Ch. 481..490
Chapter 0481
"How am I supposed to get a bracelet on any of them if they can't even pull their hands out of their pockets to hug me, Sam?" "You were able to touch him though, right?"
"Yeah, I was able to hug him, but not the other way. He looked awful."
"They all do. Maybe one of us can get the bracelet on, maybe if you just have physical contact with them it will work."
"It's worth a shot anyway."
"I wonder if it's going to be the same with the twins or if you won't be able to touch them at all."
"This is so stupid." I huff through the link.
"Bright side. Birthdays are coming up and no one can get in the way of that. Eighteen baby!"
"You wanna bet? And I will not be eighteen."
"We always celebrate together. It's an us thing, always has been."
"I was not a part of that 'us' thing for fourteen years, remember."
"Nope, I don't remember anything of the sort. You have been around since the dawn of time. You were just the silent partner for a really long time. Now you have your voice and 'silent' isn't even in your vocabulary."
"You are stupid, but I love you. You will have fun no matter what."
"It's my birthday. Everyone else can f*ck right the f*ck off. If we have to, we will party at your house in the backyard. I just want to be with all of my friends for my eighteenth. Is that so much to ask?" "Once a diva, always a diva."
"This is happening Sky, it has to." All his playfulness is gone. "This one is important, you know that, I know that, everyone knows that. Does it surprise you that all this sh*t is going down right as all of us are about to come of age?"
"Yeah, I thought about that too."
"Not just the crap with Kaley though. Everything. All the attacks, The Alpha going crazy, tons of new people coming into the pack. All of it. This is big."
"We just have to keep everyone safe until this all blows over then. Which means we have to figure out how to get the twins alone long enough for someone to get those bracelets on them and for me to set the incantation. That's a big task."
"We'll figure it out. Go sleep, you are running on none right now."
I do as he asks, for once, once and head straight to the house. Wyatt and Nathaniel are eating before Wyatt heads to patrols and Nathaniel heads to help with the next training session. "Perfect, we didn't miss you. Heard a rumor today and think you should check it out." Nathaniel stops me as I walk by the island.
"What's up?"
"Rumor is, the Alpha enjoyed the spectacle of the trails so much that he wants to run something like that again, but no other packs will come here with the threat of the Rogues, so he is going to do some kind of mock trial soon."
"So what? He can run anything he wants, it's his pack. Maybe it will boost morale a bit, since everyone has been so focused on training and protecting the pack. It will be something fun to look forward to." "Yeah, but we are pretty sure it's not his idea, because there is also a ball to follow to announce the winner officially, and of course it is going to coincide with the twins birthday." He gives me a pointed look. That got my attention. Of course Kaley wants a spectacle surrounding the twins turning eighteen. She thinks she is going to be Luna, and if she has them under mind control, that is exactly what is going to happen.
I am so tired and I just want to sleep, but now I have to figure out what this is all about. At least I have a bit of a time frame. If it is set for the twins birthday, then that gives me two and a half weeks to set them free.
"Sam, Oliver. We have to talk."
"Little Bit, I'm pretty sure the instruction was 'sleep' not 'overthink and come up with more sh*t to do.""
"What's up Bitty?"
"Such a suck up."
"What do you know about mock trials and a ball to celebrate the twins' birthday?"
Now I have their attention. I explain what Nathaniel found, because that was actually news to them. Meaning they are being left out of conversations, they have always been and should be a part of.
We decide that we need to get to Mateo ASAP and the best way to do that would be during patrols so Nathaniel can be our lookout on the cameras as well as Jena and the guys helping. I'm hoping that having Jena with me will help and not hinder our plan. I'm pretty sure Kaley has been keeping Mateo away from her in the hopes that he will choose one of her friends.
I don't understand how one person can be responsible for ruining so many lives and is doing it completely on purpose for a title.
Sam said he will get his dad to shift the patrol schedule, but to make it look natural, we have to wait until the weekend when a shift like that would normally occur.
Four days. I have to wait four days
to save my brother. They seem to be
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the longest days ever. Jena and I have been keeping busy in the tiniest spaces of downtime that we do actually have planning a party for the boys. I don't know if it will happen at all, but the thought of something fun and just for them is helping us both cope with the very real thought that our plan has no back-up or plan B, it has to work to save the guys and the pack.
The pack was finally informed of the Mock Trials and the Ball to follow. Of course the kids who have no idea what's going on think it's great. Exactly what I thought, marketed as a distraction for all the bad things that have been happening. And of course with the pack being thinned out all the pups and non-warrior Omegas are still in the Royal pack. It has become a bit of an elitist thing. Only the people here are strong enough, good enough to be here, the cream of the crop, placing the best of the best as choices for dates to the ball.
The Elite warriors of course will be helping to run the mock trials and then are expected to continue providing protection for the pack while the pack members party to their heart's content.
We are now getting all of our information via mindlink from the Alpha. He is too busy planning to be seen. Planning defenses against the rogues, planning the mock trials, planning the ball and his son's eighteenth birthday.
In all my life, I have never known him
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to plan any of those things without his team and his Luna. He was always a team player, loves to take an idea and have everybody run it. He was always encouraging, never@ssuming his idea was the best or the be all, end all. Maybe that was his downfall. He never, in my presence, looked at someone and just said 'no.' There was always the neutral, peacekeeping answers, I'm sure he hoped that if the topic was never approached again it would just go away.
Chapter 0481
"How am I supposed to get a bracelet on any of them if they can't even pull their hands out of their pockets to hug me, Sam?" "You were able to touch him though, right?"
"Yeah, I was able to hug him, but not the other way. He looked awful."
"They all do. Maybe one of us can get the bracelet on, maybe if you just have physical contact with them it will work."
"It's worth a shot anyway."
"I wonder if it's going to be the same with the twins or if you won't be able to touch them at all."
"This is so stupid." I huff through the link.
"Bright side. Birthdays are coming up and no one can get in the way of that. Eighteen baby!"
"You wanna bet? And I will not be eighteen."
"We always celebrate together. It's an us thing, always has been."
"I was not a part of that 'us' thing for fourteen years, remember."
