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Chapter 15
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The next couple of weeks of work go really smoothly. Schmoozing execs in boardrooms and speaking to high school students about the dangers of drugs is a refreshing change from picking up junkie sigmas off the streets. If this is what it’s like to be in Dad’s shoes, I could get used to it.
On Thursday, I’m set to speak to a student group at the university about the dangers of drug addiction and how to help their friends. I laugh, thinking about the bags of ketamine, cocaine, and weed in my kitchen drawers and cabinets. Who's supposed to help me? Which reminds me to call Jasper before I’m set to speak so we can catch up.
“So you’re taking over for your old man?” Jasper takes a bite of his sandwich and looks at me, confused.
“Just for a month or so, then back out on the streets,” I sip my coffee, “It’s kind of his way of testing me, I think. See if I’m up for it when he is ready to retire. You know, my brothers could never be the face of t
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I look in the rearview mirror at Lavender laying on the back seat of my car. Even with the air conditioning on, she is still panting heavily. When I get to a stoplight, I reach my hand back and place it on her belly where there isn’t as much fur. Her skin is practically on fire. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We will get you in the tub when we get to my place.” I make eye contact with her through the mirror. When the light turns green, I press the accelerator a little harder than usual to get home. Rocky urges me to go faster, but I remind him it would be bad if I got pulled over by the police with what they think is a wild animal in the back seat of my car. Even worse, if she shifts and there is a girl wearing nothing but a suit jacket in the back seat. He drops the subject but paces nervously while I drive. I park in the garage and open the car door, but Lavender doesn’t jump out. She lifts her head slightly and whines between her fa
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I order a pizza and pull a couple of bottles of water out of the refrigerator while I wait for Zara to come out of the bathroom. “Rocky, I think I should have Zara stay here instead of in the dorm,” I cave to the idea. “So she can be our mate now?” he sounds so hopeful, “You’re finally thinking straight.” “I was thinking more like a roommate who needs someone to look out for her,” I clarify for him. “We can’t have a sigma for a mate, Rocky. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if my family found out. She’s safer if we have her move into the guest room and just make sure she is being taken care of.” “So a beautiful roommate?” his demeanor drops when he realizes what I’m saying. “Yeah, she is beautiful,” I agree, “But I think I overestimated her ability to take care of herself.” “So we will protect her.” I sense a shift in his energy to a more serious nature. “Yeah, we will protect her. That’s a g
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“Zara?” I call out. A sense of panic settles in my gut. She couldn’t have left. I was at the front door. She would have had to walk past Mom and me. “Where are you?” “I’m here,” I hear her voice from behind the counter. I walk around and see her on her hands and knees, wiping the floor with a rag. The t-shirt barely covers her ass, making me stop short again. I run my hand over my face and bite my finger, not able to look away. I’m not interested in her as a mate, but a pretty girl, wearing only a t-shirt, on all fours on my kitchen floor? Goddess, have mercy. I need to control myself. I try to find something else in the room to look at, but nothing else seems to exist at the moment. “Control yourself? Are you crazy?! Mate with her!” Rocky exclaims, “She’s on her hands and knees, Keller. She wants to do it!” “That doesn’t mean she wants to have sex, Rocky,” I correct him sternly, trying to make myself look aw
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I consider my next move before I leave the bedroom. Should I go try to speak with Zara or should I give her space? I need to explain, but I also need to tread lightly. If I have to tell Rocky she's gone when I unblock him, who knows what his reaction will be? One thing is certain, it won't be good. I need to clear the air and see if I can convince her to stay. I listen for her, but without Rocky, I can’t hear that far. My human senses aren’t sharp enough, so I walk to the guest room to speak with her. I’m about to knock, but think better of it. If the sound of the air conditioning makes her jumpy, what would happen with a knock on her door? Especially after what happened earlier. “Zara? Can we talk?” I lean my ear against the door and concentrate. From inside, I hear shuffling sounds, then something falling over with a hard thud. She’s whispering to herself and something is being dragged across the floor, then silence. “Za
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Zara’s POV When I open my eyes it’s dark outside. I’m in a warm, comfortable bed. It smells like rosemary and basil, just like Keller. I sit up and look around. It looks like his bedroom, but he isn’t here. I pull my legs up to my chest and sigh. “Lavender, are you there?” I call for my wolf. “I’m here, sweet girl,” she sounds relieved as she speaks soothingly to me. “Are you okay now?” “I-I think so. I just don’t understand what happened. Keller got so mad, but then he held me in his lap.” I tap my lips while I recall what happened. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything about wanting a boyfriend. Do you think that’s what made him upset?” “Originally, I thought he might be dangerous, but now I think he and his wolf are just confused. I don’t know if Keller’s trying to protect himself or protect you, but we need to be patient. He will come around,” Lavender’s voice sounds so reassuring, “I think he’s r
