by Jade Royal
“Have you checked on Gemma?” Kellan asked him.
“Um no. Should I?” Tristan question. Kellan had a faraway look in his eyes as if he was tapping into the emotions of the wolves he was connected to. After a moment he looked at Tristan, snapping out of his daze.
“I’d pay her a visit if I were you,” Kellan replied. And that was all he said. Tristan didn’t need him to say anymore. He rushed back to the cave to find out what was wrong with his Gem. The dim light in the living room was still on, but the moment Tristan entered the kitchen he felt his mate’s restless energy. He headed toward the living room. The large leather couch seemed to swallow up her slender body as she tossed and turned. He could see her eyes moving behind her closed lids. She was trying to sleep, but it wasn’t coming easy. Tristan wondered why she wasn’t in her bedroom.
“Gem,” he said softly touching her. She growled and jumped up. Her wolf eyes shone brightly through the dimly lit room. Her teeth were long and sharp in her mouth, and she was ready to attack. Tristan grabbed both of her wrists and held her down.
“Stop it,” he ordered her wolf. Even though he was asserting his dominance, her wolf was not listening. She leaned over and sniffed at Tristan. Then she began snapping her jaws at him, trying to tear his head off. He wanted to slap himself in the face when he realized he must still smell like Chloe.
“Fuck, I’m an idiot,” he growled at himself. He knew if he let her go she was going to run after him and attack him anyway. So he pulled her from the couch and carried her out of the living room. She fought in his arms, but he didn’t let her go until they reached the mouth of the cave behind the waterfall. He couldn’t be too far from Bliss, so he quickly dragged her under the spray of water with him. Once they were both doused and dripping wet, Tristan stepped away from the water and dragged her with him. She stopped mid-growl and looked at him questioningly. She sniffed then looked at him, blinking her eyes. Her long lashes made her look like an angel as she looked at him calmly. Her wolf retreated, and her human eyes emerged. She shook her head then looked at their surroundings before looking down at her body.
“Why am I wet?” she asked.
“Your wolf needed a little bit of cooling off,” he commented. She jerked her hands away from him.
“I don’t understand,” she sighed. “Why can’t I control her?”
“You two don’t understand each other as of yet. It’ll come in time,” he answered.
“But when she takes over sometimes I can’t even remember what the hell I did when she was in full control. It’s so weird. And I don’t know, I feel like me and her carry the same damn personality. So I don’t get why it’s so hard for us to be on the same page.”
“Personality?” Tristan asked.
“Well yeah. She’s just as much a bitch as I am.” Tristan made a face. This was what Bliss was talking about. Tristan knew nothing of his adult mate.
“Why would you call yourself that Gem?” he asked.
“I guess I just have a mean streak and a potty mouth sometimes.”
“Unless the definition changed I’m not so sure that’s what being a bitch means. You’re a sassy girl Gemma who doesn’t take shit from no one. I wouldn’t call that being a bitch.”
“Me and my wolf are both angry too. Like what I did to Maverick. That was purely me. I was pissed off for what he’d done to Rita, and Bliss, and Kyra. That’s the only time me and her are on the same page. It’s when we’re pissed off. But sometimes she just loses more control than I would.” A breeze drifted through the cave and Gemma shivered.
“Come, you need some dry clothes.” Without allowing her to walk, Tristan lifted her in his arms and carried her back inside the cave. Before he went to his bedroom, he stopped by the Alpha’s bedroom and listened. Once he heard Bliss snoring, he felt content about walking away.
“I can walk you know,” Gemma said to him.
“I know,” he shrugged. He took her to his bedroom. That’s when he put her down.
“Take your clothes off,” he ordered softly. She hesitated and looked at him curiously. She went for her tank top, but she didn’t pull it down.
“I’ve seen you naked already Gem,” he said. “Don’t worry, I can control myself.”
“That’s not what I’m hesitant about,” she whispered.
“What?”
“I just want you to like what you see,” she replied.
“Take your clothes off, and you’ll know whether I like it or not,” he smiled at her while winking. He saw her blush as she began to undress.
