Authors: Lynnette Bernard
She and Dean had stayed at the hospital with Mia until she was released, going back to their apartment and packing up what little they had. Since it was a furnished apartment, there really wasn’t much for them to take. It took them no time at all to pack their few personal items, their clothes, some picture albums, and their materials for school.
Laurie had all three of their cell phones changed to new, unlisted numbers that were blocked, so they wouldn’t show up on caller ID. They contacted the college that both Mia and Dean would be attending in the fall to give them the address of the Circle Three Ranch so that any materials they needed would be sent there. They also put into place restrictions so that no information would be given out to anyone but the three of them. They couldn’t take any chances that Patrick would be able to find them and hurt them.
Laurie also took the time to close out her bank accounts, taking what meager savings she had and carrying the money and all their personal documents in a small fire safe she had tucked away in the trunk of her car. Dean’s car was packed to overflowing, as was Laurie’s, but it felt good that they were getting away before Patrick was released from jail. Hopefully, it would be a while before his new girlfriend could post bail.
When they had left their apartment, they had made plans to separate and travel around the Colorado area in opposite directions for a day, just in case they were being followed. Only once they were sure they were not being followed did they head toward their true destination. The last check-in phone call Laurie had received from Mia let her know that they were about two hours behind her. Laurie was actually glad for this, so she would have some time with Jace and Jackson before the kids arrived at the ranch. She didn’t know what she would do if the men decided they didn’t want her or her children after all.
“At least the cars are packed, and we can just move on if they don’t want us,” Laurie told herself as she drove toward the ranch.
The main building for the tourists loomed before her. Her heart beat a rapid tattoo against her ribs, and she prayed she was still welcome. Parking the car, she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the driver’s side door to step out of the car and stand beside it, shutting the door quietly and leaning against the car for support. Closing her eyes, she pictured the heavy metal chest she had shielded herself in opening slowly, to be replaced by a white light of protection. Very carefully, she envisioned a small window within the bubble of protection opening and felt herself searching for Jace and Jackson.
Their despair slammed into her and nearly brought her to her knees. She could feel every bit of anguish they felt, every bit of loneliness that consumed them, every bit of loss that they had suffered by her absence. She couldn’t stop the tears that filled her eyes at the aching love she could feel they had for her.
Her heart whispered to them, and she couldn’t keep the fear from her thoughts as she walked slowly up the main steps. With hesitance, she made her way through the lodge, past the curious glances of the pack members in the main room, and past Janine as she stood behind the check-in counter, to the private residence behind it.
Jace, Jackson, I want to come home.
* * * *
Jace looked across the kitchen table to the pack’s doctor and the young man who had been a recent intruder on their land. Both Doc and Mitchell sat quietly before him. The young man’s face was still horribly bruised, and his left eye was still swollen shut. Just looking at the result of this boy’s beating made Jace’s anger build. He was in the perfect mood to have a serious talk with Mitchell’s old pack leader. It had been a long time since he had talked with his fists, but it was one discussion he was looking forward to having. No alpha worth his title would ever rule his pack with violence.
Jackson stood silently behind Jace, waiting to hear what Doc had to say. Despite his attempts to shut himself off from his alpha, he knew Jace could feel his anxiety. It was rolling through them both in waves that neither man was able to control. In the current state of turmoil that they both were in, neither was in any shape to calm the other. Jackson could feel Jace’s emotions tearing him apart. Jackson knew that he wasn’t physically or emotionally able to give Jace the support he would need if he lost control.
Jackson’s own mental state was beyond despair. He was barely holding it together. Since Laurie’s disappearance, he could feel his control on his emotions slipping more and more as the days passed without their mate’s presence in their lives.
“I’ve run quite a few tests on Mitchell, Alpha,” Doc Barrett told them, pulling them back to the situation at hand. “He appears to have a dormant gene that may or may not be activated once he finds his triad partner.”
“Doc, I won’t find my triad partner,” the young man interrupted, his voice low, resigned to his fate.
“You don’t know that, Mitchell,” Jace interrupted, his voice soothing, his role as alpha making him give this cub what he needed. It was his job to see to the welfare of his pack. And Mitchell was now a member of his pack.
“Alpha,” Mitchell began sadly, “I know you’re trying to be supportive, but you have to know that there is something wrong with me. I don’t have a triad partner. I can’t shift. I’m a freak and bad luck.” His clear gray eyes were filled with pain as he looked at Jace. “I was wrong to come here. My dream was probably just wishful thinking that I would actually find my triad partner. I’ll be moving on as soon as I’m healed. I don’t want to bring bad luck to your pack.”
“This is your pack now, Mitchell,” Jace reminded him. “You are
not
a freak. You are
not
bad luck. And you will
not
be leaving here.” There was no room for argument in Jace’s voice. He turned to the doctor and nodded at him. “Continue, Doc.”
The doctor cleared his throat. “Yes, well,” he began hesitantly. “I have a theory that Mitchell did not have a triad partner in his old pack because he was destined to find him in our pack. I also think that once he finds his triad partner here, once they bond, that bond will cause a spark in the dormant gene in his DNA sequencing, and he’ll be able to shift.”
