Cali
Tristan seemed to be avoiding me as much as I was avoiding him over the next couple of days. Something that I was equally thankful and distraught over.
I needed the mental space that came along with the physical distance, I needed time to come to terms with the failure of my mating and what I was prepared to do now. There had been whole minutes over the last couple of days when I wished that we were all human, with their silly marriage traditions where they could marry and divorce as often as they liked. There was no way to undo a bond, no divorce for shifters. No, a mating was for life, until death do us part in the most literal sense of the statement.
So, our options were limited. We could continue to try and make things work, although I wasn’t sure how well I would be able to cope with that. I had been under the impression that everything was fine, that we were fine and yet seemingly the whole time Tristan had felt that
TristanWatching her walk away from the car after saying everything was fine and something snapped inside me. For five days I had been living in a different kind of hell. One of my own making.I fucked up, royally.It seemed that even an Alpha had a mental breaking point and I had found mine. The battle with the northerners had been terrifying, not because I was scared of war, unfortunately it was a hazard of the job and one I had become accustomed to over the years, but because the entire ride back to Blackrock I had known that Cali was there facing them alone. The woman was stubborn and hard-headed and determined to prove something she had no need to.I knew her strength, I saw it every day that she climbed out of bed knowing that the day ahead was likely to be more difficult than the last. She was fierce and loyal, brave, and beautiful. There weren’t many women on this earth that would run towards dang
CaliThe doctor took more samples of blood before leaving to rerun the tests. The educated part of my brain knew that it was pointless, that the tests had been right in the first place and that the results would be exactly the same this time round, but the emotional part of me just wasn’t willing to accept that.Shifter pregnancies were a little more difficult on the mums than normal human pregnancies, I mean we’re not aliens or anything, things still progress at the same rate and full term is 40 weeks, but growing a shifter is a little harder than growing human. They zap more energy. So, being pregnant would certainly explain a lot.The last couple of days had been hell, I was constantly tired, and the lack of appetite and sickness was just about killing me, although I had put it all down to the emotional upheaval of everything else that had happened, pregnancy would also be a viable cause. It would also help to explain w
TristanWell fuck! I mean I knew I had screwed up, but I had thought giving her time and space would help, never did I imagine that she was thinking the absolute worst through the week. I also found myself a little hurt that she even considered it a possibility that I would have her killed in order to get out of our bond, but I couldn’t exactly blame her.Not when I had been so consumed with everything going on outside of the pack house that I had barely given her any attention.I backed away from the bed and dropped into the visitor’s chair as I really thought about our relationship. For the first time I looked at it from a distance and ignored anything else in my life.Maybe she was right to be feeling the way she did and thinking the worst. I had barely made time for her at all in the months we had been together, I had expected, apparently wrongly so, that she would come to me if she needed anything, but I had ne
FreyaTristan was hovering.We had been home for less than an hour and he hadn’t left my side once. He had ignored his ringing phone, and kept asking questions that I really wasn’t used to, did I need anything, was I tired, hungry, in pain? I get that he was trying, but it was a little bit annoying, I just needed time to think, to try and wrap my head around all of this.“Tristan, honestly, I’m fine. Romans called you four times, call him back. I expect its important.”“He can wait.”“I appreciate that you are trying here, but don’t let the pack suffer at my expense, please.” I stated from my seat on the sofa in the small sitting room in the east block. “I’m just going to relax and read for a while.” I stated, indicating the book on the side table that I was halfway through.“If you’re sure?” He asked s
CaliTristan kept his word and was back less than two hours later with bags of Chinese food that he spread out on the table in the living room and plates and cutlery that he set down beside it. His expression however was not a happy one and I twisted on the sofa, placing my book back on the end table.“What’s wrong?”“Huh, oh nothing. Nothing that can’t wait. Do you want to pick a movie while I go grab us some drinks?” He queried but still his expression betrayed his words and I stopped him with a hand on his arm.“Tristan?”“Honestly Cali, it’s nothing that can’t wait. Besides, right now you need to focus on you, the pack will look after itself, Roman and Damian can pick up some of the slack. More than anything right now I need to know that we are okay. I need us to be okay. Please. Pick a movie I’ll be right back.” He stated
