Reckless Regrets
Chapter 39

Kade

When I got to Blue Moon territory, I was happy to see Henry on patrol at the north border. I hadn’t seen him since I left, and the last time I was here, his mate Aires almost ripped my heart out, so a friendly face was more than welcome.

“Welcome back, Alpha Thomas,” he said when I slowed the truck to a stop.

“Thanks, Henry. How is the family?”

“Isabelle is an angel; she’s my pride and joy, Sir. Aires is…better,” he said with a chuckle.

“Since Morgan is back home, she should be happy. Sorry if all this mess caused any ripples at home, it wasn’t my intention,” I told him.

“Aires was only angry with you, Alpha. She never stopped being my Sunflower,” he replied with a huge smile. There was nothing like seeing a man in love.

“I’m glad to hear that. I didn’t bother to let Xan know that I was coming, but I’m sure you gentlemen have linked him already. Is it alright if I head up?”

“Yes, sir. You’re clear to proceed. We’ll have someone come take your truck and store it for you once you’ve reached the house.”

As I drove down the road, I couldn’t help the relief I felt knowing that I was still being treated the same. Sure, I was “Alpha” now instead of “Beta,” but even though I was technically a member of another pack, besides the formalities at the border, I was home. When I made it to the house, I left the keys, grabbed my bag, and rushed inside.

Usually, when an Alpha was visiting, Xander and Alaia would greet them at the door. The fact that I didn’t get that treatment made me chuckle. No one gave a s**t that I was home. It was well after midnight, and everyone was probably asleep.

I knew this house like the back of my hand, and I didn’t need to turn on any lights to replace my way. It took no time for me to make it to the third floor and my old bedroom. I could smell the warm apple pie scent blasting through the door, and it made me smile.

The pregnancy had intensified her scent so much; I could smell her as I made my way up the stairs. Nothing in the world smelled sweeter. Walking in, I saw Morgan’s silhouette curled up in the middle of the bed; she was wearing an old T-shirt of mine and snuggled into my pillow.

I wanted to wake her up and let her know that I was home, but she looked so peaceful and serene, and I was sure that the baby was probably wearing her out. She needed her rest. I stripped down to my boxers and, as gently as I could, got in bed behind her and pulled her back against my chest.

The shirt had ridden up just enough to expose a few inches of her stomach, and I noticed the tiniest bump. My hand found it’s way to her belly, and when I’d rested it against her skin, it was heaven. I nuzzled my face into her hair and inhaled deeply before the stress from the past couple of weeks caught up with me, and fatigue took over.

I was home with the love of my life, resting in the bed we shared, while our child grew in her belly. Comfortable was an understatement when describing how I was feeling, and within minutes, I was in a deep, peaceful sleep.

***

Do you want to know how to get a man to wake up quickly? You break his god damned nose, that’s how. When I felt Morgan’s fist connect with my face, I didn’t know what to think, but because I was so unprepared, the impact left me dazed and confused.

I was just spooning with my fiancé; when had I walked into a f*****g battle?

Kade

When I got to Blue Moon territory, I was happy to see Henry on patrol at the north border. I hadn’t seen him since I left, and the last time I was here, his mate Aires almost ripped my heart out, so a friendly face was more than welcome.

The punch to the throat knocked the wind and the daze right out of me, though. I could see that it was Morgan who was hitting me, and I could both hear the increase in her heartbeat and smell the rush of adrenaline, which told me that she was terrified.

I was an i***t. I was so happy to see her; I didn’t think what it would be like for her to wake up with a man in the bed who wasn’t there when she fell asleep. I tried to reach out to her to calm her down. The stress wasn’t good for the baby, and I didn’t want her to hurt herself trying to fight me off, but I was rewarded with an insane kick to the stomach that stole every bit of breath and strength from my body.

This woman was strong as hell, and even though it felt like my stomach was about to cave in on itself, I was so proud of my Sugar Bear. And I’d never tell him, but when Morgan called for Matt, I thanked the heavens. He wouldn’t be as frazzled as Morgan and would think logically rather than hormonally. She called him to save her, but he was, in reality, keeping me from taking anymore blows.

“Kade? What the hell are you doing here, man?”

Wasn’t it obvious what I was doing? Was I planning a f*****g quinceañera balled up on the god damned floor?

“Getting my a*s kicked apparently. Hey, Sugar Bear,” I finally croaked out.

When she realized what had happened, Morgan rushed over to me and ran her hands over my body, feeling for the injuries she already knew were there.

