Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Gathering

Nora bit her lip as she strangled her pinky finger in her hand. She glanced at the clock, the council members and a small amount of their pack’s were filtering into the grand hall. After a quick meet and greet the council members would go to the office and discuss issues and plans for the future. Where was her daughter? She was in the back office pacing the floor.

“If you break your finger I am going to be upset and if you dare chew off  your bottom lip I am going to be very..very.. Sad.” Jace whispered into her ear coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her into him. 

“Where is our daughter?” Nora sighed, closing her eyes and letting Jace’s present comfort her, even though her stomach was twisting inside of her. 

“She will be back. She might have her mother’s stubbornness and flight risk attitude but she holds her father’s responsibility in her.” Jace smirked.

“Ohhh so all her bad behavior is my fault and nothing to do with you?” Nora laughed, turning in his arms.

“You're a lot to handle.” Jace grinned.

“Oh…so you're incapable of….handling me.” Nora smirked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Jace’s grip tightened on her hips, his fingers applied a small amount of pressure as he growled next to her ear knowing what she was implying.

“Maybe I should find someone…capable of handling…a lot.” Nora smirked.

Jace spun her into his chest backing her up into the wall as he did; she let out a small squeak of surprise, followed by a giggle.

“Take it back.” Jace said, pinning her to the wall, a lock of his now salt and pepper hair fell down into his face, as his ice blue eyes narrowed in on her.

“Make me.” Nora said, biting her lower lip.   

Jace grinned accepting the challenge. His hand slipped under her shirt. The touch of his skin against her skin sent instant chills through her. She leaned into his touch. His mouth went to the side of her neck. His teeth grazed her mark. A small whimper escaped her mouth as she looped her fingers into his belt loops pulling him closer to her. 

“Ahem.” A voice came from the doorway.

Jace ignored the voice and let his hand travel down her hips. 

“Jace.” Nora whispered her voice trying to find strength.

Jace growled his mouth vibrating from it, teasing her skin as his mouth moved down her shoulder pulling her shirt to the side. 

“Alpha…it’s time.” Dante said again.

“Hey what the hold …up” Matt said walking into the room and then shaking his head.

“Jace!” Nora said more firmly and he grumbled moving away from her.

“Later.” Jace promised her hand to capture her chin and run his thumb over her lower lip before releasing her.

“How have you two managed to live this long?” Jace asked, narrowing his eyes at them.

“Good looks…charming personality?” Matt smirked.

Jace growled at him going to go towards him. Nora laughed, grabbing Jace’s hand and stopping him from going after Matt.

“You would miss him if you killed him.” Nora said, patting Jace’s hand.

“For a second.” Jace grumbled.

“Ouch.” Matt laughed.

“But in all seriousness, Alpha, Luna. The hall is full.” Matt smiled.

“Dante, has Adam brought Mallory back yet?” Nora asked her gaze, switching over to him.

“He will, they’ll be back in time for the important piece.” Dante said, reassuring her. 

“Ok let's do this boys.” Nora smiled at them, slipping out from behind Jace and walking to the doors. 

She could hear him searching for her. She sunk back against the tree she was hiding behind. She was debating climbing it. She watched the dark brown ears perk up and he smelt the air. She knew he was zoning in on her. She pushed back into the woods, her eyes locking with Owen. He spotted her. She shuffled backwards as she went in for the lunge. She moved backwards still looking at him, her foot pressing into the soft soil. It began slipping out from underneath her. losing her footing and she tumbled backwards. Owen's eyes flashed concern as he tried to reach her in time. Her hand reached out for him as she fell down. 

The ground scraped against her skin as she began rolling down the small hill. A root sticking out of the ground grabbed a hold of her shirt and made her pause for a second. She winced as she felt it tear into her skin. She tried to reach up and grab ahold of it but it slipped through her fingers and she continued to roll.

“Mallory!!” Adam’s voice shouted from the top of the hill, it was all a blur.

Mallory hit the bottom of the hill, the wind getting knocked out of her. She felt a burning pain spread through her chest as her lungs begged for air. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to move. She rolled over on her side hoping that it would work. She dug her fingers into the rich soil, her eyes tearing up as she was drowning without water. She pulled herself on to her knees. Her vision going foggy, the world soundless. She tried to suck in air and nothing was working. She was going to die from rolling down a hill. 

“Mallory!” Adam crashed to his knees in front of her, his hands going to her shoulders.

Mallory grabbed ahold of his forearms, squeezing them.

“Mal you gotta breathe, take a breath in. Come on!” Adam orders her, shaking her arm fiercely.

As if he shook air back into her she inhaled in one giant gasp. She breathed deeply like it was her first time ever breathing air.

“Oh god that hurts!” Mallory said as she exhaled her.

“Shit, let me see.” Adam said going to lift up her shirt.

Mallory didn’t fight him, she clung to his shoulder as she focused on breathing. He rolled up her shirt slowly trying to be careful. Her ribs and sides were already purple and covered in blood blisters. Mallory felt something warm drip down from her forward and run down her cheek.

“We got to get you back.” Adam said, looking at her face and noticing the blood.

“You hit your head too. Shit Mallory.” Adam said, looking through her hair, trying to find the source of the blood.

“Adam.” Mallory whispered her eyes looking past him, something just behind him at the bottom of the hill.

“You got a small gash, it’s not bad.” Adam said, looking at it.

“Adam!” Mallory said firmly, trying to get his attention. 

“Mallory we gotta go come on.” Adam said ignoring her to focus on needing to get her back.

“Adam! Stop, what the hell is that!” Mallory said, grabbing a hold of his hand and pointing behind him.

Adam stiffened up, the smell of blood hitting him. It wasn’t Mallory’s blood. This was too much blood for it to be just coming from her head wound. 

“Stay here.” Adam ordered, all of his senses heightening, Owen pushing forwards as he moved away from Mallory.

Mallory shakingly got to her feet trying to see what Adam was looking at. He kneeled down over something. She heard him swear under his breath before getting to his feet. He turned back to face her, his hands soaked in red.

“There’s been a breach.” He whispered his eyes scanning around them as he held his finger up to his lip, telling her she needed to be quiet.

“Breach?” Mallory whispered, walking around him trying to see.

Then she saw it, one of her father’s men, his head near;y decapitated from his body, slumped down into the ground. His body was covered in mud. He rolled too. She thought, her eyes looking back up at the hill. She scanned her surroundings. Her eyes looked across the grassy field. There was someone staring at her from across the way. They were too far from her to know but for some reason she knew his eyes were a deep red brown. She found herself captivated from a moment before the person moved back into the forest.

“Adam.”She whispered, her eyes locked on something in the distance.

She spun looking at him, his eyes glossed over. She knew he was sending a mind link out. She turned back across. She crossed to him and grabbed his hand. His eyes came back into focus. 

“We need to go now. There’s someone across the field.” Mallory whispered. 

“What?” His head snapped towards the clearing, trying to see what she saw.

“Adam now.” Mallory said moving towards the hill, she knew she was slower than wolves and now even more injured.

“Adam, what if it’s a trap? We need to move.” Mallory said, digging her the toes of her shoes into the dirt trying to begin climbing.

Adam clenched his jaw, she was right and he couldn’t let her climb up the hill injured and alone. He moved to her looking over his shoulder, his eyes set on the woods across the field as he began helping her climb.