by Alice Shaw
“I think I read too many comic books,” Gregory groans. “My brain hurts.”
Breathing heavily, Jonas wipes his glowing forehead. “I hate to be a party pooper, but I think I’m getting closer to having these babies. If we’re going to leave, we better do it now.”
“Yes, well. I have everything in order,” Tristan says, shifting back to his human form.
Drake looks at Henry. His eyes have grown weary and dark. There is a slump in his steps now. “I don’t think I’m going,” he says. “My whole life is a lie.”
Tristan angrily turns around and points his finger at his chest. “Cheer up. You’re integral to the whole thing. I can feel it. You’re coming with us,” he says.
“You’re real here. In this world,” I mutter. It doesn’t really do anything to cheer the two up.
Reluctantly, Drake is forced to give in. We follow Tristan into the old garage, where his beat-up van is parked. Again, we pile into another vehicle. This time, it’s much more cramped.
A million questions come to my mind, but one sticks out the most. “Tristan. I need to ask you an important question. What about our babies? Are they real?”
Tristan kick starts the car. The engine pops loudly, and the smell of fumes floods in inside. Coughing, he answers. “They’re more real than both of you combined. When the triplets are born, Frisky Pines will be a completely different place. Just wait and see.”
Jonas’s ears perk up. “Triplets?!”
“That’s what Gorbins told me,” Tristan says.
The van peels out onto the street. Jonas looks at me with wondrous eyes. He’s happy, and for once, I am too. We’ve got some direction now, and knowing that triplets are on the way, floods my heart with hope.
But I still can’t understand why the goddesses created this place? It can’t merely be a test of strength. Something else is at play, but Tristan isn’t letting on. The door may be locked, but I’m going to open it and find the answers I need.
Chapter 9
Jonas
Silently dreaming, everything feels angelic. For once, I am at peace. Of course, peace can’t last forever. I wake up when I hear the sound of a loud gun-shot, piercing my ears.
“Oh, shit!” Tristan screams and turns the wheel.
The whole van spins out. A plume of smoke shrouds the vehicle as Tristan tries to regain the balance in the wheels. “Everyone alright?” Freddie asks. “Honey, are you safe?”
My heart is punching my sternum. Fear. Complete and utter panic. That’s what I’m feeling right now. Am I safe? Sure. But what the fuck just happened?
“I’m fine,” I angrily quip.
Tristan puts the van in park while cursing under his breath. He slams the door open and jumps out onto the road.
“Fantastic! The fucking tire popped,” he finally says.
I can barely breathe. I can’t have these things happen to me while I’m going through my pregnancy. It’s not good for the triplets. “Excuse me,” I mutter.
I squeeze my way outside the vehicle and sit in the grass to the side. About a half a mile ahead of us is a vacant motel. Freddie nods my way. “That motel can probably help us out,” he says.
“No, I got it,” Tristan says. He reaches into his mouth and puts a piece of gum onto the tire. “See? Good as new.”
The drive has completely ruined the tire, and Tristan is still out of his mind. “I can’t do this,” I groan. “I’m about to burst, and I’m walking that way.”
Gregory is panting loudly. He runs our direction, and the whole family follows. At a certain point, Tristan has to give up and do the same.
Henry laughs to himself. “You know what? Everything is fine. Because this is all a dream and none of you are real,” he says.
“Guys, do you trust Tristan?” Gregory asks. He’s been practically silent this whole trip. He gives me the worst anxiety. I don’t know whether to like him or hate him.
“Well, we have to trust him, right?” I ask.
He shrugs. Looking back, he makes sure Tristan isn’t too close to hear us talking about him. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. There’s just something different about him.”
“Well, he lost himself, right? Gorbins cooped him up in that house for one hundred years. I’d be a little loopy too,” Freddie says.
I remember Huma, the Phoenix. We trusted that stupid, magical bird and it almost cost our lives. “Gregory might be right. We should keep our guards up, just in case. We have a lot of people to worry about now.”
