Janie stood by the crib looking down at her daughter, tears in her eyes. They were going to have to leave. She had waited too long as it was, hoping the feeling that something bad was about to happen would leave her, but it didn’t. It was building daily, and getting much worse. She didn’t want to go. The White River Wolves had opened their doors to her, welcoming her into their lives and making her a part of the pack. She’d never felt like she belonged anywhere before, not even with her old pack. She wanted this life for her daughter. She wanted it for herself. And then, there was Xavier.
Janie lifted her fingers to her lips, tracing them lightly, trembling when she remembered the feel of Xavier’s mouth on hers. It felt so perfect, so right, when he kissed her. As if they belonged together. Which, according to fate they did, and as far as she knew, fate didn’t make mistakes. If she left, she would never feel that again. But how could she stay when the feeling that danger was near kept swamping her? She had to protect her child above all else. A lone tear slid down her cheek at the thought of losing Xavier before she even really got to know him. How could she leave her mate?
“Whatever you are thinking about doing, stop right now.”
Janie stiffened, turning to face Flame who stood in the open doorway. “You promised a long time ago not to invade my thoughts,” she whispered, wiping the wetness from her face.
“I couldn’t help it Janie,” Flame said softly, stepping into the room with her. “You are broadcasting loudly. I could feel your pain and fear the moment I opened the front door.”
Janie glanced back at her daughter to make sure she was still sleeping before walking past Flame, motioning for the other woman to follow her. Leaving the door slightly ajar, Janie made her way quickly to the living room, sitting down on the sofa. “Flame, I don’t think I have a choice,” she started.
“You always have a choice,” Flame interrupted.
Running a hand through her hair in frustration, Janie snapped, “That may be true, but this time I may have to make one that I don’t want to make.”
“Why?” Flame asked stubbornly, arching an eyebrow.
“Because it may be the only way to keep my daughter safe,” Janie growled, “and she is what’s important. She’s everything to me, Flame. She’s all I have.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Janie knew it wasn’t true. It used to be, before she’d been brought to the White River Wolves compound, but it wasn’t now. She was not alone anymore. She had friends, family, and Xavier.
“Janie,” Flame said quietly, sitting down next to her and clasping Janie’s shaking hands in her own, “you have me.”
Janie’s eyes filled with tears as she lowered her head. “I know.”
“You have Chase and Angel.”
Janie nodded silently, tears now flowing down her cheeks. “Yes,” she whispered.
Flame hesitated before murmuring, “You have so many people who care for you, Janie. Who love you.”
“Xavier,” Janie whispered, swallowing hard. “You are talking about him, aren’t you?”
“You know about Xavier?” Flame asked in surprise.
Janie nodded, not bothering to mask the pain from her eyes when she raised them to look at her friend. “I recognized him as my mate awhile ago.” She didn’t tell Flame that it had been months. She was too ashamed to admit that.
Frowning in confusion, Flame asked, “But how? I don’t understand.”
She and Janie had never discussed what Janie was doing in the General’s breeding program. Flame hadn’t asked, and Janie did not volunteer the information. The only reason she knew that Flame had the ability to read minds and speak telepathically, was because she overheard the scientists at the facility they were being held at talking to one of the guards about it when Flame was first transferred there. She was warning the others to try and mask their thoughts. When Janie had come up with the courage one day to ask Flame about it, Flame had promised her that she would never intrude on her thoughts. While it seemed that she had no problem delving into the minds of their captors, she had no desire to know what everyone else in the world was thinking.
Janie sighed, gently tugging her hands from Flame’s and wrapping her arms around her waist. “It’s a long story,” she said softly, unsure if she should admit her flaw. “I’m a latent wolf shifter,” she finally murmured, once again meeting Flame’s gaze.
“What does that mean exactly?”
“It means that even though I am a shifter, and I can feel my wolf’s presence inside of me, I’ve never been able to actually shift into my animal form,” Janie explained. “I was kicked out of my pack because of it. The alpha was afraid I would mate with one of his wolves and then our children would be defective too,” she muttered bitterly.
“What the hell do you mean by defective?”
Janie shrugged, “To others, there is something wrong with me because I can’t shift. I’m flawed.”
“Bullshit,” Flame snarled. When Janie’s eyes widened in surprise, she went on, “There isn’t a damn thing wrong with you, Janie. You are sweet, kind, and generous. You are loyal and trustworthy. You are the first to volunteer if someone here needs help. You are a good friend, and a wonderful mother. So what if you can’t shift? Fuck your old alpha. You are perfect just the way you are.”
Janie looked into Flame’s eyes, but saw nothing but honesty in them. She felt a small smile cross her lips as she murmured, “You really feel that way, don’t you?”
“Of course I do, Janie. We never see ourselves the way others do. You are held up on what your old alpha thought, but we both know Chase doesn’t feel the same way, and he is your alpha now. You need to remember that.”
“The alpha in my other pack wasn’t the only one who felt that way,” Janie told her quietly. “My parents did too. They supported his decision to kick me out, and so did the rest of the pack. The only one who stood up for me was my sister. She didn’t want me to leave.”
She could see the storm brewing in Flame’s eyes, as they darkened in fury. “Well they are all a bunch of fucking idiots then,” she growled. “You are better off without them.”
Janie’s smile grew, and her heart warmed at her friend’s protectiveness. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Janie could tell Flame was still pissed, but all she did was nod before saying, “Now, tell me why you were thinking about running away. If you know Xavier is your mate, then you have to know that there is nowhere you could go that he would not follow. The man loves you, Janie. He has waited a long time to claim you. He isn’t going to just let you go.”
“I don’t want him to,” Janie admitted softly. “I don’t want to leave.”
