The Alphas' Daughter (Alpha Eyes: Book 2)

Chapter 33

Karina

I stood on the back patio staring at the woods, my favorite knee-length, button-up sweater wrapped tightly around me. For a late summer afternoon, the breeze had a chilly nip to it. Maybe the pregnancy hormones were throwing my body out of whack, but something definitely felt different about today. It was like nature had an idea that I was going to test some supernatural boundaries. Everything on edge, my fears at the top.

The patio door slid open behind me, and a calming scent washed over me. I kept my arms tightly wrapped around my middle until Lucas eased them down.

"You're going to flatten my heir if you keep doing that," he teased, his hold around my waist much softer than mine had been.

"Sorry," I sighed, leaning back against him. "I wasn't paying attention."

He rested his chin on my shoulder and hummed. I could feel him sensing out my mood and emotions through our bond. We'd already established that I couldn't block him out completely, so I no longer bothered trying. He could know anything he wanted.

"You're scared," he murmured, stating it calmly without judgment.

"Yeah."

"Do you regret agreeing to do this? Because if you have any doubts, we can wait or call this whole plan off."

I turned in his arms and settled my cheek against his shoulder. "No, it's not that. It's a good plan, and I still agree that I need to do this to be absolutely sure that Amy isn't a threat. That doesn't mean that I'm not scared of the risks."

"Liesel will be right there beside you the whole time," he reassured me. "And I'll be right here waiting for you when it's over...or I'll run to you first."

I nodded and clasped my hands behind his back. My baby bump kept a little awkward distance between us, but we made do. It would only get more awkward as the bump grew.

The patio door opened again, and I closed my eyes against what I knew came next.

"I'm ready when you are."

Liesel's quiet announcement turned my stomach into knots. I didn't want to be ready, but I needed to be. The sooner we did this, the sooner we could all get back to the life we wanted. If Liesel was ready to face a guardian, then so was I.

I stepped back from Lucas and stretched up on tiptoes to kiss him. Thankfully he wanted more than a light see-you-later peck on the lips. Granted, this wasn't worth a forever-goodbye snogging. A soul-satisfying minute later, he let me go and turned to Liesel.

"I'm trusting my mate to you. Look after her."

Liesel nodded her understanding and zipped up her fleece jacket. "I know what is resting on me, alpha. I'm not about to start a war, let alone allow two innocents to die on my watch. You'll get your mate back safely."

Lucas gave her a stare that would have withered me at one time. While lycan and alpha magic didn't work on other species, the facial expression that went with it usually did. Liesel, however, appeared untouched. In fact, she nearly challenged his intensity.

"You'll get her back," she repeated. "Don't make me hold you here to prove that."

I squeezed Lucas in a last-minute hug, breaking his focus. He squeezed me back ad let his arms fall to his sides.

"See you soon." Liesel breezed past Lucas, grabbing my hand as she passed.

Before I could say 'I love you,' a burst of wind swirled around us in a glittering purple haze. Lucas disappeared, as did everything else. When the purple cloud dissipated, I found us standing in an open field. The edge of the woods was about 50 yards to the left, the cliff edge 50 yards to the right. I'd never been here before, but I'd seen it on the map in Lucas' office.