told me that, but if I'm being honest with myself, I didn't believe him. However, hearing her say that herself causes my wolf to relax. We've both been anxious that our mate was going to try something that gets her and our pup hurt. "I know you are probably worried that I will do something, but Brandon and I talked last night and he kept telling me that if something happened to me because I tried to get Mary back on my own he would never be able to forgive himself and it got me thinking.
"What if something happened to you because you were worried about me during a fight? If anything happened to you I would be left to raise our baby without a father, and I don't want to do that. We saw what happened with my mother, and I don't want that for us. She nearly fell apart when my father died and as much as I hate the man, I'm grateful she found Robert when she did or else who knows what would have happened. You and this pup are everything to me, so I promise I will let you handle this."
I wrap my arms around her and bury my head in her neck, breathing in her scent. "You have no idea how much of a relief that is to hear, Red."
"I'm going to stay here while you deal with everything, and I won't try to fight anyone. In return for that..." I lean back and raise my eyebrows at her. Of course she's going to try to get something out of doing as she's asked. "I just want to know what you're planning and what's going on. I can't be completely left in the dark, Mason. I'm scared enough as it is, I don't even want to think about what would happen if I didn't know what you were doing or where you were. I would go crazy if I had to just sit around and wonder and worry over you all day. I would go crazy if I didn't know where you were and you got hurt."
I pull my head away from her neck and nod my head in understanding. She has a right to know, and so she will. "I plan on attacking them before they can attack us. That's what I'm going to tell the fighters today. Not all of them are going to come with me, but we have enough members in our pack that I can leave quite a few behind to help protect our lands while I deal with those assholes. Plus, we will have Ace's help and hopefully Roman's as well." I can't ignore the skeptical look on her face. I know it's not the best plan, but it's the best I can come up with that will end in less bloodshed.
"What if there are children there? And there are innocent people in that pack, Mason. You can't just kill everyone," she says with a worried expression.
"I won't allow anyone to kill any children, or anyone who isn't fighting for that matter. Yes, there will be casualties but that is just the price of war. They asked for it when they tried to take you from me. I'm not going to let him have the chance to come here and hurt our pack. I want him as far away from our territory as possible. If he wants a fight, then I'll take one to him when he's least expecting it."
"What if he's planning to do the same? You could take everyone and then he could show up here."
"I already told you, I won't let that happen. I sent out trackers to keep an eye on his pack while we get everything ready here. It will be okay, Alaina. We will take care of this, and then we can worry about nothing but the pack and our beautiful little baby. This plan has its risks. We will be on his territory, but I'm hoping the element of surprise will throw him off enough that it won't matter. Everything will be fine."
She smiles and leans forward to press a kiss to my lips. I smile against her lips as I feel the electricity shoot between us. I will never tire of this feeling. I could sit here and kiss her all day every day and it would never get old or lose this amazing feeling. I look forward to the day where we don't have a war to worry about.
"Okay, well you can go ahead and I'll see you later for dinner, alright?" she says as she pulls out of my arms. I nod my head and give her one last kiss as I stand up before turning and heading out to meet up with the pack. I stare down at her for a second longer as those blue eyes shine up at me. "I love you," she whispers.
"I love you, too."
***
I stand back and watch as members wrestle around with each other, working on their technique. I feel Jason come up beside me as his eyes move over the fighters as well. I glance over at him to see the dark skin pulled tight as he flexes and relaxes his muscles. I can see that he's itching to say something, but we keep silent. I've told him what I plan to do, and he's already voiced his disapproval about our attacking first. The tension between the two of us is noticeable to anyone and the tension needs to dissipate so we can focus on the task at hand.
"I won't say that I disagree with this again, because you already know that I don't think it's smart to attack them on land we don't know..." he starts. I can't stop my eyes from rolling.
"You just did," I point out as I focus my attention back on my pack. I hear him sigh and out of the corner of my eye I see him turn fully to me. I can see the battle in his eyes. "Jason, if we attack them away from this territory it will decrease the casualties to our pack. I won't let people get hurt that aren't fighting. I would much rather Dylan have to deal with that instead of us." I know that's awful, to want them to have to worry about innocent lives getting killed in this fight, but I'm not the Alpha refusing to back down when this war is completely avoidable. If he wants to risk his pack member's lives, then so be it.
"I'm not going to fight you on this because it is ultimately your decision and no matter what anyone says to you, you aren't going to change your mind. I just wish you," he sighs and shakes his head. "How many people are we going to take with us?" he asks instead as he turns his attention back to the fighters. I glance at him, my best friend since childhood, and I hate that we can't see eye to eye on this. But he's right. It's my decision.
"As many as we can without leaving the territory unprotected. We're big enough and strong enough that we can take the majority of our fighters and the pack will still be fine. Plus we have the support of at least Ace. We'll be fine." I'm not sure who I'm trying to reassure more, him or myself. I can't let the pack see my hesitance towards going into this battle, they need to believe this plan will work flawlessly... but it's hard to trust in a plan that is leading you into unknown territory to try to kill an Alpha who refuses to stop. If I could just get more intel on Blue Bloods territory it would put me at ease. It's just hard to do so without getting my people caught.
"Mason, you're my best friend, so you know I'll back you no matter what you decide... but as Beta of this pack it's my job to let you know when you're potentially making a stupid decision." I glare at him but he keeps going. "Can I ask you something, and you give me an honest answer?" I watch him for a few seconds before nodding my head. I don't know what he's going to ask, but I've known him long enough to know that even if I don't tell him yes, he'll simply ask anyway.
"Are you having us take the fight to them because you only want to protect the pack, or because you don't want your mate near this fight?" His voice is low enough that only the two of us can hear. I look at him and shake my head in disapproval. Of course I want Alaina away from the fight, but he has some nerve to accuse me of not doing everything in my power to keep this entire pack safe.
