Lance Slowly, the others leave the site to head back to our campsite, but I keep standing there with Lakota in my arms until there is nothing left and the sun starts peeking through the trees. I say my goodbye to Jake and tell him I will keep an eye on his Mate. I have to take the long way back to our campsite with Lakota in my arms, but I don't mind at all and would carry her the rest of the way home if that is what she needs me to do for her. She is fast asleep by the time I get back to our campsite, and I sit down against a boulder with her in my arms. Keir walks over with a blanket and as he is wrapping it around her, he tells me we will be staying until after dinner to give her time to rest. Josh and Lynn sit down in front of me, both of them placing their heads on Lakota, and I understand that this is their way of giving her comfort.I just lean my head back to shut my eyes for a moment; Bolt is focused on Lakota, and knowing he will warn me if she needs me, I drift off to sleep. "Lance, she is slowly waking up," I hear Bolt say, and I open my eyes to see that our backpacks are all lined up while everyone is softly talking to one another. She is stirring in my arms but not quite awake yet, and I see the tears slowly making their way down her cheeks. "Has this been happening all night?" I ask Bolt; he confirms that she has been crying on and off during the night, and I slowly sit up straight, knowing it will wake her. I look into her eyes to be met with a dull look; Bolt is whimpering in my head at the sight, and I pull her closer to my chest. The sparkle in her eyes is gone now, something even Jace wasn't able to do with his rejection, and I have a feeling she will need the distraction of being an Alpha now more than ever. We both slept through breakfast and lunch, so we both get a huge portion of food for dinner, and I have to keep telling her to take another bite. "You and Lotus need to finish that food; we still have a long way to go, and you need this to keep up your strength," I tell her through our mind-link. She doesn't answer me, but she continues eating, and slowly but steadily, the food disappears from her plate. Lynn takes our plates once we are both done. Kobal tries again to pick her up, but she just buries herself deeper into my arms, and we both realize she is not ready to let me go. A few changes are made to who carries who; Cian is going to carry Lynn and Josh so Keir can carry Mylana and Rory, and Kobal is going to carry me and Lakota. I tried to object until Quinn pointed out that Lakota wouldn't be able to hold on to me if I carried her on my back. "Lance, this is my way of helping out. For some reason, she needs you more than she ever needed me in her life, and we all want her to get to our new territory in one piece," Kobal says before I finally accept the fact that I will need to travel on the back of his Lycan. Lakota doesn't speak, but from time to time, I see tears running down her face, and I know it will take some time before she can come to terms with this. Lakota I still can't believe what happened; I found my second chance Mate only to lose him within minutes. Lotus is whimpering in the back of my head; she has been like that ever since we found Jake, and I feel like giving up, but for some reason, Lotus won't allow it. Lance is holding me as we travel through the night, and I am grateful that he is willing to keep me calm. Lotus made me jump into his arms after Jake died, and she refused to leave him when Kobal approached us; not that she doesn't trust him, but she feels better in Lance's arms. No one says a word out loud as we travel, and no one tries to reach out to me through the mind-link; something I am grateful for. I am not sure when I will be able to function again or when this pain in my heart will subside, but I know they will all give me the time that I need to deal with my grief. Dad once told me that I was his reason for not giving up, and Lotus told me that our Pack is our reason for not giving up; they need me as much as I need them. For now, Lotus and I need to grieve, and I am grateful for the others for taking care of whatever needs to be done. When Lotus had made me jump into Lance's arms, I wanted to object, but she refused to let him go, and even though losing Jake still hurts like hell, being in his arms takes the sharp edges off the pain. Having Kobal and Lance nearby keeps me calm and comfortable; I need their presence for some reason, and I feel safe wrapped up in Lance's arms on Kobal's back. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep as we traveled, and instead of the nightmare I feared that would come, I only saw Jake's handsome face, the smile on his face he gave me as he thanked us for easing his pain. If this is how my nights will be from here on out, I might get to terms with his death a lot easier, but I am not counting on it. The sun is starting to rise as I slowly open my eyes, and like last night, I am in the middle of our Pack, surrounded by every Wolf and Lycan that belongs to Crystal Blood Pack. Lance squeezes me tighter to his chest, and I realize we traveled all night without stopping for some rest.