by Sage S Wolf
“Who?” I asked, having trouble taking my eyes off the spot I thought the sound was coming from. It was the same spot he’d purred from earlier.
“The asshole that caused the pain you’re feeling right now.” He turned and started back the way we came.
I went after him. “Blake, wait!” He stopped and turned toward me. “He’s probably in Canada by now. You can’t cross the border without a passport.”
“That’s fine. We’ll fly and surprise him when he gets there.”
“You’re serious,” I said, stumbling back a bit. “You want to kill him.”
“He betrayed you in one of the worst ways, Kailani. Did he at least apologize for selling you?” I slowly shook my head, remembering Kavik’s words from the night before. If I tried to speak right now, I would cry again. “That’s what I thought. Come here and I’ll carry you back.”
“Why should I trust you?” I whispered.
“You already know why. You can feel it deep inside you, Kailani, even if your lioness is being suppressed. We’re true mates, which means we are soulmates but better. I will never lie to you or cheat on you. My lion and I belong to you. With you for always.”
I eyed him. “You know how ‘drink the Kool-Aid’ that sounds?”
Blake threw his head back and laughed. The sound scaring away any birds that were in the trees nearby and making me feel…something. “I’m not trying to get you to drink the ‘Kool-Aid,’ I just want you to understand what you mean to me. You’ll feel it more strongly once we figure out how to get your lioness free of whatever’s holding her inside you.”
“Okay.” I still didn’t completely believe his story, but I needed to get home, so this conversation could wait till later. “Can you help me get home?"
Blake nodded. “Come on.” He held his hand out to me and I hesitantly took it.
I didn’t know if I’d ever trust him, but he was the only one willing to help me get home and I needed to be to get to the bottom of things.
I wanted closure from Kavik and my aunt, I just hoped she wasn’t in on it too. That would add insult to injury, hurting way more than Kavik's betrayal ever could.
~7~
Blake
I hadn’t expected Kailani to give into me so easily, but I wasn’t gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. She hadn’t let me carry her back to the farm. She did, however, let me hold her hand the whole way back. It calmed my lion to have constant contact with her.
I wanted to kill her boyfriend a tiny bit less now, not enough to not kill him though. I was still going to do that.
Once back at the farm, I pulled out my key fob and unlocked my rover. “Go ahead and get in. I need to go make sure Dirk and all his shit are packed and gone.”
Kailani gave me a surprised look. “You kicked him out?”
I opened the passenger door for her. "I don't kick, Kailani. I banish. I banished him and his family from the pride for buying you and betraying me. He was told not to get involved in any kind of kidnapping and he disobeyed.”
“What if he comes back?”
I locked eyes with her as I spoke so she would know how serious I was. “Then I’ll kill him.”
Her eyes went wide. “Okaay then… I’ll just be here in the rover when you’re ready to leave.”
“Good girl.” I purred. “I’ll be back in a minute. Get in and lock the doors just in case.”
Kailani nodded and got in the rover.
I waited to hear her lock the doors before heading inside.
It didn’t look like anyone was here, so I did a quick sweep of the house and then checked Dirk’s old room to confirm all his stuff was gone. After I was satisfied with what I saw, I went back outside and joined Kailani in the rover.
"I need to stop by my house and make some arrangements before we head to the airport. I need to find someone I can trust to stay with my mom and watch the pride while I'm gone.”
Kailani shifted nervously in her seat. “I guess if you absolutely have to. I don’t have an ID to be able to board a plane.”
“I’ve got that covered, don’t worry about it.” I tried to assure her.
“Sure you do.” She mumbled under her breath not realizing I could hear her.
She didn’t trust me, and she had every reason not to after what had happened to her.
Pulling over on the side of the road, I turned to her. “Kailani, look at me.” I let my lion come to the front so she could see him in my eyes. She needed to believe that this was what I was. What we both were. “Have I given you any reason to fear me since we met this morning?”
“You mean besides stalking me through the woods and doing that weird growly and eye glowing thing?” She pointed to my eyes, but I didn’t sense any fear.
“Yes, besides those things.”
She seemed to think and then frowned. “You did grab my wrist which I’m not a fan of.”
“You were poking me and irritating my lion. Would you rather I’d have let him bite your hand off?” I fought back a laugh at the look of surprise on her face.
“You wouldn’t.”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t. Doesn’t mean he wouldn't do it though.” I tapped my chest as a growl started in it. She needed to know it was rude to poke a lion even if you’re his mate.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t really think. I was just so damn mad at you and all this shifter stuff is a lot to take in. I still don’t know if I should believe it.”
This time I allowed myself to laugh. “Well, you better start believing it because it’s true.” I put the rover in drive and continued driving toward my house.
“And if I refuse to believe all this madness?”
“Kailani,” I said, not taking my eyes off the road. “Just because you can’t shift doesn’t take away from the fact that you’re an omega shifter. And a big cat shifter at that which are rare. You can try to keep living your life normally but at some point, there is a good chance that another male is gonna scent you and he might not be as friendly as me. I’m your mate, Kailani, and if you become part of this pride and allow me, I will protect you for always.”
“Is the mate thing optional?”