"I'm doing this to protect the pack!" I growl lowly as I turn to him. "Alaina is the Luna of this pack so she will be protected as well. But our first pup is growing inside her right now, and I refuse to risk a fight being too close to her. I don't want anything to happen to either of them, I wouldn't be able to live without them. And with Dylan hell bent on trying to take her back, I will not risk it." I watch his green eyes soften at the news of his Luna being pregnant, but thankfully he doesn't say anything. He simply nods his head and moves away to help with the training.
Everyone is keeping busy with their partners, taking breaks when they need to. I work with the younger fighters, helping them with their footing and proper techniques. While I am showing a young girl, newly shifted, how to properly take down her opponent if they are bigger than her, her beautiful voice rings out inside my head.
'I miss you,' Alaina speaks softly. I can hear the smile in her voice and knowing that she's happy, even with all this shit going on around us, makes both me and my wolf happy. I smile and then realize that the young girl is staring up at me expectantly. She smiles but keeps quiet as she waits for further instructions.
"Sorry, that would be the Luna talking to me," I explain quickly. "Just use their own weight against them. If you can get them off balance then you can get the upper hand. Strength and size can make a difference in a battle, but the fighter who fights smarter always wins. Stay focused, pay attention to your opponent, and always remember that you have an entire pack behind you to help."
I watch her face as she takes in my words before nodding her head. The boy she's training with is bigger than she is. I watch her as she slowly moves around him, studying his movements. When he lunges for her, she's quick to sidestep and land a solid jab against his ribs. I smile and nod my head as she takes the opportunity of his loss of balance to sweep her leg and just like that, he falls flat on his back. She jumps and wraps her hand around his neck before smiling.
"Good," I compliment before moving on to the others.
'I miss you too, Red. I've been helping one of our fighters work on her technique today and it looks promising,' I reply back. I walk around observing as I wait for her response. We've been at this since I left the meeting this morning. It's almost six in the afternoon now. I look around again and figure it's time to wrap this up for today. After another five minutes of not hearing from Alaina, I decide it's time to go home.
"Everyone!" I yell, catching all the members' attention. "I appreciate you all showing up this morning and working until this late. The more we can prepare for this battle, the better and faster this should all go. I will see you all back here tomorrow morning at eight. We will continue training and I will explain how this attack is going to go. You're all dismissed, go get some rest. There won't be much time for that in the near future so get it while you can."
They nod respectfully before heading towards their homes. Jason gives me one last look of disapproval before heading off towards the woods. I watch as he jumps into the air and lands on four paws as his light red wolf takes off for a run. I sigh and choose it's best to let him blow off some steam before I try to talk to him again. I know this isn't the best plan. I know it's safer for those staying back, but also extremely dangerous at the same time for everyone. I want the attack to happen soon, but I will not rush the planning.
I turn and head towards our house, still waiting for Alaina's reply. Normally, she'll answer almost immediately, especially since she reached out to me first. My concern heightens, but I push it down as I try to talk to her again. 'I'm on my way home to you now, my love. I'll see you in a few minutes.'
Still no response. I shrug it off and pick up the pace so I can see my mate.
The house is quiet when I walk through the door. Brandon is sitting in the living room staring at his phone while Aiden watches TV quietly. I don't see Alaina but I can smell her close. Brandon and Aiden both glance over at me and nod their heads in greeting as I head towards the kitchen. She has her back to me, busy cutting vegetables and placing them in the pan beside her on the stove. She stops for a few seconds and glances over her shoulder before going back to cutting.
"Hey, Red. What are you cooking?" I ask as I walk over and wrap my arms around her waist. I rest my hand against her belly and I can't help but smile. In five short months, we will have another life in this house with us. A part of us that we made together. She shrugs my arms off and moves towards the sink to rinse off the knife she's using. I stare after her in confusion. "Alaina, you okay?"
"No," she whispers as she keeps her back to me. My wolf whimpers as she doesn't move towards us. I want to move forward to comfort her, but I know she'll only push me away right now. "Who were you training with today?" she asks when she finally whirls around to look at me with tear-filled eyes. Screw giving her space, I lunge forward and frame her face in my hand as I inspect her for injury. Why is she about to cry? "Mason, just tell me who you were training with today! Who was she?"
I let out a breath of relief as my body relaxes. That's what this is about. I told her I was training with a girl and given my past she must have misconstrued the situation. She glares up at me and I can't help but smile softly before I pull her into my arms and hold her against my chest despite her struggling.
"Oh, Red," I whisper as I bury my nose against her hair. She finally quits fighting and buries her head in my chest as she wraps her arms around my waist. "I know what you're thinking, but it's nothing like that. She was young, fifteen and newly shifted. She's small and I was showing her that she could use her opponent's size against them. That's all." She relaxes completely and I feel her huff of air hit my chest. "Did you think it was something along the lines of Nikki?" We haven't spoken her name in months and I can tell that was still too soon because I feel my mate bristle at the name.
"I know you weren't doing anything, but I couldn't help but think the worst. You told me you were training with a girl and I missed you today and you were gone almost all day," she rambles, still hidden against my chest. I sigh and hold her tighter as I scold myself for my past yet again. I hate that she even has a reason to doubt me. I know she trusts me and I know she knows that I would never do anything... but Nikki will forever loom over her head. My not waiting will forever loom over her head.
"It's my hormones!" she continues, pulling me from my dark thoughts. "I know I'm being stupid, but I can't help it. I'm all over the place today. Just ask Brandon and Aiden. We were watching a movie earlier that wasn't even sad and all of a sudden I was in tears! Brandon and Aiden didn't even know what to do, so they pretty much just sat silently and let me get a grip on it." She sighs and pulls back to look up at me. I try to fight my smile because in the state she's in now, it'll just piss her off. "This baby is messing with my head, Mason."
