Chapter 24
Garrett and Brody
Neither could have babies, but they wanted a family and adopted several from their orphanage. Those kids were left behind when their parents were killed in fights or got sick and could not be helped by medicines. They adopted seven children together. Four girls and three boys, and they made sure that the siblings were adopted together too.
Garrett saw what happens when siblings are separated when adopted, and he refused to go through that with his kids. They now had eight children together, but they wanted a more prominent family, for they were happy. They would wait for a couple more years to adopt more.
“Let’s go on a date tomorrow night,” Brody stated.
“Where will we get a babysitter or sitter for our growing brood?”
“We could get your sister and her husband to watch them?”
“They have newborn cubs. Who else?” We could have Lane and Gabriel come to give them a break from the babies and let the men take charge.”
“No, how about the other way around? We will get the pizza and ice cream, and they can have a movie night.”
“I will text them now.”
“Hey, how would you like a pizza party with ice cream and movies with our brood? Boys only?”
Garrett waited for their responses and was surprised when he read the text. ‘Sorry, no can do, another time?’
“They refused to come; I guess it was too soon for them.”
“Hey, we have a pack of babysitters; we need four of them, Suzzie, Carry, Harley, and Rachel. They are certified to babysit these guys and work in the orphanage too.”
“Texting them now.”
They received a text back from the girls accepting the job. They would bring some games and snacks to eat during the movies. The kids were excited about them coming. Some of them could not wait till they got there to babysit them.
Their fathers brought seven pies and six tubs of ice cream, and the girls brought sodas, water, chips, and other snacks for the night. They got the kids settled, but their kids pushed them out the door and told them to have a good night and stay in a hotel room.
“Guess they don’t want us around for the night,” Brody said, laughing as he helped his husband into the car.
“Guess we are getting a room?”
“Hell yeah, time to ourselves with ought eight kids. Gods, we need this time for us.”
“Sure do, we sure do love.”
They had their dinner, rented a room for the night with a spa, and took every advantage of it. They got couples massages, swam, soaked in the tub, and showered together. They had a relaxing time and decided to take time for themselves several times a month.
They got up the following day, not wanting to return home, but they had to anyway. They went to eat a late breakfast before heading home. When they got home, they saw a mess of adults and kids throwing footballs around, girls playing volleyball, and a BBQ grill light with food.
“What’s going on here?” Garrett asked.
“We are having an outside party, Dad. Come join us.”
One of their daughters said.
“It looks like you all did not miss us one bit.” Brody started laughing.
“We did, Dad, but this is much more fun. Ramiel, Steven, and the other fathers came to help, and we just made one big pack party.”
Garrett mouthed ‘thank you’ to Ramiel and Steven for their assistance. The guys felt terrible that they did not babysit for the brothers-in-law and decided to make it a fun day for the kids. Most of them are older than five and needed to run off some of that energy they had.
Those that could shift did and ran with other members of the pack, and those that did not stay behind. The kids stayed in the middle of the adults while running around the grounds. They were the protectors of children and the first line of defense if something or someone threatened them.
It is a system that Ramiel put in place since the vampires had attacked them. He kept it in place so they could practice this every month. He could not afford to have people missing or killed by anybody who meant harm.
The guys got involved in playing football with the boys, and they tried to cheat against the other team. It came to be girls against boys to play football, and the girls won. They figured the guys would let them win, but they got the bragging rights for now. Playing with the pack brings morals up and unifies them to become closer.
It also helped keep the children closer since they no longer had a family, so the orphanage children were always included in the pack’s parties. The older ones played football or basketball against the adults, and the adults won.
Once the meat was done a few hours later, they sat down with their plates full of food. They had good conversations, and it turned out that several more orphans would be adopted later that week. This is another reason Ramiel has these parties. He wants everyone to have a family, which is particularly important for him. He knew what it was like to have a broken family, but he also did for his mate and her brother because he did not want any orphans to go through what they had.
Even though he has family, they are not remarkably close to each other. His father took off after his mother was pregnant with him and his sister. He was nowhere to be found until they were four years old, they got together again, and she got pregnant again. He stayed for a few months, then took off, and never heard from me again.
