“She’s loyal to us,” Caleb said. He didn’t have any doubt. She would fight for them.
“Yes, but any doubters within the pack have just been shown they don’t need to be. She picked us. She didn’t go running toward the witches.” Matthew held his hand up as Caleb was about to protest. “It’s a weird kind of logic, but it works. Go with it.”
“It’s still fucked up. They’re going to try to kill Lucy to get to her. Why would she side with a coven of witches intent on actually sacrificing her?” Guy asked.
“I said it was a weird logic. You’ll be surprised how many people are willing to kill themselves for their pack or their coven. It makes no sense.” Matthew tapped his shoulder. “It also helps you’ve mated to her. You’ve shown the pack you mean business. You can’t leave.”
“I won’t leave. I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep her safe.” Caleb looked through the telescope, and moved it toward the town. He saw Lucy sitting with her palms out as she added more barriers to her spells. Bianca was lighting candles around her, and was close. “What do we do?”
“We call a pack meeting,” Matthew said. “We don’t have any human mates, so we’re not worried about that.”
“We need to keep the submissive wolves safe,” Emma said.
“We round up the wolves, and we protect our own.” Matthew left the tower. “I need someone here.”
“I’ll share it with Guy,” Caleb said. “Together we can keep an eye on our women, and the town. We’ll both be ready to fight when the time is right.”
His father pulled him in for a hug, and left.
He watched his parents leave the watchtower. Forcing himself to stop watching Lucy, he started looking around the boundary of the pack. He couldn’t find anything so far. Only one coven of witches was trying to get to his mate.
“How are you holding up?” Guy asked.
“My mate is being threatened, and I want to kill every last one of those bitches.” Caleb would tear them apart one by one.
“It’s a shame they could use magic on us. It’s not a fair fight.”
“There’s ways of taking on a witch.” He looked toward the coven, and they were each taking turns trying to attack the invisible barrier.
For the next three hours, he kept guard, checking the perimeter. Guy left to go and take food to their women, and he watched as Lucy paused in her spells to eat. Even through the telescope, he saw that she was exhausted.
Guy brought him some food, and he ate while watching.
Chapter Nine
Lucy ate her sandwich, enjoying the small break she was getting. She was so tired. The biggest problem with dealing with magic, and her being so new, she was easily tired. It was just too much at times. The pack was counting on her, and she was scared of failing them.
“Are you okay?” Bianca asked.
“Yeah, I’m just eating some food.” She wiped at her eyes, feeling the exhaustion taking over.
“If you need to rest, then rest.”
“I can’t. I need to do this. This is all happening because of me.”
Bianca moved past the candles, and wrapped her arms around her neck, hugging her. “It’s not.”
“If I wasn’t here, the coven wouldn’t be here trying to kill you all.”
“You’re part of us. Caleb is your man, you’re his mate.”
“Speaking of mates, you’re with Guy now. I see the mating mark on your neck.”
Bianca sat in front of her, touching her neck. “Yes, we’re together. He makes me happy.”
“That’s good. I’m glad that you’ve found your mate.” Lucy smiled at her friend, truly content to hear her about her friend finding love.
“He cares about me, and he brought us food.”
“I saw.”
“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” she said.
“Nothing is going to happen to me.” Lucy did her best to reassure her friend, but it didn’t seem that she was getting through.
“These witches, they’re bad news, right?”
“Bianca, please stop worrying. I won’t let anything happen.” Lucy wrapped her arms around her friend. “I’m going to be okay.”
She crossed her fingers behind her back. Her friend held her a little tighter.
“I love you, Lucy,” she said.
“I love you, too.”
They finished eating their sandwiches, and then Lucy went back to enforcing the barrier. She worked tirelessly to help the pack. In the background she heard Bianca moving backward and forward. The pack was also doing their rounds. As it grew dark, Lucy tensed up when someone covered her eyes.
“Hey, baby,” Caleb said.
“Hey.”
“It’s late, and it’s time for you to rest.”
“I can’t. I’ve got to keep going until we’re all safe.”
“We’re all going to be safe,” he said. “The pack is in position, and we’re going to handle this together. Someone is on lookout for any change.”
He urged her up, and she sank into his arms, exhaustion suddenly overcoming her. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, babe.”
Caleb made her squeal as he lifted her up in his arms. “Let’s go and get some sleep.”
He carried her toward his parents’ house.
“We’re going to need to find our own place,” she said.
“I’m afraid my parents are home, and we’re going to have to share it with them.”
Lucy groaned. “You’re not having your way with me tonight. I can’t sleep with you when your parents are home.”
“You do know they fuck everywhere, right?”
“Ew, Caleb, no. I don’t need to know that.”
“We’re wolves, baby. We accept a lot of shit.”
“Not this, and not with me.”
They entered his home, and heat filled her cheeks as she saw his parents were heading upstairs.
“Hey, son,” Matthew said. “Lucy.”
“Hello,” she said, trying her hardest not to hide against Caleb’s chest.
“We’re heading to bed,” Emma said. “We’ll be back to watching tomorrow.”
“I’ll reinforce the protection,” Lucy said.
“You’re doing enough. Don’t exhaust yourself,” Matthew said, giving her a warning.
Caleb snorted. “She wasn’t going to rest. I’ve had to force her to come to bed.”
“It’s not that bad.” She wanted to do everything she could to help the pack, not hinder it.
“It is, Lucy. You need your strength to help us when they find a way through. We can’t spend the rest of our lives living with a force-field.” Emma moved toward her, and hugged her.
Caleb had already lowered her to the ground. He tucked her against his side, and held her close.
She watched his parents make their way upstairs.
“If I’m not going to have sex, I may as well feed you.”
He took her toward the kitchen, and she took a seat at the counter. “How can you even think about sex?”
“I’ve got a dick, you’re my mate, and I can’t think of anything else.”
She pointed toward the door. “You know there’s a coven of witches out there right now who wants to kill us?”
“Exactly. I’ve got to fuck you now before they kill you.”
Unable to help it, she laughed.
“See, you’ve got to learn to smile, baby. Nothing is going to change the fact those bitches are coming for us. Don’t let them get to you. We’re stronger than that, and we’re not going to let them get to you.” He cupped her cheeks, pressing a kiss to her lips. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
She really wished she believed him.
“You’re not going to be a heroine in this story, and when we have kids, we can tell them all the tales in the world. Today, tonight, tomorrow, it’s not going to be that time.”
“You better feed me.”
“You sure you don’t want to have sex?”
Lucy opened her mouth to speak only to stop at the sound of sexual groans, male and female.
“I told you,” Caleb said, smirking.
They were loud, and Lucy’s cheeks heated even more.
“We’re wolves, babe. This is what we do. You see why I don’t have a problem.” Caleb opened the fridge, and she watched as he set down slices of raw beef and vegetables.
“What are you making?” she asked.
“Beef stir-fry. It’s the only thing I know how to cook.”
“Okay, cool.”
She watched as he sliced the beef thinly, adding some spices and seasonings to the beef, and giving it a stir. Next he started cutting all the onions, peppers, and carrots. She loved watching him in the kitchen.
“You think we’re going to have kids?” she asked.
“Of course. At least five of them, I think.”
“Five kids?”
“Maybe more. I’ve always wanted a big family.”
“How come your mother never had more kids?” Lucy asked. “She’s a wonderful mother.”
“She is. I don’t know. Dad focused on training me to take the Alpha role. Between us, I don’t think he wanted to share my mom with more kids. He’s an Alpha, and that took time away from her. With kids, he was pulled away from her, and he hated it.”