The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 140

Athena

The house felt too quiet after they left. Even with Lily and Liam playing in the corner, even with Sarah moving around picking up toys, the silence felt heavy and suffocating.

I stood by the window, watching the empty driveway where Tristan's car had been just minutes ago.

"Athena," Sarah said softly. "Come sit down."

"I'm fine," I said, but I didn't move from the window.

"You're not fine," she said. "And that's okay. But standing there staring out the window isn't going to bring them back any faster."

I knew she was right, but I couldn't seem to make my feet move. All I could think about was Tristan running toward danger. Orion facing down rogues. Derek fighting alongside them.

Fifteen rogues. Maybe more.

Those weren't good odds.

"Mama, I'm thirsty," Lily said, tugging on Sarah's shirt.

"Okay, baby," Sarah said. "Let's get you some water."

She went to the kitchen and I finally forced myself to move away from the window. I went to lock the front door like Orion had told me to, then checked the back door too. All the windows. Everything was secure.

But I still didn't feel safe.

Sarah came back with sippy cups for both kids and handed them out. Liam immediately took a drink and went back to his trucks. Lily drank hers while leaning against the couch, her eyes already looking tired.

"What time is it?" I asked.

Sarah checked her phone. "Almost eight."

Only thirty minutes had passed since they left. It felt like hours.

I sat down on the couch and Sarah joined me, taking my hand.

"They've dealt with rogues before," she said. "They know what they're doing."

"I know," I said. "But fifteen rogues, Sarah. That's different from the usual one or two that wander onto our territory."

"I know," she admitted. "But they're not alone. The whole pack will be there. All the fighters."

I wanted to take comfort in that, but I couldn't. Not when I kept thinking about all the things that could go wrong.

"We just found out about the baby," I said quietly. "We just told everyone. What if something happens and he never gets to meet our child?"

"Don't think like that," Sarah said firmly. "Tristan is strong and smart and he has everything to fight for now. He'll come back."

"You can't promise that," I said.

"No," she agreed. "But I can have faith. And so can you."

I leaned my head on her shoulder and tried to breathe through the anxiety clawing at my chest.

Lily came over and climbed onto the couch between us. "Why are you sad, Aunt Athena?"

"I'm not sad, sweetie," I said, trying to smile for her. "Just a little worried."

"About daddy and Uncle Tristan?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. There was no point in lying to her.

"They'll be okay," she said with the confidence only a four-year-old could have. "Daddy is really strong. He told me so."

Despite everything, I felt a small smile form. "He did?"

"Yep," she said. "He said he's the strongest daddy in the whole world and nothing bad can happen to him."

"Your daddy is pretty strong," I agreed.

She nodded seriously, then climbed into my lap and hugged me. "Don't be worried. It makes the baby sad."

I looked at Sarah in surprise. Had she told Lily about the baby being able to feel things?

Sarah shrugged with a small smile. "She's very intuitive."

I hugged Lily back, grateful for her innocent attempt at comfort. "You're right. I'll try not to worry."

"Good," she said, settling more comfortably in my lap.

Within minutes, she was asleep, her little body heavy and warm against me.

Sarah got up and picked up Liam, who was also starting to nod off. "Let me put them down somewhere. Do you have a guest room?"

"Down the hall, second door on the right," I said. "There's a bed in there."

She carried Liam down the hall and I carefully stood up with Lily, following behind her.

The guest room was simple but comfortable. Sarah laid Liam on one side of the bed and I laid Lily next to him. We put pillows on the open side so they wouldn't roll off.

"They'll be okay here," Sarah said, pulling a blanket over them.

We stood there for a moment, watching them sleep. They looked so peaceful, so innocent. They had no idea what was happening at the border, no idea that their father was in danger.

"Come on," Sarah said. "Let's go back to the living room."

We left the door cracked open so we could hear them if they woke up and made our way back to the couch.

I immediately checked my phone. No messages.

"They won't be able to text during a fight," Sarah said gently. "You know that."

"I know," I said. "But I keep hoping anyway."

She picked up her own phone and stared at it for a moment before setting it back down. "Me too."

We sat in silence for a while, both of us lost in our own thoughts and worries.

"Do you want to talk about something else?" Sarah asked eventually. "To distract ourselves?"

"Like what?" I asked.

"Like the baby," she said with a small smile. "We didn't get to talk about it much before everything happened."

I placed my hand on my still flat stomach. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," she said. "How are you feeling? Are you excited? Scared?"

"Both," I admitted. "Mostly scared, I think."

"That's normal," she said. "I was terrified when I found out I was pregnant with Lily."

"Really?" I asked. "You seem like you were made to be a mom."

She laughed. "I definitely didn't feel that way at first. I had no idea what I was doing. I still don't most days."

"But you make it look easy," I said.

"That's the trick," she said. "You fake it until you figure it out. And even then, you're still just doing your best and hoping it's enough."

I thought about that. "What if my best isn't enough?"

"It will be," she said with certainty. "You're going to be an amazing mother, Athena. I've seen the way you are with Lily and Liam. You're patient and kind and loving. That's what matters."

"I lost a baby before," I said quietly. "With Daxon. What if I can't carry this one to term?"

Sarah's expression softened with understanding. "That wasn't your fault. What Daxon did to you was horrific and wrong. But this is different. You're with your true mate now. The bond will help protect the pregnancy."

"That's what Mara said," I told her. "But I'm still scared something will go wrong."

