The Ties That Bond (Love Conquers All Book 1)

by Riki Bishop

  “Mom, Dad, I’m pregnant.” I say.

  “Oh honey! That’s fantastic!” My mom says getting up to give me a hug with my father following behind her.

  “Thanks, mom and dad.” I say.

  Levi…I need a trash can. I mind-link him as he gets up and gets the trash can. As soon as he put it by my face I barfed.

  “Thanks baby. Can you get me some saltines and a sprite please?” I ask. “Oh, and some gum.”

  “Anything for you baby girl.” He says kissing my head before walking to the kitchen. It takes him no time at all to come back into the meeting room caring a sleeve of saltines and a can of sprite, handing them to me.

  “Now, where were we?” I looked over and Josiah was quiet though I could see the emotions running through his eyes. Maybe he was telling the truth.

  “Alright. Time to get down to why we are all here. I would like to get to bed at a decent hour. I am exhausted. Now, from what I was told from Josiah, you and he were together for a while and you had me and then Shay and then you met dad as your mate and ran off with him, taking us with you. I also know that Shay and I were promised to the king's sons. Care to explain how and why we were sold like prostitutes?” I ask.

  “Yes, Josiah and I were together for a while and while I was happy with him, I couldn’t ignore the bond I share with your father. I don’t regret leaving and I don’t regret taking you girls with me. He was always busy with something else and I knew if you were to know about him, you wouldn’t get the time to actually get to know him.” My mother says.

  “I am an Alpha. What did you expect me to do? I had a pack to run and I was still trying to make time to be with you. You have NO right to keep my girls away from me and then to tell them Nicolas was their father! I lost years with them!” Josiah sneered.

  “You never made time to be with anyone but that damn pack you have. You were always gone! You shouldn’t have even come back here. My girls were fine without knowing you and I am glad that they grew up not knowing what it was like to be an Alpha’s daughter.” My mother sneered at him. I’m starting to get annoyed. I get they have shit to work out, but this is not the time. I need to know why my sister and I were sold off like a sack of potatoes.

  “I’m going to say one thing and one thing only! You may have had your reasons for doing what you did by keeping us from him, but you should have told us when we got older. Did you ever think that maybe we could make our own decisions? Now, we are getting off-topic. We don’t have time to work your petty shit. I want to know whose idea it was to sell us off. I’m sorry if I’m being rude, but at this moment I am pretty pissed off. There is a war coming and it all started when we were promised to someone else.” I say.

  “You need to watch how you talk to your mother young lady or you will not like the consequences.” My father exclaims.

  That seemed to set Levi off, but before he got his turn to speak, Shay shouted, “What dad? Are you going to take your belt off and hit us like you did when we were kids? We are grown-ass adults and me for one am not putting up with it.” Damn us and our hormones are making us even more moody than normal. Shay’s hormones are coming from something different than what mine are though.

  “You will not talk to your LUNA that way. I don’t care if she is your daughter, you will respect her. Now keep your mouth shut unless you have something helpful to say.” Levi snaps.

  “What do you mean belt?” Ryder speaks up. He looks furious. “Have you been beating your kids? You know that is a punishable offense in this pack correct? The fact that you threatened my mate's sister and your Luna and made Shay get riled up while she is pregnant pisses me off.”

  “EVERYONE! Once again we are getting off-topic. We can discuss the ‘consequences’ we got later. Whose idea was it to promise us to another because I know it wasn’t mine or Shays? We need to know so we can prepare for the war that you caused.” I say.

  “It was right after your brother was born. Your father and I were struggling to keep our businesses open and the house. We needed money. One day the King came to town to check on everything. Your father came home and said that we had a meeting with the King. He was going to help us. We got to this meeting and I knew we needed the help and we didn’t want to have to give up our home or our businesses. So, the King heard us out and we thought he was going to say no, but he didn’t. He said he would help us if when his sons become of age and you two as well, you were to be married to them. I wasn’t sure about it, but your father accepted the offer. I supported his decision and that is how we are here now.” I was seething after what my mother had told me. Shay was in tears and I was on the verge of them. I couldn’t handle anymore tonight.

