Page 13 of Protected By Her Wolves

“She’s not here, Alexi.” Rone was so frustrated, he wanted to scream. He grabbed a box of crackers that had fallen to the floor and dug one out. “How about a cracker?”

Thank the Ancients, Alexi took it and immediately began slobbering on it. Hopefully, the crackers would hold him until Cyan arrived.

He knelt beside the playpen and wiped a tear from Alexi’s eye. “You’re going to get dehydrated if you don’t start drinking soon. Is that what you want? To get sick?”

Alexi pulled the cracker out of his mouth. “Mama?”

Rone dragged a hand down his face with a groan. His mother and second-alpha father were still arguing on the patio, their voices getting louder. Though his parents rarely fought, he hated when they did. He felt partly responsible for their argument. If he’d been a better father and worked harder at weaning Alexi last month, this could’ve all been avoided.

He cleaned up the broken glass off the floor and broke out the steam mop in-between handing Alexi more crackers.

Finally, he heard a truck pulling into the drive, his shoulders sagging in relief when Erik and Cyan Cloudclimber’s voices echoed outside. As he crossed over to the front door, he sent a silent prayer to the Ancients to send Amara home soon.

Chapter Four

Amara

Bouncing around inthe helicopter’s sling seats, Amara pressed against Drasko, frigid air seeping into her bones and making her teeth rattle. Despite Drasko’s body heat as he wrapped an arm around her, she couldn’t get warm. And the whir of the overhead blades was so loud, she could scarcely hear herself think. As much as she would miss Luc, she couldn’t wait to get home. She was afraid for her beta mate, though. What was the big hurry for Luc to leave? What danger could possibly be on American soil to have made everyone so stressed? Drasko kept reassuring her Luc would be fine, but as they flew away from camp and she saw the masses of beta wolves rushing across the tundra like sled dogs racing for their lives, she couldn’t shake an overwhelming sense of dread.

Gnawing on her lip, her worry shifted from Luc to Alexi. Was he being good for Rone, or had he already shaken the house down? The communication system at camp had gone out again, so she couldn’t phone her family before their flight home to find out. Hrod, she knew had been good. He was always so calm, so steady, just like his father, Hakon. Alexi was so much like his father, Drasko, though she wouldn’t change a thing about her brave second-alpha mate, because his quick temper and dominant personality also made him a formidable protector and a beast in bed. She snuggled closer against Drasko as he held her tighter. If she wasn’t so damned cold, she’d close her eyes and take a nap. She was beyond exhausted after her two-day fucking frenzy with Luc.

She tried her hardest to keep her teeth from chattering as they flew for what felt like hours, which was strange, because they should’ve arrived in Nome already. She wished she could see out the foggy window, but it was still dark outside, even though it was nine AM. She could barely make out the shadowy figures of the two pilots in the cockpit, both humans who kept their eyes focused on the sky.

What’s taking so long?she finally asked Drasko through thought.

They’re taking a longer way,he answered back.The pilot told me they never go the same way twice.

She looked at him through sideways slits.Why not?

There was no mistaking the hard gleam in his eyes.Safety reasons.

She swallowed back a lump of apprehension.What’s down there that we’re afraid of?

He squeezed her knee, flashing his fangs.Nothing that’s scarier than me.

That brought her a small measure of comfort. She always felt safe with Drasko, but she still worried for her beta.But you won’t be there to help Luc.

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