Annalise turned to Diane who knew absolutely everything. She was the only one who knew everything that had transpired between her and Isaiah, though the most there was to tell was locked away inside her heart.
“So, what are we going to do?” Diane asked. “I can’t say that I would mind hanging out here for a little while with all of the eye candy,” she teased. Diane was always good at making her laugh and breaking the ice like that. She also always spoke her mind. It’s what she loved the most about her.
“I don’t know, Diane. I don't feel like it’s right to leave you here by yourself. Who knows what's going to happen? I should at least stay with you and see how it goes at this full moon. Then, I can decide if you can be here alone after that,” Annalise told her, looking around like she was lost. How did she end up back here?
“Sounds like a plan.”
Isaiah felt exhausted. It seems to be a pattern these days. Tamara was right next to him this time, though, as he tried to explain why Annalise was in their territory yet again. “Look, she is not going to be here, and I doubt she will stay. She and Diane are figuring out the best course of action. If we don't have a witch at the next two full moons, there is no way to make sure everyone is safe. I have no choice here,” Isaiah explained, feeling like he just had this conversation. He was always having the conversation.
“I can see what you mean about that,” Tamara said to his surprise. Maybe she was still operating off the almost success earlier that evening. He was grateful, nonetheless. She rubbed his arm up and down affectionately, and Isaiah let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. This wasn’t like the other conversations, and he now knew what he wanted to do. He had never been one to understand and be alright with all the traditions of the pack. One of those was that, not only did mates for the alpha not last for life, but a marriage never happened the way it would if they were humans. He had always thought it would have made sense in cases where they were actually in love. The alpha and mate should go through with getting married. He always wondered why his father and mother did not do that. Even some of the other pack members married their mates.
Isaiah turned to Tamara, ready to share his thoughts with her. “I know that we have had some problems and that we seem to be getting closer. I think I know what might help us both get further in this situation. You are welcome to say no, but I would like to marry you and make this official. You can plan a real wedding with a dress and everything. It just feels like the right way to do things, for me anyway,” Isaiah told her, keeping a calm about him. He didn't want to put any pressure on her, in case she just didn't want that.
Tamara beamed. “Do you really mean it? I would love that! I think it would make us both feel better!” Tamara reached over with her arms and squeezed him tightly, just as a knock came at the door. Isaiah had a bad feeling about the timing, but such was his luck.
Sure enough, Annalise stood there in the doorway. He knew he would have to tell her the news, regardless of what her decision was. “I am going to stay and make sure things are going smoothly. I don't think it is right to leave Diane here alone when she has not met any of you personally, before. Plus, I don't know how bad this is going to get. No worries, though, because she and I will take up residence elsewhere.”
Annalise took a step back and almost fell as the door swung wide open to reveal a strangely happy Tamara. She did not know what was going on, but she did not want to deal with her right now.
“You’re just in time to hear the good news, Annalise!” she squealed as if they had always been best friends. Something strange was going on. “Isaiah and I just got engaged.”
Annalise thought she was going to be sick. “That's not traditional, is it?” she asked slowly, not knowing how else she should react.
“Exactly why it’s the perfect decision for us,” Tamara answered, grabbing Isaiah’s arm like he was a possession. Annalise nodded, not being able to voice anything else. Then, she turned and left, trying not to run. She did not want it to look like it affected her as much as it had.
Isaiah turned to Tamara, knowing that Tamara had taken advantage of that moment. It was irrelevant though, as Annalise needed to know. The idea that she would be around to watch them happily planning a wedding saddened him, but maybe this would finally bring an end to their longings.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Tamara walked out her door with a wide smile on her face. Roman was there waiting for her as he had promised. Isaiah needed her out of the house for some secret meeting with Hector. He had told her Hector was making a big deal out of something that was probably nothing. He would talk with her about it later. For once, she believed he would. Annalise had stayed away the rest of the night and the next morning after she had spilled the beans to her. It was for the best. Tamara hoped this would usher in a new era of mating bliss for her and Isaiah. She had not told Roman yet, but Isaiah had given her permission to while she was out of the house. They were to go to their spot in the woods and have a nice evening together like old times. Then she would reveal she would soon no longer be a bachelorette.
Tamara put her arm in Roman’s as he offered, and they began to casually stroll towards the rock by the stream. That spot had seen so many heartaches and secrets for them over the years. It was finally going to be part of something great in their lives; some incredible news.
“You seem to be in a good mood tonight,” Roman said, teasing her and pinching her side playfully. It was something he had done so many times, it felt natural. Tamara felt like she was suddenly a little girl again, just playing with her three best friends who just happened to be boys who would grow up to be very powerful men.
“I am. Aren’t you?” Tamara questioned, looking to Roman. She knew he had been going through hard times, trying to process everything that had happened with Orson. She had assumed, after their talk, he had gotten some relief just as she had. It meant so much to know that she wasn't alone in her feelings.