He was not happy with his father about what he did. Later he found that his father was a heartbreaker and had several other women of varied species, and he has several siblings worldwide.
He only met a handful of them and stayed in contact with them. They were not close as most siblings are. He longed for that closeness with all his siblings as he had with his twin sister. She has her mate, and they live in a different country, so they only get to see each other through Zoom.
Once the BBQ was over, the women and children cleaned up the dishes, and the men and boys cleaned the BBQ pits and put the games and toys away. Ramiel stood back and watched how well his pack worked together, and his heart swelled at the sight in front of him.
“Steven, Garret, I need to speak to you briefly.”
“What is it, boss?”
“Put up a big screen over there and set up some chairs. Grab a couple of other men and get a movie set up that is good for kids and adults alike. Ensure enough blankets and pillows are spread around the grounds for everyone to sit and lay down.”
“Cool, a group movie night for everyone,” Garrett said.
“Make it a surprise but hurry it up. Oh, here are electrical extensions that you may need.”
The men got everything set up and asked for help from some women to bring blankets and pillows, and they helped set it up around. There were a few people who ran paroles to make sure there were no intruders. They could hear the movie going and would stop by now and then or even switch people out so they all could have a turn at watching the film.
When the movies were over, they helped the children back to their homes and tucked them into their beds. The parents thanked the people for their help with their children; those who were orphans only had a few more nights to sleep there, and then they would be in their bedrooms and beds, in their own homes with parents who loved them very much.
Chapter 24
Taken
A few months had passed since the party, and Brody and Garrett kept true to themselves at went out on a date twice a month. All the orphans were adopted by their new parents, and life could not be sweeter.
“Baby, what is weighing on your mind?” Ramiel asked Lane.
“I do not know; my gut is telling me something is wrong; it just does not feel right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Something will happen, and it is not good. Have the borders have been stepped up?”
“Hey baby, just relax; nothing is going to happen; remember you came here as my charge, and it turns out we are mates.”
She rolled her eyes at him and laughed at his antics. She walked away, heading for the babies’ rooms, and Ramiel came in with their bottles. They were not on solid foods yet, but they put cereal in their milk to make them fuller.
He got his son and brought him into his sisters’ room, and she took the girls and fed them their bottles. It would only be a few more days, and they would start on more solid foods. She began to provide them with baby food, and they were doing well. The baby food was only given to them at lunch, which was not very much as she did not want them to get tummy aches.
They were starting to sit up on their own but not for exceptionally long. This meant that they could sit in their highchairs with blankets or pillows around them to keep them upright.
She could not wait for this to happen, and they would not get up to feed them. One could provide them while the other could clean them up. They longed for this, but they would not give this life up for anything.
A few weeks pass, and the tinge of helplessness is more vital than ever in Lane’s gut. She was anxious and would not let her family out of sight. Lane kept herself busy and always kept her babies with her. She could not bear to lose a baby or any family member, for that matter.
She took the babies home so they could nap in, and Ramiel was headed home to work and help with the babies. Not much was happening at the office, and something was drawing him to be home.
He now could not shake the feeling that something was off. That made him push to get home that much faster. He opened his mind link, asking if Lane were okay, he also requested Garrett and Steven if they had seen anything amiss, and they said no, but they too could not shake the feeling something was about to happen.
He walked up the stairs to his home but noticed nobody was home. He was stealthy as he walked, crept to the door, found it ajar, sniffed the air, and caught a rancid scent from inside.
He opened the link to all pack members, letting them know that someone was at his house and had entered. His family is in danger, and he needs help to find family. Some warriors had approached the home and taken their places around the house.
They could smell the stench that lingered around the house. They knew it was rogues of some kind but could not tell what species. One of the warriors was a wolf, and he gagged.
“Wolves, that is what you smell, are rogue wolves. The stench is enough for the Grinch to lose his dinner.” They all had to laugh at what he said.
“On my count, we go in simultaneously, do not scare them; I want them alive. Those not here track their scent to see where they are heading and if they have anyone else with them.”
Trackers got to it right away. A couple lost their lunch because the stench was so putrid, but they recovered and kept moving.
