MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

50. VALERIA: DECLARATION OF WAR

I stretched as I turned onto my back, making the arm across my hips slide off. I reached up to rub the sleep from my eyes and then turned my head and opened my eyes to stare at the face inches from mine. David was fast asleep. I smiled when his nose twitched. His hair was a mess and his cheeks flushed. It was clear that he's been asleep for a while.

I didn't remember them slipping into bed. I remembered the strangeness that broke up our time together. The person that had shown up and disappeared without talking to them. After that had happened, Devon had demanded that I get dressed before we all headed upstairs. Nothing looked out of place. There was no scent to tell who had entered the house. Because of that, they had searched every single room and outside the house.

I had waited for them to return to bed but as the minutes passed, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. The bed creaked when Devon moved. I turned my head look at him. He was stretched out on his stomach with one hand under the pillow and the other hanging off the bed. He was facing away from me so I couldn't see his face.

I sighed as I closed my eyes. Sleep was peaceful but something woke me.

I frowned. I was having the most amazing dream. Shifting on the bed, I pushed myself up onto my elbows to glance around the room. It was dark but not pitch black. I could see everything just fine.

David shifted and threw his arm over my stomach. I was just about to settle in bed again when I smelled it. Smoke. I carefully pushed his arm off and sat up. Kicking the sheet off, I crawled to the edge of the bed. The moment my foot touched the floor, I felt the heat. That wasn't normal.

I stared at the floor for a few seconds before glancing over at the door. It was closed. I bit my lip as I debated my options. Go and explore or go back to sleep? The curiosity was killing me but so was the feeling of dread weighing my stomach down.

I climbed off the bed and hurried towards the door. Gripping the door handle, I pulled it open. The smell of smoke intensified. I pressed a hand against my mouth and nose as I made my way towards the stairs. Halfway there, I stopped. The floor was hotter—nearly burning my feet. I glanced down at it and then up. I could see the smoke drifting towards me. Fire. The house was on fire!

I turned. A loud crack filled the air and then I was suddenly falling. I screamed, reaching for something to grab because the floor had suddenly collapsed underneath me. Claws of heat reached for my skin. The smoke thickened. I was sliding lower and then I suddenly stopped.

I glanced up.

"Hold on," David yelled.

It was hard to hear him over the roar of the flames. I glanced down and screamed again. If I slipped I was going to burn to death. I couldn't even recognize anything. Everything was being swallowed by big angry flames. I wasn't ready to die. Who had started the fire?

The smoke was making it hard to breathe. I coughed after making the mistake of sucking in a lung full of air. Sweat coated my skin. The heat was getting unbearable. I reached up to grip his wrist.

"David?"

"Hurry, Devon!"

I squeezed my eyes closed. I don't want to die. Please don't let me die. I'm not ready to die. A relieved sob fell from my lips when another hand gripped my other arm. Tears slid down my cheeks as they pulled me up. The moment I was close enough David's arm wrapped around my waist to pull me against his body.

David instantly stood. "I got you."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist as he carried me back to the bedroom. The door slammed closed behind us. David set me down on the edge of the bed. A shirt was pushed over my head and down my body before I was picked up again. I could feel the heat of the flames seeping through the floor. Any minute now the floor could collapse underneath us too.

"Can you do it?"

I raised my head and glanced over my shoulder. Devon stood by the open window glancing outside. He straightened and gave him a nod. David moved closer. Confusion filled me when Devon turned around and presented his back.

"Get on his back and hold on."

I was shaking my head even before he was finished. I clutched him tighter.

"Come on Val, we need to get out of the house."

"No. I'll climb down."

"Fuck," Devon cursed. "We don't have time for this."

He suddenly grabbed me and pulled me away from David. I trashed in his arms but he changed his hold until I couldn't move. A scream fell from my lips when we were suddenly falling. I clutched at Devon. Just as suddenly as it had happened, it was over. Devon straightened and ran for the trees.

"David!" I yelled. "We need to go back. What about David?"

"I'm right behind you, doll."

I glanced over Devon's shoulder. The sight made more tears spill over. Once we reached the tree line Devon stopped and turned around. We all stared at the burning house. Our home. Flames escaped from windows reaching for the sky.

A loud crack filled the air and then the roof of the room we were in just seconds ago, collapsed. Nausea filled me. We could've died. If I hadn't woken up we'd be dead. I jerked when David suddenly howled. It echoed around the silent night.

"We need to put it out before the trees catch fire," Devon muttered.

"There's no water nearby. The tap at the back is too close to the house." David gripped his hair. "We're going to have to let it burn out."

Devon's hold on me tightened. I pulled my arms out from between our bodies and wrapped them around his neck. His hold loosened. David let out another loud howl. He spun around and slammed his fist into the tree. I winced. He was angry. Curses fell from his lips which soon turned into shouts.

Devon took a few steps back and then took a seat on the ground. He placed me down on his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist. I gripped his arms as I stared at the house. I felt numb. Everything we owned was inside that house—apart from the few clothes we had at the pack house. All the journals which held our history. Everything lost in the flames.

After a while, David walked over and took a seat next to us. I reached out and gripped his hand. He squeezed my hand. We lost our home but at least all of us made it out alive. It was all that mattered.

Eventually, more pack members arrived. Wrin was among those. He took one look at us and took control of the situation. I was thankful that he was there. If David or Devon took control of the situation I would be forced to head back to the pack house, and I wasn't ready to let any of them go. Almost losing them was too close for comfort. We were having such a great time.

"Was this related to what happened earlier?" I asked softly. "The person we heard?"

"I don't know baby," Devon said softly. "We will find out."

"Why don't you head to the pack house?" Wrin said softly. "I'll take care of things here. Once everything is set, I'll stop by fill you in."

David nodded. He stood and reached for me. After pulling me up to my feet, he tugged me against his body. David pressed a kiss to my forehead before turning and holding a hand out for Devon. He hesitated but in the end, he placed his hand in David's and allowed him to help him up.

"Alpha!"

We all turned towards the man calling out. He almost tripped over his own two feet in his haste to reach us. In his hand, he held a red envelope. When he reached us, he held it out to Devon. He stared at it for a few seconds before reaching out to take it. Tension filled the air as he slowly and carefully opened the envelope.

Only a single sheet was inside. Devon handed the envelope back to the man before unfolding the letter. Wrin stepped closer and read the letter out loud.

"We have given you a chance to make the right decision. You failed. Since you failed to do as we asked, prepare to bury the ones you love. This is our deceleration of war."