CaliI let out the breath I was holding as Tristan’s words sank in. He was right in a way, we were both to blame for the fact that our relationship hadn’t exactly gone too well. Neither one of us had come in to this open minded, not completely, we both ended up with something we didn’t want or didn’t expect. But the goddess had it right, I was sure of that. There match wasn’t the problem, we were.“Yes.” I nodded into the still room. I could just about make out Tristan’s smile in the glow from the moon through the window and felt myself relaxing for the first time in weeks. We would do better this time. I was sure of it. Besides it wasn’t just us anymore.“So a cub huh?” He asked, the smile still in place and I bit my lip.“I’m sorry, we never even talked about children.” I uttered realising the truth of that statement. I had no
Cali“So, what’s the plan for today?” Amber asked from the other side of the table in the dinning room, her eyes flitting between Tristan, Roman and I.“I need to get Cali caught up on what’s been going on this morning. You mentioned that you had started looking at plans for Christmas?” He queried looking to me and I nodded with my mouth full of eggs.Food had never seemed to taste so good. The med the doc gave me for sickness were like a miracle cure, honestly within ten minutes of taking one the queasiness had vanished, and I felt ravenous.“It might be time we all start putting a little effort into it. It will be nice to plan something we can look forward to, besides we need to try and get a little normality back around here.” He continued before sipping from his coffee.It was nice eating breakfast together. Damian had apparently been up until the early
CaliTristan and I spent the better part of the morning going through pack business and catching up on everything that had gone on. Most of the worry in relation to the northern pack was resolved, baring the fact that not the whole pack had been in attendance. The beta, around twenty wolves, all of the she-wolves and children had stayed back with the pack.The guys couldn’t determine if they were still a threat or not, considering the whole war was based on the Alpha’s vendetta, Tristan had no idea if the Beta would continue on with the threats and attacks or if he would give it up and none of the men that were captured knew much about the beta other than that he too carried out the alphas bidding.So, for now at least the pack was treading with caution but we were optimistic that we had seen the end of the threat. Now we just had to figure out what to do with all of the captives and the leaders we had in custody.Tristan also
The pack house was blissfully quiet the next morning, something I was surprised to find, even as I walked down from the bedroom and through the halls, there was no one in sight and no noise, it was actually a little eerie.Roman had explained the night before that the warriors had located Liberty pack and they were planning an attack on their camp so I had no doubt that Roman Tristan and the other relevant people were ensconced away in the war room making plans, but I would have expected, at the very least to run into some of the pack house staff.Cali was sat alone in the sitting room with a trolly full of breakfast foods, her head bend as se read through what had to be the oldest book I had ever seen.“Morning.” I whispered, not wanting to disturb her but Cali closed the book and placed it in her lap before looking around the room and fixating on the trolley of food as though surprised to see it there.“Morning. What time is it?”“A little after nine. I slept in.” I muttered feeling
TristanJackson wasn’t joking when he called it a camp. From the looks of it most of the shifters were sleeping outside under the nights sky. Most of the year that wouldn’t be an issue, especially if you shifted into wolf form to stay warm, but there was still snow on the ground in parts of the woodlands, and the bits that weren’t covered in snow were frozen solid, it was freezing out there.I scanned the picture on the screen, taking in the tarpaulin hanging haphazardly to create barriers from the wind, rain and snow, the single tent like structure and the dozens of shifters, and a sadistic glee filled me, it was animalistic and most definitely came from the wolf in me but it wasn’t an emotion I would fight.These monsters had attacked my home, my pack, put the alliance under the treat of war, injured and killed. Kidnapped and tortured and soon they would receive a taste of their own medicine.“Roman, go through the pictures and videos see if you can put together a map of their camp.
