The One 83

THE ONE 83

Chapter 83: Standing Your Ground Leah When the alarms went up, I knew he’d come for us, my ex-mate Michael. He’s a warrior, a good fighter, but he’s arrogant and his arrogance cost him everything and nearly cost my daughter her life. I know he never expected that I would reject him, that I could ever be strong enough to stand up to him, but he allowed our daughter to get hurt and in the worst possible way. I may only be an omega, but I’m a mother, and I will fight to the death for my child. “Brooklyn? Brooklyn, honey, its time,” I say, going to help her get up out of bed. She still can’t walk on her own. That Alpha, Owen, nearly split her in half on that stage in front of everyone. It would have taken her a long time to heal anyway, but after he marked her, then immediately rejected her, her wolf had gone silent. I haven’t told anyone about that yet. I need to decide what I will do if Alpha Hunter and Luna Sophie decide that we can’t stay i the pack because she’s become a wolfless person. But for now, I’ve waited, and I’ve planned, knowing he’ll come for us. My mate hates to lose, and he would consider this losing. I know he’s angry that I rejected him. He wasn’t even willing to take responsibility for his role in nearly killing our daughter. “Mom?” Brooklyn breathes. I can smell her tears and her fear. I know she’s terrified that Michael will take us, both of us, back to 0.001 ||| 1302 Chapter 3 Standing Your Ground that horrible pack. But I won’t stand for it. I won’t allow it. My baby has been through too much already. “Just like we talked about, Brooke. It’ll be okay,” I say, putting her in the only part of the house that has no windows. We’ve already set it up as our own personal safe room. We have food and water,

and weapons. The weapons are key. Luna Sophie and Beta Kinsley made sure that we have weapons to keep us safe. What they didn’t know was that I had ordered a gun and a case of silver bullets. No one is getting to my girl. My biggest concern is that I’ll have to kill Michael. While I still have a lingering love for the man I gave my life and love to, I won’t hesitate to kill him. That’s not my concern. My concern is that he never accepted my rejection. If I kill him, it could kill me. If I’m dead, I can’t protect my child. “We’re going to be okay, Brooklyn,” I say, hearing t ounds of fighting moving into our pack lands. Michael will be hunting for us. I’m hoping that he’ll start in the packhouse, not realizing that Brooklyn can’t take loud noises. When he doesn’t find us there, he’ll start searching the pack lands for us. He used to patrol these lands, so he knows where every house is. It won’t take him long, but I only need enough time to get Brooklyn settled. “Here you are, honey. Where are your weapons?” I ask her. “Right here. Mom…” she says, tears streaking down her face. “It’s okay. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” “I can’t do this without you, mom. I know you. I know you’d give your life for me. Please don’t. You’re the only thing that’s kept me going. I need you, mom. Please.” 17 97% 1302 Chapter 83: Standing Your Ground 290 Wouchers that horrible pack. But I won’t stand for it. I won’t allow it. My baby has been through too much already. “Just like we talked about, Brooke. It’ll be okay,” I say, putting her in the only part of the house that has no windows. We’ve already set it up as our own personal safe room. We have food and water, and weapons. The weapons are key. Luna Sophie and Beta Kinsley made sure that we have weapons to keep us safe. What they didn’t know was that I had ordered a gun and a case of silver bullets. No one is getting to my girl. My biggest concern is that I’ll have to kill Michael. While I still have a lingering love for the man gave

my life and love to, I won’t hesitate to kill him. That’s not my concern. My concern is that he never accepted my rejection. If I kill him, it could kill me. If I’m dead, I can’t protect my child. “We’re going to be okay, Brooklyn,” I say, hearing the sounds of fighting moving into our pack lands. Michael will be hunting for us. I’m hoping that he’ll start in the packhouse, not realizing that Brooklyn can’t take loud noises. When he doesn’t find us there, he’ll start searching the pack lands for us. He used to patrol these lands, so he knows where every house is. It won’t take him long, but I only need enough time to get Brooklyn settled. “Here you are, honey. Where are your weapons?” I ask her. “Right here. Mom…” she says, tears streaking down her face. “It’s okay. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” “I can’t do this without you, mom. I know you. I know you’d give your life for me. Please don’t. You’re the only thing that’s kept me going. I need you, mom. Please.” 1302 Chapter 3 Standing Your Ground 1288 (Vouchers I take my child’s face in my hands, holding her gaze as I keep an ear on the fighting outside. I send up a prayer to the Moon Goddess that I’m not about to lie to my daughter. “I’m not leaving you. I’m going to fight beside you and when this is over, you and I will walk out of this room together,” I tell her. “I need you to be brave, Brooklyn. Can you do that for me?” I ask her. She nods, pressing her lips together and fighting against her tears and her fear. The scent is permeating this room, adding to my own. I step away from her, grabbing the gun that’s already loaded. I’ ve never shot a gun before, never had to. First, as a wolf, I can fight in my wolf form. But I’ve lived in a pack all my life. Omegas are not fighters, we’re the ones who keep the pack running, and my mate was a warrior. If anyone was going to fig to protect the family, it was him. But now, that role falls to me. I hear paws pounding on the ground, coming in our direction and I know that Michael has found us. I turn and look at my daughter again. “Ready?” I ask her.

