“I’m pleased that, of them all, he was the one to question my abilities.”
Damien hummed under his breath. “It was opportune. The council certainly can’t argue with your strength, can they?”
Adam shook his head in agreement, but what he said was, “This shouldn’t be possible.”
“And yet it is. Everything has a way of turning out for the best,” Bahkir advised. “Thalia was always going to be strong. How could she not be with the genes of the TriAlpha running through her veins? But now, she knows injustice. It was good for her. She will be a wise Triskele.”
Thalia winced. “Good for me? I was miserable.”
Bahkir shrugged; she only knew from the ripples in his cloak. “You were an unknown entity, child. Totally alien. It is normal, even in those who should hold us closest, to distrust that which they do not know.” Bahkir’s bony, gray hand popped out to cup her chin. The tips of his fingers were like needles against her cheeks they were so sharp. “You are ready to take your rightful place and to make the North American Pack the strongest it has ever been.”
Though the idea had come to her a few days after meeting Rafe, Bahkir’s resolve, as well as the looming throb of her dominance which still ricocheted around the council chambers after her display, it felt right.
It all felt right, she realized.
Like, as Bahkir had said, everything had happened for a reason.
She looked to her fathers, caught their gazes individually, before as one, she witnessed their regal nod for what it was:
Acceptance.
Her nostrils flared. “You will give me free rein?”
Damien stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Aye.”
It was simply said and she felt her throat close in response. Nodding, she took a step back, away from them all. “I will do the TriAlpha proud.” She’d never managed it before, but maybe she could now.
“Of that I’m certain,” Bahkir said in a cheerful tone.
She didn’t comment, just headed for Rafe. When his hand was in hers, his scent in her nostrils, she felt relief shudder through her. The break in tension had her swallowing thickly, and when he squeezed her fingers, she inhaled—it wasn’t forced or strained as it had been seconds before.
“Thank you,” she said in a low tone, then tugging at Rafe’s hand, began to turn toward the next phase of their life and away from a past that had spawned nothing but discontent and misery.
12
“Grandmother?” Thalia’s voice broke and her fingers had the cell phone in her hand creaking under the pressure she was exerting upon the device. Though both were signs of weakness, she couldn’t help it.
For a decade, she’d been denied access to her family. Ten long years, and simply because her fathers had deemed her a danger to them all. But now? Change was coming, and with it, she would be able to reconnect with her beloved grandparents once more.
Silence fell at her whisper, then a croaky, “Thalia?” came down the line.
Tears pricked her eyes. “Yes, nanna, it’s me.”
“B-But…”
“Haven’t they told you?” she questioned, scowling down at her Chucks. Rafe clucked his tongue, dragging her attention to him.
They were in the lounge of their quarters. Rafe, slouched in one of the oversized armchairs, was reading about a new advance in cardiac stem cell therapy, but she could feel his gaze on her. Sensed his concern.
She loved being at the center of his attention. For the first time in forever, she felt cherished by his care. Her grandparents and her nanny, Marta, loved her, she hadn’t totally done without, but now, with Rafe, it was different. Not better. Just… Gods, she didn’t know. More fulfilling? Like her own heart could burst with how much he made her feel?
“They? Your fathers?” came the astounded response, her Nanna’s confusion broke into her muddled thoughts.
“Yes. Them,” she said angrily, then seeking calm when Rafe’s gaze softened, she blew out a breath. “I’ve found a mate, nanna. I-I’ve been made Triskele.”
“What?”
Rosa’s dazed reaction had Thalia biting her lip nervously. Wasn’t she happy to hear from her?
Was she ashamed of Thalia as her parents had always implied? She’d never believed them where her grandparents were concerned, but maybe she should have?
Before she could ask the hesitant questions, as well as others that were burning on the tip of her tongue, like why they hadn’t fought to see her… a gruff voice sounded in the background.
“Rosa? What’s wrong?”
