Adelaide's Fate (Her Fate Series Book 1)

by G. Bailey

  “I was a kid, give me a break,” I groan, hearing her laugh. She never lets that story go. “This is a little more serious.”

  “Out with it then,” she replies more seriously this time.

  “Two sisters have moved into the house next to ours. They are shifters, and if anyone notices them, we are screwed,” I tell her, leaving out the possible mate part. If I told her that, she would tell Uncle J in a heartbeat and bring us all in.

  “Now that is a problem. Have you explained they must leave? Whose pack are they from? Why are they not hidden?” she rapidly asks me.

  “That’s the problem, they aren’t from any pack. Their parents just died recently, and they have nowhere else to go but the house they are in,” I tell her, hearing her sympathised sigh before she replies.

  “They are lucky to be alive. The hunters—” she starts off, but I cut her off. I can’t think of the hunters touching Adie without my wolf stirring and my fangs slowly dropping down. This isn’t going to be easy.

  “I know. I need you to take them back with you,” I ask.

  “When?” she asks, agreeing straight away, no hesitation. My family is always there for me. Pack means family, and I was taught you do anything for family.

  “Next Monday. We are out on a trip, and it is the only time the house won’t be watched. Neither will next door,” I say. “I will tell her to be ready for you, but none of us can be there. We have to keep the boss distracted.”

  “I will make the plan. How old are the sisters?” she asks.

  “One is a kid, and the other is about our age, I reckon,” I reply.

  “A girl looking after a kid at your age…that reminds me of your uncle looking after you as a kid,” she mutters, and I hear a deep grumble of a voice in the background. “Is that Freddy?”

  “Jaxson wants to talk to you. Speak soon and good luck,” she says before there is a rustling as the phone is handed over.

  “What is wrong? Why didn’t you call me first?” Uncle Jaxson demands, of course thinking something is up without me saying a word. I love Uncle J, but we clash a lot now. I guess it’s because we are both alphas, and neither one of us is willing to give up. Let’s just say practice fighting was fun.

  “Nothing is wrong. I wanted to talk to my aunt,” I reply.

  “Bullshit,” he states and chuckles.

  “You can’t prove it, old man,” I joke, and laugh at the line of swear words that he mutters under his breath. He hates that nickname.

  “Seriously, Freds, is the mission going all good? Anything you need? We can get you out in less than ten minutes if you call for us,” he tells me. “Atti is ready to get you out in a second.” Atti is my uncle in a way, or that’s what I ended up calling him. Atti is also a witch, so he can appear anywhere he wants in a moment’s notice. Witches are a pain in the ass to practice fighting against, considering they disappear and reappear in a new place every few seconds. Drives me nuts when Mich does that shit even now.

  “Nothing is wrong. Everything is on plan. How is Winter?” I ask, changing the subject with the only subject I know he gets easily distracted by. Winter, his mate, my awesome stepmum. The queen of all the races and one Adie doesn’t even seem to know about. How can she not know about the war? How can she not know about everything that happened when I was a kid? Winter fought for us all, defeating her father with the help of her four mates. I know none of us would be alive if it weren’t for Winter and how brave she is. Everyone knows she is the direct descendant of a fate, a goddess—the goddess that made all the races. She was always destined to be our queen. My dad and her other mates saved us all too, they are the kings. There has been relative peace since the war, and only one enemy left to deal with. That’s why this mission here is so important. It’s to keep peace, something so many of my kind and family have died to find.

  “Pregnant and eating chocolate, nothing new,” he replies. “Though she is sleeping at the moment, or I’m sure she would want to say hello. Your aunt is here to help out with the gardens for the nature class at the school.” Ah, that makes sense as to why she is at the castle. My aunt lives on the island, and I didn’t expect her to be around, but if there are any issues with plants, my aunt can talk to them as one of her gifts. I used to think it was strange when I would find my aunt talking to flowers, trees and more as a kid, but you soon get used to it.

