Falling For Storm

Storm

Every single detail of who Amara is, what she’s capable of, and how much she’s in danger overwhelmed me. It was sickening to know that such wolves were willing to murder anyone and everyone just so they could get what they wanted. Their hunger for power was so pathetic that I didn’t know whether I should pity them or spite them. My mate may be stronger than any of us combined, but all hell would break loose if one of them got to touch even a single strand of her hair this time. I swore to myself that all those involved would pay for everything they’d done to her and her family with my own hands. I would do anything in my power to protect her, even if it meant sacrificing my own life. I know it sounded so melodramatic, but it was the truth. I couldn’t let anything happen to her. If they wanted to get to her, they’d have to face me first.

I allowed Eric to stay with us or to come and go as he pleased for a while, or at least until we figured things out. Amara trusted him explicitly, but that didn’t mean that I did too. Until I was 100 percent sure that he was not here to harm her, I would keep an eye on him for good measure. It wasn’t that I didn’t find him trustworthy, but I needed to be vigilant where Amara was concerned. Then there was Dakota’s reaction towards him the other day, so I believed I needed some more digging to do. I had to hand it to him, though; he was a master strategist and tactician. It was actually mind-blowing to see him at work, and thanks to him, we were a few steps closer to locking down the assholes who had been pursuing my mate. It was only a matter of time before they showed themselves, and by the time they did, we’d be ready.

I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in my room, peacefully watching the night. I was aware that this was the calm before the storm, and any time soon, our enemies were coming for us—for her.

“What are you thinking about? You look more troubled now than ever.”

Amara came up from behind me, wrapping her slender arms around my waist before laying a kiss on my back, and instantly all the worries I had rolled out of my mind. It was moments like these that made me realize that, despite the dangers we have to face, I still have a reason to be happy and feel content. I may hate the circumstances we were in, but I never would have met her if things hadn’t ended up the way they did in the first place.

“Nothing; you don’t already know,” I answered, turning around so that I could wrap my arms around her too.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” she started, and I just nodded in response for her to go on.

“Did Dakota mention anything to you? She’s been acting kind of strange lately. Like she doesn’t want to be near me or Eric.”

My brows shot up at the thought of my sister avoiding my mate. My sister adores her to the core, so it was sort of impossible for that to happen.

“No, she didn’t tell me anything. Have you tried talking to her about it?” I asked.

“No, I mean, I wanted to, but I just couldn’t find the right time,” she explained.

“Hmm... Well, come to think of it, maybe I should talk to her about it,” I told Amara.

She lifted her palm, facing upward, with a smirk on her face, as if to say that she was thinking the exact same thing. As in, I should’ve talked to my sister before she even asked. Amara may have become even more beautiful and powerful, but God knows how much I appreciate how she stayed the same on the inside. She was still the awkward, smart, funny, and adorable girl I was so in love with.

“Fine, I’ll do just that first thing tomorrow. In the meantime, let’s get to bed,” I instructed, pushing her forward before swatting her ass, which made her jump a bit.

“Hey!” she protested, making me snigger.

Moments after everyone was asleep, I woke up to Amara shaking my shoulders, looking a bit alarmed. Though she didn’t say anything, I felt that there was something wrong with her actions and the aura surrounding our mate bond.

“Storm, wake up,” she ordered through the mind link while looking out the window.

“They’re coming,” she added, and that had me jumping out of bed without a word. Within seconds, Eric was at the door, silently telling me that this was it. We’re about to go to war. We had anticipated this since day one. Although we were not sure about the “when,” we were sure they’d come for her, and attacking was their only option. So, it was good that no pack member too young or too weak to fight was around the land at this time. We had sent them off to the neighboring pack in order to protect them, making sure that there were no reports of anyone sustaining any injury or getting hurt. We had made the enemy believe that patrolling had long ended around this time, and luckily they took the bait.

“50, 65, 80. That’s 80,” Amara counted while mind-linking everyone with her eyes closed.

I motioned the number to Eric, and he gave me a curt nod. We didn’t have to ask what that meant because, deep down, we already knew what she was trying to say. There are eighty wolves, and some of them are rogues. We rushed down the stairs, positioning ourselves for the battle, and instantly, I smelled gasoline and fire. The house was surrounded, and just like we had expected, they were going to try to lure everyone out using just that, which to me was absolutely predictable. As much as I wanted to go out there and rip them into pieces, it would be wiser to stick to the plan, calm down, and be patient. There was no doubt that timing was important in these situations. We need it now more than ever if we want our plans to work. Eric placed his index finger on his lips to tell us to stay still and move as silently as possible, and for a second he held Dakota’s gaze with an impassive look. Just as I turned to ask Dakota what that was about, a loud smash caught my attention. Broken glass scattered, and thick black smoke rose as fire immediately engulfed the entire house.

That was it. That was the signal we had all been waiting for.