Ramiel went inside, and blood was all over the living room, moving into the kitchen. His children were there sleeping, but they were drugged while Lane was nowhere to be found.
His bear reared and screamed for his mates while Gabriel and Brody came in, taking the babies to the hospital while the others chased the rogues to find his wife, his mate, and the mother of his babies.
He could not grieve or wallow in pain but needed to find her fast. She is injured and needs medical attention quickly. He can still feel her through their bond, but he can tell she is losing a lot of blood.
Garrett focused on her to see if he could find her, sense her whereabouts. Gabriel did the same thing to help find her sister. The more Ramiel had on, the better.
He received a video call from the intruders, and they showed him Lane. She was alive, barely but alive and hurt severely. He yelled at her to hang on; he would find them and get her back. The wolves were trying to give her wolfsbane and silver.
This does not hurt her, she is a werebear, polar bear to be exact, and when she is healed completely, she will tear these wolves apart from limb to limb.
“What do you want from us?”
“We want your land, of course.” pursued the intruder, standing too close to his mate.
“Rami, do not listen to them; just care for the babies. I will find my way back to you.”
“Where are you, rogue? Where did you take my mate?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know what I am going to do? I am not going to tell you....”
“It’s south, keeps going sou...” she started to say before being hit with a whip.
There will be no scarring since this does not hurt her, but the pain and broken cheekbone hurts like a bitch. She had gone through so much; she thought that was in the past, but somehow it caught up to her again.
She did not know who these bastards were or why they took her. She was about to go, momma, bear on these bastards. She was knocked into oblivion. She saw nothing but black and felt all alone.
She was beaten, but nothing like this; this was different. They had a bone to pick with her and Ramiel or just her. She had to find out what it was and why they had taken her. She needed her babies, and they needed their momma.
She woke up lying on a nasty cot stained with pee, and God knows what. She got up and looked around the place, wondering where she was. It was too warm for her liking; she liked the colder weather. It was home, comforting, and gods, did she miss it so much.
Lane started to look out of the window and did not recognize the area that she was in. She could not tell if she was in Alaska, Canada, or the United States.
She tried reaching out to Gabriel and Garrett, letting them see where she was being held up. She was in a decent size cell with windows outside, but they had bars across them. Her sight was fuzzy from being hit in the head and across the face. Lane did not know how long it took them to get where she was, but she was also sedated, which did not affect her bear.
She fell back on the cot again, passing out from exhaustion, trying to connect with her family. She fell into another deep sleep and was pulled into an ethereal world. There she met with a woman who had long silver hair, blue eyes, an iridescent dress, and was barefoot.
“Lane, my child, wake up; we must talk.”
“Who are you, and how did I get here?”
“I am your mother, Selene; I am the moon goddess.”
“Uh, oh, wow. You match our mates, soul mates?”
“Yes, Lane, I do, and Ramiel is your mate; you need to fight these men. Get the strength back before they do something else to you. I am guiding your family to you; they received your message.
“You are special, but your cubs are even more special as they will be able to heal and do so much more. Like you, they can take on the world and eliminate all evil, which they must do. They are my alpha warriors.”
“What kind of magic do they have?”
“The kind that will heal their pack family, keep them from dying, but they will never be able to bring someone back from the dead. It will be your and Ramiel’s job to keep them in check. Now you must go back and wake up. I have healed you, and now your powers are in full force. Your family is nearby; they will help you.”
With that, she was sent back to reality, where she woke up with men standing near her. One was slapping her face yelling at her to wake up. When Lane woke up, she took a deep breath, wishing she never did that as she sat up, vomiting on the man before her.
Enraged, he slapped her across the face, sending her flying across the cell and into another male with him. He pushed her off him in disgust as she fell on the floor, landing on her back and hitting her head.
Ramiel had stopped chasing her and sent 20 trackers to find her. They were to report back when they saw where she went. He notified his allies everywhere, letting them know a pack of rogue wolves had taken her into their home. The other groups would look out for her or any word they may have.
It was so loud that it sent shivers down your spine, making the hairs on your neck stand on end. Lane lay there unconscious and blood coming out of her nose. The group leader took out his phone and shot pictures of her bleeding. One of the other men took a video of the incident and sent them to Ramiel.