Her grandpapa, Adrian, sounded as melodious as usual. He had the voice of a baritone, but could sing like an angel.
“I-It’s Thalia, A-Ade.”
“Thalia? Our Thalia?” was the confused reply.
“Y-yes,” Rosa whispered shakily.
“But…? They’ve blocked communication between us.”
“They must have taken it down,” she mumbled hoarsely.
“Thalia?” Her grandpapa’s voice had the tears no longer just forming in her eyes but starting to cascade down her cheeks. “Is that really you?”
“Yes, grandpapa, it is,” she replied huskily.
“How?”
“An Elder came to court.” Thalia sucked in a deep breath. “He made them believe I wasn’t crazy.”
“Caelus, that was what it took to have them let us speak again? Talk about waiting for a miracle,” he snapped angrily.
“No. There’s more than that. I-I found a mate, grandpapa.”
The whistle of a swiftly inhaled breath had her lips twitching. “You have?” He grunted. “Sweet Gods, and you’re just a baby too.”
Though it was definitely soggy, she had to smile. “Yes, and I’m not a baby. I haven’t been for years.” She didn’t give a damn that, in the eyes of the pack, until she turned thirty, she was still considered an adolescent. For her grandfathers, however, she was well aware that she could be ninety and they’d still think of her as their baby.
“Is it how you always said it would be?”
Like he’d heard the question—though it was unlikely considering his senses weren’t as strong as hers—Rafe got up and came to sit at her side. His arm moved over the back of her shoulder and he used the position to tug her closer against him. She closed her eyes at his proximity, content to just revel in his scent surrounding her. She found peace in his affection, a tender warmth she hadn’t felt in too long. It strengthened her in ways she’d never known she’d been weak.
“Yes. There will be three.”
He sucked down a sharp breath, then, his tone lightened. “That’s three thousand dollars your grandfathers owe me.”
She blinked, surprised, but that was nothing to her grandmother’s apparent shock. A sharp inhalation came first in the background, then a solid thud when, as was usually the way with Rosa’s exuberant Italian nature, she whacked her mate wherever was closest.
“You bet on our Thalia’s future?”
She could just imagine Ade’s grimace. “It was only a little bet.”
“A little bet? When she was suffering, believing everyone had no faith in her judgment?”
“I had faith,” was Ade’s retort, and somehow, that it was spoken to her nanna rather than Thalia, filled her with more warmth. “I wouldn’t have bet she was right if I didn’t, would I?”
Rosa just harrumphed. “Ask her when she can visit.”
Ade laughed. “Did you hear that, Thalia?”
“Of course,” she replied, a smile curving her lips as she sucked down the first relaxed breath of the day… she’d been nervous about making this call since she’d awoken, and it had taken every ounce of her courage to do it.
“Well? When?” Ade demanded impatiently.
“I’m going to be Triskele, grandpapa. I have to go to Austin first. There’s a situation there. Plus, are you in Florida still? I have no idea where you even live anymore.”
“My fool sons know, so their pilots will. Afte
r Austin, you come and see us, do you hear me?”
“I do,” she said with a soft smile.
“Good. Now, what’s this about Triskele? We haven’t had one of them for years.”
“I’m coming into my powers, grandpapa,” she told him. “I’m a fighter, and there’s too much going on in the pack. We’ve expanded too much and we’re not controlling the numbers as well as we should.” She hadn’t known that personally until Rafe had arrived, and his testimony was all she needed to know change was coming. A fact the Elder had only confirmed.
“You won’t hear me arguing. The last time I was in Oregon, Damien and I almost got into a challenge over that. I was telling him how in Florida, the Alphas are barely controlling the Gammas.”
“The Gammas are uprising?” she demanded, brows rising at the prospect, and Rafe stiffened at her back.
“Close to,” was the grim response. “I’ve never been happy with how downtrodden the Gammas are, but it’s bewildering to see them not displaying their regular traits.”
“The situation in Austin is the direct opposite… the Gammas are browbeaten. A Beta is roaming around, raping Gamma females because it’s his right.”
