⁺˚*･༓☾ 𝓐 ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
After eating with the pack, and helping Michael get the twins ready for bed, I stood in the doorway to their room and frowned as I watched them sleep.
"Everything okay Mar?" Michael asked.
"Yeah.." I nodded and smiled. "I just like watching them sleep. I'm going to go check on Riley and baby Emma and probably turn in for the night myself. Its been a long day."
"It has, longer for you I'm sure. Get some rest." Michael smiled. I gave him a nod and walked down the hall a ways to Mary and Connor's room. I peeked in the crib at Emma sleeping peacefully and ran my hand through the blonde hairs on her head.
"Try not to give your mum and dad too much trouble while I'm away getting Kieran yea?" I whispered and leaned down and kissed her on the top of the head before leaving the room and making my last stop in Riley's room where Mackenzie was reading to him.
"Oh, Amara! Hello." She smiled at me.
"Hey." I said softly and looked at Riley who was stubbornly trying to keep his eyes open.
"Hi Miss Amara." He yawned.
"Hello Riley." I chuckled. "Stop giving your mum such a fuss and go to sleep please." I said. He pouted at me but nodded, pulled his blanket up to his chin and rolled over closing his eyes. Mackenzie smiled.
"Con, better watch out, you make a better Beta than he does." She said. I shook my head.
"Connor is a great Beta... I'm an Omega at best. I'm good with the pups.. But the rest of the pack?" I snorted.
"They listen to you Amara.. We listen to you. Kieran would have been better to leave you in charge." Marian insisted.
"Thank you..but I don't think so."
"You're right. You shouldn't be Beta. you should be Alpha."
My heart dropped into my stomach. It should have been a compliment.
"No one could take Kieran's place."
"There can be more than one Alpha in the pack Amara and it's typically the Alpha's mate. Rob and I were discussing it earlier."
"Please.. Don't." I said. "I Know you mean well but.. Half of this pack thinks Kieran leaving is my fault.. I don't want to get anything started.."
"I'm sorry." Mackenzie frowned.
"It's okay." I said and cleared my throat. "Where is Rob?" I asked.
"He is out back practicing with his bow. You getting attacked today riled him up a little."
"His bow.. As in archery?" I asked. Weapons weren't commonly used with our kind for hunting or otherwise, however I did like my knives. My father always carried a dagger so this was perhaps the only thing I got from him.
Mackenzie nodded.
"He'll likely be out there patrolling all night with Marcus. If you go now you may catch him before he starts patrolling the area."
"Thank you." I smiled and walked away from the room.
While eating dinner, and watching the pups throwing food at each other and laughing, I couldn't help but think that someone had to know where I was going.In case something should happen to me, someone had to know I didn't just leave the pack.Someone who I knew would swear not to tell anyone and mean it and that someone was Rob. He was a man with a code. I loved Connor but I knew he would tell Mary and then the whole pack would know.
I walked out the back door and made my way to Rob who was aiming at Targets he'd set up in the backyard.
He turned, sensing that I was behind him.
"You should be resting." He said.
"Well, personally I think that's for me to decide." I shrugged. He chuckled.
"You know...that's why he liked you so much to begin with. You do what you want regardless of what anyone says."
"I know." I smiled and watched him take aim and release the arrow. It hit the previous arrow that was in the bullseye and split it.
"Damn.." I muttered.
"Want to try?" He asked but then thrust the bow into my arms not giving me much of a choice.
"Sure." I chuckled. He helped me get into the right position. I pulled back the arrow.
"I know what you are about to do." Rob said just as I went to release the arrow and I shot it straight down into the dirt.
"What?" I asked. "What do you mean?"
Rob sighed.
"Don't get upset with me but Riley was trying to hide from us when it was bedtime and he went into your room. He was hiding in your closet...with your fully packed backpack."
I looked away.
"I was going to tell you..."
"Amara, someone has to bring Kieran home and I believe you are the only one who can. I'm not upset with you."
"You have to promise me that you will tell no one where I am going. Swear it to me right now." I said.
"Amara that… Is a lot to ask of me." Rob said. "Connor will want to know. The pups.."
"I need you to do this for the pups, Rob. You can't tell a soul that I am going to find Kieran."
Robin looked confused.
"Please… Just trust me." I said. "Swear to me that you won't tell anyone. Everything will be clear when I come back with Kieran."
"I need you to tell me that no one is in danger before I swear that." Rob said.
"The only thing I can tell you Rob is that not everything is as it seems and if the wrong ears were to find out where I went everyone would be in danger."
Rob was hesitant.
"Please, I would never ask you to swear this if it wasn't important."
Rob sighed heavily and nodded.
"I swear, that no one will know where you've gone until you get back." He said. "Where do you think he is?"
"His homeland in the forest on the other side of the city near the beach." I replied. "He has to be there because I know I saw him when I went out with the girls."
"That's a bit of a trek. When are you leaving?" He asked.
"Tonight.." I said and glanced away knowing full well he was giving me a disapproving look.
"Are you sure you are well enough? You had a very nasty run in with hunters."