Ramiel opened his computer and looked at the video that was sent. He was enraged, and his fur started sprouting on his arms. His bear was beginning to come to the surface. His second and third in command were sitting there with him; they had to grab him by his arms to control him the best they could.
They called for Garrett and other warriors to help control Ramiel. His men had never seen him like this before he found Lane. He would turn to fight, and that was it. He calmed down, and Garrett looked at the video and showed it to the others.
Gabriel came in to watch it, and she and Garrett held hands to see if they could sense her and get a whereabouts where she may be. She has been gone for three days, wearing down the pack and the group’s morale.
Lane came to with a man hovering over her, grunting. She could feel something trying to enter her hole, and when she realized what was happening, she pushed the son-of-a-bitch off her using all her strength. She rose and extended her claws, swiping him across his face and chest as profoundly as possible. He fell backward, falling against the bars.
His flesh was burning from the silver laced with wolfsbane. Between the slashes and the silver, it killed him instantly. Four other men were in there, and each took a turn videotaping what the others were doing. She saw this and sliced them all, taking their hearts out and throwing those down next to each man.
The leader came running in to see the commotion and extended his claws, trying to take a swipe at Lane’s bear. She reared up on her hind legs; standing nine feet tall, he stepped back, growling at her. The other men that came in turned, determined to take her down and kill her now that she had killed some of their men.
“Ramiel, we found her; she is in California. We have the place surrounded. Three men snuck in and looked for her as we spoke.”
“Thank goddess, you found her. What is her condition like?”
“Umm, I just got word she has been raped, but she has shifted and is on a killing spree. We are going in; we have a backup, and they care for the assholes out here.”
“We are on our way right now. Is there a doctor with you guys?”
“Yes, but her bear is one pissed-off bitch, and she is relentless.”
“Good, that will make her survive; see you soon.”
The trackers and other warriors finished off the wolves that met them at the doors, trying to keep them away from the bear. But neither Snow nor her pack trackers nor other warriors would let her have all the fun.
These rogues have been causing many problems and would also have fun ending their lives. The warriors were in awe at how magnificent Snow looked. They all fell in love with her as their alpha female and did her bidding for her. They wanted her safe for Ramiel.
Three hours later, Ramiel, the babies, and Steven had exited the plane, got in their vehicles, and were taken to where Lane was being held. Her pack warriors tried to calm her down, but she did not recognize them.
Ramiel opened the car door, sprinted inside where his mate was, and saw the scene before him. His bear came forth immediately, making Ramiel shift to get to his mate. Looking at the grizzly bear, Snow whipped her head around, and she stopped roaring.
She notices three babies with Steven and is on a rampage to rip his head off. He put them down, backing away from them with his hands up to show he meant no harm. Ramiel steps in front of her and pushes his snout into her side, trying to get her to calm down.
She tried to push him back when she sniffed him and calmed down enough to let Lane take back control, and so did Ramiel. He held her tight in his arms, letting her cry as she wrapped her legs and arms around him.
The babies started to cry for their momma, and Ramiel walked him and his mate to them, sitting down near the babies. She looked over his shoulder at her babies, then down at herself shaking her head that she was a chaotic mess. He understood, getting back up and walking her to where the doctor stood waiting for her so he could get her to the hospital and examine her.
Steven picked the babies up and brought them with him to the hospital. Lane was examined in a room, and her wounds were stitched up. The doctors had to do a rape kit on her, and she was torn from front to back. He had to sow her up but knew she would heal quickly as they were freshly made.
When the doctor was done, he asked for Lane’s family, and they all stood up. Ramiel walked over to the doctor, letting him know he was her husband and the others were her family. The doctor rubbed the back of his neck, looking distraught.
“Alpha, I mean no disrespect to you or your family, but what I have to say is not easy.”
“I know, and so do they; she was raped; they sent the video to me live feed, and we had seen it, so what you have to say, just say it. This is her twin brother Steven with my third in command. My guards are outside, and some of my pack members are at the place she was being held doing cleanup along with members from this pack.”
