Page 113 of Awakened
“What the fuck happened to you, Seth? You were fine when I left you two.”
Seth walked right past him, and Aiden jogged to catch up with Seth’s long strides.
“The cold shoulder? Really?” Aiden looked at me, his eyebrows knitting together as he scanned every inch not covered by Seth’s hulking mass.
“Damn it, Les. What did they do to you?” He moved to take me from Seth’s arms, but the growl that shook Seth’s chest froze Aiden in his place.
“I got her. Go back to Whitney. She’s in worse shape than Les.”
My head whipped around to Aiden. “What happened to Whitney?”
His gaze dropped to the ground. “Gamma Perkins nearly gutted her while she tried to protect Hope. She’s stable, but it’ll be days before she wakes up.”
I reached out and grabbed his hand, forcing Seth to stop walking. I squeezed his fingers with every ounce of strength I had left. “I’m sorry.”
His watery eyes met mine. “She wasn’t trained for battle but acted like a true alpha, like a true luna. I can’t believe I supportedthis fucking Gathering. These fuckers.” He tightened his hold on my hand. “You were right. I’m sorry I didn’t listen.”
I nodded. There was no I told you so. I never wanted to be right about any of this.
It occurred to me that Brandon hadn’t come to meet us, which didn’t sit well with me. I glanced around, waiting for him to pop up. “Where’s Brandon?”
Aiden swallowed thickly, and Seth’s whole body tensed. The two stared at each other, not speaking, and I got more and more agitated.
“One of you better say something before I freak out.”
Aiden broke their stare off, shame written all over his face. “After the fight between you and Matthew, the Old Church Packs started to round up those they said were their mates. That’s when they came for Hope, and Whitney was hurt. I sent Brandon and Emily out to get help, hopefully from the Regional Powers.”
Anger overpowered the pain shooting through me, and I screamed, “You sent them out there? Alone? You should’ve gone with them! It’s miles until you reach the boundary of the territory. What if the Old Church Packs corner them? Contacting the Regional Powers is your fucking job, Mr. Alpha, not your beta’s.”
He whispered in a barely audible voice, “I couldn’t leave Whitney.”
I completely understood where he was coming from, but being a leader meant sacrificing yourself, not your second. Big fucking difference.
We walked in tense silence to the cabin that was acting as a base for the non-Cornerstone wolves. Dozens of wolves sat outside the door as people raced around, organizing our escape from the territory.
Inside, Seth stopped in front of a man sitting on a couch. Without uttering a single word, he menaced the poor soul up and out of the room. Seth carefully sat, settling into the cushions. His arm remained snug around me as he gently positioned my legs over the side of his lap.
“Uh, hey, Seth?”
He gazed down at me, his expression still severe. I had never seen him so serious. “Yeah?”
“You going to put me down?”
His cheeks flamed as he turned his head. “Just let me hold you for another minute, okay?”
I nodded, allowing myself a moment of weakness.
Seth brushed his fingers up and down my arm, relaxing me. Goosebumps prickled on my bruised skin, and I snuggled into his warm chest as my eyes grew heavy. Taking a deep breath, I enjoyed his scent, doing my best to ignore all the smoke and blood from the day. In the center of the familiar clean smell was a fruity sweetness that wasn’t his.
Becca.
Tearing my nose from his body, I tried to pry myself from his hold. “You need to put me down. Becca’s going to freak.” My head whipped around, searching for the she wolf that would be well within her rights to come at me. When he didn’t release me, I looked back at his face. “I don’t want to cause you guys any more problems.”
His beautiful lips spread into a small, sad smile. “She’s gone. My dad got her and the rest of our pack out as soon as the fires started. She wanted me to leave, but I had to stay. We supported these assholes, brought all these innocents here. It’s up to us to get everyone out.”
I grinned imagining Becca’s response when Seth told her he was staying, making my cracked lips sting and bleed a little. “I’m sure she loved that.”
Seth tilted his chin down. Looking at me through his eyelashes, he tried to hold back a smile. “Let’s just say I have a lot to figure out when I get home. That is if I still have a home.”
