“It’s okay, Chris,” Madison said, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

It really wasn’t, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. She felt guilty enough as it was that he was in this situation, he didn’t need to add to it. Blaming herself for the home invasion from a Master determined to get her hands on the unborn baby was pointless. None of this was her fault. It wasn’t Ephraim’s fault either, and yeah he knew his father blamed himself. It was the fault of that crazed bitch. Sooner or later Madison needed to realize that he’d been doing his job.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to steal my girl,” his father said jokingly, trying to take Chris’ mind off the pain. Even in his pain hazed mind the idea of him and Madison made him cringe. Not that Madison wasn’t beautiful, she was, but she was also his best friend. The fact that he wasn’t attracted to women in general also didn’t hurt.

Up until a few months ago that little fact had scared the hell out of him. Finding out that he was a Sentinel with a destined mate had put an end to the horrified thoughts that swam through his adolescent brain almost daily. He’d never feared that he was g*y, but he had feared that there was something truly wrong with him and he’d be alone forever.

Now he knew better. He had a family to take care of, a baby brother on the way that would require him to work his ass off to protect, and a mate he needed to find. He just needed this f**king pain to go away so he could do it.

He felt his father carefully sit by his hip. Seconds later his father’s hand covered his on Madison’s stomach and he relaxed.

“Let go, Chris,” his father said soothingly. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

He felt like a coward when he did just that.

***********

“I’m going to strangle you with this tie,” Jill said, trying not to laugh as she pushed her fiery red hair back over her shoulder.

“Hurry up. She’s going to be here soon,” Chris said, forcing himself not to shift anxiously in his chair. He’d already been warned by his father, grandmother, and Madison that if he did they’d haul his ass back upstairs and strap his ass to his bed.

Not f**king happening.

It was bad enough that his mate was coming here and was about to see him in this wheelchair, he’d be damned if he was presented to her as a cripple. This was only temporary and he’d explain that to her as soon as their marks, the light brown crescent moon and cross, turned red indicating that they were mated “How do you know one of them is your mate?” Joshua asked as he tossed his basketball lightly up in the air and caught it.

Thankfully Jill took pity on him and answered for him since he was too busy staring at the closed living room door and willing it to open. He couldn’t believe he was minutes from meeting his mate, the woman he would spend the rest of his life and protect his family with.

“Well,” Jill started to say as she switched out his navy blue tie for a black one, “you know every ten years that ten Sentinels are born, five males and five females.”

“I already know that!” Joshua interrupted. “Dad, told us and so did that crazy woman.”

Jill ignored him. “They make five destined pairs. From what Eric told us, two pairs from Chris’ group have already formed. That leaves three unmated pairs and since there are three unmated females in Boston today one of them is Chris’ mate.”

“Oh,” Joshua said, sounding a little disappointed.

Chris looked over to see what was wrong with his little brother. “What’s up, little man?” he asked, forcing himself not to go back to staring at the door.

Joshua shrugged his little shoulders. “Nothing,”

muttered, “I just like having you around.”

“Why wouldn’t I be around?” he asked, chuckling.

“Cause you’ll be married and starting a family like mom and dad,” Joshua said, sounding truly miserable.

Chris rolled his eyes and moved his wheelchair over to his brother, ignoring his sister’s dirty looks because he was “exerting” himself as their grandmother liked to say.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, reaching out and snagging the ball away from his brother in midtoss.

“You’re stuck with me, punk, so get over it.”

Joshua grinned. “You’re the punk, punk,” he said as he took the ball back. “Are you going to have babies soon?”

He just barely stopped himself from cringing. Kids?

Him? Hell no. He would never do that to a child, but instead of saying that to his eleven year old brother he simply shrugged and said, “We’ll see.”

“But-” Joshua started only to be cut off when the door opened and his father walked in the room with a somber looking Eric.

Chris shifted in his chair, ignoring the slight pull on his stitches and tried to look past the men for his mate.

“Where is she?” he asked impatiently when he didn’t spot her.

His father and Eric, the Sentinel leader for their area, shared a look, a look that really pissed him the hell off.

“Tell me where she is,” he demanded with as much attitude as he could to cover his fraying nerves.

“Why don’t you kids go see if your grandmother needs help making dinner,” Ephraim said quietly.

Jill worried her bottom lip as she headed for the door, pausing only long enough to send Chris a hopeful smile. Joshua looked like he was going to protest, but one look from their father had him hauling his little ass out of there.

“How are you feeling?” Eric asked, taking Joshua’s vacated seat.

“Cut the shit and tell me what’s going on. Where’s my mate?” Chris demanded.

Eric sighed heavily, running a hand over his red tipped black hair. “As you know there were three girls from your group being escorted to Boston today,” at Chris’

nod he continued, “two of the girls found their mates immediately.”

“Well, no kidding, Eric. I wasn’t there to meet her.

Where is she? Is Madison talking to her or something?”

he asked, shooting another glance towards the doorway, hoping that Madison would drag his mate in to see him.

“No, she’s not here. The third girl is dead,” Eric said.

Chris’ head whipped around as the words sunk it.

“Dead?”

This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t f**king be happening. His mate was dead? Tendrils of fear crawled up his spine. He was going to be alone, truly alone for the rest of his life. The one thing he truly feared was happening.

“You killed my f**king mate?” he screamed as he tried to lounge for his friend’s throat.

His father caught him around the shoulders the same time Eric grabbed his hands in his and gently brought them against Chris’ body. Chris couldn’t stop struggling as panic set in.

Alone.

He was all alone.

“Chris, calm down!” his father snapped.

He couldn’t. He just couldn’t. He tried to lash out against the pain as he screamed, cursed and threatened to kill whoever hurt his mate until he found himself lifted out of his chair and restrained on the floor.

“Calm the f**k down and listen to me,” Eric said, gripping Chris’ chin and forcing him to look at him.