"Of course you are," she said. "After what you went through, it makes sense to be scared. But you can't let that fear control you, you have to have faith that everything will be okay."

I wanted to have that faith, I really did. But it was hard when my mind kept going to worst case scenarios.

My phone buzzed and I grabbed it so fast I nearly dropped it.

But it wasn't from Tristan, it was from the company's security system, just a routine notification.

I set the phone down with a sigh.

"I hate this," I said. "The waiting. The not knowing."

"I know," Sarah said. "It's the worst part."

We fell back into silence, and I found myself staring at the clock on the wall, watching the minutes tick by with agonizing slowness.

Eight fifteen.

Eight thirty.

Eight forty-five.

Still no word.

"How long do these things usually take?" I asked.

"It depends," Sarah said. "Sometimes it's over in minutes. Sometimes it takes hours."

"That's not comforting," I said.

"I know," she said. "Sorry."

At nine o'clock, my phone buzzed again. This time it was actually a message.

But it wasn't from Tristan.

It was from a number I didn't recognize.

I opened it with shaking hands.

"They think they're so strong," the message read. "But they're going to fall just like everyone else who tried to stand against us."

My blood ran cold.

"Sarah," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"What?" she asked, immediately alert.

I showed her the message and watched as her face paled.

"Who sent that?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said. "The number isn't saved in my phone."

Another message came through.

"Tell your mate we're coming for him. Tell your brother we're coming for all of them."

"Oh god," I breathed.

Sarah grabbed her own phone. "I'm calling Orion."

"He won't answer if he's fighting," I said.

"I don't care," she said. "He needs to know about this."

She dialed and put it on speaker. It rang and rang but no one answered.

She tried Derek next. Same result.

Then she tried Tristan. Nothing.

"What do we do?" I asked, panic starting to set in.

"We stay calm," she said, though I could hear the fear in her own voice. "And we don't respond to whoever sent those messages."

Another message came through.

"We know where you are."

My heart stopped.

"Sarah," I said.

"I see it," she said, her face pale.

She stood up and went to the window, peeking through the curtains carefully.

"Do you see anything?" I asked.

"No," she said. "Everything looks normal."

But normal didn't mean safe.

I grabbed my phone and tried calling Tristan. Straight to voicemail.

I tried texting him instead.

"Someone is sending me threatening messages. They say they know where we are. Please call me as soon as you can."

I hit send and stared at the screen, willing him to respond.

Nothing.

"We should call the pack house," Sarah said. "Let them know what's happening."

"Good idea," I said.

She dialed and this time someone answered on the second ring.

"Sarah?" It was Lucas, one of the pack's senior members. "Is everything alright?"

"No," she said. "Someone is sending threatening messages to Athena. They say they know where we are."

"What?" Lucas said, his voice sharp. "What exactly did the messages say?"

Sarah repeated them word for word and I heard Lucas curse under his breath.

"Where are you right now?" he asked.

"At Tristan's house," Sarah said. "With Athena and my kids."

"Lock all the doors and windows," he said. "I'm sending guards to your location right now. Don't open the door for anyone except them. They'll identify themselves properly."

"Okay," Sarah said.

"Is Athena there?" he asked. "Can I talk to her?"

Sarah handed me the phone.

"Lucas?" I said.

"Athena, listen to me carefully," he said. "Do you have any weapons in the house?"

"I don't know," I said. "Maybe? Tristan might have something."

"Find them," he said. "And stay away from the windows. The guards will be there in less than ten minutes."

"What about Tristan and Orion?" I asked. "And Derek? Do they know about the messages?"

"We're trying to reach them now," he said. "But the fight at the border is still ongoing. Communications are difficult."

"How bad is it?" I asked, dreading the answer.

He hesitated. "It's worse than we initially thought. There were more rogues than reported. We're handling it, but it's taking time."

My stomach dropped. "Are they okay? Is anyone hurt?"

"Some injuries," he admitted. "But nothing life threatening so far. The guards will fill you in more when they get there. Just stay safe until then."

"Okay," I said, my voice shaking.

"You're going to be fine," he said firmly. "I promise. We're not going to let anything happen to you or Sarah or those kids."

After I hung up, Sarah and I looked at each other.

"We need to find weapons," she said.

We started searching the house. I knew Tristan had to have something here for protection. He was too careful not to.

In his bedroom closet, I found a lockbox. It was locked, of course, but I knew where he kept the key. I'd seen him open it once before.

I grabbed the key from the drawer of his nightstand and opened the box.

Inside was a gun and several knives.

"Found something," I called to Sarah.

She came into the bedroom and looked at the weapons. "Do you know how to use a gun?"

"Leah taught me when I trained with her," I said. "I'm not great but I can manage if I have to."

"Good," she said. "Because I have no idea."

I checked to make sure the gun was loaded and then we brought everything to the living room.

Another message came through on my phone.

"We're getting closer."

My hands started shaking.

"Where are those guards?" I asked.

Sarah checked her phone. "Lucas said less than ten minutes. It's only been five."

Five minutes felt like an eternity.

I went to check on Lily and Liam. They were still sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of the danger we might be in.

I stood in the doorway watching them, one hand on my stomach, and made a silent promise.

I would protect them. No matter what. These babies, born and unborn, would be safe.

I heard a noise outside and immediately went back to the living room.

"Did you hear that?" I asked Sarah.