Bloodbound

Healing

I went to my parents’ old quarters. Most of their belongings were still there. Darius had never named a beta—too power-hungry, too paranoid to allow anyone close enough to take those rooms.

I couldn’t bring myself to go into my own room. Not today.

Elijah and Jackson checked the quarters first, making sure no one was hiding. All of Darius’s men were gone—some taken into custody, others slaughtered and left in burning piles outside. Justice, brutal and final.

I moved quietly through my parents’ closet and pulled out a sweatshirt and a pair of lounge pants. The scent hit me instantly.

Warm vanilla.

“I miss you, Mom,” I whispered, clutching the fabric to my chest.

I knew she wasn’t there, but I imagined her beside me anyway, rubbing slow circles into my back like she used to when the world felt too heavy.

The bathroom was already steaming. I stepped under the water and scrubbed until my skin burned. Until it hurt. I was damaged. Broken in places I didn’t know how to fix.

But I had my brother back.

And my first love.

If Elijah isn’t my mate tomorrow, I don’t know what I’ll do. I don’t know if I can trust anyone for a long time. Who would want me like this—fractured and raw?

I sobbed beneath the heat of the shower.

Heath was alive. Safe. Healing.

Jackson and Elijah were here—strong, steady, ready to lead and protect.

We would survive this.

When I finished, I dressed quickly, suddenly anxious to see them all.

I opened the door—and they were there.

All three of them.

Heath stood clean and dressed, his color already returning. It had only been hours, but he was healing fast.

“Hey, handsome,” I said, tears filling my eyes as I looked at him.

“Wrong brother, babe,” he said with a nervous chuckle, running a hand through his sandy blond hair and glancing at Elijah.

“All brothers,” I said, my voice cracking.

“We’re going to be okay,” I continued. “I’m going to protect you both at all costs.”

Jackson shook his head gently. “No. Not just us—the pack. We protect them at all costs. We have to be strong. We have to show them we aren’t afraid. That we can recover. That we’ll bring everyone home.”

“Elijah and I already started,” Jackson added. “We’ve got GPS coordinates and tracking devices. Red Willow—and several other packs—are ready to help.”

Elijah squeezed my hands, rubbing slow circles into my palms. “I put trackers on the bottoms of the vans. We had to stay quiet. Someone on the council is helping them—we needed proof. A plan.”

His voice broke. He couldn’t finish.

He placed his hand on Heath’s shoulder and cried into it.

“We weren’t sure if they killed you,” he said finally, anger hardening his features. “Or sold you.”

“They didn’t know I was a beta’s daughter,” I said. “I told them I was an omega assigned to care for the Alpha’s family. They didn’t question it. I listened. I watched. I got painkillers and phantom root to Heath whenever I could.”

My hands curled into fists. “But to move past this… I need them dead. I need to see the life leave their eyes.”

Silence followed.

“So how do we heal the pack?” Jackson asked, looking to Elijah.

“We train,” Elijah said. “We offer therapy—every kind we can. We rebuild through activity, structure, and presence. We show up for them as much as they need.”

He turned to Heath. “They need to see you thrive. To know you weren’t broken. Whatever you need—we’re here.”

Heath glanced at the calendar on the wall. “If that thing’s right, tomorrow’s Chloe’s birthday. Eighteen’s a big deal. Let’s do a pack dinner. Neighboring packs left warriors behind—we’re safe for now. Darius and Alexa are on the run. What better reason to celebrate?”

“I don’t want it to be about me,” I said. “Let’s make it about us. A BBQ. Give the pack a chance to talk to us.”

Jackson’s eyes filled. “Our parents would be so f*****g proud of us.”

The rest of the day blurred by.

We found therapists—traditional ones, and unconventional ones too: gardening, baking, combat training. Healing looked different for everyone.

We reviewed the pack’s finances. Somehow, despite Darius’s obscene spending, there was still enough to rebuild.

I left Ashley in charge of organizing the kitchen staff and planning the food.

When we finally had a quiet moment, I poured myself some sweet tea and stepped outside. Children laughed nearby. Birds sang. For the first time in what felt like forever, hope settled into my chest.

Elijah joined me, kissed my forehead, and sat beside me.

We didn’t speak at first. Just looked at each other.

“You get your wolf tomorrow,” he said softly. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“My dad always planned to take me on my first shift,” I said. “I was hoping… maybe the four of us could shift together. My first run.”

“Whatever you need,” he said. “I’m here.”

Tears spilled over. “I thought you were dead. I saw Heath every day—but I didn’t know where you were. What they’d done to you.”

My voice broke. “I killed a man getting Heath out. I was ready to kill more. And I still don’t understand how—when we were at our weakest—you and Jackson arrived.”

My hands shook. “Sometimes I think I died in that dungeon… and this isn’t real.”

"its real. Im sorry I wasn't here sooner."

" youre here now" I sigh leaning my head on his shoulder.

" I'm never leaving again" I moved to put my hands in his and curled my legs on his lap like I did when we were younger. It was starting to feel like home again.