Reckless Regrets
Chapter 55

Morgan

Alaia, Taylor, Aires, and I decided to avoid all of the prison break drama and have a quiet night around the fire pit. Xander and Kade had made it back home a few hours earlier, and after dinner, they, along with Matt, Alexi, and even Henry, went up to the office to watch everything go down.

Alaia and Aires felt that I didn’t need any more stress, even if it was entertaining, and Taylor needed the distraction, so here we were, curled up on the lawn chairs, staring at the stars and sharing the latest gossip.

“Has your pregnancy made you hornier? When I was pregnant with Isabella, I jumped Henry three to four times a day; at least,” Aires reminisced.

“I can’t say for sure. Since Kade’s been gone so much, I don’t know if it’s the lack of s*x or the hormones that has me constantly ready to go. But the o*****s have been transformative; I’ll have twenty little hybrid babies if I get to keep cumming like this,” I laughed.

“I don’t know about twenty, but I do think I want a couple more. I’ve always wanted a big family, and I know Alexi and Xander both want another daughter. With the expansion of the pack, I don’t know when we’ll have time to add to the family, but it’s on my list,” Alaia added.

“I’m happy with the three I have. Besides, it’s hard to appreciate both of my guys at the same time when I have a big belly in the way,” Taylor giggled.

She was drunk. Really, really drunk. Aires was playing bartender, and she’d pulled out a few of the liquors she’d found traveling the world and mixed them into something she called “Pickup Punch” because Matt would need to pick Taylor up and carry her to bed once she’d had one cup.

The drink was living up to its name beautifully.

“Have you ever wondered if you have two mates?” Alaia asked me.

“No. I mean, I don’t know how it works, but with the two of you, for example, you both had an old love who was a mate then your ‘love at first sight’ mate. Before Kade, men were worth less than s**t to me, so I don’t have any old loves. He’s my one and only,” I replied.

“Do you want another one?” Aires asked.

Aires loved good girl talk, and it was always funny to see how excited she would get when the conversation would heat up.

“Honestly? Not at all. I do see the appeal, especially with all of the gorgeous men running around here all the time, but Kade is enough for me.”

“What if he wants to bring in another woman?” Taylor asked.

She’d propped herself up on her elbow and was trying her hardest to keep her head from swaying as she tried to look over at me. Matt was going to kick our asses for getting her this wasted.

“For a while, I thought Aires was going to be our third,” I admitted.

“What?! No! Why?!” Aires asked.

I laughed and tilted my head up to the stars as I thought back to when we first met her.

“I never considered myself bisexual, but I recognize a beautiful and sexy woman, and Aires, you are one of the hottest women I’ve ever seen. Your body is insane, and you ooze confidence and power; I saw that immediately.

Plus, Kade has a thing for curves and accents. His flirting was innocent, but he meant it at the same time. You were perfect for the two of us. But Henry stole you away,” I replied with a shrug.

“And you tell me this now?! I would have killed for a threesome with the two of you when I first met you. I want a redo!” Aires joked.

“Now, I feel left out. Why don’t my friends want to sleep with me?” Alaia asked.

“We can have a hot, sweaty orgy right now, gorgeous; you just say the word,” Aires replied.

I heard someone clear their throat behind me and turned around to see Henry standing a few feet away.

Oh shit.

“Hi, Henry!” I yelled, trying to distract him from our awkward conversation.

“Good evening, Gamma,” he replied.

“Oh, cut it out and call me Morgan already. Your mate is one of my best friends, and you just heard us talking about munching on one another. I think we’re well beyond titles,” I blurted out.

When the ladies heard me, they all started laughing, leaving poor Henry embarrassed and confused.

“Did you need me, Mi Amor?” Aires asked him.

He walked over to her and took her face in his hands.

“How are you? Did you have much to drink?” he asked her.

“I’m fine; I just had one.”

He continued to examine her face making her smile and pull him down for a k**s.

“I promise I’m not drunk. I know that I need to be ready to go get Oso.”

“That was a drunk conversation I walked up on,” Henry replied.

“Oh, no. That was honest. Back when I dated women, I would have slept with any one of these girls,” she proudly stated.

“Whooo!” Taylor yelled.

So much for convincing this man that we weren’t drunk.

“We think Tyson’s coming to the end of the tunnel now, Sunflower. I’ve got coordinates for you to shimmer us to; thankfully, the truck we stashed is close by,” Henry said, brushing off her earlier comment.

Aires stood up and stretched.

“I don’t need coordinates; I just need him. I’ve been practicing, and I can shimmer to people now, not just places anymore. Are you ready?” she asked him.

He caressed her face and looked a little concerned. I hoped our conversation didn’t make him question Aires’ love for him; she was crazy about that man and no one else.

“I’m ready. Let’s go,” he finally replied.

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and placed a gentle k**s on her lips. Then came the poof of purple smoke, and they were both gone.

“I still think they are the sweetest couple I’ve ever seen,” Alaia said.

“Agreed,” Taylor and I said in unison.

***

Tyson

Running in this tunnel was reminiscent of running on a treadmill. It seemed that no matter how long I ran, we never reached the end. It was becoming frustrating, especially when I could smell the finish line but not see it. I would periodically check behind me and check on the girls. They were strong wolves, but they weren’t fighters, so they had never needed to increase their stamina or endurance.

Couple that with the fact that they’d been in prison, barely eating and dealing with physical and emotional strain, their bodies were losing energy quickly. I needed to get them out, or at the very least, get them somewhere they could rest and recuperate.

