Chapter 30

30

Kane

T ami’s been sleeping for hours, and I’m starting to worry. Our baby’s heartbeat is strong and well protected in her womb. Finally, she starts to stir when I gently caress her cheek.

I’ve been trying to coax her awake for hours. I need to make sure she eats and gets plenty of water in her system, not only for the baby but for herself. Pregnancy is tough on the body, and she’ll experience many changes while our baby grows inside her.

I brought her back to my home village instead of the cabin where our love first blossomed.

Kade is right; that is no place for a mate. Gabriel stands against the wall, keeping watch over her. Funny, he doesn’t have this overprotective stance for Micah and Levi’s mates, just mine. Some strange wolf claim he’s taken on her.

“I can take care of my mate, Gabriel. I don’t need you hovering over her,” I snap, but he stands there, arms firmly folded over his chest. He’s the last of our pack left, waiting for a mate.

“You left your pregnant mate to be captured by human radicals. You can’t convince me you know how to properly care for her. She needs a protector, and she’ll have one until the child is born.” I growl and stand from the bed, getting right in my brother’s face. He maintains his posture, unbothered by my intimidating stance. He smiles.

“Shall we take this outside, brother?” Gabriel offers, flashing his canines in a smug grin.

A black cloud of mystical smoke appears in the room, making us pause, and Kade and Leah appear before us, Leah holding several bags of clothes and food. I don’t need their help with my mate. I’ve got it.

I growl in irritation, stepping back from my brother and returning to Tami, who’s still sleeping soundly. She moans from the noise, turning to her side.

“Stop blaming Kane for this, Gabriel,” Kade says, walking over to the rocking chair I carved and relaxing in it. She smiles, making herself comfortable. “This one is far nicer than the one I took a couple of months ago.”

“Why are you here?” I growl, returning to my mate. I sit at the edge of the bed, gently stroking her back.

“That’s no way to greet us, Kane. We’re only here to check on the both of you. This was traumatic for all of us. Never did we think the radicals would get this far in infiltrating our land.” Leah chides me, setting the bags down on the dresser.

“I think Levi is right. We should alert King Amir about this. We are being infiltrated. They’ve increased their technologies and are injecting dead shifter blood to muffle out the scent. We can’t hide this from him.

How many supernaturals are victims of this genocide?” Gabriel interrupts, stepping forward. He walks to the edge of the bed, folding his arms over his chest, guarding Tami like a watchdog. I growl at him. Will he get out of my room and let me care for my woman?

Gabriel has always been like this, the certified watchdog of our village. I want him gone and far away from me and my mate, but that’s not going to happen unless Gabriel finds a greater cause to serve. Right now, that cause is Tami, my woman. Uggh! I’ve never been more irritated.

“We have it handled, Gabriel. And we’re taking a little trip into Detroit’s underground to find out how deep this rabbit hole goes. We can’t save every supernatural. They have to come here willingly, but we can stop the trafficking. With your help, of course.” Kade says, and Gabriel looks at her, his blue eyes pondering. I can tell he’s up for the challenge.

“I need to stay here until the baby is born. This is a child of the House of Zorah. We’ve waited centuries for a family unit. It’s here now, and I won’t let anyone take it from us.” Gabriel declines, but I can see it in his eyes. He wants to take the offer, and I want him to take it. This is one of the many reasons why I never wanted to bring my mate here. I can see it now, Gabriel always hovering, and I won’t get a moment alone with my woman.

Tami moans again and turns her back on the bed, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She immediately takes her hand to her forehead, wincing. Kade starts to pull her sleeve to bite into her wrist, but I stop her.

“I do not want vampire blood in my mate while she’s pregnant. Her wounds will heal quickly now that she's fully mated with me.” I state, halting her. Kade groans and relaxes in her chair. Leah sits on the bed and gently strokes Tami’s cheek .

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” she teases, flashing her fangs.

Tami looks at her and winces, then slowly starts to sit up. I immediately come to her side, helping her prop some pillows against the headboard so she can relax. We keep quiet, letting the memories of what happened last night come back to her.

She gasps, and panic finally sets in as she looks around nervously, her eyes meeting mine.

“Kane!” she yelps, then throws her arms around me. I embrace her, holding her tight until she pulls away, gently cupping my face, tears welling in her eyes.

“I thought I was going to be lost to you forever.” She says, and I smile, letting her kiss me tenderly.

“I should never have left you. That won’t happen again, I assure you.” Tami presses her forehead against mine for a long moment, taking a deep breath. I can feel her relief.

“I should have told you what was in my phone before you crushed it. Julian sent me a text. He said he knew where I was and that he was going to find me.” She murmurs, but I shake my head.

“It doesn’t matter, Tami. None of it matters. I should never have left you alone. I’ll have to live with that regret forever.”

“What matters is that you’re alright, Tami.” Leah says, sitting on the bed. She reaches out and gently strokes Tami’s back as I hold her.