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When Keller looks me in the eye, he stops speaking and looks unsure of himself. He stands up and rubs his fingers over his forehead, then looks at me again. He sighs heavily and drops his shoulders. “So here’s the thing, Zara. Is it weird that I don’t feel the mate bond the way everyone says I should? Yeah. I think it’s weird as Hell, but there’s nothing I can do about it. That being said, you seem like a sweet girl. If things were different, maybe we could try to make it work. You know? Figure out where we could take things and find out what is going on with this messed up mate bond.” He rubs the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable at his words. “You know what? Hold on. This shit is heavy. I need a shot. You want a shot?” “You mean alcohol?” I look up at the clock, “Keller, it’s eight-thirty in the morning and I don’t drink. I just turned eighteen.” “You’re right. Maybe just a beer,” he wanders out into the k
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“I’m sorry, Miss Wilson, but you were gone for over a week. We contacted your parents, and they said they haven’t seen or spoken to you since July. It’s school policy to revoke room and board privileges to students who abandon their dwellings,” the Resident Director hands over a small box of belongings from my dorm room and some paperwork, “You missed two required meetings and we couldn’t contact you, so we assumed that’s what you had done.” I look inside and see my cell phone charger and laptop, a few notebooks, and things from my desk, but none of my clothes or bed linens. Not even my toiletries. “I-I understand the policy and I know I should have read the student life handbook better, b-but this isn’t even half of my belongings, ma’am. Where is everything else? Could I please go upstairs and get the rest?” I feel my lip tremble. After I paid the room and board fee for the spot in the dorm, I only had a couple hundred dollars left to buy ever
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Keller’s POV “Shhh! I have a roommate.” I stumble into the kitchen with Jasper, who’s still gripping the empty bottle of 151 I bought at the bar, followed by a few girls we met there. “She’s probably asleep.” “You have a roomie?” Jasper squints at me to focus. “I don’t believe it. Who?” “Yeah, she’s my mate.” My hand makes its way to my chest to cover my heart as an image of Zara flashes in my mind. Her long blonde hair with natural waves and crystal blue eyes. That sweet little smile she has when she doesn’t realize anyone is looking. I close my eyes, thinking about her features. “Your mate? What are you Australian now?” Jasper pulls me from the thought with a laugh. The redhead standing next to him smirks and whispers something in his ear. He quickly looks at her and wraps his arm around her waist. I watch him nuzzle against her neck, whispering something back. “Sorry, yeah, sh-she’s a friend,” I corre
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“Zara, first, I want you to know that your parents loved you. They had no choice when they left you and they never stopped trying to find you and get you back.” Tyree’s tone differs from what I’ve heard from him before. It’s more apologetic and compassionate, like a father trying to make his child understand another point of view. “Tyree, how could I possibly believe that?” Zara holds her hand up to stop him. “They left me on the steps of the pack house. I wasn’t even a week old. They didn’t want me.” “It’s not true, Zara. I promise you it’s not true. Your father’s name is Scott Eklund. Your mother is Sondi. They came here because the Alpha from Emerald Mountain banished them. They were seeking asylum, and it was granted.” Tyree sits back and sighs. “From what I understand, your father attacked the pack’s Beta, trying to defend Sondi. Your mother said she never had a problem with the Beta and barely knew him. Your father had issues with mental illness. He was paranoid and refused to
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“First and foremost, thank you all for being here today. I’m going to keep my portion short.” Jasper stands at the podium, now tenured in speaking in front of crowds, looking comfortable to address the room. He pulls out a notecard from his jacket pocket and glances down at it. “There is someone very special I would like to introduce you to. She’s not only the lead scientist for the Sigma Project, she is the mastermind behind the medication that has made this whole thing possible.” Jasper looks into the wings and gives Zara a thumbs up. I feel her take a deep breath under my hands. “This talented woman completed her undergraduate degree and masters in biochemistry, and she’s almost finished with her doctorate all in just over six years. On top of that, she is now the youngest Nobel Prize Laureate ever. In chemistry and in medicine. Friends, she’s the hardest worker in the room, by far the smartest person you will ever meet, an incredible mother, and one of my closest friends. Oh and
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“Hey guys, your flight was okay?” Tyree meets us at the doors of the Blood River pack house and ushers us inside. “I know the ride from the airport can be a killer.” “It was great. Thanks, Tyree.” Jasper shakes his hand. “We are all looking forward to this afternoon.” “Uncle Tyree!” Orli runs up to her favorite person and hops to be picked up. “Dillon and I went to kindergarten! I got to show the teacher that I know my alphabet.” “I heard! Did you listen to your teacher?” He holds Orli in his massive arms and gives her a kiss on the cheek. She nods with a shy smile and leans back. “Look at my dress! Daddy says today is special, so I wanted to look pretty. And tomorrow I get to wear my flower girl dress. So I got two pretty dresses to wear.” “Oh, my Goddess.” He smooths down the front of her dusty blue dress. “You are always pretty, baby girl, but this dress makes your eyes look EXTRA blue.” Orli giggles and leans her head on his shoulder, perfectly content to stay with him as lon
