Fate Stained - Part Two
Chapter 38 - Change Of Plans

I wished so desperately that it didn’t have to be like this. I was days, maybe less, away from giving birth and my child’s father was about to run off into the forest to fight a ruthless Alpha wolf and his men.

As I lay down on the couch and watched my mate lean over the table, staring at the map with his Beta and organising their strategy, I couldn’t help but be proud of him. I hated the fact he was about to leave but I loved the fact that our daughter was going to grow up knowing her father was a powerful and loyal Alpha that would do absolutely anything to keep his pack and family safe; I just hoped Jayce was around to see her grow up.

“I’ll come with you to brief the fighters. The plan is solid” Cameron said, rolling up the map and placing it under his arm.

“I’ll meet you outside, just give me a minute?”

The Beta nodded to his Alpha then gave me a small smile over his shoulder.

I’ll look after him, Luna. Jayce will come home to you.

I’ll hold you to that. You’d better come home in one piece too.

With a nod of his head, Cameron headed out the front door of the pack house and I wriggled to a more upright position as Jayce approached me.

“No, stay there. I’ll come down to you” he muttered, lowering his massive body down until he knelt beside the couch.

His large hands lifted and he placed them down gently on my round stomach. He searched my blue eyes with his deep brown, small lines appearing in his brow, reflecting the impact the last couple of weeks had on him. I could swear I felt my heart swelling in my chest as I studied every inch of Jayce’s face. The love I had for him was indescribable and unmeasurable and now he didn’t have to share the love with anyone else.

“You have that look on your face” Jayce breathed, tucking a loose stand of hair behind my ear and letting his hand trail gently down the side of my neck.

“What look?”

“The look that you are committing every spot, line and crease in my face to memory incase you never see me again”

“Guilty”

“Well stop. There is absolutely nothing that will get in-between you and I ever again. Alpha Rhys will suffer more just because he’ll be keeping me away this long”

Nodding my head, I leant into my mate’s loving touch and willingly tilted upwards as he moved forward so his lips could brush tenderly against my own. But the kiss was cut short by a sudden tightening of my stomach and pain in my lower back.

“What is it?” Jayce asked, noticing my obvious discomfort as I winced and shuffled to a more comfortable position on the couch.

“Just Braxton Hicks” I breathed, “not the most pleasant things”

“Do you want me to link Moira or Flynn?”

I shook my head.

“No, it’s already passed. If I need them I’ll link them myself. Please don’t worry about me. I want all your focus on Alpha Ryhs and his men. I’m safe here. Ok?”

Part of Jayce and Cameron’s plan had been to leave Flynn here with me, as well as a couple of the fighters and my father. On the off chance something went wrong, which I didn’t even want to think about, then we needed a defence here at the compound. Between Flynn, Blake and Mason, as well as the impending arrival of Cassius, we would be well protected and Jayce would have no need to stress about my welfare.

“Ok. I just don’t like being that distance away from you. I won’t be able to communicate with you through the link—”

“Jayce. I will be fine, trust me. Now, go brief our fighters. They need you”

The Alpha hesitated for a moment then let out a heavy sigh as I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Fine” he groaned.

Jayce bent down and kissed my stomach.

“You be a good girl, I’ll be seeing you soon”

He then straightened back up and cupped my face tenderly in his strong hands and pressed his lips firmly against mine. I closed my eyes and melted into the kiss, feeling as though all the air was forced from my lungs as Jayce, quite literally, left me breathless. When we finally moved apart, he gently wiped a stray tear from my cheek and placed a small peck in it’s place.

“I’ll be seeing you soon too, my love” he whispered before rising to his feet and walking out the door, leaving me feeling like my heart had been temporarily ripped from my chest.

Flynn POV

I’d made sure the portal transported Kyanite and myself enough distance away from the Point Invictus fighters that they would not be able to detect out scent straight away. I needed to make sure we could get ourselves in a suitable position and when they finally picked up on us then they would come towards us, in a location that we’d chosen.

The spot we’d picked was a far enough distance away from Fern Creek that, if needed, Eastern Ridge would be able to send assistance if things didn’t go to plan.

I’d also calculated in the fact that it wouldn’t be long before someone realised we were missing at the compound. Jayce would require Blake’s assistance to trace my residual magics and locate us - that would take time as I was careful to leave as little trace as I could behind.

“Do you feel that?” Kyanite asked as we moved into position.

I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes and feeling the tension thicken in the air around us.

“I do”

“His aura is strong - he’s definitely not trying to conceal it”

“Why should he?” I asked, “He is the Alpha of the Point Invictus pack and got to where he is by intimidating and making wolves believe he is more of a danger than he actually is”

“You really believe that?”

