Randall was shocked that he had said it out loud. He meant it. Ben had ruined their relationship trying to control everything. If something happened to Page, Randall wouldn’t forgive himself. She had gotten away though. She was safe, his kids were safe. All that still lingered on his mind was the person that made it happen.
“Let’s just cut to the chase, brother. What are you going to do to me? I know that you feel you have to even this up, so what is it going to be?”
His brother looked at him as if he might be crazy. It wasn’t that at all, but he didn’t have the patience anymore.
“You know, Randall, it would be a whole hell of a lot easier if you would just tell me where Page is. Give her back to Ethan and all of this can be forgotten.”
Ethan was standing silently on the sidelines. Randall had forgotten that he was even standing there. He meant nothing to him, and he was damn sure he wasn't going to give him his mate. “She is mine, we have consummated the mating, and it was done in front of all of her people. There is nothing you can do about it. I will not be giving up my wife for anything.”
Randall could see the bother that his brother had on his face. Why did it matter? So what if she had been promised to Ethan? She was his now and there was no going back on it. Not until he was dead, though when Randall looked over at Ethan he started to wonder if his half-brother didn't want to off him himself. It was then that Randall started to see how big his half-brother was.
Ben had told him several times that he was a violent fighter. It was something that he was known for in his human life. Randall had seen some of his fighting skills, but he must have been holding back. Now though, Ethan didn't have that good natured look that he usually carried. This time he had nothing but seething hate coming out of him. Randall didn't know what it was about. It wasn't about her specifically, it couldn't be. He didn't even know her. Why was he acting like Randall had taken his long-lost love? It was the other way around. Randall was not going to feel guilty for taking her. Page was his. He had claimed her over a decade ago.
It looked like Ethan wanted to charge him right then and there, but Ben gave Ethan a dirty look and told him that there would be no fighting until some solution was discussed. Randall wasn't planning on fighting anyone but apparently, Ben was talking to Ethan, not him. Ethan was ready to rumble, and Randall can't say that he was super opposed to it. He wasn't much of a fighter, but if it would make him back off from Page, then of course he was going to do what was necessary. What other choice did he have?
“Do not go anywhere, Randall. You're confined to your quarters until I figure out what the hell to do about all of this. You have made my job that much harder,” his brother complained.
Ben started to say something to Ethan. He was trying to calm him down because he was really upset. Randall worried that maybe he had underestimated Ethan. He had not underestimated his brother though, and he was quite sure that it was his brother that kept Ethan from attacking him right then and there.
“That's all you're going to do?! You're just going to let him disrespect you like that and steal my wife! I can't stand this shit, Ben! You know what has to happen and nothing else is going to be good enough. I want my justice.”
“That is my brother you're talking about, Ethan,” Randall heard Ben say. He knew the sort of justice that he wanted was a fight to the death. Randall had known that it would be an option, but he never thought that Ben would agree to it. Maybe he would. If the rest of the pack knew about it, he would be forced to fight. It was the only way he'd be able to keep his honor and possibly go back later. If not, he'd never be able to go home. If he lost though, at least Page would still be out of the man’s clutches. That was worth it to Randall.
“Brother or not, I’m going to do what I need to.”
Ben waved him off and told him that he was an idiot. Randall felt that way. He had started something that he didn't necessarily want to, but what else could he have done? It's not like he could have lost her. That would have never been allowed to stand. Randall needed Page and now that they were together and mated, there was no way in hell he was ever going to let her go. So, no matter how it ended, Randall knew that he would never be able to regret it. How could he when he had gotten the prize of Page at the end?
Randall smiled at his half-brother that he couldn’t stand. “You do what you have to, Ethan. We know how you humans are.”
Ethan scowled and started to come toward him. Ben stood in between the two men, though Randall wished then that he would have let the fight happen. Maybe that was all that was needed, a little fighting.
Chapter 14
Page
Page didn't know what to do. To say that she was lost would have been an understatement. Everything happened so fast and now without Randall, Page had no idea the direction to go, except far away from where she had just been. There were no plans to meet up at a certain place or anything. Page didn't know what to do. She wanted Randall back. He had been taken, likely by his own clan, and now he was going to have to pay for his crimes. Was she supposed to save him? Could she even save herself? All of it was unanswered questions as far as she was concerned. Page felt sick to her stomach and wished more than anything for Randall’s calm presence.
