Authors: Lynnette Bernard
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Jace and Jackson entered the kitchen two hours later to find Martha sitting at the counter, staring up at them with concern, a worried frown crossing her face. They stood before her in just their jeans, T-shirts, and still unbuttoned flannel shirts, having just allowed their wolves to run free. She placed her hand over her mouth to muffle the sob that escaped her as they entered. Jace stood before her silently, knowing immediately that one of his pack was in need. Something was wrong.
“Alpha, I didn’t mean to upset her,” she told him quickly, sincerity evident in her voice.
Jace took a step toward her, panic squeezing his chest at the thought of their mate upset. “What happened, Martha?” he asked her, controlling his emotions as best he could. Jackson’s hand on his shoulder helped a little. His beta’s words and touch were always a balm to his riotous emotions, especially lately. Stepping toward the older woman, the connection to Jackson was broken. He felt the loss immediately, and his agitation ramped up.
“Martha?” Jackson echoed, his own heart pounding in his chest. He suddenly felt an overwhelming need to find their mate, place her between Jace and himself and protect her from the world.
“I was telling your mate that she was wonderful with our Tammy and the children of our pack,” she told them quietly, tears filling her eyes as she spoke.
Jace’s eyebrows went up at Martha’s referral to Laurie as being their mate. He shouldn’t be surprised that she was able to identify her as their mate, after all, she had been the one to raise them after their own mothers had died when they had been just cubs. He was secretly relieved and proud to be able to confirm that they had finally found the one woman that would complete their triad and join their pack, bringing with her the compassion and caring that they desperately needed.
“Why did that upset our mate, Martha?” Jackson spoke for them, easing his body closer to Jace’s as he felt the tension rising in his alpha. He stepped toward him with a practiced ease that spoke of years of knowing and understanding the needs of his best friend. He gently placed his hand on Jace’s shoulder once again, squeezing lightly to reassure him that he was not alone in his worries.
“That part didn’t upset her,” Martha explained, shaking her head slowly. “It was when I told her that she needed to stay healthy for the babies she would be carrying that she got upset.”
“Babies?” Jace whispered, almost unable to breathe at the thought of their mate carrying their babies.
“I’m sorry, Alpha,” Martha whispered, tears falling freely now. “Laurie became very sad and told me that she was not going to have more children and left the house very upset.”
Jace looked at Jackson and could feel the sadness grabbing hold of him.
She won’t want to have children with us.
We don’t know that, Jace. She hasn’t gotten to know us at all, let alone well enough to make that decision. We have to give her time.
“I was thinking of the prophecy that my mother told me when I was a little girl about the human woman who would form a triad with the alpha and beta of our pack,” Martha told them, sniffing her tears away.
“I’ve never heard of this prophecy, Martha. Have you, Jackson?”
Jackson shook his head and stepped forward to reach out and touch Martha’s hand. “Tell us about the woman in this prophecy.”
“The prophecy said that this woman would be a human, a teacher of children, who would bring goodness and caring to our people. She would be a strong defender of justice and would have a strength of character and compassion that would help heal the sorrow and loneliness of her two mates, helping them to calm their inner demons and helping them to lead us to a future of successful and loving triad families.”
“That prophecy doesn’t mean that Laurie is the one who will do that, Martha,” Jace told her sadly. “It could be any alpha or beta that may rule our pack in the future.”
Martha stood and reached into the deep pocket of her apron to pull out an item that she held reverently in her hand. Stepping toward the two men, she looked up at them and sighed.
“My mother told me that the alpha would be the son of Clarice and the beta would be the son of Cara. She told me these women would not live to see their sons grow to manhood, but the pack would help them grow, and these boys would be friends who would share a bond that only they knew about.”
Jackson turned to Jace in shock. No one knew about their ability to see each other’s thoughts or talk to each other in their minds. These abilities were gifted only to bonded triad mates, but it was something that had manifested in both of them as teenagers. Despite their young age, they knew it was something unique to be kept only between them.
Before either man had an opportunity to speak, Martha reached forward to take Jace’s hand in hers and turned it palm up to place her hidden treasure in it. She took her hand away, and both men stared down at the delicate gold bracelet that looked so tiny and fragile in Jace’s large hand.
Jackson reached for the bracelet and lifted it gently from his friend’s hand, allowing the small golden charm to dangle free. “Jace,” he whispered as he saw what it was.
Jace looked at the charm and turned to his friend, unable to speak. The charm was of a woman sitting on the ground with a wolf on either side of her. Her arms were wrapped around the wolves’ bodies, her head was tipped back, and her hair was in motion as if a breeze blew its shoulder length tresses back from her face to reveal what could only be described as pure joy on her face. Each wolf’s face was turned inward to nuzzle against her neck.
Jace looked up from the bracelet and found Jackson’s shocked brown eyes studying him.
It does look like Laurie, Jackson.
Jackson looked down at the charm and then back at Jace.
And it’s exactly how we looked when we were with her on the deck last night.
“This bracelet was given to me by your mother, Jace,” Martha’s voice pulled their attention back to her. “She told me I was to give it to you when you both found your mate. Only then was I was to tell you about the prophecy.”
