betas and I kinda wanted to keep helping Bridget until everyone's taken care of."
I nodded. "Ok. I think you've proven tonight that you deserve it. Just..." I looked at Ian. "I'm staying at their place. You can invite your friends to the house, but there's one condition, ok?"
"Mom!" she whined. "I know about the condoms! Please don't do this to me."
I had to fight not to smile. "Make sure everyone's parents know they're ok first. Even Xander's. I know they aren't as active in his life, but go see them. Let them see their child is fine. And then, I don't care what you do, but if you're going to do that, then..." I lost control and the grin broke free. "Condoms."
"Not doing that," she said. "I'm fifteen, Mom. I kinda wanna drive first. But I'll send them out to check in, and yeah, we'd kinda like to wind down together." Then she hugged me. "Thanks for being the best Alpha-Mom ever." But when she pulled back, she looked at the guys. "All of you take good care of her, ok?"
"Promise," Lane said.
But Gabby paused, her body shifting like she'd had a thought. "Thanks, Dad." Then she threw herself against him.
Lane paused for a moment before he even remembered to wrap his arms around her. "Yeah?" he finally asked, his voice just a little tighter than normal.
"I have four Dads and a Papa," she mumbled against his chest. "I mean, Pax is a dad too, but a Latino one. So, yeah." Then she looked up into his face. "That's ok, right?"
"It's perfect, little wolf," he promised. "Now go be an alpha before you make me cry."
She stepped back, smiling a little too big at the guys. "I gotta do my thing, right? I think you all should do yours. And since I don't have to listen to it..."
"Gabriella!" I snapped. "Go get in trouble somewhere else."
She left, her giggles proving that she was a little too proud of herself, but Ian glanced over at Seth. He nodded, then the pair of them looked at Trent and Pax. They both shrugged. Lane was last. With a smile, he simply gestured in the direction of our homes.
"Looks like we're walking. I don't even remember where I left my clothes, and right now, I'm honestly too tired and filthy to care. Shall we, little bunny?"
I grabbed his arm on one side, caught Trent's hand on the other, and nodded. The best part was that none of them felt good enough to walk fast, so I didn't have to ask, because my body? Yep, I was definitely too old for this shit, but that didn't really fit with the feeling inside my chest. The one I could only describe as pride.
CHAPTER 58
* * *
We eventually made it back to their place. The aches were starting to set in. Seth's bleeding had stopped, but Trent and Pax both had a few of their own injuries. All minor, thankfully. Still, the first thing I did when I got inside was head straight to Lane's room and turn on the shower. I could feel the crap in my hair, the dirt on my skin from where it had been caught in my fur, and the guys were worse.
Lane guided Seth in just as I got my clothes off. "Elena, make sure all his wounds are clean?" he asked. Seth just tossed up his hands, but Lane headed for the cabinet to pull out more towels. "I promise she's a lot nicer to look at," Lane told him. "Or I can doctor you."
"I'm getting in here with Elena," Seth promised.
He hissed at the temperature of the water, but when I followed, he stepped back and let the shower head spray down on him. There was a lot of blood, and it tinted the runoff by our feet. Reaching over to the side, I got a washcloth and the soap, then began cleaning everything.
We didn't need to talk. He hurt. I was exhausted, but there was something so easy about this. When I got his chin and chest good enough, Seth turned so I could do his back. Then, saving it for last, I worked at the gash along his neck. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as I'd feared.
When that was done, he returned the favor. The nips and bruises on my body were nothing compared to his. I'd only faced off against Karen, and she'd gone down a lot faster than I'd expected. Granted, she'd been waiting for