I leaned against the side of the cabin, and Rowan settled next to me. “That was…” His voice was soft and hesitant. “A lot.” I finished. He laughed. “It’s gone.” He looked back at the grave. “What’s gone?” I turned to look at him. He waved his hand at me. “Your mark. You are back to normal.” He smiled. “Which is great because I missed your normal eyes.” He leaned over and kissed me. “You are so beautiful.” I snorted. “I’m covered in dirt, blood, and I don’t want to think about what else.” He cupped my cheek and stared down into my eyes. “That changes nothing. You are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” He kissed me again as the door slammed open. “Get a room, you two.” Rick limped out, a bruise healing on his face. “You look rough.” I grabbed for him as he stumbled over the hose.

“Yeah…I’m still weak from Vince. So healing is taking a little longer.” He winced as he licked the corner of my mouth. “Can’t worry about it too much.” He settled next to us as he nodded over to Alannah. “Ternen?” I sighed. “She is saying goodbye.” He blew out a breath. “He did what I couldn’t do.” I almost missed his whispered words. “What?” He looked at me, and I saw devastation there, but also pride. “He protected his family. He didn’t wait for you to save them; he did it himself.” He looked away. “Hey. Different scenarios.” I grabbed his arm. “You couldn’t fight against magic, Rick. You don’t have magic.” He turned back with a nod, but I saw anger there. “But I’m meant to protect my mate. My pup. But…” “But you were taken advantage of by your alpha,” Rowan finished. “You can’t fight something you know nothing of…” He wiped his face. “Believe me. I knew about magic, and I was still at the mercy of people that had it.” Rick stared at Rowan for a second, and I saw a flash of relief. “Really?” Rowan nodded. “I almost lost my mate because of it. It’s not your fault, and there is no shame in that you needed Amy to help you.” Rowan looked down at me. “I did too.” Rick nodded once, and the back door opened. Everyone filed out, one by one. Alannah turned at the commotion, and she bit her lip as she stood. She raised a hand, and we all started back over. I reached her first. “You okay?” She shook her head, her lip trembling for a second. “Can you do me a favor?” I reached for her hand. “Of course. Anything.” She swallowed and nodded towards the grave. “Can you get his necklace and ring?” She turned to me with watery eyes. “I would, but…” She trailed off as she rubbed her stomach. “Of course.” I smiled as I rubbed her arm. Then I touched her stomach, and I felt the skin stretched tight over rock–hard muscles. I knew instantly something was wrong. I turned to look at my mom. She caught my worried glance and walked over. “I’ll stand with her when you go down.” My mother wrapped her arm around her back, her hand coming to rest on the side of Alannah’s swollen belly.

Chapter 568

“It’s okay,” Alannah said, but she leaned into my mother’s side. “We know it is okay. But I would rather have someone with you while we do all this.” I jumped into the grave, doing my best to ignore the niggling feeling I had in the back of my mind. “Hello fend,” I whispered as I knelt next to Termen’s side. I grabbed his hand and slid the simple band from his stiffening fingers. I placed his hands on his stomach and moved to his neck. The chain was a little harder to remove, but I got it. “I think you pups are coming faster than we are prepared for.” I brushed the bangs from his eyes, and then I stood. I slipped the ring onto the necklace and then I climbed back up. Alanah walked over to me. “What were you saying to him?” Her lips trembled as she looked down at her inate. I slipped around her back and slid the necklace around her neck, letting the ring settle on her chest. “Just that I will take care of you so he can rest well.” I clasped the necklace and seeped back around her and faced the grave. “Lay well, Ternen Omega by rank Alpha in spirit. May you rest well knowing that your sacrifice saved the lives of three of the most important people.” I grabbed a shovel and went to stand at the pile of dirt. We had to move fast now. Rowan grabbed the second shovel. “Rest well, Ternen, and know that your children will be warriors, regardless of rank. We will ensure that they get the best out of life.” Allanah cried as everyone said their goodbyes. She stepped close to the edge of the grave. “Goodbye, my love. I will raise our pups to know everything you did for us. Second chance or not, I will meet you when I cross over. I will love you forever, and you are who I will spend the rest of eternity with.” Then she dropped another flower onto his chest. There was a flash, and a crescent moon glowed from Ternen’s forehead as a scream ripped through the clearing.