"Nope, I don't remember anything of the sort. You have been around since the dawn of time. You were just the silent partner for a really long time. Now you have your voice and 'silent' isn't even in your vocabulary."
"You are stupid, but I love you. You will have fun no matter what."
"It's my birthday. Everyone else can f*ck right the f*ck off. If we have to, we will party at your house in the backyard. I just want to be with all of my friends for my eighteenth. Is that so much to ask?" "Once a diva, always a diva."
"This is happening Sky, it has to." All his playfulness is gone. "This one is important, you know that, I know that, everyone knows that. Does it surprise you that all this sh*t is going down right as all of us are about to come of age?"
"Yeah, I thought about that too."
"Not just the crap with Kaley though. Everything. All the attacks, The Alpha going crazy, tons of new people coming into the pack. All of it. This is big."
"We just have to keep everyone safe until this all blows over then. Which means we have to figure out how to get the twins alone long enough for someone to get those bracelets on them and for me to set the incantation. That's a big task."
"We'll figure it out. Go sleep, you are running on none right now."
I do as he asks, for once, once and head straight to the house. Wyatt and Nathaniel are eating before Wyatt heads to patrols and Nathaniel heads to help with the next training session. "Perfect, we didn't miss you. Heard a rumor today and think you should check it out." Nathaniel stops me as I walk by the island.
"What's up?"
"Rumor is, the Alpha enjoyed the spectacle of the trails so much that he wants to run something like that again, but no other packs will come here with the threat of the Rogues, so he is going to do some kind of mock trial soon."
"So what? He can run anything he wants, it's his pack. Maybe it will boost morale a bit, since everyone has been so focused on training and protecting the pack. It will be something fun to look forward to." "Yeah, but we are pretty sure it's not his idea, because there is also a ball to follow to announce the winner officially, and of course it is going to coincide with the twins birthday." He gives me a pointed look. That got my attention. Of course Kaley wants a spectacle surrounding the twins turning eighteen. She thinks she is going to be Luna, and if she has them under mind control, that is exactly what is going to happen.
I am so tired and I just want to sleep, but now I have to figure out what this is all about. At least I have a bit of a time frame. If it is set for the twins birthday, then that gives me two and a half weeks to set them free.
"Sam, Oliver. We have to talk."
"Little Bit, I'm pretty sure the instruction was 'sleep' not 'overthink and come up with more sh*t to do.""
"What's up Bitty?"
"Such a suck up."
"What do you know about mock trials and a ball to celebrate the twins' birthday?"
Now I have their attention. I explain what Nathaniel found, because that was actually news to them. Meaning they are being left out of conversations, they have always been and should be a part of.
We decide that we need to get to Mateo ASAP and the best way to do that would be during patrols so Nathaniel can be our lookout on the cameras as well as Jena and the guys helping. I'm hoping that having Jena with me will help and not hinder our plan. I'm pretty sure Kaley has been keeping Mateo away from her in the hopes that he will choose one of her friends.
I don't understand how one person can be responsible for ruining so many lives and is doing it completely on purpose for a title.
Sam said he will get his dad to shift the patrol schedule, but to make it look natural, we have to wait until the weekend when a shift like that would normally occur.
Four days. I have to wait four days
to save my brother. They seem to be
อน
the longest days ever. Jena and I have been keeping busy in the tiniest spaces of downtime that we do actually have planning a party for the boys. I don't know if it will happen at all, but the thought of something fun and just for them is helping us both cope with the very real thought that our plan has no back-up or plan B, it has to work to save the guys and the pack.
The pack was finally informed of the Mock Trials and the Ball to follow. Of course the kids who have no idea what's going on think it's great. Exactly what I thought, marketed as a distraction for all the bad things that have been happening. And of course with the pack being thinned out all the pups and non-warrior Omegas are still in the Royal pack. It has become a bit of an elitist thing. Only the people here are strong enough, good enough to be here, the cream of the crop, placing the best of the best as choices for dates to the ball.
The Elite warriors of course will be helping to run the mock trials and then are expected to continue providing protection for the pack while the pack members party to their heart's content.
We are now getting all of our information via mindlink from the Alpha. He is too busy planning to be seen. Planning defenses against the rogues, planning the mock trials, planning the ball and his son's eighteenth birthday.
In all my life, I have never known him
1.n
to plan any of those things without his team and his Luna. He was always a team player, loves to take an idea and have everybody run it. He was always encouraging, never@ssuming his idea was the best or the be all, end all. Maybe that was his downfall. He never, in my presence, looked at someone and just said 'no.' There was always the neutral, peacekeeping answers, I'm sure he hoped that if the topic was never approached again it would just go away.
Chapter 0482
This time it didn't go away and innocent lives are being lost and we are focused on the wrong things. We should not be having a ball to placate a f*cking princess wannabe, who decided to take, by force, what isn't hers.
Finally, Sunday rolls around and the new patrol schedule was posted last night, effective immediately. This put Mateo and Oliver on the same patrol with Jena and I. We have to work fast though, before someone discovers Mateo and Jena are together. I think that is the bigger issue over him being with me.
Jena and I make sure we are fully geared up. I am not under the delusion that Mateo will be able to be freed as easily as Sam and Oliver. He has always put this pack first, above everything, including his own wants and needs. He was always taught that the Alpha is right and to never go against him. That kind of loyalty is great, until you have loyalty blindly, then people get hurt.
Oliver gave me a specific place to meet them on the route. He was afraid Mateo might lose his sh*t if he saw Jena and I both at the patrol house to check in. So we showed up early, ran to the location and were just stuck waiting.
Just as I really start to get antsy, I finally hear some noise in the underbrush. Oliver is being loud intentionally and it's strange, normally he is the most stealthy of all of us. I wonder if my brother suspects something with him acting out of character like this.
Then I see it, my brother's wolf barreling towards us at full speed, not good, cause he looks pissed.
"Incoming, Bitty. I think he can smell Jena or you, or both of you. I don't know if Mateo has control right now."
"We got him." is all I have time to reply as I let Jena know.
"Come here, baby." She whispers, and I pack that away for later as she shifts just in time for his wolf to collide with hers.
