“Absolutely.” Harrison grinned, stepping farther back into his army. “And just a warning in case you do decide to come into our towns again…” He never finished his sentence, turned, and disappeared in the mass.
The men standing behind the border guards took one step back with their right foot and lifted their weapons a few inches. The last human’s hands shook, the young boy who ran in the woods, his eyes searched for mine in the crowd.
Leaves rustled, and other than the deafening sound of the gunshot’s echo and Kenna’s screams, the world stopped moving.
The Border Guards fell to the ground, face first, and the human army began moving backward. Rush, Beckett, and Jonah moved forward; the Pack Warriors braced themselves. I grabbed onto Kenna’s arm, holding her in place.
As the brigade of wolves stepped closer to the humans, the men raised their weapons against them. Rush stopped and considered the number of humans. We were outnumbered and without weapons.
The humans continued to walk backward, weapons raised, until they were gone. Frustration and anger pulsed through us, bodies shaking, tongues panting for death.
Kenna pulled her arm out of mine and shoved me away.
“Are you happy now?” she yelled, shuffling sideways and then running to the body of her father. Rush turned to me and pulled me into his chest, head looking over me, jaw clenched.
“This isn’t your fault,” he told me lowly.
“You have to do it,” I spoke into him, knowing it was the truth even if I didn’t want it to be.
He took one deep breath and stroked my hair. “Yes.” I bit my lip as he confirmed what I already knew was true. I felt his head turn above me. “Casey. I need you to tell the Warriors and guard I’m giving an order to kill any human who approaches our borders or that you deem as a threat to this pack.”
My body wavered, quaked in his hold. Casey understood, and he stepped back to the rest of the Warriors. I grabbed onto the outside of Rush’s arm wrapped around me, clutching him close to me. Kenna’s broken scream had reminded me so much of my own, watching Isla desperately grab at her throat. I didn’t cry, I kept telling myself if I didn’t cry it wouldn’t be true.
Without warning, Rush bent down and picked me up, arms under my knees and shoulders. I jumped slightly and scrambled to hold onto him. His face was unmoving, jaw clenched, eyes set straight on the packhouse.
He walked forward, silently, and kicked the door open as soon as we got to the house. Cordelia sat nervously on the couch, wringing her hands together. Rush didn’t say anything but looked at her harshly. He climbed the stairs with haste, leaned his elbow against the doorknob to our bedroom to open it, and walked me to the bed.
He sat on the edge and laid me down softly. Rush’s hands immediately were weaving into my hair and under the back of my shirt. His hands were fast, face still set in anger, and I tried hard not to be attracted to him in such a domineering state.
“Rush,” I whispered against his mouth, fighting the strong pit of melancholia that was forming in the pit of my stomach. “What are you doing?”
His lips left my neck and bit the collar of my shirt, angry that it was in his way. His hands lifted from their positions on my body and gripped the top of my shirt, ripping the fabric in half. I jumped as he slipped the shredded garment off my arms.
“Rush,” I breathed, feeling his unshaved cheek against my shoulder.
“Let’s make a baby.” His words were sharp and deliberate.
“Excuse me?” I asked, pushing him off my chest. His hands found my waist and clamped down. He rested his head against mine and smiled softly, the first break in twenty minutes.
“I want to make a baby with you,” he told me.
“That’s what you’re thinking about right now?” I asked incredulously. “Our pack members were just killed, and you’re thinking about knocking me up?”
“Sloane, if something happens to me, I don’t want you to be alone,” he admitted.
My right hand lifted and touched his cheek, forcing his eyes to look into mine. “Nothing is going to happen to you,” I vowed.
“If something does, I want you to have someone. I want to have babies with you.” He smiled, eyes lighting up like he was talking about his favorite thing in the world. “I love you; I want to start our family.”
“We just yelled at each other all afternoon, and you want to make a baby now?”
“Sloane, we’re going to fight and makeup, we’re going to get angry, we’re going to scream. I know that no matter what happens, we will always have each other. You are perfect for me; you don’t shy away when I get loud and angry, you get loud and angry back. I know that you’ll be a wonderful mother.” He kissed my cheek.
“I don’t know if I’m quite there yet, I’m still young, Rush. I’m only twenty-three,” I said, shaking my head. “And besides that, I’m not even in heat yet, I can’t get pregnant.”
“Well, then we should practice,” he said earnestly, pursing his lips. “I want to do this right, and if you want to get good at something, you need to practice. And never mind being young, half of the females in this pack your age are pregnant or have already had their first child.”
“Rush,” I warned.
He laughed a little and kissed my other cheek, hands gripping the waist of my pants tightly. “Not until you’re ready,” he promised, pouting his lips. I lifted my hips, and he pulled my pants down my legs, kissing my thighs as his fingers skimmed them. “So, I think we owe it to our future children to get really good at this whole lovemaking thing.”
“I might have to agree,”
