Happy holidays everone!

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Mikko was gripping the bars at the end of Nikki's bed. These were reinforced beds, built specially for werewolves in an emergency handling them.

"It's not okay." He growled, looking over at me. "How is what happened okay?"

"It's not their fault." I shot back. "You can't even find his guy. How do you expect them to prevent him getting close if you don't even know where he is?"

Mikko shook his head and looked back at Nikki. "What do you think I've been doing this whole time? Running around with friends not doing anything?"

"I didn't figure you had friends. I assumed you would've been running around with one of your many girls."

"I don't have time to run around like that."

I huffed. "You had that time last month."

"And look how things have changed," he muttered as he kept his eyes on Nikki. "What did Marshall tell you? If I still know him, he probably told you to give me a message."

I nodded and rubbed the bandage on my thumb. "He wanted a vial of my blood."

His brows scrunched in confusion. "Marshall can't work magic. He would have no use for your blood if he got close enough to get it. Your scent would suffice."

The witch, I thought. "But witches use magic and blood, right?"

"Christ." Mikko used the word as a curse. "Did he say a name?"

I shook my head. "No." I reached into my jacket pocket, "He said he had your little witch." I pulled out the bag. "He gave me this."

Mikko stared at the finger tip for a few seconds before taking it from me. He opened the bag for a second before closing it again. Anger showed on his features as he examined the severed portion of the finger.

"He has that witch from the restaurant, doesn't he?"

Mikko nodded once with a clenched jaw.

"What can she do with my blood?"

Mikko leaned against the bed and looked at me. I didn't miss his eyes dip down to my swollen belly. He hadn't seen me for three weeks, which meant I grew. "She could throw a weak curse at you. She could possess you for a short time. She could enthrall you to do her bidding." He huffed and put the bagged finger on a small table. "That woman can do a lot of bad with your blood."

"What do I do now?"

"You stay close to me." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm sure Albert told you I can't intentionally get close unless you want me to. But no one can protect you like I can."

I couldn't talk about that, not now. That would just make me anxious and stressful again. The idea of a therapist would probably be useful… if one would understand about werewolves without throwing me in a looney-bin. I needed a distraction, so I looked at Nikki. "When will she be fine again?"

"I've reversed most of the damage to the bonds, but there's not enough fixed to keep her control."

I walked closer to Nikki and sat on her bed. "This has been the worst winter in a very long time."

I took her hand and waited for Finn to arrive. By the time that happened I was asleep on some chairs by Nikki's bed. Mikko quickly pulled me away from Nikki when I started falling asleep because she was twitching in her sleep.

I woke up when I heard Finn and Mikko chatting about Marshall. "She needs to come to the house." Finn nearly snarled at his son. "It's your job to keep her safe. Start doing it."

I breathed deeply and stretched a bit to make it obvious that I was waking up.

My back ached like I had been lifting things all day, which I knew came from the awkward position I had been on the chairs. I had it coming. I stretched to try to ease the pain, but it didn't help.

"Maybe you should go rest on a real bed," Mikko said looking over at me. "She's going to be asleep for a while longer."

That's actually a good idea. I thought as I stood up. The pressure on my back hurt even more.

"Can I stay at the house? I don't want to be far from her."

"Of course," Finn agreed with a smile.

I took a step and had to stop. I felt a contraction. It was brief and my lower back didn't hurt with it, so I knew it couldn't be labor pains yet. It didn't even feel like the preterm labor drama.

Mikko stepped closer when I froze. "What's wrong?"

I breathed out hard. "Just a contraction?" I saw both of the men's faces drop. "Don't worry. I'm not in labor. It's fine."

"Maybe we should have you checked out." Finn's voice sounded worried.

With much amusement, I declined. "Really, everything's fine. It's normal."

"You need to rest." Mikko stepped closer to me before I was lifted off the ground. "You can argue with me later."

I nodded and held on, trying not to think of the fact that Mikko was carrying me around. I was still too tired and I ached all over. "I'm never sleeping on a chair again."

He chuckled, then took me to his room, where I fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was nine in the morning. I immediately got up and changed into something warm before going back out to Nikki.

There were guards outside my door, which meant Mikko wasn't around.

Three guards followed me to the infirmary. When I walked into the room, I was surprised to see that Nikki was alone. I had expected Mike to be here, but he wasn't.

After an hour of sitting there, I started getting worried. How could Mike not be here for Nikki? I knew he had obligations to the pack, but this was Nikki, his mate.

I took a step out of Nikki's room and looked at one of the guards. "Do you know if Mike has been by?"

He shook his head. "Mikko took him this morning."

I sighed and looked back at my sleeping friend. "When will they be back?"

The guard shrugged. "Maybe an hour, maybe two."

There was nothing else I could do. I stayed by Nikki.