“Why was my wolf attacking you?” she asked.
“She didn’t like the way I smelled,” Tristan shrugged. He didn’t want to mention Chloe. Even if it was a dickhead move not to. He just didn’t want to worry her about him being with another woman when he wanted her.
“And why are you asking me to undress?” she questioned. Tristan pulled a t-shirt from his drawers to give to her. He turned and froze with his arm outstretched. He swallowed hard. Yes, he’d seen her naked before, but damn it if he didn’t feel like a teenager when he saw her full breasts and curved hips. Her womanly core was freshly shaved except for a square patch of hair above her outer lips. There was that little voice in his head again telling him she was a child and he was sick for being turned on by her, but Tristan pushed it away. She wasn’t a kid. She was young, but she wasn’t a child.
Gemma cleared her throat. She understood what he meant by knowing she would see if he liked what he saw or not. His arousal was beginning to paint the room red. It was hot and heavy between them. Gemma felt her walls begin to pulse, but she didn’t dare move towards him. How would she even initiate sex after the last time? And she was not going to make herself look foolish. That was out of the question.
“He-here,” he stammered giving her the shirt. She took it tentatively. He tore his eyes away from her and Gemma quickly pulled the shirt on. Immediately her wolf rolled over onto her back. Wearing his shirt wrapped his scent all around her, and it placated her wolf. The relief made Gemma sigh.
“Thanks,” she said.
“No worries. I’ll be in and out checking in on Bliss. But you can stay in my bed tonight. It’ll keep your wolf from being so restless.”
“What changed?” Gemma asked. For the second time that night another female was asking him the same question.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Well, you would have never asked me to stay in your bed before. And you surely wouldn’t want to see me naked or even touch me. So what changed”
“I had a very interesting talk with my alpha female,” he replied.
“Oh.”
“Gem, I realize I haven’t made this easy on you. In fact there’s a lot I would do differently, but I can’t. I may have been in denial about having a mate, but that was not because of anything you did. And I certainly felt for you the same things you felt for me. I just refused to accept it. What’s changed is that I accept it now. You’re my Gem, and I want to make up for treating you like shit.” Gemma was speechless. What was she supposed to say? She didn’t have anything to say so she climbed onto his large bed and got under the covers. He smiled at her and went about changing his clothes. She’s seen him naked when they went for pack runs, but up close she hadn’t seen him. When they nearly had sex, she’d felt him, but that was it. Seeing his rock hard abs and sculpted body, she was unsure of how in the world the universe gave him to her. And then when he pulled down his underwear, her breath caught. Her heart began to beat faster. The shade of chocolate, Tristan’s penis dangled from his hips; thick and yearning. Her mouth watered but at the same time, fear sparked in her body. She wanted him, but she was still afraid.
“It’s okay Gem; I’m not going to rush you. We can take our time.” Gemma wanted to tell him that she wasn’t a fearful little girl but how could she say that when her body was saying something different? Yes, she was afraid, but she wanted to experience him.
“I-I know it might seem as if
I’m afraid, but I can handle it, Tristan,” she said to him.
“It’s just no reason to rush Gem.” He dressed in shorts and a white beater. Once he was dressed that conversation ended.
“Get some rest,” he said as he walked to the door. She laid back, engulfing herself in his scent. She didn’t realize how tired she was until she was awake one minute then fast asleep the next.
Chapter Eight
Tristan, Jayce, and Kellan stood over the omega as he slowly woke up. Jaxson was hanging back as a line of defense just in case. The she-wolves were alone in the cave, and Kellan wanted to make this as quick as possible to get back to his mate. He’d spent all night without her, and his wolf was itching to hold her and their pup.
“What’s your name?” Kellan asked the omega immediately.
“Zander,” he replied. “Thanks for saving me.” He stood and looked around. He looked ready to run off, but Tristan blocked him.
“What happened to you, Zander?” Tristan asked.
“There was a whole mob of them. I was just drinking water next thing I know I get hit with silver. I went down, and then I got shot with a bullet.”