“Yes, sir. She has a concussion, and I want to keep her in for observation; she has had deep lacerations, but they were healed. Her cheekbone and jaw were broken, and they started to heal. I must return and rebreak them as they are not healing correctly. Those damn bastards ripped her from the front to the back of her anus, and I had to show her there.
“Those stitches are dissolvable, and they will heal in no time. IV fluids and blood were on her as she lost quite a bit. You can see her, but I must take her for surgery soon. She kept asking about her babies and no more breastfeeding due to the medications she will be on.”
“Thank you, doctor, for everything,” Ramiel said.
The Warriors got and burnt the dead while Ramiel was in the hospital with Lane. He and their babies visited her before surgery to reset her cheek and jaw. He was in tears as he kept thinking about how he was her charge, and he made the vow to take care of her and discovered that she was his mate.
The nurses came in to take her away a few hours later. She was awake but a little out of due to the drugs. The surgery would take a few hours, but Ramiel refused to leave. He took care of the babies while he was waiting.
Steven was there helping him as he had his hands complete. Gabriel was at home with her brother, knowing that Lane would be okay and she would be home soon and recovering with her entire family around her. They did not know the extent of her injuries, but that did not matter to them; she was beautiful no matter what.
The babies were sleeping in their punkin seats, Ramiel asleep on the couch, and the other chair, Steven, was asleep, all waiting for Lane to be returned to the room. Steven woke up when he heard the door opening. He put his finger to his lips because they had difficulty getting the babies down for bed.
Ramiel opened his eyes, sitting up and stretching as he stood looking at his babies. They were still sleeping lightly, snoring; they made a sweet sound. He looked at Lane, and she had tubes in her mouth for feeding and in her nose for oxygen.
He sat by her bed, holding her hand with tears in his eyes. He could not stand to look at her like this, feeling guilty because he was not there to help or protect her like he was supposed to. She became more than his charge; she was his life, and he would die for her. He wished it were him lying in that bed and not her.
He wanted to bring back those bastards to rip a new asshole and feed them their hearts. He hated rogues no matter what the shifter was. He knew some were good people and wished to join a pack, but others were loners or kicked out for something terrible.
A couple of days later, she was stable to go home to finish healing there. They were going home, and she could walk out of the hospital and onto the plane with her husband and babies. Her cheek was healed, but her jaw was still in the process of healing. It was going to take about a week for it to heal.
All the other parts of her body had been healed, but she was not healed mentally. She had endured a lot when she went home that one fateful day and was abducted by werewolves who knocked her unconscious, took her to the States, and raped her. All for what? They never knew and would not see as they all died a death that they deserved.
Nobody left them alive, so they could question them as they did not want the answers. But now, they must fence their property to keep unwanted predators out. Ramiel did not want to think about that now as they were a peaceful pack and family.
Several jet-legged people were tracked off the plane a few hours later into their vehicles heading home. Finding their beloved alpha female, Lane has been exceptionally long and tiring.
She was too tired even to talk or see anybody in the pack. Ramiel walked her inside with the babies in tow, and he fed them, bathed them, and put them down to be for the evening. He went to their bedroom, got her into the shower, washed her hair and body, and then ran a boiling bath with essential oils to relax her body, mind, and soul.
He lifted her into the bath and got in behind her as he longed to hold her, which he had been unable to do in a good week. Having her near him, his bear was calm and happy.
They stayed in the bath till the water ran cold, and he got out, dried himself off, then grabbed another towel and wrapped it around her. He dried her hair and body and then put lotion all over her body. She moaned at the sensation she was feeling, but she was too tired to make a move on him.
“My love, you are so sexy when you moan like that. But not now, love; you are still healing from your surgery. It will for a bit before we do that.”
“Fine by me. I am too tired to stay awake now. I want my bed so does Snow.” she had to link him because her jaw was wired shut. She hated that but knew she could not move her mouth. She wanted to talk so badly and huffed, trying to make her way to bed.
He carried her to bed, laid her down, and hurried beside her, pulling her into his chest, where she sighed and drifted off to sleep. He kissed her head and neck, whispering good night and I love you in her ear.
The next morning, he got the babies ready for the day. He made some breakfast, but she could only have a liquid diet. He ate his eggs, bacon, and potatoes before making her the breakfast she was ordered to eat.
