Fighting for her Mate

20

“I’m not leaving. I have to finish him. He’ll just go elsewhere and prey on humans.” The stage-front metal light bar support groaned.

“Aria,” he had to talk sense into her, “we have the building surrounded. There is no way he’ll get out without us seeing him. He has nowhere to run. And if we don’t leave now, neither will we!”

She squeezed her fists and blew out her frustration. Trevan was impressed with her lung capacity. He needed to get her to focus on blowing something else. s**t. Damn hard-ons.

She passed him on the way to the stage door. “I’ll pretend that smell you’re emanating has nothing to do with me kicking a man’s ass.” She shoved her shoulder against the door leading outside, ripping it off the heavy-duty hinges.

His mouth dropped open. f*****g hell was that hot. She looked over her shoulder with a smirk. “And that smell, too.”

Barbara’s instinct told her something was really wrong. Even her wolf paced under the skin. The club’s parking lot was packed with vamps and wolves waiting for the final outcome of the fight. Barbara saw Trevan and Aria come from the side of the building. Maybe Tristan, Caleb, and Ellie would come out there, too. She hurried that way then paced at a distance where the fire wasn’t too hot.

Her heart pounded. She could barely breathe. Where were they? Anger stole her fear. Damn Ellie for going after Caleb and damn Tristan for going after Ellie. What the hell were they thinking? Not about those they left behind, obviously. She laid her palm on her forehead and the other on her hip. What would she do if they were both dead?

That thought stung hard. She bent forward and gasped air into her lungs.

“Mom?” Aric and the others hurried to her. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” He gently took her shoulders and helped her straighten.

“I’m fine. Just letting my imagination—” She slapped a hand over her mouth and leaned against her oldest son. When her shoulders shook, he wrapped her in his arms.

“It’s okay, Mom. I’m sure Dad and Ellie and Caleb are safe. They’re with Julian. He won’t let them get hurt.”

Her head rolled side to side, but she didn’t lift from his shoulder. “You don’t know that. What if he left them to save his own skin?” Aric sighed and held her tighter. There was nothing else he could say, not when she was thinking the worst.

Barbara pulled away and sniffled. “He is such a great mate and father to you kids. I’m so glad I married him. I almost made a huge mistake.”

Jordan turned to her. “What do you mean? Were you not going to marry him?”

“When I met your father, I was engaged to someone else.” The sons gasped at the exact same time, a three-part harmony. It struck Barbara as hilarious that her boys seemed so clueless to anything that happened before they were born. They knew so little about the man their father was before they mated. How noble and brave and strong he was. The extent he went to in order to woo her.

After tonight, that would change. No matter the outcome. Growing up, the kids weren’t able to spend much time with Tristan’s parents because they were so far away. Plus, with Tristan and his father being alphas, it was difficult for them to take much time away from the packs.

“Mom, we didn’t know that. Who—”

“Aric,” Aria’s voice interrupted them. She hurried over to the gathered family. “I can’t thank you enough. I’m glad we didn’t need your wolves to fight, but you never know.” She put her hand out to shake with the son of the alpha.

“You’re a good person, Aria. We’ll always be here when you need help. Hope we can count on you, too.”

“Absolutely, wolf.” Aria was about to leave, but Barbara stopped her.

“Aria, have you heard from Julian or anyone with him? They went to look for prisoners and haven’t come out yet.” Behind her, the building gave a heaving groan, as if giving its last breath to the sky, then collapsed.

Barbara spun around, speechless, hands covering her gaping mouth as she stared at the pile of burning debris. So many emotions went through her, she felt lightheaded. Aria stepped in front of her.

“Barbara, listen to me.” Aria took her shoulders in the same manner Aric had. “If they were looking for prisoners, they were probably at the holding cells in the basement.” Barbara wanted to ask why that mattered, but somewhere between her brain and mouth was a disconnect.

“In the basement is a tunnel built for escaping if the need ever arose. They’ll be okay if Julian remembers it.”

She wanted to scream if he remembers it. The life or death of her beloved family members depended on the memory of a three thousand year—

“Dad?” Nate’s voice registered in her head. “Dad! Over here!” The crowd rushed toward the small group coming out of the woods. Julian and Caleb each held a young female human. Barbara outran everyone to reach them first. She threw an arm around her husband and one around her only daughter.

Karla moved about in the kitchen tossing breakfast together for Nate before he left to meet up with Caleb and his brothers. She was exhausted from waiting up last night for him to get back from the raid at Embraced.

She turned to the three adorable munchkins lying in their little bouncy chairs, side by side. They smiled at her, toothless, slobbering, and flailing tiny arms and legs.

Her husband strolled into the kitchen. “Here’s my Three Musketeers.” He tickled their tummies and made funny noises, creating gurgles from the three.

She noted he wore old jeans that fit him perfectly in the right places and a T-shirt that hugged his wide shoulders. Nate continued to coo and talk in high-pitched baby speak. “Do you smell Mama? I do. She wants to play hide the Butterfinger with Daddy. Coincidentally, that’s how you three came about.”

Karla swatted his behind sticking up in the air as he bent over the children. “That’s not all Mama wants to play.”