Chapter 56

(Eli POV)

Everything seemed to move in slow motion the moment the barrier between us and Maya disappeared, and her body fell to the ground. My eyes followed Tommy as he instantly lunged toward the wolf that had killed our mate, tackling him to the ground and grabbing his neck in his jaws. With all the anger he felt he clamped down on the wolf’s neck snapping his neck in one motion nearly ripping his head from his body. Tommy dragged the body of the wolf until he was standing before Maya’s father, and dropped it in front of him. I had run to Maya as soon as Tommy had attacked the wolf, and I cradled her in my arms.

Her body was limp, and the warmth was slowly draining form her, so I held her close hoping that my warmth would be enough to keep her hanging on. She was not dead, she couldn’t be! Not until she was cold, she was not dead to me! I looked up and watched her father’s face morph into rage when Tommy dropped the body of his guard at his feet. Tommy shifted into his human form, and chill went down my spine seeing Tommy in human form with the blood of the wolf he killed covering most of his human form. I had never seen Tommy covered in blood like that before, and it was a frightening sight.

Tommy and Maya’s father staired each other down, neither ready to back down.

“Your desire for power has killed your daughter, now there is nothing keeping me from killing you in the same way as this pathetic wolf.” Tommy snarled out with pure anger.

I looked down at Maya, her skin looked as warm and glowed as it always did. If I had not seen with my own eyes what had happened to her, I would have not believed that she was bleeding out at that very moment. We needed to get her out of here! My hand hovered over the part of her throat that had been sliced and I try to whip away the blood so I can see her wound better. So much blood was pooling that even whipping it away more fervently did not give me a clear view. I gave up and leaned down brushing my nose along her jaw line trying to catch her scent over the smell of blood, something to hang on to as I try my best to save her. With one last breathe I brushed my tongue along the wound trying my best to close the wound even though I could not see how deep or big it was.

I felt her body shiver slightly from my actions which made me instinctively cling to her tighter. She wasn’t dead yet, but I needed to keep that small fact quiet. Her father has yet to make a move, and I didn’t want to risk him thinking she was still alive. If he thought she was dead, we could hide her from him and protect her. He would have no reason to come after us or come after us once we left this place. Maya started to shift in my hold slightly which sent relief rushing over me and making my heart race with joy, but she needed to remain still. We needed people here to think she was dead. So, I leaned close to her ear, kissing her softly before whispering into her ear.

“Stay still love. Let’s make sure your father thinks he has lost you for good.” I say softly nuzzling my face into her hair letting my tears of relief fall into the warmth of her hair.

She lets out a small shaky breath.

“Eli, I’m sorry.” She says softly in my ear.

I hold her tighter and stand carrying her body bridal style. She drops her head against my chest letting her arm dang giving a convincing act that she had in fact been killed.

I opened the link between me and Tommy. “Tommy, Maya is still alive but let’s get her out of here before her father realizes.”

“Thank the goddess. Tell my father to move everyone back.” Tommy replies.

I agreed and link the rest of the pack telling them to retreat to the tree line. I glanced back and saw Maya’s father watching me carefully, and I returned his expression with my own which was full of anger and silent threats. He jutted his chin at me before turning his attention back to Tommy.

“You cannot take her; she is my daughter!” He says to Tommy.

“You had no rights to her in life, and sure have no rights to her in death. We are taking her, and I warn you if you try to stop us, I will avenge her death without hesitation. I will anyone who steps foot near the body of my mate, understand?” Tommy says with growl of warning to emphasize his words.

Maya’s father looked as if he was about to retort, but when Tommy’s father stood beside his son in warning, he took a step back. Seeing the way Tommy killed his guard so easily must have shaken him enough to not want to fight him one on one just yet.

“I tell you this now, if I see you or any of your pack come near my land, I will not give a warning. Death will be my only reply.” Tommy added before turning and walking toward the remainder of us waiting. His tense shoulders shook slightly as the adrenaline of everything started to wear off, and the shock of what had happened to finally sink in.

