Ellie POV

I move around the kitchen, taking place settings to the table as we wait for the noodles to finish cooking. As I put the table together, I think about what these last couple of weeks have been. I went from trying to stay away from my mate and hoping he never found me to being completely in love with him all over again. He finally met his daughter, and we are the family I had hoped that we would be seven years ago.

Weirdly enough, all it had taken was one rogue attack to give me my family.

When Axton had told me that he is thinking about the future, I will admit that I'm curious as to what he sees in store.

Yeah, just curious? Raelynn comments. I can almost see her wolfy smirk.

Hey, he says I am free to roam around in his head, I defend myself from her as I go back to thinking about what is actually in his head, causing my smile to grow even more.

"What's got you all smiles, huh?" Sawyer giggles in my ear, making me jump at her sudden appearance.

"God damn, you scared the crap out of me!" I scold her as my heartbeat tries to calm down, "How are you doing? Do I need to kick Walker's ass?"

She laughs at me, "No, we talked, and he groveled. I think we are going to be okay."

I smile to her and am going to say something when Zea runs up to us, "Is auntie Sawyer having a baby?"

Sawyer smiles down to her as she bends down to her level, "I am."

Zea's face lights up in a smile, "I hope it's a girl!" she screams as she jumps up and down. I laugh with Sawyer at her outburst, "Mommy, should I go get daddy for dinner?" she asks when she finally settles down after five minutes of her listing of girl names from girls she met in school.

"I think that is a wonderful idea," I tell her before she runs out of the room.

Sawyer stands back up and she says, "She is one hyper little girl."

"You don't even know the half of it," I tell her, "She did bring up a good question though."

"Oh, what question is that?" Sawyer asks me.

"What do you want? Boy or girl?"

She bites her lip in think, "I don't know. I always wanted at least two kids. A boy and a girl. Doesn't matter the order, but I will admit that I like the idea of my little girl having an older brother to protect her like you and your brother, Xander."

I smile at that. I always did love how I grew up with Xander. I wish Zea had a sibling to be able to have that, "That's really sweet. I'm sure-"

I was going to say more when an alarm goes off. I look at Sawyer as I see the fear in her eyes. We both know what it means.

"We need to get Zea."

We both rush out of the room as she and I head to Axton's office.

Ellie, Axton's voice enters my mind.

Axton, what happened? I ask him, hoping that he isn't going to tell me that it is another attack, but I know better than that.

Rogues are at the north border. I need you and Zea to get to the safe room, he tells me. I can sense the fear in his voice.

But Axton, I can help- I try to argue. I can fight. I have been fighting my whole life.

He cuts me with a growl, No. Please, Ellie, I need you both safe. Just get to the safe room and lock yourselves in, I hear his desperation in his voice. I know he just wants to protect us.

Okay, I say, but Axton, be careful. I love you.

I love you too, he tells me before closing the link.

I know Axton can take care of himself, especially with the pack behind him, but I still worry about him. Cortez isn't just any rogue. The only thought I can focus on now is to protect my daughter.

When I get to the office, I throw the door open as Sawyer rushes in behind me, "Where's Zea?" Panic starts to fill me as I start moving furniture around to see if she is hiding.

"Ellie! Ellie, calm down," Sawyer tells me as she puts her hands on my shoulders, "We are going to find her. You check down here and I will look upstairs."

I nod my head at her, "Sawyer, if you find her, go straight to the safe room. Don't wait for me," she looks like she is going to argue, but I refuse to let her, "Promise me. I need my little girl and that baby of yours safe alright. Just mind link me, and I'll make my way to you."

"Alright, I promise," she says before taking off for the stairs.

Taking a short deep breath, I start running around the house. I keep screaming Zea's name, but she hasn't responded. The alarm must have scared her. She knows it means rogues and she knows to hide. After searching the living room, I go to search the kitchen in case she went back to find me.

"Zea!" I call out, but the room is empty. I move farther into the room when a scent stops me.

Rogue! Raelynn growls out.

Sensing movement behind me, I grab the pot of boiling noodles on my right and swing around. The scorching water hits his skin as the rogue screams out. Shifting the pot around, I backhand it across his face and his body crumbles to the floor, unconscious.

Before I can move, I feel a slight pain in the back of my neck. Moving my palm over the spot, I feel the metal needle. I pull it out to see the remnants of the purple liquid that is now sinking into my system.

"I love a good distraction," a voice says. I almost don't even hear it as the familiar pain starts.

Fire moves through my body and I collapse onto the floor in agony. The liquid in the needle. It's even worse than the last time Cortez had injected me with it.

Wolfsbane.

My body tries to pull me towards the darkness as the pain intensifies even more.

Then I see it. The small crack in the wooden door as a beautiful pair of eyes stare at me, ready to come heal me.

"No."

It's the only word I can get out to my daughter before the pain take me.

*****

All I see is darkness, but I can still feel the agonizing pain. It's in every part of my body, in every cell. It's burning me from the inside out.

"Wakey, wakey little Luna," a familiar voice calls as a strong scent is placed in front of my nose, jerking me to consciousness but not dulling the pain.

My eyes are met with a cold, dead soul staring back at me, "Cortez," I barely whisper.

"Welcome back, Luna," he sneers down at me, "You have something that I want."

"And I will never give it to you," I tell him, trying to push against the silver restraints across my arms, but only feeling it burn me even more.

"You know last time you didn't talk. But I thought that was just because you didn't have the right motivator, what do you think?" At first, I think the question is to me, but my mind of too tired and in pain to give a response. But then I hear a faint sound, almost like someone is growling but too beaten to make it much of a noise, "I see you don't agree, but let's asks the Luna, shall we?"

He moves away from me as he reveals the man behind him, "I believe you've met my newest guest. Maybe he is a better motivator."

Tied to the chair across from me, he can barely lift his head. Blood covers his body as I make out the purple of his skin from the torture. He looks to be barely breathing. His voice comes out groveled as he coughs up blood, "Don't tell him anything, Ellie."

The second his words are spoken, Cortez hits him full force. Pulling a silver knife off a table near them, Cortez plunges it into his leg as he cries out in pain.

"Rolfe."