Chapter 21

“Here, let me help you with that,” Mateus offered.

Lilitha stepped back, wiping the sweat from her brow as Mateus took the heavy load from her and carried it deeper into the cave.

Suddenly, Lilitha’s knees buckled beneath her, and she reached out to steady herself against the cave wall.

Before she could fall, Mateus was there, catching her in his arms. “You okay?” he asked.

“Just…just a little weak,” she admitted.

Mateus scooped her up and carried her out of the cave, into the fresh air. “You need to rest now. Think about the baby,” he said, his eyes sparkling the way they always did when he mentioned their unborn child. “You’re close to your due date. Carmella won’t be happy if you overexert yourself.”

“I know,” Lilitha replied. “I just don’t want to feel useless.”

Mateus chuckled. “Useless? You’re the most important member of our clan.”

Lilitha looked at him in surprise. “Really?”

“Of course you are.”

She was taken aback. She’d always thought the opposite. “You can put me down now. I’m feeling better.”

“Nah,” he said, grinning.

He carried her to a nearby creek. After helping her undress, he gently laid her in the water.

He stayed by her side as she floated, gazing up at the starry sky.

“Mateus?” she asked.

“Hmm?” he responded.

“Is it always like this?”

“Always like what?” he asked.

“You know…the way we make love. Is that normal? Or is it just us?”

“It’s normal. Actually, no. It’s not normal. There’s usually more of us. More females. More betas.”

“Oh,” she said, her voice small.

“There aren’t many females left,” he said, his voice tinged with sadness.

“Because of humans.”

“Yeah.”

As Mateus began to wash her hair, Lilitha tilted her head back, enjoying the feel of his fingers running through her locks.

“We should do something about that,” she said.

“You mean finding more females?”

“I mean stopping humans from killing us. We deserve to live too.”

Mateus paused, his fingers still in her hair. “It’s good to hear you say that.”

“You think I wouldn’t?”

“Sometimes I wonder.”

He continued to wash her hair, his face turned away. His shoulders were tense.

“You need to stop wondering,” she said.

He kept running his fingers through her hair. “It’s been hard. And it’s going to get worse when the baby comes.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m an alpha. I have needs. When Carmella gets what she wants and Silus leaves, it’ll just be you. And then you’ll likely be pregnant again. Too many alphas for such a small clan.”

“I don’t understand. What are you saying?”

“If one of us doesn’t leave, then one of us will probably die.”

Lilitha’s eyes widened. She stood up abruptly, water splashing around her. She grabbed his wrist. “You mean, you’ll kill each other? What’s wrong with you? Can’t you even control yourselves?”

“We are alphas. It’s what we are.”

Lilitha frowned. “Are you sure humans are the reason we’re dying out?”

Mateus glared at her. A low growl rumbled in his throat. Lilitha recoiled as he snarled, “What would you know? What would you know about anything, human?”

Lilitha felt a chill run down her spine. She’d never seen him like this before. She’d hurt him. And he was scared. He was scared of what was to come.

She reached out and took his hand. “I’m sorry.” He was rigid, but he didn’t pull away as she wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her chin against his chest. “I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want you to die. I love you too much.”

He remained stiff for a moment, his tail twitching nervously. Then he relaxed. He hugged her back.

“I will find more for you,” she promised him. “I will. When I’m in charge, I will fix things. And everything will be okay.”

Lilitha swallowed hard. When I’m in charge.

He pulled her out of the water then, laying her down on the muddy bank. He was growling and snarling, a side of him she’d never seen before. It was frightening, and it made her sad. He was desperate. Fearful. Tears welled in her eyes as he prepared her, his tongue exploring her intimately. When he entered her, he was rough and quick. His climax was intense, leaving her flushed and panting.

Then he made love to her again. This time, he was slower, his whimpers barely audible as he pulled her into his lap and held her close. Lilitha nuzzled his neck.

His skin was hot to the touch. Sweat trickled down his chest. He was hard again before his seed had even dried. She realized then that he wasn’t exaggerating about the lack of females. Lilitha herself had a high sex drive, but even she was feeling the strain.

Both alphas needed to mate every day. And often more than once. Sometimes multiple times in a single day. How was she supposed to keep up with that? And it wasn’t just about the physical act. They needed the emotional connection. Even more so than herself and Silus and Carmella. The alphas, despite their intimidating size and strength, could be as vulnerable as children.

