Page 31 of Fear

Goliath clenched his jaw, “We should be with them.”

“We will be,” King said. “After this is done.”

Goliath nodded, but deep down, he knew—this war wouldn’t end cleanly. And when it was over, he would be able to finally spend the time he wanted with his mate. Time for them to get to know each other better.

Chapter 13

The safehouse had always felt like a fortress. The men had chosen it for its seclusion, its safety, its promise of being impenetrable, but even fortresses had weaknesses, and tonight, one had been exploited.

The fire crackled low in the common room, a thin glow of embers casting shadows across the stone walls. The women had been quiet that evening, tension hanging over them like a storm waiting to break.

Sofia could feel it. A shift. A change, something was coming.

She caught Alaska watching her, arms crossed, her normally fierce gaze softened by something she rarely showed…concern.

“You feel it, don’t you?” Sofia murmured.

Alaska sighed. “It’s too damn quiet. That’s how I know something’s wrong.”

Dakota shifted uncomfortably, rubbing her swollen belly. “The men should have called by now.”

Siena scowled, gripping the edge of the table. “They’re probably keeping us in the dark on purpose.”

And then, as if summoned by their unease, the front door slammed open. Dash, his expression was grim, his movements tense. Behind him, the two prospects who had been guarding the property stood stiffly, shoulders squared but eyes wary.

“What?” Alaska demanded. “Tell us.”

Dash ran a hand over his shaved head. “They’ve moved. They are going to war.”

Silence.

Then—chaos.

“What the fuck?” Siena’s voice was sharp. “And they didn’t tell us?”

“They left us here like we’re goddamn furniture?” Dakota snapped.

Dawn’s hands curled into fists. “They think this is protecting us?” The air in the room crackled with tension.

Siena let out a sharp, humourless laugh, shaking her head. “Oh, they’re out of their goddamn minds.” She turned on her heel, pacing like a caged predator, her boots heavy against the wooden floor. “They ride off to war, leave us here like good little housewives, and expect us to just fucking wait?”

Dakota’s fingers tightened over her belly, her eyes blazing. “They think we’re safer here?” Her voice was deceptively soft, but there was fire underneath. “Out here, hidden away with only a handful of men to protect us? When we don’t even know what’s coming?”

“Exactly!” Siena snapped, pointing at Dakota. “We have no idea what the fuck is going on. For all we know, they’re dead already.”

“Don’t,” Dawn warned, her voice low and sharp.

Siena exhaled through her nose, biting her bottom lip like she was trying to physically hold herself back.

Sofia, silent up until now, felt like she was suffocating. She understood why they were angry. Hell, she felt it too, but mixed with the anger, the betrayal, the helplessness… was something deeper.

Fear, because the truth was, they didn’t know. They didn’t know if their men were alive. Didn’t know if right now, in this very moment, the people they loved were bleeding out on some godforsaken stretch of road. And that kind of not knowing, it was worse than anything.

“We can’t just sit here.” Dakota’s voice was softer now, but no less determined. “We can’t just wait for them to come back in body bags.”

Mystique’s eyes flashed. “You think I want that?”

“I think we need to do something!” Siena shouted.

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