Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

Runa

My night wasn’t anywhere near over after Rhea gave birth. I had to get her and her baby back to Blackridge and settled in their beds, make sure there were no complications with the births, and that the babies were settled and feeding like they were supposed to. I wouldn’t stray far after the difficulty Rhea had, but I was exhausted, and when Talia suggested I take a nap on the couch to recuperate, I didn’t fight her. Heath went home long enough to get a change of clothes for me and Nathan, so after changing, I settled with my mate on the couch to rest.

I didn’t want to admit what he was to me. I fought against it for far longer than most people would. I’d learned not to trust people after the life I’d led, and even a sweet broken tiger had trouble getting past those walls. But when he stepped into that water to support me, I felt it. He cleared his mind and focused on giving me his strength so I could continue. He supported me when no one else had. And he called in reinforcements when he realized it wasn’t enough. That meant more to me than any insistence of a mating bond ever would. He supported me above all else. I couldn’t ask for more than that.

I awoke several times in the night to check on the babies and mothers. Each time, Nathan woke up with me, fetching me towels or water when I asked for it. And then, when everything was as it should have been, he pulled me back into his arms and we fell asleep together.

A warm hand on my forehead startled me awake and my eyes flew open. I breathed out a sharp breath, glaring at Martha. She just gave me a flat look.

“I needed to check on you. You’re weaker than you should be.”

“You try assisting two births in one night,” I growled, forcing myself to sit up. Nate didn’t immediately sit up, but I knew he was awake. I felt him stiffen when I jumped earlier. He was too reactive not to notice.

“You could’ve called,” she pointed out dryly.

I chose not to reply to that. Not only because she more than likely wouldn’t have been able to get here in time, but also because I still didn’t own a phone. I wasn’t going to be calling anyone.

When I moved to stand, she put her hand up. “Laurie is checking on them. You’ve done enough.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off with a scowl.

“You’ve been alone too long. You’ve forgotten that healing is not a solo effort. Relying on others doesn’t make you weak. It makes you smart. You did the hard part. We are capable of making sure they’re comfortable and well.”

My jaw snapped shut and I sat back with a huff. She wasn’t wrong. I’d been healing alone for more than half my life. But before that, when my family was still alive, we usually went in pairs or groups. The only reason I had been alone the night they were killed was because I drew the short straw in doing the overnight checks like last night. I didn’t need help with that part.

She walked away once she was sure I wouldn’t sneak off, heading for the kitchen to work on breakfast. Nate drew me back down, nuzzling against my temple.

“On a scale of one to ten, how much do you want to punch her?” he muttered.

I snorted, flashing him a smirk. “Eight.”

His eyes danced and he chuckled lightly. I tipped my head, studying him. He looked lighter, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and the tension that usually sat heavily in his shoulders was gone. I frowned at him.

“What happened last night? You left for a little while.”

He pressed his lips together, shaking his head slowly. “It’s a long story.”

That garnered him a flat look and a poke to his side. His stoic expression broke and he chuckled again. “Now you know how I felt when you were keeping secrets from me.”

I sighed. “I wasn’t keeping secrets. I was trying to protect you. Besides, sharing visions is dangerous. It’s subject to change and I could very well be leading a person to trouble if I spelled it out for them.”

His smile softened. “I know. And I know why you didn’t tell me. I promise I’ll tell you everything that happened, but not right now. You need more rest and you won’t stay calm if I tell you.”

That didn’t make me feel any better, but he set to distract me by kissing me softly until I melted in his arms and settled again. Resting my head against his shoulder, I let my eyes drift closed. I trusted that Nathan wouldn’t keep things from me if it put either of us at risk. I could wait a little longer before demanding answers.

I couldn’t go back to sleep, there was too much activity around us to allow for that, but I rested for a little while before sitting at the table with Nathan for breakfast. Martha seemed happy to let me do as I wished since I was being careful and taking rest when I needed to.

We were halfway through our meal when Liv prowled out of our room. She made a beeline for me, eyes narrowed and intense. It put Nathan’s back up, but I knew Liv well enough by now. She was naturally intense. She had a strained relationship with her cat after years of shoving it down and sometimes the animal showed up in her movements.

