Page 4 of Crystal Luna
Heath huddled in his office, deeply embedded in a budget report from one of the new houses, catching up from being out most of the day. He promised he’d take Curtis out on a hike—and he delivered. Since Laureen had died five years ago, Heath struggled to meet the demands of being both Dad and Alpha.
Laureen’s second pregnancy should’ve been a magical time but instead, it had been Heath’s last few months with his mate. She’d died just hours after Mia had been born.
“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Wayne’s voice pulled Heath out of his spiralling thoughts.
“I could say the same about you.”
His Beta shrugged his shoulders and sat on his usual chair before the desk. “Evelyne was a bit restless so we took a late night stroll. The baby is keeping her up, dancing the night away. She saw the lights in your office and sent me to check on you.”
“I was out all day with Curtis. Then Mia wanted some attention too and wouldn’t go to sleep before I read her entire library to her.”
“So now you’re stuck in the office trying to catch up on work that could be done tomorrow?”
They never talked about it, but Wayne knew the real reason behind his alpha’s sleepless nights. After Laureen had died, Heath’s nights were haunted with the last memories he had of her. Each time he closed his eyes, she died in his arms over and over again.
Wayne snatched one of the spreadsheets and sat back in his chair to study it. “Evelyne really enjoyed having Mia over today. They painted her belly and Mia insisted on helping her decorate the nursery. She even drew a few pictures I now have to frame before the baby arrives.”
“She’s very excited to meet her new sibling.”
Wayne chuckled. “Let’s hope her real brother doesn’t get jealous.”
Evelyne and Wayne had stepped up after Laureen’s death to help him navigate life without his mate. The whole pack had, really, it helped them all become even closer than they already were.
Wayne stayed for a little while longer, but was drawn back to his pregnant mate just past midnight.
Heath only made his way to bed when his eyes started to shut on their own. He collapsed on the mattress, just for his eyes to shoot open again. He was woken by Damian, one of the warriors on patrol.
‘Rogue!’
Heath was awake in an instant, his heart racing as he ran to Curtis’s room. Kneeling before his son, he gently shook him awake.
“I have to leave,” he explained calmly. The last thing he wanted to do was worry him. “Mia is still asleep. Let her sleep as long as she likes and if I’m not back give her a snack and take yourselves to Evelyne.”
His face turned serious, and he nodded. “Yes, Father.”
“Good boy. I’ll see you when I get back.”
He leaned forward and kissed Curtis’s hair before turning and leaving the house. He shifted as he leapt off the porch and ran towards Damian’s position on the west end of the territory.
By the time he’d arrived, Wayne had already captured the rogue, with the help of the other warriors. They stood in a circle around the prisoner and parted to make room as their alpha approached.
When Heath’s eyes fell on the captive, his heart sank. There, in the midst of the circle, kneeled a woman with long, blonde hair covering her naked skin. She bowed her head, hands folded in her lap.
‘When I started pursuing her, she immediately shifted and surrendered,’ Damian explained.
‘This is the wolf?’ he asked, unable to hide the shock in his tone.
‘Yes, Alpha.’
‘Are there others?’
‘None so far,’ Wayne chimed in. ‘I’ve sent men out to check.’
Heath nodded and shifted, kneeling down on one knee before the woman. He began to examine her, and his heart bled for her. She had cuts and bruises covering her, her bones visible beneath her thinned skin.
“What is your name?”
“Velora,” she whispered without looking up.