as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light. He woke up three hours later, refreshed and energized, ready for his mission.
Lucan was immensely grateful and relieved Naran would be supporting Sando. As much as he’d admired Sando for his self-sacrificial offer to take care of his grandfather, Lucan had been worried about it. What if Melloni got aggressive and hit him again? What if he got verbally abusive and managed to get under Sando’s skin? The omega was doing so much better, but he was still vulnerable. Knowing that Naran was there to defend him and stand up for him made it much easier for Lucan to leave.
He’d showered, shaved, and gotten dressed in shorts only. No need to put on more when he’d only have to take it off to shift. My god, the shifting. How absolutely epic had that been? First the thrill of seeing little Hakon turn into the cutest little wolf pup ever. And then the three of them had shifted too. It had been instant, with none of the struggles or difficulties he’d expected. His beta had known all along. It had felt so natural, like he’d done it a thousand times before.
“Do you think we would’ve shifted if the rules hadn’t changed, like Lidon said?” Sando asked. He lay stretched out on the couch, watching Lucan and Maz get changed and prepare for their mission.
“Why do you ask that?” Maz asked.
Sando’s cheeks grew red. “It would’ve been a way for us to know for sure we were fated mates.”
Lucan gestured at him to move a little, then sat down on the couch and pulled Sando’s head on his lap. “I don’t need proof of that, kitten. I know we are.”
“When did you first know?”
“Way before you and Maz ever got a clue. I think I fell a little in love with you on the day we met.”
Sando’s eyes grew wide. “You did? Why? I was such a clumsy idiot.”
Lucan grinned. “You were adorkable…and you still are.”
“You mean I’m still clumsy.”
Lucan tapped his nose. “But never an idiot. And I hope I never made you feel like one.”
“No. Never. I know I frustrated you sometimes, though.”
“That was all on me, kitten. I should’ve been more patient with you, more understanding. I tried to be, but sometimes my own feelings got in the way.”
Sando sent him a sunny smile. “But it all worked out. We’re together.”
Lucan lifted Sando’s head and kissed him tenderly. “We are, and I’ll never stop being grateful for it.”
Sando’s smile faltered. “You will come back safely, right? I can’t… I can’t do this without you two. I can’t be alone anymore.”
Maz joined them on the couch, and Sando crawled onto his lap and snuggled against the alpha’s broad chest. “Under any other circumstance, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable promising you that, but this time I do,” Maz said softly. “Didn’t you feel the power radiating from Lidon? From Grayson’s words? We’ve seen the miracles ourselves… Jawon’s funeral, Palani’s return from the dead, Hakon shifting. I believe with all my heart that we have the gods on our side.”
The tightness on Sando’s face softened. “Yeah, we do. I just got anxious for a moment.”
“It’s hard for us to leave you behind,” Lucan said. “On one hand, I’m grateful that you’ll be safe here, but on the other hand, I would’ve loved to have you with us.”
Sando raised his chin. “Do good work.”
“We will,” Lucan said, then kissed him one last time.
Their team assembled by the front gate, where the other two teams were already waiting. Aside from the three omegas who were taking care of the babies and Sando and Naran watching Melloni, Sean only left a few of his men behind to guard the ranch. Almost the whole pack would be gone, and the thought of so many wolves together was making Lucan’s heart speed up. This was what it meant to be a pack, to stand together.
After some last instructions from Lidon, the alphas and betas shifted first. The omegas helped fasten the bags the alphas and a few of the betas carried, then shifted as well. Lucan had a small bag with a few essential medical supplies.
At Grayson’s signal, they left as one, an awe-inspiring collection of colors and bodies, with one massive wolf in the front of the pack. Lidon. Their alpha.
After a few miles, their paths split, with Lidon and his team heading to the north end of the city, whereas the humanitarian team