I was sitting in a chair, resting my head on the wall and staring at her when two men walked in. Mike went right to his mate, making sure she was okay. Finn smiled at me. "I knew you'd be in here."

I shrugged. "I have nowhere else to be."

Mike sighed. "I can't believe this happened. You had guards with you."

I didn't know what to say to him. I knew this was my fault. It was because of that one night, that one mistake that all of this was happening. Mike squatted next to my chair as Finn stood next to Nikki.

"I know that face." Mike patted my knee. "It's not your fault that this happened. It's that bastard's fault."

I gave him a small smile. "You should say that about Mikko when his dad is in the room."

Mike smiled. "Maybe we should go for a walk while Alpha Finn works on her."

I nodded. "Sure."

Finn eyed Mike for a second. "I don't have to give you a warning, do I?"

Mike shook his head and led me out if the room. "Of course not boss."

Mike led me out of the infirmary and took my hand before taking me to a path that leads into the trees. "You should consider taking Mikko's offer to go somewhere safe."

I nodded. "I know. I didn't think Nikki would get hurt because of this."

"I didn't think so either." He looked down for a second before becoming alert again. "I'm not saying this to make you unhappy or to make you think that you're not welcome here."

I nodded even though he wasn't looking at me. "I know. I’m just afraid."

Mike stopped and looked at me. "I know. But now you know who's out there, trying to get revenge on Mikko. It's not just a possibility anymore Em. This threat is real."

I nodded. "I just need a couple of weeks to get my head around this."

He nodded. "That's fine Em. You just need to think about what's good for the pregnancy, not what's best for you, necessarily."

"I know you're right." I agreed. "Maybe we should be getting back."

Mike nodded and looked around. "Sure. We're surrounded anyway."

I looked around but didn't see anything. "We are?"

He jerked his chin in the direction behind me. I turned to see a huge purely black wolf. There were no breaks in the fur where the hair got lighter. This wolf was completely black.

I gasped. "That one's huge."

Mike chuckled. "He is pretty big."

I crossed the distance to the wolf. I looked back at Mike for a second. "Do I know this one?"

He laughed. "I'd say you do. You've got a piece of that one in you."

My jaw dropped as I looked back at the wolf. "This is Mikko?"

"Yep." Mike popped his p.

I slowly reached and touched his fur. "The fur is actually really soft." The wolf lowered his head and nudged my thigh. I had always gotten along with Mikko's wolf more than I ever had with Mikko the man. "You know," I said thoughtfully, "we could make a saddle for the babies when they get a little older and let them ride you like a horse."

Mike burst out in a laugh while the wolf grunted.

I laughed with Mike and ran my hand through Mikko's fur one last time before stepping away from the huge wolf. "Well I think it's a good idea."

"Me too." Mike nodded. "I would pay to see that."

The three of us walked back to the infirmary. Mikko hung behind while Mike and I walked back. Nikki was awake and looked confused for a moment before resting her eyes on Mike. She lit up. I was just happy that she was okay.

Finn gave me a smile. "She's going to be fine. Everything is back to how it was."

I was thankful for that. "I'm glad there was no permanent damage."

Finn nodded and looked at the couple locked in an embrace. "There could have been major damage done, but Marshall made it all reversible. This was a warning to Mikko."

"I don't want this to happen to anyone else." The guilt for this happening to my best friend was overwhelming. I could only imagine how it would be if Marshall decided to start attacking pack members.

"The only way that happens is if you come with us back to my territory," Mikko said behind us, echoing from the hallway.

I rubbed a hand over my belly. "When does that have to happen?"

"The sooner the better." Finn didn't take his eyes off of the couple.

"What if Mikko finds him first?" I offered knowing the answer I'd get in return.

Finn shrugged. "There is always someone else Emily. Coming to my land is a permanent move."

"I need to think about it some more."

He nodded. "Don't take too much time." He walked out of the door and left me to witness Mike and Nikki making out. I cringed and left their room so they could have some quality time together.

I paced the waiting room. I didn't have anywhere to go and I was too anxious to sit and wait patiently.

Mikko came into the waiting room fully human and fully dressed. "Why aren't you with Nikki and Mike?"

"They needed some private time."

He smirked. "Should I check on them for you?"

I shook my head. "No. It's fine. I can wait."

But I didn't. Mike came through the door. "Sorry Em. You can see her now."

I nodded and followed Mike to Nikki. Mikko didn't follow us into the room.

She held her arms out for a hug. "What a scary guy, right?"

I scoffed. "You're the one he messed with." I wrapped my arms around her. "I'm sorry."

She swayed side to side. "You didn't do anything Em."

I nodded. "I don't want this to happen to anyone else again."

She chuckled. "Yeah, 'cause it sucks big time."