Ade let out a hiss of breath. “Disgraceful.”
“M-My mate is Gamma, grandpapa.”
Silence came down the line, then Ade cleared his throat. “Truthfully?”
“Yes. He came to petition aid from the TriAlpha through mother.”
“I bet he got far with that,” Ade said with a huff—he’d never liked El, and had always made that dislike very obvious.
“Yes. Although, in her defense, she was empathetic to the females’ cause.”
“What use is empathy when action’s what’s needed?” A soft growl rumbled under his breath. “What’s his name?”
“Who? My mate?”
“Of course. Who else?”
She blushed. “Rafe Santiago.”
“Austin pack, you say?”
“Yes.” She peered up at Rafe. “Which division of the Austin pack?” Embarrassment filled her at the idea she hadn’t already known that information.
But, they’d known each other less than eight days. It wasn’t possible to know everything about the other in that space of time, and hell, they had a lifetime to learn the rest.
“The Summerford Pack,” Rafe told her, bobbing down to press a comforting kiss to the crown of her head. God, he could already read her like a book. She couldn’t even imagine what it would be like when they’d been together a lifetime.
She cleared her throat. “You hear that?”
“Might be old, but I’m not that old. Tell him, ‘Greet you’ from me.”
She smiled at the old-fashioned salute. Because he was Gamma, though she maintained a strange one, she knew his senses wouldn’t pick up on her grandpapa’s words.
She half-turned to look at him better and passed on the formal greeting. Rafe’s eyes widened in pleased surprise.
“Greet you, Sir,” he replied, his voice low and raspy, loaded with his humility.
“He’ll have to wait for the others to welcome him. They’re not here at the moment. Wait until I tell them the news. They’ll be so damn excited.”
Rosa sighed. “I’ll call their cells, Ade. I swear, the day you get tech savvy is the day I have a heart attack.”
“That had better not be for another eighty years minimum, woman,” Ade growled.
“That’s my point, idiota,” Rosa retorted.
Thalia hid a smile. “I can’t wait to see them. I can’t wait to see you all.”
“We’d come to you, sweet pea, if we hadn’t been banned.”
Rosa huffed. “Banned. From my own palace. That mamma of yours is a piece of work, Thalia.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” she retorted grimly.
Ade sighed. “No, I suppose I don’t.”
Thalia heard a rasping sound on the other end of the call, and knew he was rubbing his chin—Ade’s beard was renowned in the pack. He barely had to wait a few hours after shaving before he had an honest to Gods beard on his jaw. Full bush and everything, she thought in amusement.
“Spit it out,” she chided softly.
“Not sure what to say to you, lass,” he admitted. “This Triskele business… it doesn’t sit well.”
“That’s because you’re a chauvinist,” Rosa assured him.
“I wouldn’t think anything of it if her mate wasn’t a Gamma,” Ade told Thalia’s nanna more than her.
She stiffened, and was relieved that Rafe’s senses were weaker and wouldn’t pick up on that insult. “Grandpapa,” she instantly reprimanded.
“Forgive an old man his prejudices, Thalia. I’ve just got you back… I don’t want to lose you again.”
She softened, sensing the truth to his words. Her hand tightened about Rafe’s. “I understand. But he’s the catalyst, grandpapa. My life changed, for the better, when he came into my world.”
Ade’s sigh was long and sad. “Oh, darlin’,” he told her gruffly. “When will you learn…? You’re the catalyst. You always were, and you always will be.”
****
Rafe had to smile at his mate’s giddiness.
Ever since they’d made it onto the tarmac and were within walking distance of the private jet that was about to take them to his home city, she’d been close to bouncing on her feet.
He guessed he could understand.
She’d been tied to Oregon in ways few would ever truly know and this was her first taste of freedom since she’d hit puberty.
Hell, he felt excited for her.
