I'm about to respond to him when Carter barks.
“I know you're still there,” I tell him. “You two need to go back down the mountain and go home. I'm going to handle this.”
Carter steps forward and I match his stride. “One more step and I'll teleport you to the mansion myself,” I threaten him, then, with a wicked smile, I ask, “Feel like going for a ride?”
“You're playing with fire,” Ford mutters.
“No, I'm playing with wolves, and I'm not backing down. They won't hurt me, and if they hurt Wake, I'm going to be livid.”
Another howl reaches us, this time from along the bottom of the mountain. It's a voice I not only hear with my ears, but also feel deep down in my soul. Orion is calling for me, as well as Carter and Cash.
Both wolves turn toward the sound, caught between Wake, who is on pack property, and Orion, who is their pack. No, he’s not their alpha, but he is Aries’ nephew and Wake’s cousin.
“Go,” I tell them. “We'll take care of Wake. He didn't come to harm you. He's hurting. Can't you see that?”
I step out of the way and glance back to find Wake still lying on the ground with his head between his paws on the rocky bank of the water. Snapping my fingers, I appear on the same side as him. I crouch down to stroke the soft fur on his head and face Carter and Cash.
“You were all once a family. He made a mistake. Haven't either of you ever done the same? Regretted something you did and wanted to make amends? He's not here to attack you or threaten the pack. He's not after Dalia or any of the other mates. I've heard his thoughts. He only wants his family back and his best friend.”
Carter and Cash stay in wolf form but both watch me intently.
“You know what it's like to lose someone,” I tell them while blinking away tears. “If given another chance, wouldn't you want to see him again?” I don't need to tell them who I'm talking about. Cace's death is fresh in all our minds.
“Wake is here before you, crying out for all of you. I'm not saying to accept him and be merry. That isn't going to happen. But at least consider it. Talk to Aries and Dante. Talk to everyone, even Sevan and Dalia. Wake is alone. Without him, you would have lost more than Cace that night. You could have lost Orion, too.”
Carter drops his head as Cash starts to pace. “You two can hear me. I know you can. This won't be resolved overnight, but maybe if you both bring it up, it will be better received than when I do it. Just think about it.”
Cash dips his head in a silent nod. The two brothers give Ford, Wake, and me one last glance before turning and beginning a slow descent down the mountain.
Dropping back to sit on the ground, I continue stroking Wake’s face and ears. “I'll get through to them. Don't worry.”
“You're something else,” Ford says in the quiet forest. Only the sound of the gentle stream surrounds us.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I ask, meeting his eyes. Even in the dark, I know he’s watching me. I can feel it as I do the light breeze that’s blowing.
“It's a good thing.”
Orion howls again, as he calls me down from the mountain in my mind.
“Can you take Wake back to your house? I don't think there's anything else I can do tonight, and I need to go home.”
“Sure.” Ford pushes off from the tree and teleports over to us. One hand is in the pocket of his trench coat; his hair hangs down onto his forehead. “C'mon, wolf. Time to go.”
Wake stands and steps beside him. Ford places a hand on Wake's neck, gripping the extra fur and skin there. With his eyes on me, he removes his other hand from his trench coat and snaps. Ford and Wake disappear.
I don't jump up or teleport right away. I need a minute.
When Ford was close to me, I saw the hurt there. I also heard his thoughts. They freely drifted to me. He wants me as his but understands it won't happen. That doesn't stop the pain. Lealla was right. I can't let him bite me again. I didn't know it was deepening our connection. The last thing I want to do is hurt him.
It seems every time I decide on something and have a good moment, the universe laughs and gives me something else to be upset over. Tonight, I said I was in this—for the pack and for Rion. Every part of me is in the relationship I have with him. I was finally feeling settled. Then this stuff with Wake happened, and Ford appeared.