They are all teeth and fur. Flailing, snapping, biting, throwing. His wolf keeps grabbing her forelegs in his mouth and flipping her to her back, but then releasing her. Like they are playing, not fighting for dominance.
"Jena, I need him human, for this to work. Can you get him to shift?"
"How do you expect me to do that? I can't mindlink him, dumbass."
"Try shifting first, see if he'll mimic." I suggest wildly
They are just rolling and fighting and the look in his wolf's eyes is devastating. He looks like he
is in pain. They roll again and he looks like he is going to take dominance again. She shifts mid roll and lands flat on her back in her human form. His wolf straddled her, open maw over her throat, all teeth bared. She just stares up at him defiantly. I'm not sure if her look is more taunting or accepting, but it's disturbing on all levels.
He doesn't clamp down though. Just breathes, the steam billowing from his nose, hot breath leaving a visible moisture on her neck. Then I hear bones start to crack and see a shimmer as his body slowly shifts back. I've never watched a shift like this before.
It is beautiful and terrifying. Every joint bends at an odd angle starting from his spine and working out to his limbs. His hair retracts, eyes close and head throws back as his face transforms. When he's done, he'e left kneeling over Jena, still panting and looking at her wide-eyed and angry.
"Let us help you." She whispers and moves to touch his face. He turns his head away and out of her reach, but doesn't move to get off of her. Still fighting some kind of internal struggle, he whimpers again. While he's not looking directly at her she makes eye contact with me, it's time. I tell Oliver to be ready, we are going to need him to help hold my brother still.
Oliver runs forward out of the trees, Jena lifts her hips and thrusts them over to reverse positions, grabbing both his wrists and landing them in Oliver's lap where he grabs Mateo in a headlock and pins one arm. I race for the other, taking a flying slap to the face in the process, but I manage to get the bracelet on his wrist and tight. He cries out in pain at my touch.
I start my incantation, he's still bucking wildly under the weight of the three of us.
"You have to repeat it!" I shout at
him. "Look at t Oliver and repeat my words! Talk to him, Please!" I am crying, ugly tears streaking down my cheeks. Whatever spell is on him, he's trying to harm himself to. get away from me and my heart breaks at this fragile sight of my brother. I don't let go of his wrist, waiting for the now familiar burn of the tattoo on my wrist.
With everything in my life, the one constant thing has been my brother and his strength, his physical presence and right now he just looks wild-eyed and broken. Whimpering and crying right along with me. Then white hot pain shoots up from his hand to mine, he looks at me and is truly terrified, but I'm not He's free. I know, as the half moon bands form around my wrist just inside Sam's.
There's a sudden jerk from Oliver then Mateo's back arches, eyes smashed shut. He lets out a feral growl then collapses under Jena. He is completely
breath and barely
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pray
I bow my head and to the Moon Goddess that he's okay, he has to be okay. Because if he's not then the twins won't be either and I don't know if I can lose the three of them all over again. We all just sit, not speaking or looking anywhere but my brother's face.
Then he shoots up to a sitting position, sucking in air like he was drowning. He tucks his head into the crook of Jena's neck and she wraps her arms around him. She lets him sit like that catching his breath and Oliver and I just sit waiting for what he might do next.
"Nice of you to join us Beta.” She says into his hair, before letting go and getting up slowly.
"Oh, f*ck, that sucked." He looks at the bracelet and the new tattoo. "How the hell are we going to get Cam and Kota? It took three of you just for me."
"It will be all hands on deck, because I think I have to get them together. Not one at a time. They feel everything the other is going through and it might not work if they aren't together. And I can't risk Kaley knowing or finding out if their reaction is the same or worse than Mateo's. But how do we do that? Mateo was ready to tear us to shreds."
"That's because that is the new order. It's why we've been trying to stay away. You are to be captured and placed in a holding cell."
"I never got those orders." Oliver looks shocked.
"No offense but Kevin doesn't care about you, or your connection to Sky. Although, if he was smart he would, seeing how this played out." Mateo rolls his eyes.
Chapter 0483
"Whatever we do, we are running out of time. There is only two weeks until their birthday." Mateo walks to me and wraps me in the biggest bear hug that almost crushes my rib cage, but I couldn't care less. It is one of the best feelings in the world.
"We will figure this out Shorty, just keep fighting, never stop fighting. I'm pretty sure it's the only way any of us are going to survive this."
We say our goodbyes and finish running our patrols. I try to check in with Osiston and Nickolas. I get no response, but I feel like they got the message and they just can't respond. It doesn't feel like they are blocking me, but who knows. I hate not knowing what is going on outside the pack. It's like we are on an island and completely cut off from the outside world. Which makes no sense since our warrior links should span across any distance.
I need to figure out how to contact Elena, there are a lot of unanswered magical questions I have and I can't just keep using magic blindly. I'm lucky that all the guys and I have gotten were unexpected tattoos out of this protection spell. I know magic can be volatile if used incorrectly and I am not a born caster, so there has to be some limit to what I can or should be doing. It feels like a disrespect to the craft to just go about willy nilly casting when I don't know the expected outcomes. She has a phone, but rarely uses it...or checks text messages apparently.
There are just too many obstacles right now and it is so frustrating. Jena and I head over to the training grounds. I am starting to feel like this never ending cycle might break me. We are all just going through the motions. Even training has lost its appeal, when it used to be my outlet. Lil saunters up to us.
"So, did we gain a club member? Nevermind. She does not hide her elevator eyes. The way you two look, either we did or we have ten new prisoners to question after a massive fight." She laughs at her own joke.
"You're an idiot." Jena smiles. "And, yes, we got our latest club member. Now I need some sleep. Let me know if you come up with anything."
We both nod and watch her walk away, but I notice a little more pep in her step.
Delta Kayle walks to the front of the training before we start and holds his hands up getting everyone's attention.
"So you all know we are going to do a mock trial, something the Alpha thinks would be fun for everyone who is stuck here while we wait for word on the Rogue King..."