  “Get out. You two just signed our life away as it belonged to you. What about our mates? Did you even think about that? Did you think about how miserable we would be? NO. You two just thought about yourselves. Now get out of my sight. This meeting is over! Josiah, I hope you find the accommodations to your liking. I am going to go to the room and go lay down.” I say. My parents leave and my mom is crying, but I don’t care. How could she let this happen?

  “They are quite lovely, thank you, Willow. Congratulations to you all. I will see you in the morning. I am sorry that this has happened to you, but with the approval from Alpha Levi, I would like to have my pack come here and train with yours so we can be ready for this war that is coming.” He said. Levi permitted him and he left the room.

  “Shay…are you okay?” I asked. She just shook her head putting it in the crook of Ryder's neck. “Go get some sleep guys, we will reconvene in the morning.” Levi says before leading us to our room.

  “Why would they do something like that Levi? I just don’t understand. I get that they were hurting for money, but there are other ways to get that.” I say as my tears start to come. I climb into bed after changing into my nightclothes and Levi crawls in next to me pulling me close to him. He kisses my forehead and says, “I don’t know baby girl, but you and I both need sleep. We can figure this all out tomorrow. I love you.”

  “I love you too.” And with one last kiss, I fall into a deep sleep next to the love of my life.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN: UNEXPECTED VISITORS

  It’s been two weeks since Josiah has brought forward the information about my future. There have been plans made and remade. There have been tears and hateful words. Josiah’s pack arrived a few days after the last meeting with my parents and they have been training with Levi’s warriors. We have sent some of our best scouts to scout out anything that could help. It hasn’t seemed to help other than the fact that they are looking for us. I still don’t understand what could cause a mother or even a father to stoop that low. I don’t think I will ever understand. I don’t know where I would be right now if it weren’t for Levi being my support. He has been amazing. Even with his Alpha duties, he is always there.

  I have had to put off the meetings with the warriors that got demoted until we figured something out, so that’s what I’m taking care of today. I walk down to Levi’s office since I must go through his to get to mine so I can get started with these meetings. After I meet with the ten warriors I have to go over to the labor and delivery and pick up the papers for all of the new births and enter them into the system before filing them and then after that, I have to oversee some training since one of the head warriors is out with his mate after having their baby and then I can finally go home and relax and watch some Netflix with my handsome mate.

  “Morning baby girl.” Levi says looking up from his paperwork as I walk in.

  “Morning babe.” I say.

  “Everything okay?” He asks.

  “Yeah, I’m just exhausted and ready to be in bed with you. This is going to be one long-ass day. Not to mention this little one won’t quit making mommy throw up every five minutes.” I say.

  Levi gets up from his desk and walks over to me engulfing me into his arms. His warmth cascades me with calmness. “It’ll all be okay baby girl. Just know I’m right here
if you need anything.” He says before leaning down to my stomach. “And you mister need to be nice to your mommy or you’re going to be grounded.” I can’t help but let out a small chuckle.

  “I have got to go get everything ready. Baxter will be here in about ten minutes for his meeting.” I say kissing Levi’s cheek.

  “Okay, babe. I love you. I’ll be in here filing my own paperwork and I’ll be in meetings with Ryder and Jason, but don’t hesitate to get me if you need me.” He said. “I will babe. I love you too.” I say before going into my office. Five hours later and I have gone through all the meetings and got the guys set up with something else to do here. They weren’t happy with the outcomes of what happened, but it wasn’t my fault. It was the rules. One of the guys decided to raise his voice and step up to me saying it was all my fault. He realized he made a mistake when Levi, Ryder, and Jason ran into my office and Levi grabbed him by his neck and threw him up against the wall telling him if he does it again he’ll rip his throat out. It was an eventful morning. It’s now one pm and I am starving. I pack my things up and head out of my office locking it up.

