CHAPTER 5 - New Life and Love

SKYLER'S POV

 

I hear someone say something softly to me but I can't make out what is said over the pain running through me. I think he just re-broke the ribs Alice had just finished healing. I then feel two arms wrap around me and lift. I feel like I'm floating. I know that they are not the Alpha's as they are not cold like his have been since I was 7. These arms are warm and then I am surrounded by this divine scent of chocolate and rain. That is when I realize that I am being carried in a pair of strong arms belonging to someone that I don't know. I feel sparks everywhere his arms touch my body even through the thin layer of clothes I was wearing, but now instead of feeling scared, I relax as I feel comfortable and safe like nothing can touch or hurt me. I snuggle closer to the warmth, inhale deep, and fall back into darkness.

 

I jolt up with the sun in my eyes, looking at the time to see that it is 11 am and panic. I go to jump out of bed but get caught up in the sheets. I then hear laughing coming from the door.

 

"What's so funny?" I question before I can stop myself and look up at the unknown man in the door frame. His divine smell of chocolate and rain entered the room, and he had a powerful aurora coming off of him. He was an Alpha. Oh no! I thought, once I was able to get myself untangled from the sheets, I got to my feet. I backed up to the wall slowly and lowered my head and eyes as a show of submission to him. Whispering "Sorry Sir! It won't happen again."

 

"MATE! MATE!" 

 

Alice was screaming in my head, but I didn't believe her. Nothing good has ever happened to me since that day mum died.

 

"No! Alice! He can't be. He's an Alpha."

 

My Alpha, My Dad must have finally caved and sold me to that visiting Alpha after i made such a fool of him at lunch. I just hope I don't disappoint him like I did my dad. I shake a little in fear as I hear him slowly walk up to me and feel him put his fingers just under my chin. I flinch a little, expecting him as my new Alpha to slap me for speaking without permission, being in a room that is obviously not mine, for sleeping in and not doing my chores. I hoped he didn't notice my flinch or my fear, but he does. I feel the sparks again as he slowly put pressure on his fingers to make me look up at him. He had gorgeous sapphire blue eyes that I could get lost in all day.

 

"You never have to hide your face or anything from me, sweetheart. I would and will never hurt you. Now would you like some lunch?" he dropped his hand from my chin with a smile, then started to walk to the door.

 

I nodded silently, blushing, as this surprised me and I couldn't seem to form any sort of reply. I followed him quietly to the kitchen, where we came across another male. Again, I lowered my head out of respect and stand by the wall next to the door.

 

"Hey, Max!? What's for lunch?" The Alpha asks,

 

"Sandwiches!" Max smiles and continues. "So, Cole, who is this lovely lady?"

 

So the Alpha's name is Cole, and the other guy is Max. I smile to myself.

 

"Max, this is Skyler, my mate, and Skyler, this is our Beta Max Fight," Cole states with a big grin, as he holds his hand out to me. "Come sit at the counter. Max makes the best sandwiches ever."

 

"Gee thanks, man," Max says, blushing

 

I hesitantly take his hand and he leads me over to the counter. I sit quietly as he then goes back to the other side of the counter. I just listen and giggle as the two males banter back and forth while Max is making lunch. The next thing I know, another male walks into the kitchen. I smell another wonderful smell of mint and sage and hear a low growl coming from the door.

 

"MATE!"

 

"MATE!" Alice says again.

 

My giggles die and my head snaps towards the door. I can't help the fear that passes through me as I look wide-eyed at the male that is standing just in the doorway. He looks stiff as if he is fighting himself to stay in the doorway. I see his eyes flash as he loses the battle and slowly walks over to me. He then moves behind me, leans down, and wraps his big arms around my waist while breathing in my scent.

 

I freeze, flinch, tense, and whimper all at the same time. Not knowing what to expect from this male, he didn't seem to notice as Cole did in the bedroom. As I take a breath and smell his intoxicating scent of mint and sage, I relax a little, allowing me to feel tingles spread out from where his arms touch my skin; they are just as nice as the sparks I get from Cole touching me, but I don't know him so this still doesn't stop me from being terrified of him, as he could do anything to me and I couldn't stop him, I then wonder as I flick my eyes to Alpha Cole if he would do anything to stop him if he did try anything.

 

Cole must have heard my whimper as turns his attention from Max, looks over to me, and then eyes the new male growling.

 

"Elijah? What are you doing with your arms around my mate?"

 

The male holding me lifts his head from my neck and growls in reply, "She is my MATE!"

 

He then tightens his arms around me. I whimper again as he hits and starts to put too much pressure on my still healing ribs. The fractured ones are now nearly fully healed thanks to Alice. I just hope he doesn't cause them to break again or make the ones still broken worse.

 

When the male with his arms wrapped around me finally noticed my soft whimpering, he loosens his hold on me, allowing me to breathe and move just a little, but he doesn't let me go completely. As they continue to growl at each other, I turn inward to Alice,

 

"Alice? How is this possible? We have two mates?"

"I'm not sure, but they are both our mates and I have a restless feeling that there is still more to come."

