Something wicked this way comes.

William Shakespeare

Macbeth

Chapter 28 – Queen of the Castle

July 4, 2026 – July 5, 2026

Meena's POV

I woke up to the feel of Nate's lips brushing my shoulder. "Meena, you up yet?"

"Mmhmm," I responded, snuggling into my pillow.

"You wanted me to wake you at 10 AM, remember? My family should be here in a half hour."

"Oh…right," I said sleepily, rolling over so I could face my husband who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He had already showered and dressed for the day, wearing a blue checkered button down shirt and jean shorts. The top button was left undone and I leaned up to kiss the exposed skin there. I felt Nate's fingers sink into my hair with a slight groan.

"Don't tempt me, wife," he murmured. "I already want to call off this party so we can stay right where we are all day."

"Forget it," I said, pulling away. I got out of bed, naked of course…no point in putting pajamas on when you lived with a sex-crazed wolf…and grabbed my silk robe where it was hanging off the bedroom door. I put it on before turning to face him. "I've been planning this party for two weeks. The entire pack, as well as the retired wolves are coming and—"

"Whoa," Nate said, holding his hands up in front of him. "I was just kidding. I know how important this is to you."

"It is." I nodded in agreement. Today was my first official act as "pack mom." I wanted—needed—everything to go perfectly.

Nate got off the bed and came over to me. His lips brushed my forehead lightly and just for a second, I let myself lean into him before pulling away.

I didn't meet his eyes as I said, "I need to get ready."

"Meena." He grabbed my hand as I started to walk away. "Look, I know you're upset about what happened last week—"

"Please Nate," I whispered as a lump formed in my throat. "I don't want to talk about it. I can't talk about it. And I need to get dressed before your family gets here."

"Okay," he said with a sigh, but he didn't let go of my hand. "I love you."

I looked at him and made an effort to smile. "I love you, too."

Moving away from him, I went into my walk-in closet. Grabbing a blue summer dress that had tiny flowers on it and some fresh underwear from one of the built-in drawers, I went into our master bath and took a quick shower. When I was through, I put my hair into a loose updo and applied light makeup.

I paused as I applied my eyeshadow. There were circles under my eyes that the makeup couldn't hide, and there was strain on my face I couldn't make disappear no matter what I did. I quickly finished getting ready, avoiding my reflection as much as I could.

I heard a car pull up outside just as I was leaving the bathroom. Emily's excited chatter filled the air as she called out to Nate who apparently had gone outside. I could also hear Gracie and her dad conversing with each other. Plastering the brightest smile on my face that I could muster, I went outside and greeted our guests. Nate and his father were setting up picnic tables while Gracie and Emily unloaded groceries from the Uleys' car.

"Hello," I said. "Happy 4th of July."

"Hi Meena," Emily replied. "What a beautiful day, huh?"

I nodded. The sky was sunny for a change and there was no chance of rain in the forecast. It was the perfect condition for a party.

"Let me get this for you," I offered, taking a bag from Gracie. She was the epitome of a healthy pregnant woman, the roundness of her belly emphasized by the red gingham dress she was wearing. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail and she looked youthful and beautiful. I felt like a deficient reject next to her.

I headed into my kitchen with Emily and Gracie following close behind. I had prepared a lot of food the night before—that was until Nate threw me on the table and we had sex—but there was still a lot that needed to be made since we were feeding so many wolves. We spent the next few hours making dishes. I was working on a potato salad when I heard a couple of cars pull up. Emily went over to the front window and peeked out.

"Claire and Quil are here with Brady and Kayley. Poor Claire. She's overdue. If she doesn't start having contractions soon, the doctors are considering inducing her. I'm sure she's feeling miserable. Lord knows I was at nine months. Oh…it looks like Lindsey and Collin just got here too."

Emily looked back at me and then to the potatoes I was peeling. "Do you want me to take over potato duty?"

