Chapter 23: Chapter 23

DEC

Kya passed out. I know she’s exhausted. I shouldn’t have been so rough with her, but it was amazing. She is amazing.

I still can’t get over the way she used my strength to heal. She didn’t use much; she could have used much more and I would still be fine. I’ve never even heard of anything like that.

I’m in my home office going through my oldest books, but still can’t find anything about it. She’s a mystery.

Damon and his sister—Barbara…Bea…Bianca—Bianca were already gone when I got out of bed. I don’t know if they went to school or if they’re at the hospital with Finn.

“Hey, hon.”

I look up from the tome on my desk. “Hey beautiful. How are you feeling?”

Her cheeks turn red as she runs her hand through her hair. “Amazing.”

I smile at her innocence. “I meant how do you feel after all the healing you did?”

She looks down embarrassed. “Oh. I’m okay. You were a big help. I didn’t know you could share your energy.”

I knit my brows and shake my head. “That wasn’t me, love. That was all you. Next time, take enough energy from me so you don’t pass out.”

I stand up from my desk and take her hand. We head to the hospital to check on my guards.

Dr. Mason is checking in on them as we walk into the room. Finn and Ashley are both still out. “Baby. Can you heal them if I give you the strength?”

Her dad turns to her. “Yeah, Cricket, I was wondering what happened last night.”

She looks between us, then at Finn and Ashley. “I can try.”

Doc and I both nod. She steps to Finn’s side and places her hands to his abdomen. I hold on to her arms as I did last night. She closes her eyes and I feel my strength move from me, through Kya, and into Finn.

I whisper in her ear. “Keep going, baby. See if you can use just my energy. I can take it.”

She inhales and pulls more of my energy and pushes it into Finn. Finn wakes up, but Kya keeps pushing until he’s completely healed.

She opens her eyes and turns around to me. “I couldn’t do it. I still had to use some of mine, but most of it came from you. Are you tired or anything?”

I shake my head. “No, baby. I’m good. Let’s try to heal Ashley.” She nods and step to the side of Ashley’s bed.

Kya places a hand on Ashley’s head and the other over her heart. I hold Kya’s arms and feel the pull of energy. She’s taking much more from me now.

Slowly, I begin to feel my eyes drooping. I let go of Kya and the doctor catches me before I fall over.

I open my eyes to see Kya standing in front of me with a worried look on her face. “Dec? Honey, are you okay?” Her soft hand goes to my cheek.

I look around the room. Doc, Finn, and Ashley are all standing behind Kya with looks of concern. “What happened?”

She lets out a breath. “I think we reached your limit. I was able to use just your energy, but I couldn’t tell how much I was using. Ashley was in really bad shape. She’s fine now.” She looks over her shoulder, and Ashley smiles.

“Thank you, Alpha, Luna Kya, Dr. Mason. You all saved my life.”

I shake my head to clear it. Kya gives me a power bar. “Here, it helps to eat after you use too much power.”

I take the bar and eat it in three bites. “Kya, can you take energy from anyone else?”

She shakes her head. “I have no idea. Dad said he’s never seen anything like it. I could try, but only something small. I don’t want anyone else passing out.”

I nod and get to my feet. I’m already beginning to get my strength back. “Let’s go check in on Kevin.”

Ashley and Finn stay behind to get cleaned up, but Doc and Mrs. Mason join us in Kevin’s room. Kevin is healing, but he still has a good four days to go before he could be completely back to normal.

Mrs. Mason holds Kya’s arms as I had. Kya places her hands on Kevin’s abdomen and closes her eyes. Nothing happens. She lets go and opens her eyes. “I need you, Dec. I can’t feel mom’s energy.”

I nod to Mrs. Mason. She steps out of the way. “Do you need me touching you to do it?” I ask.

She turns to Kevin, placing her hands on his gut again and closing her eyes without me touching her. The white light spreads around her hand and into Kevin.

She lets the energy fade, and she opens her eyes. She looks up to me with her eyes shining brightly. I’m so proud of her. She is a wonder.

I have an idea. “Let’s see if you can do it if I’m not here.” She nods, and I walk all the way out of the building. “~Okay, baby. Give it a try.~” I wait for a few minutes.

