8. Ethan

- Notorious–AdelitasWay -

Griffin and I decide to follow behind Grace and Nicolai, giving them their space, but staying close enough to keep my wolf happy. Anxiously, I monitor the bond feeling for any negative shift of Grace’s emotions.

Ethan, you’re tense. Try to relax.Griffin’s voice breaks through my concentration.

I’ll be able to relax once she’s comfortable enough to claim him. Until then, I’m on edge. She’s carrying our pup in her womb and …I leave the sentence hanging, not entirely sure how I intended to finish it.

Out of the corner of my eye I catch movement in the center wooded divider. A full sized black truck is racing along the dirt access trail. Griff you seeing this?Look at the center divider.

Something doesn’t seem right. We need to keep an eye on it.Griffin’s tone matches my feelings about this. There’s definitely something about this is setting my nerves on edge.

From our right, a motorcycle blasts up the highway and cuts between Griffin and me, causing both of us to move into other lanes to avoid hitting it. Just as we move back into the lanes we were in, the black truck comes flying out of nowhere and hits the front of Nic’s mustang. I watch in horror as the car goes spinning off the road, then starts flipping end over end. My heart damn near stops in my chest as my greatest fear has come true. Grace is in danger, and I can’t protect her.

Griff go after Grace, the driver is mine.My wolf is gnashing its teeth, wanting to tear the driver apart.

On it …Griffin pulls off the road and blocks the road near what’s left of Nic’s car.

I pull my bike off the road and take off running after the truck that had just burst into flames. Without thinking, I rip the door open and throw the bloody driver to the ground. Listening to his groans almost pleases my wolf.

Our mate and pup are possibly injured, maybe dying because of this fool. If I’m going to die with Grace, this bastard will not be left alive to tell the tale. He reeks of rogue wolf, and just as I’m about to reach down to snap his neck, I note the blood blooming from his side. Lifting his shirt, I see the blade he apparently had hidden popped open and most it is in his ribcage. He’s dying already. I give the blade a kick for good measure, driving it further into his body.

Not giving the rogue a second thought, I run towards the car. The first tones of the police and first aid squad sirens reach us. Looking back briefly, I see them breaching the horizon. Knowing they’re close, I run faster to get to Grace. There’s nothing that could prepare me for the sight before me. Nic had apparently wrapped himself around Grace and threw the seat back into a full recline position. He’s sitting on the ground while Griffin looks Grace over. Other than one or two minor cuts, she’s barely harmed.

“Are you okay, Nic?” Crouching down, I get eye level with him and notice he’s a little pale.

“Just sore. As long as Grace is alright, it was worth it.” He coughs and spits up a little blood.

“You need to go to the hospital.” I wave the first of the paramedics over to him. “He needs to go first. He just coughed up blood.”

“No, take Grace…” He coughs again in front of the medic and they ignore his request.

“There’s a second transport here that will check her over and take her if need be. You saved my wife, thank you.” I can’t say our mate because the paramedic is human. The police on scene are not human and work for me since my change of jobs.

Turning on my heels, I get to the car and look at Grace laying down comfortably. “How are you feeling, darling?” My eyes trail from head to toe, and I barely see any damage.

“Other than being scared as we flew through the air.” The paramedic slips in. This one is a member of our pack, so I let her handle Grace. “Where’s Nic? Is he okay?” She looks around the paramedic at me, and her eyes flash golden, and I feel she’s having a hard time staying calm.

“Luna.” The paramedic whispers. “He has suffered some serious injuries from the accident. We are taking him to Crescent General Hospital about twenty minutes from your home.” The paramedic looks back at me and gets out of the way. “She’s cleared to go home, or where ever she wants to go.” She lowers her head to me and backs away.

Soon as I got the all clear, I reach in and scoop Grace out of the wreckage. “Let’s go check on Nic, shall we?”

Grace nods her head and looks around. “Griff…” she yells for Griffin and he comes running over to her.

“I’m here, baby girl. How are you feeling?” He leans in and kisses her temple only because the humans are around.

“Hungry and a little sore. I want to go see Nic. He saved me. I need to see that he’s alright for myself.” There’s a whine to her voice I know is all her wolf wanting to be near her injured mate.

“I have the take away boxes in my truck. Ethan and I will load his bike into the bed of the truck. We can ride together to the hospital while you eat. How’s that sound?” Griffin is trying hard to step up his mate game, and it shows. Grace smiles and leans towards Griffin and hugs him. Thankfully, I am as strong as I am to support and balance her.

“Let’s get you in the truck so Griff and I can get the bike loaded.” Grace leans back and wraps her arms around my neck. Griffin jogs ahead and opens the passenger side door so I can slide Grace in. I’ve barely have her buckled, and she’s already in the rib box eating.

Griffin hops into the driver’s seat and starts backing down the shoulder towards where I parked the bike. The police already have the body covered, and the truck covered, so they can continue their investigation. Griffin gets as close as he can before one of the officers stops him and finishes up the report with him. I grab the handlebars of my bike and kick the kickstand free, and head towards the back of the truck. Griffin already has the ramp down and the tire stands in place in the truck bed.