It meant the world to me that my mother-in-law knew how much I wanted to be the host of the party today. Emily was a bit of an icon with the pack, and I wanted to live up to her standards. But hearing about the arrival of all those pregnant women left me suddenly feeling exposed and raw. I shook my head.

"I'll just finish this up and then I'll be right out."

She nodded with more understanding in her eyes than I wanted to acknowledge and she left. I returned my attention back to the potato I was holding. I sliced it too deep and the stupid thing cut in half, the one end slipping down the garbage disposal.

"God dammit!" I muttered, using one of Nate's favorite phrases. A few months ago, I would have been too refined to display such emotion. Now I wanted to sit on the floor and cry.

"You want to explain why you're trying to murder a harmless potato?" Gracie asked warily.

I swallowed my bitterness, grabbed another potato, and said, "Everything's fine."

"You seem…uptight."

"Aren't I always?" I snapped.

"Yes," Gracie responded and I glared at her. She shrugged in return. "I'm just saying you seem upset."

When I didn't say anything, she shook her head and murmured "whatever," before she returned to cutting up vegetables for our deli tray.

"I got my period last week," I finally admitted.

Gracie looked at me with a frown on her face. "Well, that's not the end of the world, is it?"

I blinked back tears and tried to speak but found that I couldn't. The thing was, it was the end of the world…for me anyway. I had planned my honeymoon for when I thought would be the best time to get pregnant. I had meticulously studied the dates on my calendar. And it hadn't mattered a dammed bit. In fact, my period had even arrived a little early as a big ole f-you.

I was running out of time. I could feel it in my bones. Just the other day, I had cut myself shaving. It had been deep, one that should have taken a couple of hours to heal. Instead, it healed up within seconds. I was becoming immortal. But that wasn't something I wanted to discuss with my sister-in-law.

"How are your classes going?" I asked in a blatant attempt to change the subject.

She took my brush-off gracefully. "Fine. I mean, school's school, but my grades are going strong. If I keep this up, I should get my diploma with honors."

After the New Year's incident, Sam and Emily had threatened to pull Gracie out of public school if she screwed up again. Getting pregnant by a kid she wasn't even supposed to associate with anymore had been the final straw. They let her finish the semester, but they pulled her out before her senior year. She was getting home schooled instead. And as it turned out, it was probably the best decision they had ever made when it came to Gracie. When she wasn't concentrating on the baby or trying to reconnect with Ryan, Gracie was putting all her efforts into her education. As she was taking summer courses, she anticipated getting her diploma by the end of the year, right after the baby arrived.

Thinking of the baby made my mouth go thin, but I pushed my disappointment aside and asked, "How are things going with Ryan?"

Gracie's lips pursed as she finished the deli platter. "Fine…great. He brought me a copy of What To Expect When Your Expecting the other day."

"But?" I asked as I threw the potatoes in a pot of boiling water.

Gracie sighed as she turned around. She leaned back against the counter, using her elbows to support her. "He's just so distant. I mean, he's the same Ryan I've always known: attentive, sweet, caring…argumentative, stubborn. But there's a wall between us. I don't know. It's frustrating."

I got the rest of the ingredients I needed for my potato salad and threw them in a large bowl. "At least he's talking to you again. That's good, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Gracie said though she didn't look happy. I copied her position and turned so my back was against the counter as I waited for the potatoes to cook.

Each of us were lost in our own thoughts when we heard a voice say, "Well if these aren't two of the mopiest women I've ever seen."

Both our heads jerked up in surprise. Gabe was staring back at us with a wide grin on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Gracie asked in surprise. "I thought you had to stay away from pack functions."

"Talk to your boy."

"Ryan?" Gracie questioned in confusion.

"He called up our dad and said he was calling off the dogs—no pun intended," Gabe explained. "He said he wouldn't attack me if I wanted to come and visit. I'm also allowed back in La Push."

"But why?" she asked.

Gabe laughed. "That's probably a better question to ask him, don't you think?"

"Yeah," she said absently. She looked out the kitchen window.

"He's not here yet," Gabe responded to her silent query.

