According to Gammon those plans had just changed. He did not sound pleased through the bond.
Chapter Twenty
“Inside, everyone inside. Dennis you might as well follow the others. Trust me when I tell you that one there will be inside shortly. In fact, I doubt I could keep that one out short of using Alpha powers to order her, and since you both feel the mate call even boosting my power would probably only slow her down. We didn’t think this next part would be very important at first. Dimitri, you and Nikita try to stall her. I still have to tell them about her and Julie. Dammit.” Gammon looked toward Trisah steadily closing the gap.
Mia opened the door just as the men reached it. “Come in and welcome to our home. We don’t often, as in never, get two males mate-match to two females at the same time. Willow is not going to appreciate one of those matings at all.” Turning toward Dennis she continued, “I don’t suppose you would like to relocate here so we don’t lose her?”
Dennis stared down at Mia with a half smile and just shook his head.
“Oh well, I will be able to tell Willow I asked.”
Dennis barely heard her. Something Gammon had said finally penetrated his thoughts. Turning his attention back toward Gammon he asked, “Both? She felt the mate pull? That is the reason she came rushing out of her house? So she is a mature unmated female. I am one lucky bastard I am.”
“Well that remains to be seen.” Gammon muttered. “Left, take a left and follow the hall. Mia, darling, if you would be so kind as to lead the gentleman to the living room. I will be there shortly.”
When Gammon opened the door he found both his Betas blocking the door from Trisah who was steadily trying to push them out of her way. She was not successful.
“Trisah, go home. That is not a request. I am not asking you. I am ordering, as your Alpha, go home. One of the men in the house is your true-mate but we have a serious problem and I have to take care of it before you can see him. Yes I know it sucks, yes I know I suck, yes I know I am an ass. Did I miss anything you may have been thinking of throwing my way?”
Gammon watched her stop pushing on his Betas. She froze in place for a moment before whispering, “Mate? That is why my wolf went crazy?”
“Yes, mate. Now go home. I promise you can meet him soon enough.”
“Mate? No, I don’t want a mate, no Gammon you promised I was safe here. No.”
Dimitri, take her home, she doesn’t look like she will make it safely back to her house. I will send Carolyn to stay with her. I hoped she would be happy. Apparently, I was wrong.
When Gammon once again entered the house and made his way down the hall he was surprised at what he found.
“Why are you staring at my mate like she has three heads?”
Edward turned to face his brother, “Because William said she was your true-mate. Impossible.”
Gammon smiled. He saw Dennis flinch. For some reason his smiles caused the same reaction in every stranger he met. “As impossible as you finding a true-mate again? Believe me, no one knows how impossible it was to be given two true-mates in one life time better than me. I fought mine, refused to believe it and almost lost Mia. If you try to fight yours I will personally take great pleasure in finding out who has kept the better fighting skills these last four centuries. Now, possible or not, it happened. You know the magic is never wrong. Look around our race and be damn thankful for such a gift. I know I am. Now let’s discuss Julie and Trisah.”
“Wait, why?” Dennis looked at Edward then back to Gammon, “If I am understanding you right, you believe Edward just mate-matched to Julie?”
“That is correct. The house he was facing has three females inside, currently. One is mated to one of my Sentries, once was a rescue from the same prison Julie was rescued from and she mate-matched to one of my guys and then you have Julie. Julie you may remember has said one name the entire time we have had her. Julie has only said one phrase if you remember me telling you? That phrase I have a mountain, too was misunderstood until we found out about Edward. Edward may doubt the mate magic, but that doesn’t change the fact the little girl in that house has four times now indicated she is familiar with Edward and feels safe with Edward. No one understands how the magic works so however she knew about Edward she appears to be waiting for him to come to her. Moving on. Trisah and Julie, if the two of you had to mate-match females in my territory you could not have picked a more suitable pair, we think.”
For the next hour Gammon, with the help of Mia, filled the others in on what relationship they thought the two females might have, what they knew of the past of each one, and why they had not yet brought the two females together. When he was done Edward looked at Dennis. Everyone looked at Dennis.
The silence stretched out for a minute before Dennis realized everyone was looking at him. Snorting he told them, “And you want me to tell you more of what I know about Julie to help decide which way to jump. Except, it don’t much matter mate which way we jump does it? The two are sisters or not, mate-matched to the Alpha and Beta of the same pack. Good blood or bad blood, good memories or bad memories we will have to live with what they went through and we will be the ones who have to help them heal. That may not be as hard as you think. You see, Julie had an uncle, and the uncle apparently managed to pull a fast one over on her parents. He was supposedly keeping Trisah the night the house fire occurred. He told her parents she wanted to go home though so he had taken her home and used his key to open the house. The parents, not knowing she had returned home did not go to wake her when the fire started. What I want to know is, if Trisah did not die in that house fire, where did she go? Her parents told me about the charred remains found in the house. The charred remains the size Trisah was back then. If that female is Trisah, and she did not die in the house fire, I want to know what happened to her and where she went.”
“The uncle sold her.” Gammon told the others what they knew of Trisah’s past from the little they had been able to piece together before Trey had found her.
“Fuck. I assume someone found the uncle and killed him?”