  “I’m going to get some food before heading over to the hospital. Are you hungry? I can bring you something back after.” I asked Levi.

  “Yeah, that would be great baby girl. I have a meeting in five minutes to discuss how the warriors are doing.” He said looking at his paperwork. I wish I could multitask as well as he does. I have never been good at it.

  “Oh, I looked over the contracts that you put on my desk the other day. They’re in my top drawer with my notes. Most of them are good deals, but others are trying to throw things in through small print. I guess it’s a good thing you married a lawyer.” I said.

  “Okay, I’ll get them in a bit. I’ll see you after you get back from the hospital baby girl. Thank you and I suppose it isn’t the worst thing, except you are too good at arguments we have. Be safe. I love you.”

  “Always baby. I love you too. I should be back in about an hour.” I say walking out. I decide to go to the hospital first and then swing by the kitchen and get lunch and eat with Levi. The hospital is about a fifteen-minute walk from the packhouse and I enjoy it. It allows me to clear my head and sort my thoughts out.

  “Luna Willow. What can I help you with?” The receptionist asks.

  “I’m looking for Shay. She has the paperwork for the newborns I need.” I say. Yeah, my sister works in labor and delivery. She has always wanted to be an OBGYN and she finished her degree a few months ago and got a job here. It helps that she is the Beta Female, but I won’t tell her that. Alexis got a job at the school after she graduated.

  “She should be in her office. I’ll let her know you’re on your way up.” She says and I reply with a thank you and head to the third floor to Shay’s office.

  “Hey, sis. Do you have all the papers ready? I have got to get Levi lunch. The guys have been in meetings all day. I think they think they are taking the worry off us.” I say.

  “Yeah, it’s right here. I know. Ryder just left not too long ago after lunch here. I wished they realized we are still going to worry and stress about it even if they think they’re taking most of it.” She said.

  “I couldn’t agree with you more. Thanks for the papers. I have got feed Levi and myself. This little munchkin is starving.” I say hugging her. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

  “Of course, it’s game night.” She says. I wave and head out of the hospital. I take my time walking back towards the Packhouse taking in the scenery in front of me. I get in my head and the thoughts of what my parents did seeps back in. I think that’s why I have kept myself as busy as I can these past two weeks. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to be mad at my parents. I’m still hoping this is all a joke. I hate being mad at the two people who have been there my whole life. What would my life be like if I were with one of the King's sons? I know it wouldn’t be filled with love with him not being my mate. That’s another thing that gets me…my mother left my birth father for her mate. She knew what it was like to be with a man and then also be with her mate. So, why would she make her daughters go through it? I just wish I could understand and see where she was coming from when making this decision. Hell, I want to know what my father was thinking. This is just all too much. I can’t take it. I can’t take the stress that comes with it and I know it isn’t good for the baby.

  I’m so sorry baby. I know mommy is stressed and I’m trying not to be for you. I can’t help but think that I’m already failing as a mother. No, I can’t think like this. I need to be strong for Levi and our little munchkin.

  I make it to the Packhouse and walk into the kitchen and see that there are salads prepared along with chicken and broccoli fettuccini. My favorite. I grab two salads and fill two containers with the pasta and grab two waters and head back to Levi’s office. Once I get there I walk in and he is on the phone with someone, so I wait for him to finish his call. I clear off a corner of his desk and lay out the food that I brought and get it ready for us to eat. I pull up a chair and sit in it and start to eat my salad.

  “What do you mean they’re dead? They weren’t supposed to be seen!” Levi says, clearly agitated. Who’s dead? Does he mean our scouts? They are the only ones I can think of that would be doing any type of snooping. Oh, Goddess…They were found out. Panic starts to take over me. What if they find us? The King cannot be happy with us not being paired with his sons. Levi slams his phone down and brings me out of my thoughts.