"Oh…" she said, her forehead furrowing.

"You taking care of that baby?" Gabe asked as he walked over to her. He wasn't even looking at Gracie. His eyes were locked on her bump.

"I told you I would," she replied.

"Good girl," he said, reaching out to touch her belly. They both stilled before smiles broke out on their faces. I watched with morbid interest. It was like rubbing salt in a wound.

"The baby sure likes to move whenever you're around," Gracie stated, her hand going over my brother's where it rested on her stomach.

Gabe gave her a crooked grin. "I have that effect on people."

"Speaking of," I said. "Did Tanya come with you?"

"Nah," Gabe responded, his hand dropping from Gracie. "We didn't want to push the pack's patience. I'm sure it'll be tense enough with just me here."

"That reminds me," Grace said. "I wanted to ask Nate something. Excuse me."

She left the kitchen and Gabe came over to me, giving me a hug. "How goes it, Meens?"

I threw my arms around my twin, resting my head tiredly on his shoulder. "How'd you know I needed my big brother?"

"Twin telepathy, remember? Well, that and your husband called. He's worried about you. Said it seemed like you could use me," Gabe grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the kitchen and over to the living room couch where we sat down. "Okay, spill."

I felt my shoulders sag. "I just feel like a genetic defect. We've always felt like freaks, but…it's like I have this time bomb inside me and I keep waiting for it to go off. When it does…that's it. Any hope of having kids will be gone."

"Meena, if you're meant to have kids, you're going to have them. But if you don't…well, fate brought you and Nate together for a reason. As Alpha, he needs a strong mate by his side to help him lead the pack. Isn't that what today is about? You asserting your position with his brothers?"

"I guess," I murmured.

"And maybe if you just relax a little and don't worry about producing a litter of pups, you'll get pregnant before you know it."

I laughed a little. "You make it sound so sweet. A litter? Seriously?"

Gabe grinned. "Hey, you need a little perspective in your life."

"I'm so glad you're here," I told him.

"Me too," he said, looking out the window. "I like being back here. This area has a lot of special meaning for our family."

"So does that mean you'll be moving back here permanently?" I asked hopefully.

"Nah, I'm happy in Alaska with Tanya," Gabe replied. Both our heads perked up when we heard the voices of our parents. Gabe got up from the couch. "I'm going to go say hi."

"Okay," I said, also standing. "I just have a few more things to do in the kitchen and then I'll be right out."

He leaned over and gave me a quick hug. "You're going to be fine, Meens, no matter what happens."

He let me go and went outdoors. I finished up the potato salad and started to head outside, but stopped when I saw Gracie and Ryan standing on the porch, blocking the screen door exit. I didn't want to interrupt so I started to retreat back into the kitchen when I heard my brother's name mentioned.

"I don't understand," Gracie said. "Why'd you let Gabe come back?"

I peeked down the hall and saw Ryan standing with his hands in his pockets, his eyes lingering on Gracie's face.

"I figured if you're willing to bring a kid into this world for the security of the pack, I could do some relenting too."

"You did this for me?" Gracie whispered.

Ryan slowly nodded. Gracie responded by throwing herself into his arms and burying her face against his chest. He stiffened for a second before I saw him briefly close his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her, his chin resting on top of Gracie's hair.

I was taken aback by Ryan's expression. He certainly didn't look like a man who wanted to be "just friends" with a girl. He looked like a man hopelessly in love without a clue how to act on it.

Gracie pulled away and said, "Thank you, Ryan. Thank you so much."

"Sure," he replied awkwardly. "Listen, I'm going to check on the grill. Your father was volunteering to barbeque and you know how bad he is at it."

Sam's lack of cooking skills was legendary and Gracie immediately nodded her head. "Yeah, please go rescue our dinner."

Ryan stared at his imprint for a quiet second before he left the porch. Gracie turned around and headed into the house. I moved with inhuman speed back to the kitchen counter, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping.

