Chapter 70

Lauren

The plane hums gently beneath us, a constant low vibration that lulls my tense muscles, but the restlessness in my chest refuses to fade.

The world outside the window is a blur of clouds, white and endless, stretching into infinity. It’s a view I should be able to appreciate—one that should offer me some semblance of peace—but all I feel is dread, a tight coil of worry gnawing at my insides.

Owen and Abigail are in the back, their chatter a soft background noise that’s somehow both comforting and aggravating. It’s the normalcy of it all, their innocent questions about how the plane works, how they’ll get to school when we’re back. There claws popping in and out despite my scolding.

They don’t know what’s really going on. They have no idea how much is hanging in the balance right now.

I glance across the aisle at Alexander. His eyes are focused on the faint glow of his tablet, but I know he's not really reading. He’s too distracted, his jaw tight and his brow furrowed.

His gaze lifts to meet mine for a split second, and I feel a pull, something magnetic that makes my chest ache.

“How do you do it?” I murmur, my voice barely rising above the sound of the engines. I don’t think I’ve asked him that question aloud before, though I’ve asked it in my mind a thousand times.

He looks at me, a flicker of surprise in his eyes before it’s masked by his usual cool demeanor. “Do what?”

I lean back in my seat, fingers brushing the edge of my seatbelt, feeling the cold metal under my fingertips as I try to gather my thoughts. The question is too big, too complicated to be answered with something simple. “How do you… stay calm? All this,” I gesture vaguely, encompassing everything, “the kids, me, the secrets, the unknowns. How do you not just lose it? Even in complete chaos your just… always a rock.”

His eyes soften for a moment. His fingers move to his tablet again, but he doesn’t swipe the screen, his gaze locked on me. “Because losing it won’t help, Lauren.” His voice is steady, low. “But I’m not going to pretend this isn’t dangerous. There are people out there who would do anything to get their hands on our kids. The sooner we figure out how to protect them, the better.”

I nod, but the anxiety curling in my stomach doesn’t go away. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t even have control of my own abilities anymore. How can I protect them if I can’t even… I can’t even draw out my own claws anymore. I mean… have I forgotten myself that much? Lost myself?”

I whisper the words, a part of me ashamed to admit how weak I feel. My claws, the one thing a wolf could rely on, our strength—it feels like a distant memory now. Like it’s not even mine anymore.

Alexander leans forward, his elbow on the armrest between us, his face inches from mine. “You never needed claws to be a threat, Lauren,” he said, his voice firm but quiet, as though he’s making a promise. “It’s as I said, that’s why I’m here. Until you find them, I will be your teeth and bare them. I have you, remember?”

His words wash over me like a balm, but the fear still lingers in the pit of my stomach. It’s not just about protecting them from the world. It’s about keeping them safe from something I didn’t even know existed in my family’s bloodline.

Something I didn’t even know I was a part of.

I swallow hard, the weight of the knowledge pressing down on me. “I…how could I have not known. I didn’t know about any of this! I didn’t know the history... how deep it ran. How could I have not known, Alexander? How could I have missed it?”

He exhales a slow breath, his gaze unwavering. “You couldn’t have. Your family kept their secrets buried. That’s why it’s so dangerous. Someone’s going to want our kids, and they’ll stop at nothing to get them. That’s all that matters now. How we can do right by them.”

I nod again, but the uncertainty doesn’t leave me. I’ve spent so many years thinking this guy was my enemy, not the world seemed to be—and he was a safety net. The ground felt far from my feet, and it wasn’t the airplane.

A sudden noise from the back of the plane makes me flinch, my head snapping toward the kids. Owen’s laughing, and Abigail is teasing him about something, but they’re fine. They’re here, with me. Safe, for now. I try to focus on that.

Alexander leans in closer, and before I know what’s happening, his hand is on mine, his fingers interlocking with mine. It’s warm, steady, a grounding force that helps calm my storm for a moment. His thumb runs over my knuckles, a slow, soothing motion, and my pulse picks up, my body reacting without my permission.

“You’ve got me, Lauren,” he murmurs, his voice low and rough, like he’s trying to convince both of us. “And we’ve got them. I won’t let anyone touch them. I won’t let anyone take them from you.”

I swallow, blinking away the sudden rush of emotions. There’s something so real, so raw in his words.

Without thinking, my hand slides up to cup his jaw, my fingers lingering against the warmth of his skin. For a split second, I catch a flash of something dark and raw in his eyes—something dangerous, something heated.

My pulse quickens, and before I can second-guess myself, I lean in closer, the distance between us shrinking with every breath.

As my lips brush his, my breath hitches, the softness of his mouth against mine sending a jolt through me. His body tenses, caught off guard, but there’s a momentary flicker of something that says this wasn’t unwelcome. His breath catches, sharp and steady, like a warning, but the heat building between us only deepens the tension.

“Lauren,” he groaned, but then a noise from the back of the plane snaps me back to reality. Abigail’s voice, playful and loud, pulls us both away from the moment. I pull back, my heart still racing, my breath shallow.

“Guess we’re not alone after all,” I murmur with a forced chuckle.

Alexander smiles, but it’s tight. “Later,” he says softly, his hand lingering on mine for a moment longer before he pulls away.

Later? No… no way.

I shook my head, focusing on the window, the world below. Us vs. them, huh? What are the odds…?

Unknown

The phone clicks as it connects, the sound of a soft exhale filling the silence on the other end.

A women’s voice speaks first, her voice clipped, professional. “The children are with them. They’re headed back now. I thought you’d want to know…yes. Yes they are blessed with Lyan. No, Belsing doesn’t know. But I’ve sent you the samples we’ve gathered from there visit.”

A smile crosses the man’s face, slow and deliberate. “Oh… Lyan blood, you say... Alexander’s?” His fingers curl around the edge of his leather desk chair, and his eyes gleam with a predatory gleam. “What a treat. Boy, did I miss that pup.”

He leans back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the wood as he waits for a response.

"Yes, sir," the women replies. “But we need to be cautious. There’s more at stake here than we anticipated. Oh, and one more thing. There mother, she can’t seem to transform. Now might be a time to strike, before there powers develop more.”

The man’s smile widens. “The stakes have always been high, Gingi. You’ve done well, maybe I’ll pay an old friend a visit.”