Changing Fates: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 3)

by Kristan Belle

  Verynai. Master Warrior Verynai was the only other person he could think of to go to about this delicate situation. Patrick was unobtainable. Kelton was, well, otherwise engaged. So, Verynai was the only person he could speak to about this. They’d always had a respectful relationship during trainee and Caleb felt comfortable talking to him. He’d been really good to Rees. Hopefully, he’d know what to do about this mess.

  Racing through the mansion, Caleb was out of breath by the time he finally found the warrior working out in the gym. He was an intimidating sight, his fists a blur as they battered the punch bag that jerked under the force of the blows that he rained down.

  “Master Warrior Verynai?” Caleb called out to get his attention.

  “Get out of here. I’m busy.” The warrior grunted as he landed a flying cross, sending the bag flying.

  Caleb wouldn’t be deterred that easily. The shit could be hitting the fan at any moment and they didn’t have time to waste.

  “No.”

  Verynai caught the swinging bag and turned slowly with a menacing glare. “What did you say to me?”

  “I said no.” Caleb stood his ground. He was nearly as built as the warrior and hoped that it wouldn’t come down to a fight, but he was ready if it did. This was important. “I need your help.”

  “Can’t it wait?”

  “No.” Caleb replied determinedly.

  Verynai sighed and grabbed a towel that was laid on a nearby bench, swiping at his forehead. It wasn’t often that anyone dared to interrupt him when he was training in his own time, knowing that when he trained he often got ‘into the zone’ and the world around him became irrelevant. Seeing Caleb waiting impatiently for him over by the door, he knew that whatever it was, it had to be important.

  “So, what’s the emergency? It better be good.” Verynai asked as he tipped back his water bottle.

  Caleb glanced around to make sure that they were on their own and no one else could over hear them.

  “Come on, Caleb. Spit it out. I haven’t got all night.”

  “I think Trey might be in trouble.”

  “Too right he’s in trouble. He’s been missing since yesterday. Do you know where he is?”

  “That’s what I’m here for.”

  Verynai narrowed his eyes. They’d had groups of warriors out on the streets looking for the kid and it seemed that Caleb might know where he was. “What kind of trouble are we talking about here?”

  Caleb ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “I don’t know. It might be nothing. I might be over-reacting. Shit!” He turned and banged his fist into the wall in frustration.

  This was when Verynai saw just how serious the situation was. The shifter obviously knew something and was concerned. “Just tell me what’s been going on and we’ll work out what we need to do.” He said in an even tone, hoping to calm the boy down. The last thing they needed was the shifter to go nuclear on them. Caleb had a reputation for having a short fuse. “Sit down and we’ll talk it through. Tell me what you know.”

  Caleb jumped back. “We haven’t got time to sit and talk it through!”

  “Well, then. Just get the hell on with it and tell me what’s going on. Where’s Trey?”

  Caleb sighed. He hated ratting his friend out, but everyone had been so concerned that he was missing and now that Caleb knew what was going on, he feared that it could be much worse than everyone imagined. “Trey has apparently been seeing my cousin, Starr. I didn’t know.”

  It was Verynai’s turn to look shocked. How the hell did that happen? They hadn’t seen or heard a thing, and that wasn’t an easy thing to keep secret. It made sense now, though, with Trey going missing every now and then. It seemed very out of character for him to pull that kind of stunt, but at least they now knew why. Love. It could ruin the best of people and turn their lives upside down.

  “How long has this been going on?” Verynai asked.

  “Since the night my pack came to the academy, as far as I can tell, anyway.”

  “Ah, right.” Verynai nodded. Now that made a little more sense. There were indeed a couple of cute girls in among the shifter pack that night, not that he had any time to notice such things. He didn’t think that any of the others had, either. Clearly, he’d been wrong and Trey had very much took notice. “And this has been going on since back then?”

  “I don’t know. I only just found out about it myself a few minutes ago.”

  “So, what’s the problem? You don’t want them seeing each other? You came running in here like your ass was on fire. What’s the emergency?”

  “I don’t really give a shit if they want to see each other, that’s none of my business. What I’m bothered about is that Trey apparently went to surprise her.”

  “Yeah? And?” Verynai was looking confused. Caleb was beating around the bush when he only needed to know the bare bone facts so they could get the warriors together and go pick his ass up.

  “He walked onto pack land. Alone. Unaccompanied and uninvited.”

  The possible severity of the situation quickly fell on Verynai like a tonne of bricks. “Oh, fuck.”

  “Exactly.”

  Verynai looked down at himself and realised that he was in no state to go anywhere, in only his work out shorts, when it was freezing cold outside. He had to think on his feet and get this moving. They had no time to waste. “Right, Caleb. Go change into some boots, grab your coat and meet me in five minutes in the reception area.”

  “We’re going to get him?”

  “Can you think of a better idea?” Verynai asked him as he jogged out of the room.

  Caleb shook his head and quickly ran off to get his change of shoes and coat. He would have run out of the mansion without a second thought, so it was a good job that the Master Warrior was thinking. It was freezing out there, and he wouldn’t have gotten very far by foot.