It was truly ironic. I had the ideal imprint. I had the man of my dreams and was lucky enough to be married to him. Gracie had a miserable imprint situation, but she had the baby I longed for. It was weird how things worked out sometimes.

"Need help with anything else?" she offered as she came in the kitchen.

"I'm just getting ready to take some food outside," I said. Gracie grabbed the deli platter she'd worked on earlier and headed outdoors. Grabbing some cheese and crackers, I made my way outside as well.

A lot of the pack had arrived by now. I could see Brady chasing Kayley around the field in front of our house, her childish laughter echoing across the area. Devlin watched them from nearby, looking morose. His imprint, Hanna, as well as Jared and Kim were in California this weekend meeting with Hanna's talent agent, Will Samson. Will was a former pack member who had made it big in Hollywood as an agent. I knew Devlin was happy for any success his imprint had, but he was also missing Hanna like crazy.

Jason Pachena was currently following Azra around like a puppy. The older wolf finally gave Jason a pointed glare, which made the younger wolf quickly retreat to his father Mac and mother Olivia's side. Azra went over and joined Ryan at the grill, but I noticed his eyes kept scanning the area, particularly focusing on where Quil, Claire, Lindsey, and Collin were sitting.

Both Claire and Lindsey looked miserable in the heat, their pregnant bodies sweltering. Lindsey kept shading her eyes with her hand before she finally reached over and took Collin's sunglasses off his head and put them on. Instead of getting annoyed, Collin happily offered to get his imprint something cool to drink. I could hear Quil asking Claire repeatedly if she was comfortable or not. She finally snapped at him to shut up.

The only active wolf I didn't see was Seth. I was about to ask Nate if he'd shown up or not when I saw Seth come out of the woods with Hayley, their clothes mussed. I guessed it was a good thing that Jared and Kim were out of town today. I would have hated for Jared to murder Seth at our first pack event.

I went over to say hello to my former teacher Rafe and his wife Manda who were sitting on a blanket under a tree. They had little kids themselves. Their oldest daughter Arabella was six, their son Taurin was five, and they also had a two-year-old daughter named Maya.

"Hey Meena," Manda greeted.

Maya was fast asleep next to her mother. Ara and Tauri were playing nearby with Jason's three younger siblings, Lucy, Joe, and Alison. There was a serious game of tag going on. My heart pained with emptiness as I looked at all the kids, but I forced my attention back to Rafe and Manda.

"Can I get either of you anything?"

"I'm good," Rafe said and Manda said she was fine.

My aunt Rebecca, Uncle Embry, and their son, Luke, arrived, so I excused myself to go greet them. Luke jumped out of the car and hurried over to where the other kids were playing. Embry wrapped his arm around his wife's waist.

"Hi, you two," I said. "There are snacks on the table, beverages in the cooler near the grill, and you can find some shade…well, near the other pregnant women." I nodded in the direction of Claire and Lindsey while avoiding gazing at my aunt's round belly. "If you need anything, let me know."

"Thanks honey," Rebecca said. She and Embry joined Lindsey, Collin, Quil, and Claire. I was about to check with Ryan to see how the barbeque was coming when my Uncle Paul, Aunt Rachel, and their youngest son, Sean, arrived. I was momentarily taken aback as I stared at my cousin.

Sean was ten now, but he was an extremely tall ten-year-old. I didn't see him as often as I saw his brother, Devlin, because Dev was a wolf, but Sean definitely inherited his genes from his father. He was going to be huge someday whether he phased or not. I greeted my guests, and Sean immediately took off to join our cousin Luke in tag.

I spoke with Rachel and Paul for a few minutes before they excused themselves to join Emily and Sam. Ryan signaled to me that the food was done. I nodded and went inside the house to get the side dishes.

Nate came in and said, "I'll help you bring out the rest of the food."

"Thanks," I replied. We worked in compatible silence as we brought the meal out to our guests.

Everyone was eating and enjoying themselves when we heard a commotion. Quil jumped up from the table he was sitting at, looking panicked.

"Claire's in labor," he shouted.