“I need a shift. Am I allowed to go for a shift?”

I narrowed my eyes on her. I honestly didn’t expect her to wait long. She complained a lot about being unable to shift while pregnant. She missed it. And there was no harm in her shifting as long as she was healing well. It would actually only help her. “What is your pain level?” I pointed at her before she could answer. “No lying. I’ll keep you here for a week if you aren’t honest with me.”

She scowled, but begrudgingly answered, “Like a five. Nothing I can’t handle. But my skin itches and my cat wants out. It doesn’t even need to be that long.”

Her eyes darted to where her mate stood in the bedroom doorway, their daughter asleep in his arms. Most shifter mothers wouldn’t stray from their babies for long anyway. Liv was no different.

“Five is an acceptable number. Check with Martha first and if you feel any increased pain, you need to shift back immediately and tell us. Understand?”

Liv’s eyes lit up and the fierceness in her expression disappeared. She threw her fist into the air in triumph. “Yes!” Then she surprised me by stepping up to me and tugging me into a tight hug. I was so stunned, I didn’t manage to hug her back before she darted outside, only backtracking when her mate reminded her to check with Martha first.

Nathan huffed out a laugh next to me. “If I thought you wouldn’t hurt me, I’d take a picture of the look on your face,” he commented offhandedly.

I shot him an incredulous look. “They don’t like me. I’m allowed to be surprised.”

“Who doesn’t like you?” Jackson asked as he stepped inside. As alpha, it was in his nature to check on injured members of his crew. He’d shown up once in the middle of the night for an update and it didn’t surprise me that he was here so early this morning.

“She thinks the crews don’t like her,” Nathan answered before taking a large mouthful of oatmeal. I shot him a dirty look but he just shrugged, like he didn't care that he put me in an awkward position bringing that up to Jackson.

Jackson’s brow furrowed so deep, it looked like it might give him a headache. “What made you think that?”

I rolled my eyes, getting up to put my bowl in the sink. “Your crew looks at me with fear and distrust. You don’t need to lie and pretend otherwise.”

He crossed his arms, eyes narrowed on me. “You’ve been a mystery since the day you showed up. If you want people to trust you, you need to give them the chance to get to know you. As for the fear, I don’t think anyone is afraid of you. For you, yes. We all saw what happened to you when you healed Andrew. But I think most are treating you with a healthy dose of caution, like they do with Aiden, but not fear.”

I didn’t believe him for even a second. “If that was true, then why has everyone avoided me since that day? What else am I supposed to think?”

He pursed his lips, his expression patient with just a hint of exasperation. “Wasn’t it you who demanded that everyone leave you alone? Even before the attack, we couldn’t get near your home without risking our lives. You were hurt saving Andrew. No one wanted to push you while you were still recovering.”

For the second time that morning, I was interrupted before I could argue. Jackson stopped me as I opened my mouth.

“I don’t know everyone’s opinions, but I know my crew. No one saw you as someone to be feared. If we did, we wouldn’t have called you to help. We would’ve called the doctor. He was on call. Both Liv and Rhea preferred you to him.”

Shock rocked me and Nathan was up in an instant, moving to stand behind me and give me his support. “You… You never called the doctor?”

Jackson shook his head. “No. They wanted someone they trusted here with them. We all did.”

It was hard to wrap my head around it, and Jackson left me alone to think after he checked on Rhea. I was so overwhelmed that Nathan asked Laurie and Martha for permission to take me for a walk and led me out of the trailer park until we were surrounded by nature.

“I thought…”

He nodded. “I know you did. And I don’t blame you. Your instincts said to stay away to make things easier on them. But I don’t think they were ever afraid of you. I overheard a few conversations since we got here. They miss you. They’re afraid of what could’ve happened to you. And they keep trying to figure out how to get through to you that they want you around. You’re not all alone out here.”

It sank in slowly, and Nathan didn’t rush me. He settled against a large tree and pulled me down with him, giving me the space to think things through while offering his unconditional support. Fate knew what it was doing tying me to this man. He was exactly what I needed.