Zachary scrambled around trying to find the spell that protected the house as Deak, and Ruby made sure the entryways were all secured.
“Maybe I should go out there,” Deak suggested.
“No, I won’t let you go out there by yourself and fight. It’s not even,” Ruby scolded.
Deak chuckled. “Please, I am Lycan to their little wolves. They can only scratch.”
“Deak, if you go out there, then I’m going too,” Ruby replied.
“Oh, no you’re not. Did you not learn anything from the last fight we were in?” Zachary chided.
Ruby looked over at Zachary and narrowed her eyes at him, but the anger rolled off of her quickly since she knew that he was only trying to protect her and not make her mad.
Her wolf, Nadia, purred with happiness.
“Deak, go downstairs and see if Vita has any weapons down there. Ruby, help my mother go to a more secluded part of the house and make sure she is safe.”
“And what are you planning to do?” she asked him.
Zachary ran his hands through his hair. “I’m going to try to put up the spell protection that Vita had up before we got here.”
Ruby nodded. Just as she turned to do what Zachary asked her to, her phone rang. She saw that it was Amanda calling; Ruby felt sick to her stomach. She pressed answer on her phone and switched it to the speaker.
“Amanda, please tell me that you’re not here.”
“Ummm… I can’t do that.”
Deak walked into the room carrying a few different weapons that would help them fight and heard Amanda’s voice. “Small girl, where are you?” he asked.
“About to pull up to the house,” she won’t.
“Don’t!” Zachary and Ruby yelled into the phone.
“We know there are wolves on the property, we’re here to help.”
“Give me a moment and I’ll be right out,” Deak told her as he turned and headed for the front door.
“Amanda, please don’t,” Ruby begged. But she couldn’t hear anything from the other line. Ruby paced, not knowing what to do next.
Zachary grabbed her by the shoulders. “Ruby, please I need you to help protect my mother. She needs to be safe.”
“But what about…. I need to protect…. She can’t be….” Ruby tried to formulate a sentence but couldn’t.
“I promise I won’t let anything happen to Amanda,” he told her.
Ruby nodded, still not convinced, but she did what he asked of her. She needed to trust him at his word. If anything happened to Amanda, she would be beside herself with guilt. Losing someone else all over again.
“I have a small girl’s back, too. She is fine,” Deak assured Ruby.
Ruby shook her head as she met Madeline at the entryway of the parlor room.
“Perhaps I should stay and try to help,” Madeline offered.
“You’ve helped enough, Mother. I need to know that you are safe when I am out there protecting them. Promise me, Mother?” Zachary asked.
Madeline tusked but nodded.
“Come on, Madeline, we can go worry ourselves to death together,” Ruby told her as she took the woman’s hand and guided her down the hall to a more secluded spot away from the line of fire.
Deak lifted the options of weapons for Zachary.
“Ooh, I’ll take the crossbow.”
“Nice choice, maybe you shoot that from the balcony upstairs that way you’re out of sight,” Deak suggested.
“Good idea. Have fun out there,” Zachary told him.
Deak smiled his devilish grin. “I plan to,” he said before opening the door and heading out to meet the unwelcome visitors.
********************************
Hudson closed the door after Ophelia left and sighed. Artemis was still feeling antsy.
Something didn’t feel right.
Our mate, she’s in trouble, Artemis responded.
Hudson began to pace. There was a part of him that was getting frustrated; why did he always have to put his neck on the line for his mate? He shook his head. Of course, he needed to be there for his mate, he was supposed to always protect her. Somewhere deep inside, there was an internal battle raging inside him on whether or not he should go find his mate and help her.
Artemis was definitely on the side of rescue.
We need to help our mate, he growled.
Hudson couldn’t think straight and decided to go for a run. Maybe that would help clear his thoughts.
He grabbed his sweatshirt and put it on. Immediately his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he enjoyed smelling the scent of his mate on his clothes. Hudson was getting confused. Why was this such a hard decision for him? Once he got outside, he started to run. Enjoying the cool breeze on him, he began to run faster and farther from the college, the fog in his barn starting to clear. Hudson knew what he needed to do.
Mind-link.
Hudson: Stan, send me the address of where you’re at. I’m on my way.
Stan: Yes, Alpha. Also, be advised, there is another wolf pack surrounding the house and the Luna is advising we assist in the fight.
Hudson almost stumbled when he heard this, but he regained his footing quickly and pushed harder to run faster.
Why was she trying to put herself in danger?
Maybe we should shift. Artemis suggested.
Hudson shook his head, but then realized it would take them less time to get there if he shifted.
Hudson: I’m on my way. Keep her safe until I get there.
Stan: Yes, Alpha.
Hudson slowed down and quickly stripped, stuffing his clothes into the sweatshirt and wrapping it up before shifting. Once shifted, Artemis grabbed the material with his teeth and began to run.
I’m coming, Amanda.
****
As soon as Stan pulled up to the house in the SUV, Stan and Marco jumped out of the vehicle to help fight off the wolves with Deak. some of the men were shifted into their wolf forms and some were still in their human forms, but ready to shift. Marco shifted quickly and jumped onto two of the men that were ready to jump Deak from behind.
Amanda turned to open her side door.
“Stop,” Tabitha ordered.
Amanda looked at her friend with surprise.
“I’m sorry but you can’t go out there,” Tabitha told her.
“But I need to help. Willow and I—” Amanda tried to explain, but Tabitha interrupted.
“Have yet to shift into your wolf forms.”
Amanda slumped back in her seat. “But what about my magic? I could be doing something, I’m not helpless.”
Tabitha nodded. “I know that, but the last thing you should be doing is getting into a wolf fight before trying to do a spell you’ve never done before and exhausting yourself.”
Amanda tossed her head from side to side as she weighed what Tabitha said to her. She was right, as much as she didn’t want to admit that. She was hoping she’d get to hit someone. Amanda felt a shiver run down her spine and tingles in her stomach. Willow was bouncing with excitement, which meant only one thing….
Hudson was here.
Fighting for my Mate
Mated to my Bully (Book 1)