Authors: Jana Leigh
When he opened his eyes, his mother and father were standing beside him.
“My son,” his mother said with tears pooling in her eyes. “I am so happy and have never been more proud of you. I love you, my sweet child.”
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly to her.
“Thank you, mama. I love you too.” Tears ran down his cheeks as Orfeo held his mother.
When she let go of him, his father lifted the necklace over his head and placed it around Orfeo’s neck, letting the medallion rest against Orfeo’s heart. “You deserve this, my boy. You are a great and noble man. I am honored to be your father and pass on my legacy to you. I am very proud of you and love you very much.”
The lump formed in his throat again, but this time it was because of all the emotions that welled up in him at his father’s words. He felt more tears roll down his cheek as he pulled his father in to hug him also.
“Thank you, papa. I love you.” When he pulled away, he saw his father was crying as well, and smiled.
His mother patted his arm. “Now you need to go get dressed and come back down here as quickly as possible. It’s time we celebrate our new beginning.”
Chapter
4
Cloe sat back in the chair and smiled gently at the woman who sat before her. She looked like a loud noise would send her into the closet hiding. She needed to examine the woman , but first she needed to get her trust a little.
“Have you been sick?” Cloe asked in her most soothing tone, though i t was really hard for her to actually talk this way. Cloe was not norm ally a soft person. She was a Be ta wolf, one that didn ‘t like to take shit f r o m anyone. Most people found her intimidating. She was tall and had long black hair that she always had pulled back when she was working. It showed her tattoos off. That’s what scared most people; that and the fact she dressed like a biker in her black fatigue style pants and black tank top that said ‘Biker Mama’. It was a joke from her mates when she had had the babies.
Caterina looked at her closely, like she as trying to make up her mind a little about what she could say and what she couldn’t say. Finally, it looked like she made a decision, and she said, “No, not really, m or e like exhausted, hungry, and stressed.”
Cloe nodded but didn’t write anything down. She had a great memory, and she thought this woman was watching every move she made right now.
“I’m guessing there’s a story there, but we’ll get to that. Can you tel l me about your medical history?”
“I’m not crazy,” Caterina said firmly and looked at Cloe defiantly.
Cloe nodded and said, “Never thought you were. I was asking about your bruises and cuts. Did you see a doctor ? Have you had any broken bones? Did you have the measles when you were young? Take your pick and answer.”
Caterina shrunk back at the commanding tone the other woman was using. She wondered for a brief moment if this is where she really should have come. Sitting up straighter , she began to recite her medical history without looking at Cloe. It was easier for her. When she was finished, there was silence in the room. Cloe waited until she was ready to speak, the air in the room seemed to grow heavy. She didn’t look at Cloe at all while talking; now she felt her eyes being drawn to the woman.
Cloe was sitting so still, Caterina was afraid to even ask what was going on. Finally, Cloe seemed to snap out of the daze she was in and looked at Caterina and said, “I think we need to see the Council , cause they ‘re gonna flip . But first let me check you over.”
Caterina nodded and allowed Cloe to do a quick exam. She made notes of everything with her small tape recorder. She was n’t surprised when Cloe said she was exhausted, and a few of her abrasions were heading towards infection.
“Now, about Tripp,” Cloe said and sat forward and took her hands. “I know you have been through a lot , but Tripp, the man who was just in here, knows you ‘re his mate.”
Caterina gasped and tried to pull away from Cloe. She had to get out of here. She couldn’t be a mate; she was a human. Besides, she refused to be the reason anyone got hurt. Diavolo said she was his mate. He would kill anyone who got in his way.
“I can’t be,” Caterina said firmly. “I saw what mates act like, and I don’t want to be anyone’s slave,” she said, and felt the tears gather in her eyes. Cloe looked at her with a horrified expression on her face.
“No, what you saw was a sick individual who only thought of you as a possession . I guarantee Tripp will treat you like a queen. Wolf’s mate for life. They never look at another woman when they find their mates. You will be protected, and somewhat annoyed at times, with how he will try to keep you safe. Mating for wolves is a cherished celebration. Some wolves never find their true mates. If you think I ‘m wrong, you can ask Lacy to make sure that you are mates. She ‘s on the Council and can see if you, and Tripp are true mates. It ‘s her gift. We don’t have to worry about this right now, Tripp won’t rush you, Cami won’t let him. Now, I think your story needs to be told to the Council , for one, because , Vampire s? Wow, girl , you ‘re gonna be the most exciting thing we have talked about in a long time, and two; I think we may have a bigger problem than even what you think.”
Caterina nodded and gathered her things up. She had no clue if they were going to throw her out after she told them she brought danger right to their front door or not. But she had to be prepared. As for Tripp, she was going to tell him ‘no’. She was not going to tie herself to anyone; she was going to be able to run if she had to. The Vampire s would eventually find her; she would not be able to hide from them for long.
Cloe opened the door and nodded to the man standing in t he hallway leaning against the door jam . “Tripp, call the Council and te ll them we ‘re on our way over and need to have everyone assemble for a meeting.”
