Blood of the Wolf: The Crown (Mackenzie Grey Book 11) by Karina Espinosa (best ebook reader under 100 .txt) 📕

Once I finally stopped, I gasped for air, my chest heaving from the exertion on my already weakened body. My eyes watered with unshed tears; I felt a violation unlike ever before.

Bash knelt in front of me and placed his hands on my knees. “None of this is right, Mackenzie,” he started. “We’ll make them pay for what they did. I promise you.” He reached for the back of my head and pulled me toward him, placing a soft kiss on my forehead.

There were no excuses. No silver linings. Nothing.

In the end, it eased my heart just a tad to know he was firmly in my corner. I unclenched my hands from the cushions and relaxed my shoulders. Like always, Bash was on my side no matter what.

I slept for two days straight. My mind and body had reached its limit and all I could do was rest. I didn’t know if Bash joined me or not because I was completely out of it, but when I woke, I wasn’t alone.

Alexander was sitting in an armchair that had been pulled beside my side of the bed. He was reading the newspaper with his legs crossed at the ankles.

“Alexander?” I croaked and tried to sit up. My bones were weary from too much sleep and not enough movement.

He folded his newspaper and set it to the side. “Yer up!” He smiled comfortingly. “How are ye feeling?” He shuffled over and adjusted the pillows behind me so I could sit up.

“Thank you,” I muttered gratefully, watching as he sat back down. “I feel much better now. More like myself.” And I did. Even though I felt a little like Jell-O from so much inactivity, I felt well rested. I bet once I started moving again, I’d also feel stronger.

“Good.” Alexander nodded. “I was a bit worried, darling. Dr. Harris checked on ye a couple times and said ye were fine, but all ye did was sleep.”

I smirked. “Well, Alexander, the next time you go on a hike with less than half your strength and then get thrown off a cliff, we’ll see how you feel.”

“Don’t sass me, lass.” He narrowed his eyes at me playfully.

I chuckled and rubbed my neck. “How’s the bruising?”

“Since ye can’t shift, it’s going away slowly. Ye must be careful these next couple of months. Ye won’t be able to heal like ye normally do.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know. Where’s Bash?”

“He’s in a Council meeting.”

I raised a brow. “And why aren’t you there?”

“Well, someone had to watch ye!”

I laughed. “It’s not like I’m going to swallow my tongue. I can sleep on my own, Alexander.”

He sighed. “Ye don know how worried I was, darling. Yer all I have left.”

I paused before speaking. I didn’t want to say something stupid or insensitive. I was his only family, so of course he was scared. I hated putting him in those situations. I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry,” I apologized, which was something I rarely did. Me and apologies didn’t typically go hand in hand.

“It’s nae yer fault.” He squeezed my hand back and patted it.

I gave him the courtesy of changing the subject. “Do you want to tell me what I’ve missed?”

He smiled brightly. “Aye, ye have nae missed much, but that wolf keeps coming around.”

“Fenrir?”

“Aye. He’s in a hurry to know what Abaddon wants with ye—”

I leaned forward quickly. “You didn’t tell him, right?” I exclaimed.

“Of course nae! Ye think I would put the life of my grandchild in his hands?” Alexander grunted.

I slumped back in relief. “I think Raven knows,” I mused, recalling what she said when we were flying to the castle. “But she’s keeping it a secret from him. She told me he would never hurt a child. No matter what.”

“What do ye think?”

I twisted my mouth to the side in contemplation. “I want to believe her.”

“But?”

I sighed. “But I’m afraid to. I’m afraid to be wrong and put the baby’s life at risk. I can’t make any mistakes, not with the baby.”

A small smile crept onto Alexander’s face. “Yer starting to think like a mam.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever,” I mumbled, unconsciously settling my hand over my abdomen.

Was I acting like a mom? That was one thing I never thought I’d be. Not in this lifetime, at least. I wasn’t sure if I even knew how to be one. A good one, anyway. I had a good mom, a human mom, but that was different. It wasn’t like I could drive a minivan and ferry my kid to soccer practice every day after school. How was I going to balance my work with motherhood? The thought alone made me want to cry. I was convinced I would be a terrible mother.

Ew. Why did I feel like I was going to cry?

Lost deep in my thoughts, I didn’t hear the thundering of footsteps until they were upon us and the door to my bedroom burst open, Ranulf storming in.

He jerked back at the sight of me, obviously expecting me to still be asleep, then bowed. “Yer Majesty,” he said, his breath labored.

From the frown lines on his forehead and the sweat beads on the side of his face, I knew something was wrong.

“What happened?” I demanded.

Ranulf’s hands trembled as he took a step forward and lowered his eyes. “The southwest sector of the village … it’s been attacked.”

Alexander stood. “By whom?”

Ranulf shook his head. “We don know, but there are a lot of casualties. It was … it was as if—” He stammered, seemingly at a loss for words.

I frowned. “As if what?”

“They died of suffocation, Yer Majesty. As if the air had been sucked out of the area.”

I swallowed loudly. “How many casualties?” I whispered.

“At least fifty lost. Many of them women and children.”

I closed my eyes slowly and clutched my bedsheets. This had Abaddon’s markings all over it. He promised he wouldn’t come into the village if I met with him … so why did he