His eyes met mine and when he drew closer, he dropped his eyes to Maya whose face was hidden in my chest. He reached up and brushed away the hair covering her face. The motion made her shiver in my arms before she turned to him and offered him a weak smile. A shaky breath escaped his lips before he took her from my arms in a similar hold and pulling her as close as he could against him and letting his own tears fall. He had been away from her longer than I had, and he had been pretending well to be unaffected by their separation but seeing him now revealed the truth.

He had been in agony.

I glanced past him and watched our Alpha spare Maya’s father a few last words before turning and walking toward us, opening the link between us all and telling us to head toward the mountains. None of us wasted any time and we turned in the direction of home and walked away, Maya cradled in Tommy’s arms.

(Maya POV)

So many people have tried to describe the feeling you get when you are close to death. I had never thought about what death for me would be like, but it was far scarier than I could imagine. Because when you are on deaths doorstep, it was easy to let yourself go and leave life behind with complete piece. That was the scariest thing I had ever experienced! It would have been so easy and painless to walk through death’s door and finally rest, but I didn’t want to! I wanted to fight once I felt my life falling away. I wanted to be with Eli and Tommy and Noah once more, to hold them and kiss them and feel their warmth. We had not had enough time to enjoy our bond, and I felt cheated! I wanted those times, those memories and there I was offering myself a martyr so easily. I had been so stupid, and now I was hanging onto life by a weak thread.

Then I felt warmth all around me, waking me up, pushing away the darkness. Eli’s touch was welcomed and his breath against my skin was waking me from my near eternal sleep. His voice was soft but pained. I had done that; I had hurt him like that! He was hurting, but I could not focus on his pain when the pain of my wound overwhelmed me. I wanted to groan and scream in pain, but he warned me to keep quiet. I held in the pained cries until I felt his tongue running along my neck. It was strange, but the pain began to subside and the cloudy feeling in my head began to clear. Eli warned me again to move as little as possible before dropping his head deeper into my neck.

I could feel is body shake slightly and I could feel tears falling along the side of my neck. I wanted to wrap my arm around him then and hold him, but I couldn’t so I whispered to him softly apologizing as much as I could. If we make it home, I would spend however long it took to make this up to him and the others. With the thought of the others, I felt the urge to be near Tommy and Noah boiling up like a fire within me. I was done being separated from them and hoped to never be again. I would never leave them again, and I planned to make them swear to take at least a week for all of us to spend time together just the four of us to make up for all this time apart.

Once I was lifted into Eli’s arms I was lost in his scent, and I happily tuned out the world around me and just huddled closer to him and enjoyed the moment. I felt peaceful for the first time in a while, and I was going to soak it up. That was until another familiar scent interrupted my peaceful feeling, because soon there Tommy was looking down at me. I felt small being held between my two rather large mates. He looked so sad and it broke my heart to see him like that, so when he took me from Eli’s arms, and we were well out of sight form my father I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck and kissing him several times. I missed him more than I had let myself admit.

Finally, we were together, and we could finally go home. I didn’t care what the future might hold with my father still alive and free, but if he thought I was dead maybe that would be enough to end the torture I had been through these past weeks. I pushed my fears aside, and just held Tommy close not loosening my grip on him even for a second.

“Let’s go home love. Someone there is waiting to see you.” He says softly.

“Noah!” I reply with a small smile.

He nodded and lowered his head to kiss me softly.

“He woke up not long after we arrived here, my mom called me as soon as she found out. Maybe it was the news that we were coming to get you that finally woke him, I am not sure, but he is anxiously waiting to see you she said.” He says with a sigh of relief. “I thought I lost you forever.”

“I will never leave you again!” I promise him.

“I will hold you to that!” He says with a smile and I laugh softly before hiding my face in his chest once again.

It was a promise I had every intention of keeping.