Wolf or Love

The ringing of Gio’s cell phone had everyone in the kitchen stiffening, particularly Danica who was sitting on the counter with her legs wrapped around his waist. Without releasing her gaze, he dug it out of his pocket and answered. “Hello.”

“They’re here,” Hudson informed him.

Gio wasn’t surprised that they had arrived at 11 A. M. The only reason he had told the pack last night that he was expecting Kevin around noon was because Gio didn’t want the informant telling Kevin he’d be ready for the bastard. “How many?”

“Ray says there’s something like one hundred and seventy out there, but it’s likely that some of them are just there to stand at his side.”

“What about the three packs that offered to come and stand at our side, are they here?”

“Arrived an hour ago just before Carrick and Mike. Everyone’s waiting just inside the gate.” They had arranged for their allies to arrive early, suspecting Kevin would make an attack in the morning in the belief that he would be catching Gio unawares.

“Okay. Don’t let Kevin and his crew through the gate until I get there.” “Sure.”

Gio ended the call and handed his cell over to Danica. “I’ll lose it in the battle if I take it with me out there.”

She tightened her legs around him, wishing she could just hold him there and ask the others to face Kevin. Yes that was selfish and unfair, but

she couldn’t help wanting that and she wasn’t going to apologize for it. This was her mate, the other half of her soul, the father of her child. If she had the right to be selfish about anything, it was him.

“I have to go, baby,” he told her softly.

She nodded sadly. “I know. Be careful. You have to come back to me.”

“There’ll be a lot of blood on my hands by the end of this battle. You know that, right?”

She pressed her forehead to his. “Do you honestly think I’d judge you for protecting your family, your pack, your territory? Kevin obviously wants to die. Assist him.”

Damn this woman got to him. Never had she judged him – not for being who he was, not for what he could and couldn’t feel, and not for

anything he’d done or was capable of doing. He kissed her hard and deep, urging her into him, taking strength from her in a way that he had never been able to do with another person. Breaking the kiss, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and took her scent deep inside him, let it flow over him and center both him and his wolf. He hated to leave her, especially right now. Every primal instinct he had told him to stay at her side and be her constant protector, but there was no choice. He couldn’t tell the other males of his pack to face the danger alone – that wasn’t who he was and it wasn’t what an Alpha did.

“I need you to promise me something,” he said as he locked his gaze with hers. “I need you to promise me that no matter what you feel over our

link, no matter what you think is happening, you stay here. You don’t try to reach me, you don’t take a chance out there just so you can heal me. You stay here with Michey, Lucy, Lindy, Cindy, Gary, and Theresa. You focus on keeping yourself safe and our baby safe. Promise me.” He wasn’t surprised when she gave him a look that could kill. A lesser man would have cowered. “That’s not fair,” she said through her teeth. “Of course I don’t want anything to happen to the baby, but by asking me to make this promise you’re asking me to choose between you both, and I can’t do that.”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

He cupped her face with his hands as he insisted, “Yes you can and you will. I’m not asking you to choose, I’m asking you to keep yourself and the

baby safe.”

She blinked back tears. Her wolf whined inside her head. “If you died, I wouldn’t survive it anyway.”

“Yes you would. You’re so goddamn strong, you could get through anything.” It made him proud to have her. For the first time, he was actually glad that the mating bond was only partially developed as it meant that she had a better chance of surviving the bond being broken. Not that he planned on dying today, but there was always a possibility. “I have to go.”

Reluctantly she uncurled her limbs from around him. “I love you, even though you’re being an unfair prick.” He chuckled, but the sound didn’t hide the anger he felt with himself for not being able to give her those words. Knowing what was going through his head, she gave him a cautioning

look. “I don’t need words, I just need you to come back.”

“I plan on it.” Having kissed her one last time, he turned to see Michey and Lucy both crying as they had a private moment with their own mates

while Max and Gary hugged each other tightly. Although Richard, Jeremy, and Max weren’t enforcers and only ever worked as security guards for the gate, Gio couldn’t afford to leave them behind. He needed all the wolves he could get, especially since they needed Gary to stay behind – they wanted the females to have at least one male with them. Duda had expressed concern about taking Max along with them since he was one of their suspects, but somehow Gio just couldn’t see the informant being him. They would find out soon enough – if it was Max, he would join with Kevin when they reached the gate. As Duda, Chris, Donny and Andrew were saying their goodbyes to Danica, Lindy came and hugged Gio tight. “Take care, son. Rip the bastard apart.”

“Always so bloodthirsty,” he said with a smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s alright.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, still smiling. “Since when do you care about Danica’s welfare?”

“Since I heard she was pregnant.” At his skeptical look, she shrugged.

“Alright, I like her just a bit. She reminds me of me.” She thumped him in the arm when he laughed. “She does. She’s got spirit.”

“Yep, she has plenty of that.” He gave Danica one last look – in it was a warning to do as he’d asked, a reminder that she was too important for him to

lose, and a goodbye. He then looked up at the others. “Everyone ready?”

Nodding, Duda, Chris, Donny, Andrew, Jeremy, Richard, and Max followed behind Gio as he left the room. No one said a word as they exited the caves and descended the many steps of the mountain. As they entered the woods, Gio gestured for Duda to come close.

“You don’t need to ask me to make sure she’s okay if anything happens to you,” said Duda quietly. “But we will win this, Gio.”

“But if we don’t, if you feel me die through the pack link, you leave the battle and you go to the caves – you take her where Kevin can’t reach her.”

Duda swallowed hard. “You have my word on that, although I don’t know if she’d survive the bond being broken.”

“She would. Danica could survive anything. Besides, it’s only partially developed. And another thing – I’d be lying if I said I hope she mates with

someone else so she’s not alone, I’m too much of a bastard to be that noble, but if she does you make sure that kid knows who its dad was.” Satisfied by Duda’s nod, Gio said no more as they progressed through the forest. His wolf was pacing inside him, all worked up by the adrenalin circulating through Gio’s system. He hadn’t wanted to leave Danica’s side, but he did

understand that there was a nearby threat and that this threat needed to be eradicated.

It was odd to think that only a few months ago the most important thing to Gio had been his pack, his territory, and protecting both. He never would

have thought anything could be more important than that, never would have expected that anyone could be important to him. Now he had other things to fight for – his mate, his unborn child, their future. The woman had turned his life upside fucking down, turned him inside fucking out, and yet he wouldn’t have it any other way. It amazed him that he’d thought he was content before she came into his life. In reality, he hadn’t known the meaning of the word. With Danica he was content. She anchored him and made him happy in a way that nothing and no one had ever done before. He didn’t want to lose that, refused to lose that. Duda was right; they would win this, because no other ending was acceptable.

Finally the forest thinned and they stepped out onto the clearing, bringing them within twenty six feet of the main gate. Although Hudson had told

him just how many wolves Kevin had brought along, Gio was still rocked by the intimidating sight it made. Had he been normal enough to respond

appropriately to fear, he might have been tempted to stop the battle before it started. Not to save himself, but the others who might get hurt. He’d soon find out if it was a good thing or a bad thing that he wasn’t normal.