“~I can’t do it. I think you need to be nearby, but I have no clue how close,~” I hear her say through our link.

I run my fingers through my hair. “~All right, baby. I'm coming back inside. Let me know when I'm close enough.~” I walk back into the hospital. I turn down the corridor. When I reach Kevin’s room, I open the door.

"~I feel you,~” she mind-links me. I step back out of the door, leaving it open so I can see her. She’s still healing Kevin. I step further back, and the area around her hands continues to shine with light.

I step to the side so I can no longer see her. “~I can't feel your energy now~,” Kya says.

I step back around the corner. Her light returns. “~Okay, baby, I’m getting tired~.” Her light fades away, and she opens her eyes.

Kevin looks around confused. “Alpha? What’s going on?”

I grip his shoulder to comfort him. “Kya healed you. Are you good to go?”

He gingerly stretches his arms and legs. “Yeah, I’m good. Thank you, Luna.”

Kya nods with a smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Dr. Mason scratches his head. “This is incredible. I’m amazed that this is a possibility. I tried doing it last night with Chelsea’s assistance, but I wasn’t able to do anything. Cricket, you and Declan must have a powerful bond.”

I reach out and take her hand. Her eyes are bright and glowing. Her happiness and wonder fill me up. She gives me a sweet smile. “~The Moon Goddess blessed us,~” she mind-links me.

I nod. “~She truly did. She blessed me with you for my mate.~” Her cheeks go pink and she runs her hair over her ear. I chuckle. “Come on, baby. We have some training to do.”

My phone rings on the way to the training center. “Alpha Redd.”

Mark is on the other end of the line. “Things have gotten pretty dicey over here. Kendra and I decided to take you up on your offer. With your permission, we would like to officially join your pack.”

I look to Kya. I know she can hear the conversation.

“Permission granted. I'll perform the induction as soon as you and your family get settled.”

I hang up the call and Kya jumps into my arms. She kisses me deeply, then plasters my face with more kisses. “Declan Redd. I love you. I love you. I love you.”

I laugh then set her back down. “I love you too, baby.” I kiss her hand then pull her along to the training center.

KYA

Dec gets to work right away. He gives a speech about focus and working as a group. We’re in our wolves today. He splits us into teams to help us get a feel for working together.

Finn, Chaz, Ashley, and Freya are teamed up with me. I feel really out of place being teamed up with the guards. My dad often has to work with the guards, so the pairing makes sense. I kind of hang back and jump in when I can.

Damon and Bianca are both working with Alpha Troy and Bruno. Damon has definitely improved. I can see that he has become stronger as well. I hope all of his training works out for him and his pack.

Dec calls an end to training. I hit the shower, then sit with Bianca as Damon continues to work with Dec. Dec is teaching Damon how to train new pups that are starting out.

Finn is walking around watching the pups train. Every once in a while, he looks at his mate and smiles. “How are you and Finn getting on?” I ask.

Bianca’s eyes light up. “Things are great. I was so worried about him, I couldn’t focus on anything at school. Thank you so much for healing him.”

I smile. “It was no problem. It’s what I do. Are you planning on mating soon?”

She blushes as she bites her lip. “My parents gave the go-ahead, but we haven’t decided which pack we want to be in. I don’t want to leave my family. He doesn’t either, but he has an important role here.

“And then there’s the issue with Owen.” She rolls her eyes.

Yeah. The issue with Owen.

The three weeks left of school can’t go by fast enough. I dread having to see him every day. His crazy knows no bounds. I just have to suck it up and get through it. After graduation, I’ll be leaving for school.

I’ve almost forgotten that I got into Duke and plan to go to med school. Do I really need it at this point? If Dec is with me, I can heal anyone, unless it’s a big group. Even though he’s extremely strong, Dec has his limits too.

I do need to go. I’m suddenly filled with dread. I don’t want to be away from Dec, from my pack.

Dec jogs over to me. “What’s going on, beautiful?”

I shake my head. “It’s nothing big. I’m fine.”

He gives me a look that says ~yeah right~ as he crosses his arms over his chest. I exhale and tell him my worries. He nods in understanding.

