Page 79 of Crescent Warrior

Alex dropped his eyes to the grass on the floor, unable to see her tears again. Deep inside, he wanted to keep this female as happy as he could. She should never cry. “Can you give us some time? We have so much to figure out, and I need to stay close to Selene. She’ll probably be going back to Minnesota soon.”

“Knox—” She swallowed, and Alex’s eyes snapped up to meet hers. There was a hint of fear there. “He… He won’t let you just go away on your own.”

“What?”

“Knox wants you to stay close. He’s… He’s a good male, I swear. He’s a little colder than his father, who was the alpha before him, but he means well. He protects us and makes sure everyone is safe.”

She reached out to take their hands in her own. “It was his idea to come search for the pack we always heard of but never found. If he didn’t send your father here, we would never have—” she stopped herself, her jaw clenched as she swallowed convulsively. “I’m so glad he’s different. If it was up to his father, we would have never stepped outside of Italy.”

Alex glanced over at Michael, his brow furrowed.

“I know it’s a lot to ask of you both. But maybe…” she trailed off, looking between them, “Can we go with you? If you’re staying here until you have to leave, we could stay too.”

Shock shot through Alex for what felt like the millionth time that day.

“You want to stay with us? Away from your home?”

“You are our home,” she said calmly. “Wherever my mate and children are, that’s my home. If we’re away from the pack for a little while, I’m sure they won’t mind. They’ll understand when they hear that I’ve found you both.”

“No,” Knox said firmly behind them, and they all spun to see him standing there.

“Knox—” she tried, but he shook his head. “You’re an important member of our healing circle. I need you to return with the others. I’ll stay here with your sons.”

Elisa’s eyes widened. “B-but—”

“My decision is final. I’ll stay here with a small contingent and we’ll figure out what this situation is with the female Alex says is his. If it’s true, we’ll find a way to reunite them.”

Alex felt hope flare inside of him. If only he could get her alone, he just knew he would be able to break whatever hold Damen had on her.

“I only just got them back, Knox,” Elisa’s voice was tremulous.

Knox nodded, reaching forward to squeeze her hand calmly before releasing her.

“I’ll make sure they’re safe and returned to you in one piece, Elisa. You have my word. This won’t take long. A matter of a few weeks. If that long.”

Under his gaze, she lowered her head submissively and nodded. Alex reached out to grip her hand tightly and saw Michael do the same on her other side.

“We will come back to you… mom.” Alex tasted the word on his lips and for the first time in his life, he felt like it fit. When she smiled at him, her heart in her eyes, he finally felt like part of a real family.

Hippolyta rushed over to where Nicholas was unmoving next to Cole. They were both slumped to the floor, leaning on each other.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, gently.

Nicholas moved away from them slowly, sitting quietly and staring at where Dru’s body was still on the ground.

Hippolyta couldn’t bear to look. If she did, she would lose control, run to him, and cry until she had no more tears. The world lost such a great treasure in just one terrible moment.

She sniffled to ensure that none of her tears escaped, cupping her fingers against Cole’s cheek, gently. He stared up at her with awe and confusion, glancing around and seeing that everyone was around them, even as they were focused on Dru.

“My Lyta?” he asked quietly, reaching up to stroke her hair back from where it fell around her face.

She knew she had nicks and cuts all over her body, but none of it seemed to matter. They were all healing already, the burn and sting of the open wounds easing with every minute that passed.

“Are you alright?” she whispered, her fingers tracing his jaw and making their way down his body to his leg. She probed the huge bite wound lightly, and he hissed.

Bone was exposed. Wincing, she leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips, lightly.

“You’ll be alright. We’ll get you better in no time.” She felt her throat clog with emotion as she realized how close she had come to actually losing him. If she could learn anything at all from Dru, it was that she needed to cherish this bond that she was taking for granted.

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