RomanThe sense of relief was astounding, even Smoke was calm inside my head for once, laying with Amber wrapped in my arms, our cub growing safely inside her, for the first time I felt like I was home. I guess it’s true what they say, you don’t know what you have until its gone. The risk of loosing Amber over this made me realise just how much I needed my mate, and only part of that feeling was due to the bond we had created.For the most part it was all her, her smile, her gentle approach, she tempered me in a way I didn’t know was possible, even Smoke was generally calmer when she was around.Her fingers traced the ridges on my chest and stomach, the now familiar tingles leaving bump on my skin.“You okay?” I asked, loathe to break the comfortable silence, but we couldn’t ignore this, a baby wasn’t just going to disappear. The no of her head against my chest wasn’t the most reassuring answer he could have given. “Amber, baby. I need you to talk to me.”“It hurt. Knowing that this t
CaliTristan genuinely looked like he was at his wits end, not that I could blame him, yet again he was shouldering a hell of a burden and there didn’t seem to be a reprieve around the corner. I watched as he sat back in his office chair, scrubbing his face with his hands as he took deep breaths, trying to control the overwhelming emotions running through him, frustration, anger, disappointment, disbelief, not one of them were positive and left me feeling overwhelmed and I only felt the echo of his emotions.Anger seemed to tip the scales a little as he dialled the phone and placed the call on loudspeaker on his desk waiting for the other person to pick up. He tapped a finger on the desk, and I bit my lip, I had a feeling that Lotus pack were about to be on the receiving end of all of Tristan’s pent up frustrations.“Leroux.” A young voice answered and my eyes flicked up to Tristan in surprise. Alpha Paxon was far from young, his son Abel was set to take over any day, but word was tha
AmberWhen I suggested to Cali that we take Amie out of the boot room, I was just trying to be the bigger person, and if I’m honest I was feeling a little guilty, the girl couldn’t be much older than 18 if at all, and she was on the receiving end of a hell of a lot of hate, even if she hadn’t witnessed it, I didn’t want to be one more person in her life that hated her, when truth be told, Cora was right, that cold have just as easily been me.But the story she told actually broke my heart. No one should have to live in that kind of a household, no one should be belittled by the people that are genetically engineered to love you. I couldn’t help but rub my hand over the rounding belly that contained the bundle of life I already loved so much.I couldn’t even imagine.“Amber?” The question startled me, I had actually forgotten that Roman was here, I also hadn’t noticed that everyone else had abandoned me. I guess it was for the best. No one wanted to be a part of this kind of conversati
Cali‘Well that escalated quickly.’ Thalia’s thought in my head was pure amusement as she practically drooled over how protective and strong our mate was. Damn baby hormones. We were in the middle of a nightmare situation and all I could think about was how much I wanted my mate.Tristan growled at the older man before issuing a threat of his own, his tone pitched low enough that bumps rose on my arms, if the man wasn’t wetting himself he was an idiot, I more than anyone, knew just how soft and loving Tristan could be, but in Jacks shoes, I’m not entirely sure I would still be conscious.“You have some nerve, coming into my home, throwing around your accusations, threatening my beta, demanding things like you have a right and now you have the balls to throw a vase at my mate, my Luna. The only reason you’re still breathing is because of that young girl over there. The very girl you were ready to abandon, the girl you call a whore, just saved your life.”I felt the tell-tale signs of t
RomanJack Elisse’s voice carried when he was mad, I didn’t even have to force my hearing to listen in on their conversation, standing in the hallway, with the door closed, I could hear him as crystal clear as if he was stood beside me, and every one of his words sliced through my patience like a knife through butter. I could practically feel Tristan’s displeasure from here, and I had no doubt that after this performance I was shortly going to be on the wrong end of another one of the Alpha’s rants.The fact that I had to step out of the room at all was just icing on an already fucked up cake.“Look at you, standing there like you think I’m in the wrong. They always said that Alpha Leroux was fair, tough but fair and yet you’re taking that bastards side without blinking. You have to know that he’s in the wrong here, behind that blank mask of yours, you cannot be this blind.” I winced at the older man’s words, knowing just how pissed off Tristan was right now, there was no way that wou
AmberIt literally felt like my heart had been torn from my chest. The only man I had ever loved, had a child with someone else.“Romans talking with Tristan, he was up here with you for a while but Tris is pissed.” Cali informed from her seat beside me on the bed, although I could barely focus on her words, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to.“I don’t want to see him.” I muttered and Cali shook her head.“Don’t talk like that, you’ll work through it.”“I don’t care, right now Cali, I do not want to see him. How could he do this to me?” I asked as the tears fell from my eyes and my hands went to my stomach. The child he had been so worried about, scared to raise, wasn’t even his first.“There’s still a chance the baby isn’t his.”“I don’t believe that, and neither do you. We both saw his face Cali. The baby is his.”“So, what are you going to do?” The question was asked tentatively but that was the question of the hour, what was I going to do?“I don’t know, but I can’t, right now I just c
RomanOf all the fucking things, and all the fucking timing.I grit my teeth as I stroked the hair back off Amber’s face. My pregnant mate had literally passed out from the news that I had apparently fathered another she-wolfs cub. The doc was on his way over, while I had managed to catch Amber before she hit the ground, I wasn’t willing to take any chances with my mate or my cub.Now I just had to figure out what I was going to do about the girl and the baby.I recognised her, of course I did. She was a member of Lotus pack, a she-wolf I had met over a year ago while Damian and I were on assignment there.Was there a possibility the baby was mine? Unfortunately, yes. I was always careful, I always had been, with everyone but Amber, although that didn’t really mean a lot, shit still happened. But I hadn’t been her first, and I doubt I was her last, so was there a possibility that the cub belonged to someone else? Sure. And fuck was I hoping that was the case.A knock on the door had m