“We don’t let ‘em live long here. Some males need killing, he was one of them. Trisah believes her family died in a fire, all of her family. Her uncle saved her and sold her. I don’t think we have any doubts left about the two girls. Dennis, do you know how old Julie is at the moment?” As soon as Gammon asked he started laughing. It wasn’t but a moment later the the other members of his pack in the room started laughing. The other three men looked at each other and back to the laughing men and Mia. Whatever the laughter was about had obviously been shared through Gammon’s pack bond. William watched the men and played back the last few sentences in his head. He almost managed to conceal the smile when he realized what must have already occurred to Gammon.
No matter how old Julie was at the moment, in the shifter world her guardian would become the nearest kin old enough to protect her. In this case Trisah was old enough but could not protect her sister. Once Trisah mate-bonded then the guardianship would naturally fall to Trisah and her mate, assuming the couple were the best ones to protect and guard her. Which in turn meant the Alpha of the pack would have to ask permission from his Beta to date Julie. William saw the minute Edward realized what the laughter was about when he turned to glare at Dennis, who just grinned and winked.
Chapter Twenty-One
Willow? We are coming over. This is what we know about Trisah and Julie. Gammon filled Willow in on the recent developments while Mia called Carolyn to bring Trisah to the house. By the time he was done Trisah and Carolyn were sitting in the living room being filled in on what Dennis knew of Julie’s past. The magic of the true-mate bond was never wrong and nothing could have proved it more than watching Trisah deflate and seek solace in the arms of her future mate.
Watching his broken female start to really heal for the first time in over six years confirmed in the hearts of not only Gammon but every shifter in the room, the cost of keeping one safe to find thei
r own path would always be worth the sacrifices.
“I want to see her. I want to hold her. I want, wait, if Dennis is my true-mate, and Edward is Julie’s true-mate, what about Shiloh?”
“Who the hell is Shiloh?” Dennis and Edward both growled.
Gammon started laughing again. This time Dimitri and Nikita did not have to wait for an explanation through the pack bond. Looking at Edward with what could only be described as an evil grin Gammon told him, “Julie is Shiloh’s Sasha.”
Edward narrowed his eyes and stared back at Gammon. Trisah, Dennis and William’s eyes bounced between the two men. Edward did not say anything at first. Edward was a few decades older than Gammon and would know what had happened all those centuries ago. When Edward finally came to the correct conclusion he shot to his feet. “Oh hell no mate you better keep your boy at home and away from my daughter.”
Dennis sent a startled look to his Alpha. “Edward, you never mentioned a daughter.”
Edward growled.
Gammon started laughing, it was a minute or more before he was able to tell Dennis, “That is because she hasn’t been born yet, but she will be, won’t she Edward.”
“No. You keep that boy in the States. I won’t have another male under my feet trying to protect my mate just so she can give birth to his mate. No. I watched that shit with you and Jutoh. I forbid it.”
“You can forbid all you want but in the end you might as well find out what the boy, who by the way is not a boy and hasn’t been for a good century, best find out what he wants. Otherwise he will just follow you back and camp on your porch. You can’t kill him you know. Not if you know he will be the true-mate of your daughter. You want to be the one to tell your daughter you killed her true-mate?”
“Maybe she will have a different true-mate.”
“The question you have to ask yourself is, are you willing to take that risk?”
“Would someone like to explain to the rest of us what you two are talking about and why your people find it so funny Gammon?” William spoke up.
“Sometimes the mate-magic is a little more powerful than expected. Sometimes something about the female calls to another male not her mate. He feels the need to protect the female beyond all rational thought or actions. Edward here was around when I acted so with Sasha who eventually gave birth to my Natasha. Jutoh eventually figured it out and took me in as his son to raise.
“He might as well have, you never went home anyway.”
“This is not anything I have ever heard before.” William muttered.
“Is that how you knew what was going on with Keven?” This time it was Dennis who spoke up.
“Who is Keven?” Gammon asked.
“Yes that is how I knew. Dammit mate you should keep your mouth shut sometimes. Edward turned to the room and told the story of Keven.
“Keven was four years old when his mate was born. That mate-matching was interesting. The boy learned to unlock doors and could be found huddled under the window of the baby, or curled up on the porch when Suzie’s parents woke. Everyday Michael would carry the screaming toddler back to his parents with the demand the boy be kept away from Suzie. It took most of the pack to convince Suzie’s parents that far from trying to harm Suzie or take her Keven was trying to protect the baby. Unlike most males who understood what was going on Michael had taken offense. Believing the pack was on the side of the boy meant, to him, that the pack did not trust him to care for his own daughter. I spent hours trying to knock some sense into the man. Maybe if Michael and Diane had been true-mated he would have understood the toddler’s need to protect the baby. But I knew to expect it even before she became pregnant. Keven would toddle over to Diane every chance he got and cuddle with her. He had already caused problems with Michael before the arrival of his mate. Michael had found the boy on his porch multiple times. I told Dennis what was going on but until the baby was born, and he could see for himself, well let’s just say unless you have seen it firsthand it is far-fetched.”