  “Tell her hello from me and Josh. Tell dad I will call later in the week,” I say. Uncle J doesn’t say he will, but I know my uncle well enough to know he will tell them what I say.

  “How is Josh coping?” Uncle J carefully asks. After what happened at the castle just before we left, I know he has good reason to worry. Uncle J has always been careful around Josh, though Winter never let Uncle J push him out. Neither did Atti who quickly became like a father to Josh.

  “Good,” I simply reply, even though it’s not all truthful.

  “Freddy, I know you’re lying,” Jaxson replies.

  “He is keeping it under control. Chill out. I won’t let him go all demon on my ass,” I insist and rub my face, getting annoyed. We can’t help what we are, and I won’t let Josh destroy himself. I just wish Uncle Jaxson could see that. Only Winter and one of her mates, Atti, understand this. Everyone else is just frightened of him. “I gave to go. Shit to do and all.”

  “Keep safe,” Jaxson says, and I can tell from his tone he wants to warn me or say something stupid.

  “Don’t say it. Josh is a brother to me. End of story,” I remind him. “What happened was an accident, and Nath can stop him if it happens again…which it won’t.”

  “He is dangerous,” Uncle J replies. “I only want you safe, and I don’t think you can be safe with him at your side. Not until he learns to control that temper.”

  “A lot of people said that about Winter when they discovered what she is, yet you defended her,” I remind him.

  “It’s not the same, and you know it,” he tells me. Asshole.

  “Later, Uncle J,” I mutter and end the call. I slam the phone on the sofa, and it bounces off, hitting the floor and smashing into pieces. Shit. I need another drink.

  “Why can’t I go to school again? Why do we have to stay here?” Sophie whines as she finishes her breakfast and just stares at me for an answer. Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

  “I told you, it isn’t safe. We are leaving here next week and going somewhere that is safe. I am sure they will have a school for you there, with shifters like you,” I tell her, before eating another spoonful of my cornflakes. Thank god we have one box of cereal and a carton of milk that I picked up from a gas station on the way. The next job is a big shop, and I have googled the local supermarket. Thankfully they have a decent sized Tesco in the village. After not sleeping well, I got up super early and spent the time unpacking the kitchen, bedroom and lounge. There is a box of spare things to go up in the attic, and I know I need to get brave and go up there at some point.

  “Whatever. I don’t want to go,” she says. “Why do we always have to do what you want?!”

  “Sophie, you know we have to be safe or we will be caught and likely dead before we can even blink. Trust me, this isn’t what I want after just moving you here,” I tell her. “The hunters are everywhere, and any chance to be safe, I have to take that. For us both. Imagine a life where you don’t have to hide who you are and pretend to be human, when you are not one of them.”

  “I want to believe you, but I know you believed the shifter guy last night without a second thought. Even mum would have said that is dangerous,” she states. I don’t want to admit she is right, and I might have made a mistake trusting him. The instant bond we have is strange, and it’s freaking me out, the more I think about it. The more I think about him. Since he left, I have this crazy urge to shift and run to find him. I’m sure that it is just my wolf hasn’t shifted in a while, making her clearly crazy.

  “He wasn’t lying. I know it,” I tell her instead of what I’m thinking.
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  “How?” she asks, tilting her head to the side a little as she stares at me.

  “You can scent lies on people. It’s a shifter thing,” I say, shrugging my shoulders.

  “I can’t do that,” she replies. “Neither could mum or dad. Or they would have caught me lying to them many times before.” I go to say something, when I realise that I might have this ability from my birth parents, and I can’t tell Sophie any of that.

  “Some wolves get gifts, remember mum telling us that? Who knows, you might get a cool gift when you change at sixteen. Anyway, unless I’m looking for a lie, watching someone super closely, I can’t always pick up a lie,” I say. Not that I got anything or changed at all at sixteen. I’ve always been able to spot lies, move quickly, and my wolf is different than my parents’ were. I don’t even really look like a wolf when I shift. Mum always said it was normal, but now I think about it, I know it isn’t.

  “That’s in eight months, and I doubt it will be anything cool,” she mumbles.