I can't stop my chuckle this time.
She glares at me as she pulls out of my arms and crosses her over her chest. I shake my head and smile as I say, "Don't look at me like that, Red. I know you're having a hard time with it right now, but the fact that we have a pup growing inside of you right now that we will get to meet soon is amazing. I'll take your mood swings and emotional days if that's what it takes to be able to see you holding our child."
"I want that too, but don't laugh at me," she pouts and stomps her foot lightly. My eyes lock her mouth, completely ignoring her little stomp. Unable to resist myself, I lean down and pull on her lip with my teeth lightly. Her eyes shut and she moans quietly as she leans against me. I pull away, not wanting our guests to hear us, and smile down at her. She smiles back and goes up on her toes to peck my lips quickly before walking back over to the stove with a little more pep in her step. "I'm making fajitas!" She glances over her shoulder at me with a soft blush. "I wanted fajitas so I hope that's okay with you."
"That's fine with me. Do you need any help?" She shakes her head as she dumps more vegetables into the pan. "I'm going to go make some calls in my office. If you need me or anything just come get me." I kiss her cheek before heading towards my office.
"Mason," she calls after me. I turn and look at her to see her smile gone as she bites her lower lip. "Later, after dinner, I want to talk to you about the plan you're working on. If you're planning on attacking them there, then you'll need more intel on the territory than the scouts can give you. I used to live there. I may not be able to help in the actual battle, but I can help with this part."
God, I love this girl. The fact that I know she hates being left behind and out of the fight but is still willing to help out in any way. That's what a true Luna would do. I couldn't be more proud of the woman she is. I can see her hesitation, her worry as she fears me keeping her in the dark with this entire situation.
"We'll talk after dinner when we're in bed," I promise. She nods her head and smiles again before turning back around. I stand there for a minute and listen to her humming as she works. I can see her now, belly heavy with pregnancy as she moves around the kitchen. I know most Alphas want their first pup to be a boy, to pass the title on to... but I can't help but want a little girl who looks just like her mother. I want to hear her running around the house giggling as me and her mother chase after her. And if she's even half the woman her mother is, she'll be able to run this pack with an iron fist.
Our life will be great.
We'll all be happy and together.
We just have to take care of this stupid prick first.
***
After dinner, Brandon and Aiden work to clean up the kitchen while Alaina and I rest and spend some time together. Alaina isn't happy about them cleaning up after us. I'm not sure if it's because she's picky about how things are in the kitchen - her kitchen as she likes to call it - or she just doesn't like being taken care of. Either way, I pull her down onto the couch with me and tuck her into my side.
"I'm going to be fat soon," she mumbles as she settles against me, her legs thrown over mine. "Especially since werewolf pregnancies don't last as long as human pregnancies. I'm going to blow up like a balloon. Will you still love me when I'm fat?" she asks, looking up at me. I fight my irritation that she would even need to ask that. There is no reason on this earth that would cause me to stop loving her. Nothing.
"First, you won't be fat - you'll be pregnant. Second, no matter what happens to you, I will love you. Always. You could lose both your legs and arms and I would love you. You could go blind and I would love you. You could lose all your hair and I would love you. There is nothing on this earth that would ever sway my love for you," I reassure her. She smiles and hides her face in the crook of my neck. We sit in a comfortable silence, just holding each other. "I love you," I speak into the silence.
"Hmm, I love you, too," she mumbles quietly. Her head grows heavy on my shoulder. I glance down to see her eyes closed and her breathing has evened out. I smile and move one of her stray hairs out of her face so it won't bother her.
"Alpha, do you want to watch a movie? Aiden just left, he said he wanted to get home," Brandon says as he walks into the living room. I lift a finger and press it against my lips as I look over at him. He looks down at a sleeping Alaina in my lap and nods his head. "I didn't know she was that tired. She was fine during dinner, being her normal talkative self."
"It's the pregnancy, I'm sure. I hear that it tires out the body and their emotions go crazy. She got upset earlier because I told her I was training with one of the younger girl fighters." I shake my head and kiss her temple. "I can't wait to be a dad," I whisper before I can stop myself. I watch Brandon's flinch and sigh. Not the time or the person to discuss this with.
"The day she was taken, was the day she found out she was pregnant." His Adam's apple bobs up and down as he swallows. I don't know what to say to him. I know he feels awful because his mate is gone, but to lose your mate along with your unborn child is a different kind of pain. That alone is enough to cause a good man to go mad. If he wasn't so close to Alaina, I would have had him removed from her guard duty. Alaina is helping him find ways to cope, slowly but surely. Plus, she would kill me if I sent him away because of his grief.
"I'm sorry, Brandon. I know there are no words to help you right now, but we're here for you." He nods his head and wipes the stray tear he couldn't hold back. "Who all knows she was pregnant?"
"Just Alaina and Aiden. I didn't want everyone knowing just yet. I'm not ashamed of her being pregnant... but I am ashamed of what the fight that sent her into harms way was over," he whispers as he lowers his head. "She came to me and told me she was pregnant, and I freaked out on her."
"What do you mean?"
"We had discussed that we were going to wait to have any pups. Especially with everything going on with Blue Bloods not backing down. She's been with the pack for years now, but you know as well as I do that her past still haunts her. We were going to wait. Then she comes up to me and tells me she's pregnant. I got upset and stupidly yelled at her." He closes his eyes and shakes his head. "We were careful every time we mated, but she still got pregnant. I guess it was just meant to be, but then she was just gone and we couldn't find her." He doesn't fight his tears this time.