Tami crawls into my lap, straddling me. She clings to me, burying her face in my neck, nuzzling her nose against my claim mark. Now is not the time for my arousal, but it’s happening anyway.

“Kane!” Leah and Kade both shout as soon as they catch a whiff of my arousal. Gabriel remains against the wall, snickering .

“Baby, stop. Bad timing.” I say. She pulls back with a giggle when she feels my shaft pressing against her.

She looks around the room, taking in the surroundings. Leah stands from the bed and grabs a food tray, opening it and sliding it over to her with utensils.

Hunger hits Tami the moment she smells her meal. She climbs off me and pulls the tray into her lap. I want to pull her back, but I’m just happy she’s eating. Leah grabs the pitcher of ice water on the end table and pours Tami a glass, holding it out to her, but

Tami takes the pitcher instead, leaving Leah holding the glass. She downs the pitcher in a few gulps, clearly thirsty. When she’s finished, she belches, running her hand over her mouth.

“Sorry,” she mumbles, staring at the empty pitcher. Leah smiles and takes it from Tami, then hands her the glass.

“I’ll go get you a refill,” Leah says, leaving the room. Kade pulls the small tracking device from her pocket, pinching it between two fingers.

“Julian has been watching you for a long time. There’s no telling how much intel he’s sold. He knew about the spikes, and with the shifter blood injections, he crossed into Wintermoon undetected. We have a serious problem.” Kade murmurs, and Tami quickly looks up from her food.

“I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. I would never…”

“No one is blaming you, baby.” I interrupt, glaring at Kade. If she’s here to make my woman feel worse, I won't let it happen.

“Of course not,” Kade assures. “I’m not here to blame your mate, Kane. But we need to talk. Tami needs to stay on Wintermoon, no traveling, unless it’s to Mackinac Island. You killed Julian Brookstone, a human from an affluent family. They want vengeance for his death. While we’re dealing with that, I need to figure out how they built this chip and where it comes from.”

“They said they were going to sell my baby on the black market,” Tami announces. A low growl rumbles from my chest, echoed by Gabriel.

“No one is taking your baby, Tami. You are a princess of the House of Zorah.” Gabriel declares.

“And a daughter of Wintermoon,” Kade finishes, causing Gabriel to roll his eyes.

Leah returns with a new pitcher of water, setting it on the end table. She stands beside Kade.

“We’ll leave you two alone. Welcome to Wintermoon, Tami. I know you’ll love the village.” Leah says.

Kade stuffs the small device in her pocket. They teleport out of the room, leaving their signature cloud of black mystical smoke lingering in the air. I watch it slowly evaporate, then look at Gabriel, giving him a hard glare.

“A little privacy, Gabriel.” I growl. Heaving a sigh, he drops his hands to his sides and steps toward the bed.

“Do you remember me, little princess?” He asks Tami. She shrugs.

“Yes, a little. You made the truck flip. Thank you for saving me.” Gabriel smiles.

“You’re my sister now. I’m always going to protect you. And you’re carrying a child for the House of Zorah.” Gabriel looks at me with a hard glare, then back to Tami.

“Since your mate was careless and left you alone, it’s my duty to ensure you have proper protection during your pregnancy.”

“Um... Thanks, but Kane can…” I grab her hand, stopping her.

“There’s no use in declining. Gabriel’s decision is final. He’s decided to be your watchdog during your pregnancy.” Tami sighs, clearly overwhelmed.

“We are in the village, which is heavily protected. Get out of my room, Gabriel.” He snickers, his eyes lingering on my mate for a moment, then leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Tami pushes the food away and throws herself into my arms. I hold her tight.

“So, we’re in the village now?” She asks, and I nod.

“As soon as you’re well, I’ll introduce you to the sisters of House of Zorah. Skylar is Micah’s mate, and Nia is Levi’s mate. Nia is the Luna of our pack, but she doesn’t care much for the position.” I tell her. Tami sighs and presses her forehead against mine.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I should never have left you alone.” Tami shakes her head.

“No, you can’t blame yourself for this. I won’t let you. You came for me, and you saved me. I’m the happiest woman in the world right now.” My heart warms at her words. My hand moves from her waist, resting on her belly.

“I’m not leaving you or our baby alone again. I don’t care what the circumstances are.” Tami squeezes me tight and kisses my cheek.

“I love you, Kane.” She whispers in my ear. I pull her back and look into her eyes, smiling.

“I love you too, Tami.” She smiles sleepily, and I pick her up, gently placing her back on the bed and pulling the tray into her lap. She returns to eating, and I watch her, thinking of the wonderful life we will build together.

I’m thankful Fate didn’t take her from me. But something tells me Fate used Tami to alert Kade of what’s coming.

That’s how Fate works. She always places us in the right situations. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t leave the cabin by the border—because Fate wasn’t finished with me.

Now that I have Tami right where she belongs, I won’t let anyone take her from me. She’s mine forever, and I’ll kill anyone who tries.