What does he mean 'wait for word?' And there isn't really anything fun about trials. This is not Delta Kyle talking. I'm so tired of listening to puppets. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, but apparently not very quietly, because he looks right at me and pins me with a stare. But, it's not an angry or aggressive stare. He knows why I'm huffing and he can't talk to me through the mindlink either. Man, I really want to punch that b*tch in the face. It's not enough she's hijacking the whole pack, she's gotta take every single person I care about away from me?
"Like the last two years you will run through a series of obstacles and challenges. Unlike the last two years, participation is mandatory by all pack warriors. Participants in the lowest ten percent at the end of each trial will be eliminated until there is one final winner. Our visiting Elite warriors will be setting your challenges, and I would like to remind you that many of them are warriors who placed in the top three percent of the last two trials held in this pack. They will not go easy on you..." He looks at me again, this time I know he's trying to tell me something.
I'm half tempted to make everyone take up sign language with all this can't mindlink crap.
"Lil, he's trying to tell me something. What do you think it is?"
"It's shady that it's mandatory, that's going to make patrols really light, which is not a good idea right now but it's an elimination process, so people could intentionally suck to just get out in the first round and call it a day. It'll only be the lowest ten percent though"
"The elimination process is going to make the whole thing take days, and what does he mean 'we won't go easy on them?' We aren't going to intentionally hurt them either. We are all tired and overworked as it is."
"Maybe that's it. Someone wants our reinforcements down. Not just weak from exhaustion, weak from fighting each other too."
"What, like working with the Rogue King? Why would anyone do that?"
"We know two people who, it appears, would do anything to gain power. Why not sell out if the promise was a whole ass pack in return?"
"There won't be a pack left to control!"
"That's the brilliance of the plan, because Kaley and her dad believe the lie that the Rogue King will follow through. It's what I'd do, get some stupid schlep to do the hard, tiring part. Weaken the strongest warriors and then swoop in and collect the prize."
"I hate it when you make sense, and I agree with your crazy ass. This is bad. How do we fix it?"
"One problem at a time, Midge. Let's save these boys of yours first. The lives of your future Alphas are more important. We can talk with the team about the trials later.”
I nod. Just another f*cking problem. I never thought of myself as a vindictive person, but I have found myself fantasizing about different ways to draw out tortures for Kaley and her dad. Starting with a silver laced whip.
The atmosphere around the training grounds is a mixture of interested talk and downright pissed off. No one is excited for these trials at all like they were two years ago when participated. But, I understand. No one wants to be forced into competition. We aren't gladiators here for the crown's amusement... Oh, Sh*t!... Yes we f*cking are. I smack myself in the forehead and tell Lil my revelation.
We need all of the warriors on high alert. We also have to plan this stupid thing in a way that doesn't seriously injure anyone, but also makes it look legit to whoever might be watching from the shadows. We walk back to the house fast,
grab everyone and head out back to the firepit. I think we have gotten a little bold talking outside, but with the barriers up around our perimeter
I feel safe and frankly I am slowly leaning into the world of 'I don't give a sh*t I also know that almost everyone here is a warrior. This is like being back on the compound with Stella and Jack in the kitchens. We have only essential Omegas still here, and by 'essential' I mean Packhouse Omegas. Everyone else is safe and out of Kaley's reach. I figure in one way or another we all signed up for this bullsh*t.
Chapter 0484
Wyatt and Nathaniel are actually excited to make the trial challenges. The idea of making it look hard, but not actually doing any damage or harm appeals to both of their weirdo boy brains. I stopped asking questions about the things that lit them up a long time ago and just accepted the help for what it is, something being taken off my plate, because we all decided that the whole point was to keep me busy and out of Kaley's hair.
I mindlink Osiston and Alpha Reggie again to let them know what was happening, but still no response. I am actually worried now. I just don't know if I should worry about their safety or ours.
I fired off a text to Elena letting her know what was happening too, and I completely flipped my chair over when she responded.
Elena: Hope this one gets to you. I've been trying to contact you for days
Me: What do you mean? I've messaged everyday with no response
Elena: No responses have gone through. No interruptions while I have you.
Elena: There's a barrier on your pack, I'm sure you've figured that much. It is blocking your mindlink as well as most technology.
Elena: It's not my coven's barrier, you are prisoners right now.
Elena: We are working on our end, but I need you to find the source. There is an anchor inside your borders.
Elena: It will be near the centermost point of your pack, and with the size of the land it's covering, it will be hard to conceal.
Elena: A pentagram with a candle in the center. The candle needs to be snuffed, but is designed to burn indefinitely. You cannot touch the pentagram or the candle, but you have to put it out. Me: Any other cryptic instructions?
Elena: Don't be a smartass. You will know what to do, that is half of magic, trust your gut, your instincts.
Elena: We have also found where they are keeping Gentry. Nickolas is planning a mission to try and get to her before they move again and he's going to need my help.
Elena: I will come to you as soon as I can get through. Be safe and watchful. Feel for magic around you, sense for it always, that may save your life.
"Welp. Who wants to help me with another assignment?" I look up at my friends who are just staring at me. I look around and notice, I'm still on the ground, sitting on my knees, chair toppled over. "Uh, Midge, you kind of froze for a second. You good?" Wyatt asks.
"Nope, but when are we ever 'good?' Elena finally contacted me. We're under lockdown."
"That's not new information." Lil snarks behind her beer bottle.
"The magical barrier holding us in by a caster, or more likely casters, that aren't a part of Elena and Gentry's coven to hold us prisoner is new information though. That's why our connection to Osiston, Nickolas and Alpha Reggie had been spotty."
"And the new assignment has to do with that." Nathaniel states.
I look over at Jena. "It's a pentagram with a forever burning candle in the center.”
As suspected, she spits her drink out. "Oh. F*ck. No! You have got to be kidding me?"
"Not according to Elena. We have to snuff a candle out that is supposed to burn forever, that sits in the center of a pentagram that we can't touch. Sound familiar?"
She sets her bottle down and starts to pace behind her chair muttering things like 'not again, never again' and 'can't be happening.' The rest of the team looks at me, silent questions in their eyes. I take a breath and decide Jena needs me before they need an explanation.
