Page 47 of The Dark War

“And by gods, we do have a plan to save as many as we can.”

Chapter Twenty-six

Kane

“Motherfuckingdamn,shit,fuck!”

“Any other words you want to add to that, babe?” I had Clara wrapped up in my arms. I couldn’t let her walk right now. There was not a damn thing I could do to make all her worries go away, so carrying her around like a damn barbarian was the way to go. She just slumped into my chest, her head resting elegantly across my shoulder. Her finger trailed over the tattoo like it was so damn mesmerizing.

Taking heavy steps up the stairs, hoping to warn the warriors to leave my presence, I was relieved to see they had opened the door without saying a word. They both flinched as I glared at them both to leave.

“Be nice,” Clara whispered, not looking up as I set her on the couch. My mother walked out of our bedroom, gently shutting the door. Her modest smile let me know that she understood the mood I was in as she left.

“What are we going to do?” Clara’s shoulders sagged while I snatched a glass of whiskey and drank straight from the bottle. Clara didn’t look up to scold me, her hands staring at her picked fingers which were becoming raw. Grunting, I set the bottle down and scooped her back up.

“Don’t do that, baby.” Pulling her head to my shoulder, I let her lay in my arms. She was fucking tired; we all were dealing with shit this land had never dealt with before. The evolution of magic or this newly created magic was far beyond our control.

As much as we thought we were safe after killing a rogue king just months ago, now we faced something stronger, more daunting. Clara’s mother had kept her womb empty for the longest time. Being a pregnant royal could be a mess. Mates were to stay close together during pregnancy because the women couldn’t shift, at least not in the latter part of the pregnancy. All their strength went to the pup, their womb, to keep it well protected.

Now Clara’s mother was helpless, and if her father stayed away from her, it could be dangerous for the baby as well as the mate bond. Many would find that the king and queen running away cowardly if this was any human occurrence, but it wasn’t. This was bonding werewolf shit, and no one would think anything of it.

“It’s hard to understand.” Clara gripped the sofa with her hand. “That they can leave like that.” Pulling her closer to me, I leaned in to kiss her forehead.

“As much as I don’t like it, it has to be done,” I said distantly.

Clara’s parents explained a very delicate plan. It would all have to be determined once Cyrene arrived, and she agreed to the dire circumstances we faced.

Clara’s parents wanted to take all the children they could from the kingdom and take them to Earth. They would reside just on the other side of the portal in the Ever Green pack. Half the warriors from the palace would go with them, along with omegas that weren’t trained to fight. They would take care of the youngest while those who were strong enough would stay put.

“And Evelyn, what will she think?” Clara’s hand cupped her mouth. “I won’t be able to see her, talk to her.”

Cyrene, being a powerful sorceress along with witches that still hailed from the Cerulean Moon Kingdom, would close the portal for good. There would be no communicating with the other side to know if they were all right. Light magic was how the portal was created. The dark magic laced with dragon’s blood wouldn’t be able to open it, or at least we hoped it wouldn’t.

“She will be safe there. Once we know that the blood magic will not taint Earth, then Evelyn, along with all the other children, can return. Unfortunately, that just means we are locked in here.” Clara pulled up her legs to her chest, silently sobbing.

“I know it’s the right thing. I want her safe. I just don’t want her to forget me.” Cupping my hands around her face, her blotchy cheeks, her tear-stained face, and her red eyes held so much sadness it made my heart break.

“Baby.” Taking the pad of my thumb, I wiped away a tear. “She will never forget her mother.”

“I did.” She choked.

“That was different.” I growled. “You had a spell cast on you.”

“And now my mother and I have a strained relationship. What if the war lasts a long time? What if she starts talking and walking and—” I put my finger over her lips.

“That’s not going to happen.” I growled. “I won’t allow it. We have the numbers. We have a powerful light sorceress on our side coming in with reinforcements. It will be all right.” Clara’s forehead thumped my chest. If she hadn’t been so damn stressed out, I’d have spanked her ass.

One thing I could take away from that kinky-ass-fae-kingdom that looked appealing.

A whimper left our bedroom, and Clara’s head popped up to listen more carefully to our daughter’s cries. I pulled her back to my chest. “I’ll take care of her. I want you to go take a nap.” Going to protest, I smacked her thigh. Her eyes widened, and her cheeks blushed.

Well, maybe.

Two weeks had passed. We tried to remain optimistic, and dare I say, Clara was looking more like herself. It wasn’t a joke when the luna was considered the sun of the pack. Clara’s sunshine was radiating as she helped the little orphaned pups from the massacre pack their things.

She made sure to pack them clothes, a few toys to put in their bags, and gave them all the playtime they wanted. The youngest pups didn’t remember their parents’ death. We had secretly hoped they wouldn’t remember the blood bath, but when night came, they asked when they would be coming back to take them home. That had been difficult the past few days to finally tell them they had gone to meet the gods.

Unfortunately, Roland had seen it all. He eventually opened up to Clara about how they infiltrated their territory. All done by the magic that the witch had surrounded them with. They killed the men while they slept, the women waking to feel the burn in their chest when their mates died, but the children still lived and slept in their arms.

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