A Mother Before A Mate
Chapter 40

Buzz Buzz Buzz.

The alarm goes off. It's 3 am and it's D-day. I'm feeling very confident and looking forward to getting this day over with, so we can move on with our lives. Lexi groans, as her eyes struggle to adjust to the light coming from the lamp I just turned on. We fell asleep at around 9:30 pm, so I'll be fine. My sleepy pregnant wife might struggle more today than I do, which I think is just the most adorable thing.

"Come on, baby," I coax her gently.

She sits up, and I'm surprised to see her getting up so quickly. Lately, she's been struggling to wake up in the morning. After I get dressed, I move into the bathroom where Lexi's getting ready.

"You don't seem like my sleepy pregnant wife," I admit as I watch her putting a bun in her hair, making eye contact through the mirror, and she smiles.

"Adrenaline! I really wish I could be fighting with you today," she frowns while dragging out the LL's in really. I just smile. This is an answer to prayer for me. It is such a relief that she isn't fighting, and that she'll be safe, but I know better than to rub that in her face right now.

"I know, babe," I say as I kiss her temple.

Full breakfast is being served in the packhouse cafeteria today from 3:30 am-4:30 am. Shift change for the warriors who were on duty tonight is at 4 am, so everyone has time to come in, and grab something to eat. I grab Molly out of her bed and wrap her in a blanket. Lexi grabs a bag she packed for Molly with a pillow, stuffed animal, toys and snacks.

They could be locked in the packhouse for hours, especially if Alpha Johnson doesn't attack as early as he originally planned. The whole ballroom has been filled with blue gym mats so the kids and anyone else can relax or nap, or play on the floor comfortably. The kids would not enjoy lounging on the hard marble flooring. I'm hoping Molly will just sleep through this whole thing.

"Do you have the tablet to watch the surveillance footage?" I ask Lex.

"Of course, I'd never forget that!" Lexi's Point of view

We get to the packhouse and with all the commotion, Molly woke up. I replace a spot on the mats to leave our stuff and then head to the cafeteria for breakfast with Jack and Molly. At 3:45 Jack quiets everyone down to talk. Almost the entire pack is in the packhouse right now.

"I just wanted to say thank you for the support from all of you, and I feel really good about what we're doing and the reason we're doing it. Protecting children should always be on the very top of our priority list, regardless of pack," Jack says, and the cafeteria is filled with applause.

I'm so glad that people are supportive and not mad. Part of me feared that the pack members would resent me or Molly for the drama our presence has caused, but over the last few weeks, everyone has been so kind, and no one has made me feel resented at all. Mind you, I'm not sure if anyone would be so brave as to voice those opinions even if they did.

"I also want to make an announcement." Jack motions me up, and I stand beside him. He puts an arm around my waist and pulls me in. He's getting ready to tell them all the good news. He smiles broadly at me and then looks out to everyone.

"I know I involved you all in the decision on whether or not our Luna should be fighting in this battle yesterday, but we have decided that it's best if Luna does not take part in the fight today. Our top priority has to be to the safety of our unborn pup," he says and moves his hand to my stomach. It only takes a second, and then everyone is cheering. Jack's eyes are filled pride, adoration and love as his eyes meet mine.

***

5:30 AM

I'm so tired. The adrenaline boost I had earlier, is long gone, although I'm sure that it'll return once the fighting starts. Molly is colouring beside me with Toby, while I sit with Jos and Becka. None of us are fighting today.

We have over 20 cameras surrounding the border of our pack lands, but Jett said that they would be attacking the southern border, behind the packhouse. I have the four cameras facing the southern border streaming live on my tablet. They're planning on attacking from behind, where we wouldn't expect them. The cameras aren't new, but I got Jack to setup live feed footage for me, in hopes I can at least see what's going on. He was all too happy to oblige me, considering I wasn't fighting. He's been trying to hold back his excitement about me being stuck in here instead of fighting, but he was doing a crap job. I appreciate he's trying though.

At 5:37 I see warriors breaching the packland borders on my live feed. Jos and Becka quickly move in closer, so they can watch as well. We see tons of warriors crossing our border, and getting deeper into our land.

