9 - What Now?

~Hunter’s Point of View~

Skyler and I sat in the hallway outside Ellie’s room, listening to her story and getting increasingly restless, desperate to be by her side, to comfort her. Godfrey insisted we wait outside while they gathered information, convinced we would be a distraction. He made Angel put a quick spell on us to temporarily block our scents, much to my chagrin. 

Ellie … my mate was Ellie. Everyone in my family mostly had some type of nature related name, so I always assumed our mate would. But … that just seemed so insignificant now. Ellie ... her name was Ellie, and she was ours.

We had no idea if she knew I was her mate, we did share a brief moment before she passed out, and I just felt she had to know. She hadn’t yet had her first shift, and it was quite possible she didn’t know. 

Blocking your scent was pretty common for Shadows, especially when we would be in battle. The last thing you wanted was for an enemy to know your scent and remember it if they lived. I listened intently as Ellie spoke, I wanted to hear her voice forever. 

She had only been with Blood Claw a few months when she was forced to make a blood oath to mate Tyson! 

My wolf growled at the very idea of our mate being forced to be with another, let alone an enemy! I would never allow that as long as there was breath in my lungs and the look on Skyler’s face told me he felt the same. 

He looked absolutely murderous. He was by far the most impulsive of us three, but on this I agreed. The Alpha’s entire family had to be put down, the sooner the better.

“You just packed up and ran off, no plan or sense of direction, what were you thinking,” Angel pressed, as Ellie continued her story. 

“I was thinking I didn’t want to be a breeder to a madman, and someone who wasn’t my mate,” Ellie said, plainly. 

I smiled at that, knowing that she was a fighter, willing to do whatever it took to get out of a horrible situation. She knew we were out in the world somewhere, and she tried to find us.

“But, you really don’t know how old you are, no way to even guess,” Godfrey inquired. 

“No, I have no clue. I remember having my eighth birthday with my parents, and I remember there was no snow, I was wearing a dress and no shoes when we had my party outside. I try all the time to remember that day, but it seems like the more I focus, the harder it is to remember,” she said.

She sounded so sad, she needed me, she needed my arms around her, she needed my comfort. I got to my feet and Skyler grabbed my arm, and shook his head. I sighed, and leaned back against the wall. 

“I just … I really feel like I should have gotten my wolf by now, I try to talk to her all the time, but there’s nothing. I’m terrified the Goddess forgot me, that I’ll never get my wolf and I’ll never get my mate,” Ellie sobbed. 

Skyler moved forward and I grabbed him by the waist and held him back. 

*I want to go to her too, but we can’t, not yet,* I mind-linked to him.

He growled at me, but fell back against the wall. 

Max came through with her food, and I relaxed, knowing my poor Ellie had to be starving and this would help calm her down. My mate was tired, she needed a good meal and sleep. It looked like Pat had made steak and baked potatoes, I hope she liked it. I’d have to run down later and see if there was anymore, I was starving too.

Skyler and I needed to speak to our brother River soon as possible, he would be dying to know everything. He was the biggest hopeless romantic out of the three of us.

*Do you know when River is due back,* I asked. 

*No, but I can find out, should be in the next day, I think he’s handling that mess with the missing fae guy,* he said. 

I wrinkled my nose, grateful it wasn’t me. As much as I didn’t trust vampires, I trusted the fae even less. They were selfish, tricky little jerks, and I couldn’t stand them. As untrustworthy as witches were, the fae were ten times worse.

“I’ll leave you to your meal, little one. I know this is all a lot right now, but we will come up with the best solution for you. Anything you need, please let Angel or Pat know,” Godfrey said, appearing in the doorway to leave.

“Thank you Mr. Godfrey, I am so grateful, if you hear anything about Thomas and Valerie, please let me know,” Ellie said. 

What perfect manners my mate has, so sweet.

“I will ask around, good night,” he said, walking out of the room and turning to me. 

He waved for us to follow him and he led us into the next room. 

“Whatever you’re thinking, waiting for, don’t … do it. I know you’re just waiting for us to leave so you can go to her. You won’t right now, that’s an order. When River gets back tomorrow, we’ll all discuss this, until then, you stay out. Pat will care for her until then," Godfrey said. 

*He can’t-* 

I shot Skyler a look that said to shut up. 

“Tell me that you BOTH understand,” Godfrey said, with his serious face. 

“I understand,” we both mumbled. 

With that, he vanished.   

~River’s Point of View~

I’d been out for a little over a week, looking for a missing fae, following leads. Normally, we didn’t go to such lengths for a missing creature, but he was a cousin to a council member and apparently ‘important.’ I had only met him a few times so I mostly only knew him by reputation.

All signs were pointing to him being kidnapped and for that, we had to try and find him.

I just wanted to get home, have a few beers and chill out. I was aching in my bones, dreaming about a vacation. Where would I even go though, who the hell would I go with?

I had only lived with my brothers since our first shift, I’d had a few short lived girlfriends but nothing serious. In our line of work, it was too damn hard to commit to one person. We didn’t stay in one place long enough and we worked crazy hours. I gave up chasing tail about a year ago, hoping that somehow my sacrifice would mean something to the moon goddess and she would bring us our mate. 

I desperately just wanted to be settled already, have my perfect she-wolf and some pups. Have a little house somewhere that we could call ours. 

Some wolves that were multiples didn’t want to share their mate, but you didn’t have a choice … it was fate. It was an all or nothing situation. Likewise, a single male wolf could have a mate that was a multiple. My sister was friends with twin she-wolves and I secretly had hoped they might be our mates just so things would be a little more even. 

If even one of the multiples rejects the mate, it can wreck everyone involved, and destroy the bond. None of my brothers would do that, we had long talked about it and agreed we would all absolutely accept our mate, no matter what. We just … had to find her, which seemed impossible.

*RING RING RING RING*

 “Hello?”

It was 5:40 am, who the hell was calling me? I mean I was awake, I hardly slept, but still.

“River, this is Godfrey. I need you to come back, there have been some … developments, can I have Angel transport you now?”

Damn. What was that important? 

“Yeah that’s fine, give me like five minutes to get my bag together.”

Godfrey was such an old vampire he didn’t even really sleep, and he could actually be in sunlight for short periods of time without it bothering him. If he was in a sunlit room but out of the direct light, he could last all day. 

A few minutes later I was standing in Godfrey’s office at the packhouse. Hunter and Skyler were staring at me. They both looked like shit and like they hadn’t slept. 

“You both look like shit, must be something good,” I said with a snicker. 

As soon as the words left my mouth it hit me, the sweetest scent imaginable, lilacs … filled my nose like heaven. It was her, my wolf howled!

MATE!