Chapter 122

Helen POV

“Of course, Russo. I won’t do that to my mate, to the other wolves, wizards—and you, of course.”

“Thank you, little Luna,” he hummed, yanking me into his chest and throwing his arms around me. “You’re a good mate, and a great woman, little wolf.”

Light creaking of the floorboards drew my attention from our embrace and I pulled away from Russo, finding myself crying as well. Justin and Randy stood in the doorway, my mate marking a look of hatred against his eyes and pursed lips.

“Justin,” I grunted, peeling from Russo’s side and rushing to my mate.

I snuck my arms around his sides and to my surprise, he accepted them, his arm resting on my shoulder and his hand tangling in my hair. Justin tipped his nose down, inhaling a long draw of an inhale.

“You smell like blood, mate,” Justin snarled, his attention flickering up to Russo for an accusatory second. I gripped him tighter and he found the towel with my blood on it second. “Why were you bleeding, Helen?”

I pulled away, my head down in searing shame. “I had a nightmare, Alpha. In the dream, the man… he punched me in the face after saying he would kill us both.”

Justin tipped my head up with a loose hold on my chin. “It’s going to be okay, Helen. I remade the maps for the warriors to protect both villages in our pack. Until we are settled in here, then we will stay at this village. It’s bigger and holds more wolves to protect us from whatever enemy we will face.”

I sniffled, feeling so defeated already. “I don’t want to face another enemy, Justin, please—”

He wiped my cheek, littered with new tears and pointed to the large bed nearby. “Lay down, Luna. You can be without restraints for tonight. I can tell you’re exhausted.”

I nodded but felt a little defeated still. “Yes, Alpha.”

Randy gave me a friendly tap on my shoulder as I passed him and I offered him a fleeting grin. I was just happy that Justin seemed to be treating me normally again. He still had trust issues, that was obvious when he saw me hugging Russo, but he kept his temper under check.

And I don’t have to be restrained!

I could have sung in happiness and danced all around the room. But with my nightmare feeling so real and my body still bitten in fear, I knew it wasn’t a good time to celebrate the reconciliation with my mate. It was a small step, but a step, nonetheless.

Lying in bed, I curled into Justin’s pillow and inhaled his scent while my eyes drifted shut soon after. The kind beta and the Fae never left, and Justin invited them to sit by in the couch and chairs right near the fireplace, raging with warmth that I could feel from the bed.

When my pulse slowed and my senses mocked the state of unconsciousness, I heard my mate exhale.

“I didn’t want her to hear us talk, guys,” Justin said lowly in tone and volume. “She is already difficult to handle. I didn’t want to make things worse.”

“What are you saying?” Randy asked. “What’s wrong?”

“I got another letter,” Justin purred.

I felt my heart punch into my chest, needing out of my body as soon as possible. My mate hesitated, as if hearing my pulse, but he continues anyways.

“I found it taped to a tree tonight, near the edge of the pack boundaries in this village.”

“She told me about the huntsman,” Russo mumbled. “Does it have to do with him again? I know how he operates, and I can help against him, but he’s dangerous, Lycan. He is the reason there is a last Fae.”

“I know,” Justin replied gently. “I’m sorry about that. This note didn’t mention the huntsman, though. It talked about my mate and her relationship with me crumbling. He wants my mate for some reason, and I’m afraid it will be just like what my father did to her.”

“He wants her as bait?” Randy asked and my mood fell. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know it doesn’t,” Justin snapped. “The problem is he wants her because he wants to ensure if he can’t kill me, then I can’t have Lycan pups.”

The room fell silent. I hugged the pillow tighter and felt my mate brush past the bedside. He caressed my cheek and tucked my hair behind my ear. He looked around the nightstand drawer and then left to return to the couch nearby.

“What is this?” Russo asked.

“It’s my mother’s diary,” my mate sniffled. “She wrote that I can’t have another mate. If I were to ever reject Helen, then I wouldn’t be granted another fated mate in return. It also states that I can’t produce pups with anyone other than my fated mate.”

“That’s complicated,” Randy huffed, rubbing his eyes. “Why are we discussing you having pups? You know what it means to produce a pup with her… you know what you have to do…”

“What does he have to do?” Russo purred.

“I have to mate with her while she’s in mortal form—and I’m in Lycan form.”

The audible gasp and grumble through the room hardly matched my thrill of that idea. I was okay with that happening, and though Justin may have disagreed in the past, I was able to do a little bit of it before he shifted back to his mortal state.

Randy made his stance clear on it as well as Russo who didn’t want me to get hurt, either.

They were like protective older brothers and in that moment, I realized I may have never had a real family before in Fiery Cross, but here is the family I’ve always wanted.

How could I make this family better?

I could carry the Last Lycan’s pups, of course.

“You can’t,” Randy snarled at last, breaking the silence. “Your Lycan still hates her, Justin. You can’t trust him not to break her bones.”

“Why can’t you just forgive your mate, already?” Russo gulped. “If you forgave her in this state then maybe your Lycan will forgive her too and then you can mate with her safely in that form.”

“His Lycan form is dangerous,” Randy pointed out. “Too dangerous to trust with her in her weakest form. It wouldn’t work. It might end up killing her.”

Russo hummed exhortingly, “Then I’m with the beta wolf. If he says it’s too dangerous, then I agree. You shouldn’t put her in that much pain and trouble.”

Justin had stood, his loud and incessant pacing staring to methodically put me to sleep for real. “I am not asking for permission. I am deciding that I will impregnate my mate tomorrow night. It’s the only way to make sure that my species is carried on.”

“You can’t do that, Alpha,” Randy snapped. “You will end up killing her!”

I flinched and felt like everyone saw it but no one thankfully mentioned it.

“I am doing it tomorrow,” Justin said in shrug. “It’s the full moon. I want to do it outside, just so my Lycan doesn’t rip down the walls during it. I will need some help. You both will meet me there.”