I walk over to her slowly, her eyes are glazed over, she's lost in her mind. We have both been doing so, well since we have been here. The nightmares are under control, the constant looking over our shoulder and paranoia are not gone and probably won't be with the job that we do, but we don't twitch at every little sound.
"Hey. Look at me. We are safe. You have a whole team with you now and Mateo and the rest of the guys."
"That's what I thought when my pack was attacked too." She whispers out.
"You didn't expect the attack. Now we do, and unfortunately for their side the idiots running the show are Mike and Kaley. We will end this. We knew he would come for us. Let him so we can end this." She nods at me and I pull her into a hug. Then we turn around and explain to our team what we know about the pentagram.
"I guess from your description, it could be the same thing or at least similar." Nathaniel starts. "And you're sure Robbie was telling you the truth?"
I nod. "Funny enough, he was the only one who never lied to us. He actually tried to scare me off and when that didn't work he was an asshole hoping we wouldn't want to hang around Tyler or Mike if he was around being a dick. He said that's how Mike is controlling his warriors. I wonder if it's the same for what's happening here with the Alpha."
"But Lenny said she thought he might have been given some kind of herb or something." Lil speaks up.
"But, if that was the case wouldn't Midge and the rest of us be under control too? We were all living at the pack house when whatever happened went down." Nathaniel adds.
"Maybe it's the warrior brand. I mean we all have some kind of magical protectant that comes with it. Maybe it stops or hinders magic set against us?" I shrug my shoulders. "And let's not forget that Midge is magic and could literally eat silver and poop it out like it was candy. Nothing affects her the way it's supposed to." Lil laughs and we all join in. "You're disgusting!" I keep laughing.
"But I think she's right, we have some kind of barrier, maybe that's the reason your boys are getting the tattoos when you do the protection spell and we aren't. We already have our brands, it's basically the same thing." Jena absently rubs her arm. "Even the partial brands that we that we have are clearly doing their jobs."
"Okay, so while we are on surveillance tonight I will look for a place that can hold a pentagram big enough to control your pack." Nathaniel moves to get up.
"I'll help, if it's inside we need to look for heat signatures and you can do both on your own." Wyatt jumps up too.
"Thank you for that vote of confidence, ass."
"Oh shut up, you know what I meant. We are on a time crunch and the more eyes the better. If we find anything we can send Midge and the girls out to handle it.
"So now, how do we get your twins off the magic wagon?" Lil asks.
We all sit there for a long while. We should be sleeping, but I can't sleep. My pack is in danger, Mike or the Rogue King or both is at our doorstep and could attack any day now and Cam and Kota are still victims of whatever Kaley and her dad have going on.
Chapter 0485
I shouldn't care so much about what happens to them. They have been hot and cold with me my whole life. Mostly cold and dismissive. But when we were friends they got under my skin and made me care and I don't know how to turn that off. I can't knowingly let anything bad happen to them.
The three of us throw a couple of half-assed ideas around, but don't really get anywhere, so we decide to sleep on it and think fresh in the morning. Maybe talking to Oliver and Sam will help too. They might even have an idea of where this stupid anchor thing could be.
As expected I barely slept, but what I didn't expect was Jena sleeping like a rock. Even with the thought of Mike coming for her, she didn't move a muscle once she was out. I had to shake her awake for patrols.
Something is different today. The air is different, not thick and heavy like something bad is going to happen, but also not light and fluffy like something wonderful is happening. Just a change, a shift in the atmosphere.
We both get ready for patrol. I strap on all of my gear, my boots with blades, thigh holsters with all my emergency healing supplies, my back holster with two knives, wrist guards with small throwing knives and my jacket with four extra blades. No werewolf should be carrying as many weapons as I do, but something about them makes me feel safe and confident. Elena said trust my instincts so I'm going with it. "You're going to wear that to training and stick out like a sore thumb." Lil laughs at me.
"Nah, I'll look like a warrior who is incharge of the stupid trials. No one else wants to, because we all know it's stupid and a massive distraction we don't need."
We eat quickly and head out to do our shift. When we get to the patrol HQ to check in, that's when I notice it. The honey smell that has always brought me comfort is strong and demanding. Like someone turned on a burner and cranked up the dial on the fragrance.
I turn and see my friend. How could I have forgotten? It's his birthday, he's eighteen today.
"Oliver! Oh wow! Look at you!"
He's just standing there in all his man glory. His already rugged features are sharper somehow. His eyes brighter. Tattoos sharper and on full display in his cut off t-shirt. I think he might be bigger than even just yesterday. He has this glow around him. It's like an orange tint I have never noticed before.
"Hey, Bitty." He breathes out and then smiles that devastating smile.
"Happy Birthday, big guy." I walk over and give him a big hug. He wraps me up and I melt into him. He buries his nose in my hair and we just stand there.
"Okay, okay, okay. Stop groping my sister. F*ck, Shorty. I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle you finding your mate."
I laugh and let go of Oliver, he doesn't release me right away though. He reaches up and touches my cheek with the back of his knuckles. The gesture is very intimate and I am all of a sudden very uncomfortable being this close to him. So I take a full step back and breathe deep again.
"I had to try." He says roughly, still smiling, not looking ashamed at all about touching me like that.
"Wait, what?"
"Don't be dense, we all see how you two are together. It's natural to think you might be mates." Jena shoves me in the shoulder.
"But, I'm not eighteen, I won't know anything until then." Why do I sound panicky? I would be lucky to be mated to Oliver.
"Okay, I even think it's a possibility."
Mateo huffs Out. "And let's be
honest, there is nothing normal
about you. Never has been, so youet
being able to sense your
V early
is absolutely in the realm of possibilities. But, man, seriously,
Keep your hands to yourself in front of me." They both laugh.
"That's not funny." I grumble and walk past all three of them who think this is a joke.
"Stop by later, we are going to grill out. Apparently there are traditions to try and live up to." She says over her shoulder following me. When she catches up she asks. "What was that back there?" "What do you mean?"
"You let him hug you, hold you like he's your boyfriend, but the minute he touched your face, you froze up like something was wrong."
