Chapter 56

DOE

Mr. Stoll had only been dead for a minute, maybe two, when my mate arrived, running at full force in wolf form.

His black eyes found me first, but I did notice the way his gaze fell over each of the three bodies, making sure they were dead before giving me all his attention.

Once he was a few feet from me, he shifted and fell onto his knees next to me. Instantly, his hands were all over my face and body as he searched for any signs of harm.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” He ran his fingers over his mark on my neck—he must have felt it when his father dug his knife into it—and exhaled with relief when he found it mostly unharmed.

All I could do was smile at him. All the fight had faded from my body now he was by my side. I could finally relax. “Y—you’re here… You f—found me…”

“I’m here. I found you. Thank the goddess you’re okay.” Ace cupped my jaw and studied me. “You’re covered in blood.” His eyes flashed. “And your ~smell~…”

The happy feeling in my chest only grew despite the circumstances. I was just so glad to see him again. I nodded deliriously. “I was kidnapped again.”

Ace’s thick eyebrows tugged together with concern. “Yeah…” His eyes frantically flew all over my body. “Why are you slurring your words?”

“They drugged me,” I sighed.

“Drugged you?”

“Mm-hm…I’m high.” I giggled. “N-nips, I think they called it…”

I didn’t like the way rage overtook his expression.

“My father gave you fucking ~nips~?” he roared.

“Shhh,” I lifted my weak hands to his chest. “Don’t be mad. I feel g-good…”

Ace swore under his breath. “Yeah, I’ll bet. Nips is specifically designed to calm omegas and make their heat symptoms more powerful for their mates. It’s no wonder you smell like fucking heaven.

“Fuck, is ~that~ why you couldn’t mind-link me?”

Before I could answer, Ace picked me up and carried me away from his father, almost as if he was worried he was going to come back to life and attack us.

Only when we were a decent way away did he put me back down and cradle me to his chest.

He pressed his forehead to mine and rocked me slowly. “I’m so sorry this happened to you again,” he murmured against my skin.

I patted his stomach. “I-it’s okay…” And I really meant it. It felt like this needed to happen in order for Ace and me to truly find peace.

“It’s not okay, and it’s not going to happen again. I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” His laugh was shaky, more a stress release than one of humor.

~That sounds good to me.~

“I stabbed someone,” I said suddenly.

I wanted to change the subject away from his guilt. It was coming through the mate bond, and I was starting to feel it in my chest. It was eating away at me.

None of this was his fault, and I wouldn’t listen to another second of him claiming that it was.

“And I don’t feel bad about it.”

Ace pulled back to look at me. “Good. You shouldn’t. My father deserved it.”

I shook my head, causing the world to spin slightly around me. “Not your dad. Josh… I—I stabbed J—Josh.” I looked over at the naked werewolf’s body and grimaced. “Three times.”

Ace followed my gaze. “~You~ killed that werewolf over there?”

“No… M—Mr. Callahan did. They k—killed each other…”

I glanced at Mr. Stoll’s face, far away from me now, but his eyes were still wide open and staring at me, his blood pooling beneath him as it flowed out of his lips and the hole in his throat.

“I…I did kill your father though. A—are you mad?”

“Mad? No, of course not. Jealous? Maybe a little. And sad that you had to do that. But mostly, I’m just proud. I’m so fucking proud of you.”

He pressed a hard kiss on my cheek. “That’s the second time you’ve defended yourself against my father and won. You’re incredible.”

My heart did a somersault, and I released another giggle. “I kinda am, aren’t I?”

Ace smiled. “Definitely.”

His expression darkened, just briefly, as his thumb traced over the faint wound from his father’s knife near my throat.

He bent down and tucked his face into my neck, gently lapping at my mark, cleaning and tending to it.

I sighed and melted against him, letting him do whatever he wanted, trusting him to take care of me now.

Once he was pleased with his work, Ace kissed it one last time and then looked at me. “You’re sure you’re okay?” he asked, looking me over once more. “Nothing hurts?”

I thought about telling him about the wound in my lower back where the branch had been sticking into me, but I ultimately thought better of it.

I didn’t need him flipping me over and licking my back in the middle of the forest. I just wanted to go home.

“Nope. I feel fantastic. We should start smoking weed when we get home.”

Ace growled. “You can smoke all the weed you want when I get you home, baby. You can have anything you fucking want.

“But you are never—and I mean ~never~—taking fucking nips ever again. That stuff is more addictive than cocaine for omegas.”

I could see why. I’d never felt so good in all my life. It was a miracle I had been able to defend myself, let alone think straight.

~Thank goodness for adrenaline, I guess.~

Speaking of adrenaline, mine was crashing. I leaned my cheek against Ace’s vibrating chest—I hadn’t noticed he was purring for me until that second—and felt my eyes start to flutter.

For a long moment, we just sat there in the rain-soaked forest, holding each other. The world around us—the bodies, the blood, the lingering atmosphere of death—faded into the background.

But reality was stubborn. My thoughts drifted back to what I had to tell him.

“Ace,” I murmured.

“Hmm?” He was resting his chin on the crown of my head and tightening his arms around me protectively.

“I have to tell you some things about your mom,” I murmured.

Ace glanced down at me. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m so sorry. I…I…” I didn’t know how to start. How do you tell the man you love that his mom died to save your life?

“You don’t have to tell me now,” Ace said. “You’ve been through enough. Just rest. We’ll talk after the drugs have worn off.”

“I want to.” My voice was firmer now, my grip on his arm tighter. “You deserve to know.”

His expression softened, though worry lingered in his eyes. “Okay,” he said. “Tell me.”

I took a deep, shuddering breath. The words felt heavy in my throat, but I forced them out anyway.

I started at the beginning, telling him about my dreams and what little I remembered from the day her wolf turned rabid.

I told him the things his father said to me and the things he had been planning to do…to both of us.

“Your mom… She didn’t lose control of her wolf. She didn’t go insane.” My voice shook as I spoke. “She rejected your father. She severed the bond to protect me—to protect you.”

He blinked, his lips parting slightly as he processed my words.

“She knew what he was going to do to me when I was little,” I continued, my voice now breaking completely. “She gave up everything—her life, her sanity—so I could live. So you could have your mate.”

Tears blurred my vision as I searched his face, trying to gauge his reaction. “I’m so sorry, Ace. I wish I could’ve—”

“Stop.” His voice was hoarse, but it carried a firm gentleness. He framed my face in his hands and brushed away the tears with his thumbs. “Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But she—”

“She loved you,” Ace said, his voice cracking. “She loved ~us~. She made her choice because she believed it was the right thing to do. That wasn’t your fault, Doe.”

His words broke loose something inside me, and I crumpled into his arms, clutching at his shoulders as sobs racked my body.

He held me tightly, his tears dampening my hair as he buried his face in my neck.

We stayed like that for a long time, clinging to each other as the weight of everything settled over us.

Finally, Ace pulled back, his red-rimmed eyes locking onto mine. “She would be proud of you,” he said softly. “Of us. She sacrificed everything so we could be here together.

“And I swear, I’ll honor her sacrifice every day of my life.”

My heart swelled at his words, and I smiled through my tears. “She’d be proud of you too. You’re a good alpha, Ace. The best.”

His lips twitched upward, and he pressed a tender kiss to my forehead. “And you’re the best luna,” he whispered. “My luna. My everything.”

As he scooped me up into his arms again and carried me away from the carnage, I rested my head against his chest, the steady thrum of his heartbeat lulling me into a peaceful haze.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt safe. I felt loved. And I knew that no matter what came next, we would face it together.

End of Part 2