Chapter 42

Makena was sitting in her chair by the window when a close scent wafted underneath her door. Over the scent of her son and his soulmate, Makena was used to smelling Sid, occasionally Francis, and Jordan.

Makena bolted up on her seat. She could smell Jordan, but Jordan was locked in the cellar for threatening her son's mate. Krey would never allow him anywhere near his bedroom.

Makena knew how overprotective mates could be.

Slowly, she tiptoed to her door and opened it as quietly as she could. Makena looked right, then left, just in time to watch someone slip into Krey's room and shut the door. The person had a shaved head. Makena knew immediately that she had just seen Jordan.

She sniffed the air. The human's scent was still strong, but not Krey's scent. Makena stepped into the corridor, listening. At first everything was quiet until there was a sudden crash coming from Krey's room, along with the smell of fear.

"Shit," Makena whispered and hurried down the corridor in bare feet and long grey hair flowing behind her.

She flung Krey's bedroom door open and frantically looked around. As soon as her eyes spotted movement, it was too late. Jordan dragged Pip into the bathroom and locked the door.

Makena ran to it and threw all her weight into the door. She only shook the hinges, but the door didn't budge. "Jordan!" she screamed. "Open this fucking door!" Makena, with her bare foot, kicked the door. Pain fizzed up her ankle, but she kicked the door again and again. It moved a little more on the hinges, so she threw her body weight into it. Pain cracked her shoulder.

"Jordan!" she yelled when she heard muffled cries from inside the bathroom and running taps. I will not let Krey's mate die, she thought sternly. Krey will not go through that.

Makena moved back to take a running stance, then bolted towards the door as fast as she could, slamming her shoulder into the wood.

Her force worked and the door flung from the hinges and crashed onto the floor with a heavy thud.

Jordan was on top of Pip, pinning him down by his neck and using his other hand to punch Pip in the face. Pip's nose popped and blood was everywhere by the time Makena had reached them. She grabbed Jordan and yanked him back, so Krey's mate could breathe.

Makena fell on her back, trying to tackle Jordan. He elbowed her in the ribs and squirmed out of her grip.

Jordan scurried to the human and hauled him up enough to submerge his head into cold water. Blood clouded the sink.

Makena got up, but Jordan smacked her in the jaw and Makena fell back against the wall.

Jordan had let go of the human's head long enough for him to lift his mouth above water and gasp for breath. Jordan quickly gripped his hair and shoved his head back under the water. His nose crashed against the bottom of the sink, darkening the colour of the water with his blood.

Makena tried tackling Jordan again. She wished desperately for her claws and sharp teeth. Ever since her mate died, Makena no longer had her wolf, but she still had her acute werewolf senses and strength.

She wrapped her arms around Jordan's neck, just as someone approached the bathroom doorway.

Makena struggled to pull Jordan away from her son's mate until an extra pair of hands were on him. Makena never thought she would be so relieved to see Francis.

Then Krey pelted in the room with eyes as red as Sid's hair, who hurried in after the Alpha.

Krey tore through the room, gripped Jordan's head and sank claws into Jordan's eyes. The beta wolf screamed in pain and released the human's hair.

By then, Pip had swallowed water and choked when he tried to gasp for air. Pip sank to the floor and Krey took one look at the sink, full of red water, and dragged Jordan from the bathroom.

Sid hurried to Pip and started patting his back to make him throw up the water.

Francis was fretting over Makena until they all heard a loud smash of glass. Makena and Francis stopped moving, knowing exactly what had happened.

They heard a thud and a few screams from outside.

Krey stormed back into the room without Jordan. His claws were covered in blood, and there was a red smudge on the side of his cheek.

Thanks to Sid, Pip coughed up a lot of water and could finally breathe. Krey hurried to his mate as though he was the only one in the room.

The blood from Pip's nose was everywhere.

Krey crouched in front of Pip and cupped his face carefully, not wanting to cut him with his claws. "Pip. Look at me, pip," he said desperately.