  “I miss us talking like this,” I state, and I know I have said something wrong when she picks up her tablet, not looking at me, and slides off the table, walking to the door of the kitchen and pausing right before walking out.

  “I’m going to stay in my room for the day. I have a lot to unpack,” Sophie informs me, not looking back at me as she speaks. She opens the door and walks out, and I know there isn’t anything I can say to stop her. I don’t understand her reaction to me sometimes. She is grieving though, and no one, especially not a teenager, deals with grief well.

  “Shit, I suck at this,” I mutter to myself. I shake my head and quickly clean up the kitchen after breakfast. Looking at the nearly empty fridge, I know I can’t put off shopping for much longer, so I grab my keys off the side.

  “I’m going to the shops,” I shout up the stairs as I slide my flat ballet shoes on by the door. I quickly pull my skinny jeans up my hips a little, as this pair always slips down which I like, being it makes me feel thin. I pull my light grey jumper into place and make sure my hair is smooth in the ponytail I put it up in earlier. I go to shout again when she finally replies.

  “Bye,” she shouts back down. Well, at least it’s a response. I unlock the front door before walking out, and shutting it behind me. I glance at the house next door, the way it looks completely silent and still, and so much more modern than mine. Someone has taken the time to repaint it, replace the windows with double glazed ones and mow the lawn, which is a nice green colour. It looks much better than the yellow, overgrown grass on my front lawn. I suppose it doesn’t matter when we are only staying here a week. There are three cars parked out front of the guys’ house. Two of them are red, shiny, new and sporty. Not that I’d know the name of the car. They all look the same to me. The last one is more practical, bigger and painted black. The fourth guy must not have a car, or he is out or something. As I stare, I start to wonder if I can trust these complete strangers. Everything my parents ever taught me was to not trust people that aren’t family. Then I remember the fact mum and dad lied to me my whole life, and never trusted me with the truth. Was Sophie right? Should I not trust these shifters? I quickly shuffle my feet to my own falling apart car, and after turning the key in the lock three times, it finally opens.

  “Adie?” a male voice gently asks from a distance, and I turn a little, still holding the car door as a man walks over to me from the other house. This guy has dark blond hair that is lighter at the tips which I reckon he dyes. I don’t look at his hair long though, because I’m distracted by his lack of shirt and the work out trousers which are dipping low on his hips. A line of sweat makes his skin shimmer, and there is a pair of headphones in his hand attached to his phone. He must be a runner.

  “Who are you?” I ask, keeping my hand tightly on the door for some kind of protection. When he gets closer and stops, I can smell that he is human, but I know he must be hiding it somehow like Rick did. I really need to find out how they hide who they are. I stare at the man, wondering why he seems so familiar to me. I find myself relaxing around him, even though he is a complete stranger.

  “Nathaniel, but my friends call me Nath,” he says, lifting a muscular arm and rubbing the back of his neck. I stare at him speechless for a little while, not picking up his scent no matter how much I try to make out what he is. I suppose I could just ask.

  “Are you human?” I ask.

  “Err, no. It’s this,” he points to his wrist, and I see the thick black leather bracelet that I didn’t see before. “It has crystals in it that make me seem human.”

  “That must be useful in this kind of world,” I muse, eyeing the bracelet.

  “Very,” he says, grinning as he lowers his arm, and we both smile at each other until he clears his throat. “Are you going out?”

  “Yeah. I know Rick wanted me to come over in the morning, but we need food first,” I explain.

  “Rick wants you to have a protection bracelet on when you go to the village. Just in case. Can you come back to mine first, and then go out?” he asks. “It isn’t safe. Don’t make me have to follow you to the shops and kick anyone’s ass who tries to attack you.” I laugh, not sure if he is kidding or not because of the protective way he is staring at me.

  “When you put it like that, coming to yours and getting a bracelet might be easier,” I muse, and I enjoy how he seems happy.

  “Damn, I was hoping we could spend more time together,” he winks at me, making my cheeks go as bright red as my hair before nodding his head at the house. “Come on then, beautiful. Welcome to my home.”