“Kade! Why would you sneak in here like that? I could have killed you, what if I had shifted and attacked you?” she yelled.

“You looked so peaceful, baby; I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“I’m so sorry. I’ll ask Alaia to-”

I cut her off by grabbing her face and pulling her down for a deep k**s. I hadn’t seen her in weeks, and here she was, just inches away from me. I didn’t care that she’d just single-handedly beat the hell out of me. She was here with me, and that was all that mattered. At some point, Matt backed out of the room and closed the door, leaving the two of us alone.

“What are you doing here, Kade? You’ve got a pack and a fiancé you’re supposed to be with right now,” she said as she pulled away.

“I do have a pack, but my Beta Simon is looking after them. And I am with my fiancé right now.”

As I said that, I grabbed my pants that I’d left on the floor and pulled her ring from the pocket. She looked confused but didn’t fight me when I slid it back on her finger. That ring was made for her.

“What is going on? I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“It’s a long story, and I’ll explain it to you later today. But I only belong to you and this baby you’re carrying, no one else. Please don’t kill our child, Morgan. I swear that we will raise this child together, as man and wife; the Canyon Woods drama is over. Well, almost over.”

“But you’re their Alpha, Nathan told me.”

“I am, and you’re their Luna.”

Her eyes grew huge when I told her, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“L-Luna? No, no, no, no! I’m not a Luna. I’m a bear; I can’t-”

“Don’t worry, Sugar. I’ll explain everything to you, but there is nothing for you to worry about, I promise.”

“Okay. But wait! What about Cameron? Does he know you’re here? And where is Marisol?”

Clearly, she was not going to wait for me to tell her what was going on, she wanted to know everything right then and there, and when I thought about it, I understood. I stood up and pulled her to her feet and led her to the bed.

“Give me a few minutes to get cleaned up; then we can talk. I’ll answer whatever questions you have, alright?”

She nodded her head and smiled. I just hoped that she’d keep that smile when she realized that everything had been a lie; I didn’t want to take any more hits that night.

***

Morgan

It was surreal seeing Kade walk out of the bathroom. His face and chest were still wet from him cleaning the b***d from his nosebleed, and the hormones raging through my body made me notice every drop of water as they ran over his muscles.

Oh God, I’d missed that body, those tattoos, that long thick-

“Sugar Bear? Are you alright?” he asked, interrupting my train of thought.

The smile he wore said that he probably knew what was running through my mind, but I refused to feed his ego. Not before he told me what I wanted to know.

“I’m fine. One of your tattoos looked a bit faded, that’s all,” I lied.

He ran his hands over his chest and twisted and turned, trying to replace the imperfection to his meticulously designed canvas. When he didn’t replace it, he looked at me, confused until he saw the sly smirk I was wearing. It was fun to have these interactions with him again. We always loved to pick with one another; it was the highlight of our days.

“You’re a jerk. A sinfully sexy jerk, but still…”

He walked to the bed, crawled behind me, then pulled me into his lap. He was cradling me like I was a baby, but I didn’t mind at all. I fit in his arms like a hand in glove, and I hadn’t been this content is so long.

“Ask me whatever you want to. Some of the answers may hurt, and I apologize in advance for that, but I want you to know everything.”

I shut my eyes and rested my head on his chest, reveling in the sound and of his heartbeat.

“You gave my ring back. Why isn’t Marisol wearing it?” I asked.

“Marisol was never going to wear that ring, Sugar. And I was never going to marry her.”

He proceeded to tell me about the DNA test, the fact that it was tampered with, Blue Moon’s take over of Canyon Woods, and finally, Marisol and her friend being shipped off to the Badlands. I wanted to scream and shout at him for letting me believe we were over and making me feel like aborting this baby should be an option.

But I couldn’t. There were two innocent women, one of which was away from her mate and adorable little boy, thrown into a real-life horror show fighting to stay alive. Even after all that had happened, at least I still had my family, my freedom, and my child. I wouldn’t be selfish, not now. It took him almost thirty minutes to explain everything to me, and I sat quietly and listened the entire time. It was heavy, and my heart hurt for every member of that pack.

“Please say something Sugar Bear. I know you’re upset about all this, but I promise you we didn’t keep it a secret to hurt you or any of the girls. Tell me what you’re feeling,” he said.

“I feel disgusted.”

Kade’s body tensed, hearing my words, and he tightly wrapped his arms around me.

“Please, I’m so, so sorry, Sugar,” he begged.

“I know you are. But it’s not you who I’m angry with. It’s that son of a b***h, Thorne. We need to get those girls out. Now.”