“If that’s what you want once we undo whatever’s been done to you, I’ll accept your decision.” I had to pause and suppress a growl. “I won’t like it, but the choice is yours.”
“Okay.”
Her hesitant agreeance was good enough for me. I just wanted her to give me a chance to help her free her lioness.
Kailani let out a small gasp when we pulled into my driveway. “This is your house?” She asked, staring in awe at the large house.
“Yea. This is the alpha house.” I could see the question in her eyes, so I explained further. “Only the alpha and their family live here. My mom lives here too.” I opened my door and hurried around the front of the rover and opened Kailani’s door. “Come on. My mom will be excited to meet you.”
She scowled. “Your mom gets excited over meeting trafficked women?”
“Kailani.” I blew out a frustrated breath. I was doing my best to be patient with her. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. She’ll be excited to meet you because you’re my mate.”
“I thought being your mate was optional?”
“Stop being so damn stubborn and get your ass inside!” I growled, regretting the words as soon as they left my mouth.
“Why don’t you get fucked!” I was surprised by the anger in my mate’s words as she pushed me away and slammed her door shut, pushing the lock button.
I sighed. Knowing I’d fucked up. “Kailani, get out of the car please.”
Kailani flipped me off. “Go away!”
I would not lose my patience again and resisted the urge to use my key fob to unlock the door. I wouldn’t force her out.
“Kailani, come on. We don’t have time for this. I’m sorry I called you a child.”
I would not…
“Go fuck yourself!”
“Damn it!” I smacked the
roof of the rover and Kailani jumped. This woman was making me crazy. “Please get out of the car, Kai.”
“Don’t fucking call me that!” Her voice was tinged with hurt now.
“Why?” I was genuinely curious as to why she didn’t want me to use the shortened version of her name.
“That’s one of the nicknames Kavik had for me. I don’t want to hear it ever again.” Kailani crossed her arms over her chest, looking straight ahead.
Fuck. Kavik must have been the asshole that sold her. I pressed my forehead to the window. “I’m sorry. I won’t call you that ever again. Will you please come out now?”
“I can’t” Kailani whispered. I wouldn't have heard it if not for my shifter hearing. She was crying.
My mom chose that moment to come outside. “What in the world is going on out here, Blake?” She asked, wiping her hands on her apron.
I turned to face her, shaking my head. “It’s a long story, mom. I wanted to introduce you to my mate and fill you in on all the shit I’ve dealt with this morning, but I fucked up and now she won’t get out of the car.”
“Oh gosh, let me talk to her.” Mom pushed me away and peered inside the window. Kailani was softly crying still. “What have you done to the poor girl? She smells so sad.”
“I haven’t done anything, mom. It was Dirk and her douchebag boyfriend that hurt her.” My lion growled his disapproval of me continuing to call that asshole our mate’s boyfriend. He was trash that needed to be disposed of and I was more than willing to do it.
Mom touched my arm and gave me a small smile. “Go inside and let me see if I can talk her out of there.”
“Okay.” I knew better than to argue with my mom. She was the most levelheaded, stubborn, but also compassionate person I knew. If anyone could talk Kailani out of the rover, it was her.
I went inside and went straight to my office to make some calls. I needed to make sure someone was here to look after the pride while I was gone and with my beta banished, I had to figure out who was best for the job.
~8~
Kailani
A light tap sounded on the window causing me to look up to see a woman with bright green eyes and hair the same shade as Blake’s. “Hello there. I’m Blake’s mom, Sloane.”
“I’m not coming out. I just want to go home.” I bit back a sob.
“Oh, honey, I know you do. I don’t know what happened to you, but will you at least come in for some food? You look like you’ve been walking around outside all day. You must be hungry.”
My stomach growled at the mention of food. I hadn’t eaten since last night before I’d gone to bed. To bed with him… Kavik. The sob I’d suppressed moments ago ripped out of me. “Just please, leave me alone.”
My door suddenly opened, and then I was wrapped in a hug. “Hush now, cub.” Sloane soothed as I tried to push her away. She was strong for an older woman. “I know you’re hurting, but you can’t push people away just cause you’re in pain. Believe me, I know.”
I stopped fighting her. “How do you know?” I sniffled, wiping my tears with the backs of my dirty hands.
She began to purr and hugged me a little tighter, calming me a little. “Because my mate died last year, and it hurt so bad that I was sure I’d die without him. I pushed my friends away, and my Blake. I pushed him away the hardest, but he never gave up on me. He’s stubborn that way.”
I huffed out a laugh. “You got that right. He followed me for hours through the woods earlier when all I wanted to do was be left alone.”
“That’s my Blake for you.” Sloane released me and stepped back to give me space. “He can be a little rough around the edges sometimes, but he has one of the kindest hearts I’ve ever seen, just like his father.” Her face fell for a moment and then she smiled. “Do you want that food now?”
I nodded and got out of the truck. “Food would be nice.”
“Great. Let’s go to the kitchen.” Sloane patted my back and led me to the front door, pushing it open and waiting for me to go inside ahead of her. “I have lunch being kept warm in the oven.”