“Really?” Jackson finally spoke, surprised and encouraged by Doc’s words. “That’s great.”
Mitchell looked at Jackson with shock on his face before he sobered and looked back down at his hands. “That’s a nice fairy tale, Doc, but it’s not gonna happen.”
Jace looked at the young man. He could feel his pain. Just that fact alone made him know that Mitchell was indeed part of his pack. He wouldn’t have been able to sense his emotions otherwise. So if he was pack, it made sense that he would find his triad partner within their pack.
“Mitchell, I think Doc is right,” he told him finally, his voice sure. “You were meant to be a member of our pack. It makes sense that you would find your triad partner here.”
“If you think about it, it also explains why you can’t shift,” Jackson offered. “We all have known our triad partners since we were kids. We went through our first shifts together. If you didn’t have your triad partner with you, you couldn’t have your first shift. Does that make sense, Doc?”
“Actually, it does,” Doc answered slowly. “I think I’d like to do more tests on some triad partners who haven’t found their mates yet. Their blood composition might show something different in its genetic makeup than what’s in Mitchell’s blood.”
Getting up, Doc left the room in a hurry. Jace couldn’t stop the grin that briefly came to him as he thought of the poor, unsuspecting triad partners that would become Doc’s pincushion for a while.
“I think you’ve created a monster, Jackson,” Jace said quietly.
Jackson smiled a half smile, not really able to put his heart into it. “Sometimes I have my moments of brilliance,” he told him, shrugging.
“Okay, Mitchell.” Jace’s voice was strong as he turned to the young man. “Now that we’ve established that you’re going to be staying with us, we need to make plans for your future.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want you to think about what you want to do. Think about what college you want to attend. You’re going to be a productive member of this pack, and the way to do that is to arm yourself with education.”
“Alpha, I can’t afford to go to college,” Mitchell said quietly. “I’ll do any labor you want me to do to help support this pack. I owe you my life.”
“Yes, you do.” Jace’s voice was hard as he looked across at him with eyes that flashed with anger. “And you’re going to decide what you want to go to college for, and the pack will provide the tuition for you to learn your profession. And when you graduate, we will have this discussion again so we can see how you can help us with the skills you have learned.”
Mitchell’s eyes grew large with surprise. Never in a million years had he ever thought or hoped to have the ability to better himself. He thought he was destined to a life of misery, to be alone and struggling for the rest of his life.
“Yes, Alpha,” he finally whispered. Standing, he bowed his head in deference to both men and turned to leave the kitchen.
Jackson waited until the door closed behind Mitchell before he walked around the table to take the seat Mitchell had just vacated, leaving an empty chair between him and Jace. He sat back and sighed, every bone in his body screaming with exhaustion.
“You did a good job, Jace,” Jackson told him quietly.
Jace nodded and looked across the table, his eyes meeting and holding Jackson’s gaze. “You look like hell,” he said finally, taking in the dark circles under his best friend’s eyes and the defeated way that he held his body.
“So do you, my friend,” Jackson answered, smiling sadly.
They sat in silence for a moment. Neither had words for the other. It hurt too much to try to talk. And what would they say? They missed Laurie. They loved her. They physically ached for her touch. They needed her to help them control their anger and their pain.
What good would talking about it do? It wouldn’t bring her back. One day of her cell phone going to voice mail and two days of hearing a recording that her phone number was no longer in service had made them accept that she was lost to them. And the baby that she carried, their child, their future, was also lost to them.
The reality of the situation hurt them beyond devastation. They would never hold Laurie in their arms again or see her smile. They would never feel the warmth of her caring and love. They would never see Laurie growing round with their child. They would be deprived of the feel their child’s first movements within their mate’s womb, being a part of the miraculous birth of their baby, or seeing her nurse at Laurie’s breasts. They would never know the love of their daughter, hold her in their arms, or participate in the joy of helping to raise her. They would never see Laurie again.
Their life had become a living hell.
Jace, Jackson, I want to come home.
Laurie’s soft voice came through in a blinding white light of feeling.
Both men looked at each other in shock. Neither moved, unsure if their sorrow had finally made them lose their minds.
“Did you hear that?” Jace asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Jackson nodded, almost afraid to speak. “I felt her, too.”
Their hearts raced as the feeling of Laurie’s presence came nearer. They held their breath as they heard her soft footsteps hesitantly enter the kitchen. They turned as one to face the entrance, shock freezing them in place as they saw Laurie walk in slowly. They remained silent as she made her way around the table to step behind the empty chair that sat between them.
“Hi.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
Both men looked at her silently. She saw the raw pain in their eyes as they looked up at her. The dark circles under their eyes and the paleness of their skin also concerned her. She knew she was in no better shape.
Turning silently and walking toward the sink, she opened a drawer and took out a sharp knife. Going back to the table, she pulled out the empty chair between them, sat down, and reached for an apple that was in the bowl on the table.
“When I was a teenager, I used to visit my grandmother and grandfather. My grandmother would sit down at the table between me and my grandfather and talk to us quietly about her day. She would take an apple and peel it in one long continuous spiral strip, and my grandfather and I would watch her and smile. It always amazed us how she could do that and never break the strip.”