Finally Home

Zion's P.O.V.

I knew that telling Rain the plan would be hard for her to handle, but I didn't realize how hard she would take it or how it would make her feel. When we walked into the packhouse, Doctor Mikka wanted to discuss the results of her blood test with us. She was utterly emotionless throughout the entire discussion. He wanted to do another blood test, and she agreed and just sat there while he took the blood sample. She barely spoke the whole time.

I try to make her feel better about the situation, but she snaps at me and leaves the room. I understand why she snapped at me, so I won't let it bother me. I only want to make sure she's safe, but maybe I should have let her make that decision for herself instead of making it for her. It's her life, and I don't ever want to make her feel like I'm trying to control her. I follow her as she walks to the dining hall. I stop at her side,

wrapping my arms around her waist and placing my hand on her belly.

"I'm sorry, my Queen. I know what I'm asking of you isn't fair." I say.

"It's okay. What you say makes sense. I'm just not sure how to deal with not being the Queen anymore." She says, not making eye contact with me. "It's my job and who I am. And now I'm going back to being a nobody. I just don't know how to handle it."

"You will still be the Queen," I say, trying to reassure her that everything will be okay. "No one will ever take your place, and this is only temporary."

"No, I'll be dead," She says as tears fall from her eyes.

"Well, we fucked up," Ryker says, and seeing her like this, I understand how she sees this whole situation. "We need to fix this quickly."

"I understand now. I'm sorry I made this decision on your behalf without thinking about how you would feel. I will say that you will always be the Queen and will still have a say in everything. You are the people's Queen, but I understand that you are worried you will be forgotten or let our people down. How would you like to handle this? The decision is yours to make since you will have to bear the brunt of the consequences." I say as I pull her into a hug, kissing her forehead. She takes a deep breath and looks up at me.

"Thank you, but you are right. I think this is the best course of action given the circumstances." She says. "Dosha agrees as well."

"I don't want you to do something you won't be comfortable with," I tell her, rubbing circles on her back.

"That's part of being the Queen. Sometimes, we have to do things we don't like. But it's for the safety of the pups and the people if it keeps us from being attacked even for a little while." She says. "But once I give birth, I refuse to remain in hiding."

"I can live with that," I say with a smile, knowing how lucky I am that we can agree so easily. "But I would like to keep the twins a secret until this mess is over."

"I agree. Keeping our pups safe is the top priority." She says as she looks over at the pack members. "Them and our people."

"Let's get this over with so we can get home to Odett," I say, and she nods in agreement. I take her hand, and we walk to the front of the room, gaining everyone's attention.

I address the pack as a whole, explaining the events that have occurred without going into too much detail since we are still unsure if we can fully trust everyone. I give my order to keep Rain's survival a secret but never mention anything about the pups. I tell them that Alpha Eithan and Luna Morgan will be in charge of the pack from now on, and if they need anything, we will be happy to assist them in any way we can. There were a few questions from pack members that I answered as thoroughly as possible before leading Rain back to the room we were staying in to grab our things so that we could leave.

"Is everything ready?" I ask Orian as he and Jessica follow behind us.

"Yes, the pups are all packed and ready to go, and Aaron left with the rogue prisoners as we moved everyone out of the shelter." He says, and I nod.

"Are you ready to go home, my love?" I ask Rain as she places her bags of clothes by the door.

"More than ready." She says with a smile.

"Jessica, Orian, and two warriors and witches will ride with the pups in one bus, and the other warrior and witches will ride in the others in front and behind us to protect them from an ambush," I say, and everyone nods.

"I would like to see Mia and Morgan before we leave." Rain says quickly.

"I'll call for them," I tell her before linking them both to come to the room.

After a few short minutes, they arrive. While Rain talks to Mia and Morgan, I decided to call Sam to let him know we're about to leave the pack and head home and that he should expect Aaron with the rogue prisoners soon before hanging up. Morgan says with a huge smile that she and Eithan have decided to adopt the sibling orphans. Rain tells her how happy she is to hear the good news and says her goodbyes, and then it's time for us to get going. Jessica and Orian led the pups onto the bus as I placed our things into my new Jeep before helping Rain into the passenger seat. I signal for the front bus to proceed, and we finally head home.

After a little over two hours, we cross the border, finally reaching our territory. We would have made it home sooner, but Rain kept getting motion sick, and we had to pull over a few times. Soon, we reach the castle, and Rain seems to perk up a bit. I park at the front door, quickly jump out, and rush to her side to help her out of the seat. She smiles at me, and I kiss her forehead before we hear Odett giggling. We both turn to see Lady Ezmerelda, Sam, and Odett walking down the stairs to greet us.

"I'm so glad you're home!" Odett says as she rushes to us. I pick her up and hug her before letting her hug Rain while I hold her.

"We're glad to be home and to see our little Princess." Rain says with a laugh as she runs her hand through Odett's curls.

"How are you feeling?" Lady Ezmerelda asks Rain.

"Better now that I'm home where I belong." She says, hugging her mother as well.

"It's good to see you, my Queen," Sam says as James and Evan walk out of the castle to join us.

"Where's Aunt Jess and Uncle Orian?" Odett asks right before the bus carrying Jessica, Orian, and the orphaned pups pulls up. I put her on her feet and pointed at the bus as I saw Jess step off the bus and point to her. Odett takes off toward her while laughing.

"How are you really?" Lady Ezmerelds asks once Odett is out of earshot.

"I'm tired and frustrated. Oh, and motion sick." She answers. "Has Doctor Mikka spoken to Doctor Jameson yet?"

"I believe so. Doctor Jameson said he would be here in a few minutes. But he didn't seem like something was wrong." Sam answers.

"Good. I assume you have filled everyone in on the situation?" I ask Sam.

"I have. Many were worried about the Queen, but they have agreed to stay within the castle to be available for anything she may need until the twins arrive." He answers.

"That's not necessary." Rain says.

"Until you give birth, I would prefer that everyone that knows about your condition stay close. Plus, it will help you not feel invisible." I say and can see that she understands.

"Okay." She says, taking my hand. I pull her into my chest and ask if she would like a bath after getting the orphans settled into their new rooms. She looks at me and nods vigorously, making me laugh a little.

"I think it would be best to keep the events at Blur River pack quiet around Odett. I don't want to scare her." I say, and everyone agrees as we look over to find Odett talking and playing with the others.

"Can we go inside? I'm getting dizzy and don't feel well at all." Rain says while tugging on my shirt. I nod and lift her into my arms, carrying her into the castle.