Bringing my knees up to my chest, I wrap my arms around them as I continue to think. I'm not sure what else to do about Ford. I can't stop him from loving me. Even if I were a complete jerk to him, he’d still be there for me. I can only hope he finds someone else. Someone who loves him in return. But what if I lose him as a friend? Then what happens? I’m being selfish. I know. However, I can’t help the way I feel.
“You'll never lose him,” Orion sends to me. He's getting closer, trotting up the mountain toward me.
“I would have been down eventually.”
“Not soon enough.”
His black wolf with its white-tipped ears comes into view. He slows his steps, crossing the stream as he approaches me, his paws wet. Luckily, the water isn’t that deep. When he’s near, he circles behind me to come up along my side, nudging my arm with his nose so I’ll put it around him.
“You didn't have to come up here.”
He responds by lying down by my side, his wolf curling around me the best he can. “You can't fix everything,” he says.
“I know.” I let out a long breath. “Maybe I can fix things with Wake, though.”
“That's going to be difficult.”
“You're telling me. At least I gave Carter and Cash something to think about. I'll talk to everyone in the pack, one by one if I have to. They need to see Wake for who he is now, not who he used to be. He's grown, matured. And most importantly, he’s remorseful.”
“It might be best if you leave things alone. Let Wake go his separate way.”
I glance down at him. “And then what? He dies? Kills himself? That’s not going to happen, Orion. No way. Even if all he has are Ford and me, and I'm saying Ford's name very lightly, it's better than nothing.”
“Not everyone is meant to be saved.”
“And not everyone is meant to die before they’ve had a chance to really live.”
He rests his head on my lap. Dropping my legs, I place them flat on the ground so he'll be more comfortable as I rub his head.
One day this will be easier. I have to believe that. Things won't be so complicated. The pack will accept Wake back into its fold and Ford will find a new love. I'm unsure when all that will happen, but hopefully soon. No one should have to live with so much pain in their heart.
“That includes you,” Orion says in my mind.
“I'll be content if everyone else is happy.”
“And I'll spend the rest of my life making sure you’re more than content.”
Lying back on the forest floor, I glance up at the trees above. There’s a gap in the leaves, a few stars twinkle overhead. It's very peaceful. I wouldn’t mind living up here if I could get this view and this serenity every night.
Just Orion and me. No one around us. No fighting or sadness. No outside thoughts breaking through my own. Just us in a little cocoon of peace. Once the pack war is over, I'm going to work on finding that peace within myself. It's not good to carry so much weight on my shoulders. Until then, I'll shoulder the burden and fight every day for the ones who are becoming a part of my family.
16
The rest of the week went by with nothing happening. Well, nothing major. Wake showed up twice more on the mountainside, calling for his family. Rion didn't tell me, but I heard it in my mind as if I were there. Once was during school. I about jumped out of my seat when the howling started in my head. The other time was when Rion went home to get some sleep after watching over me all night. But one thing remained the same both times—Rion shifted into a wolf upon hearing it.
From what I'd gathered each time it happened, the shift was involuntary. Wake's wolf called out to his. Whil
e Rion doesn't want him to come home, he misses him deeply.
The other day, when he was fighting with Wake at Ford's house—it was over me—not over anything that happened with the pack. If I'm taken out of the equation, Orion wants his cousin and best friend back, but he stands firmly behind his alpha. Only Aries can let him back into the pack.
After Cash and Carter went to Aries the first time Wake was on the mountain, Aries called a pack meeting about how to handle it. Wake is his only child, and he didn't want to seem biased. In reality, I think his heart is breaking the most—his and Cassandra’s. However, Aries will always put the pack first, especially after the way Wake behaved before he was thrown out.
Sevan said he was fine if Wake came back to the pack, but he didn't want him living in the mansion. He's solid in his mate bond with Dalia. Though, he did warn if Wake tried anything, or stepped one paw out of line, he was going to end him. Carter and Cash voted for him to return. So did about half the pack. The rest were on the fence. Well, except for Rion. He voted against him coming back. No resolution was made. The decision was left up to Aries and he was unsure of what to do.
