Stronger

Grayson POV:

I regretted my decision the second we had left. I’d returned home with a sureness in my bones that she was alive and would find a way to get to me but the idea of having left our trail based on a gut instinct made me second guess. What if I was wrong? There was only circumstantial evidence that Anna had survived whatever had gone down at that compound. I held my son tighter to my chest as he drank from his bottle as the piles of bullet casings on the forest floor flashed into my mind. It was a densely forested area i reminded myself she could have survived that and if there was one person to do it it was Netta. She was the strongest woman out there, she was my soulmate, and she would come home to me.

My mother–in–law had refreshed her utter disdain for me charging me to slap me across the face her sons holding her back as she spewed venom at me tears streaming down her red face. “You finally find a scrap of evidence and you leave her to rot! You BASTARD! I should have let James kill you when he wanted to! YOU are determined to take everything from us!” she growled her claws extending as I walked passed her with a cold expression, ignoring her newest outburst.

1 was far too tired of her and wondered once more for the thousandth time how my beautiful wife had come from such an unintelligible woman. She was far too emotional I did not blame her 1 was in a fog when I did not know where my son was I’d have killed everyone in the world to get him back, but I had to take this jump of faith to believe that Annette was still alive and she was following her instincts to return to us.

Out of confusion and want for isolation I had wandered past the squabbling of my in–laws the stares of my people and the comfort of my mother to the moon pool. Where she had bathed before our binding I remember her laying there bare to the world it wasn’t right for me to watch but how could I have

resisted, I smirked to myself as I ran a thumb over my son’s eyebrows as he softly breathed in his sleep.

**This could all be punishment for my impertinence to look at my wife before our binding

She had popped her head out of its waters tempting Enzo to pounce right there but they had come and covered her but she looked over her shoulder right at me, her face still red from catching me in my impatience.

**She’ll be home soon

The sureness came back to me and I looked up to the sky as the sun was setting. The goddess surely had her hand in this, even if I was a reckless beast my wife was not and no god could set aside a woman like that.

I walked back to my house set my son down on his stomach and poured myself a drink to quench any last remaining

fears.

**come home, Annette

The next few days I spent barely holding it together if I wasn’t attending to pressing matters of trade and winter supplies I was training and when I was holding my son I made sure to have something going on to keep my mind on anything else besides the desperate’scramble in my head for time to hurry up and prove me right.

“Grayson?” Matt sat across from me as we went over the latest inventory for winter. “Do you know a Maxwell Crag?” He looked up at me his eyebrows creased together.

The name stuck in my mind for a second. “It does sound familiar why?”

“He’s asking to treaty with us, out of the blue, he’s in Montana,” He came over and showed me the official document and invitation of treaty, we may still follow protocol but it was done in email now.

“The name is bugging me I feel like we know him somehow,” Matt pursed his lips as he typed in the man’s name into a search engine.

“Perhaps he’s an ally of Annette’s family?” I looked over at James who shrugged at mc.

He wouldn’t know anyway I sent a text to my father–in–law asking him if he knew who this Maxwell was and he came back in a hesitant he was one of the suitors at the tourney for Annette.

A young and solid man came into my mind a kiss on the hand of my wife.

**that fucker.

“He was one of the men competing for Anna, but why is he reaching out now?” My brain struggled to think back after all that had happened to our first meeting.

“My pack and I are leaving today. I know the tournament did not go as many thought but I wanted you to know I’m glad you’re happy and if there’s anything you ever need you should just ask,” he reached out to shake my hand.” This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

“Annette stood there smiling and slightly cringing at his formality, I crossed the room clenching my hands at his proximity to her, her honey, her smile it was all mine.

***Thank you Max it was really truly nice to get to know you and I hope you find a Luna who’s worth you,”

“This could be it,” I clapped Matt on the back.

“What?” James stood up and walked over reading over the standard treaty request. “How are you so sure?”

“Max was one of the front runners” I grimaced “During the tourney he was fond of your sister and was the only one to see her before he left he told her if there was anything she ever needed he’d help,” I grunted he better not get any ideas if Annette is there.

I took a breath and pulled myself together there was a very serious chance Annette was safe and with this man, I should choose to be grateful. I went and responded with an acceptance of treaty.

The email came back instantly. He wanted to sign this as soon as possible, he asked me to leave as quickly as I could. I felt my heart start jumping in my chest.

“This could be it,” James whispered beside me.

“Go tell your parents, Matt start up the helicopter, we’re leaving in an hour,” I grabbed my coat and went off to the house I grabbed bags my hands shaking, we needed a diaper bag for Christian and she’ll want her clothes what clothes would she want, what should I grab?

“Grayson,” My mother’s voice called from down the stairs and carried until she came up beside me in the closet and I sat there still shivering with hope.

“Is it true?” She sat beside me.

I nodded and I was doing the best I could to keep the tears inside me.

“She’s there,” My mother placed a sure hand on my shoulder. “She’ll be there,”

I couldn’t fully accept it all the time we’d spent apart I needed her so badly and my whole body craved her by its side. 1 had to have faith but I was terrified she wouldn’t be there.

or her?

“What should I pack for her?”

“Something comfortable, I’ll pack Christian’s things.” SHe told me and went and grabbed his diaper bag.

I pulled out some of her nightgowns out but the image of her in the forest running in her nightgown made me put them back. I found a sweater and some legging and I grabbed a jacket to just in case she was cold. I put them in a bag and I grabbed her hairbrush.

**are you safe?

1 strained to find her to reach out across the distance I felt something just beyond my fingertips but still not enough.

My mother met me at the door my son in her hands I grabbed him, he was six months now far too old to have never seen his mother. Her parents were waiting beside the helicopter James with them Theo and Charlie had decided to stay there, I entered the helicopter with Christian in my arms.

The short ride to Montana felt like a century my mind flashed back to when I got my son back how small he was, how small she was, I remember how thin she was in the photograph. I couldn’t breathe when we started landing this wasn’t happening, before I knew it I saw here and there the curly brown locks her mother slammed her palms up against the glass.

“I see her, I see her,” she cried. She started sobbing as we landed the wind swirling around us second dragging by as waited for ti to be safe to exit.

Eventually, we opened up the doors and there she was a few feet from me her eyes misty, her hair wild, our eyes locked for the first time in forever and the world was right again.

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