“Then don’t,” Flame said. “Trust us to help you with whatever it is that you are afraid of. Trust me.”
“I do trust you,” Janie promised.
“Then talk to me.”
“That’s just it,” Janie told her, “I don’t know what it is, Flame. All I know is that something is going to happen. Someone or something is coming for me and my daughter. There’s danger out there. I feel it.”
Flame nodded slowly, “You should always trust your instincts, Janie. I’m going to call Angel…”
Before Flame could finish, there was a loud knock on their door. “Stay here,” she ordered quietly. Removing her gun from the holster at her hip, she rose and silently made her way across the living room.
“Janie, open the door!”
Flame quickly unlocked the deadbolt, yanking the door open at the alpha’s order, and Chase slipped into the apartment followed by Slade and Sable. “Stay with Janie,” he ordered, before he and his enforcers quickly made their way down the hall to the bedrooms.
“Alayna,” Janie cried, rising from the sofa to follow.
“They will keep her safe,” Flame promised, grasping her arm tightly in one hand, while holding her gun steady and ready in the other. “Let them do their job, Janie.”
As much as she wanted to fight her way to her child, Janie forced herself to stand still, her entire body shaking as she waited for her alpha to return. It seemed like forever, but suddenly he was there, placing a sleepy Alayna in her arms. She was snuggled in a pink blanket, holding her favorite teddy bear close. The moment she was in Janie’s arms, Alayna rested her head on her mother’s shoulder. Closing her eyes, she was out again.
“Alpha,” Janie whispered in fear, “what’s going on?”
“A couple of my enforcers ran into one of the General’s men while on patrol,” Chase said, reaching out to lay a calming hand on her arm. “He was here looking for you, Janie. He said he was with a man named Brent who has come for you.”
Janie clutched Alayna tightly, shaking her head in denial. “No! I won’t go back there, Alpha.” Looking at Flame in terror, she cried, “I knew I should have left. I won’t let them have my baby!”
Immediately she felt Chase push his power in her direction, trying to reassure and soothe her as he said, “No one is going to get to you or your pup, Janie. I’m going to get you somewhere safe, and then we are going to find Brent and the rest of his men.”
“There is no place that is safe if he is here,” Janie said, her gaze going to Flame. “I need a gun.”
“Janie, we will take care of you,” Chase vowed quietly.
“No, I refuse to be defenseless against that bastard when he shows up. I will not go back to the General, and he is not getting my daughter. Flame, please, get me a gun.”
Flame left the room and was back soon with a Glock in her hand. “Are you sure?” she asked, waiting for Janie to nod before hooking a holster securely to her thigh and sliding the gun in. “Do you know how to use it?”
Janie gritted her teeth as she nodded again. “I took lessons when I was younger. I just never thought the day would come where I would have to actually use them.”
“We need to go,” Chase said, urging her toward the door.
“Alpha, Aiden’s almost here with Xavier,” Slade cut in from behind them. “Doc Josie has the operating room ready, but it sounds like Xavier is not cooperating. He is refusing treatment at this time.”
Janie stopped at the door, turning quickly to look at Slade. “What’s wrong with Xavier?” she demanded.
Slade froze, his gaze going to Chase and then back to her. Janie watched as his brow furrowed in confusion, before suddenly widening in understanding. “It’s nothing to worry about, Janie. He’s going to be just fine.”
Janie heard the lie in his voice, smelled it in the air. For the first time in her life, her eyes changed, flashing a dark golden color, and her gums began to ache as a growl built deep in her chest. “What is wrong with my mate?” She accentuated each word individually, taking a step toward him as anger flowed through her. Xavier was hers, dammit. They would not keep information about him from her. As his mate, she had a right to know what was going on.
“Holy shit,” Flame gasped, causing Janie to turn in her direction. “Are you sure you can’t shift, Janie? Because you look awfully close to doing it right now.”
Janie bared her teeth, satisfaction filling her when she felt her fangs punch through her gums. “Where is my mate?” she demanded, her body trembling with fury. How dare they keep information about Xavier from her? Suddenly, the sound of Alayna’s soft whimper broke through her rage. Slowly, she loosened her hold on her daughter, closing her eyes and burying her head in the crook of Alayna’s neck as she tried to get control of her emotions.
She felt Chase pushing his alpha power toward her again, and then he was next to her, running a hand gently down her hair. “Xavier is going to be fine, Janie,” he promised. “Aiden said he was shot, but that he thought all major organs were missed.” When she glanced up at him, still looking through her wolf’s eyes, he asked gently, “How long have you known he is your mate?”
“Months,” she admitted, through tightly clenched teeth. “Take me to him.” When it looked as if they were going to protest, she bared her teeth and growled, “Now!”
She saw the shock in Flame’s eyes, but ignored it as she turned and quickly left the apartment, Alayna still clutched tightly in her arms. Xavier was hers, and they would not keep them apart when he needed her.
“Janie, you need to think about your daughter,” Flame said, catching up with her. “We have to keep her safe.”
Janie didn’t stop moving. “She will be safe with me.” They could follow her or not, she didn’t care. She was finding her mate.
“Let it go,” she heard Chase say, and then he was in front of her, leading the way out of the apartment building and across the compound.
A vehicle screeched to a stop in front of the building just as they reached the hospital gardens. Janie watched as Aiden jumped out of the driver’s seat and ran around to the passenger side. Opening the door, he reached in and hauled his brother out of the SUV.
Janie stared at Xavier, her eyes raking over his blood covered body. He had obviously been shot more than once. Her eyes widened at the deep growl that erupted from Xavier’s throat. Her mate was there. And he was pissed.