She had to keep going. Page ran for over an hour and when she had finally lost everyone chasing her, she was able to stop and all of the sore parts of her started to scream and complain. Page was tired, hungry and had no idea what she was supposed to do next. It was very easy for her to feel sorry for herself, but she knew that wasn't going to get anything done. If anything, it was going to make it all worse and that was the last thing that she needed.
So, to get herself together, Page took account of what she had, and she was so grateful that Randall had handed her somecash earlier in the day. She told him that she didn't need it, but he had insisted because he’d said that she might need it. Had he seen this all coming? Page didn't quite believe that, but she wondered. Without Randall there to keep her safe, Page had a bad feeling about everything. Nothing felt safe when he wasn’t by her side.
She found a hotel and tried to get some sleep. It did her no good. It just guaranteed that she was going to relive the moment that Randall was taken from her. It played on repeat in her mind, driving her nuts. Page needed a distraction from her own brain.
When she finally got some sleep, the dreams were enough to make her not want to go to sleep again. She tried her best to focus on something that wasn’t going to bother her as much, but it felt impossible. Page had the babies inside of her to worry about, as well as some random people coming after her because she had married the wrong man. Her father could potentially find her and punish her. She had no idea what he would do, but he would be embarrassed by her actions, and it would likely be all her fault, and she would have to say she was sorry and beg for forgiveness. What would happen to her babies? To Randall? Page had so many questions of how it would all work, but there was really no telling what was really going on.
In the early morning, Page took off toward the place her and Randall had talked about in passing several times. They’d talked of where they would go if they couldn’t go back to their homes. Randall had an affinity for the ocean, and she loved a stretch in Washington State. It had turned into a specific location and Page hoped that if she went there, he would know to find her. It was a fat chance really, but she couldn’t just wait around close by and hope that he came. What if someone else found her instead? Page tried to focus on what came nextand the future. She couldn’t think about the present, without Randall. It was too much to bear.
***
It took Page almost a week to get to her destination. She was trying her best to figure out where she could stay for an extended period of time, but there wasn’t a lot of places that she could find. Page looked for a full day, before she came across a small cabin on the water. It was older and felt a little rundown, but the view was amazing, and it was half windows on one side. Page knew she was going to have a great time there. She was ready to see what was going to happen next. It felt like the right place, and she paid what she could. She had paid up a couple of months there and Page figured by then, Randall would find her. She had no idea when it was going to be that they were together again, but if Randall was with her, she could get through anything.
The cabin was small. Every morning she was able to drink her tea on the porch, watching the sun, hoping that today would be the day that she would see Randall again. Never did she believe that something bad happened to him. A possibility, but she had figured that if something had happened to him, she would have known about it with some sick sense. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, of course, but that was how she figured it.
Page somehow got into the semblance of a routine. She went outside to the water and played music each night, contemplating what was going to happen next. She would think about Randall, relive their moments together, and it would consume her for most of the day. Page had to remind herself that she was loved, and he had only left her to protect her. He was okay, that affirmation was still a solid feeling in her stomach. She didn't think that everything was right as rain, of course, but Page was convinced that the worst had not happened.
As more time went on, Page's pregnancy was far more evident, and she had to get a job working at the local hotel as a housekeeper. Page had never lived with humans so close before and while it was different and exciting in some ways, she missed some of her old ways and the runs she used to take in the morning in her true form to clear her mind. She couldn't do that so close to the human population. It was too dangerous to be caught, so Page had to hold that side of her in check. Before too long she feared she was starting to think like the humans.
Page thought that she could handle what came next. It was just a waiting game; she would just wait. It was that simple. It didn't feel that simple, of course. Page was dying inside every moment that the two of them were separated. She waited for him day in and day out, her eyes always looking to the horizon, like he was just going to show up one day. So far, he hadn't, disappointing her every time she didn't see him. At some point, she should have given up and stopped looking, but Page couldn't. The idea of him coming back was the only thing that kept her going and kept her from completely losing herself.