“Baby, you gotta go. As much as it kills me to say it. This is what you’ve wanted your whole life. You won’t be so far away that we can’t visit each other. Weekends you can spend here if your workload allows. We’ll work it out.”

I know he’s right, but I’m still troubled. He pulls me to his chest and caresses my cheek. “I love you too much to take this away from you. We can do this.” He kisses me gently until I let my worries go.

Damon and Bianca head home after a long night of training. Dec and I spend dinner with the pups at the pack house. Natalie and I talk about my new ability while Dec wrestles with the little pups.

He has such a soft spot for pups. My heart warms knowing he’s going to be a great daddy when the time comes. The clock chimes 8:00 p.m. Virgil stops what he’s doing and takes charge ushering the little ones in their bedtime ritual.

Dec scratches his chin while vibes of curiosity hit me in waves. “I’ll be right back, baby.” He moseys toward his office, stopping to grab Alpha Troy’s attention. I assume it’s an alpha issue.

Dec has taken a while, and I have school in the morning. “~Dec, honey? I have school tomorrow. I need to get going.~” I hear the office door open up and Dec strolls toward me with a sweet smile, Alpha Troy right behind him.

“Kya. Welcome to the family. I’m happy the two of you were able to overcome his prior lascivious activities.” Dec nearly chokes at his father’s words.

I hold back a chuckle with difficulty. “Thank you, Alpha Troy. I’m honored to be a part of the Redd family.”

He gives me a humorless nod. “As you are my daughter-in-law and I am no longer the pack alpha, I suppose referring to me as Alpha is no longer a necessity. You may call me Troy.” Dec snorts trying to hold back a laugh.

I glare at Dec, trying to hold back my own laughter. I’ve always been aware of Alpha Troy's dry personality. Regardless, he’s always been attentive and kind.

“Thank you. Troy. I will try to remember.” He takes my hand and places a gentlemanly kiss on its back.

Dec takes my hand and pulls me to his chest. “Father, I'll be back soon. I need to take Kya home.”

As soon as we pull up to the house, Dec kisses me goodbye, but I don't let him stop. The center console is getting on my nerves, so I straddle Dec’s lap.

He holds my head as he continues to passionately kiss me. His other hand grips my ass cheek tightly as if he’s holding on for dear life. My hands dive under his shirt to play with his super sexy happy trail.

“Baby”—he says between kisses—“I gotta”—more kisses—“get back.” His mouth travels up my jaw, behind my ear, and down my neck.

“I know…ah… And I have school in the morning.” My breath is hot and heavy in his ear.

I nuzzle his neck, then sink my teeth into his mate mark. His husky growl fills the space of the truck cab. His bulge springs to life under me. “You little minx. I’ll rip your clothes off right now if you do that again.”

I know I’m playing with fire, but I just can’t help myself. I run my teeth along his mark, teasing him further. His hand darts down my shorts and into my panties that happen to be soaking wet. His hands are rough against my smooth flesh.

I bite down and unzip his jeans in one go. He never wears underwear, so his glorious member greets my expectant hands. He wastes no time ripping my shorts and panties to shreds just as he promised.

He lifts me up and enters me as he slams me back down. I cry out in pleasure. His arms wrap around my waist lifting me up and down as he plunges in and out of me. His mouth nibbles my shoulder, making me wilder with need.

He kisses my mark sending chills of pleasure straight to my dripping sex. “Dec, I’m close.”

His teeth graze my bite mark and I just know I’m going to explode the second he bites down. I get to his mark just in time to bite down at the same time he does, sending us both into complete and utter ecstasy.

As we catch our breaths, he rests his forehead to mine. I have a desire to clamp my muscles around him, but I hold back, not wanting to get him amped up again. Although I desperately want to.

I pull off of him and sit back on his lap with my head leaning against his chest. “Will you be back tonight?”

His fingers run through my hair. “No, baby. I’m going to be at the western border. I’ll leave you the truck, just in case you need it.” I nod with a sigh. With all of the rogue attacks, it makes sense that we would need to be there.

He zips up his pants and lets out a deep breath. Then, opening the door, he slides out still holding me to him. His arms wrap around my ass to keep me semi-covered as he hops up the stairs and inside our house.

