by CY Jones
27
Logan
I never knew how much of an impact we had on Aspen’s life until now. She was just as much a part of us as we were to her. I remember all the times she use to sneak into our room, but I never knew the reason behind it until now. Just like I didn’t know she was the one who saved me on the lake not once, but twice, or that she has extra abilities, but I’m sure that’s a secret she never wanted anyone to know. Now I know the meaning behind the element symbols in her marking. Aspen is an enigma. I could live a thousand lives, and never fully know all she is. She’s like the universe, unpredictable, and filled with the most extraordinary things. With a father like hers it’s no wonder she was the way she was growing up. She could have been worse. She could have been like Kassie, who has no reason to be as evil as she is now.
I watch fascinated, greedy to learn more about my mate when the scene changes to the party, it seems like the air around us darkens. That snake Karter was always there in her ear, compelling her to drink. Even going as far to have an illusion cast over himself. When they get to the secret room, Aspen starts to cry out and scream, until she’s banging her head repeatedly on the ground. Reaching for Aspen, I try to take action when April screams for me to stop.
“Don’t touch her. If you do you will shatter the dream, and this will all have been for naught.”
I watch her hands as they hover over Aspen’s body glowing like a glow stick. They’re shaking and I know she’s barely holding this spell together. Who knows how long it will be before she’ll be able to try this again if I interfere. I want to help Aspen. My wolf is uneasy about our mate being in harm's way, even if it’s her own mind, but I bite my tongue until I draw blood to keep myself back. When my gaze falls on my brother I can tell he’s going through the same dilemma, and the same goes for Mekka. I want nothing more for all this to end so I can hold my mate, and be the safe haven I once was. Thankfully, this torture we’re putting her through stops, and Aspen’s body stills like a movie put on pause. The goop on her body hardens and then turns into ashes that April sweeps into a glass globe, before she murmurs some incantation under her breath and the globe lights itself on fire. When the flames settle the globe is sealed with the black dust safely inside.
“Shake the globe and the memory will play out inside. The manipulators words will become clear, and whoever watches will know she was compelled,” was the last thing April gets to say before her body crumples in on herself and she falls over. Luckily, Alpha was able to catch her and the globe before they hit the ground.
“I’ll take her to the guest room,” Mekka says holding his hands out for April. When Alpha passes her to him, I bend down and lift Aspen gently in my arms. Following the others inside, I take her to her room and lay her gently in her bed. I hope she has peaceful dreams while she’s out, and her suffering has come to an end.
“I love you, and I will never let you go,” I promise, leaving her with a soft kiss on her lips.
28
Aspen
I wake alone in bed. I don’t remember much from April’s spell except lying in the grass while she brushes Harry Potter herbs on my body. Sitting up, I look at myself. Not a spec was on me, so I wonder did they bathe me afterwards before putting me in my bed. I hope the spell was successful. I may not remember much, but something tells me I don’t want to go through that again. Throwing on some clothes, I walk downstairs wondering where everyone is until I hear shouts coming from Tyler’s office. Shouts from a man that shouldn’t be here.
“I'm tired of this game, Izzy. Get your shit and our daughter, and let's go home,” my father’s voice booms through the open space.
“We are not going anywhere with you. You are not my mate. You must be high if you think you can just show up at another pack, and try to steal the Alpha’s mate away,” mum huffs.
“He isn’t your mate, you’re mine,” dad roars.
“Dante, you’re starting to sound redundant. I’ve already told you that unlike you, Isobella is my soul bound mate, I gained permission from the wolf Council and we had a sanctioned mating, a true match blessed by The Fates themselves as they blessed our mating ceremony with blue flames. I’m sorry the Council decided to strike your pregnant mate down, but what did you expect when you mated her without their permission? Although, your mistake was my gain, and I will never let Isobella go,” Tyler states.
“Then give me my daughter, and I’ll be on my way. You may have a claim over my mate, but you do not have one over my blood.”
“Actually I do. Aspen is mated with three of my wolves, and the males pack always take precedence. They are her soul bound mates, and there's nothing you can do about that either.
“Bullshite, you’re just after my daughter since yours is so weak. I heard she’s not even strong enough to be a Beta.”
“This is your last warning, I suggest you shut your mouth Dante. This is my home and my territory you’re currently on. I will not take much more of your insolence and disrespect,” Tyler growls.
“Or what, pup? I’m a True Alpha, you can’t do anything to me, Alpha,” dad sneers.
Deciding I heard enough I enter the office before Tyler and my dad goes to blows. “He’s telling the truth. I have three mates, and I don’t plan on going back with you, so you should just leave,” I say staring my father down, until it’s golden gaze on golden gaze in a battle of wills. I have never done anything so brazen, but I was pissed he even came here in the first place. Just because the council took away his happy little family, and mum and I were nothing to him but the runner ups, a consolation prize in his life.
