The Last Shewolf Ch. 52-62

"I don't know how I'm going to let her go, Hammer. Gabriel is going to take her to the Alpha Gathering and have the men file past, each hoping she is her mate. She's expected to go with him, to start a family. I'm going to lose her, brother."

"You won't lose her, she loves you too much to shut you out. She is growing up, and you can't hold on forever. The tighter you hold the leash, the more she pulls."

"I just want her to be happy. Gabriel says that she will be, I hope to hell he's right."

"Carson and Jessica were happy together, and they were choice mates. It works different for them, but a true mate for her will be amazing. I know you're nervous about it, but it will happen and you have to support her."

"Easy for you to say, Meghan didn't even date much and still shows little interest in guys."

"Yeah, well... she may be thirty, but she's still my little girl."

"You haven't gone through this with a daughter, Hammer. It's not the same as your boys." Connor and Cash were both off and married now, Connor lived in Florida with his wife and two children, Cash was a Marine stationed in Hawaii with his wife.

We passed the rest of the trip in silence, arriving back at the clubhouse just before eight. We carefully lifted a sleeping Eve in her blanket, carrying her inside and up to her room. I kissed her forehead as I covered her up, thinking about the talk we needed to have. The one I needed Gabriel here for.

Ch. 55

Mitchell's POV

I woke up at 5:30, my old habits were hard to break. I stretched as I got out of the bed in the guest room at the clubhouse, thankful to have a nice place like this to crash in. I dressed in running shorts and a Marines T-shirt, putting on socks and lacing up my runners. Running and riding were my escapes, my thinking times, and there was nothing like running before everyone else was up and moving to get to know an area.

I went downstairs, the place was still empty. Last night I learned that breakfast started at 6:30 and went to 8:30, long enough for people to drop off their kids at the Club daycare and get to work. I pushed out the doors, stopping by the entrance to do some stretching for a few minutes. The air was cooler, less humid than I was used to, still in the 40's at night. Perfect running weather.

I started out at a comfortable pace, watching the places come to life around me. I had searched the Internet the night before, so I found the route I wanted to take. Running north from the industrial area the Club was in, I picked up the trail on the south side of White Bear Lake. The circuit of the whole lake would be a fifteen-mile run for me, something to work up to. Instead, I was going to take a trail northwest through Lakeside Park, cutting between White Bear and Goose Lakes, then roughly paralleling Highway 61 to another park on the northwest shore before turning back the way I came. Before the chemo, I would have done the fifteen, but I was still building up my strength and endurance. The doctors told me to be patient, that it would come, but I was always pushing myself.

The trails were busy with early risers, and the babe index was high. I was shocked by the number of hot blondes I passed on the trail, everything from high school students through MILF's to a few pushing fifty. Minnesota had a lot of Scandinavian and German heritage, and it showed. I shook my head as I found myself admiring a woman, then shaking her off because she couldn't hold a candle to Eve. That girl... still in high school, Dad in the Club, the President looking at me like he'd kill me if I touched her, every logical thought told me to stay away.

But, those weren't my only thoughts. I had stroked myself off in the shower last night to the image of her bounding down the stairs, and my obsession with her was only growing.

I tried to focus on my running, picking up the pace a little to punish myself for my mind straying. I was breathing hard by the time I hit the loop and headed back towards the clubhouse. I started to think more about where to live and what to do next as I started to push through the wall, my legs starting to burn with the effort.

I was feeling better as I left the trail to head back to the clubhouse. I was about two blocks away when I heard the Harleys coming; they passed me quickly, two in front, a big SUV, then three more behind. They were all Knights, except the woman in her forties on a yellow Sportster. The car doors were just opening as I sprinted through the gate, they were running this like a protective detail and I wanted to see just who was being protected. Snake jumped out of the driver's seat, a Rider I didn't know, big guy, got out the other side. Everyone was gathered around the backseat doors, and I saw them lifting a body on a blanket, the blood stains showing as it was lifted out. "Shit, who's hurt?"

One of the Knights stopped me from getting any closer. "Stay back, buddy, I don't know you."