“How often does something like that happen?” Trisah demanded to know. She had just found out her sister was alive and had a mate-to-be and would have a daughter one day and to top it all off the daughter would be mate to the very shifter who had driven her nuts with his attention for the last year.
“Until Shiloh I had never noticed it with another before. That isn’t to say it hasn’t happened but most people don’t think that far ahead. If a boy took an extra liking to a grown female, well you would just think to yourself she was really good with children and would make a good mother herself one day. It would never occur to you the male was attaching himself to the female because she would one day give birth to his mate.”
“I have seen it a few times, it is rare, but you have to remember I watched you from birth get attached to Sasha and I was there when Jutoh come to visit and explained to our parents what was going on. I knew to watch for such actions.”
“I see. Well that doesn’t explain why he was so attached to me though does it?”
Gammon looked at her and shrugged, “Aunt-by-mating?’
Trisah looked at him, “Seriously? That almost sounds a bit sick. He fell in love with me because I will be his aunt one day?”
“No, I would bet he loves you because his mate will be a lot like you. Or perhaps he loves you but without a passion to it as one would love a sister. You know, if you have never loved someone with passion it would be easy to mistake the two loves. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter right now does it? What matters is going over and finding out if we can help Julie start to heal. I suggest we do that now since Willow says she is awake again and seems to be looking for Edward.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Allison yanked the door open before the men even reached it. Willow was sitting on the couch holding Julie’s hand waiting. William, being a stranger to Julie, had stayed behind with Gammon. As soon as little David saw Julie sitting on the couch he went running to her screaming “Julie, Julie.”
The involuntary flinch and ducking motion escaped no one’s notice except the child’s. He scrambled into her lap and hugged her.
David and Edward entered more slowly.
Edward could not stop the heart-wrenching pain that flooded his body when he saw the lost look on his mate’s face. As much as he wanted to pick her up and cuddle her close and promise nothing and no one would ever hurt her again he knew he couldn’t, not yet. He watched her drop the bear she held and slowly, tentatively reach one arm around David and start rocking him. He noticed the wince on Willow’s face and saw the whiteness of her hand. He wondered how tightly Julie was squeezing. When Dennis realized all of Julie’s attention was on Edward he stopped. Looking around he lowered himself into a chair. Close enough she could see him but not so close he would make her nervous.
Edward watched her face as he slowly approached the couch. Just before reaching it he dropped to his knees. He still loomed over her but she did not protest. Gammon had filled him in on everything they knew since Julie had been rescued. Dennis had told him everything he knew. Before leaving Gammon’s house Edward had requested Kate be called. He did not want to question Allison or Willow in front of Julie.
Mia, who had eased into the house behind the men had an open line to Kate on her cell phone. Kate had begged to be included in the meeting. She had been the one to suggest the order the men entered the house and given all the suggestions for the meeting based on what little she know of Julie. She had explained to Edward the goose-egg on Julie’s head when she was first brought to the prison. The assumption being she had been attacked from someone either taller than her, or possibly standing over her. The knowledge helped the others to understand the hunching and ducking Julie did on a regular basis.
Edward watched her carefully as he slowly reached out one hand toward her. He saw when her eyes involuntarily looked up just as she ducked as though evading something falling from above. Out of the corner of his eye he realized Willow had instinctively ducked the
invisible foe also. He dropped his hand back to his side while he studied his little mate.
“Willow, move I want to try something.”
Willow looked at Mia who nodded before she slowly tried to ease her hand from Julie’s grip. Edward reached his hand toward the two and felt his heart stutter in his chest when Julie let go of Willow’s hand to grab his. One obstacle down and a hundred more to go. Julie had not noticed Trisah standing behind Mia watching everything unfold. Trisah had silent tears running down her check and she could feel waves of warmth and love coming from Dennis. She wanted to run to her sister and grab her and hold her tight and never let go. But she knew what she wanted wasn’t half as important as helping her sister.
Willow eased away from Julie and Edward slowly turned his bulk around and slid onto the couch in the vacated spot. As soon as he was in place he took his free hand, reached over her head and eased her under his arm. He hoped his plan worked. He felt his breathing hitch in his throat as Julie burrowed against him. Little David protested when the rocking motion stopped and lifted his head. Realizing his Alpha was towering over him he reached up and rubbed his hand over Edwards face and giggled. A soft whispered “Edward” was heard by every shifter in the room.
Little David looked around the room and saw every eye was on him. When he started nervously trying to burrow into his Alpha’s arms Dennis called to him. Abandoning his friend he climbed into his dad’s lap and hid his face. So many new people and so much unfamiliar in his young life in a handful of days had shaken the little boy.
Edward lowered his head so his mouth rested on top of Julie’s head and began the time honored tradition of promising his mate anything and everything under the sun with the moon and a possible planet or two thrown in for good measure. He felt the tension in her young body began to ease. Keeping he under his arm, his lips against her head he angled his body to block her from the others in the room. Soon he had her cocooned. Calling to Dennis through their pack bond he asked for a blanket. He hoped if he could make her feel no one in the world could touch her she would feel even safer. He heard the whispered request from David to Mia. Soon a blanket dropped on his knee.
Julie Page 10