  “After you,” Nath says, holding his front door open for me, and flashing me a seductive grin. Damn if it doesn’t make my legs feel weak. I’m not used to hot guys. Not like Rick, Nath and even the scary Josh seem to be. Let’s hope the last guy isn’t this hot. I clear my throat before sliding past Nath into the cool feeling house. Unlike our house, someone has knocked the walls down on this floor, making it a huge open plan living/kitchen room, with a bar in the corner by the window. The staircase is in the middle, with a door on the side of it. There are brown leather sofas, a coffee table and a massive tv in the lounge area, and the kitchen has white counters, silver fridge and other silver appliances scattered around. I’m shocked at how tidy the house is when it has four guys living in it. I spot a basket of dirty clothes by the washing machine which has a load in and is turned on. Guys who know how to work a washing machine? That was practically unheard of in university. All the guys who were good looking had sticks up their asses and their parents to pay to make sure they didn’t lift a finger.

  “Can you wait down here while I get the bracelet?” Nath asks. I nod, and I stupidly decide to mutter under my breath.

  “And a shirt so all women can breathe again.”

  “What was that? Keep my shirt off? No problem, beautiful,” Nath comments, spinning around and winking at me before turning back and running up the stairs as I stare speechless. I so didn’t just say that. I rub my arms as I look around the still room, spotting the half-opened packet of Oreo biscuits on the side. My tummy rumbles as I stare at them, knowing that the cornflakes did not fill the hole earlier. I suppose borrowing one Oreo couldn’t hurt. I walk over and pull the wrapper back, sliding out one of the biscuits from heaven.

  “Rick loves the shit out of those, you might not want to eat them all,” Nath says, making me jump out my skin and turn as he gets to the bottom of the stairs. How the hell did he move so silently?

  “Sorry, Oreos are hard to resist,” I admit. “They are my favourite biscuits.”

  “Don’t be sorry. No one else likes them, and Rick isn’t here,” Nath replies with a light chuckle, and I can’t help but smile at the charming guy, “but we have another problem.”

  “What’s up?” I ask.

  “The bracelets aren’t done yet, so that means you can’t go into the village for food,” Nath states. “Good news, we have lots of food here.”

  “I’m not borrowing yo
ur food. One trip into town isn’t going to hurt,” I say, finishing off the biscuit and walking to the door. I don’t get close as Nath runs over and blocks my exit, his chest brushing against my arm and sending shivers through me.

  “It could hurt if the wrong people see you there. Therefore, you can’t go,” he insists, folding his large arms across his still naked chest, and I gulp, forcing myself to look away from his muscular arms.

  “Are you really going to try and stop me?” I ask, knowing my voice comes out more than a little flirty.

  “It won’t be trying, beautiful. You’re a tiny girl who might shift into a wolf, but I doubt you know how to fight your way past me,” he retorts. I cross my own arms and glare up at him, knowing my wolf is thinking it’s a good idea if I just shift and let her deal with the problem.

  “I can’t fight, but I sure can bite something if you don’t move,” I say, dropping my eyes to his crotch to make a point. When I look back up, Nath has the biggest grin on his face, and I know he isn’t taking me seriously at all. We both look away from each other as the door opens behind Nath, and he steps to my side. I move away from him as his arm brushes against mine again, which seems to amuse him more. Rick frowns at us both as he comes in and shuts the door.

  “What are you guys doing standing by the door?” he asks.

  “Nothing,” both Nath and I say at the same time, and I shake my head. “Adie needs to go food shopping, but the bracelet isn’t ready yet. I suggested she borrow some of our food, but she still wants to go.”

  “You can’t go,” Rick agrees, looking at Nath as he talks and pretending like I’m not even here. “We should go and get the food she wants. It makes more sense.”

  “I didn’t think of that. I will go and get a shirt,” Nath states.

  “I didn’t say yes to you going for me!” I shout at Nath’s back as he totally ignores me to run up the stairs.