For Their Happiness (12 page)

‘Please let them help you first.’ 
I pleaded. 
‘You know that Alpha Jackson will not be alone.’

‘You’re right.  Okay, let’s go in calm and try to get Jazzy back before we attack.  They don’t know that we know yet, so we can use that to our advantage.  Then three of you come with me when the fighting starts.’

So we had it all planned out the best we could for the moment, but it turned out to be unnecessary.  When we got to the pack house, all was quiet, so we all shifted and headed inside
.  Nobody was around.  We searched the downstairs and then went room by room, looking for Jazzy after getting our pack mates from their place in Billy’s room.  Becca was frantic when she saw that everyone from t
he Diamondback Pack was gone, along with Jazzy. Or
so it seemed until we heard a cry coming from the basement.

Becca and I were pushed behind six big protective males as we rapidly descended the stairs to the basement.  I could smell the blood before we got there, and so did Becca.  She was so panicked; she didn’t stop to identify the type of blood it was before we, as I was holding her hand, busted through the big brawny men to get to o
ur baby.  Yes I still say she’
s mine too. 

Becca screamed and
rushed to Jazzy as she did
, Billy right beside her, and checked her for injuries as she was naked and covered from head to toe in blood.  I wasn’t as panicked though, because the only blood scent down
t
here was deer blood.  I heard Trent growl behind me and when I looked to see what he was growling at; I saw the Omega symbol drawn in the blood drenching Jazzy.

I knew this meant that they would come after us.  And they would not spare whoever they got their hands on next time.  I was just so relieved that Bethany wasn’t so crazy as to
hurt an innocent baby.

Nobody judged Becca, but she was blaming herself for trusting Bethany with Jazzy in the first place.  She was telling Billy that Jazzy wouldn’t calm down because everyone was so tense about what was happening with me, so when Bethany came in and asked to hold her, and Jazzy calmed down in her arms, she let Bethany take her to put her down for a nap.

“She was the only one here who seemed normal; who didn’t make me nervous.  I should have known.  I should have never given her up to someone else; I was just so flustered and frustrated.  I’m so sorry.”  She sobbed into Billy’s chest; Jazzy still held tight in her arms.  I knew she wouldn’t be putting her angel down anytime soon.

“Why don’t we go wash her up?”  I asked Becca calmly.  She needed to calm herself before she got sick.  He face was blood red and her breathing erratic and I was really starting to worry about her.  I could tell just from looking at Billy that he felt the same.  He was at a loss for how to calm her down when he was
so
close to a rage at the moment
himself
.  It was taking all of his control not to run out of the house and chase the Diamondbacks down.  “Come on, Becca.  The men can come up with a plan for the next step.” 

I turned to where Trent standing at my back and kissed him lightly on the lips.  Looking in his eyes, I could tell he was fighting his own battle to be able to allow me to leave his sight, but he knew I was right.  Becca needed this and he needed to call his father, let him know what happened and strategize the pack’s next move.  I knew Daddy would help him stay calm and clear headed while I was out of sight.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and led her upstairs and then to the second floor to the suite of rooms I had been using; Ryan and Bolton in front of us, and Zeke, Jerry, and my mother following in our wake
.

We picked up Jazzy’s clothes, diaper bag, and I grabbed some clothes for Becca, on the way.  Just we women entered the bathroom, after the guys checking every nook and cranny of the small room, and we got the bath started for Jazzy.  I left Mom to finish getting that ready and I went, gently grabbing Jazzy from Becca’s arms.  She started to panic, but I just projected a calm, almost relaxing, lethargic feeling
that I knew she needed right at that moment
, and she let me take Jazzy and give her to Mom for her bath.  I help
ed Becca with her clothes and le
d her to the shower to wash the blood off of herself that had transferred
from holding her precious daughter.

She was in shock, and I was at a loss at how to make it better.  She had her baby back, and as soon as they were clean I was going to get Billy.  I thought that maybe they needed that time just to reaffirm that everyone was alright, and I knew Trent would understand.

I helped Becca from the shower as Mom dried and dressed Jazzy.  None of us spoke.  We all had to deal with everything that had happened in our own ways.  For me, I knew if I were to think on what had happened to me, and then top it off with what that woman did to my angel, I would break down.  I couldn’t afford for that to happen while our pack was in foreign territory and needed their wits about them.  If I broke down, I wasn’t sure Dad could cover the fall-out it would create.  That’s why concentrating on someone else was just what I needed.
  I just continued to ignore the aches and pains of my still healing wounds,

I left Mom with Becca and Jazzy and went in search of the men.  I asked Jerry and Zeke to stay with them just in case something came popping out of the woodwork so to speak.  I knew they were
still
after me, and maybe Daddy, but I didn’t want another incident like what happened to Jazzy.  I knew without a doubt that they would not hold back anymore.

“Bolton, I need you to go switch places with Zeke, please.”  I asked him as we got to the bottom of the stairs.  “I wasn’t thinking.  If anyone knows what their plans may be, it would be him.”

Bolton looked disappointed to have to leave, but he nodded and did it anyway.  I didn’t blame him for anything that happened and needed to tell him that as soon as I had a moment.  I knew he had no choice.

When Ryan and I walked past the dining area, we could hear the others in the back yard, so we followed the voices.  As soon as I stepped outside, Trent broke away from the planning and came to pull me in his arms.  He bent head to the crook of my neck just to take in my scent before he backed away so that he could bring his lips to mine.

