Chapter 0359
“What about the boys?”
“I’ll be there. So will Alexander, Sebastian, Brianna, Theodore.” He lets out a slow breath. “And Luc if necessary. The twins can’t speak yet anyway. They won’t be telling anyone your location or condition.”
“And Charlotte? She could say something. I don’t want to burden a child with secrets. She just began school.”
“Charlotte stays with Athena and Sebastian tonight. We’ll figure out a long-term plan. It might not even be needed. Carrying you through the gates should be enough to expose any other traitors in the pack. I’m hoping it was just those three fools. But if there are more, they will be handled. Immediately.”
“That might work for your Wolves. But what about the Lycans? How will they react when they learn it was your pack members who attacked me? They came here to support me. This could start a war right on our territory. I won’t allow that.”
I asked the Lycans to come. Because of one manipulative man, everything was falling apart. A war here would be exactly what someone like Levi wanted.
“That’s what he’s after.” I murmur as the realization strikes.
“You think he wants a war?”
“Yes.”
Alexander raises a brow.
“The Wolves, when they approached us, they talked about finishing something. If they wanted me dead, they would’ve attacked me first. But they went for Luc. They muttered about doing it fast because I would heal. They needed him out of the way.”
I shake my head, connecting the fragments. “They’re Wolves who know you, Alexander. They likely know how you operate. If they’re working with him, they told him that. What is the one thing you are guaranteed to do?”
“Protect you and our sons.”
I quicken my pace. “Where are the boys?” A spike of fear hits me, but I know they’re safe. I would feel it if something was wrong.
“With Zachary and Brianna. Zachary won’t let anyone near them.”
“Good. But if you carry me back into the pack, it’ll trigger the wrong kind of reaction. We should return as if nothing happened. If anyone asks, say we had car trouble. It’s technically true. And if anyone questions inconsistencies, you’ll have your answer about who’s involved.”
“Is that so?” A glint appears in his eyes. He likes my plan. He grins. “The problem is, you’re covered in blood.”
I glance down at my shirt. A large hole is torn through the front, right over my stomach. The fabric is soaked with my blood. My jeans are streaked and spotted with deep red. My arms are stained. I can only imagine what my face looks like.
“You can’t walk into the pack looking like that. It’ll draw too much attention, especially if we’re pretending everything is normal.” He takes my hand and leads me into the forest. “There’s a stream nearby. We’ll clean you up. Theodore can bring fresh clothes.”
“Theodore?”
“It would look too suspicious if both Zachary and I left. Plus, he’s watching the boys and Brianna isn’t fully recovered. Theodore can leave without raising questions.”
We move deeper into the woods until we find a fast-flowing stream. His crimson eyes lock onto mine as he tears my shirt apart and peels it from my shoulders. I’m left in my blood-soaked bra and jeans. He pulls off his own shirt and hangs it on a nearby branch. Kneeling by the water, he soaks the torn fabric, frowning at the red streaks across my abdomen.
“Come here.” He commands.
I step closer. Using the wet shirt, he gently wipes the blood from my stomach. His touch is careful around the area where the seatbelt had dug into my flesh. No marks remain, but his fingers trace the spot where the wound had been.
“I’m healed.” I whisper.
“It never should have happened.” His hands move to my waist as he stands.
“I’m not as fragile as I used to be. Anyone could have been hurt.”
“But it wasn’t just anyone. It was you.”