  “Who’s dead? Is it our scouts? Does the King know?” I ask hastily. Levi sighs and I know I’m right. Nausea instantly hits me, and I rush over to the trashcan and empty my stomach. This can’t be happening. We were supposed to get the upper hand.

  “Willow, it’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out baby girl. Don’t worry. You can’t have this added stress. You’re still early in your pregnancy baby. I need you to be strong. I love you and I will do anything and everything to protect you.” He says rubbing my back and holding my hair. “Are you okay?”

  “Levi, how am I supposed to not worry about this? I’m scared. I know I need to calm down for the baby, but how the hell can I do that when everything is going so wrong? No, I’m not okay, but I’m going to be strong for our pup and our pack. I love you.” I say going back over to the chair I was sitting in. “Let’s eat. We have to be at the training arena in an hour to oversee the training.”

  We eat our lunch and are joking around and talking about the baby. We talk about everything. We keep no secrets from each other. As we’re eating and talking I managed to enter all the data that needed to be entered into the system and after we finished eating I file the papers that I got from the hospital and now I’m waiting on Levi to finish up what he must do. Fifteen minutes later and Levi is finished, and we are heading to the training arena.

  “Whose team are you covering for today babe? I need to know if I need to change you.” Levi asks.

  “I’m covering for Hudson. Remember? He and his mate just had their baby a few days ago and he came to ask us if he could be home with them for the first few days.” I explain.

  “I remember. I guess I have been a little stressed and may have forgotten a smidgen. Hudson covers hand combat. You can’t do that right now babe. Why don’t you take my team? They’re just fighting in their wolf forms. Even though you can’t shift, you can critique.” He says.

  “What’s the difference between watching hand to hand or wolf on wolf Levi?” I know he’s worried, but still.

  “Baby girl, hand to hand you have to interact and do it too.” He explains.

  “Okay. We’ll switch then. What is it? Switching every hour?” I ask. I haven’t watched over training in a while and Levi changes everything like he does underwear.

  “Yeah. I’ll be right by you with Hudson’s group if you need me.” He says kissing my forehead.

  I head over to my station and wait for the guys to come over. “Where’s the Alpha?” One of the warriors asks.
“He’s taking over for Hudson. I’m taking over for him since I’m pregnant and he doesn’t want me doing the hand to hand. I’m assuming you all know that you are training in wolf form. I also want to remind you we are only fighting to submission. Once the wolf submits you will wait until we switch partners. Now, partner up and shift. I don’t want any slacking off. There is a war coming and we need to be ready.” I say.

  “I hate to burst your bubble, but the war is already here.” A voice I don’t recognize says.

  Before I can say anything, Levi is running towards me. “WILLOW! Get away from her! You cannot have her!”

  “Now, is that a way to speak to your King, Alpha?” The King said.

  The King. He’s here.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE CHALLENGE

  I can’t believe this is happening. I thought we would have more time to prepare. We haven’t gotten a good plan yet. How the hell are we supposed to fight them now? Sure, we have a strong pack, but the Kings are stronger. We were supposed to have the element of surprise. Now, here I am being held with my arms behind my back by the King himself. “Please, let me go!” I beg. I just want to be back in Levi’s arms.

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that Willow. You see, my son, Sebastian was promised you long ago and when I found out that you were mated and married, I couldn’t help but wonder why. You were supposed to be brought to the kingdom after you graduated, but I see that didn’t happen.” He said. The nerve of this guy. King or not, I could never be with his son even if I never met Levi. If it weren’t for the mating bond helping, it would have taken a lot for me to even trust him, but I know he would do anything to make sure that he earned that trust. It was just the type of guy he was.

  “I don’t think you understand. My parents made that deal NOT me and NOT my sister. Now. Let. Me. GO!” I yelled. I know I shouldn’t yell at the King, but the nerve he has.

  “Speaking of your sister, where is she? We have much to discuss.” He said. “Also, watch your tone when you talk to me, I will not tolerate disrespect! If it weren’t for my son, I would have your head for the way you talked to me.” He sneered.