Chapter 69: Rhys
I paced the border anxiously. I hadn’t heard from Leon in a while, but I also knew he was staying behind to clean up the mess and Sawyer was the one travelling back. I was trying not to be angry until I had the full story, and only they could tell me it, but I wanted to murder my brother for ever letting Grace out of his sight. This was supposed to have been a safe trip for Grace. She had enough trauma to last a lifetime, and now, I worried our fragile trust might be broken.
I felt her near before I saw the car at the checkpoint. I had to fight every instinct to not rush to her. I didn’t want to overwhelm her or make everything a bigger deal than it was and scar her more. The car was barely stopped when the door was thrown open and she barreled out of it right into my arms.
I lifted her into my arms and breathed easily for the first time since she had left my sight all those hours ago.
“It’s okay,” I stroked her hair, and tried to calm my own racing heart. “It’s okay, I’m here. I’m here. You’re safe now.”
Her sobs raked through her body, and I did my best to soothe her. I couldn’t imagine what she was feeling right now. What was coming through our bond, I didn’t want to feel. It was all so overwhelming. I knew I couldn’t make it better, all I could do was hold her and tell her that she was safe now. It wasn’t enough, but nothing ever would be in moments like this.
Her sobs eventually started to subside, and I knew she was beginning to calm.
“Are you hurt at all?” I asked, pulling back a little so I could actually look at her.
She shook her head no and closed the distance between us, but the question seemed to spark her back to reality a little.
“Arlo,” It was barely a whisper, but I knew what she wanted.
“Is he hurt?” I asked.
“Yes,” She paused before saying, “Well I don’t know, maybe drugged, maybe hurt, I couldn’t tell...”
“Can we go check?” I asked, glad she had felt safe enough to want to come to me, but upset that if Arlo was hurt, we had delayed his treatment.
She nodded, and I helped her back to her feet, and a away from the tree we had taken refuge under.
“How’s Arlo?” I asked my brother as we got into the car to take us back to the packhouse.
“He’s healing, but slowly. He should be fine in a few hours. I want to take him back to the clinic just to be sure. And maybe run a few tests.”
I nodded, and I felt Grace relax a little against me as Sawyer climbed back into the front seat and began to drive.
“Have you heard from Leon?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light for Grace.
“Yes. He said that our people had arrived, and he was waiting on security footage, but the clean-up is pretty much done.”
I nodded my approval and began to make plans for next steps over mindlink with several other pack members as Grace continued to silently try and pull herself together.
When the car finally came to a stop, several wolves came with a gurney to take Arlo to the clinic with Sawyer, and Grace and I made our way up to my office where we would be able to talk freely. My office was as protected as it came, and I didn’t think we needed eavesdropping wolves when it came to such a sensitive topic.
Grace sat in her usual chair, and I sat in mine, but it felt too far now.
“I’m never going to the city ever again!” Grace exclaimed now that it was just us, her eyes still red-rimmed from the tears.
“Can you tell me what happened, my love?” I prompted.
“It was so busy and chaotic, I hated it from the beginning. But we were there because the pack needed stuff, so I was trying to just give myself time to adjust, but it never got better. So, Arlo eventually sensed I wasn’t having a good time, so he told me he knew a place that I would like, and we went to a bookstore, while Sawyer finished the shopping. And I did like the bookstore better, but then all the sudden, Arlo was gone and when I went to find him, Kinsley was there and he was unconscious...” She looked like she was going to cry again, so I moved so I was right in front of her as I leaned on my desk. I could feel the guilt she was feeling rolling off of her in waves, and I hated it.
“Then what happened?” I asked.
And she told me everything she remembered. How she was glad Leon showed up and how they found the clerk and how when they went to leave, Arlo took the brunt of everything again.
“It’s not your fault.” I told her gently.
“My sister said that they couldn’t wait to see me again, especially Adrian, and that makes me sure that this is my fault, though I’m not sure what she meant by that. Also, I think she proved Ethan right a bit because she refused to shift, and if she was a monster like she was supposed to be, she would have been able to get out of that situation with no trouble. I also think she’s known the whole time; she just didn’t seem to want me to know. ” She confessed all in one breath, telling me that she was starting to really process the events that had occurred.
I nodded, thinking about what she was saying. Some things were really starting to add up while others seemed to just leave me feeling more confused. Was Grace really the legitimate daughter of the last Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack?
“Did you have any premonitions or feelings that your sister would show up? Like did you feel any different?”
She frowned slightly as she thought about it, before finally saying, “No, I was just anxious as I had been the whole trip. The whole time I felt like something bad was going to happen, but I just thought I was being crazy.”
My mind was reeling, and a frightening thought crossed my mind as I remembered something Ethan had said before. Could Grace have unconsciously been linking with the Lycans? Ethan had said they could sense each other, and even though hers was still bound, maybe they could sense her...
Finally, after debating with myself for a bit, I decided to ask her the question that was weighing heavily on my mind. I carefully crafted my question. “Do you remember how Ethan said Lycans can sense each other? And do you think maybe that’s how they found you?”
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