Page 114 of Alpha's Redemption

“No, and we will have Taylor once my father finds a way back into the city to retrieve her for us,” he says, dipping his head down to capture my lips. Yet, his words make me fight harder to block the bond. All I can think is his father was going to take my daughter. Over my dead body, he would touch my daughter.

Carter, not realizing I shut down at his words, continues tasting my skin while all I do is stare. My mind is all over the place until I feel him slide the dress up over my hips, snapping me out of my troubled thoughts. I grip his hands and he growls, but I push on his shoulder and he looks at it. I suck in a breath and push him to roll onto his back, which he does reluctantly, it’s clear he doesn’t trust me. He leans against the headboard, watching me cautiously.

“What are you playing at?” he asks. I figured he would find my abrupt change of mind suspicious.

“You’re right, itisinevitable. But that doesn’t mean it has to be unpleasant, right?” I ask before climbing between his legs. His eyes weigh heavily on me as I reach for the waistband of his pants.

ChapterFifty

Valen

Zoe has come to drop Valarian off at the hospital and I smile when I see her car pull into the parking lot. While she parks the car, I make my way over to her before opening the back door. Quickly unclipping his seatbelt, he hops out of the car excitedly, wanting to see his sisters; he brought the plushies he helped pick out with him. I glance in the car and notice Taylor and Casey are both in their car seats too, which is a little odd; it’s pretty late at night.

“Where are Marcus and Macey? Also, have you heard from my father?” I ask Zoe, who chews her lip nervously.

She glances in the back at the girls before climbing out of the car and ushering me to the rear of the vehicle. Valarian climbs up onto the hood of the car and waits for me while clutching the blue and green plushies; Zoe glances at him as if to make sure he’s out of earshot.

“John returned home with Ava,” Zoe whispers, and I blink at her, dumbfounded because nobody told me Ava was found or handed back. Why had no one told me? This is good news, assuming she’s alright, and Everly will be relieved to know her sister is okay.

“What do you mean? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. She was a little dehydrated. John had his old pack doctor check her over,” Zoe tells me.

“And no one thought to tell me?” I whisper-yell.

“No, because your father and John didn't want to ruin your first night with your babies. But there’s more. Macey cut a deal with Carter; she swapped places with Ava.”

My brows furrow at this information. Why would she swap places with her? It makes no sense. And what would Carter want with Macey?I open my mouth to say something when Zoe speaks first.

“John and Marcus went to help your father look for her. That’s why you can't get a hold of anyone. They told me not to tell you.”

“I’ll send men out to help them search. Whereabouts in the city are they looking for her? I can send scouts out to help.”

“I’m not supposed to tell you, but Macey isn't in the city. They have a tracker on her; Marcus called me just before you did. They picked up a signal, but it’s weak and not giving them an exact location,” Zoe tells me, and I curse, shaking my head.

“Just go take Valarian in to see his sisters and tell Everly her sister is fine. As soon as I know what’s going on, I’ll let you know. I told Marcus he should call you.”

I growl, knowing they were doing this behind my back. “Please do, because apparently, no one thought to inform me!” I snap, and she cringes.

“They didn't want to ruin yours and Everly's day.”

“It has been nearly forty-eight hours since they were born. Someone should have fucking told me by now! Get hold of Marcus and get him to fucking call me! He’s been ignoring my calls,” I snarl at her, and she nods her head before climbing back into the car.

My head is all over the place. They didn't tell me, and now they are Goddess knows where and could be walking into an ambush for all they know. But it explains the silence through the pack link and why everyone was ignoring my calls. Even Everly has been worried because she was expecting her father and mine to be here by now, especially with how excited they were.

“Is everything okay, Dad?” Valarian asks as he rushes over to grab my hand.

“Everything is fine. Are you excited about meeting your sisters?” I ask him.

“Yes, and Mom. I don't like being away from Mom. I brought the plushies,” he says, showing me.

“The girls will love them,” I tell him, giving his hand a squeeze before we navigate our way to the maternity ward. As we get closer, I can hear them crying and I pick up my pace.

Everly still can't shift to heal for a few more days and struggles with moving much. The moment I open the door, she beams when she lays eyes on Valarian. He rushes toward her excitedly, where she’s trying to get one baby to latch, while one cries in the bassinet. The third is lying between her thighs asleep, having just been fed.

“Can you grab her?” she nods toward the bassinet, and I wander over, plucking her bundled-up little form out of the crib.

All three babies inherited my genetic mutation. All three girls have amber eyes and dark hair. We still haven't picked out names yet. I have an idea for one name, but I have yet to run it by Everly. So, for now, they’re still babies A, B, and C.

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