"What do you mean? Alice? What more to come?"

 

After her comment, she doesn't answer me again as she disappears to the back of my mind. I then tune back into what is happening in the kitchen around me. Elijah, I worked out, still has his arms firmly around my waist, while Cole and he kept exchanging growls. This was starting to really scare me as to what they would both do to me or to each other.

 

Their growls were getting louder and louder and more and more threatening towards each other. I try to get to my feet from off the stool, but I don't get to move too far as Elijah tightens his hold around me again, stopping me from moving. Now I really start to panic and begin to struggle, needing to get out of his arms. I whimper softly, 

 

"Please, don't hurt me... Please, let me go..."

 

I jump, stop struggling and quieten my whimpers even more as Max sighs and yells,

 

"ELIJAH! COLE! ENOUGH!"

 

He then continues in a normal voice, "Calm down, both of you! Look at her, you guys are scaring the shit out of her. Elijah? Can you please let her go so she can at least breathe and calm down?"

 

Elijah sighs and lets me go. He then sits down on the stool next to me, leans across, and grabs one of my hands from my lap so he could hold it in his. Cole then walked around the counter and sits on the stool on my other side, lacing his fingers with mine and then moving my hand onto his lap. I relax a little, having both of them touching me, as the tingles and sparks spread from my hands up my arms and mix when they reach the middle of my body. Even though I am still extremely scared, I now feel a little safe.

 

"Thank you, Max..." Alpha Cole looks towards Max, who has gone back to making the sandwiches. He then looks past me at Elijah and says.

 

"I guess now that we are not scaring the hell out of our mate, how about I introduce you to her!?!"

 

"Skyler, my dear!" He brings his hand up and kisses the back of my hand, making me shiver as more intense sparks race up my arm,

 

"This here is Elijah Mason, one of my slightly younger brothers. Elijah, this is Skyler Jackson. I found her and brought her back with me from my visit to the Midnight Lake Pack yesterday."

 

"Oh! How did that go? Was the Alliance and protection diameters updated and resigned?"

 

I don't listen to them talk as I try to think, Mason!?! Mason!?! Where have I heard that name before?... James had said that my Alpha was having a very important Alpha coming yesterday, and that is why everything had to be perfect. I keep thinking, trying to remember where I had heard that name and why a shiver of fear keeps wanting to run through me. I puzzle this information over and over for a little while until it hits me and I start to shake with fear again; we had learned about them in school in the last few weeks as our alliance with them was coming up for renewal.

 

We were taught that 'The Mason Alpha's are the most feared Alpha's in the country, next to the Werewolf king himself. They were three brothers, all Alpha's, they are known across the country for their ruthlessness, cruelty, cunning, and that they kill any who wanders onto their territory without permission from one of the three. They run the Royal Blood Moon Pack with an iron fist, which gives them the best warriors that are feared by all. Which is what allows them to protect all the packs under their alliances and protection, even the King. They are also known for taking and using any and all females they want, whether the female wants to or not.

 

I pale and whimper slightly as I come to this realization. I then slowly move and get up off my stool, backing away from the males sitting at the counter. They look at me with curious and confused expressions on their faces as I manage to softly pull my hands out of theirs. Once my hands are free, I turn and run out of the kitchen. I have no idea where I am and I am not sure where to run because from what I learned it wouldn't matter if I run upstairs or out the door, if they wanted me, they will catch me. I make a quick decision and decide that maybe running upstairs and hiding in one of the empty rooms would be the best idea to start with. That might make my punishment a little less when they find me, and I know they will.

 

I run to the first room that I find that is unlocked and has no one in it, I quickly move inside, close, and lock the door behind me. I lean on the door for a few seconds and then run over into one of the dark corners of the room that is the furthest from the door. I push my back into the wall and then slowly slide down it until I can curl up into a ball on the floor. I allow my tears to slowly run down my cheeks and soft sobs to escape my lips, as I realize that I have not only just run away from an Alpha or two, I just ran from two of the most feared Alphas around. I am sure to be punished badly by both of them for doing so.

 

I whimper slightly as I hear the door being unlocked and open. I also hear a couple of male voices, so I curl more into myself and I then don't move. That way, if I don't move, they won't find me because if they find me, they might just kill me and not even think twice about it. I hold my breath as I feel someone next to me and then slowly put their arms around me, carefully picking me up. From the warmth and the sparks, I know it is Cole. I whimper and whisper.

 

"I'm sorry Alpha! I won't run again!! Please don't hurt me!"

 

I feel as a low growl runs through his chest but he doesn't say anything as I curl up more into his hold while he carries me back to his room from the scent. I wait for his punishment as he lays me on the bed and covers me with the blankets, saying.

 

"It is okay, Skyler. Relax. You have been through a lot, just rest and we can work it out later!"

 

I guess he will punish me later. He places a soft kiss on my forehead and leaves the room. I let a couple more tears fall as the last person to put me to bed and kiss me like he just did was my mum the night before my birthday. I then fall into the darkness of sleep, but it doesn't last long.