Free Web NovelChapter 176: Chapter 176 Not So Welcome Back
Amber’s POV
As last time, I feel like the air is being pressed out of my lungs, and just when I feel I can’t do this anymore or like I’m going to explode from the pressure, it lessens. I open my eyes at the warcry near me, ready to fight again if I did this teleportation thing wrong. What if I led me and Willow to some foreign and hostile civilization we didn’t know existed still. UGH! I look around for the enemy, but all I see is two small blurs running to me, and then I’m on the floor, my girls hugging me tight while crying their eyes out.
"Okay, okay girls. Let mommy breathe. Come on." Someone says, and the girls crawl down from me. I sit on the floor, looking around me and realize everyone is there. Chase, Blaze, mom, dad, Blaze, Ezra, Merida, Glaciel and Tristan. In the corner I see Willow hug Jax tight, and when my uncle makes eye contact with me I know why. He probably called them here after bringing the girls back, telling them where I was and what I was doing. I swallow. Chase and Blaze are going to be so mad I offered myself in exchange for our daughters. But what would they have me do? Leave them there to rot? Nuh uh. There’s a knock on the door. Tristan opens it, and in walks Elfia and Hirand. They chuckle when the girls run to them as well for a hug. I was so afraid the girls would fall right back into their scared and timid selves again, but I stand corrected.
"Amber, little moon, what were you thinking?" Blaze asks, sitting down beside me. Everyone is busy talking to one another, listening to Willow’s accounts of the events and asking the girls what happened to them. Chase sits on my other side, his eyes guarded and he’s not touching me. I think I hurt him the most with my decision. Blaze, I think, had a suspicion I would do something like this, and maybe that’s why he seems less hurt.
"I had to rescue them, but I couldn’t take you with me. I needed you here." I reply quietly, looking down. I really don’t want to see the disappointment in his eyes, but Blaze has another plan. He puts his finger under my chin and lifts my face to look at him.
"I understand why you did it, little moon. But not everyone does. We were so worried about you, and about you know what." He looks at my belly, and I put my hand on it out of instinct.
"I’m sorry for worrying you, but I couldn’t just do nothing. I wanted our daughters safe." Chase chokes on air, and settles his angry eyes on me.
"OUR daughters, Amber! Not just yours. We needed to be there as well to save them. Did you think of that? Did you ever think of me and Blaze, and how we would feel when our matebond with you suddenly almost disappeared? No you didn’t, because you were out there playing the heroine, when you should have..." I had enough! He isn’t going to say what I think he’s going to say. I hold up my hand, some small part of me aware the conversation in the room has quieted down and all eyes are on us on the floor.
"I should have what exactly, Chase? Stayed here and played the fragile Queen? I’m PREGNANT for heaven’s sake, not dying! As I bloody well told you already."
"That’s not what I was going to say. You are a..."
"A woman, huh? A WOMAN? You think that just because I am a woman then I can’t go out there and save anyone. You think I should have let it be up to the brave and manly men to save the day? Are your feelings or your pride hurt more, Chase? Just because I made a decision, I don’t always have to ask for your permission." I cross my arms, tears of anger flowing down my cheeks. Chase sighs beside me. He gets up from the floor.
"No you don’t. But I would have appreciated it if you trusted me and Blaze enough to tell us in advance, so our dragons hadn’t almost destroyed everything here because their mate vanished into thin air. Blaze IS less hurt, but that is only because he actually knew you would act like this. Me? I thought we were a team." His words hit like a thousand knives in my heart. He’s right and I hate it.
I have nothing to say to that. I didn’t think about the consequences of my actions. I knew I needed the girls to be safe, and I knew I was the only one who could teleport to Keres’s realm because I had been there before. I hadn’t even considered, not really anyway, how it would feel for the boys when I went there. I felt it for myself. I felt their panic, but not even then I stopped. I sent some comfort through our matebond, but did it reach them? The tears turn sad instead of angry. Melody and Elina hug me from either side. I didn’t even hear them get closer. freёwebnovel.com
"I’m sorry, Chase. I should have told you my plan. I was afraid you would say no or try and forbid me from going. And I wasn’t going to do that. I was going to rescue them." Chase nods.
"I know, baby. I probably would have tried to forbid you from going, knowing full well it wasn’t going to stop you. I’m just.. I want you to trust me. Trust in us."
"I do trust you! Both of you. But this? This was something I had to do. Don’t you understand that?" Chase sighs, as does Blaze. They both nod, but I know this is not the last time we are talking about this. Chase is not about to let it go. I hug my girls back, as Blaze leans in and kisses the side of my head. Chase reaches a hand down to me, and helps me to my feet.
"Hold up one fucking moment here." Meria says, as my mom nods vigorously. "You are pregnant AND YOU DIDN’T TELL US?" She yells, and then I’m surrounded by my mom, Merida, Glaciel, Elfia and Maze. All of them are congratulating me, but I can feel sadness in the room as well. I look around, and the girls have retracted to the corner of the room. I thank everyone for the well wishes, as my mother keeps saying "we’re going to talk more about this, Amber."
I get out of the group, walking to my girls in the corner. They are speaking silently with Jax and Willow, and when I approach them, they look down, not meeting my eyes.
"Girls, do you want to talk about it?" I ask, and they both nod. I wave for my mates, who have been captured by the guys to come into the girls room, as I take their hands and lead them in there. I know they will have questions, and I know time is running out before Selene is coming to speak with us. I mind-link my parents and Maze about the situation with the goddess, and ask them to take the others to the small meeting room. We will be joining soon, but first I need to reassure my daughters that the arrival of this baby will mean nothing but them becoming big sisters.、