Embry went into doctor mode and made his way over to her. With Quil's help, they escorted Claire into the Atearas' car. Brady followed, locking Kayley in her car seat, before he got behind the wheel and drove the couple and Embry to the hospital. Lindsey and Collin decided to head that way as well so Lindz could support her friend.

Emily and Sam came over to where Nate and I were sitting. Sam said, "I think we're going to go to the hospital, too."

Emily looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, honey. I don't want to bail on your party, but Claire's like a daughter to me."

"It's fine," I assured her.

"Gracie, you coming?" Sam asked. She looked from Ryan to her father.

"I can give you a ride home if you want," Ryan offered and her face broke out into a smile.

"I'll stay," she said. Sam nodded and he and Emily took off.

As the sun began to set, Nate suggested, "Why don't we get a bonfire going? Once it gets a little darker we can also set off some fireworks."

"I'll get the wood," Azra said, looking tense and distracted.

"Sure." Nate nodded, watching his wolf brother in concern.

I went inside the house and grabbed some marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers for s'mores. As I headed outside, I saw Sean go over to his mom and dad.

"Mom, I feel really sick," he muttered, his face pale and sweaty. Nate was by his side in a second.

"Sean…" he whispered, staring at the boy in horror.

"I don't get it," Paul said, looking equally upset. "What's triggering it?"

I set the food I was carrying on a picnic table and went over to Nate. Just as I reached him, I froze. In fact, all the wolves seemed to come to a standstill, even the retired ones. In strange unison, we turned our heads north in the direction of Port Angeles.

"Fuck," Nate muttered. He quickly turned to me. "Do you recognize them?"

I breathed in deep. There were vampires in the area, but I'd never smelled them before. My nose wrinkled in distaste—and God forgive me—hunger as I picked up the scent of blood on them…human blood. They had fed recently. I turned to my mom and she shook her head, indicating she didn't recognize them either.

I looked at Nate. "I don't know them."

Azra, Seth, Devlin, and Jason were by Nate's side within seconds. Jason looked excited. Devlin kept looking at his little brother in worry.

"Meena," Nate said, going into Alpha mode. "I need you to get everyone inside, please."

I didn't hesitate.

"Everyone, why don't we take the party indoors," I said in a raised voice, speaking as calmly as I could so I didn't frighten the children.

Rafe and Manda immediately collected their kids and ushered them inside as did Mac and Olivia with their children. My mom hurried over to my Aunt Rebecca and Gracie and guided them inside, keeping her arms protectively but firmly around both. Hayley jumped on Seth and kissed him passionately before she also went indoors. The only ones left outside were the pack, my dad, Nate, Rachel, Paul, Sean, my brother, and me.

"We need to take care of this," Nate said, sniffing the air and blanching at the rancid smell, which was now west of us. "They're between us and La Push. I don't like it."

"What about Sean?" Paul asked in a tense tone.

Nate eyed my cousin who was now lying on the ground shaking. "Rachel, Paul, go inside before you get hurt."

"What about my son?" Paul demanded again.

"Paul, he's pack business now," Nate said with authority. "You'll have to let us take care of him from here."

Paul's mouth went grim, but he and Rachel headed indoors. Nate turned to my father. "I know you're not part of my pack, but I'm going to ask for your help anyway. Can you watch over Sean and help him if he phases?"

My dad nodded. "Yes."

"Gabe, Meena, I'm going to ask for your help, too," Nate said. "Meena, call Brady and let him know the situation. If any vampires backtrack, he'll be in Port Angeles to ward them off. And if danger comes close to our house, I'll need to you to protect the people inside. Can you make everyone invisible?"

"I've never used my powers on so many people, but I'll try."

Nate nodded and said, "Gabe, I know we've had our differences—"

"What do you need me to do?" my brother interrupted.

"If any vampires get close to here, mess with their heads like you did to me in Vancouver."

"Absolutely," Gabe agreed.

