Jessica clasped her hands together on the table, her eyes twinkled for just a second as she took a sip of her drink before locking her gaze on Caitlyn once more. Malachi had a smile he was trying to hide and I knew it was coming.“Well, aren’t your legs just like a McDonald’s,” Jessica said as she stared at Caitlyn.I choked on my drink from laughing and trying to swallow at the same time as James laid his head down on his arms and laughed. Adara nudged me in the ribs and it was the first time she’d touched me in weeks. That one touch gave me hope, even though I was laughing obscenely loudly.“What?” Caitlyn asked, frowning in her confusion. “Is that a fat joke?”James laughed louder and I couldn’t control myself anymore either. Jessica’s face remained impassive as she looked at Caitlyn. I could see Malachi was fighting the urge to laugh as well.“I can’t decide which one you’d like to jump first though,” Jessica said and Caitlyn blushed.James’s face was red and he pulled on my sleev
After lunch, Malachi drove back to Jessica’s office to drop her off at work. He parked in the parking lot and turned towards Jessica. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”“I won’t be the one in white,” she said and Malachi smiled.“I don’t care.” Jessica leaned forward and kissed him. “I love you, Jess.”“I love you too, old guy.” With that Jessica got out of the car and didn’t look back once as she crossed the street and disappeared inside her office.Malachi drove to his own office and finished up with the last of his cases before the wedding and then he’d be on honeymoon with Jessica for four weeks and he’d given Lynne off for those four weeks as well. For the first time in twenty odd years, Malachi’s office would be closed for business.“Yes,” Malachi said at the knock on his door.The door opened and Lynne walked inside. “Mr Sinclair?”“Yes, Lynne?”“I wanted to say congratulations for tomorrow,” she said and placed a wrapped box on Malachi’s desk.“Thank you, Lynne, but this really wasn’t n
It was 3 a.m. and I couldn’t sleep, I had been rolling around in my bed all night. I had left Adara and Caitlyn in the living room where they’d been talking. Adara was a little bit nicer to me with Caitlyn in the house and I wondered how long that would last once she left again.I got up and went downstairs and put the kettle on for coffee. I took my coffee to the study and put the laptop on. I opened my email and I started typing. It sounded cliché as I reread it but that was the truth.“Adara,I could say I’m sorry a thousand times and still it wouldn’t be enough to undo the hurt I caused you. To say that I regret it would probably be a good place to start, but there are some of my choices that I don’t regret. I regret lying to you and hurting you, but I truly believed at the time that I was doing the right thing for everyone.I needed to know that he wouldn’t come after you or the kids, because you are my weakness and I could put my emotions off and be able to live without you, but
“Do you want me to climb on your back?” he asked me and I nodded my head. He pulled at my fur as he struggled to climb on but he managed and I stood up. ‘Where are your parents, kid?’ I wondered to myself as I started walking slowly forward.“My name’s Aaron and I’m going to call you Rex!” he said and I shook my head.“What about Super Wolf?” he asked me and again I shook my head as we walked through the forest. I was heading towards the lagoon where I heard distant music.“Okay, how about Chief because you’re really big and you’re a hero!” he said and I thought, ‘what the hell’, so I nodded and he hugged me from behind around my neck. I walked around the cabins that were situated just beyond the Second Lake and kept walking.He was telling me about his dog, whose name was Rex, and his school, his friends and how a wolf was now his favourite animal. I kept walking and I saw the distant flashing lights, red and blue. I felt relieved that maybe they realized he was missing and they were
I parked in my spot in the hotel parking lot and looked at all the cars that had already filled it. A lot of Jessica’s guests were booking in that morning, and the reception area was bustling with people. I walked over to James as he greeted guests with a smile and directed them where to go.“Malachi said he wants to see you as soon as you arrive,” James said to me. He had a clipboard in his hands and I could see that most of the guests had already arrived. We were at full capacity that weekend.“Good morning to you too. I see we’re starting the day off right,” I said with a smile.“Oh yeah, it’s just awesome.” James grinned and I left him to carry on. Malachi wanted to see me and I wondered briefly if something had happened. Everything was done, the guests were there, the food was there, the flowers and cake had arrived, everything had gone off without a hitch.I took the elevator up to my office, feeling better than I had a week earlier. Adara had spoken to me, she’d touched me and
I headed downstairs again with plenty of time to spare and walked down the hallway towards where James and Shoran were standing by the doors that led to the conference room we were using for the ceremony.Jessica had kept it simple but beautiful. The tables stood on either side of the make-shift aisle and we had erected a small stage for the ceremony with about five steps leading up to it. Her colors were emerald green and silver. They blended together well and I could see Jessica in every choice she’d made. The whole setting suited Malachi as well and I knew they would make it forever.Shoran bowed her head at me, but her eyes were angry when I finally reached them. I hadn’t missed it and inwardly I smiled. Shoran was loyal and I would never call her out for it. Adara was her best friend.“Shoran,” I said as I nodded my head at her and James laughed.“Stop it, he’s trying,” he said to her. She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again.“No, say what you want to say,”
