The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 143

"You did good back there," Cara said, glancing over at me. "Real good. Most people would have frozen up."

"Kiara taught me well" I said.

"Kiara has always been good at that," she said making us smile.

She was right, Kiara was good.

We drove for about fifteen minutes before pulling up to a small house on the outskirts of town. It was surrounded by trees and looked peaceful and normal.

The house was cozy and warm, with comfortable furniture and soft lighting. Nothing like what I'd expected from someone who could fight the way Kiara had.

Sarah settled the kids on the couch. They were both exhausted and confused, but at least they seemed to feel safe here.

"I'll make some tea," Leah said, heading to the kitchen.

Kiara brought out a first aid kit and started tending to our injuries, she cleaned and bandaged the cut on Sarah's arm, which was deeper than I'd realized.

"You might need stitches for this," Kiara said, examining it.

"It's fine," Sarah said. "Just wrap it tight."

Kiara didn't look happy about it but did as Sarah asked.

Then she turned to me. "Let me see your neck."

I tilted my head back and she examined the bruises forming there, I could see concern in her eyes.

"He got you good," she said gently. "Does it hurt to breathe?"

"A little," I admitted. "But I don't think anything's crushed."

"Still," she said. "You should see a doctor, just to be safe."

I nodded, though I was already planning to see Mara as soon as possible. Not just for my throat, but to make sure the baby was okay after everything that had happened.

Kiara also checked my ribs, pressing gently until I winced.

"Definitely bruised," she said. "But probably not broken. You need to rest and ice them."

"I will," I said.

She moved to check my shoulder next, her fingers probing the bruised area. I tried not to wince but couldn't help it.

"Nothing broken here either," she said. "You got lucky."

"Doesn't feel lucky," I said, echoing what I'd thought earlier.

"Trust me," she said, her eyes serious. "It could have been much worse. If we'd gotten there even a few minutes later..."

She didn't finish the sentence, she didn't need to.

My phone buzzed and I grabbed it instantly.

It was Tristan.

"Thank god you're safe. We're still dealing with the situation here but it's almost over. Stay with Leah and her girls. Don't go anywhere, I'll come get you as soon as I can. I love you. Both of you."

Both of you.

He meant me and the baby.

Tears sprang to my eyes and I had to blink them away before anyone noticed.

Another text came through, this one from Orion to Sarah's phone.

"Everyone's okay. We won. The threat is neutralized. Stay where you are. I'm coming to get you. I love you."

Sarah let out a sob of relief and I felt my own tears start to fall.

They were okay. They were alive. They were coming back.

"They're okay," I said to the room, my voice breaking. "They're all okay."

Kiara smiled. "See? I told you they'd be fine."

Lily had fallen asleep on the couch, curled up with Liam. Sarah and I just sat there, watching them sleep, waiting for our men to come home.

I looked around at the room, Kiara, Leah, Cara, Maya, and the other lady. I was grateful they'd come to save us.

Leah was here even though she was supposed to be with her husband.

They all had important things to do but they came for us. Tears gathered in my eyes, but I held it back.

"I don't know how to thank you," I said. "All of you. You saved our lives tonight."

"You don't need to thank us," Kiara said. "That's what we do. We look out for each other."

"Still," I said. "Thank you."

"Come on Ath, stop that. You know we'll always be here whenever you need us."

Leah said coming out from the kitchen, with cups of tea in her hands.

The pack guards stayed outside, keeping watch. Making sure no one else tried to attack us.

Incase we were followed.

As I sat there, my body aching and my throat bruised, holding a cup of tea with shaking hands, I thought about everything that had happened tonight.

We'd just told our family about the baby.

We'd been attacked in our own home.

We'd fought for our lives.

And we'd survived.

Sarah had been magnificent.

She'd been incredible.

And, I'd managed to protect my child and controlled myself.

Despite the overwhelming urge to shift, despite my wolf screaming at me to let her out, I'd held on to my human form.

What could have caused the attack? This wasn't a mistake. This was deliberate and I'm hundred percent sure.

What if they come back after today?

If they came back, we'd still do what we know how to do. Stand by each other.

My hand went to my stomach again, a gesture I couldn't seem to stop making.

"You okay?" Sarah asked quietly, noticing.

I dropped my hand quickly. "Yeah. Just sore."

She studied me for a moment but then she just nodded and went back to watching the kids sleep.

My phone buzzed again.

"Fifteen minutes. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

I held onto that promise like a lifeline.

Fifteen minutes until Tristan was here.

Fifteen minutes until I could feel his arms around me and know for certain that everything was going to be okay.

I just had to hold on for fifteen more minutes.

I was staring at my phone, counting down the minutes, when I heard cars pulling up outside.

My heart leaped into my throat and I was on my feet before I could think about it, ignoring the protest from my bruised ribs and aching body.

