Page 24 of The Alpha Warrior's Mate

“Let’s go.”

We shifted again and ran full speed into the cave. Inside, my mate was sitting tied to a chair, and the fucker had a weapon to his head.

Again.

A knife this time.

What a coward.

I shifted, wanting him to know before he died exactly who was robbing him of life.

“That was fast,” the asshole said. “I didn’t even have my fun. I only wanted revenge anyway. You ruined my fucking business at the other house, you and this pathetic bear.”

“Raping omegas and taking their children isn’t a business, asshole,” I said. “King and Aziz didn’t kill you before but, today, I don’t think you’ll be that lucky.”

“Oh?” The man laughed, and his sunglasses almost fell off. “Will that be after I slit your mate’s throat?” He moved the knife blade down Clay’s face until it was pointed right at the artery in my mate’s throat. “Or should I aim for the baby inside his belly?” The asshole bounced on his toes. “What if we have some real fun, and I make you choose between them?”

Clay shook with fear. “Jeremy, it’s okay,” he whispered.

“The hell it is.”

My teammates lunged for the man who’d taken my mate while I had my sights on that knife.

But I moved too late. By the time King’s teeth sank into the man’s arm, the knife had already sliced Clay’s skin, right at the side of his belly. Not deep enough to hurt the babe inside him but enough to not leave the fucker alive, not even to prod him for information. He wasn’t worth another breath.

“You’re okay, mate,” I said as Clay collapsed against me. “It’s only a small cut. We’ll fix it. I promise. I’m so sorry, mate. I failed you.”

His breaths were labored and then he cried out, “Jeremy!”

Aziz’s hyena was crouched over the body, crunching on bones. He was taking his own vengeance out on the man who hurt his mate.

“Did he hurt you?” I scanned his body for a sign.

“No. I…I’m in labor. The baby is coming. Now.”

Chapter Twenty

Clay

I’d gone into labor, my body not caring that I was in a cave near a dead body, having just been kidnapped. Rude.

Jeremy’s face was blank mixed with a tinge of panic. I wanted to calm him, to let him know it was fine, but it wasn’t fine. None of this was.

“We can’t have our baby here. Not here, not with…not with…” He glanced at the lifeless body of the person who had kidnapped me and tried to sell both our baby and myself.

I agreed with him. We couldn’t have our baby next to a dead body in a smelly cave. It made sense and was what most people would say. It hit me hard though. Seeing him so panicked, so quickly, when he’d been so strong, told me it was time for me to finally do what I knew I needed to do all along—to be the one to take care of us and not always rely on him. I could do this. I had to.

“Help me to the van and get me home. Babies don’t come instantaneously,” I said, though the intensity of my contractions made me question that. It shouldn’t be happening this quickly, but then again, tonight hadn’t been normal in any other way, so why would this be the average experience. If anything, all the stress from the day had to be making it worse.

“But what if we don’t make it in time?” Jeremy asked, fear creeping into his voice.

“Then he delivers the baby, just like I did,” Jack jumped in, taking my hand. “Trust me, having a baby in a van getting away from all the chaos—that’s not the worst way to have one.” He would know.

Jeremy nodded, and the two of them helped me get to the van. My leg was now dripping wet. “Great, my water broke.”

I half wondered if earlier, when I had to pee so badly, it was a contraction that messed with my bladder and not the baby. Not that it mattered now—but anything to distract me from the pain as I climbed into the van was worth thinking about.

We drove down the bumpy road, and the non-bumpy road, not that it made a difference. Even the concrete pavement felt like I was being jostled around. Every little movement hurt. I tried to hold back my screams, not wanting to startle anyone as they were driving or riding along. I did a fairly good job, but not a great one.

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