Reckless Regrets
Chapter 38

Kade

Two days of planning seemed like forever when you were trying to keep someone’s unjust imprisonment quiet. Things were just beginning to quiet down after Thorne was taken away, so we’d all decided that telling the pack that their ex-alpha had sent Marisol and Gabby to rot didn’t need to be shared.

After we’d set out all the facts and ideas we had to get the girls back, we decided that we would move forward with the takeover, then Blue Moon would cover the cost to get them out since they would officially be pack members. I had no idea how long this would all take, but I just wanted to get through this part to get home to Morgan.

I hated knowing that she was dealing with the pregnancy without me there with her; I should have been pampering and spoiling her from day one. But at the same time, could I leave the wolves of Canyon Woods behind when they needed me more than ever?

Sure, Xander would be taking over soon, but they didn’t know him; they knew and trusted me. I just kept sinking deeper and deeper into this mess and was one minute away from losing my damn mind.

And as if I needed one more thing to worry about, a call from Nathan came through on my phone, making my heart drop. He’d probably been reaching out to Marisol the last few days and getting no response. I’d hoped that he would get the news from someone else, but at this moment, I knew that it couldn’t come from anyone other than me.

Begrudgingly, I answered the phone.

“This is Kade.”

“Hey, Alpha, I’m sorry to call, I know you’re probably really busy, but I haven’t been able to get in contact with Marisol. Is she alright? Could you have her call me?”

“Hey, Nate. Uhm, how did you know that I was named Alpha?”

“I have a few friends on the omega staff. They were happy to see Thorne get walked off the territory and even happier when you took over. It didn’t take long for the news to spread. Since I found out, I’ve been trying to talk with Mari to see about Cam and me coming back home and finally being a family, but she’s not answering.”

“Right. And how are you and the little guy doing? Is my old pack treating you alright?”

“Yes, sir. They’ve been incredible, especially the ladies. They’ve taken care of us like family. It’s been great.”

I was stalling, and I knew it, but I didn’t want to break this kid’s heart, and I also didn’t want to lie to him. As Marisol’s mate, he had the right to know what was going on with her, no matter how hard it might have been to hear. So I decided to rip off the band-aid.

“Nathan, Marisol isn’t here. She’s been gone for the last three days,” I said.

“I don’t understand. Where would she have gone? Have you talked to Gabby? If Mari went anywhere, Gabby would know about it.”

“She’s gone too, Nate.”

“Oh, so it’s a girl’s trip. That explains it, I guess. She could have said something beforehand-”

“It’s not a girl’s trip. I don’t know the proper term, but to put it simply, before the Elders took him, Thorne had the both of them kidnapped and taken to some shithole prison for supernaturals as a way to protect his secrets. We’re working on a plan to get them back, but it’s not going as smoothly as we’d hoped,” I finally told him.

It wasn’t going smooth at all, honestly. The Elders flat out turned down our request to have Thorne released as soon as we’d asked. If he’d been a lower-ranking wolf, I think they may have been more lenient, but the Elders had little patience or mercy for Alphas who felt they were above the law. And that was precisely what Thorne was.

Alexi suggested that we file a petition asking that they reconsider. By leaving Marisol and Gabby in The Badlands, it was not only affecting the two of them but also Cameron, Nathan, as well as Gabby mate whom she’d never met. Three other lives would be ruined if the girls were left to rot in that place, lives that could be saved if only they’d release Thorne long enough for him to get the girls out. Then he would quickly be recaptured and killed, per wolf law, which was the plan for him all along. We were waiting for a decision which was to come by the end of the next day.

“Alpha, is she hurt? What can I do to help? Whatever it is, I’ll do it. I’ve been a terrible mate to her and always made her feel bad for the s**t her father was forcing on us; it wasn’t her fault. Please say there is something I can do.”

Kade

Two days of planning seemed like forever when you were trying to keep someone’s unjust imprisonment quiet. Things were just beginning to quiet down after Thorne was taken away, so we’d all decided that telling the pack that their ex-alpha had sent Marisol and Gabby to rot didn’t need to be shared.

“Have you got a few million dollars lying around?”

“A what?” he asked.

“Nothing. Listen, I don’t know if there’s anything you can do to help expedite this, but if anything comes up, I’ll tell you. Just stay positive. And don’t let Cameron know what’s going on, please. I know the pain of losing your mother; he shouldn’t know what that’s like at such a young age, even if she is still alive. Keep him happy and smiling for as long as possible, okay?”

“Yes, sir. I can do that. I took my DNA test yesterday, but I realized once it was over that I didn’t even need it. I see it every time I look at him that he’s mine.”

“The test was just for the records, but being a father doesn’t have anything to do with genetics. I’m sure you’ve seen that from the guys in the pack.”

“Yes, sir, I have. I’ll let you go now, but please let me know when you have an update. No matter how small, I just need to know all that I can.”

“You have my word.”

When I hung up, I sat back and thought over the drama that I was in the middle of and had a realization. There was no reason that I had to keep this secret from Morgan anymore. Everything was being kept quiet to keep it from getting back to Thorne, but he was no longer an issue.

Xander would soon be alpha to the largest werewolf pack in the country, and I hoped that everyone who deserved it would have their happily ever after. But I wanted mine now. I jumped up from my chair and ran to my room to grab a few essentials then went down to the kitchen where Simon was, drowning his sorrows in Scotch.

