EMMA The three of us spent time together throughout the day. We just talked and hung out. We even spent a couple of hours in the gym to allow me to work out some of my nerves and stress. They took turns training me, and I started sweating in no time. Xander had great pointers for hand-to-hand. He gave me a few new pointers on the best pressure points in human form. I nearly had him pinned before Kai shifted and threw me off-balance. Kai had me pinned underneath him when Xander shifted and began tickling the hell out of my sides. Then they were both asses who took turns tickling me by switching control. I called a truce before we tried to catch our breath between laughs. It was exactly what we needed. My mates were amazing. Despite this being hard on them too, they did what they could to make me more comfortable. I truly did not deserve them. “Food!” Ethan hollered from the hallway. Food sounded great. It was an early supper today because doing this rescue mission on a full stomach
EMMA ‘Do we need to link Ezra with the sigil as well to protect his mind?’ I asked Phoenix. ‘No. Ezra’s mind is already protected with his Witch heritage. He is from a very powerful lineage.’ Well, that bit of news was a reassurance. One thing at a time. We all met up in the living room to go over the plan one last time. I laid out the map once more. My eyes scanned it even though I knew every detail on it by heart. I just needed to reassure myself that I laid out every bit of information so I could think through contingency plans. Many things could go wrong, so I needed to be prepared for each one. I was an Alpha after all. As such, it was my duty to consider all possible outcomes. Was this worth the risk? Yes, it absolutely was. However, I had to ensure that I had enough back up plans so that I could improvise with a moment’s notice. “The entrance to the tunnel is right here. The code to enter is 16815514924.” I had them write the code on their forearms just in case they neede
EMMA Rachel looked torn about leaving me all alone, especially after coming to rescue her. Thankfully, she nodded and hurried away, following my instructions. I closed the door behind her softly, as to not alert them to my presence. They would not have known about the hidden entrance, but I could not take any risks in this. ‘Get to the basement. Rachel is coming down. Get out through the tunnels. I’m taking the long way home,’ I rushed out through the link. I slipped out of the pantry, hiding the way Rachel left. I darted down the corner hallway. I had only gotten halfway when loud shouts sounded from behind me. Presence known. Not the plan, but I could improvise. I needed to lure them away regardless to give my people time to make a clean getaway. I darted through the second door on the right which was the hallway bathroom. It led to my old bedroom which had its own exit. This was why I insisted on coming alone. I knew every inch of this place, and only I could accomplish this. T
EMMA The first thing I became aware of was being submerged in darkness. The last thing I remembered was Johnson carrying me across the border. We did it. We saved her. Ezra had his mate back. Not to mention that their unborn pup was also saved. “I can’t believe she did that,” Ethan hissed quietly, but anger laced his voice no matter how softly he spoke. I never heard him that pissed before, and now it was aimed at me apparently. I could not figure out why he was so pissed. We succeeded. The mission was a success. So, what was I missing? “Really, Ethan, you can’t? This is Emma. She will always run into the fire to save an innocent life. She knew the risks, she knew the rewards, and she made a choice,” Xander said, his voice ringing out with pride. He and Kai were both proud of me. I was fucking proud of myself too. Honestly, I was surprised that we were able to pull it off like we did. And without a hitch or almost without a hitch. I realized that I was not as horrible with missio
EMMA He glared at me and held up two fingers. I rolled my eyes, and his face broke out in a smile that actually met his eyes. “Pleasure doing business with you, sweets.” He laughed, finally letting himself realize that I was truly okay. He hugged me, and I stiffened in his arms the moment that he touched my back. He pulled away and apologized. “Ethan, shut up. I stiffened because of your aftershave, not because of anything else.” He smirked even though he saw right through it. “Why didn’t Phoenix heal you, love?” Xander asked, rubbing his hand over my arm. I relaxed into him further let the sparks work their wonder. I turned to Rachel and explained who Phoenix was and that we would fill her in on everything in a bit. It was a lot for someone to be introduced to, so I did not want to introduce everything to her at this exact moment because it should be about her reunion right now and nothing else. “Because she wasn’t supposed to be here yet. I should be fine for training in the
EMMA I woke up still on top of Xander, but he was wide awake and watching me sleep. I groaned and buried my head in his neck, inhaling his scent. I let it wash through me, waking me up and filling me with good vibes. “How long have you been up?” I mumbled against his neck. “Not long.” He chuckled which then vibrated through me since I was laying on his chest. It caused me to smile. I was glad to see him in this type of mood after the fucked-up night he had. “I highly doubt that,” I said, rolling my eyes. The amusement in his eyes told me that I was right. Waking up next to my mate was the most incredible feeling. Starting your day next to the most important person in your life and ending your day next to the most important person in your life was enough to erase the stress and worry from last night. I untangled my body from his and got out of bed, stretching away the soreness in my limbs. I was not in so much pain anymore, but I felt like I went two rounds with a bear-shifter and
EMMA Ethan came in and smiled widely at the food. He always looked at food as if he had been stranded on a deserted island for years without proper food. “There’s no way you had time to cook, sweets.” I pointed my finger towards Ezra and winked. “He’s talented in the kitchen. Perhaps we will now have some variety.” I ate the last bit of the stuffed French toast from my plate. French toast was my favorite breakfast food, so this was the perfect start to a promising day. I was not sure what he stuffed it with, but it was delicious. I needed this recipe. Perhaps we could bond over cooking. I would like to get to know him better, but I also wanted to get to know Rachel better as well. They were going to be in our lives from now on, so I wanted to develop a foundation with them. “This is great,” Ethan agreed, eating his entire plate quickly. He turned to me and motioned with his finger for me to turn around. He pulled up the back of my shirt and whistled. “Well fuck. Those are nice sca
EMMA The rest of training went off without a hitch. I was high on the satisfaction I got during my fight with Devon. I did not kill him, but I did beat the shit out of him and wounded his pride. Now, he had to live with the fact that a ‘wolf-less girl’ kicked his ass. We did not see him again afterwards. He hightailed it out of there for some reason. Good riddance. I sagged onto the couch with my head on Xander’s lap once we got back to the packhouse. My body was still recovering from last night, and it was exhausted. Ethan picked my feet up and sat down with them on his lap. “Whatever happened to the jealousy and possessiveness of an Alpha,” I asked, looking up at Xander. Xander and Kai allowed Ethan to be closer to me and show me more affection that most mates allowed in the same regard. I was not complaining or anything. I was just honestly curious about it. I saw Ezra run up the stairs to find Rachel, and I smiled because they finally had one another again, were safe, and had