The door burst open and Tristan came through it like a storm, his eyes wild and searching until they found me.

"Athena," he breathed, and then he was across the room in three long strides, pulling me into his arms so tight I could barely breathe.

"I'm okay," I said against his chest, even though everything hurt and I was shaking. "I'm fine."

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his hands cupping my face, and I watched as his eyes took in every injury, every bruise, every mark on my skin.

His jaw clenched when he saw my neck, the dark purple bruises already forming where the man had choked me.

"You're not fine," he said, his voice rough with emotion and barely controlled panic. "Look at you, look at your neck, your face."

"I'm alive," I corrected. "We're alive."

His hands moved from my face down to my shoulders, then my arms, like he was checking to make sure I was real, that I was actually standing in front of him.

Then his hand went to my stomach, pressing gently, and I saw the fear in his eyes.

"The baby," he said, his voice breaking slightly. "Tell me the baby is okay."

"I don't know," I admitted, and saying it out loud made the fear I'd been holding back come rushing forward. "I was careful, I tried to protect my stomach during the fight, but I don't know for sure."

Behind him, Orion came through the door and Sarah was already moving toward him, and I saw him catch her in his arms, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world.

But what made my breath catch was the man following them, carrying a medical bag, someone I recognized from the pack.

Dr. Chen, our pack's doctor.

My eyes went back to Tristan. "You brought a doctor."

"Of course I brought a doctor," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You were attacked, you're hurt, and you're pregnant, did you think I was going to just hope everything was fine?"

Relief flooded through me so intensely that my knees almost gave out.

Tristan caught me immediately, holding me up. "Hey, hey, I've got you."

"I was so scared," I whispered. "The whole time we were fighting, all I could think about was the baby, about protecting the baby."

"I know, baby, I know," he murmured, holding me close. "But we're going to make sure everything is okay right now."

Orion had finally released Sarah long enough to come over to me, and when I looked at him, I saw that my big brother had tears in his eyes.

"Hey, little sister," he said, his voice gentle as he looked me over, taking in every bruise and cut. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine, Ori," I said, trying to smile for him even though my face hurt. "Really."

"Don't lie to your brother," he said, reaching out to gently touch the bruises on my neck. "Someone put their hands on you."

His voice had gone dark and dangerous on those last words, and I saw his jaw clench with barely controlled rage.

"They're in custody," I said. "The guards took them."

"Good," he said, and the single word carried a wealth of threat in it. "Because I'm going to have a very detailed conversation with each of them about what happens when you touch my sister."

Sarah appeared at his side, leaning against him, and I could see she was exhausted and in pain despite trying to hide it.

"How are you?" I asked her.

"Better now that they're here," she said, but I could see the strain around her eyes.

Derek came in next, looking tired and covered in dirt and what I was pretty sure was blood, though I couldn't tell if it was his or someone else's.

"You good?" he asked me, his usual sarcastic tone completely absent, replaced by genuine concern.

"I'm good," I said. "Are you?"

"Nothing a shower and about twelve hours of sleep won't fix," he said, but his eyes lingered on my neck, and I saw his expression darken. "Looks like you had quite a night."

"That's one way to put it," I said.

Tristan turned to where Kiara, Leah, Cara, and Maya were standing near the kitchen, watching the reunion with small smiles, and I saw Leah step forward slightly, concern evident on her face.

"Leah," Tristan said, his voice thick with emotion. "I can't thank you enough, when I called you, I never expected this."

"I knew something was off," Leah said, coming closer. "The moment you called, I could hear the fear in your voice, so I called everyone I could think of who could help."

"You saved their lives," Tristan said, and I heard his voice crack slightly. "If you hadn't gotten there when you did, if you hadn't fought beside them."

He stopped, unable to finish the sentence, and I saw him swallow hard.

"We're just glad we could help," Leah said, and she came over to hug me gently. "Are you really okay?" she asked quietly, so only I could hear.

"I don't know yet," I admitted. "But I will be."

She pulled back and looked at me with understanding in her eyes, and I realized she probably knew about the baby, Tristan had likely told her when he called.

Kiara stepped forward next. "Athena has been a good friend to us, we couldn't let her face danger alone if we could help." she said simply.

"Thank you," I said, my voice breaking. "All of you, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come."

Dr. Chen cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "I hate to interrupt this reunion," he said, his voice professional but kind.

"But I really need to examine my patients, the sooner I can assess their injuries and make sure everyone is stable, the better."

"Of course," Kiara said immediately. "I have a room in the back you can use, it's quiet and has good lighting."

She led us down a hallway to a small bedroom that looked like it had been converted into a meditation room, there was a daybed against one wall, some comfortable chairs, and soft lighting that was easy on the eyes.

"This is perfect," Dr. Chen said, setting his medical bag down on a small table. "Thank you."