Chapter 365 Standard Protocol

“He’ll bring her home soon, I’m sure of it,” Wyatt said. “When he does, I hope you will help to make the transition for her smooth.”

“Of course,” Saul replied. “Though I’m sure Luna Corrine will be much better than I at the task.”

“Very true,” Wyatt nodded. “But I plan to make her unavailable for a while once Axel has brought his mate home.”

Saul gave Wyatt a questioning glance. Of course, Saul would never directly pry into anyone’s personal business. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t interested.

“I plan to take Corrine for a long trip,” he smiled. “I want to explore the lands with her. She used to tell me stories about the places she had been with her parents. The places she wanted to see again. I never took the time to appreciate all that she shared with me.

“Now, I want to make that up to her. I want to see the beauty of the world through her eyes and enjoy the rest of our life together.”

Wyatt paused, and he smiled.

“Our children have grown into good people, confused maybe,” he said, smiling as he added, “stubborn definitely. But good people all the same.”

He took a deep breath.

“They will have families of their own soon. I look forward to being a grandfather and watching them with their children, with their mates. Caleb is a great man. He supports Ashleigh, and she him. Together, they will lead Summer into a bright future.”

He smiled as he tried to imagine what it could look like.

“And Axel is already proving to be far more capable and strong than I ever gave him proper credit for. He will guide Winter into a new world. Even without his mate by his side, he is already doing a wonderful job. I have no doubt when they are finally reunited, it will only help Winter grow.”

“You are being quite reflective,” Saul said. “Is everything alright?”

Wyatt nodded.

“I have come to realize how much time I wasted,” he said sadly. “It has made me want to make sure I do not waste another moment.”

***

Mateas was focused on each step he took. Every step led back home. Every step put distance between him and the bed he had shared with Penelope.

He hadn’t planned it; he hadn’t expected it.

But it had happened.

It had been a night filled with passion and desire. One that he had dreamed of but never thought would be possible.

The truth was that he had discovered his feelings for her long before they became teammates. Long before her brother had become a traitor.

When he had first joined Granger’s team, he met his entire family. He had been smitten with Penelope from the moment he saw her and fallen in love with her over time.

After she joined Mateas’s team, he struggled to hold his feelings in. But somewhere along the way, she had realized his glances and smiles meant something more than friendship.

Penelope had been the one to approach him.

She had kissed him; she had coaxed him into the cabin with her. When he questioned what they were doing and whether they should stop. She had kissed him again and again until they were a tangled mess of naked flesh and cries of pleasure.

He was a willing participant in every action, of course. Mateas was a man that believed in the Goddess. He believed in the bond of mates. But he was also just a man.

When Penelope had kissed him, all reason had flown away. His dreams had come true.

How quickly it had become a nightmare.

So, he focused on every step he took, on the distance between him and home, in order not to focus on the shaking leaves of the trees, on the woman that stood on the branches.

The problem was that focusing on a single step makes it difficult to concentrate on your surroundings and what might be focusing on you.

The hair on his arms suddenly stood on end as he heard the slight whistle on the wind. Mateas just barely managed to step back out of the path of the arrow.

“Everybody down!” Mateas shouted as he jumped behind a small group of rocks, just as a volley of arrows landed in the dirt all around him.

Mateas turned his eyes to the members of his team. Saul and Wyatt had quickly ducked for cover and made it out of harm’s way.

But further back, Mateas saw that Devon lay motionless on the ground, several arrows in his chest.

He growled and clenched his jaw. He should have seen it coming.

There was a pause in the attack.

“Quickly!” Mateas shouted to Wyatt and Saul.

Saul ran to Devon and lifted him over his shoulder, Wyatt ran to Mateas, and Saul joined them.

“What’s the plan?” Wyatt asked.

“Where is Penelope?” Mateas asked.

“Still in the tree,” Wyatt said, motioning to the last place she had been spotted.

Mateas nodded.

“Standard protocol, scatter and regroup back at home,” he said, then glanced at Saul. “I want to take him home, but I’m not sure we can.”

“I will take him as far as I am able,” Saul replied. “It is the least that I can do.”

Mateas nodded. He looked back over the rocks. He could see the archers in the distance. They hadn’t moved. But he had no doubt they were all holding arrows notched and ready to shoot the moment they made a move.

“I will draw their attention,” he whispered. “Make sure she knows what to do, and then go.”

“Mateas, if we both draw fire, it will divide them,” Wyatt suggested.

“I appreciate the offer, but this is protocol. It gives the best chance of survival to the most people,” Mateas replied, then turned with a smile. “I’ll see you back home.”

Saul nodded; Wyatt hesitantly nodded as well.

They all prepared for the next step. Mateas took a deep breath.

“Go!” Mateas shouted as he sprinted from his place behind the rocks.

Wyatt and Saul both ran toward the trees. Mateas dodged arrows left and right. He found another section of rocks and ducked behind.

He looked back and saw that both men were gone. He smiled. Hopefully, they would make it home.

But then he saw something else, movement in the tree, an arrow notched and pointed into the hills.

‘No!’ he thought, ‘No, they’ll see you!’

But before she could even let loose her arrow, the sound of the branch breaking caught her attention. Unable to keep it inside, she let out a scream as she fell from her spot high up in the tree.

She was shocked to find herself landing softly. Penelope opened her eyes and looked down to see Mateas wearing a pained expression as he had taken the full impact of her fall.

“Mat–”

“No!” Mateas shouted. He quickly pushed her aside and then sprang to his feet and stood over her.

Penelope saw the pain first. The gasping breath came next. Finally, Mateas fell to one knee, which made the arrow in his back impossible to ignore.

Her eyes widened, and she moved toward him, but he pushed her away.

“Go!” he shouted. “Now!”

Penelope raised her eyes. Her heart stopped as she saw the wall of arrows that blotted out the sky and screamed as they fell toward the earth.

With a pang of regret and guilt, she turned and ran.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen…” she whispered through tears as fled deeper into the woods.