by Anna G Berry
“I did, thank you for asking. Let’s get that body of yours clean so you can tell me some of what’s on that mind of yours.” Carson said as he reached for the bath sponge and my body wash.
He put a bit of body wash on my bath sponge and rubbed it to get it all soapy. He grabbed my left arm and began to wash it, then he moved to the right and then to my chest. I turned around and he began to wash my back and butt, too. He moved down and washed my legs and stomach area. When he was done he washed the sponge off and rinsed all the soap out. He placed it back on the hook and grabbed the shampoo; he put some in his hands and rubbed them together and began to wash my hair. I loved it when he washed my hair, he massaged my head whenever he did it.
When he got done washing me, I rinsed everything out and off. I moved to the side to let Carson get under the water, so I washed him like he did me. Once he was covered in water, I grabbed his sponge, put some of his body wash on it and began to wash his body for him. When his body was nice and soapy, I grabbed his shampoo and began to wash his hair as well. He let the water rinse everything off, just as I had then he turned the water off and opened the door.
He grabbed a towel that was set out, wrapped his lower body in it and walked into the room. I let out a sigh and grabbed a towel for my hair and wrapped it up on my head and then grabbed another towel for my body. I made my way to the sink and brushed my teeth. When I was through, I fixed my hair. I bent my head down to let the towel fall, then flipped my head up and brushed my hair. I decided to dutch braid my hair, I halved my hair and began to braid it tightly. When I was done with my hair, I walked into the room and headed toward the dresser. I grabbed a green lace bra and green lace cheeky panties to match. I walked over to the closet, grabbed a pair of my favorite black skinny jeans, my favorite blue flower shirt, and my black thigh high boots and a black leather jacket.
I walked out of the closet to find Carson fully dressed, looking delicious and ready to kick ass. He had on black ripped jeans which were his favorite, a gray fitted shirt and black chucks to match. I shook my head and was ready to tackle all of the questions and try to figure everything out. I needed answers as to what was going on and I needed to know if June remembered anything about that day.
Chapter Three
Claudia
Carson and I walked out of our room and into the hallway. I wanted Paul, June, Lavender, Harper and Carson to join me in the meeting room downstairs. I mind linked all of them.
Meeting room, now. Just you. No mates.
We all made our way into the room. I sat with Carson to my left and Paul on my right. Harper sat beside Carson, June sat next to Paul and Lavender sat next to June. I let everyone settle before I began speaking.
“Thank you all for coming. I have a few questions for all of you and am hoping we can get it done quickly.” I said to everyone looking around.
Everyone nodded but didn’t say anything. I looked around before I began again.
“I’m going to start with Carson and Harper. I keep having dreams of when I was little and you both are in them. Did I know you guys before we met at the restaurant?” I asked, as I looked at them.
They looked at one another before Carson spoke, “Yes, you and Paul would come over all the time and our parents would invite each other to gatherings.”
“How come I don’t remember either of you?” I asked a bit confused.
“That has to do with my mom. She put a block on your memories. They were going to return in time, as soon as you met Carson, but he wanted me to speed up the process. That’s why you are getting all of your memories back.” Lavender said looking right at me and then at the guys.
“Mom thought it was better that way. I’m not sure why, but dad didn’t question it. I did, but she kept saying that she wanted to make you a better Alpha. I don’t think that was the whole truth.” Paul said placing his hand on top of mine.
“Why am I getting flashbacks of Waylon and all the bullshit that he did to mom and dad? I just remember him being a great uncle.” I said, as I looked around.
“That’s part of the unblocking that I’m doing. Your parents only wanted you to see the good that he was doing and not the bad.” Lavender said.
“Believe me, Waylon is a monster and needs to be put down. I’ve told mom and dad this before, but they said that he was needed and not to touch him. Well, now they’re gone and it’s your call.” Paul said with a bit of venom in his voice.
“One thing for sure is that we will be putting him down. He’s done enough for me to make that call. We just need to get everything together and I need to get all of my memories back.” I told everyone.
They all nodded. I looked around the room at everyone. Waylon had wronged everyone in this room, at least once.
“We need to know what else is wrong, Claudia. I can see something else is bothering you.” Harper said.
I took a deep breath before I begin to tell them the nightmare I had, “There are several things, but one is that I had a nightmare a few nights ago. I was in a room and the room was covered in blood. Carson was laying in the middle of the floor covered in blood, he wasn’t breathing and he had a huge open wound on his stomach, and he had no heartbeat. I was so scared, and I don’t know what that could mean.” I told them.
“Wait, I had the same dream, but it was you laying on the floor covered in blood. It scared the hell out of me.” Carson said as he grabbed my hand and began to rub it.
“That can only mean one thing, Waylon must have a witch or a voodoo priest who is showing you your worst fears. Let me do some digging and see who might be working with him. I’ll get back to you and let you know what I find.” Lavender told us.
