And Then There Were Four
Chapter 94

Heading downstairs, I made my way towards where the laughter and conversation was taking place in the living room. Kate and my mother sat with Hale and James on the sofa, looking over the many albums mother brought. "You didn't bring those with you..."

Her eyes looked up to mine, and as if nothing had happened at all, she smiled and nodded her head." of course I did, Ivy. I have been looking forward to the moment of sharing them with your mates forever." "Of course, you have been," I sighed heavily. "I'm glad that you're here, though."

Standing to her feet, she moved toward me with a smile and wrapped her arms around me. The feeling of my mother's hug was definitely what I needed. With everything going on, I had a hard time believing I could do it without her. "Everything is going to be okay, Ivy. I'm here now, and from what the guys were saying, you need help with the nursery."

Pulling back, I stared at my mother with a smile. "You have no idea. Nothing like learning last minute your babies are due to be here in a few weeks."

"Or sooner..." Kate added, causing my glance to land upon her as she made her way towards me and hugged me as well.

"I didn't even know you were coming," I laughed as I stood back, staring at them both. "Well, I figured that having us both would help to level the estrogen in this home a bit."

The guys chuckled at each other when I looked at them. They held albums in their hands and whispered while pointing out different photos.

"You know, that makes the two of you look so sweet and sentimental looking at those."

They both looked up at me with narrowed eyes as Hale lifted his middle finger. "This sh!ts to good to pass up. Wait till Talon sees it."

"Wait till I see what?" Talon said, walking up behind me, k!ssing me on the cheek. "Hey, sweetie. Are you feeling better?"

Were they really going to act like I didn't just slaughter three people?

"Uh-yeah. Where's Damian?" I asked, looking around as Talon moved to where James and Hale were sitting.

"He is in his office.... Oh damn, is that Ivy?" Talon exclaimed with laughter. "Look at the forehead!"

"Go f**k yourselves. I was adorable," I said, crossing my arms over my ch3st.

Kate and my mother began laughing at the comment as Damian's office door opened, and he moved to stand in its doorway. "Ivy, can we talk?"

There it was. Seriously, Damian. Always looking to conduct business. "Yeah, sure," I said as I glanced back at my mom. "I'll be right back."

As soon as I entered Damian's office, he pulled me in and pressed his lips to mine. "What the hell were you thinking today, Ivy?"

His actions took me aback, and standing with hesitation, I found myself speechless. "Uh,"

"Uh, what? You could have gotten yourself f*g killed. You're pregnant with the future of this pack, and what you did isn't okay."

"Look, don't preach to me, okay? I know what I did wasn't exactly thought through, but there is a lot more to all of this. To be honest, there is a lot we all need to discuss." Sighing, my shoulders sagged, not even knowing where to begin.

How was I supposed to explain to them everything that had been going on? I honestly didn't even know where to start, because it would leave so many questions unanswered.

"What are you talking about? What's going on?" he asked as he leaned against the wall staring at me.

Deciding against telling him about what Frigga said for now, I went with the information I overheard in the cabin. "Before I killed them, I heard bits and pieces of a conversation. One where the council and others are plotting to get rid of us. We're seen as a threat to a lot of people, and they want us gone."

"I kind of figured that when I went to clean up the place. It seems the council is working with some of our enemies."

"We have to be careful, Damian. If they think we are a threat, they will come here, and right now, no one can afford for war to happen," I replied, trying to make him see the point of the conversation.

"Well, that's kind of thrown out the window now. Look what happened at the cabin. They are going to want to know where the elder went. Guess what the last place that she was, was here. So what do you think is going to happen?"

I hadn't entirely thought about that when I had killed them, but thinking on it now, I finally understood what Talon had meant. "Sh!t."

"Oh, yes. s**t is definitely right. You want to be the Luna this pack needs, you need to think about what you do before you do it. I'm not sure if there is a way for me to talk us out of this one, Ivy. They will be out for blood."