“Tonight?” I guess I am. It’s nice to just get to be normal with you for a little while. So, what do you think this meeting is about with Hector?” he asked as the mud squished under their feet. Tamara was glad she’d worn an old pair of boots and some torn jeans that she didn't mind getting dirty. The stream would be even muddier with all the rain they were getting. It was still sprinkling on them right now.
Tamara shook her head in response as they continued to walk. “I really don't know what it is, but Hector has been so adamant about it lately. Isaiah thinks it will turn out to be nothing, and I am just going along with that,” she answered, wanting to move on from business to being more like the old Roman and Tamara. She wanted it like a time before she was the alpha's mate.
“Is that how it is with you two now? Do you just go along with everything he says?” Tamara looked at Roman and paused, not understanding his sudden outburst. It made her think back to what he had said at the execution. Was he transferring some of his anger about Orson’s betrayal onto the only brother he had left? It was certainly possible. Everyone dealt with grief in a different way.
“You don't have to be so hostile towards Isaiah. He is doing the best he can, and things are really getting better,” Tamara assured him, trying to shrug it off and move on. She had imagined chasing him around and tickling each other in the mud, not a fight about her relationship with Isaiah. She had just hardly secured a relationship with him. She didn't need anything or anyone, messing with it; even if it was someone who she considered a brother.
“Sometimes, I feel like I do. Look, I don’t mean to cause trouble or insult him. I love Isaiah, and he has turned out to be a better leader for this pack than even I expected. I have nothing against him in that regard,” Roman responded, and the walk continued as they entered the tree line. She could hear the rushing of the newly filled stream as they approached. His tone seemed calmer, and Tamara suspected she has been right about his misdirected anger. Perhaps Roman needed a little longer to heal than she did.
“That's is good
to hear,” Tamara told him as the two sat down on the rock, finding themselves fighting a puddle below it to get up. Instead of being a calming experience, watching the teaming stream in silence together, there was a tension she didn't recognize. She got the feeling it included something unsaid. Maybe it was coming from her own secret. She was just so excited she couldn't hold it back.
“Look, there is something I want to tell you. I wanted you to be the first in the pack to know,” she said, smiling to herself and her cheeks turning red. Roman turned to look at her curiously. “Isaiah and I got engaged. We have decided to have a wedding and get married for real.” Roman shifted in his spot and looked shocked, like he was about to say something. Tamara put her hands up, so she could finish, though. “We were wondering what it was that was keeping things from working. We realized that it was all this tradition we were trying to stick to, and it’s just not us. He thought it would be better for both of us if we did this the right way. I’m getting married, Roman!” Tamara was happy and reached for a hug. Roman pushed her away. The anger in his eyes was clear. She did not understand what was going on with him.
“You think the fact you aren’t getting married and saying vows is the reason for your problems?” Roman scoffed. His ears were ringing with the information he had just heard. What was his brother thinking? He had kept his mouth mostly shut until now, but someone important to him was about to make a big mistake. They both were. Neither would be happy in that union.
“Roman, I do not understand what makes you so angry about this. I thought you would be happy,” Tamara said, looking at him as if for the first time. She felt, in that moment, like she didn't know Roman at all.
“I don't see how you could have expected me to be happy. All you have had about this relationship, since it started, is complaints. A promise for a ceremony is suddenly making you forget all the things he has done to you. This is a disaster!” Roman called out, turning away from her in frustration. This news made him feel the need to rip his dark tendrils out of his skull. How did she not see what a mistake this all was? Isaiah was bad for her as anything more than just a friend. He assumed they would let the five years go by and then call it quits, both moving on to find someone that was better fit for each of them. He never expected a lifetime commitment.
“Isaiah has been better since Annalise left. He has made more of an effort and hidden less from me. We are finally getting somewhere,” Tamara explained, placing her hand cautiously on Roman's shoulder blade. She felt the tension there and realized he really was hurt by this, for some reason. He took a deep breath and finally turned around. She saw a sad shining in his eyes, she had not expected.
“Tamara, even if that were totally true, it’s still not enough to build a life and love on. He is meeting with his guard without you for some big secret, and Annalise is right under your nose again. It is only a matter of time before the tension over her begins anew. You are going to get hurt, and it’s better if you are not entirely committed when you do,” he explained, more softly now. Tamara did not know what to say to that. It was coming from somewhere out of left field, as far as she was concerned. “If I was your mate, no other priority, even the pack or duty, would be above you. You, as my mate, would be my duty, and I would make sure you felt that way every night.”
The tenderness in his words took her by surprise.
“Please, just stop selling yourself short,” Roman begged, caressing her face in a way he had never dared to before. I like Annalise, and I love my brother, but what they have done, and what they are still doing in failing to get over each other, is not alright. They should either break the rules or stick to them entirely. Instead, they have been tiptoeing the edge of the line this whole time. They are stringing the rest of the people that care for them, along, taking them for the ride!”