“I have to” I answered, “because if he proves to be the danger that they all think he is, then we’re fucked”

As the scent grew stronger in the air, we waited. They’d started to slow down, no doubt finally picking up on us as the wind changed suddenly in their direction. Then I felt it, a shift in Alpha Rhys’s aura - like a crackling of electricity that flowed from his body, into the earth and directly to me.

“He knows we are here” I uttered, followed by the eerie sound of a pack of wolves howling and the vibrations through the ground as they sped rapidly in our direction.

“You’re really doing this?” Kyanite asked quietly, as if maybe giving me a chance to change my mind and portal us back to Fern Creek.

“I’m really doing this”

The panther Prince nodded his head and splayed his feet slightly, readying his stance for what we were about to face

“I was hoping you’d say that”

Blake POV

I was holding it together - barely. While Cameron and Jayce briefed the rest of the fighters, I busied myself with the triplets and Felix. My stomach tightened and turned uncomfortably at the thought of what they were about to race into but if I thought about it too much then I was afraid I might just cast a spell over my mate so he couldn’t go anywhere - and I dared Jayce to try and stop me.

“They’ll be ok Blake” Moira reassured.

The she-wolf had come over an hour ago to keep me company and help out with the kids while the men got prepared. Cam already popped passed to let me know the plan before he and Jayce went to see the fighters.

“I know. Do you think you should go check on Quinn though? I’m worried what this stress might do to her”

Moira shook her head and gently lowered my sleeping baby boy into his basket.

“No. Jayce told me that she was fine and promised to link me if anything changed. I’ll go see her after they leave. Flynn wanted to check in on her anyway”

Just then, I heard the front door to the house open and Jayce came storming inside. He looked pissed, his fists clenched at his sides and his face contorted into a vicious scowl.

“What’s wrong?” Moira asked.

We followed Jayce into the kitchen and away from the sleeping baby as he ran his fingers through his unruly, dark hair.

“Flynn and that fucking piece of shit panther are gone”

“What do you mean?” I asked, “gone where?”

“Fuck knows! But my bet, if I put myself in Flynn’s shoes, is to go confront Alpha Rhys”

I gasped. Surely not. I’d heard enough about that arsehole to know that would be a death sentence. The wolf was brutal but also a manipulative bastard. He was cunning and dangerous - but, Flynn was a powerful tribrid-warlock…maybe he would stand a chance after all.

“Why would he do that?” Moira asked.

“I could tell he wasn’t happy about letting the Point Invictus fighters get any closer to Fern Creek and he ducked out of the meeting before we finalised any plans. I didn’t think he’d do anything this reckless though”

“The two of them are surely no match for fifteen wolves, including a powerful Alpha and two pack heirs”

“No” Jayce muttered, rubbing his jaw and pacing the kitchen, “Not unless Flynn doesn’t intend on fighting them all at once”

“I don’t understand”

“He plans to challenge Rhys for the title of Alpha” I whispered.

Both Moira and Jayce turned to me and I could tell from the frustrated look in Jayce’s eyes that he thought the same thing. As soon as Flynn challenged Alpha Rhys then none of the other wolves would be allowed to touch him. At the end of the fight he would either be their new Alpha…or he’d be dead. There was no other option.

“The sons will surely challenge him consecutively if Flynn happens to win. Can he withstand that kind of exertion?” Moira asked.

Her voice was shaky and panicked, which I’d never really seen from her. Usually the older wolf doctor was calm and soothing, regardless of the situation; but I knew she’d taken quite a shining to Flynn and the possibility of losing her new friend was alarming.

“Once he challenges Rhys there will be nothing we can do” Jayce answered, then turned to me, “Blake. I need you to portal Cam, our fighters and I to their location. I know it’s a big ask and I know you’re tired—”

“Of course. I’ll need to trace them first though. Moira, can you keep an ear out for the kids? This shouldn’t take long”

Moira nodded and popped out of the room while I took a seat at the table and closed my eyes. I could sense Jayce lingering impatiently next to me but I soon tuned him out and focused on Flynn’s power and essence and any residual magics he left behind.

“Cheeky shit” I grunted under my breath.

Jayce went to speak but I quickly shushed him. Flynn was smart. He knew exactly what Jayce was going to have me do, so he’d attempted to cloak his magic. What he didn’t take into account though, was that I was fucking smart too and could trace magics better than any other mage hybrid I knew.

“Got them” I said finally with a smile on my face, “gather you men, you’ve got five minutes”