  Verynai threw the towel in the laundry basket by the door and sprinted up to his own room. The thirty second shower didn’t really do much to freshen him up, but he didn’t have the time to waste.

  Throwing on a pair of jeans, a plain black tee and his shit kicker boots, Verynai grabbed his leather jacket and raced back out of the room with his skin still damp from the shower.

  He paused momentarily outside Kelton’s office. He knew that the warrior was in there and that interrupting him here was a much better option than knocking on his bedroom door, but he still hesitated for a moment. The guy had more than enough on his plate, even if his stress load was a little lighter now that Kayleigh was back. But, as the head of the academy, Kelton had to know what was going on here. Verynai knocked on the door and stood back, waiting for Kelton to call out.

  “What?” a shout came from behind the closed door.

  “Kelton. I need to speak to you. It’s important.”

  “What is it?”

  Verynai shook his head in frustration. He didn’t have time to be messing around like this. Bracing himself for the look of anger that he was sure to find, Verynai pushed open the door and stepped into the office.

  “What the hell?” Kelton roared. “I’m busy in here. If I wanted you to come in, I would have told you to. What he hell, Verynai?”

  Verynai set his eyes in stone. He didn’t have time for Kelton’s shit. “Get your head out of your ass, Kelton. I know that you’ve got a lot going on at the moment, but this place still has to keep running. You’re still the head of the academy.”

  Kelton stood up abruptly, sending his chair crashing to the floor. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” He shouted, slamming his fists down on the desk.

  “You. For Christ’s sake, get your shit together. You can’t keep on like this! You’ve got her back. After all that time out on the streets searching, you’ve got her back. Now that she’s back, you’ve got to get your head together.” Verynai wouldn’t back down. He would always show Kelton the respect he deserved, as a warrior and a friend. But, sometimes, as a friend, you had to speak the truth.

/>   He and Kelton had been friends for a very long time, as well as fellow warriors in the field. He’d stood by him the whole time Kelton had fallen into his depressive funk while Kayleigh was missing from his life, but now that he had her back, Verynai felt that Kelton had to start stepping up to the mark again. He’d had enough time off and now he had to get back in the saddle and get life back to normal.

  Kelton was breathing heavily, the anger emanating from his very pores. “Are you questioning my ability to lead the Sons?” he growled.

  Verynai threw his hands up in the air. “Really? Don’t talk such crap. I’m saying that you need to snap out of it. We need you here. That’s why I’m here.”

  Kelton sat down heavily in his chair. He hadn’t meant to blow up at Verynai. He knew where he was coming from, but lately? It was all getting too much. The training, out on the field, juggling his worries about Kayleigh, the baby and the twins. It was all too much. Sometimes, he wondered if it was all worth it.

  “I’m trying, alright?”

  “Look, you’re out of the nightmare now. She’s back. You need to get on with life again.”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “And it’s not going to get any easier. And I have the feeling it’s about to get a lot worse.” When Kelton snapped his head up, Verynai put up his hands. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing to do with Kayleigh or the twins. It’s to do with Trey.”

  Kelton sat up, “Trey? What about him? Have they found him?”

  “Apparently, he’s been having a ‘thing’ with one of the young female shifters.”

  “He’s what?” Kelton raised his eyebrows and rubbed a hand over his face. “How the hell did we miss that? How did I miss that?”

  “Don’t beat yourself up over it. No one knew, not even Caleb. And if anyone should have known, it should have been him seeing as the girl in question is apparently his cousin.” Verynai perched on the edge of Kelton’s desk. “Caleb just come running to see me. Apparently, Trey went to surprise her. At her home.”

  “On pack land? What the hell was he thinking?” Kelton asked incredulously and Verynai nodded in agreement. “Shit!”

  “Exactly. We don’t know when he left, how he got there or if he did. We also don’t know how bad things are going to be when we get there so I’d rather take Caleb along for the ride, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Take Dixon as well. I’d prefer you go in with more back-up, but we don’t want to look like we’re going in mob handed.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “I should be going with you. I know Patrick well.”

  “You need to concentrate on things here. Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

  Kelton looked torn. “But as the head of the academy, I should be there. I should be the one to talk to Patrick about this.”

  “You can call him and give him the heads up. I know Patrick well enough to handle this.” After all, he had spoken to the Alpha several times with regards to training Rees since he’d come to the academy.

  “If you’re sure you’ve got this.” Kelton nodded reluctantly. He didn’t look happy about it but he had to admit that Verynai was right. He had to get his shit together and work on things here and let Verynai handle the situation with the pack. There was no way he was going to leave Kayleigh, not now he’d just got her back. It had taken a lot of talking and persuading on her part to get him back to work in the first place. “You’ll make sure to keep in constant contact?”

  “I’ll keep the lines open the entire time we’re there.” Verynai assured him. “I’ll report when we get back.”

  Kelton nodded and watched the badass warrior stride out of the room. Verynai was more than capable of dealing with this, but Kelton knew that he should have been the one going out there. He should have been doing it. There was a piece of him that never wanted to go back out into the field again, not wanting to risk missing out on watching his unborn child grow up.