Freddie places his hand on my belly. I feel like I am always full of worry, but when I feel his touch, everything goes away. For a brief second, I imagine we’re back in my room. We’ve grown so much in the time that we’ve been away.
I have to lean on Freddie’s shoulders now and then for support. I have bruised my heels from walking, and my stomach feels more cumbersome than it ever has.
“I can’t wait to lie down on a real bed,” I say.
Freddie laughs. Our fingers intertwine as we walk. “Tell me about it. I didn’t want to say anything at that stupid airpark. But I couldn’t stand sleeping on the ground like that. Goddess, it’s been a tough year, hasn’t it?”
“We’re growing up,” I say. “Now I know how my brother felt. It confused me to see him change like that. He became so responsible. But life tends to get at you like that, huh?”
Freddie nods and kisses my hand. “Sure does,” he says.
Finally, we reach the motel. Curiously, Tristan has stayed relatively silent throughout the walk. When I look back, he winks at me. I feel kind of bad for the guy. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be lost in yourself like that.
The motel is quaint and quite beautiful. For once, I’m thankful to get somewhere. The outside is padded with the greenest grass and shrubs I’ve ever seen. The rooms themselves are constructed of old brick and mortar. For a second, I forget that none of this is real.
Near the door to the lobby, I turn around and clap my hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay. I’m taking a room with my mate. You guys can figure out your own plan. Cool?”
Everyone agrees. Though, Tristan seems reluctant about having a room to himself. He tries to buddy up with Gregory, but that doesn’t work out too well. “Sorry, guy,” Gregory says. “I just want some alone time. You understand, don’t you?”
Tristan nods and stays in the lobby for a mechanic. I hold the room key up to Freddie and dangle it in front of him. “Finally,” he sighs.
I throw my arm around his waist and lean my head on his shoulder. Inserting the key into the door, we both run and fall onto the bed, exhausted. Freddie cuddles his body around mine.
I whisper, “I feel like our babies can hear everything we do. Whatever we feel or say, they feel too.”
“They do,’ Freddie says. “I know they do. That’s why we have to get back home. They need stability.”
He squeezes me gently, kissing my neck, soft and slow. I kiss him back, smiling. “Why do you think we were misplaced?” I ask him, suddenly.
Freddie combs his fingers through my hair. “I don’t know, baby. I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately. There has to be a reason, though.”
“Do we trust that Gorbins guy? He did help my brother,” I reply.
Freddie lets out a quiet huff of air. He thinks to himself for a second, before answering. “We have to trust him. We have no other options. It’s the same with Tristan.”
“Maybe it has something to do with our triplets,” I say. “My brother’s babies gave them a certain gift that allowed them to combine abilities. Maybe our children will have something incredible like that.”
He laughs, pulling me into him closer. His hands are flat against my baby bump. The center of my stomach moves, as the babies start kicking lightly. “Whatever happens, they’re going to amaze me. I just hope they don’t have to experience the type of crap we had to go through. I just want them to be safe and healthy,” he says.
“Me too,” I say.
“More than anything.”
Lowering his body, he slides off of the bed. His mouth rests on my belly, kissing endlessly.
A lot of the humans don’t know what it’s like to be a shifter. When a shifter is growing up, all of his goddess-given abilities are out of whack. As an omega, you’re continually thinking about pregnancy. You constantly wonder when you’re going to find your fated mate. A lot of the times, it happens when you least expect it.
Freddie was just some cute wolf I saw in the forest. He was someone who was instructed to help us, just like Tristan or Logan. The thing is, it can be dangerous when the outer realms choose you. And when you’re holding triplets, you wonder if they’re going to face the same troubles as you.
“When I was younger, I used to think about what it would be like to have children. I imagined them as powerful entities, with abilities only the goddesses could bless. Now that you’re pregnant, I’d rather they just be normal. Why does parenting have to inspire such worry?”
“To keep us going,” I say. “To keep us from being complacent. Things are difficult for a reason. We have to grow. We have to fail. Most importantly, we have to learn from our mistakes. Maybe that’s why we’re on this journey, Freddie. Maybe it’s to make us better parents.”