"I'm a friend of Donuts, I'm staying here for a bit," I said. "What are... fuck, that's Eve!" I moved past him, pulling away from his hand as it went to grab me, trailing the group of people carrying her in. She was lying on her stomach, her shoulder was in bad shape, her hip as well. "Wait, she needs a hospital, why are you bringing her here?"

The guy I moved past was now joined by three others who blocked me from moving forward. The leader looked me up and down; I gave off a vibe that I was not to be messed with, but he sniffed me and walked away. "You need to mind your own business, buddy. Go get a shower and come down for breakfast."

The men had disappeared up the stairs with her, so I followed behind. They were standing outside a room at the end of the hall as I ducked into my room. I did my post-run stretching, then took a hot shower and changed into jeans, a T-shirt, and motorcycle boots before going back downstairs.

The place was still full, but it wasn't the fantastic breakfast they were used to. I could see the kids, they were looking at cereal and oatmeal like it was nothing. "What's going on," I asked the prospect who was serving tables.

"Snake's busy this morning so no hot food," he said. "It sucks. Hey, I'm Tony."

"Mitch." I shook his hand. "You have a problem if I jump back into the kitchen? I can whip up some pancakes, eggs, you know, as long as I can find the stuff."

"You can cook?"

"Hell yes, I was a cook at Perkin's in high school before I went into the Marines."

"Go for it, man. We usually get about forty through here in the morning, but we're halfway through. I'll let people know hot food is coming." I went back into the kitchen, it was small but well-equipped. Going to the refrigerator, I pulled out eggs, cheese, milk, some sausages and bacon. I found the pancake mix and made up a batch in the big mixer, while I was frying up the sausages and eggs on the big grill.

"Hey Tony, how do you serve this stuff?"

"Just put it on these big plates, I bring the stuff out to the tables as they ask for it." He pointed to the warming lamps. "If you can make up some scrambled eggs, that would be great."

"Sure, how about some cheese omelets as well?"

"Great." I got back to work, pouring out a dozen pancakes at a time before mixing up a big batch of scrambled eggs. I grinned to myself, all these years later and I could still break four eggs at a time. The food started leaving quickly, and Tony let me know what was needed as people ate it. When eight thirty came, I made sure I made myself a plate with five pancakes, eggs and bacon before shutting off the burners. I took it out to the bar, pouring a big glass of orange juice from the pitcher Tony had. "Thanks, man. With Snake gone, we don't have a backup plan beyond cereal and toast before you reach the end of MY cooking skills."

"It's not a problem, they are letting me stay here, the least I can do is help out." We talked for a while as I ate my food and he cleaned up the dishes. The kids had all washed up before going upstairs to day care, and most of the adults had left too. When he sat down, I figured I'd find out a few things. "How long have you been prospecting here, Tony?"

"Four months. I was a hangaround for six months, finally decided to go for it. I was Army Reserve, Big Red One. Used it to get through school and deployed twice to Afghanistan in four years. That was enough. Now I work security down at the nuclear plant, shift work, so I can spend lots of time here. The more you are here, the faster you can get patched."

"Worth it so far? This a good club?"

"One of the best in the state. Good members, great facility, and they don't mess with illegal stuff."

I nodded, I had the same impression. "What's going on with the Knights? I've never seen a club with so many OTHER club members around outside of parties."

"Yeah, those guys are a little different. Intense, focused, I never see them partying hard or playing around with the women. The guys are like warrior monks or something, but they are loyal as hell and very tight with each other. They've been with the Club for a long time, they have run of the Clubhouse."

"I saw them coming in with Eve this morning, and she left last night with a bunch of them. What's up with that?"

He looked away for a minute, it was a tell, he didn't want to say. "They protect her, that's all I can say."

"She's not going out with any of them, is she?"

He laughed. "I think Viper would neuter any male who came near his granddaughter, and if a man hurt her, they'd never find the body. Snake, her Dad? Even worse, I think he'd go right to burying the guy deep in the woods."

"Why? She's eighteen, right? Can't she make her own decisions?"

"Not eighteen for a few more months, but don't think being of age is going to stop them from protecting her. Look, this place is a family club. There aren't any club whores, sweet butts or skanks that hang around here, Viper won't stand for it. My advice? There's plenty of hot women in this town, have your fun, but don't bring her to the clubhouse if you aren't serious about her. There's a bunch of patched women who can spot a skank a mile away."