"We'll get her back, I promise you that, Brandon."
"I know. But I'm scared of what state she'll be in when she comes back. What if she lost the baby? Or worse, they beat her until the baby died? I'm worried this is going to make her clam up, too tight for even me to pry open again. She was finally starting to open up and get out into the pack more. She was getting close to Alaina and they were building a good relationship. Then I had to fuck up everything and send her running straight into the arms of the enemy."
I sigh and look down at my sleeping mate. I don't know what to say to him right now. It isn't his fault, but if he thinks that it is, then what good are my words to him?
"It's not your fault that she got taken, Brandon. I know that me saying that doesn't mean shit to you right now, but I feel that's what needs to be said. The best thing to do is to just remember that you will see her again. And if she is... withdrawn again then you will just do what you did the last time and help her heal and find her inner peace."
"I just hope she's okay. I feel selfish even thinking this, because I don't want anything to have happened to our pup, but as long as she comes back to me then we can get through this."
I nod and Alaina stirs in my lap. She moves trying to get more comfortable but huffs in annoyance when she can't really move. I pick her up in my arms as I stand from the couch. "I'm going to take her up to bed. Do you still want to talk, or are you good?" I ask as Alaina subconsciously wraps her arms around my neck.
"I'm as okay as I can be during all of this. You can go on up to bed, I think I'm going to stay down here for a little while though. Thank you for talking to me, Alpha. It really does help knowing that I have you two there when I need you."
I nod my head before turning and carrying my mate up to our room. My wolf is unsettled knowing a member of our pack is feeling this way, but as of right now there isn't anything we can do about it. I lay her down on the bed as we walk into the room. She groans slightly when I let go of her and walk over to grab one of my shirts that she usually sleeps in. I pull her clothes off and quickly pull my shirt over her head before pulling the covers over her body. I climb in beside her and press my front to her back. She presses back into my hold as she adjusts her body in a more comfortable way.
"Mason?" she grumbles, voice heavy with sleep. I turn the light off before wrapping my arm around her. I hum in response. I wait for her to say something else, but instead I just hear her deep breathing fill the room.
I kiss her head before settling in behind her and letting the exhaustion of the day take over my body.
***
Sun shines through the window, stirring me from my sleep. I detach myself from Alaina's back and roll over as I allow the morning sun to wash over me.
I glance over at my sleeping mate and smile as she cradles her belly in her sleep. I gently roll her onto her back and rest a hand over hers. It's still hard to believe that in about five months, we will be parents. I look at Alaina, her red hair in a mess over her pillows as she smiles in her sleep.
"I can feel you watching me," she murmurs, her eyes still closed. I guess she's not still asleep. Part of me feels bad for waking her, but knowing her she'll go back to sleep after I leave. "What time is it?"
I glance at the clock beside the bed. "It's just past seven. I have to be at the clearing for training at eight."
"Hmm," she mumbles as she rolls onto her side and wraps an arm around my waist. I pull her closer as I take in her scent. "We didn't get to talk about the plan last night before I passed out on you. We should do that now, before you go. The sooner you know what I can tell you, the better you can prepare the pack," she whispers as she rests against me.
"Are you up for that right now?" I ask teasingly. "You sound about two seconds away from falling asleep again." I chuckle as she jabs me in my side. "Alright, my love, what can you tell me about their territory?"
She sighs and rolls over onto her back as she stares up at the ceiling. I can see the pain as memories of that place run through her mind. I wish I could take all the pain she had when she was growing up away. Life would have been so different for her if her father hadn't been killed all those years ago. I can't help but wonder what my mate would be like if her life had been different.
"So, Blue Bloods territory is somewhat similar to ours," she starts as she glances over at me. "They don't have as much coverage with trees though. Almost everyone lives on the innermost part of the territory. I'm pretty sure Dylan wanted everyone close so he could keep an eye on everyone." She shakes her head in disgust. "He always used to have at least ten wolves patrolling the border at all times, but that could have changed since I left. Especially because I left actually."
She stops and inhales sharply as she struggles to talk about this. I hate seeing her like this. "You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to. Any intel would be very beneficial, but you've been gone from the territory for months now... numerous things would have changed. Not to mention that we don't know what kind of help he's got."
"Mason, I want to help in any way that I can. Please let me."
"Okay," I whisper as I bury my fingers in her hair. "The patrolling will be monitored by the scouts. What will really help us is if you can tell me where the best place to attack is." She nods her head stiffly. "I don't want there to be collateral damage, more so than there already will be during this battle. So what I need to know is if there is somewhere we can lure them away from those not fighting." She blinks, no doubt running through the territory in her mind.
"With all the housing so close together, the best option would be to get everyone positioned in the clearing to the south of the housing." I nod encouragingly. "Dylan always had all the training done there, and since he was so strict on everything that happened on his territory, everyone trained around the same time. So, it will be big enough to have the battle and it will be far enough away from everything that not a lot of people should be caught in the middle."
"Good," I whisper as I gently squeeze my hand in her hair. "The only thing left to deal with is getting everyone past the guards and onto the territory without being detected. If we could be fast enough, we could just take the patrol out and go from there," I suggest as I stare at the wall behind her.
She shakes her head. "If you attack the patrolling guards, and you don't do it fast enough, they will alert everyone in the pack. You and the others wouldn't have time to get into the clearing before you were attacked. Fighting in the woods would be their advantage. They know those woods. They know where every root is just high enough to trip someone and get the upper hand in a fight."
I think over her words for a second. She's right, we have to be careful. Quick and careful. If we go between the patrols, we risk not getting all over our people in before we are detected. If we just take out the guards, then we risk losing the element of surprise. The more I think about this attack, the more holes I can punch through it. It's a problem but it's a necessary risk I have to take to keep my family safe.
