Page 34 of The Wolf's Mate

“Getting you to safety. Grass, come.”

Grass listens to the alpha command and follows at my heels.

“No, Rip, you can’t?—”

“Let me do this, Hettie! Don’t argue for once.”

I dig my heels into the ground, trying to stop. “I’m okay, Rip. They need you. Don’t you hear them screaming?”

“Listen—”

“No, you listen!” I shoot back, stunning both Rip and Grass. I take the opportunity to wiggle out of his grasp. “I’m fine. But those people aren’t. Help them, Rip. You’re their King Alpha.”

“And you’re their Luna. You need to be safe,” he grits through his teeth.

“No, I’m their Luna. I need to help my people. This is my pack too, is it not? That’s what you tell me. I will not go hide.”

“You will die if you attempt to join the battle, Hettie. You understand that, don’t you?” Rip looks ready to drag me back, but I’m not letting him. No matter how he feels.

“You fight the battle, then. I’m going back to the nursery. The pups need me.”

I can see him battle with himself. I almost believe he won’t let me go, and I’m prepared to plead my case again until he growls, “Stay here one minute.” Rip doesn’t wait for me to respond. He rushes away, and suddenly I feel exposed out here in the open.

Rip comes back a moment later carrying an…ax? “What the hell is that?” I gesture to the massive sharp tool in his hand.

To my surprise—and horror—Rip hands it over to me. “Protection. You know how to use it?”

“I feel like it’s self-explanatory?” I test the weapon out in my hands. It’s heavy as hell, and I wish I didn’t skip all those arms days at the gym. Still, I can at least raise it.

Rip nods in approval. “Straight back to the nursery. I’ll make sure your path is clear. Don’t leave Tallie.”

“I won’t,” I promise, and this is a promise I intend to keep.

“Be fucking careful,” Rip insists once again before he shifts in front of me; his clothes shred and fall to the floor. His black wolf stares at me, urging me to follow.

So I do.

None of the rogues have made it this far yet, so Rip only passes wolves running into the action. I run the last few feet to the nursery, awkwardly carrying the ax next to me. “Go! I’m fine!” I shout and pry open the nursery door.

“Hettie! Thank goddess you’re okay!” Tallie cries as soon as she sees me. A group of crying kids clings to her legs, scared out of their mind. “Is that an ax?” she asks, looking down at the weapon in my hands.

“Yeah, Rip gave it to me.” I wave it off. “Do we have someplace safe to take the pups?” Being out in the open like this feels too vulnerable, especially with how many windows there are in the other room. If we are lucky, the attack won’t extend this far, but I’m not counting on that.

“Yes, every building here has a safe room. Locks from the inside.” Tallie detaches the crying kids from her legs before moving toward a crib. She pushes it out of the way and tears down a random curtain I believed to be covering a window.

A door hides behind the curtain, and Tallie pulls hard to get it open. “Hurry! We need to get them all inside.”

We start with the most vulnerable, packing all the babies into one crib and pushing it inside. The kids who clung to Tallie moments ago all run inside. Grass goes with them and allows the kids to hold and cry into his fur. He’s keeping a few of the older kids calm, which I’m thankful for.

“Is that all of them?” I ask, frantically looking around the room for another head to pop up.

“Yeah, I think so—Hettie, look out!” Tallie screams.

Her warning comes too late. The window behind me shatters, raining down hundreds of small shards of glass. The look of absolute fear from Tallie spurns me into action. “Don’t come out until Rip or Thorne comes back.”

“Hettie!” I cut off her cries, shutting the door to the safe room. I hear the audible lock and say a quick prayer of thanks that Tallie didn’t risk the children by opening the door again. An unsettling laugh emits from somewhere behind me, and I grasp the ax tightly in my hands. It suddenly feels so much smaller.

“Hettie…” A low male purr sends shivers down my back. Not how Rip’s voice does. This is mocking and lacks all friendliness. I know who it is before I even turn around.

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