The jet was small, a Gulfstream, but it was sleek and majestic. Outside, and next to the cream-carpeted steps that led onto the runway, a staff of three stood. Smartly attired in navy uniforms, the pilots and steward awaited them, and when they were within five feet, they saluted Thalia.
And himself too, he guessed.
News had already spread that he was mated to the TriAlpha’s daughter. It had entwined itself with the news that she was to be the next Triskele.
Gossip abounded, and her new position had even overtaken the bewilderment at one of the most powerful females in the land being mated to one of the lowest ranks in the pack.
“Your Highnesses, it’s a pleasure to have you aboard,” the captain told them politely, her smile tinged with respect as Thalia bowed her head in response. “We’ll endeavor to make your journey as comfortable as possible.”
Thalia’s grip on his hand tightened. “Thank you.”
The captain motioned toward the stairs. “If you’d like to board?”
Thalia frowned but nodded, and casting him a look, she headed for the stairs. Four steps up, and on the brink of boarding, she froze. Peering back at him, he saw her confusion, but it was no more than he was feeling when he saw the staff head back toward the small outbuilding that was the palace’s air traffic control center.
“What is it?” he asked.
“My mother.”
She sounded so grim, he frowned. “She’s on board?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want me to wait down here?” he asked, tilting his head back and squinting as the sun hit him just so in the face. Gods, it was hot. One of those days when the sky was so blue it hurt to look at it; even with shades on.
“No.”
That simple, he mused with a quick grin as he headed up the stairs behind her. Thalia was, without a doubt, the most succinct woman he’d ever known.
She’d already taken the seat opposite the other female on board by the time he was removing his sunglasses, and Rafe felt himself blush at the sight of the TriAlpha’s mate.
El was as regal as she’d been the last time he’d seen her. It was only a week ago when he’d petitioned her for aid regarding the situation in the Austin pack, but it felt like a lifetime. In fact, it felt far more than that.
In those seven days, he’d met his mate, had spoken with an Elder as though they were on friendly terms when Elders rarely de
igned to speak with Alphas never mind Gammas, and was now the Triskele’s mate.
It had been a hell of a journey.
And it didn’t look like it was coming to an end any time soon.
El didn’t move from her position in a butter-soft bucket seat. She was pristine in a tailored skirt suit that clung to her slender frame with a kiss that spoke only of fabulous Italian tailoring.
The white of the silky jacket suited her olive skin, and made her dark hair seem even darker. Almost Stygian with its depth.
As he looked at her queenly features, he saw traces of her daughter in those depths.
Thalia was, astonishing though it was, more beautiful than her mother.
A study of contrasts with her white-gold hair that gleamed with good health, and her delicate features, which were pale and creamy in contrast. She had wild blue eyes that reminded him of her wolf’s, and her lips were constantly stained berry red thanks to the Gods’ generosity—because Thalia never wore makeup.
That was something he’d learned very quickly about her.
She made low maintenance seem high maintenance.
He’d watched her address the council with bedhead, and though he’d been aghast at her lack of grooming, he was also amused.
Hardly metrosexual himself, he did take care of his appearance and he was accustomed to dating women who were too, thanks to his usual dating pool being among humankind with ladies who spent more time in the bathroom on a morning and a night than they did regularly in bed.
To be honest, her lack of guile was charming. She was clean to a fault, but forgetful in certain things, and he had a feeling that the Gods had united them for her protection.
And yes, that sounded crazy when she was about to become the National Pack’s Royal Enforcer, but still… everyone needed a keeper from time to time.
She lived in Chucks, and if not them, then went barefoot. Even in front of the council. She preferred nudity to clothes, and spent most of her time in silky dressing gowns—but hell, he wasn’t about to complain about that. She barely ate unless she was prompted—a fact he reasoned to the amount of time she had spent in wolf form before he’d been on the scene. She was remarkably unused to eating in human form—another task that would be his to adopt; getting her comfortable with that side of herself once more.
Trinity (The TriAlpha Chronicles Book 1) Page 19