Nate reached out and briefly shook my brother's hand. The pack turned in unison and started to head for the woods. Ryan paused as he saw Gracie standing on the porch. He gave her a little half wave before disappearing into the trees.

I followed Nate to the edge of the forest and grabbed his hand before he could phase. I knew the others had already transformed. I could see their wolf eyes reflecting through the trees.

"Nate," I whispered. "We've only been married a couple of weeks. Don't make me a widow just yet, okay?"

He chuckled. "Don't worry. We're still on our honeymoon. I'm not going to miss that." He lightly kissed me on the lips before he said, "Keep them inside, Meena. Keep them safe."

"I will," I promised.

Nate nodded and disappeared into the woods. I made myself invisible and headed back to the house. My father was crouched down next to Sean, who was withering around on the ground in pain. He was talking to my cousin soothingly and Sean's panicked eyes remained locked on him. I hurried up my porch and went over to Gracie who was still staring into the direction the pack had disappeared. I made myself visible, and she jumped when she saw me.

"You need to get inside," I said as Gabe joined us.

"They'll be okay, right?" she asked, looking pale.

"Of course," I answered. "They've got Nate leading them. Now move!"

She nodded and went indoors with my brother and I following behind her. Paul, Rafe, and Mac were standing close together near the front door. They hadn't phased in years, but I had no doubt their inner wolves would be triggered if their families were in danger. It was kind of reassuring.

Rachel and Rebecca were sitting on the couch. Rachel was trying to keep her twin calm, while sending worried glances out the window as she tried to see what was happening with Sean. Manda and Olivia were standing protectively by their kids.

Sean screamed outside and Paul ran for the door. Gabe and I stopped him before he could take another step.

"You'll only put yourself in danger," I said as I thought about my mother-in-law's scarred face. "My dad will take care of him, I promise."

Paul swore and ran a hand through his hair. He started pacing around the living room. The tension in the air was palpable. Mac's youngest children, Joe and Alison, started crying.

"Where'd Jason go?" Alison whimpered for her oldest brother. "I want Jason."

"Kids," I said with a bright smile. "Guess what Nate has in the basement? A huge TV with lots of movies for you to watch. Would you like to watch something?"

That quieted them down. The kids followed me downstairs to Nate's man cave. The youngest kids' faces lit up as they stared at all the movies—stocked mostly by my Uncle Emmett. They raced over to the shelves where the DVDs were located and tried to decide what movie to watch first. I went over and picked out one of my favorites, Wizard of Oz. I figured it'd be appropriate for even the littlest ones. I handed the DVD controller to my cousin Luke and let him be in charge. Olivia, Rafe, and Manda came down and joined their children, their bodies tense. I noticed Jason's oldest sister Lucy was standing off by herself, looking uneasy. She was the same age as Sean, and I knew they went to school together.

"He'll be okay, you know," I assured her. She smiled at me and sat down next to her siblings though she still seemed upset.

I went back upstairs and called Brady. I quickly explained the situation to him. He told me he'd keep an eye out.

"How's Claire?" I asked.

"Still in labor," he said. "Dammit, I should be out with the pack, but—"

"You're where you need to be," I told him. I knew he would be useless in the field if he left Kayley unprotected. We talked for a few minutes and I hung up just as a howl burst through the house making me jump. I scrambled over to the front window where Gracie and Gabe were standing.

"Sean just phased," Gabe murmured. "He took off in the woods so Dad went after him."

I nodded and went outside on the porch. I sniffed in different directions, but I didn't smell any danger. Gabe came out and stood next to me.

"You doing all right?" he asked.

"Yeah…just worried," I answered.

"Like you told Gracie, Nate's leading the pack. They'll be fine."

"I know," I said, giving him a weak smile.

He gave my arm a comforting squeeze. "I'm going to check in with Dad for a minute and see how Sean's doing."

"Okay."

Gabe went down the porch and headed for the forest. He came back about ten minutes later looking grim.

"Sean's fine. Just really shaken," Gabe told me, but I could tell he was holding back.