Taking the bracelet gently from Jackson, Jace’s hand closed around it as he fought with his emotions. The joy he was feeling was incredible, but the anger he fought was undeniable. This was not something that should have been kept from him.
“Is there anything else you’ve been keeping from me, Martha?” he asked her, his voice cold and hard as the anger seeped through him. Even Jackson’s calming touch on his shoulder could not stop the fire burning within him.
Jackson could feel his alpha losing control. Each day, it seemed it was more and more difficult to help ease the pain and anger that was constantly growing within his friend. Laurie’s appearance had given him hope that they could finally ground him and offer him a sense of calm that Jackson knew was needed to center him and save him from himself. If this prophecy were true, and he hoped with all his heart that it was, then their mate was going to help them both finally find inner peace and a sense of belonging and love that had so far eluded them.
“My mother also told me that this mate would be in danger from outside the pack as well as from within the pack,” Martha told him, reaching out to touch both of their arms as fear gripped her. “She said some would not want a human to have such influence over our leaders and would do all that they could to destroy the woman and, in doing so, destroy both of you.”
Jace’s head snapped up, and his wolf howled to be set free. Someone was threatening their mate. Looking at Jackson, he saw that his beta’s wolf was fighting within him as well. “When did she leave, and where did she go?” Jace growled, holding on to his human side with every ounce of strength he possessed.
“About two hours ago,” Martha told him fearfully. “I saw her walking toward the tree line.”
Jace pushed the bracelet into Martha’s hand. “I want this back when I return,” he told her, turning to stalk outside, pulling his clothes off as he strode across the deck. Jackson was right on his heels, ripping the clothes from his body as he followed.
Neither man broke stride as they bounded off the deck in wolf form and ran with lightning speed in search of their mate.
Chapter 7
Laurie’s scent was strong. Jace and Jackson ran together toward their mate, their powerful bodies never tiring as they raced toward the one woman they were destined to love and protect. Worry spurred them on, and they ran in silence, afraid to voice their deepest fear of losing her before they had even gotten the chance to love her.
The sound of Laurie’s laughter had them both stopping short and looking across the open expanse of field that bordered the rushing stream that ran through the middle of their ranch. She was running toward the stream, holding little Tammy’s hand as the four-year-old giggled and skipped beside her. Seth and Ben, the two rambunctious ten-year-olds that had often been the recipients of Jace and Jackson’s guidance over the years, were balancing precariously on the fallen tree that extended out into the rushing water.
“Come on, Tammy!” Ben called out to the small girl as he hung from the tree, kicking his feet into the water as he taunted her. “Climb on the tree and see if you can reach the water!”
Tammy pulled her hand from Laurie’s and started to run toward the water. She didn’t even get two steps away from Laurie when she was scooped up into Laurie’s arms and held protectively against her chest.
“Absolutely not,” Laurie told them, her voice firm, with a touch of anger letting the young boys know she was deadly serious. “You two get over here right now.”
Seth and Ben started to protest, but Laurie cut them off before they had a chance to really deny her.
“Don’t make me come over there and get you,” she warned them seriously.
“Oh, come on, Laurie,” Seth whined. “We won’t get hurt.”
“You two get your butts over here right now,” she told them in her firmest teacher voice. “And don’t even think about telling Tammy to go toward that stream. What are you thinking putting her in danger like that?”
Both boys carefully made their way off the fallen tree and walked up the incline to stand beside Laurie and Tammy, their shoulders hunched and their heads hung in shame. Laurie stepped back and gently lowered Tammy to her feet, keeping firm hold of her hand.
“We would never let Tammy get hurt,” Ben told Laurie quietly. “She’s our mate. It’s our job to protect her.”
Laurie looked down at the two boys, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Mate? What?
“We love her,” Seth told her, his tone sincere. “She belongs to us.”
Tammy let go of Laurie’s hand and walked toward the two boys, reaching out to take hold of their hands. “They’re mine,” she said happily as she looked over her shoulder at Laurie. Giggling, she turned and pulled the boys toward the main house. “Come on, let’s go play on the swings,” she told them as she tugged them along.
Both boys smiled at the little imp before turning to run with her toward the small playground that Jace had built for the children of the pack. Laurie couldn’t help but smile at them as they ran at Tammy’s pace to keep even with her. They really were adorable together.
She’s good with the young ones, Jackson.
Jackson turned to face his friend and nodded his head.
She is.
She’ll be good with our cubs.
She will.
The two large wolves walked toward Laurie slowly. She recognized them immediately. The small moment of fear she felt at their appearance quickly left her. She sat down on the ground, smiling as the two wolves made their way toward her and sat down beside her to rest their heads on her thighs. Without hesitation, she ran her fingers through the soft hair of their bodies before hugging them closer to her.
She didn’t really understand why she felt the need to cuddle them to her, but it was a need that she couldn’t deny. The happy growls coming from the two wolves made her smile. If she could have growled, she would have mirrored their sound. Their softness and their warmth made her feel safe and calm.