It was clear my actions were not the best. However, I did exactly what Frigga told me I should be doing. I listened to my instincts. That woman had to die, and it led me to two others that needed to be put down as well. "We will deal with it when it comes to it. For now, we wait and see what happens." "That isn't how this works!" he snapped at me.

Staring at him, I felt my blood boiling. "It is how this is going to work, Damian. Trust me for once, and just leave it be. When they come looking, we will tell them she left here. We have proof from others that they saw her leaving our pack territory in her car." He was seething in anger, and honestly had every right to be, but what is done is done. There was no fixing it, and he shouldn't keep worrying. We would handle it when the time called for us to handle it.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. "Fine, but when the time comes, you are going to learn how to fix your own mistakes, Ivy. I may not always be around to do them for you."

Damian.

As soon as Ivy left my office, I felt the rage within me slowly slipping out. I was pissed, of course, because once again she had done something that had made my position as Alpha even harder.

I didn't understand why she couldn't control her urges and try to act somewhat normal. With our children on the way, and everything else on our plate, we didn't have time for more problems. "Everything okay?" Hale said as he entered my office with concern etched in his eyes.

"No, but then again, Ivy doesn't seem to think that anything is an issue anymore. She thinks that doing nothing is the best course of action."

Holding up a bottle of scotch, he shook it in front of me with a smile. "Drink?"

"Yes, make them large," I groaned as i flopped down into my chair. "How is all of this supposed to work if she is constantly taking things into her own hands, Hale? I always feel like I have to be the bad guy in the situation, and I hate it. This isn't what I signed up for." "No one is telling you to be the bad guy, Damian."

"Oh, no?" | scoffed as he handed me my glass. "Then why am I going to be the one who tells her no, and also has to deal with the cleanup of her killing spree?"

"She saw them as a threat, Damian. She did what any territorial wolf would do."

In a way, Hale was right, but it didn't make things any better. She had killed very important people, and that wasn't going to go over well with the people they were associated with. Instead, it was going to bring people to our doorstep looking for answers. "We need to prepare for the worst, Hale. Just in case they come for her." Hale froze in his spot before his eyes slowly slid to me, "No.You're not going to go to that length."

"We have already discussed this, Hale. If they try to put it on Ivy, i'm going to take the blame, and you will take over as Alpha. It has to be that way."

Slamming his glass down onto the table, he glared at me with tight l!ps. "You're not going to take the blame for anything, because they aren't going to come. She needs you just as much as she needs the rest of us, Damian."

"That's where you're wrong," I laughed softly. "I see the way she is with the three of you. I don't have that connection with her, Hale. All I have ever done was bring her pain and misery. I'm the worst mate to have ever been matched, and I do nothing to make her happy."

"I refuse to listen to this s**t, Damian," Hale sneered. "You're needed just as much as the rest of us, and if she loses you, it won't end well for the person who caused it."

Shaking my head, I tried shaking the feeling of my slowly cracking heart. To think I was nothing to her hurt me. However, I wore the pain very well, and I kept my emotions closed off so much I forgot what it was like to feel at all.

The night I had spent with Ivy was to help me remember, and even that night I often thought was nothing but a dream, simply because I felt so distant from her.

"Please, Hale. Just promise me if anything goes wrong you will take my place, and protect her as we all vowed to do." I sighed as my eyes met his once more.

As much as I knew, he didn't want to agree. He did. He nodded his head in agreement before standing to his feet and pulling me to mine into his embrace. "You better not do anything f*g stupid, Damian. I mean it."

Hugging my brother wasn't something I had done often, and the weight of the emotions it caused me was almost overbearing. Holding myself together, I pulled from him and gestured to the door. "GO entertain our guests while I finish up here. I'll be out shortly." Hale's gaze stayed on me for a moment longer before he nodded, and made his way out of my office. As soon as he was out, though, the slow, steady stream of tears flowed down my face.

I had failed so many times before, and I would make sure that this time I didn't. Even they came for Ivy... I would take the blame and her place. I would do whatever I had to, to protect my mate and my children. Even if it meant giving my own life to do so. I loved her too much to let her go.