Chapter 46: Unsettled
Roman
All night I’ve been holding on to Samara tighter and tighter, mentally and physically. With all the planning I did to make sure that I didn’t kill Sawyer right away, that we were ready to kill him when the time came, that we didn’t give ourselves away, I didn’t take into account how overwhelming it would be for Samara to return to her family’s pack. EVERYTHING she sees is sending her back to that day when she was nine years old, helpless and alone, hearing and seeing her loved ones die around
her
I’ve watched the memories flash in her mind, felt the pain, the sorrow, the loss all over again. So, when we get to our room that night, I’m not surprised that it all comes pouring out of her
1 scoop her into my arms, locking the door to our room before carrying her to the bed. I’ve watched Sawyer watching her all night long. His first question to her about how she got out let me know that he was nervous about what she might have seen. before she left. Since her being overwhelmed by her emotions wasn’t faked, it was easy to believe and gave me the opportunity to step in and answer some questions for her.
Then, Id watched the pack with her. It surprised me. I’ve seen it in Alpha William’s pack. I’ve seen it in my pack. But I wasn’t expecting it here, not when this pack’s Luna is a white wolf. Because I’m watching them, I’d seen Althea look at Sawyer, surprised at how the pack embraced Samara so completely. It makes me wonder if they’re giving Samara the same level of love and adoration as they’re giving Althea. I can see her being jealous of her sister if they are. Althea was always a bit selfish
I had also been surprised by the pack’s happiness and appreciation that was directed toward me. I know I’ve brought the long- lost daughter of their beloved Alpha and Luna home, but I hadn’t expected the outpouring of love from this pack to me specifically. Throughout the night, when I wasn’t focused on my mate or Sawyer, I’ve tried to remember if the pack adored Samara when she was younger. I think, because she was so much younger than Althea and Theo, that she was probably pampered by the pack, the pack’s darling, if you will. That, I think, more than anything, explains their happiness. Well, that and unlike Althea, Samara apparently looks exactly like Jessica..
I’d recognized the resemblance once I knew who she was. But when my mother had called Samara Jessica when she first saw her, I’d asked her to show me the image of Luna Jessica when she was Samara’s age. The similarities are striking. Althea looks more like their father than their mother and since Jessica was the white wolf, it makes sense that the pack is more drawn to Samara. I’m hoping that Althea’s jealousy won’t put a wedge between her and Samara. They have a lot to work through, not the least of which is Sawyer’s betrayal
I kick off my shoes as I walk to the bed, pulling out pillows and putting them against the headboard as I hold Samara with one arm. Then I sit on the bed and cuddle her against me, rocking her gently while she cries.
Since I’ve been so forward in her mind all day, I know how many memories have flashed through her mind. I’ve seen memory after memory, some happy, some sad, enter her mind, then get pushed out by the next one that comes nearly on top of the one before it. I felt overwhelmed with the memories and emotions inside of Samara. I can’t imagine what it must be like for
her.
raw as it must feel.
“Goddess, I thought this was done when you and I shared our grief,” she says, her throat sounding as raw
“Grief isn’t a one–and–done, my love. It can hit you hard, and sometimes it sneaks up on you. Then, like today, it just comes at you over and over again,” I say, rubbing her head and back, while kissing the side of her head
“I’m so glad you are here,” she chokes out. I thought I could do this on my own, but I couldn’t have. I never could have done
this alone.”
“You don’t have to. I’m here for you, today, tomorrow, and forever,” I say as she’snuggles into me.
Treach down, pulling off her shoes, feeling the exhaustion settling into her.
“I love you, Roman,” she says, tucking her face against my throat.
1/2
“I love you more than anything, Samara,” I tell her.
+25 BONUS
After she falls asleep, I sit there, holding her. I already know I won’t get any sleep tonight, not in this house with the man who killed my best friend. So instead, I get comfortable, getting Samara comfortable on my lap and I sit, listening to the sounds in
the packhouse.
It’s late at night when I hear the footfalls in the hallway. They are heavy, an adult’s
I listen, watching the doorknob that I thankfully los slowly turn until it is stopped by the lock
locked earlier. I hear someone stop outside our door, then I watch the knob
I tense, ready to lift
lift Samara off n
my lap and d fight if th
if the person, most likely Sawyer, breaks the lock and comes in
inside the room
It takes a moment before the footsteps walk away, but I know that I won’t be getting any more sleep the entire time we’re
here. I will not let Sawyer or anyone hurt my mate
Sometime around three in the morning, I feel my warriors start to reconnect to the mind link. The pack is here, and so is my
father.
“Is everything alright?‘ he asks
“Yes. Sawyer is worried about what Samara knows, so I’m not willing to leave her unprotected”
*We’re here. Dylan is contained, the pack is secure,” he says.
‘Good. Today is the day. Once Samara talks to Althea, you’ll need to be ready. I’ll keep the pack link open to you, so hear what is said and when it happens.”
‘Get some rest, son. It’s going to be a long day,” he says.
you can
Sleep doesn’t come until I get Pierce’s forceful request. Then, when I finally doze off knowing that he is keeping watch over
us, I still can’t sleep very long.
Today is the day. Samara will talk to Althea and let her know what happened the night her parents and Theo were murdered.
I’ll make sure that I have a minimum of four warriors near them, one for each pup and one for Samara. If it comes to it, I’ll have a warrior protect Althea and I’ll protect Samara. But I’m guessing that Althea will have the baby, Aria, in her arms so the
warrior assigned to Aria will also protect Althea
As I feel my warriors wake, I start going through our battle plans with them. I feel them reaching out to our other pack warriors feeling the strength of our pack surrounding us.
By the time Samara wakes, I feel ready. Today is the day that I finally get my revenge, for Samara, for myself, and for Theo
When she wakes up, I take her to the shower and strip her down, using the water to buffer the sounds of our voices as we got through the plan once again. After breakfast, she’ll ask to speak to Althea alone. I’ll use that time to tell Sawyer that I want to talk to him. Fill let him know that from what I saw in Samara’s mind, it seemed like Theo thought a northern pack was part of the attack. That should distract him long enough that gives Althea and Samara time to talk
Once Althea knows the truth, with or without her agreement, Sawyer dies.
Cooper
It’s about to go down