“Simon, put that s**t away. It’s not helping anyone, and you’ve got a job to do,” I told him while snatching the snifter from his hand.

“With all due respect, Alpha, you don’t know what you’re talking about. My child is hurting and afraid. I’m her father, and I’m supposed to look after her, but I can’t. How would that make you feel? Not being able to protect your only child?!”

“My only child’s life is in limbo right now too. Because of all this bullshit Thorne whipped up. My mate is back home, pregnant, scared, and contemplating aborting our baby. Because I’m here and she thinks that she’s lost me. So I may not have watched my child grow up as you have, but I love that baby Morgan is carrying just as much as you love Gabby. And I want to protect it, but I can’t if you’re too f*****g drunk to even see straight!”

I hadn’t told him about Morgan or the pregnancy before, so hearing the truth seemed to clear some of the fog and haze for him.

“I remember what it was like when my wife was pregnant with Gabriella. I’d never been happier in my life, and it was a joy to watch her belly grow over those five months. I’m sorry that you’re missing out on that time with your child. And I’m sorry for assuming you didn’t understand. What do you need from me?”

“I need to go back home, and I need you to look after things here until I come back. It will only be a few days, maybe sooner, if we get the green light from the Elders regarding Thorne. Morgan needs me, and I can’t be away from her any longer.”

Simon looked stressed by my request; he’d never had to look after the pack alone before, and with his focus solely on getting Gabby back safe and sound, he wouldn’t have gone for much else. But I needed him to do this. I wouldn’t leave the pack unattended, and he was the only one here I trusted.

“Take all the time you need, Alpha. I’ll take care of the pack, and if anything does happen, I’ll let you or Alpha Xander know right away.”

“s**t. Speaking of Xander, I should probably let him know that I’m coming, huh?”

Simon laughed then chugged an enormous glass of water.

“From what I’ve heard about the security there, you wouldn’t make it a few feet across the border without being stopped. So it doesn’t matter when you tell him, Alpha Xander will know of your arrival long before our Luna would.”

This was the first time anyone’s ever referred to Morgan as Luna, and technically that was precisely what she was. Sure it was temporary, but at that moment, Morgan was the Luna to the Canyon Woods pack. She was going to lose her s**t when she heard that.

“Thank you, Simon. And don’t worry, we won’t stop working on getting the girls back; I promise.”

I rushed out of the house, and a few minutes later, I was on the road headed back to California.

I couldn’t wait to see my Morgan and hold her in my arms. But even more so, I couldn’t wait to touch her belly and feel our child growing inside. Nothing was more important than that.

***

Morgan

After another long day of baking with Cameron, I was exhausted. Standing on my feet for hours on end while tiny Kade drained me of all my energy sucked. I swear that man’s children were a handful, and one wasn’t even born yet. Yet.

I’d been thinking more and more about my decision to terminate my pregnancy; it had become all I could think of actually. Each day I became more connected to the life growing inside me, and the idea of getting rid of it made me so sad. Maybe this was Kade’s plan all along. The longer I waited to terminate, the more attached I’d become.

I was coming up on six weeks, and I found my hand rubbing my tiny bump continuously throughout the day. It was then that I had a realization. I loved this baby. It was a perfect manifestation of the love I shared for its father, and even if I did have to raise it all alone, looking into its sweet face and seeing its smile would be more than worth the pain and sadness of not having Kade next to me.

I could never forgive myself if I didn’t bring this baby into the world. It was a gift, a way for me always to have Kade in my life no matter what happened. And I loved gifts. So I curled up in the bed Kade and I once shared and smiled. Tomorrow I’d let him know about my change of heart. Then I’d get started on the nursery.

I drifted off to sleep, wondering if the baby would be a boy or girl. Oh God, I prayed that it wouldn’t be twins. I’d never sleep again if I had to raise two little Kades on my own.

***

At some point during the night, I tried to adjust my body but felt a heavy arm draped across my waist, and a hand was resting on my belly. My heart rate shot up immediately, and all I could think about was protecting my child.

Whoever this was had some major balls, how they managed to get onto our territory, into the house, in my room, and my bed was beyond me, but they’d picked the wrong mama bear to f**k with. It was go-time.

I steadied my breathing and focused all my strength into my balled-up fist. Once I’d willed the nerves to go away, I shot up, spun around mid-air, and drove that fist straight into his face.

I felt the a*****e’s nose break on impact and followed the hit up with another to his throat. I could only see the outline of his body, but I knew he was hurt. I heard him gasp and wheeze, trying to catch his breath, but he wasn’t getting off that easy.

“Matt!! Get in here now!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. I was so thankful that he was at the other end of the hall and would hear me, even if he was knocked out.

In the dark, I saw the fucker in the bed reach out to me, but before he could touch me, I’d reared back as far as I could and kicked him in his stomach then ran back towards the bedroom door.

Matt burst in, right on time, and smoothly grabbed me and shielded my body with his while he tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

“There’s someone in my bed! I f****d him up, but I don’t know how he got in here!” I told him.

He took a cautious step into the room, and I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I was shaking uncontrollably and felt like I was a second from passing out. Matt reached for the light switch, and as the room became illuminated, my nose was filled with the scent of jasmine and pine.

“Kade?!” Matt and I both said as we looked down at him, crumpled in the fetal position on the floor.

“What the hell are you doing here, man?!” Matt asked.

He sucked in a few deep breaths before he looked up at us.

“Getting my a*s kicked apparently. Hey, Sugar Bear.”