He blended a protein shake with greens and fish oil with vitamin C and B12. This was her breakfast; for lunch, it was fruit, dinner, vegetables, and another protein shake. She would have to have this done for the next week until the wires were taken out of her jaw.
Two weeks later, she was starting to eat more solid food that was soft, but at least she was eating regular foods. She had eggs, mashed potatoes, fish, cooked vegetables, and pasta (overdone).
She could shift again, and she hunted for fresh fish when she did. Snow wanted something good; she hunted sea lions, fish, and whatever else she could get her jaws on and ate it. Of course, Ramiel, Steven, and her guards did not let her out of sight.
“Baby, they said you were going all momma bear on those bastards.”
“I could not save my babies; they grabbed them from my hands and drugged them, then tried to beat me senselessly. I did my best to kill them, but they overpowered me.”
“Nobody will get their hands on you or my babies ever again. They were drugged, but Gabriel and Garrett took them to the hospital when we arrived at the house. I had scouts looking for you. Gabriel and Garrett sensed you through their angel bond.”
“Glad you found me, Snow was going feral, and I could not reel her in. She would not calm down to save my life. Glad she was with me though I could not have done all that without her.”
“I know, my love; I was there to calm her. You almost attacked Steven when he presented our babies to you, trying to use them to get Snow to calm down, and that did not work. I had to bring Ryker forth to get you calmed down. He was the only one who calmed you down.”
“How on earth did you do it?”
“He had to put his nose to your side to bring you back to reality, then force you to sniff him. Once you calmed down, she gave you control back. I took back control and got you out of there.”
“Which pack were we in? I want to send them something for everything they did for us.”
“They are called The Brown Manes pack. Alpha Terri Mabes runs the pack, and we have an alliance with them. Even though they are further away, they are great friends to us. What would you like to send to them?”
“What kind of pack are they?”
“They have a mixture of werewolves, werebears, werelions, and more, just like our pack. They even have vampires mated to some of their pack members.”
“Okay, I will ask my wood makers to make something to represent them and have it shipped to them. I will have it drawn out and show it to you. Give me a couple of days.”
She went to her office along with Brody and Steven walking with her and her children, who were starting to walk. They had shifted for the first time at ten months old, and she took a picture of them so that when they got older, they would know what their bears looked like and what their names were.
When she arrived in her office, she asked her wood makers to meet her upstairs in their prominent office. She had a rough draft of a drawing for them to make for their allies in California.
The carving had a couple of bears, wolves, lions and tigers, and other animals they had in their pack. It also included a vampire because they had some in their pack. It was not over-the-top gigantic, but it was a nice decent size.
The men made sure it was molded and treated so it would not rot in the weather and put a water fountain with it. The supernatural’s were sitting around the pond, which became the water fountain.
Lane was asked to see it a few weeks later, taking Ramiel with her. She loved how it turned out. She got it sent out and had someone there set it up, but some of the woodworkers who worked on it wanted to present it to Alpha Terri and his pack.
It took a week to get the carving to the pack. When they arrived, Alpha Terri came out to greet them. He was surprised to see some of the warriors from Ramiel’s pack.
“Good afternoon; this is a surprise to see you all back. What brings you here?” he asks.
“Alpha Lane wanted to present you and your entire pack a gift for helping rescue her and taking her in and having your pack doctor heal her.” one of the men said.
“Well, let us see what she gifted us with.”
They backed the truck up and opened the door to bring the fountain out. They set up the fountain and then put the carving around it. They set it up where everybody would see it when they approached the pack house.
Alpha Terri, his Luna Annie, and the entire pack had gathered around to see it turn on. They were so happy and shocked at the exquisite sight before them. The alpha’s mouth hung open in awe at the carving representing every creature they had living in the pack.
When they were finished, the men took pictures of what it looked like and sent them to Lane and Ramiel. They could not believe how it was set up and how beautiful it looked in front of their pack house.
Alpha Terrie and Luna Annie called Ramiel and Lane, thanking them for the beautiful gift they bestowed upon them. They were overwhelmed by the kindness that Lane showed them.