"Mason," she calls as I feel her fingers glide over my cheek. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
"It's not," I admit softly, "but there is no other choice. The element of surprise is the only chance we have of stopping this without it causing more problems."
"And to keep it away from me," she whispers. I look down at her and I can't help but flinch at the look she's giving me. "I know you want me as far from this fight as possible. I know you want there to be no chance of them getting to me." She sighs and shakes her head. "Mason, your plan makes sense, but only if it goes perfectly and you can find a way to get onto the territory undetected. Even if you get past the guards, your scents will be everywhere and it won't take long for someone to notice you there."
"We will find a way. I'm not going to move until we get everything planned."
"Maybe attacking them just to keep me away from the fight isn't the way to go, Mason. Stop thinking about me for just a second... Would it be better for the entire pack to fight here or take the fight to them?"
I don't answer right away because I'm not sure of the answer. I want this answer to be simple. Because if it's simple... Well, if it were a simple solution then we wouldn't even need to have this conversation. Keeping Alaina safe is my priority, but so is my pack. Alaina is part of my pack, so by keeping her safe, I'll be keeping my entire pack safe as well. The fight now happening here would put more pack members at risk than if we attack first. Taking the fight to them is the safest option I have.
"It'll be safer for the entire pack if the battle occurs away from here. The fighters will be at risk, but that's what we'll prepare for. We'll start training harder. In the woods to prepare for that if necessary. We'll be ready."
She looks at me skeptically, but nods her head. "If you think it's the best play for our pack, then I will support you."
"I love you."
"As I love you," she whispers before leaning up and pressing her lips to my jaw. "Now, you better get going. What kind of example would you be if you were late to your own training," she tries to tease, but I can still see the worry in her eyes.
"Everything will be fine, Red," I assure her. I kiss her again before moving to climb out of the bed. "I will see you later." She smiles softly at me before sliding further down into the bed. I feel her eyes on me as I move towards the bathroom. I can only hope that the worries I'm feeling didn't show as clearly on my face as they did on hers.Mason's P.O.V:
I lie on my side as I watch Alaina sleep soundlessly beside me. I know how much knowing Mary is being held prisoner by the people who want her is taking a toll on her. I want her to relax, I don't want her to have to worry about any of this. I want her to relax and just focus on getting ready for the baby. I don't need her stressing out like I know she does. Knowing her, she's trying to plan something on her own to get Mary back on her own, which is not what she needs to do. She just needs to let me handle this.
I reach over and run my fingers through her hair gently. No matter how much I touch her, it never seems to be enough. This girl is my life, and now she's carrying our first child. I didn't even know it was possible to love someone this much. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her. She stirs slightly under my touch so I remove my fingers and kiss her cheek before climbing out of bed. No matter how much I want to wake her up and hear her voice this morning, I know she needs to sleep and I have to get to work. I have to start planning what we're going to do about Dylan. I don't want him to come here for the attack, so the only way I can think to keep my pack safe is to attack first. This is dangerous, but if we can do it right then maybe we can manage to save more people than harm during this damn war.
After I shower and got dress, Alaina has rolled over onto my side of the bed and has her head buried in my pillow. I chuckle before walking over and kissing her head once more before heading downstairs. Brandon's sitting in the kitchen staring into a bowl full of cereal with a spoon in his hand. He glances up at me and bows his head respectfully but doesn't say anything.
"I'm going to be out most of the day, I'm gonna need you and Aiden to watch Alaina. I don't want her going out of the house. Just keep her occupied," I say as I open the fridge and grab the jug of orange juice we have in there. I pour myself a glass and stand on the other side of the island as I wait for Brandon to say something.
"Fine," he mumbles reluctantly. I growl at his disrespect but don't say anything further. "What are you going to do?"
"That's what today is for. I'm going to meet with the fighters and call Ace and Roman and work out a plan. I want to attack first, and soon. I won't have them coming here and risk Alaina getting caught in the middle of something." I want this fight as far away from my mate as possible. The farther away from her it is the less danger she's in, and that in itself puts me a little but at ease.
"What about Aiden and myself? We're part of the packs fighters, so why aren't we going to be there when the plan is made? And with all due respect, I think Alaina needs to know what's going on, too. She is the Luna after all," he says as he starts eating his breakfast. He doesn't look up at me as we stand in silence. I know he's right, Alaina needs to know, but that can be taken care of after I figure out what's actually going to happen. I will fill her in, but I need time to prepare for the fight that is most likely going to happen when I tell her she won't be leaving the territory until this war is finished, especially now that's she pregnant. If there is one thing Alaina hates, it's being told what to do.
"I need you two to stay here and make sure she doesn't do anything. I have a feeling she's going to try to plan something behind my back and I can't let that happen. And as her guards, the two of you are to keep her safe and in this territory at all times – preferably in this house for the most part. She can't go to the store, you will send someone. You can go for a run, but in the territory and with guards. If she steps out of this house I expect you to let me know what is going on and where she's going."
"She's not going to try anything," he states looking up at me. I know he wants to believe that, but I don't quite believe it myself. Alaina is just about as stubborn as they come, there's no telling what our baby is going to be like when it gets here. Once she sets her mind to something, she'll do just about anything in her power to see it through. She can be such a pain in my ass, but I love her so there is nothing I can do about it.
"I want to believe that, Brandon. But we both know how she gets when she wants something, and you to be happy is something that is very important to her. I know how that mind of hers works and if I'm right she's trying to find a way to make the trade for herself and Mary, then we've got a lot of work ahead of us to get her to stop."