Pip looked up with blood shot eyes, wet with sink water and tears. Blood oozed from his face, his breath was wheezy, his hands trembled as he clutched Krey's arms. Still, Pip managed to stutter, "I-I'm okay."

Sid gave Pip some tissues for his nose. Krey scooped Pip up in his arms and carried him through the bathroom, standing on the door his mother had knocked to the ground.

Pip looked to the window. It was smashed, and he understood how Jordan had left the room. They were on the third floor and the stone yard was below. Pip couldn't think about Jordan's fate without feeling queasy.

Krey sat him on the bed and rested his back against the headboard. He took the tissues from Pip's shaking hands and pressed them softly against Pip's bleeding nose.

"How did he escape the cellar?" Krey asked.

"Jordan had bent the bars and dislocated my shoulder to get the key from me."

Krey looked to Sid who held his arm. His shoulder bent at a funny angle, but not once did he whimper. "Sid, make sure Jordan is dead, then go see the doctor. Tell the nurse to come up here." They always had a werewolf doctor and a nurse on site, just in case. Krey hadn't spoken to them since the night his father was killed.

Sid left the room, and Krey turned back to Pip. "Sit down mum," he said, wiping some hair from Pip's eyes. "Francis, bring some food up for Pip."

He heard the Omega leave the room too, then the creak of the couch cushions as his mother sat down.

"Where do you hurt?" Krey asked in a soft deep voice that Pip had rarely heard.

"J-Just my nose." The shock had taken over, so no more tears left Pip's eyes like he thought they would. "And my throat." Jordan had gripped him hard. "Is my nose broken?"

Krey took away the tissues and turned his head slowly to the side. "I don't think so. I'll let the nurse look at it."

By the time the nurse arrived, Pip's nose had stopped bleeding, and he had stopped trembling so much.

The nurse cleaned Pip's face, pressed his nose to determine where it hurt and what it felt like, then listened to Pip's breathing in case he had more water on the lungs.

The nurse left Pip with instructions to tell Krey if he felt dizzy or sick or got a bad headache. The nurse tried to check Makena, but she insisted that she was fine, and continued to sit in silence on the couch as Krey dried Pip's hair and changed his jumper to one that wasn't wet and splattered in blood.

Krey didn't talk to his mum as he tucked Pip under the duvet, though he was glad she was in the room.

Krey pulled Pip's burgundy hat over his ears. With the smashed window, the room was too cold for a human to be comfortable.

"I should have kicked him out last night," Krey muttered, pulling the duvet to Pip's chest, aware that his mother watched him. Krey didn't care that he was showing a softer side. Krey only cared that his mate felt better.

Francis returned with hot food for Pip, Krey, and Makena, and a hot drink for each of them. Makena didn't touch any of it, but Pip was very thankful for the hot chocolate.

Krey was grateful for the food. He sat crossed legged on the bed, as calm as could be, as though his afternoon had been boring, and he hadn't just pushed a man to his death.

Pip then turned towards Makena, sitting just as calmly on the couch. Her cheek was bruising from Jordan's hand. "T-Thank you," he said quietly.

Makena's eyes were glazed over, but they looked up when he spoke. Pip might have met a darker fate if Makena hadn't busted through the door so quickly.

"I'm glad you're not hurt worse, Pip." Makena smiled, a full smile that brightened her sad brown eyes. She then stood and looked to Krey. "I'll call someone about the window." She walked to her son and planted a kiss into the grey streak among his black hair. "Jordan got what he deserved," she whispered, then left.

"Jordan hurt a few wolves on his way here. I'll go and make sure they're okay and tell them that Pip is okay. Both of you should get some rest." Francis left too.

Krey was starting to relax. The fear he felt when Francis told him that Jordan had escaped and was making his way up the stairs, was a fear like no other. Krey had seen what losing a mate could do to a wolf. Krey wouldn't have been able to live a single day without Pip.

Krey sank under the duvet, sitting as close as he could get, and wrapped an arm around Pip's shoulders.

"Francis would make a good Beta wolf," Pip observed, staring at the bathroom door lying flat on the ground.