Nikki was allowed to leave the infirmary that night. As a precaution, she had to stay at the alpha's house for the night. So of course, I stayed up with Nikki and we took our minds off of everything that had happened.

Waking up wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't have to worry about going to work. I didn't have to worry about Nikki because she was awake now. I had absolutely nothing to worry about anymore.

I felt like I needed to get a hobby to keep myself entertained. I looked around to see that I was alone. It made sense since I fell asleep before Nikki. She probably left me to go sleep with her mate. I couldn't blame her. If I had someone to love, I'd want to sleep next to them too.

I didn't do my whole morning routine because I already felt too run down to do it. It was already going to be one of those days where I was tired all day long. At least it came on a day where I was free from work.

I tugged on a robe and went in search of food. I found Finn and Jerry sitting in the kitchen as others ate around them. The alphas usually ate before the rest of the pack.

I hugged the robe around myself, not as confident around the wolves in just my robe. I knew that no one usually bothered an alpha while they were eating. So I grabbed a plate and lower up food. There was nowhere to sit, so I went to the living room where a few were watching TV.

I waited an hour without spotting either Nikki or Mikko.

I needed to get my talk with Mikko over with. Finn would know where his son was. The dining room was now mostly empty, occupied only with Finn and his laptop.

When he looked over, he smiled seeing me. "What can I do for you Emily?"

I leaned against one of the chairs. "Do you know where Mikko is?"

"Mikko is probably asleep." He leaned away from the computer screen.

"Asleep?"

Finn's expression said he was amused. "Yes. Asleep."

I knew better than to wake a sleeping werewolf. "Do you know if he'll be awake soon?"

Finn shrugged his shoulders. "Probably a few hours. He ran patrols last night. He didn't get in until a few hours ago."

"Mikko ran patrols?" I asked in disbelief.

Finn nodded with a smile. "Yes. I can wake him up if you want me to."

I shook my head. "No. I don't want to wake him up."

Finn gave a small nod and looked back at his computer. "That's probably a wise decision."

-----

It really did feel like an eternity waiting for Mikko to wake up. I had done everything I could think of. I had played every game on my phone. I didn't even have Nikki for entertainment.

Nikki and Mike had left after they ate breakfast. I knew Mike blamed me. I could see it in his eyes. I knew that there was a small part of Nikki that did too. We needed a few days to apart so she could figure out where she wanted to go with this. All I hoped was she would eventually forgive what happened.

I was swinging in a hammock, watching the clouds change when I heard heavy footsteps behind me.

"I'm surprised you didn't wake me up." Mikko's sleepy voice was behind me.

I looked over at him with a shrug. "I know better than to poke a bear when it's sleeping."

He smirked and let himself onto my hammock, even after I shot him a glare. "So," he said in a sigh, "what is it you wanted to talk about?" Mikko wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him and forcing me to use his arm as a pillow.

"After what happened with Nikki, I don't want to stay here much longer. I feel like it's my fault." I confessed. "If I was gone, or if I hadn't even gotten pregnant, Nikki wouldn't have gotten hurt."

He shrugged, moving my head. "Nikki knew the risks when she left the house with you. What happened is not your fault. It just happened. It was just Marshall letting me know he's still present."

"Well, I don't want him to be present when these—the baby's born." We were still at the pack house. There were wolves here. They could be easily eavesdropping.

He smirked at my near slip up. "Marshall won't get close to my kid once you've given birth. He knows I'd kill him."

"He's certainly not afraid of you now."

Mikko tensed for a second, but quickly resumed his calm façade. I knew he was irritated. I knew he was probably barely holding it together.

"How about this," he started, "you start packing and when you're done, I'll take you up to my house until you've given birth. Then no one else will be in danger."

I nodded and looked at the clouds again. They were always constantly changing, just like my life as of late. "I'll start tomorrow morning. I'm feeling really run down today."

Mikko nodded and rubbed my belly once before getting up. "Come to the office when you're ready to go home."

And just like that I was alone again. Guess that situation was too comfortable for him. I thought sarcastically.

I didn't want to hang out here much longer. I really was tired. I felt so big and so useless since all I wanted to do was stay in bed.

Mikko didn't waste any time getting me back to the house. Mikko decided it was necessary to bring protectors along with us. Making dinner felt like it drained the last of the energy I had left. As soon as I was finished with dinner I went up to my room. I left the kitchen a mess, promising myself that I'd clean it up tomorrow.

I was climbing into bed when my door opened.

Mikko stayed near the door. I knew from the look on his face that he wouldn't be staying here tonight.

"I have to go back and talk with Finn." He confirmed my suspicions, but I didn't really care. I was exhausted. "There will be a few guys around if you need anything."

I nodded and waved him away. I just wanted to sleep. He gently shut the door and I fell asleep minutes later.