"She promised me she would let you handle this," he explains further. I fur my eyebrows at him confused. "I told her that if anything happened to her because she did something to get Mary back I wouldn't be able to live with myself, and you most likely wouldn't let me live either. She said she would let you handle it, and if staying behind instead of going with you is what I need to do to keep my Luna protected, then that's what I'll do." I nod my head in agreement. Alaina will make everything easier on me if she will do just that.
"Can I ask you something, Alpha?" he asks. I nod my head again and look at him. "When are you planning on attacking?"
I sigh and sit down on one of the stools. "I don't know, honestly. I want to end this as quickly as possible, but I won't go into this without being prepared. If Dylan is taking this long to put something together on his own, then it most likely means he's not alone in this fight. I want to reduce the number of losses we could have by taking him when he's not prepared." I will worry about then, when, and where after I figure out who all is going to help and we get ready.
"I'll stay with Alaina," Brandon says nodding his head and turning to leave the room after he places his bowl in the sink. I know his wolf isn't happy about having to stay, I wouldn't want to stay back either when I knew my mate was being held captive by some lunatic who doesn't know when to let something go.
"Brandon," I call out his name. He turns to look at me but doesn't say anything. He doesn't even have to utter a word for me to know what he's feeling right now. "I will bring back Mary for you, I promise." He smiles slightly and bows his head before heading back up the stairs towards his room no doubt. I sigh and lean my head against the counter and try to relax. Alaina's scent surrounds me and a smile finds its way onto my face. "Good morning," I say without looking at her.
"You weren't in bed when I woke up," she says as she wraps her arms around my waist and rests her head in the crook of my neck. I wrap one of my hands around hers and just enjoy being in her hold. "I was worried you had already left for the day, so I got up to come find you."
"What do you need?" I slide around on the stool and pull her between my legs as I look up at her. "I can't stay that long this morning. I have to go find Jason and get the pack fighters rounded up so I can let them know what's going on. I also need to adjust the patrols around the territory."
"I just wanted to let you know that I wasn't going to try to do anything behind your back," is what she says. I know Brandon told me that, but if I'm to be completely honest with myself, I didn't believe him. But hearing her say that causes my wolf to relax instantly. We're both worried that our mate is going to try something that gets her and our pup hurt. "I know you are probably worried that I will do something, but Brandon and I talked last night and he kept telling me that if something happened to me because I tried to get Mary back on my own he would never be able to forgive himself. And I got to thinking, what if something happened to you because you were worried about me during a fight? If anything happened to you I would be left to raise our baby without a father, and I don't want to do that. We saw what happened with my mother, and I don't want that for us." I wrap my arms around her and bury my head in her neck, breathing in her scent.
"So I'm going to stay here while you deal with everything, and I won't try to fight anyone. In return for that, I just want to know what you're planning and what's going on. I can't be completely left in the dark, Mason. I'm scared enough as it is, I don't even want to think about what would happen if I didn't know what you were doing or where you were. I would go crazy if I had to just sit around and wonder and worry over you all day long."
I pull my head away from her neck and nod my head in understanding. She has a right to know, and so she will know. "I plan on attacking them before they can attack us. That's what I'm going to tell the fighters today. Not all of them are going to come with me, but we have enough members in our pack that I can leave quite a few behind to help protect our lands while I deal with those assholes. Plus, we will have Ace's help and hopefully Roman's." She looks at me skeptically.
"What if there are children there? And there are innocent people in that pack, Mason. You can't just kill everyone," she says with a worried expression covering her face.
"I won't allow anyone to kill any children, or anyone who isn't fighting for that matter. Yes, there will be casualties but that is just the price of war and they asked for it when they tried to take you from me. I'm not going to let him have the chance to come here and hurt our pack. I want him as far away from our territory as possible. If he wants a fight, then I'll take one to him when he's least expecting it."
"But what if he's going to do the same thing?"
"I already told you, I won't let that happen. I sent out two trackers to keep an eye on his pack while we get ready. It will be okay, Alaina. We will take care of this, and then we can worry about nothing but the pack and our beautiful little baby."
She smiles and leans up to kiss my lips. I connect our lips and smile as I feel the electricity shoot between us. I will never get tired of this. I can kiss her all day every day and it will never get old or lose its amazing feeling. I just can't wait for when we don't have a war to worry about wars or anything but our pack.
"Okay, well you can go ahead and I'll see you later for dinner, alright?" she sys as she pulls away. I nod my head and give her one last kiss before turning and heading out to meet up with the pack. "I love you," she calls after me. I turn around and smile at her.
"I love you, too."
****
I stand back and watch as members wrestle around with each other, working on their technique. Jason comes up beside me and crosses his arms and looks out over the clearing. We don't say anything, but we don't need to. I have already told him what I want to do, and he has already voiced his disapproval about us attacking them first. The tension between the two of us is noticeable to anyone and that tension needs to dissipate so we can focus on the task ahead.
"I won't say that I disagree with this again, because you already know that I don't think it's smart to attack them on land that we don't know..."
"You pretty much just did," I say not looking over at him. I hear him sigh and out of the corner of my eye I see him uncross his arms and turn to me. "Jason, if we attack them away from their territory it will decrease the casualties to our pack. I won't let people get hurt that aren't fighting. I would much rather Dylan have to deal with that then us." I know that's awful of me, to want them to have to worry about innocent people getting killed during the fight, but I'm not risking my pack member's lives because of that.
"I'm not going to fight you on this because it is ultimately your decision and no matter what anyone says to you, you aren't going to change your mind. How many people are we going to take with us?" he asks looking back out at the guys training.
"As many as we can without leaving the territory unprotected. We're big enough that we can take the majority of our fighters and the pack will still be fine. We're a strong pack, we'll be fine." I don't know who I'm trying to reassure more, him or myself. I can't let the pack see my hesitance towards going into this battle, they need to believe this plan will work as much as I do... but it's hard to trust in a plan that is leading you into unknown territory to try to kill an Alpha who just doesn't stop.