Freddie likes that answer, and so do I. “Well, I know that you’re going to be the best damn father in the world,” he says. I laugh a little, out of embarrassment.
“I mean it. The things you’ve had to put up with on this trip are huge. If we can manage to find home again, we can manage any other kind of hardship,” he says.
For a few minutes, we just lay together in harmony. For once, everything is calm and beautiful. In the top of the ceiling is a window to view the stars. In the center is a large constellation. “I feel infinite when I’m with you,” my wise wolf says.
“I do too. It’s like the stars have aligned,” I say, pointing.
“Ha! They have,” he says.
“It’s the wolf constellation,” I say. “Look! It’s beautiful. That’s good luck, right?”
“The wolf howling at the moon,” he whispers. “Like in the painting. It’s a message. We’re getting closer.”
We both lie on the bed, staring and cuddling up. The night is warm when we are together like this. As my eyes close, I pray for good things to come to our triplets.
In this moment, I know that we’ll find our home. When I’m with my guy, anything is possible.
Chapter 10
Freddie
My mate and I are rudely forced awake up by the loudest knocking imaginable. I quickly glance over at my omega, whose eyes are now wide open and bloodshot. It’s not a good idea to wake up a pregnant omega like this. And now, I’m going to have to deal with any fallout that occurs.
“Come on! Freddie, do something!” he croaks, throwing a pillow over his head.
I jump out of bed and swing the door open. Tristan stands in front of me, smiling like a total weirdo. “Are you serious right now? My omega is trying to get his beauty sleep. Why are you banging on our door, Tristan?”
He bows to the floor. “Apologies, but I am one hundred percent bored,” he says.
Jonas slowly gets out of bed. His hair is disheveled, and he’s wearing an oversized nightgown. He’s about to lay the law on Tristan. I try to hold back my laughter.
“Bored? You woke us up because you are bored?” Jonas asks. “Okay, Tristan. I need you to listen up right now. I get that you’ve been in this world alone for a hundred years. I feel for you. I do. But I barely got any sleep last night, and my back hurts like hell. Not to mention, my legs keep cramping up any time I move them. You seem to be an okay guy, but I desperately need you to get out of this room and let me sleep.”
Tristan looks at both of us blankly. I sigh and try to close the door, but his foot is in the way. He pushes it back open. “It’ll be another few hours until they can get us a new tire,” he says.
“That’s great, Tristan,” I mutter.
My omega is turning bright red. I’m getting scared. Tristan continues without a care in the world. “It is, actually! In the meantime, I’ve requested a lunch together. It’ll just be us three. The table has already been set. What do you say?”
Jonas growls, revealing a sharp set of teeth. He shifts into jaguar form. “I say no,” Jonas says, slamming the door.
From behind the door, Tristan’s muffled voice is heard speaking. “Fantastic! See you in ten minutes!”
Jonas shifts back and sits on the bed with his face in his hands. “What did I do to deserve this?” he asks.
“Oh and one more thing!” Apparently, Tristan hasn’t even walked away from the closed door yet. Jonas has about given up at this point. “There’s chocolate velvet cake! See you soon!”
Jonas doesn’t want to reveal his sly smile, but it’s as plain as day. “You like that, don’t you?” I ask.
He nods, looking guilty. “Well, I can’t deny myself some chocolate velvet cake. Can I?” I can’t help but shake my head and laugh.
After taking a nice, hot, frisky shower with my omega, we are both freshened up enough to head downstairs to join Tristan. Jonas is in a much better mood, and he can’t stop burrowing his nose against my shoulder. “I’m horny. I want chocolate so bad. Pregnancy is turning me into a walking desire-machine,” he says.
“Well, you can have my piece, baby. I don’t mind,” I say. His eyes light up with love.
In the main dining hall of the motel, Tristan has taken the liberty to set up a roundtable for us. The ham, grapes, turkey, and chocolate velvet cake is served on beautiful decorative plates. My mate can’t stop staring at the cake, in particular. Tristan, however, wears a frown on his face.