We gave her a nod and hoped that she figured it out fast, so the dream wouldn’t happen again.
“If it happens again let me know and I can trace it right after it happens. If you wait too long the trace fades and I won’t be able to see who did it.” She said quickly.
“I sure will. How long after should I tell you? If I wake up out of it can I find you then or should I wait till the morning?” I asked before I forgot what I was going to say.
“You should wake me up and tell me, in fact it’s better if you do. I’ll be able to find them quicker and easier because it will be fresh.” She said as she looked at both Carson and me.
“Thank you, I will definitely do that. We owe you big time for doing all of this.” Carson said to her.
“It’s what family does. You are quite welcome.” She said with a smile.
Chapter Four
Claudia
I turned my attention to June and to the reason she was here. I didn’t want to make her feel like I had called her here for no reason.
“June, I have to ask you something.” I told her.
“Okay, go ahead.” She said a bit confused, which I couldn’t blame her.
“Do you remember when you were about nine…you were out in the meadow with Waylon and he tried to force himself on you?” I asked her as gently as I possibly could.
“A bit. I remember him bringing me out there, speaking very sweetly to me. Then I remember him ripping my clothes and trying to rape me. I also remember you stumbling upon the situation and you went crazy, you fought him off and he ran away from us. You brought me back to house and that’s the last thing I remember.” She said.
“Do you know why he brought you out there?” Paul asked before anyone else could.
“Yes, he said that he wanted to have every female wolf for himself and that if he could have figured out a way to make that happen, that he would have. He was hoping that he could find a way to convince Claudia to give herself over to him willingly. But I was nine, so I really didn’t know what he meant. He also said that the law could be changed. I still have no idea what he meant by that. He was always crazy, so I thought he was just talking out of his butt.” She told us looking around the room.
“Well he was crazy and still is for that matter. What law was he talking about?” I asked looki
ng from Paul to Carson to Harper and back at Paul.
“I don’t know, but Harper and I will find out for you, don’t you worry.” Paul said giving me a smile.
“We also need to find out what his next move will be and fast before he sends any more unexpected and unwanted visitors our way.” Harper said more so to Paul then to anyone else.
Paul gave a nod and turned his attention back to me. What I still didn’t understand was why he took June, of all the girls at that time.
“Everyone is to meet me downstairs and grab anyone else that is absent right now. Lavender, go see what you can find on Waylon using witchcraft or voodoo.” I told them before I got up to leave.
“Lavender I wanted to tell you that I’m pregnant. I didn’t want you to hear it from anyone else. You’re my best friend you should hear it from me.” I told her through our mind link.
She gave me a smile and a hug before she left.
Chapter Five
Claudia
I made my way down the stairs and found everyone waiting for me in the living room. There were a few sitting on the sofas, chairs and still there were others standing. I gave them a smile, and everyone returned the gesture.
“I called everyone because Carson and I have some exciting news to share. We are expecting a baby and we want you all to protect this baby like it’s your own.” I told them.
I could tell everyone was a bit shocked by the news, so I waited a minute before I said any more.
“Also, there are a few things that have come to our attention about Waylon and what his intentions are, so as of right now no female is to leave this house without a male escort. No matter what. Is that clear?” I said nice and loud.
The girls looked around a bit confused before each one said “Yes, Alpha.”
“Females that have mates will not leave their mates’ side. The ones without mates will ask for a male to accompany them whenever outside these walls. No one will have a problem with that, is that clear?” I said again.
Once again, the girls responded one by one, “Yes, Alpha.”
I looked around the room to see that everyone had become very aware of the seriousness of what I was saying. I couldn’t be any more serious than I was right now about the girls. I didn’t want any of them hurt or missing because Waylon was crazy and stupid.
I made my way to the kitchen to get something to eat and some iced tea since I couldn’t have coffee. I fixed myself some eggs over easy, bacon, waffles, toast, and oatmeal. As I was cooking, Nikko walked up to me. I looked up and gave him a sweet smile.
“Can I ask you something?” He said
“Sure, what is it?” I said around a mouth full of toast.
“Is June going to be okay? She seemed a bit off after your meeting a few minutes ago.” He said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“Give her some time, let her tell you when she’s ready. It’s not my place to tell you.” I said, giving him a small smile before putting another bit of toast in my mouth.
“Okay, it’s just that I can feel her worry and sadness through our mate bond,” he told me through his own sadness.
“The mate bond is a very powerful thing, believe me, she can feel how worried you are about her on her side. But let her know that you will be there for her no matter what.” I told him as he rubbed his arm.
He gave me a warm smile and turned to make his way to June’s side. I grabbed my plate of food and sat down at one of the tables to eat.
I was almost done with my waffles when Mikayla came to me and asked “Where’s Harper? Is he okay? He seems stressed out.”
