“Thank Goddess Ash and I won’t have to go through that,” someone retorts, their voice husky as if not having been used for a long time.
Lucas and I freeze, our eyes widening before we turn to look at Devon. My mate smiles weakly back at us, his eyes going from staring at the scone in Lucas’ hand to finding my gaze.
“Is that damned collar finally off me?” he asks.
Without thinking, I toss the half-eaten scone onto the table and throw myself onto Devon, holding him tightly as tears fall from my eyes. Lucas disappears, most likely to grab a nurse or doctor, while I relish the feel of Devon weakly holding me.
“Ash, get off Devon so Hannah can check him out,” Lucas calls from beside me, carefully placing his hands on my shoulders. I growl at him, not ready to be separated from my now-awoken mate, but Devon gently pushes me, bringing me to my senses. Ipull away carefully, catching tears in his eyes as Lucas helps me straighten up.
“Don’t worry, Ash. You two can cuddle as soon as I make sure Devon is okay,” Hannah reassures me, smiling.
I wait off to the side as she assesses Devon, asking him what the last thing he remembers is and if anything hurts right now. Once it’s confirmed that Devon is not at risk of slipping back into a coma and that all his injuries have indeed healed, she tells Devon to rest up and that she’ll be back in four hours for a final round of tests.
Lucas helps me move Devon just slightly to the side of the bed so that I can crawl in beside him and snuggle my mate close before handing both of us a fresh scone from the basket and taking a seat once again.
“So...” Devon begins, picking at the apple cinnamon treat. “What did I miss?”
I sigh, not sure where to begin. The last week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. Thankfully, Lucas takes the lead in explaining everything to Devon, who silently takes it in. He even mentions the situation with the three wolves, Hale, Inda, and Zach, which causes Devon to growl and set his heart monitor off. A nurse came in, scolding us for getting Devon worked up and saying that next time, we would be kicked out.
“All that, and I just slept,” Devon jokes, turning his head to kiss my cheek. “Thank you for sitting beside me and helping me through it, Ash,” he adds.
I blush, unsure what to say. Lucas eyes us, a soft smile on his lips, and for a moment, I think back to when we first met. I’d been a total dick to him, thinking that Kaylee deserved better. Now, having met my mate in the dungeons after he was found to be spying on Ivory Fangs, I understand Lucas and the complexities of the mate bond more.
“Hey, Lucas,” I say, my voice quiet. “Thanks for being a good friend.”
He smiles at me, standing from his chair, and lightly punches my shoulder.
“Don’t worry about it. You had every right to be a dick to me when we first met. I’m just glad that when Kaylee and I take over Oak Fur, we’ll have someone as loyal as you joining us.”
I never thought he and I would become such good friends or that he would be such a chill guy. Yet here he is, making sure I ate and keeping tabs on how Devon was doing.
“So when do we leave for Oak Fur?” Devon chimes in from beside me. Lucas’ smile falls, his eyes hardening as he turns to look out the only window in this room.
“We leave in three days. Hannah won’t allow you to fight with us, Devon, but we’ll take you with us in one of the vans so you can be there when we kill Ramos and Marilyn.”
With that, Lucas tells us to get some rest and that he expects me at training tomorrow. I readily agree, happy to know I’m still part of the battle, and watch Lucas close the door behind him.
With Lucas gone, I return my focus to Devon and hold him tight. Ivory Fangs is no longer home to me after what Marco did. I know he was punished, but the safety of my mate now comes first.
60
Kaylee
Watching the vans being packed with battle gear and luggage, I wrap my arms around my body and take a deep breath. It’s usually a ten-day drive from here to Oak Fur. With the omegas driving the vans for us, switching out every five hours so they can rest, we should be able to make it to Oak Fur in four to six days.
When I was banished from Oak Fur, I never thought I would be returning there pregnant with plans to kill Ramos, yet here I am. That man has done more harm than good for the pack, and my heart breaks for those still trapped under his rule.
From what Devon’s friends have told us, Marilyn has started throwing temper tantrums over the smallest of things, from the temperature of the food served to her to omegas seeking her permission to create new garden beds. The pack is now facing a food shortage due to her awful leadership, and Ramos is just allowing it to happen.
“Are you ready to become an alpha, Kaylee?” Royce asks from beside me. He has designated himself as my personal guard for the trip. Earlier this morning, he and Ash revoked their membership to Ivory Fangs. After everything that had happened with Marco, neither man felt safe here.
“As ready as I can be,” I answer with a smile, turning away from all the preparations to face Royce. He and Marco were my first friends when I came to Ivory Fangs. They were the ones who had watched me skin animals and prepare the meat for the pack. We’d laughed, joked, and partied when we weren’t performing our duties.
Now, I feel like that trio we made is gone because of Ramos—because he sent spies who shared information about our pack with him, and because Marco hadn’t recovered from the trauma caused by Shadow Moon attacking them before we came here.
“Marco and Maya are staying here to watch over the pack with Kurt,” I state, watching Royce scan the many wolves.
“Good. I’m not ready to forgive him for hurting Ash by nearly killing Devon,” he scoffs. I sigh, placing my hand on my friend’s shoulder and making him look at me.
