Fatal Temptation: Between Two Alphas
Chapter 58

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Morgan lifts her hand and tendrils of blue light and electricity swirl around her fingertips.

She's buzzing with power. Literally radiating it from her hands.

Her eyes are alight with wonder and then they fall when she realizes what was done. "No, no, no." She runs across the kitchen. "Bring her into the other room."

Declan strides into the living room and instead of laying her down, he sits on the couch and keeps the little woman on his lap. She'd chosen wisely when she picked him. Maybe Nonna sensed how fiercely loyal and protective Declan would be.

Morgan kisses Nonna's cheek. "Are you okay? Talk to me." Her voice is thick with tears.

I can hear the older woman breathing, but whatever she did sapped her strength significantly. She looks older now, worn in a way that would suggest failing health or illness.

"Why would you do that!?" Morgan is frantic.

I put my hand on her shoulder hoping to calm her.

She starts crying.

I wrap my arms around her waist.

Nonna breathes deeply. "I appreciate the display of emotion," she says without opening her eyes. "But let's suck it up, eh, buttercup."

Declan chokes on a laugh.

Morgan draws back as if her grandma slapped her.

Nonna opens one eye. "I love you, Morgan."

Morgan drops to her knees beside the couch and throws her arms around Nonna's neck. She's still crying but it's less sad now. More great racking sobs of relief.

I stand there and Declan and I share an awkward look. We're wolves. We snarl and growl, bark and bite. But generally, we aren't prone to outwardly showing our emotions. I rake a hand through my hair. I'm not so good with tears.

Declan sure as hell isn't.

I've seen him face entire hives of vampires with less nervousness.

And seeing my woman cry, short of taking her back to bed and fucking her senseless, I'm not real sure how to make her stop.

Nonna grins up to me. "Don't worry wolf, she's fine."

Morgan gives her grandma one last hard squeeze and then she stands back up. "I'm better than fine." She holds up her hands and stares at them in wonder. "I'm unstoppable."

Nonna smiles proudly. "Yeah, you are."

"I can't accept this," Morgan says abruptly. "This is your power. Your gift."

"Yes," Nonna agrees. "And it is mine to give." She makes a shooing motion with her hand. "You go on now and get ready. I think I'll sit here a while more yet, and let this stud bolster me." She nods. "It's true, there's nothing like a big hard man to get everything flowing."

Declan's face flushes red. He sputters.

I laugh hard.

Then Nonna ogles my chest and I'm back to feeling self-conscious again. She cackles. "Splendid creatures, these wolves."

She's fucking with us, but it's in such good nature and intended to lighten the mood so her granddaughter won't bear the burden of this sacrifice.

And that's what it is, I realize.

A sacrifice.

Nonna has given her magic to Morgan.

I don't know much of the witch world, but even I can see that this is a rare and very significant event.

When the humor dies down, Nonna closes her eyes, and we all see that for as much as she is teasing and smiling, she is very very weak.

"Rest, Nonna." Morgan kisses her forehead.

We walk back into the kitchen and let the guys know that everything is okay. The explanation is kind of moot. With our heightened senses, there isn't a detail that they'd miss with all of us crammed in the same house. And, yes, that includes the hours of sex.

Wolves don't have the same hangups about intimacy that other species seem to.

"We'll leave on schedule," I tell them.

"I have some news," Jacob says.

"Oh?"

The doorbell rings again.

"Right on time." Jacob smiles.

"What is?" I ask.

"Special delivery. Cam called Alpha MacPhearsona last night and let him know we were in town. And Eric said he'd send supplies." "Nice." Then I take Morgan's hand again and lead her back into the bedroom.

ΜΙΑ

I'm not doing so well.

I'm conscious of that, so I guess that's something, like if I'm aware that I'm messed up it must mean that I'm not so far gone. But I still can't seem to make my way back to right.

There is so much death...

My mother.

Corinne.

Rachel. Lianne. Jessica.

And what of those wolves? I never even got the chance to learn their names.

There's been nothing but war and heartache and death.

What is the point of any of this?

I'd been so removed in my life in

California Going to work, raising y kids. My life had been quiet,

peaceful. Maybe a little lonely, but in

comparison, there was far less

drama.

I'd watched the news and caught glimpses of horrors across the world. Natural disasters, shootings, war.

I'd felt removed from that too.

But I can't deny the suffering or struggle in the world any longer.

I miss my kids.

I'm sitting on the front porch of the cattle cabin in a remote corner of our pack's land. No, not our. Cameron's.

Nala grumbles. She disagrees.

I rub my neck, feeling the raised mark of Cam's bite. My other wounds have healed, but his bite...that will not fade.

It's done.

The bond is complete.

I feel like I should be happy or feel 'whole' or something. But I'm just tired.

Tired and empty and sad.

I have so many questions and so many regrets.

Worse, I blame myself for everything that happened in New Orleans. I never should've gone. I took off without even considering the consequences.

I could've died.

Because of me, so many others had instead.

The guilt is like an avalanche, chilling my body and crushing my chest.

I rock on the front porch chair and adjust the blanket on my lap.

It's night. The stars are out and the sky above is big, so big, and a reminder of a universe that is endless.

There are wolves walking the

perimeter of the building. They keep

back so I don't see them, but they're here and as a courtesy they came over earlier and introduced themselves.

That just pissed me off.

I'd known them. I went to school with two of the males.

It's like in my exile I became a true outsider.

Whether that was just their perception of me or my own is irrelevant. I don't belong here. And maybe that's also why I am so depressed.

Cam's checked in many times.

I finally had to block his thoughts, which I know is cruel, but I can't handle his coddling right now.

The nicer he is, the more I want to cry.

And I need to rebuild my walls, not break down what's left of my defenses.

I have to make another call, and it is one I've been dreading, but I owe it to him.

Eric...

The response is almost instantaneous. I'm here.

And he is. His voice is warm and strong in my head.

I don't know where to begin.

Cam already told me, he says.

I'm so sorry.

A sob breaks free and I bite my hand to try and hold them back.

He's quiet.

It was always just the two of us. He sighs in my head. Corinne was loved. She will be missed. So will Lianne, Rachel and Jessica.

I appreciate that he says their names. He doesn't glaze over the losses of his packmates as if one life is more meaningful than another.

They are all his.

And he mourns them equally.

The connection between us is quiet for a while, but he's still there.

Finally he says, You mated him.

I don't deny it.

My hand goes to my stomach. Be it in that dreamscape or that bedroom before all hell broke loose, when we finally consummated our connection, I did join with Cameron. I could be pregnant.

As far as being his mate goes. My wolf always accepted that.

And if Cam hadn't mated me I would've died in that courtyard.

But I don't say any of that to Eric.

He doesn't deserve excuses or platitudes.

Yes, Eric... I did.

There's another long pause and I find myself weeping. But nothing could've prepared me for what Eric says next...

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