Carter whispered in Dana's ear:
- May I know what you are doing to my mate ?
Danaan lunged at him, but Carter dodged him with a lithe bion, and with a swing of his free hand, knocked the other shapeshifter unconscious. Dana, He lifted her off the ground, her eyes wolfish, and clutched her throat, causing her to struggle and plead. It didn't change anything. Carter was berserk. He had first noticed the absence of his soul mate, but without worry since he knew that the party oppressed her a little, until he felt the anguish of the young woman through the link. Immediately, he began to track her. But when he smelled her blood in the air, he freaked out. It is for this reason that Dana would not survive. He squeezed and squeezed and squeezed again, savoring the pain he saw on the horrible woman's features. When the life had faded from Dana's gaze, he broke her neck, finding the sound of bones cracking quite satisfying. A horrible howl sounded behind him, which he more or less identified as coming from Danaan who must have woken up in the meantime. But Carter didn't care and rushed to his partner, naked and in tears. He needed to hold her close, to see for himself the damage, to feel that she was there, alive, and that their children, growing inside her, were fine. He was soothed by her scent of honeysuckle, honey, and moonbeam, which hit him with a wave of tsunami-powered relief as soon as she was against him. She curled up against him and ^, her head nestled against his neck, cried all the fear and anger she had just felt. Between two hiccups, she whispered in a hoarse voice of emotions:
- They - They wanted me... Me...
She couldn't finish her sentence, because her voice cracked before. He hugged her even tighter, whispering back in his most comforting voice:
- I know, my love . I know... Everything will be fine now, I promise you.
Suddenly remembering Danaan, He got up, covering her with his shirt and explaining to her:
- I'll be right back, okay?
Eyes blank in shock, arms wrapped around her stomach as if to protect the babies, she nodded absently. Carter had never seen Lexa, usually so strong and proud, so fragile and delicate, and it broke his heart at the same time as it filled him with rage. He walked towards Danaan, who was holding the body of his depraved mother in her arms while crying, and raised his hand to finish her off when a voice prevented him from doing so:
- Waits . It can still be useful.
Turning around, he found that Lexa had risen, clutching her shirt tails, and was looking at Danaan with rage burning in her eyes. He shrugged:
- as You wish, my heart.
Then he leaned over to Danaan, whose eyes had filled with relief:
- I'll take care of you later and believe me, you'll regret that I didn't kill you on the spot.
He knocked him out again, and, helping his companion with one hand, and with the other, carrying the young man on his shoulders, they returned to the lair, already dreading what was going to happen there.- Lexa, what just happened?
Ella, John and Lila had rushed towards the two young parents-to-be and their prisoner as soon as they appeared at the edge of the forest, leaving the rest of the pack, Jamie and Mason far behind.
- Why don't you give Lexa some air first? She really needs it. Then we'll tell you everything, I promise.
John nodded gravely and turned to face the pack, displaying his full Alpha dominance.
- Okay everyone, I'm sorry the party is over. go home .
Then turning to her daughter, her eyes softening:
- Go to the living room of the main chalet, I'll join you right away.
Two of the lieutenants came to take Danaan's lifeless body from Carter's shoulders, who briefly informed them of what had happened in the forest. Shaking her companion's hand in hers, still a little shocked, Lexa headed for her parents' residence, under the sharp supervision of her mother and her mother-in-law, two real mother hens. Without saying a word, she sat down on the sofa, Carter still beside her, and gratefully accepted the cup of hot chocolate handed to her, along with a blanket, while curling up against her soul. sister, soothing them both. She finished her hot chocolate under the insistent gaze of the two older women, feeling herself slowly regaining control of herself, but when it was time to put the cup decorated with cute little reindeer on the coffee table, she realized that her hands were shaking. so strong it was a miracle she could even hold her cup. Lexa felt Carter's eyes burning with anger on those same hands, and brought them to the young man's heart, who immediately wrapped his arms around her possessively. John finally made his return accompanied by Jamie, sat down next to his companion, and surrounding her in turn with his arms, thundered:
- Can I know what happened, for God's sake?! Lexandara, Carter, can you explain?
So Lexa said:
- I was taken by surprise by Danaan under the orders of his mother. I believe that Dana still hasn't digested the humiliation of a few years ago and wanted to make me pay for it. They... They wanted to go after me, then after the babies.
The alpha's eyes literally glowed as the scent of his fury slowly filled the room. For his part, even the calm Jamie lost his legendary cool:
- take it out on unborn babies and their mothers for a humiliation suffered years ago, you still have to enter completely struck!
The two men quickly rose in tone, and suddenly Ella cut them off in a voice that was both soft and sharp:
- And what happened to Dana?
For the first time since knowing his alpha female, Carter not only saw a connection with Lexa, but also, he was terrified of the small woman sitting across from him, who oozed aggression as she smirked. soft . He swallowed and replied:
- Dead. I killed her and left her in the forest.
Ella gave him a carnivorous smile, the same as her daughter before blowing in her soft and melodious voice:
- Perfect .
She snapped her fingers, revealing Icarus, the third lieutenant:
- Icarus, bring back the body of Dana, that it be buried without any distinction and that we never hear about it again.
He lowered his head, muttered "Yes, Alpha" and silently disappeared. For his part, Carter looked down at his companion and he felt his heart tighten at the sight of his soul mate, usually so strong, so fragile now. John must have noticed it too, since he said to him:
- Take her home, Carter, and take care of her.
Not expecting his rest, the young man got up quickly, Lexa in his arms. He opened the door with a kick and put the young woman on the chair.
- It's my fault, right?
It was just a whisper, and it broke his heart. So he did the only thing he could at the moment: He grabbed her chin, kissed her possessively, and growled:
- It's not your fault, okay?