Malachi and Jessica walked around the corner and I was speechless. She was absolutely beautiful. “Wow Jess, you look perfect.”She rolled her eyes at me but smiled. “Dude, I know, but thanks, you don’t look so bad yourself.” I laughed and hugged Malachi tightly as he slapped me on the back. I signaled for the music to begin as I turned towards the door.Lauren took my arm as the music began and she leaned in close against me. I pushed her away by slightly lifting my elbow so she couldn’t walk that close to me. I felt Adara watching me as I walked up the steps with her and walked across the raised dais and took my position on the other side.Jessica and Malachi started walking down the aisle holding hands when Jessica suddenly stopped. “Screw it,” she said and kicked her shoes off. She left them in the aisle and saw Carl looking at them.“Hey Susan!” she said loudly as his face turned red and continued barefoot until they stood in front of Richard who was officiating the wedding. You c
Malachi and Jessica made their way to the dance floor as they danced together. I gave it two minutes and then stood up. This was where I gave my blessing by cutting in and dancing with the new bride. Malachi had done this at my wedding and it felt odd that I now had to do it at his.I tapped him on the shoulder and Jessica looked at me. “Seriously,” she said to me as I started to dance with her as Malachi watched.“Get used to it Jessica, this is wolf tradition, the Alpha always cuts in. It shows the pack that you’ve been accepted by me and that you have my blessing. Without it the pack won’t accept you, even married to Malachi,” I said to her and she looked at me, narrowing her eyes.“Don’t,” I said to her and we started laughing. “Welcome to the family, Jess, keep him on his toes.” Jessica’s smile was one of pure happiness.“Oh I intend to,” she said. “Do you want me to tie Lauren up and put her in the closet?” I huffed out a laugh.“It’s okay, I’m pretty sure she’ll stay away from
I sat down behind the desk and moved the mouse. The laptop came to life and I looked at it. I read the letter that I had written to Adara ten months earlier. Wow, I really did love her. I looked down and a huge wooden chest stood behind the desk. I wondered what was inside. I opened a drawer and there were cables and stationery, normal stuff you would find in a drawer.I tried the next one and it was locked. I looked at it and then felt beneath the desk where I sat, a few inches forward and took the key down from the magnet that was fastened there. How did I know that? I just knew there would be a key for this drawer. I unlocked it and pulled it open.It was full of A5 diaries, in numerical order, starting from 1994. I opened the first one and it was filled with my handwriting. I began to read it. It began when I was fifteen years old and it described my first teenage relationship. I skipped forward and read the last few pages. It was filled with wolf laws, training with Malachi, stor
Malachi and I finished our coffee and sat staring at each other. It felt oddly comfortable to be sitting there with him. I could tell that he loved me fiercely because his eyes and his aura, that I could see, were soft.“Let’s take a walk,” Malachi said.I went upstairs and got dressed in my own jeans, boots, and a t-shirt. I grabbed a sweater that Adara had given me the night before and pulled it over my head. I went back downstairs and Malachi stood in front of the open sliding doors.I followed him outside and across the garden right into the forest. I looked around me, this was beautiful. We walked in silence until Malachi stopped in a clearing, it felt kind of magical and I felt silly for thinking that.“This is sacred ground to us. Ten months ago you fought against twelve witches right here,” Malachi walked over to another spot and knelt down on one knee. “Right here, this is where you disappeared right in front of our eyes. Your cloak transported you somewhere and we had no ide
Adara walked back down the hallway and into the living room. There were pictures all over the walls and I stood in front of it and looked at them. I was in many of the photos and it was hard to look at them and not know when they were taken. I smiled a lot and I guessed I was happy with my previous life.“Cute kids,” I said as I looked at a canvas array of two babies.“They’re also yours,” Adara said to me and I looked at her in shock.“I have kids?” I asked her, stunned. She smiled as she walked forward.“This one is Kai, you chose his name, and this one here is Saga,” she said and I could see that she loved them very much.“How old are they?” I asked her.“One and a half, they could only crawl the last time you saw them,” she said and I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t remember them.“I think I should show you to a room and then tomorrow when Malachi comes back we can talk, I’m sure you have a hundred questions,” she said and I smiled at her. I followed her upstairs, my wife, mothe