It wasn’t a heated kiss or one of passion as we had shared earlier, it was a sweet, light, feathering kiss that I could feel down to my soul.  I didn’
t know how I had l
ived as long as I had without him
with me.  I did know I never wanted to be apart again.  He ran his fingers down my cheek so lightly I could barely feel it, but it sent shivers all the way down to my toes anyway.

We just looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, no words necessary to know what the other was feeling.  I could sense the bond growing the more I was in close proximity with him, and touch made it that much stronger.

“Dad wants us to come home.”  He said softly.

I nodded. 
“I’m ready to go home.”  I told him softly, still not able to look away.

It
seemed he was
of
the same
mind
as he issued the order for everyone to pack up.  At that point I saw Zeke come out the back door out of the corner of my eye, and I remembered what I had been going to talk to Trent about.  I snapped out of the
daze I had been in, and when I
did, Trent visibly tensed.

“Nothing is wrong at the moment, but I was going to talk to you.”  I reassured him, then turned to Billy that was on his way into the house.  “Billy, I don’t think you need to leave their side at all for a while.  Becca in a state of shock and I think it will take all of you together to help heal.”

He nodded his understanding before rushing to get to his mate.

I turned back to Trent.  “I thought it would be a good idea to find out everything Zeke
knows about what the rogues have
been up to and what they were planning.  I know some, what little Hughes told me, but it’s not much.”

“I had thought almost the same, except I was going to talk to Bolton.”  His voice hardened when he spoke Bolton’s name.  “I want to know everything he told Hughes when they met up.”

“Please don’t hold this against him.  He’s a good man, and I think he’ll be good for the pack.”  I tried to reason with Trent, but I knew that he would always hold a grudge to some extent simply because I was his mate and the one that was betrayed.  “Hughes said that a made were had to follow the orders of their maker, and he said it was a coincidence when he ran into Bolton.  It was the same with Zeke.  They had to follow his orders.”

“I can still be angry that Zeke attacked you and Bolton betrayed you.  Don’t ask me to be reasonable, you’re my mate.”  He said petulantly.  I just let it go, knowing I would never win that argument.  “Besides, Bolton could have come to you and told you what happened; if not you, then someone else, but he chose to keep it to himself.
”

“I did, and I am so sorry.”  Bolton said as he came outside where Trent, Zeke, and I stood.  “Please forgive me.”

“I do.”  I told him sincerely.

“You’ll have to work to earn my trust.”  Trent said, but not as angrily as he had been speaking.  “Both of you will.  We will talk in detail on the plane, but right now we need to get ready to leave this place.”  He added, including Zeke in what he said.

Zeke actually looked relieved, and when we turned to head inside to pack up, I saw Nikki standing there, watching Zeke.  When she noticed me looking, she gave me a small shy smile and turned to head back inside.  I started thinking that maybe Trent and I wouldn’t be the only ones to have a happy ever after when this was over.

“I had to tell him everything I knew of her and
of
your pack, which luckily wasn’t much at the time.” 

Trent was questioning Bolton and Zeke in the little
meeting
room on the plane
.  We had packed everything and left in good time.  The trackers had unfortunately no
t been able to pick up the scent of the Diamond
back
s
who loaded into vehicles that had been parked at the road on the other side of the woods behind
their
pack house. 

I had been able to calm Trent by just being with him and not leaving his side.  He had not stopped touching me since we got back to the pack house and I had helped Becca and Jazzy.  He had held my hand, or had his arm around me in some way the whole ti
me, and had kissed me often.  My
need for him was growing, but I knew we needed to find out as much as possible about what the rogues were up to.

Ryan and Jerry were standing on either side of the door, acting as the body guards they were, though I didn’t feel any menace from Zeke, and Bolton was still so depressed and upset about what he’d done; I didn’t see either of them trying to hurt me or take me, but I understood that it was their job to make sure.  Ryan had already confessed his disappointment in himself for not being at the hospital when I needed him.  I tried to talk sense into him, but he wouldn’t listen.  None of them would, and the stupid males all blamed themselves in one way or the other.  I felt like the only blame to be placed was with the rogues
, which now encompassed the Diamondbacks
.  Zeke no longer included of course.

I was on
the left side
of Trent, who was at the head of the small meeting table
, and Nikki was on his right.  She sat in the Beta’s seat and me in the Alpha female’s seat.  Bolton sat at the other end of the table, three chairs d
own from me, and Zeke sat across from
him on Nikki’s side of the table, two chairs down from her.

“I told him about Crystie being a born Omega; though at the time I didn’t really understand what significance that held.  I told him the little I knew of your pack, which again, at that time wasn’t much; just where y
ou were from and that you were pretty large and
powerful, and
a very well
respected pack.”  He took a breath before letting it out and turned back to speak more directly to me.  “I told him of why you were travelling and that you hadn’t found a mate yet.  Finally he asked where all we were going, so I told him that.  I didn’t know then what I know now.  Most of the information I gave him wasn’t accurate, it was just the façade I knew of.  I really wanted to tell you what happened, b
ut I didn’t want you to hate me, and he ordered me not to let on that anything was wrong.
”

I felt so bad for him.  “You had no choice but to answer.  I don’t blame or hate you.”  I told him; trying to let him hear and feel the sincerity in that statement.
  I could tell it helped a little when he relaxed a little, but I would have to make sure he understood.  He was beating himself up for something he had no control over.

Trent turned to Zeke
.  He still didn’t like the man simply because he had attacked and injured me and had a hard time talking to him.  I
squeezed
the hand I was holding under the table and he visibly relaxed with the extra pressure, I guess his wolf relaxing by remembering I was with him now.  He squeezed back before finally speaking.