Xander POV
I stand with her in my arms. Looking around, I sigh.
“What now?” Killian asks.
“I’ve no idea what happens now. We will camp a short distance from here, and when she’s awake and okay, we will find out what else needs to be done, I anything.”
Turning, I begin to carry her out and stop. “And bury him, if it was Gideon, I would have left him there to rot, but it wasn’t.”
No one argues with me, and I don’t wait. I carry her out, and pray that nothing else needs to be done. Surely now the threads can go back to where they were? If not, I’m hoping it’s nothing exhausting that needs doing.
As I reach the cars, I get into the empty one that had the soldiers in, and lay her down on the seat. She doesn’t wake, but her hand still clutches at her chest like it’s burning. I know that mating with her will help ease it, but it’s not the right time or fair to her.
If she asks, sure, I will agree, but right now, she can try to overcome this without us mating. Maybe something else can help? I climb out of the car and go to the other. I find Helena sitting with Eryx asleep in her arms.
“How did it go?” she asks.
“I’ll explain later, I need Eryx,” I say.
Her eyes widen. “I thought he was staying out of it?”
“He is staying out of it, it’s to help Serafine,” I explain as I take Eryx from her. She doesn’t ask what that means, she hands him over, and I carry him back to the other car. Getting in, I close the door and place him on her chest.
I watch as he snuggles closer to her, and her expression relaxes just slightly. The tension hasn’t entirely eased, but it’s something. I want to stay here with her, to help, but I should help the others sort things.
If I do, and if we get it all sorted in time, it means we can leave quicker. We can stop at the pack again on the way, but other than that, we can go home and hopefully settle into life.
Kissing her gently, I open the car door and gesture for Garrick. He walks over and peers in. “Want me to sit with her?”
“No, can you get Helena instead for me, please?” I ask.
He nods and walks away, and I sit watching as she sleeps. A moment later, Helena shows up at the car door.
“I need to help sort things, so can you stay with her? If we leave, no one else will get in this car, she needs to rest.”
Helena nods and gets into the car before sitting down. “I won’t leave her, I promise.”
I relax and get out walking to where Garrick is. “How have things been?”
“Clear, no signs of anything. I’ve gone pretty close to the fae borders, and there’s nothing.”
“How safe would it be to camp here?” I ask.
“Honestly? Safe, based on what we saw when checking around, no one has been here in years. Likely, the magic warns them off, people will sense it and
avoid this area.”
Sighing, I consider that. It would be ideal to stay here rather than move.
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Chapter 151
“Okay, set up camp. If people can sleep without tents, get it done, the less that needs packing away, the better?
“You’re thinking plan for visitors?” Garrick asks, and I nod.
It would be foolish not to plan for visitors, and the easiest way to plan is not to have to pack much. “Yeah, keep out only what is required. Serafine can sleep in the car, the others can as well. Most of the guards are used to sleeping outside when they patrol the pack”
He nods slowly at me. “Okay, let me get things sorted. I’ll have food cooked now. When do you want to update everyone?“
I’m not entirely sure. “I can give a small update when Killian and the team are back, but a bigger update will need to wait for Serafine to wake fully. 1. explain, and he nods.
“Not a problem with me, Alpha, I’ll get things sorted now.” He walks off and I turn and go to the guards. I focus on getting them set up for tonight, as well as making them aware we’re staying.
Garrick ensures the perimeter is protected while ensuring some of the guards cook. Roll–out mats are placed on the ground for those who will be sleeping and wanting some form of comfort.
Killian appears and walks to me. “Is it sorted?” I ask.
“Yes. The body is buried. Also, while there, I noticed the threads began moving back into the dirt and disappeared. Barely any were visible.”
That’s good. “Well, hopefully that means Serafine doesn’t need to do anything. If they were free, maybe they were able to rethread themselves back to the packs and crops they came from?”
Killian nods. “That’s what I’m thinking. Obviously, Serafine can confirm it herself, but yeah, there are no threads down there now, actually, the sensation of magic in there is slowly fading as well.”
“Okay, well, we’re staying here tonight, no tents and such. We’re gonna stay here with the basics, then if Serafine doesn’t wake until early morning, it’s fine, we’re here and don’t need to travel back.”
“What about what happened in there? What do we tell them?” he asks.
“We tell them everything, that Gideon used the threads to ensure he wouldn’t die and would instead come back in someone else’s body.” Sighing, I look at the car. “We don’t mention him being her mate, or tied to her, she’s going to have enough stress with people staring at her without them knowing that
as well.”
He chuckles. “Are you sure it’s not to protect yourself?”
“I don’t care, mate or not, it makes no difference to me now, he’s gone. I don’t want people asking questions or looking at her like that. So no one is to be told, make sure the guards who were with us are aware of that as well.”
Killian doesn’t argue. “Sure thing, Alpha, I’ll make them aware now,” he says before walking off. Turning, I go back to ensuring everything is set up, once it has been, then all I can do is wait for Serafine to wake up.
She’s going to be fine, that’s the only thing I can think of now. She’s safe, no one has any reason to want her dead, to steal her or Eryx. If the crops are alive, then everything is fixed.
My pack already knew she was their Luna, but many were sceptical because of the crops dying and who she was. This should hopefully be the thing that makes them accept her fully.
It feels weird to know this could be over, because what now? We’ve been focused on fixing the issues, on her magic, on what we are, that we’ve not really just… lived. I’m not even sure what living is like anymore.
Actually, I’m not even sure if I know how to live without having things to fix or trying to seek out revenge.
“Are you good?” Killian asks as he sits beside me and smiles.
Am I good? “How could I not be?” I ask.
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09:00, Fri 27 Jun ➡ ►
Chapter 151
“You’re looking like you’re facing a bigger dilemma than the dying crops and Serafine’s magic.” He laughs slightly and leans back as he is dow
“I’m just wondering, what now?”
His head tilts. “Now, we go home, and you love your life. What more could there be, Xander?”
“That’s exactly my point. Is this all over? Because if it is, what do we do? I’m not used to it, my entire adult life was set on seeking revenge, planning, strategizing and preparing for battles.”
“And now you’re feeling lost and worried about what it means?”
“No, I’m worried about Serafine realizing that she doesn’t want this life with me,” I explain.
He laughs quietly. “Really, Xander? No, Serafine loves you. If anything, her living there without everything distracting her will make her see the real you. The kind alpha who will do everything for his pack.”
Maybe he’s right? “Yeah, I guess all we can do is wait and see, right?” I ask.
“That’s all any of us can do, Xander, wait and see. We can’t predict the future or see it,” he says with a shrug and then laughs. “Maybe Serafine can, but we normal, non–witch wolves can’t.”
My eyes roll. “Do you have to call her a witch constantly?” I ask.
“She loves it! Honestly,” he says.
“I don’t think she loves being called a witch, but I’m sure she will use you for practice and get payback,” I say.
He laughs and nods. “Anytime she needs to train, I’m free. It’s different from training the wolves; variety is the key to becoming stronger. Let’s not forget that,” he says.
He’s not wrong, fighting Serafine, training with her, will help strengthen him a lot more, and also put him at risk of death, broken bones, and such, but he seems fine with that.
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