The wolf hesitated, looking at Caterina over her shoulder . She shrunk back a little so maybe he couldn’t see her, but she saw him frown and sniff.
“Why is she afraid? I can smell fear from her,” Tripp said —demanding an answer f rom his superior , not the brightest move he made today, but she was his mate, and mates trumped standing in the Pack.
Cloe frowned at him and then pushed him with her hand further out into the hallway and pinned him to the wall with her finger in the middle of his chest. Out of respect, he did n ‘t push back, although his wolf was clawing him from the inside to push Cloe aside and get to his mate, who was obviously afraid.
“Asshole, she’s afraid of you. Listen, I know this is hard, but we need to get her into the Pack house, and then we can discuss everything,” Cloe said slowly and then lowered her voice so that Caterina could not hear her and said, “She ‘s a flight risk, on e wrong move, and she ‘ll be out of here. Calm yourself down and get your ass over to the Pack house, I will bring her there, then we can talk . She needs to be able to trust us, right now she ‘s afraid.”
Tripp looked at Caterina, who was standing in the doorway with huge eyes looking like she would love to bolt around them and run. He nodded a nd then said, “I ‘l l be there.”
Cloe took a deep breath because she knew what Tripp was going through, she felt the same way about her mates. Turning back to Caterina, she smiled and then said, “Let’s get someth ing to snack on before we leave, the Pack house is preparing a meal, but I think a nice , sugary snack would do you good.”
They walked together down the stairs to the kitchen where Betty was making what appeared to be bread. “Hey Bets, do you have your famous monster cookies?”
Caterina looked at Cloe with a frown; a ‘mo n ster’ cookie didn ‘t sound very appetizing —u ntil Betsy brought out a jar and Cloe pulled two huge cookies with a rainbow of colors all over it. When she bit into it, she groaned and closed her eyes. It was wonderful. Her stomach growled for more and Cloe laughed and said, “This is why I didn’t really care when Cami asked me to come over, I needed a ‘monster’ cookie fix. I have n’t had time to stop by lately .”
“And your mates either,” Betsy said and shooed them out of the kitchen, making them laugh as she complained about having to cook for a bunch of hungry shifters and not having time to stand around and gossip. Caterina gave her a hug before she walked out into the sun, and she sighed. At least, sh e knew that Vampire s couldn’t attack her in the daylight ; that was why she looked so exhausted , s he refused to stop at night for fear, they would find her before she woke up.
They walked slowly around the huge wall that cut a large area of town off from the rest. She assumed it was the Pack compound that everyone referred to. As they rounded a corner, there was a gate with two men standing at attention. She looked at them hesitantly and waited while Cloe spoke to them.
“Did Tripp sign her in?” she asked and one of the guards nodded and opened the gate for them. Both watched her as she followed Cloe through the gate. She felt a shiver of apprehension and knew this was her last chan ce to run. Either she asked the Council for sanctuary, or she went on the run for the rest of her life and could never set down any roots. Looking at the road and then the gate where Cloe had paused and waited, she finally came to the decision she had no choice, she needed help.
***
Cami stood at the door, shifting from one foot to the other , as she obviously waited for the two women to get to the door. Cloe laughed when she saw her Alpha.
“Hey, what’s up?” Cloe said casually .
The small woman growled, and Caterina stopped in her tracks. It sounded menacing, even with all the time she spent with Adolfo; she was still uncomfortable with new shifters. The woman apparently finally grew aware she was scaring her, and she cleared the scowl off her face and looked at Caterina and smiled.
“Sorry, I was just reminding my friend here that she was supposed to bring you directly over here. I assume that the delay was for a good reason?”
Cloe laughed and threw her arm around the smaller wom an who had long, blonde, curly hair and looked like a pixie —she was so cute. Caterina shuffled a little and felt uncomfortable again, very aware of her appearance.
“Duh, exam, it’s what doctors do,” Cloe said and looked back at Caterina and winked. “Don’t worry, she just hates not to be in on all the conversations we all have. If she misses out on something, she pouts.”
“Screw you. I’m sorry. My name is Cami. I am the Alpha female of the Pack. This is my home, and we welcome you into it. Let’s get you up to a room and let you change, Tripp said these were all the clothes you have?”
When Caterina nodded slowly and remained where she stood, Cami looked at Cloe for guidance. Cloe stepped forwa rd and bent down to talk to her , “It’s okay; I swear I would never bring you harm, or take you to someone who would hurt you. Please, come inside and let ‘s see what we can do to help you.”
Finally, her feet became unglued, and she moved forward. Cami threaded an arm through her s and began to chat in an animated tone as she tried to take in her surroundings as she walked in. The house was amazing. A huge entrance that led off into smaller rooms stood before them . To the right was a huge staircase that led to the other floors. As far as she could tell, there were at least four hallways that led in different directions , each with a different nameplate next to it. It might help her from getting lo st at least, she thought, and strained her neck to see if she could read any of them as Cami led her to the staircase.