"Mason, you're my best friend, so you know I'll back you up no matter what you decide... but being Beta of this pack as well as your friend, it's my job to let you know when you're potentially making a stupid decision." I look over and glare at him slightly. "Can I ask you something, and you give me an honest answer?" I watch him for a few seconds before nodding my head. I don't know what he's going to ask, but I've known him long enough to know that even if I don't tell him that it's okay, he will still ask.
"Are you having us take the fight to them because you only want to protect the pack, or because you don't want Alaina to be near the fight?" he asks quietly so the others around us can't hear. I look at him and scoff. Of course I want Alaina away from the fight but he has some nerve to accuse me of not doing everything in my power to keep this entire pack safe.
"I'm doing this to protect the pack, Alaina is the Luna of this pack so she will be protected as well. But with our first pup growing inside of her, I will not risk a fight being too close to her. I don't want anything to happen to either of them, I wouldn't be able to live without them." He just nods and walks away to help everyone else train.
Everyone is keeping busy with their partners, taking breaks when they need to. I work mainly with the younger fighters, helping them with their footing and proper techniques. While I am showing a young girl how to properly take down her opponent if they are bigger than her, the voice that I wish to hear for the rest of my life rings out inside my mind.
'I miss you,' Alaina speaks softly. I can hear the smile in her voice and knowing that she's happy, even with all this shit going on around us, makes both me and my wolf so happy. I smile and then realize that the young girl is staring at me. She smiles but keeps quiet and waits for further instructions.
"Sorry, that would be the Luna talking to me," I explain quickly. "Just use their own weight against them, if you can get them off balance then you can get the upper hand. Just overall stay focused on who you are fighting, and always remember that if you need help you have an entire pack behind you to help out." She nods and goes back to working with her partner.
'I miss you, too, baby girl. Sorry I was helping out one of our fighters with her technique,' I reply back. I wait for her to answer back while I watch people work. We have been at this since I left the house this morning. It's almost six now, so I figure that I'll wrap this up today pretty soon. After five minutes of not hearing from Alaina, I decide it's time to go home.
"Everyone!" I yell, catching all the members' attention. "I appreciate you all showing up this morning and working until this late. The more we can prepare for this the better and faster this should all go. I will see all of you tomorrow morning at eight. We will just meet here again and we'll go over more of how this attack is going to go. Who will be where and what not. You're all dismissed!" They all nod respectfully before heading towards their homes. Jason gives me one last look of disapproval before heading off into the woods. I watch as he jumps into the air and shifts into his wolf to go for a run. I sigh and choose to let him blow off some steam before I try to talk to him again. I know this isn't the best plan, but the more time we plan how to proceed the better prepared we will be.
I turn and head towards our house, still waiting for Alaina's reply. Normally, she'll answer almost immediately, especially since she mind linked me first. Maybe she's planning a surprise back home for dinner or something. I decide to try to talk to her again. 'I'm on my way home now, my love. I'll see you in a few minutes. I've missed you so much today' I wait for her to answer again, but I am awarded with nothing but silence. Is she mad at me or something? I don't remember doing anything that could make her mad at me.
Shrugging it off, I hurry home so I can see my mate.
The house is quiet when I walk in. Brandon is sitting in the living room staring at his phone, while Aiden watches TV quietly. I don't see Alaina, so I lift my nose to catch her scent. She's in the kitchen. I walk in the room and she's busy cutting vegetables and placing them in the pan beside her on the stove.
"Hey, princess. What are you cooking?" I ask as I walk over and wrap an arm around her waist and rest my hand on her growing belly. I still can't believe in five short months that we will have another life in this house with us. She shrugs my arm off and walks towards the sink to rinse off the knife she's using. "Alaina, you okay?"
"Who were you training with today?" she asks as she turns around and looks at me with wide tear-filled eyes. I rush to her the second I see the moisture in her eyes. Why is she about to cry? What have I done now? "Mason, just tell me who you were training with today? Who was she?" That's what this is about, I told her that I was working with a girl and she must have taken it in the wrong way
"Oh, baby," I say as I pull her into my arms. She buries her head in my chest and just holds on to me. "She was young, as in she was sixteen. I was just showing her how to take on an opponent who was bigger than she was. She's little and I was teaching her how to use her size as an advantage. That's all." She relaxes completely and squeezes me tightly. "What did you think?"
"I know you weren't doing anything, but I couldn't help but think the worse when you told me you were working with a girl," she mumbles, still hidden against my chest. I sigh and hold her tighter. "I know I'm being stupid, but I can't help it. My hormones are all over the place today. Just ask Brandon and Aiden, we were watching a movie earlier and it was sad, but it wasn't that sad and I just busted out into tears! This baby is messing with my head, Mason."
I can't help but chuckle softly. She pulls back and glares at me while crossing her arms. "Don't look at me like that, baby girl. I know you're having a hard time with it right now, but the fact that we have a pup growing inside of you right now that we're going to see in about five months. I'll take you being moody and emotional any day of the week to be able see you holding our child."
"I want that too, but don't laugh at me." The pout on her face is adorable. Not being able to help myself, I lean down and pull her pouted lower lip into my mouth and suck it lightly. Her eyes shut and she moans quietly. I pull away not wanting our guests to hear us in here. She smiles and pecks my mouth quickly before walking back over to the stove with a little more pep in her step. "I'm making fajitas! I wanted steak fajitas so I hope that's okay with you," she cheers as she looks back at me. I smile at her.