  It was the first time he had ever questioned his future as a warrior. He’d worked his way up through the ranks, mainly with thanks to Bartholomew, their previous leader. He had taken Kelton under his wings and helped to shape him into the man he was today. Never did he think he would second guess his future as a leader. All he had ever wanted was to be out on the streets protecting the citizens from threat of the Mortuorum.

  Not that he could ever back away from being a warrior, for the call of the warrior mark was too strong. Never before had he wanted to cut back on his duties like he did right now. Kayleigh had been the most important thing in his life, but his role as a Master Warrior had always come a close second.

  All that changed the moment it really sunk in that she was carrying his child. He had a family to protect. That changed everything.

  And the more he thought about the twins, the more he was coming around to the fact that he wanted some kind of role in their lives, more than just as a teacher. Maybe being a father to them was too big of a stretch for the time being, but maybe in the future?

  Kelton rubbed his eyes roughly. He was tired. A lot had happened lately and his brain felt like it was turning to mush. He had no idea what he was thinking or what he was going to do next. In truth, no matter how much he liked the romantic idea of getting to know the twins and living happily ever after, he knew that would never happen. They’d lost too much time to be able to develop that deep bond, and he truly didn’t think that he and Rhian would ever see eye to eye. Now, Cala was a different matter. The twins were as different as day and night. Only time would tell if he would be able to forge a relationship with either one of them.

  But it was the thought of the baby that was making him put his future into question. Of course there were other warriors that had a wife and family, but they didn’t have the kind of responsibilities that Kelton had. He was the head of the warriors, the head of the academy and the council were still pursuing him to take the role of the leader of the Lamia Matris. It was getting too much for his shoulders to bear and he was going to have to seriously consider his future in all roles.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Everything ached. No matter how much she wanted to stay with Kelton and show that she was happy and willing to stand by his side, there was no way Kayleigh could stay on her feet a second longer.

  This pregnancy was taking its toll on her. She’d spoken to a doctor in confidence and again to Marion now that she was back at the academy, but it was still so different from her pregnancies as a human that it left her constantly worried.

  The vampire physiology within her not only helped to speed up healing, but it also accelerated the pregnancy process. It wasn’t something she’d looked in-depth to before, as there was never any need seeing as she and Kelton hadn’t planned on having children. The notion that friends and other warrior’s wives had shorter pregnancies than she was used to had puzzled her, but she didn’t probe further.

  After all, she was supposed to be Mortuorum and couldn’t ask just anyone about this. Marion explained everything to her in a simple manner, putting down her scatterbrain to the pregnancy ditz. That wasn’t it. She didn’t know what she was letting herself in for and the fact that the birth scared her to death. Even Kelton didn’t know how scared she was.

  When she asked Marion if everything was progressing normally, the doctor simply put it down to first time nerves. She didn’t know that this wasn’t her first child. She didn’t know anything. Kayleigh was concerned that by keeping this information from the medical staff that it may harm the baby, but there was no way she could say anything. If anybody knew the truth, their world would come crashing down around them.

  Matris? Mortuorum? Or human? Kayleigh didn’t know and wouldn’t until the time of the birth. She knew that all this stress wasn’t good for the baby, but it couldn’t be helped. Until that time came, they were living in limbo.

  In a way, it would have been a better idea for her to stay away from Kelton and the academy until after the birth. That way, she wouldn’t be putting Kelton and his p
osition within the warriors at risk. If this baby was anything other than Matris, he was going to have a lot of explaining to do, which wasn’t fair on him. He hadn’t asked for any of this.

  Sometimes, when she was feeling down like this, Kayleigh thought that it would have been better for everyone if the car that had run her off the road on that fateful night had finished the job. Then the Mortourum wouldn’t have scented her and started the change and she wouldn’t have attracted Kelton’s attention.

  He was the best thing to come out of that change for her, but she now feared that their secret was nearing its reveal. She didn’t want that for him. It would ruin everything he had built up in his life.

  Moving around their small suite of rooms, Kayleigh was restless. Kelton had been called away on some warrior business and as much as she wanted to be there for him, the exhaustion had overcome her and he’d sent her up to rest. That was typical Kelton, always looking out for her and doing what was best. Even now, when they were still very tentative around one another, he had her best interests at heart and wouldn’t let her over do things.

  That was what he was like. Always looking out for everyone else. That was why he was the head of the warriors and the academy, because he always had everyone’s best interests at the front of his mind. Kelton needed someone to look out for him and that was where Kayleigh came in. She was his rock and it had been a shock to see the change in him.

  It was a shock to see how much the loss of her in his life had affected him. The bags under his eyes and the frown that marred his skin were permanent fixtures on his face now and Kayleigh was hoping that she would be able to erase those signs of stress over time.

  Taking the small baby clothes out of the drawer in their bedroom, she held them up and smiled. Personally, she didn’t care what the baby was as long as it was happy, healthy and well loved. It was a poor little baby. He or she didn’t know anything yet. If they were anything but Matris, Kayleigh would deal with that when the time came. She knew she’d have to leave and the thought of losing Kelton again almost crippled her, but the baby had to come first.