Okay, so maybe I don't always feel like paying attention in class and spend time reading the thoughts in Rion's head. It's not like I go poking around; they flow to me as freely as if they are my own. While he doesn't say anything to me, he knows I'm aware of what's going on. He reads my thoughts just as clearly.
If I graduate this year, it will be a miracle. I’ve been barely coasting along since I met Rion. It’s nothing I’m proud of. But algebra seems trivial, given the pack war looming over my head, and Travis out there rallying every paranormal he can find. Rion reminds me I need to graduate so I can tell our children one day how important it is to stay in school. Children. He's lost his mind. I can barely wrap my head around him as my mate, let alone us having kids.
I haven't been to visit Ford and Wake since I last saw them on the mountain.
Today I’m having a girls’ day with Paige, or at least that’s what I told my parents. Paige and I are teleporting to the Outer Banks. I’m not sure that counts as bestie bonding time, but it’s close enough.
With the snap of my fingers, the two of us disappear out of Paige's empty house and reappear in Ford's living room.
“Ford! Wake!” I call out. I didn't tell either of them we were coming by. There's no need to. Ford pops up in my life all the time without being invited. Me doing the same is only fair.
“Ari?” Ford calls from somewhere upstairs. He looks down over us from the second-floor landing. The huge windows in the front of the house are two stories high. Both the upstairs and downstairs living areas look out over the ocean. The ground level is below us. There isn’t much down there. Just storage and the garage. His hair is mussed and he's shirtless. Every ridge of his muscular stomach is on display as he leans over the railing. “I didn't know you were coming by.”
“Surprise!” I say while spreading my arms wide.
“Give me a minute.” He rushes away.
“He's got a woman up there,” Paige states with mirth.
“What? No. I've never seen him with anyone.”
She shrugs. “Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's not happening. He's a guy—a hot vampire to be exact—with needs. It shouldn't surprise you.”
I chew on my bottom lip. No, it shouldn't. Then why is my stomach in a knot? Why am I starting to sweat? This wasn't a good idea. We need to go.
Turning to take Paige's hand in mine, Ford appears again on the landing, this time wearing a grey shirt to cover his defined abs. “Don't,” he pleads, as he sees me about to reach for Paige.
“I can't—”
“Ari, please. Give me thirty seconds and I’ll be down.”
“What's going on?” Paige asks.
I shake my head, unsure whether it's to brush her off, or to rid my head of the jealousy flooding it. I'm not sure why I'm even jealous. Ford isn't mine. He's a friend, and I have a boyfriend.
Ford comes racing down the stairs at the same time as the door opens. Ford and Wake almost slam into each other but somehow don't. I’m sure that’s attributed to their paranormal senses.
The way the house is set up, it’s elevated off of the ground in case of a storm surge. There are stairs from the ground level to the main living area.
Wake eyes him curiously then notices Paige and me. He quickly ducks his head and walks to the kitchen. “I bought food, Ari. You should be happy.”
“I--what? Oh, Wake!” I take a seat on one of the barstools at the counter. “You should be eating. You have to keep your strength up.”
“You're the only reason I'm still here. If it weren't for you...”
“Don't say that,” Paige interjects, sensing where his thought was going. “Do you have any idea how much Ari has gone through to try and get you back to your pack?”
Wake takes the packaged steak in his hand and launches it into the open living room. Blood splatters out where it hits the floor. “Do you have any idea what I go through?” he yells. “I have no family! No pack! Nothing! That's my life. You don't understand.” He shakes his head, resigned.
“You're right,” she replies. “I don't. But what I see in front of me is a man who feels sorry for himself, and instead of doing something about it, you’re barely getting through each day. You want your pack back? Go down there and talk to your father. It's up to him!”
Wake's head swivels in my direction. “Is that true?”