I slowed down to a gentle jog while I tried to sniff out my next move. I needed to talk to them to gauge how they felt and determine what their chances were of continuing, so I shifted back to human form.

“Girls, I need you to shift. We need a quick team meeting,” I told them.

Once they were back with me, I could hear how difficult their breathing was. These girls were spent.

“I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t know how much further to the end of the tunnel, and I don’t even know for sure that we’re going the right way. I feel that we are, and my instincts had never led me wrong before, but I need to know if you can continue,” I said.

“If I’m being honest, I feel like I’m about to faint. I think the cut on my foot caused me to lose more b***d than I thought, and my wolf is exhausted, so it’s hard for her to heal it. I don’t think I can go any further,” Marisol weakly admitted.

“Pretty soon, the guards will be doing rounds, and they will see that we are gone, so we have to keep moving. Gabby, how are you feeling?” I asked.

“I’m okay. I’m tired and a little weak, but I think I can continue.”

“No, I can’t have you depleted like Marisol. I’ll shift back to my bear and carry the two of you on my back. Gabby, make sure she doesn’t fall off, and she stays alive long enough for us to make it to Alaia to heal her, alright?”

“I can do that.”

When I shifted back, I could easily smell the b***d that was pouring from Marisol’s foot. I didn’t know how I’d missed it before, and the fact that she was in these disgusting tunnels barefoot almost guaranteed an infection. I was even more motivated to get her out; I couldn’t let her live through The Badlands only to let a little tetanus take her out.

They climbed on my back, and I remembered to grab the mystery package Blaze had given me before I once again took off towards what I hoped was freedom. The never-ending treadmill was becoming discouraging, but then a new scent mixed in with the dirt and b***d that had been filling my senses for what seemed like forever.

Argan oil and honey. I’d know that scent combination anywhere; it was the smell of my oldest pain in the a*s. Aires. She was close, so that meant we were almost there.

I pushed a little harder then eventually saw a small sliver of light at the end of the tunnel. I’d never been so happy to see what I assumed was moonlight, and wondered if this was how my Sunshine felt every full moon.

Either way, it was beautiful, and I felt a sense of relief like never before. The opening was full of sand and tumbleweeds that had blown in over time. I had to fight to get through, but when I did, I immediately fell to the ground, totally drained.

Aires stepped up to my bear and smiled down.

“Hola, Oso. I’ve never seen you like this, has married life softened you up?”

The girls climbed from my back and were given robes to cover up with by Henry. I then shifted back and took a few deep breaths before looking up at Aires, who was still wearing her same cocky smile.

“Air, I just ran a f*****g marathon, the last part of it with two people on my god damn back. Don’t give me any s**t right now, at least wait until I’ve gotten some sleep,” I stated.

“Some sweats, Gamma. And we should get going; the Alpha just informed me that the prison has discovered that you’ve escaped,” Henry said as he passed me the clothes. I quickly got dressed and made some basic introductions.

“Troublemaker, Gabby, this is our lead trainer Henry and his mate Aires, who also happens to be a trainer and our vampire hunter,” I said.

“Mi Amor is the head trainer, sí, but no one gets the wolfies into shape like I do,” Aires proudly stated.

“Vampire hunter? That’s incredible,” Gabby said in awe.

“The best in the business.”

“Alright, Air. We get it; you’re a badass. Can we go now? I really need a shower, and Marisol needs to see Alaia.”

It was then that Henry and Aires noticed how pale Marisol was and the pool of b***d collecting at her foot.

“Oh no, she won’t make it in the car. The trip is way too long. I’ll shimmer her to the house, and you guys can take the car. Is that alright?” Aires asked.

“That’s perfect, Sunflower, as long as you have the energy. It’s a lot of b***d and a long trip, and with you becoming drained, I don’t want it to incite bloodlust,” Henry warned.

“I’ve got one more shimmer in me, and I’ll have a drink as soon as she’s safe with Alaia. I’ll be alright,” she assured him.

“Bloodlust? I completely forgot that you were a vampire,” Marisol weakly said.

“Sí, I’m a vampire/bear hybrid, but I won’t hurt you,” Aires replied.

“You’re just as safe with her as you were with me, I promise,” I assured Marisol.

“Okay. How does this work?” she asked.

“You just hold chica. You won’t like it, but you’ll be alright.”

“Won’t like wha-”

Marisol didn’t get to finish her question. Aires took her hand and immediately shimmered the two of them back to the packhouse. I was jealous, for sure. I had a five-hour car ride ahead of me, and the trouble maker would be healed, bathed, fed, and cozy in bed by the time I got home.

“We really should go now if we want to stay undetected,” Henry reminded me.

I nodded and picked up Blaze’s care package then led Gabby to the truck that was parked nearby. Once I settled in, I saw Gabby quickly fall asleep as Henry began the trek back home. Before I closed my eyes, I decided to take a look at what Blaze had given me.

I unwrapped the package and almost lost it when I saw what was inside. They were different shades of deep iridescent green and a little smaller than a football. I picked one up and was surprised that it was smooth and warm to the touch. It was then that I saw the note tucked away.

Hades,

I apologize for throwing this on you this way, but I’ve kept these eggs with me for too long, and they need a new home for a while if I’m going to keep them away from Cervantes.

I know that you can keep them safe and will do the right thing until I get out and come collect them.

Just keep the eggs warm and dry, and they will take care of themselves, I promise. I’ll see you soon, and I owe you two bottles of bourbon now.

“What the f**k? Two bottles? No, you owe me an entire god damned distillery.”