“A bullet?” Kellan asked. “You had wolfsbane through your whole body.”
“That’s the thing,” Zander said. He had a faraway look in his eyes and Kellan could smell his fear. He was a submissive wolf.
“The bullet was made entirely of wolfsbane,” he whispered. “It went through my heart, and I thought I was done for. I began crawling away to get to my sister to warn her, but I couldn’t get there. And then next thing I know, you find me.” He pointed at Tristan. Kellan, Tristan, and Jayce looked at each other before looking back at Jaxson. A bullet made entirely of wolfsbane. It sparked fear within all of them.
“When you say mob what do you mean?” Jaxson asked.
“Humans. They all carried weapons. Then this dude steps up and starts shouting about hunting us before we all hunt them and kill them. He’s the one that shot me. There’s gonna be an all-out war,” he said.
“Humans?” Kellan gasped. Tristan cursed.
“That damn warehouse! You can’t tell me that warehouse isn’t connected to this shit. They have weapons Kellan! Weapons that can kill us and they’re going hunting!” Kellan clenched his teeth.
“Alpha,” Zander said bowing. “Me and my sister, we have no pack. We have no protection. We need a pack to survive this.” Kellan understood he was asking to join them.
“Why are you and your sister an omega?” Kellan asked. He saw the contemplation in Zander’s eyes.
“Don’t fucking lie to me either,” Kellan demanded.
“I challenged my alpha and lost. He banished both me and my sister.”
“So you challenge alphas and expect me to give you a place in my pack?” Kellan asked.
“He was a terrible alpha!” Zander exclaimed. “He wasn’t mated, so he liked to fuck around with all the wolves. He tried it with my sister. She said no, and he clawed her across the face. I wanted to look like her hero, so I challenged him. I got my ass kicked but what the fuck else was I supposed to do?” Kellan looked him up and down. He heard the truth in his words.
“Someone go get Rita and Bliss,” Kellan said. Jaxson went off to get the females.
“Where’s your sister?” Kellan asked.
“We found a spot to hide near a river to keep our scents masked.” Kellan smelled his mate come up from behind him. He held her next to him. She was already growling at the unfamiliar male wolf.
“He wants in our pack,” Kellan told her. “What you think of him?” Bliss looked him up and down. She gave him a sniff. Though her wolf was apprehensive about being around a strange wolf, she could sense that he was an innocent wolf.
“I’m okay with it,” she replied. Kellan looked at Rita and Jayce for their judgment. Jayce walked up to the wolf.
“We get attacked. What’s your first move?” He asked. Zander looked at the other wolves, but all of them were stoically looking at him.
“Making sure she’s safe,” Zander replied pointing at Bliss. There was only one wrong answer. And that was saving yourself and leaving your pack high and dry. But the fact that he would want to protect Bliss proved that he understood the importance of keeping her alive. That plus he had guts for challenging an alpha he knew he couldn’t beat.
“Good answer,” Jayce said. Rita seemed satisfied with his answer, so she nodded as well giving her blessing to admit him into the pack.
“We’ll go with you and get your sister,” Kellan said.
“Thank you,” he said bowing his head.
“Lemme tell you something,” Kellan began. He stood in Zander’s face. He made sure his dominance was very clear.
“I won’t give you any reason to challenge me like your old alpha did. But if for some reason you lose your goddamn mind and challenge me I ain’t just gonna banish you. I’m gonna rip your body in half and hang your corpse above my mantle. Understood?”
“Yes,” he breathed.
“Good. Tristan and Jaxson stay with Bliss and the other females. Jayce and Rita come with me to find his sister and do the ceremony.”
“What we going to do about what he told us?” Jaxson asked.
“I’m still thinking,” Kellan responded. That was all he said before walking off. Zander walked ahead of him leading the way to where it was his sister was hiding out.
“We’re in for some shit,” Tristan said shaking his head.