There's no point in me lying. “Yeah. The pack met, and the vote was undecided on whether to let you back in or not. Aries is the one to decide now. It's all up to him.”
“I'm never getting back in,” he says softly.
“You don't know that for sure.”
“I do, Ari. You weren't there that day when Dad and the rest of the pack ousted me. He was vicious.”
“Can you blame him after all that happened? He had an entire pack to protect. Mates. Children.”
“But I'm his son!” His hands shake as they ball into fists by his side and his eyes flash green. He’s barely in control.
I slam my hands down on the granite countertop. I’m not scared of him. “And you know better than anyone else that blood or not, the entire pack is a family. Aries considers every one of them his brothers, sisters, and their children his. They’re all his responsibility! So don't come at me about you being his son. I'm aware of that. I'm also aware the hurt isn't one-sided. They're in pain, too. Both him and Cassandra.”
He scoffs, “Doubtful.”
I hop down from the barstool and round the counter to grab a fistful of his shirt. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t try to touch me back. It might be because there’s an angry vampire at my back, ready to come to my defense.
“Open your eyes, Wake!” I yell. With my free hand, I tap on his left temple. “You weren't the only one who broke that day!”
Wake's eyes roll back in his head as his body goes rigid. What the…?
“Ford?” I ask. “What just happened?”
He comes over to my side and pries my fingers from Wake's shirt so he can move me out of the way. He studies Wake’s eyes. Then he looks from Wake to me and back again.
“Princess, what did you do?”
“Nothing! I was only trying to get it into his head that there is pain on both sides of this.”
Wake's eyes come forward again, and he blinks a few times before dropping to the ground trembling. Oh, no. What did I do?
Pushing Ford out of the way, I scramble to the kitchen floor beside Wake. “Are you okay? I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did.”
His eyes slowly lift to mine. “I saw them—Mom and Dad. I felt Orion’s emotions.”
“Huh?”
“It was the pack meeting. And Orion at the bottom of the mountain. It was him and my dad at home. All their words, all of Rion's feelings. I felt them.”
“You don't see this every day,” Ford mutters.
I turn sharply to glare at him. �
�Care to enlighten us?”
“You have the power of transference.” Just when I thought I was having a quiet week.
“I'm going to need a little more than that.”
“You gave your memories to Wake. Or Rion's for that matter. Since you have the power to view his memories and feel what he does, you were able to give them to Wake. He saw and felt it just as you did.”
“Get out! Did you bite me and I forgot?” I don’t remember getting any new powers. I would have thought Ford’s fangs in my neck would be something I recalled.
He smirks. “You would, princess. My bite is the stuff of legends.”
Rolling my eyes, I turn back to Wake. “Are you okay? I didn't mean to do that. I didn't even know I could.”
“I'm not sure.”
How do I have this power? Did someone give it to me? Is it part of the mate bond? Maybe another piece clicking into place?
Wait. I have another power. This is so cool! I can share memories between people. Wow.
Wake is watching me intently. Oh, right, I need to focus on him. Back to the whole reuniting him with the pack thing.
“Do you get it now?” I ask. “You're not alone in what you feel. They still care about you.”
“What do I do now?”
“Wait for me to talk to Rion again. I'll see him tonight. I thought you should go to the mansion, but now I'm not so sure. You know more than you should.”
He nods and leans against a cabinet door. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Never do that to me again.”
I smile. “I’ll try my best.”
Standing, I find Paige in the living room picking up the bloody steak from the hardwood floor. Blood is splattered all over. Her nose is scrunched up as she holds the steak away from her body with two fingers. “I'm going to clean this up. I don't think he's in a position to.” She juts her chin toward Wake.
“Thank you,” I tell her sincerely.
Seriously, I’m still reeling from the whole new power thing. I’m not sure I can focus on steak blood all over the floor.
The Somber Call (The Ariane Trilogy Book 2) Page 12