Chapter 90

~Grace~

Was I too late?

I rushed through the forest, the branches of the trees whipping through my hair and leaving marks on my face.

I could hear commotion in front of me, but I wasn’t near the fight. Not yet.

Was Alex okay?

Was the clan okay?

I could hear a sea of yelling and bangs. A sour smell filled the air.

Then, as I burst through some bushes, I saw it. The edge of the fighting.

Humans with guns bearing down on the Lycans–some shifted–clawing through the crowd.

There were bodies of Lycans on the ground, blood spilling out of wounds, but the same was for the humans.

I was frozen.

Oh, god…

My eyes swept the scene. I had never seen a battlefield before, and I was overwhelmed by fear and shock at the brutality. The death.

I don’t even think I was breathing. I couldn’t even tremble.

Where was Alex?

Frantically, I searched the bodies on the ground. None looked like Alex.

My eyes darted around the fight, searching for a black blur cutting through the human army. Surely Alex would be here…

Then, I saw him. His hands and forearms were covered with blood, his face a twisted fury, as he dashed from human to human, tearing through their flesh like butter.

I… didn’t know how to feel.

Relieved that he was alive, yes. But I felt a little sickened at the violence as well.

I understood that he had to, he was protecting the clan. Me.

But…

I shook my head. Now was not the time to think about this, anyway.

A whistling noise grew closer, and my heart stopped as soon as I knew what it was. I ducked, and heard it fly over my head.

A bullet. The humans must have seen me. And now that they knew my location…

I had to fight.

“It’ll be okay. Fight them. For your family,” Nola told me, her gentle presence filling me with reassurance.

I nodded. “I will.”

I shifted, and took off through the battlefield, weaving through Lycans. I found the first human and leaped, my jaws sinking into his flesh. I got him by the arm, as he put his hands up to protect himself.

The taste of iron filled my mouth, and I shook my head, hard. The man screamed and dropped his gun.

With a violent kick, he threw me off of him, and I rolled on the ground for a second. Instantly, I got back to my feet and ran to attack again, when something grabbed me from behind.

I yelped and tried to look behind me, but I heard the familiar voice of Alex, panting and hoarse, in my ear.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” he said between breaths. He was trembling.

I growled at him, and he set me down gently, before reaching out with his arm and slamming a human’s head into the ground.

“I have as much right as you!” I barked, and when Alex looked at me, there were tears in his eyes.

I paused.

I felt awful.

Was I really being selfish by being out here? I didn’t want to be the trophy wife who relied on her husband to protect her. I wanted to be out here, too. I wanted to earn my spot next to Alex.

Alex growled and lunged forward, taking out the legs of a human who was running toward us.

“Grace, please. Get out of here-” Alex said again, over his shoulder as he cracked the skulls of two humans together.

I took a slow step back, then another. I really was over my head out here… and if all I was doing was causing Alex to worry and lose focus… Maybe it really was worse if I stayed.

“Please make it home to me,” I told Alex before running back through the line of Lycans.

I stopped to catch my breath, looking back.

No!

At the same time, a boom cracked through the air, and Alex recoiled, falling onto the ground.

There was a moment of stillness, as if everyone recognized what just happened.

My heart felt like it had been torn out of my chest, and I couldn’t hear anything as I ran back to Alex’s side. It felt like the whole world stopped existing except the image of Alex on the ground.

I made it to his side, and he was breathing heavily, his hand over his chest, where blood oozed out between his fingers. I looked at his injury frantically, then at his face.

Alex opened one eye, then gave me a faint smile.

“It’s not bad,” he said, but I knew he was lying.

A human aimed his gun toward Alex, and in a furious roar, I leaped at him, knocking him on his back. I tore the gun out of his hands with a shake of my head, and bit down hard into his shoulder.

He screamed, and scrambled out from beneath me.

I turned back around to find Alex and-

Christopher?!

The pale-haired man knelt over Alex, and I could see a faint glow coming from his hands as his lips moved. He must have been performing some spell.

I ran to his side, just as I heard a howl come from the forest. I recognized the call. Liam.

I almost cried. I watched as werewolves poured onto the battlefield, Rogues and packs alike, pushing the humans back.

They really did come to help, after all…

The humans finally retreated, and I could breathe once more.

A sweet laugh rang through the room, and I looked around the corner to see Alex holding Lisa, our baby girl, in the air above his head.

She laughed with a joy that filled my heart. Alex grinned just as wide as she did, and he brought her to his chest, cradling her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head.

I smiled, walking over to his side.

It had been almost a year since the attack. Alex healed from his injury, thanks to Christopher’s spell.

The Black Lycan clan hasn’t had any real trouble since, and Alex and I had been able to rebuild a lot of the clan.

The Lycans had gone through so much, but they came out stronger than ever. I guess that’s why they’ve been able to last for so long. I just felt proud to be a part of their history.

I leaned against Alex’s shoulder, and wiped Lisa’s lip.

I had finally done it. Here was my family. My baby.

I knew that whatever challenges lie ahead, that we would be able to work through them, as nothing had been able to tear us apart, yet.

“I love you,” Alex said, his warm, deep voice filling my head.

I looked up at him with a gentle smile. “I know. I love you, too.”

Alex stepped closer, and placed his forehead against mine. “I mean it, Grace. I love you, and Lisa. I always will. I promise to stay by both of your sides forever.”

I placed my hands on his cheeks, and closed my eyes, feeling his head press against mine.

“I know. I promise to stay with you, too. There’s nothing I want more.”