Tamara knew there was a little bit of truth in what Roman was saying. She had been so sure the engagement meant that all things Annalise were in the past, regardless of any work they had to do together. Before she could say anything, Roman leaned in and planted his lips on hers, trying to force a passionate kiss.
Tamara pulled away and slapped him across the cheek, knowing it left a harsh sting, with the wetness in the air.
Tamara got down from the rock and looked at Roman with confusion; and maybe a little disdain. “I can’t believe you did that. Do you know what kind of danger this puts me in with Isaiah and the pack? We will talk about this later, but I need to think.” Tamara turned on her heel and ran. The mud and water splashed up onto her jeans as she made her way back to the cabin. Isaiah would have to understand that she was there to hear whatever Hector had to say. Surely, they would both get it if she told them she had a fight with Roman.
Tamara burst through the door just as Hector came into the room. She was dripping all over the floor. “I am sorry, but Roman and I had a fight. I just couldn't stay out there,” she admitted, glancing back and forth between the two men. “Is it really something I can’t hear?” she asked, hoping she could stay. She didn't want to be alone. Even if Lacy would be with her, it was just like being alone.
“Well, I happened to overhear the two of you are getting married, so I don't guess there would be any secrets between the two of you,” Hector said, sitting down with a heavy load on his back. He was about to finally tell everything and get it off his chest. It was the one secret he just couldn't carry any longer or keep, even for a Young.
“Alright, so tell us, what was so crucial you had to meet with me in private?” Isaiah asked, noticing Hector’s new demeanor. Whatever he had to say, was heavier than Isaiah had realized.
“Isaiah, Tamara,” Hector began, knowing this bombshell was going to be worse than any before it. But at least they would know. They must want to know. “I think I know who killed your mother.”
CHAPTER FOUTREEN
Roman's hand went to his face, but it was his heart that hurt more. After everything that Tamara had been through with Isaiah, he had been sure she would hear him out.
Sure, he may have deserved the slap for his forwardness, but her first concern was what Isaiah and the pack would think. Why did that matter anymore? Neither of those things seemed to align just the way they used to. The Olympia pack had undergone a lobotomy since his older brother took over. Roman had gotten sick of making excuses for him, and he thought Tamara would feel the same. Instead, she was ready to marry the man, as if there was some forever love with him.
Roman shook his head and sat on the ground, feeling more lost than ever. His younger brother had taken on an identity that Roman could not recognize or reconcile the idea of. He was a villain, a devil, a murderer. His older brother was some bleeding heart that was trying to stray so far away from their father; he was ruining more lives than his own.
Roman sighed and closed his eyes, thinking back to their childhood. Everything had been so perfect, at least with the four of them.
Their relationship with their father may have not always been the best. He had been a brutal man and a take-no-prisoners kind of leader. He had to be, or at least, that was how he felt. Roman always knew that a man who could be loved by a woman like his mother, the most beautiful human being on the planet, was worth a little loyalty.
"Hey, I'm hungry," Tamara complained, pushing her dark red hair behind her shoulders, like it was irritating her. It was always irritating her, along with the way her father continued to dress her like some cutsie little girl. Then to make some kind of love match between her and Isaiah, ha! It had become entertainment, watching the way the two of them resisted that. Though, Roman wondered if Isaiah even realized what was going on. Isaiah clearly saw Tamara as a little sister and nothing more.
"Well, we could always bring you home and see what Mom has going for dinner," Isaiah offered Tamara, standing up. He was always the first one ready to leave the special spot for some reason. Maybe it just had to do with him being older. He didn't get it the same way the rest of them did.
"No way," Orson argued in an a
uthoritative voice as if he was the older one. He was the tallest, despite how many years were between him and Isaiah. He was a couple of years away still, of being a teenager. Others often listened to him. There was something frightening about him when it came to those younger and weaker, though, Roman had hardly seen him hurt a fly. He might curse it out, but not hurt it. "I am not ready to go home. If you want food, there are plenty of fish in that creek," Orson said. It was like he was daring her to go catch a fish with her bare hands.
Tamara looked over at Orson, and Roman could sense that she was trying to figure out his mood. Was he joking, or was he being serious? He had the worst relationship of all with their father. He never wanted to be at home, and this could easily be another chance to stay away from that place and their father. Roman was constantly trying to be the go-between, helping them build something better, but he had yet to succeed. He hated to say it, but the problem was on both sides. Roman loved his father, but he knew the man could be cold and cruel.
“You expect me to catch a fish?” Tamara asked, testing Orson with that annoyed look of hers. Tamara was the only person good at getting through to Orson. It was evident in the way he reacted to her words and actions. He often teased her, but he was never as mean to her as he was to others.
“Why not? You are a wolf, after all. Hunting a fish should be nothing,” Orson told her with a strange smirk on his face.
“Exactly, Orson! I am a wolf. I do not fish. Only sea wolves do that. I much prefer something that runs, to something that swims,” she told him with a sassy tone, making Roman laugh.
“She’s got you there, little brother,” Roman said, picking at the little flowers below him, out of habit.
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