Page 45 of Saving Nevin
My chest ached. My wold spun. Nevin seemed to admit defeat, lowering his gaze and dropping his chin to his chest, his shoulders slumping forwards. I could only imagine the thoughts and the fears going through his mind right now; they probably mirrored the ones going through my own.
What about our son? Would Rex just keep him and raise him in that awful pack, to be abused the way Nevin was? Would I truly never get to meet the child I’d been so eagerly awaiting to welcome into the world? It hurt. It hurt so damn badly. I wanted to scream.
“I love you, Kace,” Nevin whispered, and the pain in his voice grabbed me by the heartstrings and yanked them loose.Oh, Nev…“I’m sorry.”
Then he threw his head back with a cry, slamming the back of his skull into Rex’s mouth hard enough that I saw blood spray. Rex screamed, his hands flying up to cup his lower face. Nevin lurched forwards, collapsing into the snow at the Alpha’s feet before going still.
Alarm spiked through me. Was he hurt? But my gaze cut back to Rex, who snarled his outrage and spat out blood and teeth. His fist curled around the hunting knife and his golden eyes were wild with fury and I knew I had one chance. One shot. If I failed…
No. I wouldn’t fail. I refused.
Lifting the shotgun, I looked down the barrel and pulled the trigger with no hesitation. BAM! Rex’s whole body jerked as the bullet punched through the center of his chest and out the back. He staggered back a few steps before falling to the ground, gasping for air.
My heart thumping wildly in my throat, threatening to choke me, I crossed the yard so that I was staring down at him. He gaped up at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Shock colored his features, which were quickly paling. “Y-You…” he sputtered. “You…”
“Yeah,” I bit out. “Me.”
Then I aimed the gun at Rex’s head and fired, turning my face away as blood and brain and bone splattered everywhere. Nausea roiled, flooding my mouth with salty saliva, and I started to gag.Breathe. Nevin needs you. Focus on Nevin.
I swallowed a couple of times, forcing my upside-down stomach to behave. I turned around to search for the other wolves Rex had brought along with them.
One of them was dead, soaked in crimson. The other cowered beneath Sevren’s bared fangs. I raised the shotgun and aimed it at the final wolf. Sevren dipped his muzzle and stepped aside, moving to my brother’s aid instead.
“You have one chance,” I told the lone Alpha. “Go back to your pack and never step foot in Greymercy again, or I’ll kill you right now. Your choice. You have till the count of three. One…”
The wolf pinned his ears and whined, then limped off into the woods as quickly as he could manage on three legs. The other was shredded. I watched him go until he was a speck in the distance, then let out a shaken exhale.
Nevin.
I carefully dropped the gun to the ground and rushed to my mate’s side. He was on his side, curled around his stomach in a protective ball. I sank to my knees and reached for him. “Nev? Baby? Are you okay?” I had to force my voice to be strong, because it threatened to crack right down the center.
Nevin whimpered and slowly unfurled from his position. I swallowed. “Are you hurt?” I asked him. He slowly shook his head, then with a broken sob, he launched himself at me. He threw his arms around my neck and wrapped his legs around my waist and clung to me like a little spider monkey, crying openly.
“I-I thought I’d never see you again!”
“Oh, baby,” I crooned, hugging him as fiercely as I dared without harming the baby pinned in his belly between us. I held him close as he cried, his tears soaking my jacket. I rocked us from side to side, with one hand supporting his hips and the other stroking his back. Nevin hiccuped and gasped and sniffed and whimpered.
But he was safe. That was all that mattered.
It wasn’t long before several more pack members came running up, no doubt drawn here by the sound of a fight. My oldest sister was one of them. Tasha shifted back, looking at me with concern in her eyes. “Is everything alright? We heard gunsho—oh, holy shit.”
At that moment, she saw the carnage that was Rex’s corpse. She covered her mouth and backed away, going pale. “I need to call Mom. Shit. Is everyone okay? Xan?” Her voice pitched. “XAN?”
“I’m fine.” He scoffed at her. He was wounded, but otherwise alright, it seemed. “Saved the day.”
I looked at my brother, my chest tightening. He was right. If it hadn’t been for Xan’s scream… Damn it, I never should’ve let Nevin out of my sight. I buried my nose in Nevin’s blond curls and breathed him in, hugging him close.
“I’m so sorry, Nevin,” I murmured. “I should’ve kept you safe.”
“You did,” he breathed out. “Kace, you did. Don’t blame yourself. How were we supposed to know they’d come onto our property to try and grab me. It should’ve been safe.”
“I almost lost you. I was so scared.”
“Me too.”
Tasha walked away, out of earshot, talking on the phone with Mom. A couple of others helped Sevren and Xan get to their feet, and they began the walk back to my cottage. I stood, picking up Nevin in one fell swoop, never letting him leave my arms.
Nevin squeaked. “Kace! I’m fine, I can walk!”