***
Kellan was stirring with anger as he traipsed through the woods to find Zander’s sister. He didn’t know the wolf, but the fact that he was attacked simply because he was a shifter upset Kellan. For so long they’d been hidden away from humans, and now all that had changed. He didn’t care if humans knew they existed. What he cared about was being hunted and killed. They posed no threat to humans for centuries, and now they were being hunted. It was a new era, and Kellan had to tighten up. He had to be the alpha his pack and other wolves needed, or there wasn’t going to be any shifters in this part of the region once those hunters were done with them.
“Selena!” Zander called out. His sister emerged from a bush. She rushed to him with relief all over her face.
“I thought you were dead,” she cried. “I felt your pain!” She hugged him tightly.
“I was going to be dead, but they saved me.” Selena recognized the alpha and bowed to him. She looked to be in her early twenties just like Zander. Their likeness was very obvious.
“We’re twins,” Zander said as if reading Kellan’s thoughts.
“Our mom died after childbirth, however.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Kellan said.
“We’re okay,” Selena replied. “Your mate, she’s gonna pull through don’t worry.” Kellan gave her a look. Zander immediately scolded her.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t help it,” she whispered.
“How do you know my mate is pregnant and that she’ll pull through?”
“I’m a healer. I can sense energy when people are sick or injured, sometimes even emotional energy. Since you’re connected to your mate, I can sense her pregnancy. She’s throwing up right now, but she’s okay.” Kellan had to admit they could use a healer in the pack.
“And I use to deliver the pups in our old pack. I will prove valuable to you in your pack. As long as the male wolves-”
“I don’t run that kind of pack Selena,” Kellan said. She let out the breath she was holding at his words.
“Besides, Jayce is mated,” Rita said. “And if he ever looks at another wolf or dares to touch another wolf I’ll castrate him and feed his dick to the crows,” Rita snapped.
“Alright damn!” Jayce exclaimed. Kellan smiled at the couple, but then he returned to business.
“We’ll have the ceremony right now. If you can complete it, then that means you are ready to be in a pack.”
Kellan went through to motions of the ceremony, and both Selena and Zander were able to trust Kellan eno
ugh to have their backs to him and allow him to claw into their backs. At the end of the ceremony, Kellan was filled with two new essences of wolves. That was when he was able to see the pureness in both of them. Even if Zander challenged an alpha before there was nothing but good in his heart. Selena was just the same.
“Let’s go home,” Kellan said. Both Zander and Selena jumped for joy. They grabbed small duffel bags that were hidden in the bushes. Kellan felt sorry for them seeing what little they had. But the smiles on their faces made him believe they would be alright. No doubt their time as omegas had been hard on them and now they were able to feel protected. As they walked through the woods, Zander and Selena chatted with Rita on getting to know some things about the pack. Jayce walked next to Kellan.
“You okay?” Jayce asked him.
“Something’s off,” Kellan said looking all around him. His hairs had stood on end. Something red caught his attention in the distance as it move.
“Aye, shut up!” Kellan shouted at everyone. His ears perked up, and he heard the heaving breathing of someone close. Then he inhaled the human scent.
Get down. Right now, he spoke into their minds. One by one they all got down except for Jayce. The air around them shifted, and Kellan heard the whizzing of something sharp. He caught the arrow right in front of his face before it made contact with his eyeball. Looking in the direction of where the arrow came from, he spotted the shocked expression of the lone male human. Kellan looked at the arrow, then broke it in half. He roared in anger and sprang after the human. The human whimpered and tried to run off, but Kellan pounced on him, dropping him to the ground.
“Who the fuck are you?!” Kellan snarled in his face.
“A hunter. I’ll kill all you fucking beasts. He told us what you look like. Told us you didn’t wear any shirts and told us your eyes glowed. I know you’re a fucking mutant.”
“Who’s he?” Kellan asked. The man only laughed manically. He attempted to shove another arrow into Kellan’s stomach. Kellan ripped the arrow away before jamming it into the man’s chest. The impact alone killed him immediately before his blood pooled underneath him. in anger, Kellan ripped his head from his body.