"I don't know. Next to Sierra he's probably the person who knows me the best, he is my best guy friend, always has been. I don't know how I feel about the idea of being his mate. Whenever I thought about mates, I never pictured any of the guys for me."
"With the amount of man candy you have just floating in your orbit, you've never thought about any of them as more?! You are crazy, and Mateo's right, there is nothing normal about you."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment, jerk." We head to where we need to be and shift to begin our patrol.
As we run Jena and I both feel for
the magic that is surrounding us. Then I realized, with the birthday and mate talk I was so distracted that I forgot to tell them what Elena said. last night about the magic and the barriers. So I mindlink Mateo and Oliver and fill them in on everything she said and tell them to do the same. Mateo thinks I'm stupid and reminds me he is a wolf not a witch, but Oliver shuts him down quickly and tells him what to look for. That's our other connection though, we are connected by magic or with magic. I think he might be overestimating our connections into something they aren't. I just keep hearing Elena in my head 'trust your instincts.' My wolf and I agree, Oliver is ours, somehow, but I don't know if 'mate' is it. I've never even had a boyfriend, so this is blind territory for me.
We finish our run and meet up with Lil, where Jena proceeds to exaggerate the entire interaction between Oliver and I and then she laughs at me like everyone else, who seems to think this is the most natural and obvious thing in the world and I'm an idiot for not seeing it.
"I told them to come over tonight so we can grill and celebrate. We need some normal downtime. Tell Sam too." She points at both of us as she walks off.
We walk into the training grounds
with smiles on our faces, but that lasts about two seconds when I look to the head of the training grounds and realize hell has frozen over. Alpha Lucas, Luna Ava, Cam, Kota, Kaley and Kevin are all standing there looking like a picture perfect family. My breath hitches and I feel like I am going to throw up just at the sight they present. And for a moment I think I am too late to save them.
Chapter 0486
My heart actually hurts. There is pain everywhere. My ribs feel like they are contracting in on themselves. "Midge, inhale, exhale. Good." Lil brings me back from my stomach dropping tunnel vision. "Look at them."
"I am." I grit out, we are still walking forward, but stick to the outside edge of the group that approaches our pack leaders.
I notice Sam, Oliver and Mateo off to the side too. "They're never all here. What the hell is going on?" I whisper to Lil, momentarily forgetting that I should mindlink my asshole thoughts.
***"None of them want to be here. Look at your Alpha, if he balls his fists any tighter, his claws are going to go through his hand. And Kaley may be in between your twins, but every time she moves to touch them they shift so she misses. This is not them, remember that. Whatever they say, whatever they do, it's not their choice."***
*****How did you see all of that?"***
***"Because I'm not in the middle of that love quadrangle. They know you're here. She knows you're here. Don't let her see you're affected. She will get what's coming to her and it will be as public as we can make it. You are here to do a job, that's what she needs to see. Keep everyone safe and just go through the motions."*** Lil's menacing tone is dangerous. She's a little dark at the best of times, but for me and Jena, her protective streak is through the roof.
"The Alphas and future Alphas have been occupied with the protection and security of our pack and have been noticeably absent from training. They would like to see what we have been working on and the progress the Elite Warriors have made with you all. They may even join in as a treat." Delta Kyle finishes his explanation.
Lil and I look at each other and roll our eyes., but don't say anything as we move to a training circle to begin warm-ups, again staying as far away from the watchful eyes of my enemy as possible. What I do feel are two pairs of eyes drilling holes into the back of my head.
****Is it bad of me to wish that you would have seen Oliver right now and had that epic moment right here in front of them? The way Jena described it, everyone needed a cold shower after."*** ***"Ugh! Stop."
.**** I roll my eyes again and then smile. ***"No, it doesn't make you bad, cause I had the same thought and funny enough, I don't feel guilty about the thought either.'"
****
She smiles wide and wicked at me as she lunges toward me working on a leg sweep maneuver. I should not have said that, she's up to something now. We get through our warm-ups and attack reviews. We al broke off to get water before separating to spar in one-on-one and two-on one groups.
Lil makes sure to move us as close to Sam, Oliver and Mateo as we can be. I breathe a little easier. I thought she was going to put us in front of the twins and try and start sh*t with Kaley and Kevin. Although we are close enough to be within earshot of them.
"Hey, f*ckers. It's been a while, who wants to throw down? Midge here has been bored with one on one since she was five."
None of the three of them hide their amusement. So, apparently, talking to Lil is okay, they were just banned from talking to me. Good to know. She should have thought that through, but I guess that's the point she hasn't really thought this all the way through, just reacting in the moment to things that make her mad or feel left out.
"I'll go." Sam chimes in. "I cannot wait for you to see how fast I am, Little Bit. It's been two years, baby." He steps up to me.
"Hey, watch that baby sh*t. She's not your baby. Stick to 'Little Bit' like a good boy." Oliver walks up and slaps him on the back. "Actually step back, I want first crack at her. It's been too long." ***"Oliver! What are you doing?"***
****You are not the only one that can have fun with this. It's my birthday Bitty, just go with it."*** Then he winks at me.
11***
***"That is not fair. You can't pull the birthday card."*
***I can and I will. I'm making a point baby."***
***"Oh so you can call me baby, but no one else can?”***
***"Yep!"*** He pops the 'p'.***I am the ONLY one who is eighteen and has any right to even suggest you might be my mate and I am just as sick of all this fake bullsh*t as you."*** He lunges at me fast and have to dodge his massive tattooed arms. I tuck and roll under him then jump up to be ready for the next thing he throws at me. ***"If what I say and do makes people think you might possibly be my mate, so be it. We can't live without you, we have proven that time and time again. Some of us just need reminding."***
****Some of us are under a spell."*** I quip back.
***"You were quick to pinpoint them."***
***"You were quick to sound jealous."*** I try to distract him. My mind did go directly to the twins when he was talking about all of them. It's just because they are going to be the hardest to break and they have been at the forefront of my mind since we have been able to break everyone else free.