He gives me one last heartfelt kiss, then leaves me standing alone in our room. I shower and turn in for the night, praying that the Moon Goddess and her starlight sisters keep him safe.

***

Dec is nowhere around when I wake up in the morning. “~Dec, honey? Are you all right?~” I send him a mind-link. I begin dressing and grabbing my books.

“~Baby, I'm sorry, I really want to take you to school, but I can't today. A pup is getting her wolf. I need to be there for her.~”

I totally get it. Alpha Troy was there when I got my wolf. It’s an unwritten rule that the alpha be there to build a stronger connection with the pack.

“~That's wonderful. Tell the pup congratulations for me. I love you. I'll see you when you get back from school.~” I grab the truck keys and head out the door.

“~I love you, baby. Stay safe. Damon and Virgil know to watch out for you.~”

I smile to myself and start the truck. The smell of our bout of sex last night stayed in the truck’s cab. I smile and squeeze my legs together, trying to stay in control of myself.

I roll the window down allowing fresh air to flow in, but it takes a long time to make any difference. The whole drive to school is spent lost in the memory of last night’s escapade, along with the others we’ve had.

I feel how the sense of contentment and desire is being shared by Dec. His voice enters my mind, however, there are no words, only a satisfied rumble. I’m entirely at ease knowing that we’re connected so completely.

Owen is standing alone waiting for me when I get to school. I roll my eyes and take the time to brush my hair and reapply some lip balm. I look in the back seat and find the hat that Dec stole from me.

With my black tank top and low-cut skinny jeans, it actually completes my look. I grab it and sit back up to throw it on, only to jump out of my skin when I see Owen lounging by my open window.

My hand goes to my chest as I catch my breath. “Fuck! Owen. You scared the shit out of me.”

He smirks as if he planned just that. “My bad, Kya. You look as beautiful as ever. I came to walk you to class.”

I put my hat on, then take it off to readjust the band. I put my hat back on and roll up the window. I slide out of the seat, lock up, and throw my backpack on. I pick up a quick pace to get into the school as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, Owen stays right next to me the whole time. I stop at the entrance and turn to face him. His obsession is discomforting, but he hasn’t hurt me. I take a deep breath.

“Owen. I’m Luna Redd now. Do you understand that? I’m not interested in you. I have a mate. I’m in love with him. You know, Alpha Redd?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. I still love you. I’ll forgive you for your infidelity when you come back to me. We’ll be together soon.” I’m exasperated at this point. I can’t believe this guy.

I’m seriously contemplating smacking him in the back of the head, but I stop myself when I smell Damon and Bianca nearing me. I let out a deep breath, grateful for their arrival.

Damon’s reassuring hand lands on my shoulder. “Hey, Kya.”

I turn to him with a smile. “Hey.”

Bianca reaches out to give me a hug, which I am more than happy to reciprocate. “He’s absolutely insane,” I whisper in her ear.

“We got you,” she whispers in response.

I close my eyes and exhale before pulling away. Spencer walks up with Cameron and Melissa.

“Melissa. Welcome back. How are you?” I ask as I give her an embrace.

“I’m really good. Thanks, sweetie.” She reaches her hand out for Cameron, who looks at her with lovesick puppy dog eyes.

Bianca catches the same look I see. “Aw…you two are so cute. My Finn gives me that look once in a while. I can’t wait till we’re mated.”

Damon dramatically shivers. “Come on, B. I'm right here.” He shakes his head while the rest of us crack up. The bell rings and we make our way to our classes.

First and second hour are quick as normal. Damon walks with me to English. He stays outside talking to me even after Owen stands by awkwardly. I find a lone seat in the back so I don’t have him staring at me the entirety of class.

Virgil and the pups lead me to the cafeteria to sit with Damon and Bianca. All in all, it hasn’t been a bad day.

I open the door to the truck and the lingering smell of sex fills my nose. I giggle at the reminder of my sexy mate and hop up the truck.

My mood becomes increasingly better the closer I get to home. I crank my radio and sing along to Thomas Rhett’s “Unforgettable.”

I get to the third chorus when a large animal darts out in front of the truck. It is so fast that even my wolf eyes can’t distinguish what it is. I slam on the brakes and turn away, losing control of the truck in the process.