“You’re late,” he says.
Jonas smiles warmly, and rubs Tristan’s shoulders, before sitting down. “Sorry. I can be a little cranky if I don’t wake up the right away. I needed to shower badly too. You don’t understand what it’s like to be as pregnant as I am.”
The food is delicious compared to the scraps my family fed us back at the airpark. I eagerly rip into the ham, devouring every last bit of meat on my plate. “A hungry boy!” Jack exclaims.
“You know it! So, Tristan. You called us down here because you were bored?” I ask, wedging my tongue against a piece of turkey that’s stuck in my teeth.
He laughs whimsically. “Well, that’s what I said earlier, yes. But I’m afraid that there’s more to the story.”
Jonas digs his spoon right into the chocolate cake. He plops it into his mouth. I laugh when he melts back into his chair with pleasure.
Mouth full, Jonas asks, “What is it now? Are we going in the wrong direction, or something?”
“Well, I wanted to come clean,” he says.
I clench my fists underneath the table. “Tristan. What are you about to tell us, here? Am I going to have to kick some butt today?”
Tristan laughs. It’s practically all he does. “Don’t fret! I’m not here to hurt any of you. Though, I know you have your suspicions. No. There’s something I wanted to show you.”
Jonas leans forward. “What is it?”
Tristan stands up from the table and motions for us to follow him through the lobby doors. The outside courtyard is spectacular. Roses line the walkway to the center fountain. Mosaic tiles tell a story of knights and their quests to fight the dragons.
When we reach the fountain, Tristan stops and lowers his voice. “The tire is fixed. Everything is ready to go. But I need to tell you something essential.”
“Just spill it already,” I say, impatiently.
“I can’t go with you on this journey. In fact, I don’t know if I’ll make it home at all now. It has become clear that some huge obstacles are standing in our way,” he says.
“What?” I ask. “What’re you talking about, Tristan? You can’t ditch out on us like this.”
His eyes hover over my shoulder. I get the urge to turn around, but his hands beg me not to. “Please. Just trust me
on this,” he says.
“Where are you looking, Tristan? What’s behind me?” I ask. Jonas places his hands over his pregnant belly. He begins to worry like me.
Tristan gulps. “There is a window behind me. Tell me. Do you see a man sitting? What is he doing?”
I slowly nod my head. Jonas anxiously glances toward the window. Inside, there is a frail man, hunched over at a desk. He’s looking right at us. His eyes are completely black. It sends a chill down my spine, worse than when I saw the cabin in the painting.
“I see him. He has a horrible look to him,” I say.
Tristan nods. “Well then, I’m not as insane as I thought,” he whispers. “He is with others. Behind you is another man just like him. I’m afraid we’ve been followed.”
Jonas grumbles. “Followed? By whom? Why would anyone be following us?”
There is a new intensity to Tristan. For the first time since we met him, I trust his word. He says, “Keep your voices down. I am not playing any games with you. You have met shamans before. Why is this so hard to believe?”
“I just don’t understand where we are,” Jonas says. “I thought this place was an illusion? Can we even get hurt here?”
“There are special travelers here. Soulless-wanderers, without a home. They lost themselves, long ago. Now, they have no home. At one point, I feared that I would end up like them too,” he says, before clearing his throat anxiously.
“I have taken the liberty of warning your family. They are in the van outside, safely tucked under blankets. I need you to take this bag. Inside, there is a few blades and other emergency items. When you are ready, climb outside your room’s window. Henry will help you with the directions.”
I wish all of this were hard to believe, but it’s not. I should have known better than to think we were out of harm’s way.
“Where will you go?” I ask.
“To create an obstacle, I will follow you to your room. When I head back into the lobby, I think my time will have come. It’s clear that Gorbins coaxed me here to serve his self-interest. I should have known the creatures of the outer realms have no empathy toward us. I will have waited here, just to die,” Tristan says.