Together, my brother and I push the bike up the ramp and slide it into the tire stands, locking it safely in place. “Go sit with Grace. I need to strap the bike down.” Griffin looks at me, shocked, and doesn’t argue with me for once. Strapping the bike down isn’t a huge ordeal. It’s more that I want him to be more involved with Grace, so their bond strengthens.

Our mate needs us …My wolf interjects before falling silent again.

I know she needs us. We need her like we need air to breathe, but there are others in the bond that need her just as much.I say to my wolf as I finish tightening the last strap.

Putting my brothers, Barrett and now Nic, ahead of me is probably the least selfish thing I have done in a very long time. Slamming the tailgate shut, I finally walk to the passenger side door and climb in, putting Grace in the middle of the bench seat. Grace is sitting there with the rib box on her lap, munching away. “Happy Darlin?” Reaching back, I grab a bottle of water and twist the top off for her.

“Yes, and no.” She stops talking and goes back to eating.

Looking over the top of her head, I motion to Griffin to talk to her. He clears his throat, his nerves getting the better of him. “Yes, and no? Is there something I… I mean, we can do to make whatever it is better?” Griffin arches an eyebrow, looking at me for reassurance, and I smile briefly that he did the right thing.

“It’s kind of selfish. And probably wrong somehow.” Grace stops eating as Griffin starts the truck to head to the hospital.

“You don’t have a selfish bone in your body, Grace.” I reassure her.

“But I do. I’m glad I’m not hurt. I’m glad it wasn’t you or Griffin. But I’m also scared because Nic is hurt. He saved all of us. If I died, it would have resulted in four additional deaths out of nowhere, not just me.” Her bottom lip quivers as the first tears finally break free of her eyes and roll down her cheeks.

My brother does the first thing instinct told him to do. He took one hand off the wheel and pulls Grace against him so he could hold her. While Griffin holds Grace, I text the others, including Nic’s mother, about what happened. I give them the update and warn them that the rogues are still targeting Grace. My second set of texts go out to the rest of the police force, telling them I wanted the contents of Nic’s car brought to my house immediately.

My second in command on the police force reports there was a list in the rogues truck. The list had the names and picture of pack members that are close to Grace that can be used as leverage. This recent development validates my deepest fear. There are rogue sympathizers in our pack and they are willing to sell out their Luna knowing full well it would kill us.

I don’t bother sharing this information before we get everyone in one place. It makes no sense to stress everyone out more than they already are. Looking up from my phone, I see Grace has abandoned her ribs and is fully leaning into Griffin’s embrace. These little moments will help strengthen their bond and help the family as a whole.

Looking away from them, I take in our surroundings and notice we are not that far from the hospital and check the eta of our other bond mates. Barrett replies and says they are ten minutes from the hospital and are bringing Grace a change of clothes.

We get to the hospital and park in the emergency room lot. It takes Griffin and me to hold on to Grace to keep her from running across the lot. Her wolf is driving her to get to Nic and I’m glad that instinct is kicking in overriding her human fear. Our mate has come a long way in such a short time. She went from calling us monsters to being the Luna of the pack. I am thankful that her love of shifter romances allowed her to get over her fears when she started feeling the effects of the mate bond. Grace may not have understood the pull towards my brothers and me, but she knew she was safe. It’s the same pull she’s feeling towards Nic now that he may die from his injuries.

Stepping into the emergency room, all kinds of announcements are being made over head. Different codes being called and doctors being paged. Griffin kisses the crown of Grace’s head and leaves her with me to go to the reception desk to inquire about Nic.

“Ethan?” I hate hearing Grace’s voice so soft and helpless. The beast in her chest is battle born and is close to a real life berserker as we are going to get.

“Yes Darlin?” I pull her towards a chair and sit her on my lap and wrap my arms around her.

Sighing softly, she rests her head on my shoulder with her forehead against my neck. “I was so scared. Nic reacted so quickly, he flung himself over me and laid the seat back, hugging me in place.” Her body trembles against me as she relives the moment. I look towards the door and the others have arrived. They stop approaching when they hear Grace talking. “He grunted as he held onto me. He was squeezing me so tight to the chair I couldn’t move. I know he was keeping me safe. All I kept thinking is he knows this accident is bad and we may die.” She hiccups and I know she’s silently crying.

Barrett approaches first and rests a hand on Grace’s arm and gets her to pick her head up. Soon as she sees’s who it is, she dives into his arms, hugging him like a teddy bear. The desk attendant moves our family to a private room to sit in. She informs us that Nic was rushed into surgery, and that his injuries were extensive.

Grace looks like she’s going to pass out. Nic’s mother and father are right there with her. Barrett looks like Grace is squeezing the life out of him. Griffin, Conrad and I look at each other, not sure what to do. We have to be strong for our mate. No matter what the next twenty-four hours bring, she’s going to need us at our best.