The jet landed and I opened my eyes. I felt better although I could still sleep. Everything felt like an awkward dream where you didn’t know you were dreaming. I kicked Josh’s leg and he woke up.“What’s up man, did we crash?” he asked and I laughed at him.“I think we’re in Seward,” I said to him as I looked out of the window.Malachi, Jessica and James had walked down the stairs and two cars stood waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Malachi’s Zeta, Quentin, was loading our duffel bags into the first SUV.“These guys travel in style,” Josh said and grinned at me. We walked off the jet and got into one of the SUV’s Malachi showed us. We were driving with James. Malachi and Jessica followed behind us.“So this is Seward, where I live?” I asked James and he nodded.“All our lives we’ve lived here, went to Seward High, graduated, then we went to college,” James said and Josh laughed.“Should have known your ass was educated,” he said as he looked out of the window. Malachi’s car overtoo
I looked intently at Josh. Everything he said was true and a sudden idea occurred to me. I wasn’t going anywhere with these people alone.“Come with me then, help me figure this out. You have no pack, but you have me and I have a pack, a family, a home. I would never just leave you,” I said to him and he nodded at me.“Fine, let’s go ice-skating or shit,” he said and smiled at me.“I’ll go with you on one condition,” I said to Malachi.“Yes?” Malachi didn’t seem worried about my condition, he only wanted me to leave with them.“Josh goes with me, I’m not leaving him behind,” I said to Malachi and he nodded.“Of course. Gather whatever you want to take. Our flight back leaves in three hours,” he said.He walked towards the door holding Jessica’s hand. James turned to look at me and I could tell that he was sad. I could feel it deep within myself.“Do you feel that?” he asked me and I looked at him.“I feel your sadness,” I answered him.“That’s one of the things you can do. You can fee
“We don’t care what you selling, bargaining or want. We ain’t interested,” Josh said as he closed the door behind me and stood next to me. I had an uneasy feeling about this and I was glad that I wasn’t alone.The older man looked at me with curiosity and I wondered what he wanted from me. His gray eyes seemed to search for something in mine and I couldn’t look away. It was almost like he was trying to read my mind.“He doesn’t recognize us,” the older man said to the younger man and woman with him.“Am I supposed to know who you are?” I asked the older man.The younger man stepped forward. His eyes held sadness and he looked intently into mine. He put both of his hands on my shoulders and squeezed lightly. It all felt too surreal like I was supposed to know him.“My name’s James,” he said and then he hugged me tightly. I just stood there with my arms by my sides not knowing what to do. He let go of me after a while, sighed deeply and then looked away.“I think you might have me confu
It felt like I got tunnel vision until I could only see him, moving in the ring. I was focused and I saw the plan forming in his mind. He was going to move me until he had me on the ropes and then deliver his killer punch. I saw it happen in slow motion.“He’s going to come from the right and then the left, the punch to your jaw will be a right hook,” the voice said clearly in my head and I dropped my hands as I stood up right in shock. I couldn’t move my head as George’s fist hit me so hard I felt my jaw dislocate.I was on my back, coughing up blood and the crowd was going wild. Josh was right there by my head. “What the hell happened, why’d you drop your arms man?” He was yelling at me and the announcer bent over me.“Ten count then the fight continues, unless you tap out.” I shook my head and started to get up.I pushed my jawbone back into place and I felt it start to heal. I looked up at the Council members sitting there and somehow I knew that the older man was speaking to me i
I stood in that back room and wondered about the Council member’s presence. Everything that Josh had told me about them was terrible. They were rich old men using the system to their advantage, getting rid of packs that irritated them and executing people as they saw fit.He wanted nothing to do with them and neither did I. I had enough things on my plate to worry about their presence. Josh and I weren’t interested in becoming Council Zetas, no matter what they offered us.I shook my head and I took my shirt and shoes off. I had to get my head in the game. Tonight’s fight would probably be the hardest one by the look of my opponent. He was ready for me. I closed my eyes and centered my energy.I saw the fight play off in my head, in slow motion, punch for punch, kick for kick. This guy was a street brawler, I decided. His punches would hurt and he could get a knockout on the jawline.He wasn’t fast but he was strong and usually won his fight after a few punches, where he would then sn
Malachi walked down the hall, hoping that John wasn’t sending him another tribunal email. He was tired and he wanted to spend time at home. The kids were changing so much and every time he came back from a trip it felt like he’d missed something new they were doing.Adara was doing her best and she really was a terrific mother. Those two kids wanted for nothing. She read bedtime stories to them, told them stories about Kiran, they were healthy and well looked after.He could hear them all laughing in the sitting room as he closed the door to his study and switched the laptop on. He waited for it to switch on and then accessed his Council encrypted email and typed in his password.The email was from John with a video attached.“Malachi,I hope you’re sitting down while reading this. I received this video from a California Alpha, he always sends me these when new talent steps onto the scene for consideration as Council Zetas.Good luck,John”.Malachi frowned at first. They didn’t need