Another swipe, this time he gets my
leg and tosses me on my back. A loud whoosh of air leaves my lungs and I am dazed for a moment. Oliver leans over me, I let him get closer, then wrap my arms around his neck and my one leg around his waist, which almost doesn't fit, and use the other to propel us around so I am now sitting on him about halfway up his torso. I have one of his arms pinned above his head. He has my other arm pinned to my side. I am at a standstill. He could easily flip us with his leg power. I am just too short for that, my knees barely hit the ground on either side of him.
He extends the arm I am holding above his head, which brings me closer to his chest. Nowl see he let me switch positions, because he still has control. I can't let go of his arm. He'll just grab me and pin me. He slides me so I am holding all of my upper body weight in the extended arm in front of me. I won't be able to
sustain this for very long at all.
I am so close to him now, our noses are almost touching. I narrow my eyes at him and he just smiles that pearly white, smile that says he's all trouble but totally worth it.
**** Tell me the truth. Was that day really your first kiss?"***
***"Why is that so important to you?"*** I deflect.
***"Because the first time someone kisses you, it should not be to save your life. You deserve something like that to be special."
Chapter 0487
So... There has been an issue with the formating that I use to differentiate between the chatracters talking out loud and when they are mindlinking.
The mindlink should be bold and in italics, and while it looks like that in the author center and all of my views, it does not seem to be that way for your view as the readers. It is something that is being worked on. In the mean time I will place' *** ' at the beginning and end of the mindlinked dialogue just so it makes sense for context.
There are many times when Sky is talking to someone and mindlinking others. Typically with Lil when they are badmouthing someone. As the story reaches the end this will be mor crucial.
Let me know if it is helpful or just distracting.
Thanks for reading and sticking with me this far into Sky's journey! I appreciate all of you.
Chapter 0488
***"Yes...It was. But with the brand I don't have any desire to do anything like that. Nothing romantic crosses my mind. ***"Would you still feel it though? If I kissed you right now, would you be able to understand what it means?"***
***"I don't know. I'm sure people have tested it. Lil actually said she and Wyatt did."***
****I would like another chance to show you what a first kiss should be like."***
"***
I think I might have stopped breathing again. I have no idea what the look on my face is, but clearly I am scaring Oliver, he backpedals.
***"Bitty, we aren't mates. I don't care what anyone says, we both know it, but there is something here. And I will be honest, this is because I care about you, but I also kind of want to rub it in that you will always be mine in some way. I think it might get us the in that we need to save the twins. Do you trust me?"***
I just nod my head, because I am curious about what it feels like with the warrior brand in place. He extends his arm a little further, then tilts his head up to mine slowly. I close my eyes and feel pressure on my mouth. It was closed mouth and gentle. I don't open my eyes until I feel two hands cupping my face and I look down at my friend who just gave me so many things in a small moment. But then feral growls erupt through the training grounds.
In a flash Oliver and I are up and he doesn't bother to push me behind him, he stands next to me, two warriors ready for a threat. Both twins are running at us and there are yells everywhere, people scattering. It is chaotic. I see Alpha Lucas running after them and Kaley is screaming, but I can't understand what she is saying. I can't see Kevin at all.
Cam goes for Oliver who takes the impact and they begin to grapple. Mateo jumps in front of me to catch Kota's flying mass, they tumble to the side of me. Sam runs in to take a place at my side, as Alpha Lucas runs straight for me. There is pain in his eyes and his movements aren't as smooth as they should be.
"Sam, let me do this. He doesn't want to hurt me. They set him on me. I will be okay. All of you are fighters. He's fighting this too. It needs to be me."
He nods, but doesn't look happy, then steps back from where I am standing just as Alpha Lucas collides with me. We both go rolling, but he has me caged in his arms. I knew he didn't want to hurt me, but he is under command to fight me. Again, whichever one of them is controlling this doesn't know what kind of fighters we are. I can hold my own against an Alpha and Alphas aren't supposed to hurt pack members. It goes against the Moon Goddess' laws. Not everyone knows that, but when you study with Alpha Reggie as much as I have you pick up a couple things.
When we finally stop rolling, I am able to break from his grasp and run towards the first thing I see... The obstacle course. We weave in and out of the legs of the structure, then I climb on top and he follows. He is agile and can keep up with me, but I have been doing this course for so long that I could probably do it in my sleep. We run everywhere all over it, up, down, in and out. We jump so many times I can hear the wood start to creek from the force and his sheer weight. The thing is sturdy, but I am probably one of the biggest people to really pound on it, and that isn't saying a lot. Maybe it wasn't meant to have one of the biggest people in our pack slamming around on top of it.
Chapter 0489
I jump and swing on the rope climb and go down instead of up. I can't allow him to trap me up there and be forced to make me fall. Then I run under the structure towards the opposite side where we have blocks elevated on poles at varying heights so it looks like a garden of metal and wood flowers sprouting from the ground. As we both pass under the center, the structure creeks again, but this time the creaking doesn't stop, then I hear wood splinter and snap. The sound of wood thunking as the whole thing tilts to one side. I am frozen in place. Everything is in slow motion. All the training I did, the focus, the speed drills, strength training and it means nothing as watching one of my favorite forms of escape start to crumble is what does me in.
"SKYLAR, MOVE!"" The shout and the shove break me from my thoughts. I am thrown from my place under the obstacle structure. I hit something with my back then roughly collide with the ground. Then all I hear is a loud set of snaps then a cloud of dust from the training ground floor as the deck of the obstacle course smashes into the dirt. A few yells and screams, then silence.
I can't see anything. There is dust and dirt flying everywhere. I stand up, sore from my impact, but I can't see the Alpha, he was right behind me, he should be right here. Now I'm moving faster, adrenaline kicking into high gear. Where is he?
"ALPHA!!" I shout, and I can hear other commotion around me. ""ALPHA! Can anyone see him?" I shout into the air.
Naturally Oliver gets to me first. "Bitty, are you okay?"
"Fine. Where's Alpha Lucas?" I cut his perusal of my injuries off.
Then I hear the groan. ""ALPHA LUCAS?!" I shout, moving towards the fallen obstacle platform.
Now that the dust is starting to settle, I can see it's tilted to one side, all of the two foot thick support structures snapped and bent at odd angles. That shouldn't be possible, those should not be the weak breaking points. Focus, Sky. I shake my head. The platform decking is all splintered too, sharp wooden spears sticking out everywhere.