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The longer Zara takes the sigma serum, the more I notice differences. She isn’t taller or stronger, but some days it seems like it. She handles stress better and doesn’t shy away when she has to speak with people she’s not familiar with like she would have in the past. She almost never has a flight or fight response anymore. It’s refreshing to see her handle life with more confidence and less anxiety and fear. Katie is also doing much better with the new version of the serum than the first one. Instead of putting her on medications, they increase her therapy to once a week. Besides learning how to read with ease, Katie also observes things she never had before. Traffic patterns, the way birds fly together in the sky, the layout of the grocery store, things most people take for granted. She seems to see for the first time. As with all things, with the good comes the bad. Zara starts to have more bad days. A lot more bad days. Mom and Dad take shifts to monitor her while Estelle and
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“You’re sure you feel okay?” Zara is already sitting on my lap, but I take her face in my hands and look her in the eye. I look her over and give her a quick peck on the cheek. “You don’t feel warm or anything?” “I feel fine, Keller. I just took the serum fifteen minutes ago.” She covers my hands with hers. “It takes a couple hours for it to get into my system. Right now I’m just exhausted. We intentionally added a light sedative to this version, and it was a later night than I was expecting. If I had known you planned to stay at a hotel instead of going home, I would have packed a bag.” “I’ll know better for next time.” I nuzzle her cheek and settle into the recliner. “You tell me if you feel weird at all. Even a little bit.” “I will, sweetheart.” She leans her head against my shoulder and places her hand on my chest. I slide my hand over hers and interlock our fingers. It makes me smile to feel the ring on her finger. I look at Jasper, who has Katie in his lap as well. He has
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“Keller, it’s safe now. It’s taken a few months, but it’s perfect. Estelle and I are sure of it.” Zara hands Orli a piece of banana while she tries to convince me it’s time for her to take what she now calls the sigma serum one point one six. “Zara, I don’t know how many times I can tell you. I’m not okay with it.” I adjust the position of Dillon’s little fork and help him scoop macaroni and cheese onto it. I look up at Zara to see if she’s paying attention. She takes a sip from her glass of juice and sets it down, then places her hands on the counter and drums her fingers impatiently. “Keller-” “Zara.” I feel my mood darken as I glare at her. “Keller, I feel like a broken record. I would be a hypocrite if I said it’s fine for other sigmas, but too dangerous for me.” She wipes Orli’s mouth with a bib and hands her a sippy cup. “We know the women who have met their mates have different body chemistry now. We’ve made adjustments to the sigma serum accordingly. It’s just another leve
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I thought it was going to be difficult to get Zara to pull out of the study, but it wasn’t. She was more worried about what could have happened to Orli and Dillon and everyone else she loves and cares about. Two days after the incident, she goes to the lab to speak to the other volunteers to let them know why she has pulled out, but promises them they will still get to see her all the time because she is going to be working directly with Estelle. Katie, on the other hand, won’t be deterred. Even after we explain that she and Zara could have died, she insists she wants to keep going. Jasper is miserable, but puts on a brave face for her. He spends lunch with her every day and comes home to mope. Zara and I try to cheer him up and even help him take care of Mister Happy and Midnight. Mom takes over nanny duty while Katie is away. “Zara, it’s only been a month. Are you sure taking all nine girls all the way to Cozy Up is a good idea?” Jasper stops her from leaving the lab to let the gi
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My body feels heavy and Zara’s weight gets pulled off of me, forcing me awake. “What happened? Is she okay?” Someone drained the water out of the tub. Mom has Zara wrapped in a towel, holding her like a baby in her arms. Estelle is next to her, checking Zara’s temperature. “It’s fine, Honey. Her temperature has been normal for an hour. We’re going to put her in bed. I brought you a change of clothes. Come out when you’re dressed.” “Ace is on his way to check on our baby girl.” Estelle lets Mom take Zara out of the room and sits on the edge of the tub. She unfolds a towel and hands it to me. “Are you okay?” “I will be once I know she is.” I wipe my face and chest. “Before she passed out, she said more carrots and less love. Lavender was relaying the message.” Estelle purses her lips and nods. “Yeah. We had talked about that before the study but went with the more potent formulation. I’m going to get a batch of the other one started as soon as I get back to the lab.” “If she’s okay
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“Keller will grab Zara. I’ll grab Katie’s top half, just grab her legs. Stop her from kicking if you can.” Les motions how Jasper should try to hold on to Katie. “We’ll take her to the nursery bathroom.” “How do we know who will come out first?” Jasper looks at me and back at Les. Les gives Jasper a sweet smile. “Oh, darling, so innocent. Wolf mentality.” “Wolf mentality?” He looks at me for help. “Wait, how do we know they didn’t turn into wolves? Shift. How do we know they haven’t shifted?” “Their wolves have an advantage to use their senses but stay in human form right now.” Les tugs at her braided ponytail. “They can open doors, push elevator buttons, call for help, things like that.” “Zara is freaking out because her pup is gone. Katie is going to protect Zara to give her a chance to find her baby.” I put my ear to the door. “Katie will make sure danger is out of the way.” “Katie sees Zara as more dominant than she is in the pecking order of your family dynamic. So yes, she
