Stone stayed by Gwen's side all night. They moved her into her bedroom and he camped out on the floor next to her bed with Aubree by his side. He tried to tell her to go to their bed, but she insisted on staying with him, claiming that she felt the strong pull to stay as well. That, and she wouldn't be able to fall asleep without him after everything that happened.
Frankly, he was glad for her presence. She kept him calm when he wanted to break down and cry, replaying over and over Gwen's cries for help as he raced through the forest to get to her, praying to the Goddess that he would get there in time. His complete and utter helplessness in the situation only reminded him of when he lost Adelaide and Arthur and fueled his unquenchable rage towards Carina for her attempt to kill another one of his pups.
Alistair got to her first and was already on his way home with her in his arms when Stone met him a few miles from the pack house.
Carina's scent was all over her, along with a few other vampires. Alistair said he killed one of them when he got to her, but Carina and the others got away.
Emotionally torn in all directions, Stone didn't know what to do at first. On one hand, he wanted to hunt down Carina and rip her limb from limb and on the other, he was beyond terrified about losing Gwen. He couldn't lose her to Carina like he had Adelaide and Arthur. He couldn't handle losing another pup to that damn monster. Every part of him wanted to lash out and charge after Carina, but Gwen needed him more and that kept him grounded. He was furious, worried, and damn relieved. If it wasn't for Aubree's soothing touch, he didn't know how he'd manage his emotions on his own.
Drifting in and out of sleep, nightmares of finding Adelaide and Arthur's mutilated bodies merging with Gwen's form plagued his mind as he clung desperately to her linked soul.
Reaching out to Aubree when he woke, he touched her face and arms gently, seeking the comfort and reassurance that she was still with him.
Goddess, after the night they had, there was no denying how much he needed her now. He could hardly tear himself away from her.
After what must have been the fifth time touching her, she got tired of him waking her and entwined their fingers together. "I'm right here," she murmured, still half asleep. Snuggling closer to him, her soft breaths tingled against his skin with her nose against his neck.
Releasing the air that had been caught in his throat, he relaxed a little before pressing his lips to her forehead. He couldn't help it. He'd never felt more connected and more proud of Aubree for jumping in when she did. He knew Aubree couldn't have done it without Gavin's help, but without her soul joining theirs, the family bond was incomplete. They needed Aubree to bring Gwen back.
Human or not, Aubree was pack now; she was family. Even though they hadn't sealed the matebond, their souls were connected. It was beyond his understanding.
When the sun rose, he pulled himself from Aubree's arms. Gwen would need to keep her strength up, and that meant he needed to hunt for her.
Gwen was sound asleep, still in her wolf form, her foot twitching now and then with a faint whimper.
Smiling down at her, he kissed her forehead gently before pulling the bedsheet over her and concealing her from view when Aubree woke.
Silently, he slipped from the room and hurried down to the main floor and out the front door.
Hector and Rosemary kept watch of the house, and he signaled them to withdraw their positions. Thanking them for all of their help, he dismissed them to return to their beds.
Rosemary and Hector offered their services, and Stone agreed to allow them to send five of their lycans since Gwen would not be able to maintain her usual duties for at least a week. Not only that, but the Rosenrot Pack needed one of them to return. Since Rosemary was the luna, and alpha of their bloodline, there was no debate. She would go and Stone's cousin, Hector, would stay.
He reached out mentally to Gavin, Alistair, and Gunner as he shifted for updates.
Alistair and Gunner slaughtered a bunch of vampires that were posing a distraction for Gunner in the city during the attack on Gwen. A few tried to slip south of the city and into their territory, but Alistair was able to take them out or chase them out until Gavin could return to his position when Gwen's soul was secured.
The werewolves at the southern and western borders offered to keep an eye out for intruders and alert them if needed so Gavin could maintain the northern and eastern borders. Stone would have to visit those packs soon to thank them for their assistance. That would have to wait until Gwen was fully recovered and after Stone and Aubree's visit with the Spirit Walker.
Stone's wolf was eager for the run, to burn off his pent up energies and emotions from his close call with Gwen. He took out his anger on the rabbits he killed, shredding them before devouring them for breakfast. He smelled two deer, but before attacking the doe, he realized it was a mother and a fawn. He let them be. The fawn needed his mother to grow strong. He would find another.
He met with Gavin and together they took down a buck in his prime. Stone urged Gavin to eat some before he would take the rest back to Gwen. Gavin resisted at first, but finally relented when Stone growled. Gavin feasted on the legs and neck, leaving the bulk of the animal for Gwen.
When Stone returned home, he shifted and went into the house to retrieve a large plastic bag and wrapped Gwen's breakfast up in it.
He stopped by the car to retrieve the mail he had picked up yesterday and forgot about when he and Aubree returned home from dinner. He needed to go into the city today to pay the bills and meet with Davis and the alpha of the North Fang Pack. They needed an update on the status of his pack and he needed an update on what happened with them and their activities.
Carina was amplifying her game, and the only way they would be able to defeat her was to work together.
With Gwen unable to hunt, and Stone and Aubree going to Arizona in a few days, he needed to know that he could count on their alliance. He also had to inform them of the added warriors from Rosemary and Hector's pack that would be helping them while he and Aubree were gone.
Leaving now for Arizona was extremely risky for his pack, but even they insisted he and Aubree should still go. He didn't know how long he and Aubree would be gone but, hopefully, it would be no more than a few days.
The plan was to leave first thing tomorrow morning. The drive down was expected to take roughly twenty-four hours. If they set out at sunrise, they would be halfway there by sunset, where they would pull into the nearest motel for the night. They would continue the rest of the journey in the morning and stay in another motel that night. The next day would be Sunday with the full moon later that evening.
Time was running out, and he needed to make sure he had everything taken care of beforehand.
After a quick shower, he took the mail into his study and opened up the envelopes, noting the amounts due in his accounting book.
His brows furrowed at the small envelopes from the elf. He opened Aubree's again and read the message inscribed once more.
'Cherish these moments into old age. Life is too precious and short to waste time on anything but. – A. N. Elf'
Those words could not be more true, even for him. Aubree's life was precious and it would end far too soon. He needed to cherish every moment of it with her.
What could the elf have written to him?
He swallowed as he picked up the one with his name on it.
He never expected to actually receive a response.
With bated breath, he ripped into it and pulled out the small piece of paper. The air rushed out of his lungs as he read the short message in the same neat and curly handwriting with the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end and his heart jumping.
'Love feels not with words but with the heart. – A. N. Elf'
---- Author's Note ----
The "real elf" at Lake Harriet really does sign his/her letters like that. Proof:
Dedicated to studzbenmaterial
*Copyright Jo Lee Hunt (Joflower) 2016*