The groan again, then I see a hand reaching out from under the decking.
"THERE! Help me! He's trapped!" Oliver and I race forward. I touch the Alpha's hand and it moves. Renewed endurance surges through me. "We have to get this off of him, now, he's hurt."
I hear footsteps near me, then hands all around to slowly lift the fallen piece of planking. I slide under to assess his injuries as they move the boards. We don't want to pin him down worse by tilting it wrong. He's on his stomach, head turned towards me, eyes closed, but I can see he's trying to breathe watching the dust stir around his nose.
"Alpha Lucas, I need you to talk to me. I know you have some kind of 'don't talk to Sky' thing going on, but I need to know where you're hurt. This is an emergency, push past it, please."
"Luna..." He grumbles.
"I'll have someone check on her, but I need to know about you. Tell me where you're injured so I can help." I turn my head to the random legs behind me. "I need someone to get Luna Ava, NOW!!!"
Chapter 0490
"Bitty, talk to us, this sh*t is heavy, we need to get him out of there."
"I can't see his whole body yet, I don't want to move him until I know he's completely free of the structure, get a few more guys to help. Move it slowly."
"Alpha Lucas, talk to me." I can feel my aura surfacing. I haven't felt it in a while, but I also don't always have control either. Apparently it comes out when I'm super emotional. "Where are you injured, we need to get us both out of here. It's too dangerous to stay."
The structure creeks again as it lifts higher, a muffled scream comes from the Alpha and that's when I see it. "STOP!!! Don't move, I need help under here, we have a problem."
Cam and Kota crawl under with me and they both curse at the large plank of wood sticking out of his side. Kota goes to move it.
"NO! Don't touch it. If the wound is not bleeding, it's probably the only thing keeping him alive right now. I don't see anything wrong with his legs, so I think we can try to slide him out once we make sure the plank is free from the structure. You need to call for healers, I can't talk to the pack right now. Alpha, this is going to hurt a lot but we have to move you okay?"
I am using every ounce of training I have had with the Elite Warriors now to give directions to the twins where to hold him and trying to jostle him as little as possible we move him out from under the structure and a safe distance away. I can see Gamma Brett wrestling a frantic Luna Ava out of the corner of my eye. When he sees us clear of the structure he lets her run to us.
She drops down onto her knees next to his face, tears streaming down her face. "We need to remove it so he can heal!" She's shouting at no one in particular. "Luna, we have to wait for healers. We don't want to do any more damage." Brett is trying to console her. I don't think anyone else knows what to do or say.
Oliver is next to me on one side, Cam and Kota on the other, Sam and Mateo are behind me. I think there is commotion going on around us, but, like Luna Ava, I only have eyes for the Alpha.
He was always such a big strong man. His happy presence lit up a room. He is tough but fair and kind. He would always listen more than he would give advice. But, right now he seems small, like a fraction of his former self. I reach for his hand and squeeze. He jolts at the contact, but I don't care about whatever spell is on them to not touch me. I hold tighter, letting my aura do its thing, it seems to have a mind of its own anyway.
I don't want to mess anything up so I don't want to try and force him to heal, so I focus more on comforting thoughts, limiting the pain. Luna Ava leans over and lays on his chest, sobbing. I know that through the mate bond you can feel when your mate is in danger or seriously hurt, but I wonder if she can feel his actual pain or just that he's injured.
I'm sure it's only been minutes, but it feels like it has taken hours for the healers to get here. They are some of the most intelligent people in our pack. They will be able to save him he's held on this long. Their knowledge and training
stwo
They have all of the ancient herbs, salves and potions and, more than likely, some level of magic training from witches, but they also go to school and train like human doctors, because let's face it, we're more than a little hard on our bodies and not everything can be fixed by sprinkling some leaves on it.
They do a quick assessment and get him on a stretcher. As they start to wheel him away he shouts "Luna!" and grabs both Luna Ava and I and won't let go. We just start to follow the gurney as they wheel it to the ambulance. I don't want to fight him right now. Right now he needs to let these healers work.
I have every intention of letting him go when they load him up, but he drags me forward.
"Alpha, you have to let me go so they
can take care of you." I try to be soothing, but the delay could be terrible for him. "I will come visit soon, okay." I try again to pry his fingers off of me, looking at the
healers who are trying to get net
in.
He still doesn't let go, so I climb in as they load him in the truck. Luna Ava on the other side. "Luna Ava, I don't know what to do. I can't go with you, they'll never let me go in with you. He needs to let me go, so they can heal him."
"He'll never let you go, sweet girl. Let's go." She doesn't look at any of us, but the healers close the door on my guys and Lil and we are rushed off to the hospital.
***Lil, let the team know what's going on and the borders need to be double checked. The Alpha, in this condition, is bad for the pack. Have someone contact Elena as well, she might have some tools our healers don't and Osiston needs to let Alpha Reggie know, if we can get a message past whatever stupid barrier is up.'
***On it boss. I'll get Nathaniel and Jena to get eyes in the air and check the perimeter cams."
11***
"***
***"Thank you. I'll check in as soon as I can and we can debrief at the house later."
***
His eyes are closed the whole way to the hospital and his breathing is labored, but his grip is strong and steady. I just focus any healing energy towards him. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I figure the intention is what matters.
We get to the hospital and unload him, none of us fighting the grip he has on Luna Ava and I anymore. He's wheeled into a room and they get to work removing his clothes and assessing any external damage quickly. I move back near his head, taking his arm as far as I can with me without stretching the muscle around the massive piece of wood in the wound.
"Alpha, we need to remove this wood, now, you need to release your hold on the Luna and Beta. I promise they will be here when you return." An older healer is using her most patient 'mom voice.'
I tried to pry his fingers again. He
fights, but eventually lets me go. Then Luna Ave leans forward to give him a gentle kiss and he finally lets her go too. The healers use this opportunity to rush him out of the room and to surgery, I assume. Luna Ava sinks into a chair in the corner. She looks so sad and broken, but I probably would be too if it was my mate in danger and there was literally nothing I could do to help.