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13.09 Thu Nov 14
The Pack Rute Number 1 No Mates
Chapter One Hundred–Thirty–Eight
DRAVEN
The unha thegow to set when I step through the dows and annen, Tom back! Stepping into an uncharacteristically quiet hee small ir be in my hands, there is an eerie stillness in the atmosphere, Sportcenter hurt on. That’s wrint Thomonie? (called out.
I
But I smell him before he answers me. My eyes dart up toward the stairs just as he is coming drown
“Hey baby,” he says, a strange light in his silver plated ages.
“What’s wrong? I can feel it. Somethings happened and the wary look on fomnie’s face confirms my suspicions.
He sides up to me, his gaze scanning over my face lovingly as actually caught something? he snickers.
kes the ice boot from my hands and plants a soft kiss on my lips. “You
I glare. Shoving him in the chest as he taunters anxay from me and into the kitchen. “I told you I I know how to fink, Probably even better
than you canu”
He grins devilishly as he begins unpacking the filets in the ice box and begins to preheat a pan over the stove. “Except, that I can literally dive into the ocean and catch them with my hands.”
“I wlly fucking doubt it, I snort, coming to stand at the opposite end of the island and watch him cook,
He’s quiet while he works and his face remains slightly pinched with worry as he goes about the motions. The longer I stare at him, the more I begin to realize that he’s hardly looked at me since I walked in. Sure, be greeted me. Gave me a little bullshit kiss too. But he is absolutely not engaged.
Gould he be angry? Maybe Koda betrayed Emily and phoned the Big Bad Alpha about the stowaway on the yacht, and then swore him to secrecy. Or…
He never answered my question,
“Domonic,” I coo, tilting my head to the side as he turns his back to me to grab some spices. “You never answered my question. What’s
wrong?
His back muscles tense, I can see their glorious grooves through his shirt. He sighs heavily, throwing butter and spices into the pan to roast before turning back around.
He tilts his head up and back, gesturing toward the dining table. “Something came in the mail for you today.
I flinch, then smile. “You ordered something for me?”
He shakes his head, his face serious. “No baby. I did not. Although I will now that I see how happy you just got. But no. It’s not from me.
Take a look and see if you recognize it. It’s right there on the table
would I recognize it?” I ask. “What the hell is
His face is solemn as he says carefully, “It’s a fancy gold locket. With two pictures inside.”
Two pictures? Pictures of who?” I spin around to face the table and finally see it. An intricately carved wooden box in the center of the
table.
I approach the box, I hear Domonics say, “I believe, the pictures are of you and your mother.”
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13.09 Thu Nov 14
Chapter One Hundred–Thirty–Eight
ap, spinning back around to study his worried expression before I turn back toward the box. Who would possibly have a locket with hand my mother in it? No one except maybe… No, it muldn’t be. It would be. But if not? Then who else?
Taking a deep breath, I reach for the box. The moment I touch it, I feel something strange move through me. My pregnancy
super senses pick up on a lingering scent. A scent, that for some reason, brings a wawe of nostalgia over me. I nearly shudder as images flash behind my eyes. Incomplete and fragmented. A huge hand reaching down for me, a giant shadow man with the sun bleaching out his features, A balloon that escapes little hands as the man walks
I shake myself, then open the box. The scent is stronger now, but I push back at the forgotten memories trying to be reborn and try to
moment. The locket is oval shaped and obviously expensive. But there is no card inside, nor any other clue as to who sent this. Litting the necklace out gently, I open the lockets face.”
two pictures, just as Domonic said. The one on the right does look familiar. The child in the picture looks exactly as I did when I was that small. But I can’t be entirely sure, because my mother never kapt many pictures and the few that I ever got a look at were still somewhere in Florida. But it was sent to me… so it must be me. Right?
the p
left that throws me for a loop. The woman in the photo looks almost identical to me. In fact, if I didn’t know better, e. However, there are some slight differences. Like her hair for instance. Mine is straight and hers is super curly.
And her face is slightly rounder as to where mine is more heart–shaped. But one thing is for sure…
I turn around, confused and face Demonic’s clouded eyes. The photo on the left,” I say, glancing back into the locket.
is not of my
He sturtles. “Whath
I shake my bead, studying the little girl. There’s something about the dress that she’s wearing that bothers me. My brow wrinkles and I pick up the bon. Steeling my nerves, I bring it to my nose and take a deep whitt. The scent inside seems to spiral around me and I close my eyes to allow the images to come. Light flashes behind my eyes as I work to remember the balloon. For some reason I’ve always hated balloons, and never really did understand why. But now, I reach for it, breathing in the scent again to help me trigger it. I hear laughter… my laughter I think and I see my mother standing next to the giant man. My mother is yelling at him as he walks away from her and toward me. He reaches down lifts me up… tosses me in the I cant make out his face… he places me back on the ground and twirls like a ballerina to make my pretty dress spin… I reach for him again and that’s when I hear the crying… my crying. I chase him, losing my balloon… I watch it float away absently and it distracts me just long enough for the man to disappear. The next face I see is my mother’s as she glares down at me and yells, dragging me away as I reach for both the man and the lost balloon.
I get before I open my eyes and find Domonic holding me. It takes a minute before I realize that I must have been crying.
That’s not my mother,” I say again, into his shoulder. “But the little girl is definitely me. I remember that dress.” I pull away, looking up into his eyes. “The last time I wore it… was on the day my father left
UNKNOWN
“We’ve landed, sir. Do you and your party need an escort from the airport?”
“It has already been arranged, thank you.”
“Absolutely,” she says before sauntering down the aisle, probably to flirt with my Gammas asshe has been doing the entire flight.
gaze out the window as the last of the tangerine hues disappear from the sky. My body thrums with excitement as I realize how close I an to my darling right now. Forcing the burning guilt of the past nineteen years out of my head, I wrap steel my heart until it is easier to breathe. I have much to atone for. Much to explain…
This is not going to be easy.
The way the looked on the last day we were together is never far from my mind. Her confusion, her anguish, her panic as she chased after
the look of despair on her face when Isabella forced her away. All of it haunts my dreams on most nights. But that is not the reason I have come.
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12:09. Thu, NY:
Tri Nov 14
Chapter One Hundred Thirty–Eight
Alpha Gio,” Getinta Duende says. “It’s time
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