"That's fine with me. Do you need any help?" She shakes her head no and continues to cut up the pepper she's grabbed. "I'm gonna go make a few calls in my office. If you need me or anything just come get me." I kiss her cheek before heading out of the kitchen. God, I love that girl. I know most Alphas want their first pup to be a boy, so they can pass on their title... but I can't help but want a little girl who looks just like her mother running around the house giggling. And if she's even half the woman her mother is, she'll be able to run this pack with an iron fist.
I can see it now. She's dressed in her cute little dress as she runs around the house as I act like I'm chasing her. Her giggles will fill our house with so much happiness. We'll run through the kitchen where Alaina will be making our beautiful daughter something to snack on. We'll probably get scolded for running around in the kitchen, but there will be a smile playing on her lips. Our life will be great and we'll all be happy.
We just have to take care of this stupid asshole first.
****
After everyone has finished eating, Brandon and Aiden offer to clean up while Alaina and I rest and spend some time together. I can see that Alaina isn't happy about them cleaning after us, but when I pull her down onto the couch with me she smiles and cuddles into my side. Her legs are thrown across my thighs and she's resting against my chest. I wrap an arm around her back and hold her close to me and rest my other hand on her thighs.
"I'm going to be fat soon. Especially since werewolf pregnancies don't last as long as human pregnancies. Will you still love me when I'm fat?" she asks looking up at me. How can she even ask me that? No matter what size she is I will still think she's the most beautiful person in the world.
"First, you won't be fat – you'll be pregnant. Second, no matter what size you are I will love you. Always," I reassure her. She smiles and hides her face in the crook of my neck. We sit in a comfortable silence just holding onto each other. I can hold this beautiful woman all day long. We can just sit here and not talk and I will be happy to just hold her. "I love you," I speak breaking the silence.
"Hmm, love you, too," she mumbles quietly. Her head has slipped further down my arm as we sit there. I look over to see her eyes closed and her breathing has evened out. I smile and move one of her stray hairs out of her face so it won't bother her.
"Alpha, do y'all want to watch a movie? Aiden just left, said he wanted to get home." Brandon says as he walks back into the living room. I place one of my fingers against my lips to signal that he needs to be quiet. He looks down at a sleeping Alaina in my lap and nods his head. "I didn't know she was that tired. She was fine during dinner, being her normal talkative self."
"It's the pregnancy, I'm sure. I hear that it makes women tired and their emotions go crazy. She got upset earlier because I told her I was helping train one of the younger girl fighters." I shake my head and kiss her temple gently. "I can't wait to be a dad," I whisper with a smile on my face.
"Can I tell you something?" he asks looking unsure of himself. The pain in his eyes is unmistakable. I nod my head and wait for him to continue. "Mary had just found out that she was pregnant the day we had our fight... the day she was taken." His Adam's apple bobs up and down as he swallows. I don't know what to say to him. I know he feels awful because his mate was taken from him... but now I find out that he not only lost his mate, but his unborn child as well. That alone is enough to cause a man to go mad.
"I'm sorry, Brandon. I know there isn't really anything that I can say to ease what you're feeling, but I just want you to know that we're here for you." He nods his head and wipes his eyes. "Does Alaina know about this?" He closes his eyes and sighs.
"No, I haven't told anyone. I'm not ashamed that I'm going to be a father... but I am ashamed of what the fight was over," he whispers as he lowers his head. "She came to me and told me she was pregnant, and I freaked out on her."
"What do you mean?" I ask confused. If he isn't ashamed that he's going to be a father then why did he freak out on his mate?
"We had discussed that we were going to wait to have any pups. Especially with everything going on with those assholes who won't leave Alaina alone. Then she comes up to me and tells me she's pregnant. I got upset and stupidly yelled at her saying we were supposed to wait. We were careful every time we mated, but she still got pregnant. I guess it was just meant to be. But then she was just gone and we couldn't find her." He does nothing to hide the tear that streams down his face.
"We'll get her back, I promise you that, Brandon."
"I know. But I'm scared of what state she will be in when she comes back. What if she lost the baby? Or worse, they beat her until the baby died? You already know the kind of past that she came from, this is going to make her clam up again. She was finally starting to get out and do things with other pack members and I had to be a fuck up and cause he run away from me and get taken."
What am I supposed to say to him? It isn't his fault, but if he thinks that it is, then what good are my words going to do? I guess it can't hurt to at least remind him. "It's not your fault that she got taken, Brandon. I know that me saying that doesn't really help you at all, but I feel like that's what I need to say right now. The best thing to do is to just remember that you will see her again. And if she is... withdrawn again then you will just do what you did the last time and help her heal and find her inner peace." He smiles slightly and nods his head as he takes a deep breath.
"I just hope she's okay. I don't want anything to have happened to our pup, but as long as she comes back to me then we can get through this."
I nod and Alaina stirs in my lap. She moves trying to get more comfortable and huffs when she can't really move. I pick her up in my arms as I stand up from the couch. "I'm gonna take her up to bed. Do you still want talk, or are you good?" I ask as Alaina wraps her arms around my neck tightly.
"I'm as okay as I can be during all of this. You can go on up to bed, I think I'm gonna stay down here for a little while. Thank you for talking to me, Alpha. It really helps knowing that I have you two there when I need you."
I nod my head before turning and carrying my beautiful mate up to our room. I lay her down as soon as I walk inside. She groans slightly when I let go of her and walk over to grab one of my shirts that I know she likes to sleep in. I pull her clothes off and quickly pull my shirt over her head before covering her up and climbing in beside her.
"Mason?" she asks as I turn the light off and wrap my arm around her. I hum in response. I wait for her to say something else, but instead I just hear her deep breathing letting me know she has fallen back asleep.
I kiss her head before settling in behind her and letting the exhaustion from the day take over my body.