She nods, a determined look on her face. “Ready.” I move, taking a stance in front of the room where Brooklyn is. She has multiple weapons beside her in case anyone gets past me. Hopefully the silver bullets will be enough. J hear Michael’s wolf, sniffing at the door before I hear the snapping of bones as he shifts back to his human form before grabbing the front door and ripping it off its hinges. When he ZDEL Chapter 83: Standing Your Ground comes in, I aim the gun at his chest. He’s heaving, whether from anger or from running to find us, I’m not sure. “What are you doing, Leah?” he growls at me. “I will not let you hurt our daughter again,” I tell him, taking a stand. “What are you going to do? Shoot me?” he sneers, taking a step toward me. I fire off a shot, just grazing his hip. I was aiming for his heart, s**t. “What the f**k? What the hell’s gotten into you?” he snarls looking at his hip like he can’t believe I shot him. “Silver bullets?” “will not let you hurt our child again, Michael!” I say, standing my ground. It would probably sound stronger if m hands weren’t shaking violently. “You are mine, Leah,” he snarls. “I was yours, until you let that monster tear my baby apart in front of everyone!” I scream. “No man worthy of being a mate or a father would allow that.” He growls at me again, but he’s watching the gun as he takes another step. I fire again, this time shooting him in the shoulder. He snarls as he leaps at me, tackling me to the ground. The gun goes off again, but I have no idea if it hit him. He pins me to the floor, ripping the gun from my hand and tossing it aside. “You forget your place, Leah.” “At your feet? Isn’t that where you’ve always wanted me?” | growl back at him. I can see the

surprise in his eyes. I’ve never Chapter 3 Standing Your Ground 1288 YOU! fought my mate before, never challenged him in any way. Not until he allowed our daughter to get hurt. I had trusted him to protect her and me, and he had betrayed us both. “When I re-mark you, all of this will be done. I won’t allow you to reject me again. It’s time our family was back together,” he growls. I struggle underneath him. “I will never accept you as my mate.” “You don’t have a choice,” he says, ripping my head to the side, pinning my head down with his uninjured arm. From the corner of my eye, I see his canines extending and I know I’ve failed my daughter. I’m too weak to protect her. “That’s where you’re wrong. All of us, every she-wolf, should have a choice. I won’t let you take hers, like you anowed Owen to take mine,” my daughter says from somewhere behind me. I’ ve never heard the fierce determination in my daughter’s voice that I hear right now. I can’t see her face, but a wave of pride flows through me that she’s standing her ground too. “What are you doing, Brooklyn? I’m your father.” “No. Fathers don’t allow their daughters to suffer like you allowed me to. You’re just a sperm-donor, nothing more. My mother and I don’t need you.” Michael’s grip on my face weakens and I turn my head just enough to see my daughter holding the gun, aimed at Michael’s head. Unlike mine, her hands are steady and sure. “Brooklyn…” Michael says. I don’t know what he sees in her eyes, but he sits up, looking shocked. 1302 Chapter 83 Standing Your Grund “Goodbye,” she says and the shot rings out, echoing loudly in my ears in the small space around us. I’ve barely registered that my daughter just shot my mate when the pain rips through my body. I

scream, clutching my chest as Michael’s body collapses beside me, his eyes open, still looking shocked. “Mom! Mom! Stay with me, stay with me. Please mom, stay with me!” I hear my daughter’s voice, but it sounds like it’s far away. “HELP!” I hear her scream as the pain of losing my mate overtakes me.© - All rights reserved.