“He is doing some research on something that came up. He and Paul will be busy for a bit. That’s why you are feeling the stress from him, doing research on this particular topic will do that to person. He’ll be okay though, I promise.” I told her as I shoved the last waffle in my mouth.
“Okay, thank you. He walked away so quickly, in the middle of you telling everyone that females can’t go out anywhere without a male escort.” She said while looking at her feet.
“Is there something else that’s bothering you?” I asked
“I just wanted to go get ice cream later after dinner and he ran away before I could even ask.” She said while looking up at me.
“If he still is busy by the time you want to go, let me know and I’ll make him stop and go with you.” I told her with a smile.
“Okay, thank you!” she said as she gave me a hug.
I let out a giggle and shook my head as she walked toward June, Lorren, and Bleu. I knew that I’d have to go grab him when ice cream time came. I saw Abby walking towards me with a big smile on her face.
“Hey, do you know where your brother went off to?” she asked me as she got closer.
“Yeah, I sent him and Harper to do some research on something that came up. I’m not sure how long it’ll take him, but it shouldn’t take more than three to four hours. He may be stressed out because they are looking for information on a very sensitive topic. It’s not something that they can find easily or just look in just any book for.” I told her.
“Ah, okay that explains it. Okay, you know I’ll be here for you with this baby and anything else that you may need. I have always considered you my little sister.” She said with a smile.
“Thank you, I said. I will need you from time to time. You will always be my big sister.” I said smiling back at her.
Abby walked over to Marisol and Marco. She had always been there for me through everything, alongside Lavender. I loved them both so much for that.
I made my way to the kitchen sink to wash my plate and fork. I was almost done when I noticed Max coming towards me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath; all these people were making me need some fresh air.
“Hey, where’s Lavender?” Max asked me as he looked around.
“She’s looking into something that came up. I had a weird nightmare a few nights ago and she’s looking into that for me.” I replied.
“Okay, that explains why she’s not answering me through mind link.” He said.
“She usually cuts everyone out when she is trying to do things like this.” I told him.
“I’ll give her time to contact me, then.” He told me as he turned around to leave.
Both Sam and Ashton walked up to me, “Congratulations on the baby, that is amazing for both of you!” They exclaimed at the same time.
“Thank you, guys. We really need everyone to be here for us, now more than ever.” I said, giving them a smile.
“You have me at your disposal.” Sam said as he gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“I will fight for that baby like it’s my own.” Ashton said with a wink.
I smiled at them both; they had always been there for me whenever I’ve needed them.
I took a deep breath and waited for a few minutes before I made my way outside, onto the deck and down into the back yard. I could sense Carson right on my heels. I kept walking till we were both out in the heart of the woods.
“Why are you following me?” I asked him before I could stop myself.
“So, you’re going to tell every female that they can’t go outside without a male escort, but you’re going to walk outside and go straight into the woods by yourself?” He asked as he tried to control himself.
“I needed air, I’m sorry.” I said, looking down not wanting to fight with him.
“It’s okay, just next time tell me, and I’ll go with you.” He walked up to me and kissed my forehead.
“Okay, deal. I just started walking blindly into the woods, I know… pretty stupid of me.” I said looking up at him.
“Where were you going when you realized that you were in the woods?” he asked looking around.
“More than likely the meadow or my spot on the hill.” I said into his chest.
“Where is your spot? May I see it?” he asked as he wrapped me tightly in his embrace.
“Yep, follow me.” I said looking up at him.
H
e let me go. I took a step back and turned around, walking toward my spot on the hill side. We walked for about ten minutes or so until we reached the spot. I walked out of the tree line, onto the rocky ledge and sat down as I waited for a few minutes, after which I turned around and found him gazing out in complete awe at the view. I let out a laugh and shook my head.
“Are you going to come sit by me or what?” I asked him.
“What? Oh, yes sorry.” He said shaking his head and walking towards me.
He came and sat by my side his eyes glued to the vista before us. We sat on the hillside for a while, until the sun began to drop a bit. I closed my eyes and soaked it all in.
“This is a beautiful spot; I see why you picked it out. What I don’t get is why?” Carson asked after several moments of silence.
“It’s where I went after my mom and dad died. I would sometimes spend days here just looking out at the water or watching the sun set and moon rise.” I told him with my eyes still closed.
“I’m glad that you showed me your spot. It means more to me than you know.” He said as he gave me a kiss on my forehead.
I couldn’t help but give him a smile, he would have found me here anyway. I thought, why not show him now and have a moment together. We needed these moments now more than ever. I just hoped we could keep on doing things like this after the baby was born.
Chapter Six
Carson
I felt so grateful that Claudia showed me the special spot she retreated to whenever she needed to get away from everything. I didn’t know why, but this woman had my mind all fucked up, and still, I couldn’t get enough of it. We sat there for a few hours just watching the water as the sun got higher in the sky. I couldn’t help but think that the reason Claudia would come out here was to escape all the things that could swallow an Alpha whole if they were not careful.