Amanda stood quietly next to the SUV as Stan got the car ready to take her and Tabitha back to the pack.
Hudson walked up to her and cupped her face with his hands and rested his forehead against hers. He took in her scent as he closed his eyes. Amanda rested her hands on top of his.
When he opened his eyes and lifted his head, he could see the sadness sitting in his mate’s eyes. It crushed him to see her like this.
“I’m sorry that all this is happening at the same time that you need me,” He whispered as he kissed her forehead.
Amanda sucked in a breath as she lowered her eyes.
Hudson pulled her face up so that he could look her in the eye. “Look at me.”
She quickly lifted her eyes to stare into his.
“I promise I’ll be there before it’s time for you to shift. As soon as I gather up the pack on campus, I’ll be heading straight to you,” he told her.
She tried to look away, she didn’t want him to make promises he couldn’t keep.
“No, don’t pull away from me. I will be there. Tell me you believe me.”
Amanda let out a sigh. She wanted to believe him. Heck, she wanted him to just come with her now, and tell the kids on campus to come back to the pack. But that’s not what an Alpha does. He protects his members putting them before anything else.
“I believe you,” she told him.
Hudson lowered his head and captured her lips with his. The kiss was deep and passionate. Amanda could feel the flutters in her stomach and her knees getting weak. Hudson wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling but didn’t release her lips until he was ready to.
Artemis howled with happiness as Willow purred with excitement. Willow was ready for the shift; she felt confident that their mate would be back in time to help with the shift.
Hudson smirked as he looked at his beautiful mate.
Marco walked up to Tabitha and swept her off her feet into his arms. “I hate that we keep being pulled apart,” he whispered.
Tabitha brushed his hair away from his forehead.
“I’m not worried, I know you’ll be back,” she said with a smile.
Marco leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips before putting her back on the ground.
“I’ll see you later tonight.”
Tabitha nodded. “I’ll be waiting,” she said with a flirtatious smile.
Marco let out a husky growl. He hated that he had to leave her, but he knew that he needed to be there for his Alpha and the pack. He knew Tabitha understood; he just wished they were doing this together and not apart.
Ruby rushed out of the house and made he way to Amanda. “Madeline and I will be following shortly after you guys, just as soon as Deak and Zachary leave to go rescue, Vita.”
Amanda shook her head as she grabbed Ruby’s hand and cupped it between both of hers. “I need you to do something for me, Aunt Ruby. it would mean the world to me if you stayed and made sure that Vita is okay. Can you do that for me?”
Ruby’s heart ached as she stood there looking at her niece torn by the favor that she was asking her to do. Yes, she wanted to be there when Vita came home, but she wanted to be there for Amanda even more. “You don’t want me there for your first shift,” Ruby answered, her voice cracking.
Amanda pulled her into her arms. “Of course I want you to be there, Aunt Ruby. but I need this more since I can’t be here to help with Vita’s return and help with her recovery. I’m asking you to be there for her instead.”
The tears burned as they hit Ruby’s cheeks. She was so proud of her niece for being selfless and putting other people’s needs in front of her own, but at the same time, she was heartbroken because she kept feeling that Amanda was getting the raw end of the deal.
“Aunt Ruby, I’ll have peace of mind that Vita is in good hands, and I’ll be able to focus more on my shift without anything interfering. Please tell me you understand?” Amanda pleaded.
Ruby wiped the tears away from her cheeks as she nodded. “I’ll do it. When this is all over, we’ll have a girl’s night and go for a run with our wolves,” Ruby said with a smile.
Amanda laughed. “That’s a promise.”
“Hey, can I get in on that girl’s night?” Tabitha asked as walked up to them.
They all laughed and hugged.
Deak was waiting at the bottom of the porch steps before he made his way to Amanda.
Amanda wrapped her arms around him as Hudson let out a jealous growl.
Deak chuckled as he pulled away from her. “You’ve got this, small girl.”
“And you go rescue Vita and bring her back home to us.”
Deak nodded.
“It’s time to go,” Stan told them.
Amanda waved as she got into the SUV and started to drive away.
Hudson waited until he could no longer see the SUV before he turned to Marco and said, “Let’s go rescue our pack.”
Marco nodded as he shifted into his wolf and followed his Alpha back to the campus.
“We need to do the same if we want to get there before dark,” Zachary said as he walked out onto the porch.
Zachary pulled Ruby into his arms and kissed her deeply. Ruby was all too happy to return the kiss with just as much heat and assists he was giving. When Zachary pulled away he placed his finger under her chin. “Thank you for staying here with my mother and helping us when Vita returns. I know that must have been a difficult decision to make.”
Ruby nodded.
“I love you,” Zachary whispered.
Ruby sucked in a breath when hearing those words. “Zachary, I…” she started, but he placed his fingers over her mouth to quiet her.
“Don’t say it right now, tell me when I get back.”
Ruby pulled him in for another kiss and wrapped her arms around him. She may not be able to tell him that she loved him right now, but that isn’t mean she couldn’t show him.
Zachary had to catch his breath as he stepped back and stared at the love of his life. “I’ll be back soon, he promised before he turned and made his way to the truck that Deak was driving.
****************
It was later in the afternoon by the time Stan got the girls back to the pack. Luna Cynthia was waiting outside the pack house to greet them.
“Amanda, Tabitha, it’s so good to see you two,” she told them as she pulled them into a hug. “Where are Hudson and Marco?”
“They had to go back to campus, there’s been an attack on the pack.”
Fighting for my Mate
Mated to my Bully (Book 1)