After a second, it looks like chaos in the cameras. Fighting everywhere. I know Jack doesn't want me to worry, and I know he's stronger and bigger than anyone he'll fight against today, but I can't guarantee that a dozen wolves won't attack him all at once, or that he won't be distracted by everything going on. I'm a bundle of nerves, and so are Jos and Becka. I just don't want him to get hurt, or worse. If I was out there, at least I would feel like I wasn't so powerless in it all. I hate this.

I'm searching the screen with such urgency, while I try and replace him in the cameras. "There's Alex," Becka points out. I nod, seeing Alex fighting aggressively. I quickly keep scanning and then I finally see him. I see a black wolf, bigger than the rest, and he's tearing through other wolves.

"There he is," I say, releasing an audible sigh of relief. Dammit, Jack is unstoppable! I'm not sure if it's pregnancy hormones, because I shouldn't be thinking about how hot he is right now, but I am. Seeing him in all his Alpha glory is sexy! Jack's Point of View

We're all waiting, most of us hiding. We don't want Alpha Johnson to know we're all waiting for him. He thinks we're clueless, and that most of my warriors are sleeping, and completely unaware of what he has been planning. He also thinks his army is a lot bigger than it actually is. Jett and his guys are with Alpha Johnson as well as the other 350 people I poached from him.

My allies are positioning themselves towards the back of Alpha Johnson's army. When he starts to attack us, we'll have him surrounded. I'm hoping that I can kill Alpha Johnson quickly and then hopefully stop this whole thing. I hate that innocent people are going to die, because of the lies Alpha Johnson has been spreading about me.

A little after 5:30 am, they quietly start to breach our pack lands. We wait as long as we can, letting them get as deep onto our land as possible before we attack. I'm in my wolf form, and I'm ready. Most of these people don't know the real reason they're fighting us. They think I'm a tyrannical Alpha, not a man protecting his kid, so I don't feel great about the lives I'm going to take.

Finally, we show ourselves. I see they instinctively take a step back in surprise, and it's great for morale, not that we need it. We out number them by quite a bit.

They're scared and shocked. After a second the shock wears off, and they start to attack. I hear a loud howl from behind their warriors: Jett's way of letting everyone know just who he's fighting with today. I start attacking. There are so many wolves at the frontlines, that the first few wolves I attack, I lunge for their neck, ripping their throat out, and throwing their lifeless body all in one swift motion. I even notice some wolves change direction after they see me kill their pack members with such ease. After a minute or so, there aren't as many wolves attacking me, and when I can avoid delivering a fatal blow, I do. I'll kill who I need to, but I'll also spare those I can. No one with a broken leg can continue to fight. Most of them are not bad people - they just don't know what they're truely fighting for.

I'm mind-linking my pack, -If you see Alpha Tim, let me know.-

-I see him. He's near the lake.- A warrior mind-links me.

I can see that my warriors fighting here are handling themselves well, and they're dominating, so I take the opportunity to make my way to Tim. I start running as fast as I can to the other side of the field, by the lake. I want to end this as soon as I can. Then I see one of my warriors pinned down by another wolf. The other wolf is moving in to snap his neck, so I change directions and lunge as fast as I can to free my warrior. Tim's warrior didn't even see me coming and my teeth swiftly made contact with his throat, snapping his neck swiftly. I take a second to look over my warrior. He looks fine and gives me a nod.

I notice Tim in the distance, and I see a look of realization in him. He knows it me. I'm the largest wolf here, so I'm hard to miss. He shifts quickly into a large grey wolf, but not nearly as large as me. He howls and starts to charge me. He has got to HATE me and be so mad. Not only did I kill his son, but he's also realized by now that I have poached a good deal of his army, and I was prepared for him.

At least I don't have to chase him around. It's not going to be a fair fight, if I'm being honest. He's my Dad's age. His son was an easy kill. I don't know if he thinks he's going to actually kill me but I start to charge towards him as well. As I draw nearer, I hear an ear splitting sound.

BANG!

I see on the right of me a man is shooting at me. That gun would definitely have silver bullets in it. I recognize the man as one of Derrick's guys he brought with him that day. It must be his Beta or Gamma.

I guess he knew he wasn't going to be able to beat me after all, and that's why he brought a gun to this fight. I run even faster. If I can get to Tim, this guy will have to stop firing in fear of hitting his own Alpha. The sound of another shot rings through my ears, and I feel a searing pain in my shoulder.