They need us just as much as we need them.

Lilitha thought about Damon, and how he must have felt after losing his females. How he’d survived. And what about Mateus? What if he were to be alone? What if he lost everything? The thought made her heart ache, and she pressed her face into his shoulder, holding him tightly. She shifted her weight, trying to take him deeper inside her.

Mateus grunted in her ear. He tilted her head back to kiss her throat. He thrust into her with a shudder. Lilitha’s eyes rolled back, then closed as she mirrored his pleasure. He held her tight, his fingers digging into her back, holding her so close she could hardly breathe.

Oh, Mateus.

His breath was ragged against her skin, his body pressing down on her with a weight that was just a bit too much. Lilitha cradled his face in her hands. His eyes were a murky, dark abyss. A prominent vein throbbed in the center of his forehead. A single bead of sweat traced a path down his face, following the line of his jaw. Lilitha leaned in, kissing the sweat away, then moved to press her lips against his.

She tugged his head down, her lips finding his horns. A chuckle escaped her as he shivered in response. His face was nestled against her chest, burrowing deeper into her.

As he gently explored her with his tongue, Lilitha buried her face in his hair, pulling him closer with a contented sigh.

In that moment, something within her shifted.

As she wrapped her arms around his head, a surge of power coursed through her, a newfound desire to take charge, to protect.

For the first time, she felt the urge to shield him.

Despite his size, he felt so small in her embrace.

Her fingers gently combed through his hair.

“Everything is going to be okay,” she whispered. “Everything is going to be okay.”

Mateus responded by kissing her nipples.

Then he lifted his heavy head to rest his chin on her shoulder, letting out a sigh.

Later that night, Lilitha set out to find Silus.

Tracing his scent was a challenge with Mateus’s musk clinging to her.

Even after a bath, his scent lingered.

Scratches adorned her arms and legs.

A small bite mark was visible on her shoulder.

His scent was everywhere.

Damon’s too.

Carmella’s was faint, but still present.

The only scent missing was Silus’s.

And it hit her then.

He was right; he couldn’t truly be a part of their clan.

For his own good, he had to leave.

But the timing wasn’t right.

Her father looked up at her, a smile on his face.

Lilitha returned the smile, a pang in her chest.

The night was nearing its end, the dull gray light of dawn peeking through the leaves.

The scent of Damon on her father’s skin made her nose twitch.

It seemed Carmella had spent the night alone.

“You’re looking healthy,” he said. “I’m glad.”

Lilitha’s hand instinctively went to her stomach. “I don’t always feel that way.”

“Your mother said the same thing.” His voice trailed off.

He looked away.

“You can’t go.”

He turned back to her, a frown creasing his forehead. “Lilitha—”

Lilitha held up her hand. “Hear me out. I understand why you must—and under normal circumstances, I’d agree. But these aren’t normal circumstances, are they? Our clan is too small. It’s too dangerous for you to leave. I’ll be the only one left to handle them both—and I can’t do that.”

Silus studied her. “You seem different. You smell different too. Stronger.” He tilted his head. “Are you challenging me?”

“Challenging you?”

“Challenging me for leadership.”

Lilitha took a step back. “Not at all.”

He gave her a melancholic smile. “You should.” He shifted the topic, gripping his knees. “You’re telling me I can’t leave. What’s your plan?”

“Wait,” she said. “Wait until we can find at least one more member to join the clan. Then you can go. Help us find one.”

“That may never happen.”

“Just as it may never happen that you’ll find another clan of your own. You cannot leave.”

Silus raised an eyebrow at the authority in her voice.

It surprised Lilitha too.

He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. “You’re right. Times have changed. Rules will have to be bent.”

“Or broken.”

“So be it.”

Lilitha’s heart fluttered. “At least you’ll get to see your grandchild.”

“I have something for you.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar necklace.

“You finished it!”

Silus stood up to drape it around her neck.

Lilitha touched each pendant, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you,” she managed to say, throwing her arms around him.

Silus hugged her back, his chin resting on her shoulder. He planted a rough kiss on her cheek, then quickly pulled away, maintaining a distance.

Lilitha gave him an awkward smile.

Silus returned it with a sad one.