I went inside, ignoring my urge to run. Sloane wasn’t the enemy, and Blake felt like he really wanted to help me get home. It was weird that he wanted to go with me, but who was I to try and stop him? As long as I got back home to get answers, I didn’t care how I got there. I was gonna get to the bottom of this, one way or the other.
“You have a lovely home,” I said, looking around as we walked through the house and into the kitchen. "Do you have a washroom?"
Sloane smiled and pointed down the hallway. "Second door on the left."
I found the bathroom and did my business. I washed my hands and stopped to look at myself in the mirror. I had dirt all over my face, and bags under my eyes. I was a mess. I quickly cleaned up the best I could before heading to the kitchen.
The house was a large ranch style, the inside was done with warm colors that made it feel relaxing and inviting. I could tell it was meant to have frequent guests and make them feel instantly welcome and I would have felt that way had it not been for my current predicament.
Sloane smiled at me when I arrived back in the kitchen. "I got you a pair of shoes from my closet and a clean pair of socks.” I saw the shoes sitting one of the barstools at the island. “Have a seat at the island and put them on while I’ll pour us some stew. I hope you like vegetables.”
“Thanks.” I grabbed the shoes and sat down to put them on. They were only a half size bigger than I wore. “I’m used to ramen and microwave dinners. Anything is better than that.”
It felt strange having a mom presence around. Sloane gave off strong mom vibes which made sense cause she was Blake’s mom after all.
“We don’t have any of that nonsense. We eat healthily and properly in this house.” Sloane set a big steaming bowl of delicious smelling food in front of me.
My mouth started to water. “What is it?”
“Beef stew. It has peas, green beans, carrots, corn, and of course, beef in it. There are other things but those are the main ingredients that you’ll taste. Go on, give it a try.”
I lifted the spoon to my mouth and blew on the stew before taking a bite. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever tasted. “This is amazing, Sloane.”
She waved me off. “Oh shush, cub! And please, call me mom.” We both froze at her words. “Shoot, I’m sorry. It’s too soon isn’t it?”
“It’s not that,” I said, setting my spoon down. “I mean, it kinda is that, but also I haven’t had a mom since mine was murdered when I was six.”
“Oh, you poor thing! I’m so sorry, honey. That must have been hard for you. Did you move in with family after that?”
I began to tell Sloane about my past and everything I had gone through growing up. I even told her about my aunt and her crazy rantings. Rantings I was beginning to see weren’t so crazy. Sloane was easy to talk to.
“And that’s the story of how messed up my life has been.” I finished.
Sloane was frowning. “I’m sad that all those things happened to you, but I’m sadder that you were never told who you really are or even been able to shift. Not shifting for a shifter is like a bird with clipped wings. It’s not right.”
“That’s why I’m having trouble believing all this stuff is real. People keep telling me I’m a shifter. I’m a lioness. I’m an omega. All of these things and never once have I felt or experienced any of these things that you’re telling me. How do I believe it’s true?”
Sloane reached over and patted my cheek. “You will believe, cub. Once my Blake figures out what’s suppressing your abilities, you will know that we are telling you the truth. You just have to trust us.”
“I don’t know how to do that anymore. I need time.” I looked at Sloane, and something in her eyes told me I was going to be alright.
“And you’ll have it.” Blake’s voice came from the kitchen doorway. I turned and watched as he approached Sloane and kissed her forehead. “Thank you for getting
her inside.”
Sloane chuckled. “Never doubt the power of a lioness’s persuasion.”
Blake put his arm over her shoulder. “I haven’t, nor would I ever.” Blake glanced briefly at me as he spoke before backing up, grabbing a bowl from the cabinet, and serving himself some stew. “We’ll leave for the airport as soon as we’re done eating. Mom, I’m leaving you and Lucas in charge while I’m gone.”
Sloane playfully smacked his shoulder. “Thanks for the heads up, Blake Andrew. What happened with Dirk?”
“Really with the middle name, Mom?”
“Don’t try to deflect my question with your own, young man.” Sloane pinned Blake with a look daring him to argue.
Blake sighed and began to explain what had happened. “And that brought us here so I could leave someone in charge before I leave.”
Sloane came over and pulled me into another hug. “I’m sorry, Kailani. I should hunt that boy down and take a bite out of his ass for doing that to you. I thought he and his family were better than that.”
I awkwardly patted her back and looked to Blake for help.
The asshole was grinning.
“It’s taken care of, Mom. I made it clear that he and his family will never show their faces around here again. Lucas was involved but you know how submissive he is.”
Sloane released me and turned back to Blake. “And you plan on leaving him in charge with me why?”
“Because you’re dominant enough for the two of you. He has the strength to keep you safe while you handle the alpha stuff. We both know you did it with dad. He was submissive too.”
“You’re right. I’ll go call him and tell him to stay here with me while you’re gone. You two be safe on your journey to Alaska.” Sloane headed out of the kitchen, stopping in the doorway and looking at me. “Feel free to come back, Kailani. Bring your aunt with you, I'd love to meet her.”
It felt nice to feel wanted.
I smiled at her. “I’ll think about it once I get to the bottom of things.”
“Good.” She gave Blake one last hug. “You take care of her and yourself, ya hear?”