Chapter 117: Grief Sophie

I come awake slowly, unsure of where I am or why I'm stiff and sore. I frown, where's my mate. He always wakes me up in the morning, rubbing his hands on me, sliding inside me. Where is he? And I why am I

sore.

My hands move to my stomach. Our baby is safe, but the motion has my stiff arms twitching.

'The war,' Hedda says in my head, the fatigue in her voice matching the fatigue I feel in my body.

The war! I shoot up in bed, looking around.

"Easy, baby. I was going to get in the bed with you, but I didn't want to hurt your stitches," Hunter says from beside me.

"I'll take a little discomfort to wake up in your arms. I don't like waking up without you," I say, carefully scooting over and tapping the bed beside me.

He crawls onto the bed, kicking off his shoes and lays on his side facing me. I do the same, careful of the tubes and monitors connected to me. I lay facing him before I curl up against him, breathing in his pine scent. His strong arms wrap around me, and I feel safe again.

I open my mind to my mate, and I feel the turmoil in his.

"Talk to me, my love. How bad is it?" I ask him, kissing his chest 0.00%

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and wrapping an arm around him.

Instead of answering, he leans down and kisses the top of my head.

"That bad, huh?" I ask, fear slowly working its way into my body. It's not like Hunter to keep things from me. If he is, it's because he's afraid of how I'll respond.

I begin to rub my hands over Hunter's body, realizing that he, too, is still healing. That makes me realize that I haven't been out too long, so whatever he's feeling is still raw for him too. "Kinsley?" I ask, starting with what I think could be the reason he's so upset.

"She's safe. She and her pup are alive and getting healthy. Dr. Caspian said that it will take her body a while to recover. We think that Sybil has gone silent, using all her strength to protect the pup when Kinsley was slashed in the stomach."

"How is Lucas handing it?" I ask, still stroking my mate's side and back. He keeps kissing me, holding me more tightly against him, as if he feels like I'm precious and fragile and that he's lucky I'm alive. Maybe that's what I'm feeling from him, the aftermath of the fear of losing me and our pup.

"Lucas is doing okay, but like me, he's here tonight and I expect he'll remain here until Kinsley wakes up."

I think about who else might be causing these feelings inside

Hunter.

"What about Margot?" I ask, and he sighs.

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"Margot...well, let's just say that's going to become a problem, but not for us. She and Ezra will have to figure that out."

"Figure what out?" I ask him.

He leans in and kisses the top of my head. I think I feel a soft chuckle from his body.

"You know how Margot insisted that she was going to die on the battlefield? How if me or someone else didn't kill Joshua, that she would?" he asks.

"Yes."

"And Ezra was having none of it. I understand that, because no matter what you said, there was no way I would have ever let you die on a battlefield if I could help it."

"So, what happened?" I ask, pulling my head back to look at him.

"Margot killed Joshua and then, when their mate bond began to kill her, Ezra marked her."

"That's why Thorin was so crazy when we went out there?"

"Yep, Ezra had marked her and I don't know if it's because of the bond or because of his own willpower and stubbornness, but Margot is still alive. Like Kinsley though, she's still unconscious." I curl up against my mate, feeling the heaviness of whatever is bothering him weighing on him again.

"How many did we lose?" I ask.

"Five on the battlefield. Two mates so far."

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Hunter I mean, I don't ever want to lose a pack

out of the woods yet. We still have multiple warriors who are injured in the

to you as their Alpha," I say to him. "You are their leader. You have made them

have done that, Soph. You and me together. The pack wasn't this strong before

mate for a few more minutes, feeling the sadness in him. I know whatever it is that he needs to

me," I

the monitor, I

was attacking Dutton's. He got to your father, Sophie. Dutton came and fought him off, but the injuries were

him to me. I feel like I can't breathe, my heart feels like it's breaking. Hard, wracking sobs take my body as tears stream down my face. Hunter holds me

about my father and my life, what a good man, a good mate, a good Alpha, and most of all to

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was.

with Alaric or his father, but we'd never attacked each other's

Aiden hadn't turned tail and run giving Dutton a chance to intervene, he might have succeeded."

"My mother?"

answer

two hours before she followed him to the Moon Goddess' realm," he says, and I hear his own voice

while I cry, murmuring soft, soothing words

my ear.

finally calm down enough to talk, I look up at him briefly before tucking my face against his

I ask, my voice scratchy with my

his Beta in your parents' pack while your father's Beta grieves to help guard it from another attack by Alaric. However, Dutton ripped Alaric up pretty good, but rather than chase after him, he tried to save your father. So, we're not expecting Alaric to try

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I'm so

nod, glad that the

the news of your mother. That's when i came here to be with you. I'm not sure if Calvin told Amelia yet or how s she's

in silence for a long time, Hunter just holding me, stroking my back, arms, and hair, kissing

and look up at my mate, His eyes are red-rimmed, and I know that he's struggling with

to my parents," I snarl, the raspiness of my

looking

want to be the one who strikes the killing blow," I say, meaning

you, Sophie. We will kill Alaric for what he did,

One He Platravest

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Betrayed Chapter 1:

Hunter

woke up, we went to her parents' pack. It took a lot of planning on my part, since I still have a lot of warriors out of commission and Kinsley, while awake, is still in the hospital. We were right that her wolf, Sybil, had gone silent. But we expect her back once Kinsley regains her strength. The

manage the pack when Sophie and I left. Ezra is still here, waiting for Margot to wake. At first, I thought he'd remain in the pack and could assist Lucas if something happened, but he let me know that he wanted to pay

same.

Sophie and I are heading to her parents' pack to lay them to rest. I know the pack is in mourning. I've been in contact with Dutton multiple times a

wanted to keep Amelia at home in their pack, she had insisted on being at her parents' funeral. I'm not sure if Amelia is more delicate than

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everything

and keep Sophie from being there

Hedda did a great job

so many ways. So often she gives me credit for things, such as our pack being stronger and able to fight together in the war, but really; it's her. She's the one that has brought everyone together like they are now. I'm just the lucky man who gets

feel that too. The last couple of nights, we've woken to Sophie crying softly in our arms. I've held her and calmed her, soothing her back to sleep, but the overwhelming grief that I feel though the bond is non-stop. That, more than anything, is what makes me determined to keep my promise to her. We will kill Alaric for what he

not.

today, since Sophie can't shift and when we arrive at the gates of Carter's pack, we can see, feel, and hear the grief of the pack. Around the pack lands, wolves are crying, howling their pain at the loss of their Alpha and Luna. The guards at the gate all have red-rimmed eyes and look like

drive through, Sophie gets out of the car and walks to the guard who stopped us. Without a word, she wraps her arms

Betrayed Chapter 1. Saying

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on to her as

put our hands on the shoulders of other guards who come

deserved better than this,"

Instead, she lets her anger at Alaric burn them

what he did. You have my word and the word of my mate. This act of aggression will not go unpunished,"

agreeing with

the guard says to her. He's old enough to be her father, and I'm guessing she's grown up with him around the pack. "My mate will do the fighting, and I will do the killing," she says, her

her head. "We should go, Soph. There are going to

anything at all, Luna, or you, Alpha, please

doing" I ask

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