“You’re starting to get a mouth on you like your mother,” is his only reply.
“I’m not leaving,” I repeat, jutting my chin out and folding my arms defiantly.
“No, she’s not,” Ethan says standing beside me.
“Ditto,” Logan and Mekka say at the same time standing on my other side, all three of my mates supporting me. I didn’t hear them come in, but I was glad they’re here.
“You two? I should have known. And you? I don’t know you, but you smell weak,” dad says, pointing at Mekka.
“He’s not weak,” I growl.
“He is, and you can do better. I will make sure of it. This is not over Tyler,” he replies, before turning to leave out the door.
“Are you ok?” Mum asks.
“How did he know we were here?” I say instead of answering.
“I’m sure he heard about our mating ceremony by now. We were lucky to have gotten away with it this long,” mum answers. “With the Council killing Candice off, it probably persuaded him to look even harder.”
“Why? It’s not like he cared when we were there,” I question.
“With Candice dead, you are your father’s only heir. The wolf council has banned him from taking another mate as punishment for forsaking our laws. He’s at a dead end without anyone to leave his pack to. When he dies, the pack will fall to his strongest Beta if you choose to stay here,” mum explains.
“Even if I do leave, I will never go back there with him.”
“What do you mean if you decide to leave, figila?”
“I mean, if after the investigation is over and Kassie is still here, my mates and I will leave and make a go at it elsewhere.”
“Aspen,” mum starts to say, and I stop her.
“We’ve already talked about this and we’ve made our decision.
“And when was that?” Tyler inquires. “You’ve been out for two days, and neither one of your mates said anything to me about leaving the pack.”
“Two days, what the hell?” I mumble.
“Does it matter? It’s not like we need your permission if that is what we decide to do,” Logan speaks up.
“As your Alpha I could at least had been given the common courtesy of a fucking heads up, but be that as it may, you're all jumping to conclusions and acting out prematurely. I was going to wait until tonight to announce this in an emergency pack meeting, but I gu
ess I can share the news with you early to keep you four from doing something extreme. When my Beta pulled Kassie’s phone records he found a bunch of texts between the vampire called Karter and Kassie. With the text it’s been proven she did plot to set you up to get rape in exchange for her virginity. I’m so sorry, Aspen,” he says, looking me directly in the eyes. “I never raised Kassie to be that way. Maybe I spoiled her too much after her mother died to fill the void, but I never thought her capable, or cruel enough, to do something like this. I want you to know that even though she’s my daughter she will be punished accordingly.”
“What are you going to do?” I croak.
“Kassie will be excommunicated from the pack and sent to Saint Michaels Disciplinary Academy for Supernaturals where she will be rehabilitated until she can one day return as a functioning member of the pack. She will be stripped as Alpha’s heir, and you will take her place.”
I did not expect all that. I honestly thought Tyler would go soft on her because Kassie was his blood, but I was wrong, and to hear that he’s making me his heir. In a way I feel bad for her. The same thing that my father did to me, Tyler is going to do to her, but unlike me, she actually deserves this. Everything that’s going to happen to her she brought on herself. I’m glad I decided to turn my life around, because I could have been her, but I like to think I would have never done anything so cruel.
“I don’t know what to say,” I finally admit.
“Don’t say anything. Seeing what you went through, I would never wish that on my worst enemy, and knowing that my own flesh and blood was the one who’s responsible makes me feel even worse.”
My mind is racing. Kassie will be gone soon. Isn’t that what I wanted? She’s still alive, sure, but at least now she will be alive somewhere else, hopefully far as fuck away from here.
“And the mages? What happened with them?” I ask, looking over at Mekka.
“Once we showed the proof to the elders and both Councils, there was nothing else they could do. The Council ruled in favor of your mates, decreeing justice served. The elders also got in touch with the vampire nest, and Karter and everyone else who was involved has already been shipped off to the same disciplinary academy that Kassie will be attending.”
“That’s good. I’m sure the school would have been painted in his blood if I had to see him again.”
“Why don’t you go and lay down so you can process all this?” Mum says, and I shake my head.
“No, I’ve had enough sleep, I think I’ll go to school.”
“Whatever you want,” Logan jumps up taking my hand in his, and we leave Tyler’s office. In the hall I thought I saw the shadow of someone running away, but when I extended my hearing I don’t hear anything unusual, so I just chalked it up to the weirdness that’s my life.
“Are you ready to leave?” Ethan asks.
“Yeah, let me run upstairs and grab my bag.”
Running up the steps I smile at Kassie’s door. Soon that bitch will be gone. Just like the elders said, justice has been served, and yes I can admit it is sweet.