"What?" I asked, trying not to panic. "What aren't you telling me?"

My brother shrugged. "It's nothing to get upset about. Dad used Alpha telepathy to let Nate know that Sean phased. Nate told him they were near the Oregon/Washington border. They got one vampire, but Jason got hurt—nothing major, just a bad cut—"

"They got one? How many were there?"

"Three as far as Nate could tell."

I rubbed my hands tiredly over my face. Contrary to what I had said, I was very worried about Nate. I wanted my husband home. And now I wanted to see Jason and make sure he was all right.

"I guess I should give everyone an update," I said. I went back inside the house and headed into the living room where Mac, Paul, my mom, and some of the others were waiting.

"My dad just spoke with Nate," I told them. "There were three vampires as far as the pack could tell, and they only apprehended one so far. Everyone's okay—" I paused as I looked at Mac—"However, Jason did get hurt."

When Mac looked like he was going to go after his son, I added, "He's fine though. It sounded like he got cut, but nothing more than that. Nate's keeping an eye on the situation."

Mac gritted his teeth but nodded. I went over to Rachel and Paul. "Sean's all right too. He phased and he's shaken, but otherwise he's good. My dad is still with him and Nate's aware that he changed."

"Thank you for letting us know," Rachel said, reaching out to hold Paul's hand.

I nodded and went into the kitchen. My mom followed. "How are you holding up?"

I smiled at her. "I just want them home."

"I know. I can still remember when the Volturi came to the area when I was little. I was terrified for your dad and my family. Just have faith in the pack. They know what they're doing."

I nodded and hugged her. We sat at the table, both staying alert. The atmosphere was unbearable for the next couple of hours as we waited for news. Shortly after midnight, the phone rang. I ran to it and answered.

"Hey, it's Seth."

"Seth," I said in relief and Hayley ran into the room. I turned away from her. "What's going on, Seth?"

"We got the second vampire, but the final one escaped. He was booking ass towards Idaho so I think it's safe to let everyone go home now."

"Where's Nate?" I asked.

"He's on his way back already to deal with Sean."

That made me pause. "Wait…where are you calling from?"

"We weren't that far from Portland, so I stopped by Leah's house to use her phone and get some matches. We've got some leeches to torch."

"I want to talk to him," Hayley said.

"Just a second," I snapped before refocusing on my conversation with Seth. "What about Jason?"

"He's fine. Already healed."

"So everything's okay," I said, feeling my tension leave me.

"Yeah," Seth replied. "We're going to start heading home now. Let our families know we're going directly to the hospital in Port Angeles to check on Quil and Claire—you haven't heard anything, have you?"

"No," I answered. "Claire was still in labor last time I talked to Brady."

"Well, I know some of the guys want to make sure the hospital is secure so we're going there next."

"All right, I'll let everyone know," I said before adding, "Hayley wants to talk to you."

"Put her on."

I handed her the phone and went back in the living room to update everyone. The relief in the room was tangible. I headed down to the basement to let Rafe, Manda, and Olivia know what was going on. All the kids were fast asleep on the floor. After reassuring my guests that it was safe to leave, the house slowly emptied out, leaving just me, my mom, Gracie, and Gabe behind.

"Gracie, how about I take you home?" my mom offered. "I'm sure you're exhausted."

"But Ryan…" she started to say, but my mom stopped her.

"He's not going to be back for hours, and it'll do you and the baby good to get some sleep."

Gracie finally agreed and they left. I turned to my brother and said, "Are you headed out?"

"Nope," he replied. "I'm not leaving until Nate walks through the door."

"I'll be fine on my own," I assured him. He glanced at my face and then the area around me. I knew he was examining my aura.

"Yeah…" He drawled out the word. "I'm staying."

We started cleaning up the remnants of the party. As we finished up, I noticed Gabe kept smiling.

"What?" I finally asked.

"Nothing. I was just thinking, for your first pack party, it certainly was memorable."

I laughed at the irony. It certainly had been at that.


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