"So, what happened to Eve? She looked pretty bad when she was brought in."

"No idea, Snake was already gone when I got here. Teri rode her bike back, it didn't look damaged so she didn't lay it down. They'll tell me if they want me to know."

I finished my plate and put it in the bus tray with the rest. "Come on, let's clean up before Snake finds out I was touching his stuff."

Snake's POV

We brought Eve straight to the clinic room upstairs, knowing we'd need to take care of her injuries. Once she was set on the exam table and the soiled blanket had been taken away, I kicked everyone except Michael out. We cut her shirt off and moved her bra straps so we could get at the bandages. Removing them carefully, thankful the painkillers would help keep her out, we exposed the wounds again. "Damn," I said as I shook my head.

"The rogue surprised her, took out her shoulder as he tried to knock her down. The hip he bit when she was running from him."

"Rabies?"

"We don't get that," Michael said. "I cleaned as best I could in the field and basically pulled it together."

"I don't like how deep these are." I pulled out my iPhone and opened up Facetime, sending a call to Doctor Meghan. It rang for a few seconds before she appeared, she was in the back of the ambulance, I probably woke her up. "Sorry Doc, I need you to look at something."

"I figured you'd be calling, Snake. How bad is Eve hurt?" I talked her through the injuries, changing the camera so she could see. "You got in there and cleaned it out, Michael?"

"Yes, they weren't bad, I got the dirt out."

"All right then, her healing will take care of this, I just want to seal the skin up so it goes faster. Here's what you need to do." She talked us through cleaning the area, then using superglue to hold the torn skin together. She ended the call after we put gauze over the wounds to protect them.

I covered her up with a clean sheet and blanket, kissing her forehead before I went across and sat in the chair. Being in this room brought back memories, the weeks I spent here with Vivian as Eve fought to live, born at 24 weeks she was a miracle survivor. I had held her and rocked her in this very chair eighteen years ago. Michael told me he'd check on me in a few hours, and as I settled into the chair, I quickly fell asleep.

Ch. 56

Gabriel's POV

I pulled into the Cracker Barrel off I-90 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We'd been riding for five hours without a stop since leaving the motel in Rapid City this morning. We were pushing hard to get home, and we needed food and lots of it. The ambulance pulled into a back area with the RV's and the trucks, and we parked behind it.

Our group turned heads as we came in, we normally do. Ten hulking bikers in their cuts and a beautiful young woman in the middle will do that. We got a large table and placed our orders as soon as we sat down, telling the flustered waitress we were in a hurry.

"So, what are we walking into?" I looked over at Meghan, I knew that she had been on the phone with Snake, and I knew that Eve had been attacked by a rogue on our lands in Wisconsin.

"Right now, everyone is worried about Eve's recovery, so Snake is with her and won't leave. She's resting now, should heal up in a day or two," she said. "Long term, Snake is not dealing well with all this. He doesn't see things the way you do, he wants his daughter to date, to fall in love, to have the kind of relationship he had with Vivian. Remember, he came upon Vivian after she was raped and force mated, that kind of shifts your perspective. This whole 'find him and you're together forever from your first kiss' thing is not what he wants, he doesn't trust someone to say they are her true mate and believe it."

"He knows how it is," Abaddon said, "But he won't accept it."

Meghan nodded. "Then you add in Viper and Kelly, they don't like this either, but they know it can happen. You have to be careful how you do all this, and not just because her human parents don't like the idea of mating. You have to deal with Eve. She doesn't want the fate you're trying to give her."

"She doesn't have a choice in this, Luna has decreed it," I said.

"So you have always said, but that doesn't mean she has to believe it. Even if she does, she doesn't have to believe it is going to happen anytime soon. She doesn't want a mate, she wants to go to college and study art. Do you think she wants to be pulled away from everyone she's ever known to go off and make babies with a stranger?"

"It's her destiny, we just have to prepare her better for it." Luckily our food came, and we ate a prodigious amount. We'd push through the rest of the trip, stopping only for gas if needed.