I wanted so badly to tell him that it wasn't hunters that it was Kenneth but I just couldn't chance him hurting anyone else while I was away.
"I'll be fine." I nodded. "I can't go any longer without being with him, Rob. It's tearing me apart."
"I know love." Rob frowned and pulled me in for a hug. "Do you know what you are going to say to him?"
I shook my head. "Not a clue. I'm so...bloody angry with him but I miss him so much."
"We all do. So bring him home." Rob said. "And please be careful."
"I will." I smiled. "Watch out for the pups for me? I think I'll miss them most while I'm gone."
"Of course. They'll miss you too. Riley especially." Rob smiled. "He says you're his favorite person. Well…besides his mum and I." He chuckled.
I smiled again and teared up. "I better go before I end up putting him in my bag and taking him with me."
Rob nodded. "Text me.. Call me.. Anything time to keep me updated. I want to know you are safe."
"I will." I nodded. "I'll see you soon."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had to admit, that as I climbed out of the window in the bedroom and onto the roof of the house that It felt a lot like how I began my first journey to Killian, although back then I didn't realize that, that is what I was doing, now I did and nothing was going to stop me from getting to him. I crept across the roof, towards the front of the house and looked down. I knew that this was going to hurt because of my injuries from earlier in the day but I couldn't just walk out the front door. Roxy was in the den with Jake.
I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut as I jumped down from the roof, bracing myself for the impact. Once my feet hit the ground the pain in my ribs spread through my whole body and I bit my lip to muffle a cry. I looked back at the house, making sure that no one had heard anything before I took off into the woods.
I looked around once I was far enough away from home, to weigh my options. If I took the path, that we used to get to the city by car, it would be a straight shot, however that trail was riddled with hunter camps at night. The next option would be to go through the heart of my fathers territory, which could also be incredibly dangerous. Especially if his Beta, Elijah was out patrolling. When Connor left our pack it was Elijah's job to track me down when I'd stay out too late and he was damn good at it. He would pick up on my scent for sure. If I wanted to avoid a face to face confrontation with my father going this way would be tricky However, Hunters would be a guaranteed fight. One that in my current state I would not win. I sighed heavily and made my way towards the river going with the lesser of two evils. Elijah could be reasoned with and would not likely turn to violence.
Once I crossed the river, I tried to keep my heart beat steady. The only time I ever came this way was to see my mother, and her burial was almost out of my fathers territory so it wasn't too bad and it was easy to get around unnoticed. This time however, I would be going straight through the area Elijah commonly patrolled.
As I walked, I could see a few lights from my father's house. I frowned, remembering all the time I spent locked in that house, in my room, not allowed to play with the other children, not allowed to eat with the pack, completely secluded and alone as a child. I was given some freedom to be with the pack as I got older but that was only so my father could match me with a mate he thought was best for me. I clenched my fists as I stared at the house that I could see clearly now in the distance.
"I don't think I have to tell you that you are an idiot for coming here." I heard from behind me.
"Elijah" I said but didn't turn around to meet him.
"What are you doing here Amara?" He asked. "Do you not know the risks?"
"I do. I am just passing through Elijah."
"Passing through a rival territory without permission from the Alpha is asking for a death sentence. You know this." Elijah said.
"I Know, you only drilled it into my head every time I ever thought about crossing the river." I rolled my eyes.
"Then you know, that as the Beta of this pack, I have no choice but to report this to your father, If you refuse to come with me to ask his permission before going any further."
"And you know that I will be killed where I stand the second I step foot into that house. If my father doesn't, Colt will." I said and turned to look at Elijah.
"Colt was exiled."
"For?" I asked.
"His involvement with Hunters." Elijah replied. "And, Alexander was not pleased that he and Jamie continuously crossed into Kieran's territory. Jamie would still be here if Colt hadn't tried to hurt you."
"So what do we do?" I asked. "I do not want to see that man."
Elijah sighed.
"As the only member of this pack that actually cared for you, I beg you to ask his permission. If you don't, you will be seeing him either way and you face certain death."
"Cared for me?" I scoffed. "You were part of my fathers plan to keep me imprisoned here."
"I had no choice Amara. I can't deny my Alpha. Please. I can reason with him and the worse he says is no and you find a different way to get where you are going."
"No, the worst thing he does is slit my throat." I mumbled.
"Who was it, who always saved you from his wrath when you'd sneak out?" Elijah asked.
"Connor." I said and smiled.
"After Connor." Elijah said and narrowed his eyes.
"You. But this is different Elijah! I am not a child, I am a member of a rival pack, and I'm willing to bet he is still bitter that I chose Kieran over him."
"I reasoned with him then, I will reason with him now but there will be no reasoning with him if you refuse to see him and you know that I can not, not tell him about this. Don't make me sign your death sentence Amara."
I sighed heavily. "Fine. I will see him. I'm wasting my time but I will see him."
Elijah put his hand on my upper arm.
"Shall we go then?"
I looked at his hand and then at him and glared. He took his hand off my arm.
"Right, I suppose since you are actually going willingly this time, there's no need for that."
"Nope." I muttered and stormed ahead of him to the house.