Chapter 147

Rachel POV

"We have to get the Alpha Council involved right now," Art stated with a grim tone I'd never heard him use before.

He stood up from Patrick's body with his hands out towards Tyler making me realize it was Tyler who still held the gun.

Tyler had been the one to pull the trigger then, the one to kill Patrick, the one to commit murder here in our home.

"Here," Tyler murmured, offering the gun to Art who took it between his thumb and forefinger before placing it onto the footlocker at the end of our bed, "It was an accident. I didn't mean for it to go off."

"I was here," Art said, "I saw the whole thing. I'm your witness. Patrick Flores pulled a weapon. We had to suspect he intended lethal force. There was nothing to do except react accordingly."

"I didn't intend to shoot him, but I'm not sorry either. I'd do it again," Tyler said, looking right at me and I realized he wanted something from me.

Something I could give him.

"I know," I said, telling my mate I forgave him as easily as that.

No one was going to mourn Patrick Flores in this room. Certainly not me. I'd remember him calling me and my mother weak for the rest of my days; I'd never regret watching him die in my place when he'd tried to kill me and my daughter before she'd even had a chance to be born.

If Patrick had killed my daughter, he would have controlled three generations of Campbell women starting with my mother, continuing with me, and ending with my girl.

I would never ever regret seeing him stopped before he could do damage to my girl.

"How will we find where Mom is now? Do you think Campbell knows?" I asked.

"Estes," Art stated, making me look from the body to him, "Richard Estes is going to be removed from House Campbell as soon as I prove he was involved in the removal of Elena Campbell from the position of Luna. Their House will insist he be bled out or killed. I have a feeling he's going to wind up in the same shape as Patrick here. These aren't men who do well in captivity."

No wolves did well in captivity, but, no, I couldn't imagine Richard Campbell---or Richard Estes rather being a good candidate for a wolfen jail. He'd do alright among humans except wolves were rarely housed with humans in prisons now.

The humans had found out fast their inmates were no match for our criminals and our people had become responsible for putting together a central place to contain our own.

We solved a problem only to make ourselves a new one. That was the story for most wolfen situations. I hoped the death of Patrick wouldn't become one more problem to solve.

I realized I was probably still in shock since I wasn't feeling anything about the dead man other than a curiosity regarding whether he would cause more problems dead than alive. Was shock something which could be bad for a baby? Did I need to see a doctor?

"I don't feel well. Do you think a doctor? Should I see a doctor, I mean?" I asked, feeling dulled around all my edges.

Tyler rushed to my side, lifting me into his arms as he headed towards the bedroom door, "I'm taking her to the hospital. She'll be safe there and---"

"And I won't be able to find out anything about my mother! No, Tyler! Put me on the couch. Bring a doctor here. We can do that, right?" I asked, trying to get him to look at me by turning his head with my hand.

Looking at me, Tyler studied my face before nodding, "Yes. I can get a doctor here. You don't move without help though. Understand?"

"Yes," I agreed, ready to agree to anything to avoid being locked into a hospital room away from all the revelations to come, "Call the doctor here. Get Bella, too. She can help me and Lindy can help and Magda."

"And we'll have to all stay out of the bedroom which is now a crime scene," Art said as he ushered Lindy down to sit on the couch at my side, "I'm going to get Alpha Council representatives, but you send Adam for Jack and Bella. They'll do well here with Rachel. We can trust them. They know what's going on. I'm sending a guard for Ethan, too."

"Ethan is in danger?" I asked, suddenly afraid enough to sit up in preparation for going to the hospital after all if it meant guarding my brother.

"Relax," Art said, "You aren't in any shape to guard someone. You need to guard your belly. That's your priority. I'm going to get someone suitable for Ethan, don't worry about that."

I had to trust Art. I paid him no mind as Tyler phoned Adam to tell him to go get Bella and Jack. They'd come to be with me in a heartbeat; I knew their loyalty could be counted on without speaking to them myself.

Tyler came to crouch at my side, saying, "Adam will be here with Bella and Jack. I'm going to go talk to the Alpha Inspector. Are you okay? Do you need anything? Lindy! Get her anything she needs. Don't let her off this couch, understand?"

"Yes! Yes, I will," Lindy agreed, nodding. She was clearly startled Tyler had grabbed her arm. I couldn't blame her. I was startled he'd touched the woman at all, too.

"Get me some ice water? Maybe a cool cloth? I feel---strange," I admitted.

I didn't want much beyond a break from people being too close to me. I needed to breathe my own air for a moment.

Watching Art and Tyler speak through the window, I realized I had no idea what they were saying and I wasn't fine with the idea of them having secrets from me. I wasn't fine with the idea of them being on their own at all. I wanted to be done suddenly.

My pregnancy had been such a miracle at first and now I wanted it behind me. I wanted my baby born. I wanted my body back.

Tears stung my eyes and I rubbed them with angry fists. I wasn't sad. I was frustrated and angry and so, so tired of being a hostage in my own skin! When was this going to end already?

"Eat, too," Magda said, thrusting a bowl of fruit into my hands, "You will thank me after you have something in your stomach. It will settle things. Your nerves are not so calm now. Baby is stress for body. You will be better when she born."

Magda felt motherly to me in the moment. I wanted to give the housekeeper a hug, but knew it wouldn't be taken well since the woman was as stalwart as an Alpha male in too many ways. Her thick accent was comforting though; I was grateful enough to eat which did settle me some.

Lindy brought a tray with two glasses filled with ice along with a pitcher of iced water. She knew how to set a table for guests. I couldn't complain about her ability to host even in someone else's home.

We all took some time to breathe while the Alpha Council popped in three more Alpha Inspectors with magic users to escort them. I couldn't tell what they were doing in the bedroom. I did know when they called out they were moving 'the body' and a part of me froze all over as I realized the man who'd raised me was now nothing more than 'the body.'

"Don't think about it," Lindy whispered to me, "My nanny told me not to think about it when they took away my old auntie after she died. They had to move her out in front of me. I was so scared. I didn't want to see a dead body. Nan told me to think about a field of flowers, to be there, to see nothing else. Be somewhere else, Rachel. Just for a few minutes."

Closing my eyes, I let myself drift back in time to when I was sitting with my mother in her hospital bed. She was well enough to sit up. She'd been reading a book to me while the sun shone on us and Ethan had been playing with his cars in the floor.

I couldn't remember Patrick at all. The moment was perfect for me because it was all the real family I knew: Mom, me, and Ethan. We had been so happy. Would my baby get a chance to hear my mother read her stories?

"Rachel!" Bella cried out, startling my eyes open, and I threw my arms wide to welcome an embrace from both her and her mate, Jack.

We would find my mother. Alive. We had to.