Eve's POV

I woke up slowly, the light from the window in my eyes. I could smell the room, I knew I was home in the medical room my mother had created.

Mother. There's a fun one to figure out. My birth mother, Jessica, died during the C-section, Vivian saved my life and raised me until she died, but Kelly was the one I considered my Mom. All I had of Jessica was stories my Dad would tell me, mostly of her times in Grenada with them. Vivian I had some more, including her motorcycle which had been saved for me until I was sixteen. Kelly was nothing legally, not even my grandmother; Dad told me that she considered Vivian and Jessica to be like daughters, and after they died they just took over.

On Mother's Day, I split my thoughts three ways, but spent the day with Kelly.

I looked over at the chair, where Snake was snoring lightly as he leaned back. I started to move, checking my shoulder and hip. They hurt, but not anything like before. I saw my jacket on the exam stool in front of me, and I was able to pull it close enough to get my phone out. It had blown up with messages I started to look through. Most were sympathy or encouragement, the word of my injury having spread quickly through both clubs. I sent a quick text to my brother Andrew, letting him know I was awake since he was in high school right now. Then I texted Mom to tell her I was awake and Dad wasn't.

It wasn't a minute later before she came through the door, moving quickly to my side. "Eve, baby, you scared me," she said as she pulled me into a careful hug.

"I'm all right," I told her. "The guys, Kushiel, they got to me in time." She looked at my bandages, worry in her eyes, her mostly grey hair probably became more so today.

"Do you need anything?"

"Bathroom," I said. She pulled the blanket and sheet down and helped me sit up, then I put my good arm around her shoulder and she led me in to the attached bath. It was painful sitting down, but after relieving myself and washing up I felt better. "I think my pain pill wore off," I told her.

"Let's get you back out."

I looked at the room, I really just wanted to go to sleep. I knew I wasn't bleeding, I'd smell that. "Can I go back to my room? I'd like to sleep in a real bed, with my music and all."

"Sure. Come on, I'll get your stuff and find out what I can do for your pain after you're settled." We went out the door, Snake still snoring gently, and into the hall. I made it a dozen steps or so, then I had to stop because something tore in my hip. I sagged onto Kelly, and she was struggling a little to hold me up.

A man came out of one of the guest room, he was good looking and human from the smell. I'd seen him with my Dad at the table last night as I left. He ran towards us, concerned. "Need help?"

"I thought I could walk better than I can," I said, a little embarrassed.

He just moved in and picked me up. "Where is she going?" Kelly walked ahead, opening the door to my room, and he carried me in.

She already had the blanket turned down on my bed, so the stranger set me gently on the edge. "Thank you," I said softly as he stood up.

"You're welcome, Eve. Anything you need, let me know."

Kelly had left to go get my stuff out of the clinic room, and I blushed a little at his gaze at me. He liked me, I could see it in his eyes, smell it on him. "I don't know your name," I said.

"Mitch Miller, I got in yesterday. I'm fresh out of the Marine Corps, I'm a friend of Donuts. Your grandfather is letting me stay for a while, until I find a place to live." He walked over to my desk, writing down his phone number and leaving it in my hand. "I'm just a few doors down, just text me or call if you need something without a six-man escort."

I laughed. "You noticed."

"I was a sniper, I can tell a protective detail when I see it. I just don't know why. I'd hate to think a beautiful young woman like you is in danger."

"I'm more trouble than you can handle," I told him, and I wasn't even kidding. "You better go, my Dad will kick your ass just for being in here with me alone."

He just smiled. "I'm not in the club, he can't do anything to me except kick me out. If you want to see me, you're a big girl, just call." He stuck out his hand, I offered mine, but instead of shaking it, he pulled my hand to his lips and gently kissed my fingers. "Rest and heal, my beautiful troublemaker," he said just before the door opened.

Kelly walked in, she had a sandwich and chips along with milk on a tray and set it by my bed. "Thank you for the help, Mitch," she said as he walked out. "Now, Meghan said to give you two of these. They will be back late this afternoon." I took the pills, then brought the plate onto my lap. When I was done, Kelly stayed with me as I laid down and tried to sleep again.

My thoughts were taken by the handsome young Marine who wasn't afraid of being with me.

Snake's POV