29
Kassie
I can’t believe what I just heard. When I went downstairs for breakfast I never thought in a million years that I would actually overhear my father plotting to get rid of me. Sure what I did was wrong, and yeah maybe I should have covered my tracks better instead of relying on a stupid bragging vamp to clean up my dirty work, but I’m a daddy’s girl. He should have taken my side. Ever since Aspen came here with her whore of a mother, they had my dad wrapped in their own thrall. Mooching on his money, making him forget all about my mother, and making him mate her trashy ass, or having him ground me over something as simple as leaving her dumb cunt of a daughter at the mall. Aspen stealing my mates was the last straw. If Karter would have succeeded, Ethan and Logan would not have wanted anything to do with her. She could have stayed with Mekka, and left my men free to me, but she had to be greedy, and now she will pay. Because of her, I had a vamp deep inside of me. Karter is cute and all, but he’s no Ethan and Logan, plus he’s a vampire. I admit he’s good at fucking, and he rocked my world, giving me a night to remember, but he isn’t what I want, plus our species’ were never meant to mix. There's too much bad blood between us. I knew I should have paid up once the deed was done, but he wouldn’t do it any other way. All I know is, I will not be going to that school without a fight, and I have the perfect payback planned. Revenge will be all too sweet, and Ethan and Logan will be mine again. When the voices stop, and I start to hear shuffling of feet, I hightail it out of there and out the door where I stay flush to the wall. No need to let them know I know. They think I’m clueless, and that will work well for me. Once I’m safely in my car and clear from the house, I pull out my phone, and put the first part of my plan in motion.
“Who is this?” The man on the other line growls.
“Kassie Greywolf, I believe we have something that belongs to you.”
“I’m listening,” Aspen father’s says, and I tell him my plan.
Once I’m done with my call I hum to myself all the way to school. Yes today will be a good day.
30
Aspen
We get to school late, which judging by the crappy attitude of our homeroom teacher, she wasn’t happy about. Correction, with Mekka and the twins she was all good with, but me not so much. I got a nasty scowl, and a lecture on the importance of getting to school on time, since this was my second offense. Apparently, mum mating with Tyler didn’t soften her up towards me one bit. Her class drowns on and on, and I can’t believe I was the one who suggested going to school. Today my doodle consisted of her yapping in front of the board with a shark head. I titled it Moana meets stick up her butt homeroom/English teacher.
“That’s a nice likeness,” Logan says, looking over my shoulder once the bell rings.
“Yes, doesn’t her sharkfin bring out her eyes?” I tease, and he laughs. This is the first time I've left this class not looking over my shoulder for one of them to do something heinous to me. It’s almost surreal when Ethan throws his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close, and judging by the way everyone is staring at us, it was new to them too.
“What are you doing?” I inquire.
“Walking you to class,” he answers nonchalantly.
“Why?” I frown. “I’m sure by now I know my way to class.”
“Look, until Kassie is sent away just know one of us will be with you at all times.”
“You can’t do that. What about class?”
“I’m still going, I’m just walking you to yours, and when the bell rings I’ll take you to lunch.”
Rolling my eyes I look over at him like he’s gone mad. I can take care of myself, but I stop myself from telling him off when I see the determined look in his eyes. I don’t know how I would feel if our situations were reversed. I like to say I would be doing the same thing, and just like my other mates, I know he’s hurting still because he feels like he let me down by not protecting me, so I lean into his embrace, and when he leaves me at my door I surprise him by giving him a big kiss on the lips for his troubles.
Once class starts I’m disappointed to see that April isn’t here. Without her bubbly presence our lab table seemed so cold and lonely. Through the whole class I could barely pay attention to the lecture. I was too worried something may have happened to her. That she was somehow punished for helping us. I know Joey’s family could not have been happy they couldn’t get the justice they thought they were due. I don’t know how big the mage community is here, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard for the Ravenclaws to find out who helped us attain the evidence we needed, plus all spells leave a heat signature to the caster like a fingerprint. I hope she’s alright. I’m going to have to talk to the guys about checking up on her.
When the bell rings, Ethan is out in the hall waiting for me.
“What did you do, run here?” I tease, raising my brow at his timely presence.
“No, I left class
a couple of minutes early,” he answers nonchalantly.
It’s going to be awhile until I get over the shock of Ethan being nice, and not just me. The whole school seemed riveted about our close proximity without him doing something nasty to me, but it was just last week when he was my tormenter, so I guess they needed more time to get over it.
“April wasn’t in class, do you know if she’s alright?” I ask once we’re standing in the lunch line.
“She seemed fine after she woke a couple hours after passing out when she cast the spell. When she left she said she needed a couple days to rest, maybe she’s at home recouping.”
His explanation makes sense, and from what they told me in the car, it would take some time to recover after such a spell, so I decide not to worry for now, but best believe if I don’t hear from her by tomorrow, I’ll be hunting her down just to make sure she’s alright.