Chapter 21 – Over The Pond
Rex
A castle was perched atop a hill like a relic from the past. It was a stone medieval fortress overlooking a city below. People marched to the beating of drums with burning torches in hand, and smoke billowed up like black fog to the castle. Some were dressed in modern clothing, while others wore clothing from different eras.
Somehow, I knew she was here, and she needed me. My beast stirred inside me with a desperate urge to find her. I pushed through the crowd of people looking for her… looking for that sweet little human my beast was missing.
Fireworks lit up the night sky, and the fog they created danced around in my vision. The fog was reminiscent of the mist in my visions, and when it cleared, I spotted her long hair.
“Maeve!” I called out, but she didn’t hear me.
“MAEVE!” I tried again and moved closer. A dark-haired male turned to her, and she wrapped her arms around him. Shooting pain rippled in my chest and nearly brought me to my knees. I watched as she leaned into him, seeking comfort, and his head lowered down to kiss the top of her head.
“Rex.”
The vision faded, and I felt myself being pulled from my dream.
“Rex, wake up,” my sister called to me. “You’re growling.”
“I don’t know who he is, but I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“Who?” She asked.
“What?” I croaked, blinking away the sleep.
“You’re going to kill someone?”
“I must have been dreaming about Ranger,” I lied.
“You dream about Ranger often?” She smirked. “Mom and Dad are leaving for Crescent Castle in an hour. Papa Diesel found something in the ancient scrolls that could explain the situation with mates. Lukas is going with them, too, and Mom wants us downstairs now.”
“I’ll be down in fifteen minutes,” I said, heading to the bathroom for a quick shower.
Twenty minutes later, I reached the bottom of the stairs in the grand foyer and found Lukas trying to console Selena. She was visibly upset about something, and he looked torn. Fuck, it was painful to see it come to this.
“I’m leaving for Paris in a few weeks, and it won’t matter anymore,” she sniffed. “We can’t change our destiny.”
“I’m going to figure out what’s happening here,” Lukas told her. “Papa might have a lead.”
“I’m spending New Year's Eve in the city with friends from school,” she told him.
“Human friends from college?” He questioned heatedly.
“Just go,” she snapped. “Do what you want to do. I’m not waiting anymore.”
Selena stormed up the stairs without acknowledging me. My brother’s eyes had turned dark and swirled, indicating his lycan felt strong emotions. I stood silently, waiting for him to speak and wishing I could offer words of comfort. Instinctively, my hand dug into my pocket, and Ifelt her necklace, reaching for the comfort it gave me.
I kept trying to soothe my pain by reminding myself I should be thankful I didn’t love her as long as Lukas has loved Selena. But the truth was, I had known her for years and felt a pull to her the first time I made her cry. The first time I snatched her little Loch Ness doll. I wanted her, and my heart was bleeding on the inside.
“The Moon Goddess sure did fuck us!” Lukas snarled before he stomped away.
I understood that lycans lived much longer than normal shifters, and there was a chance we’d find our mates later in life, but it wasn’t just the lycans. It was all the shifters. There had been some matings, but I was starting to believe they were chosen mates because no one had produced a pup.
I entered the kitchen and found Grandma Dori whispering with Flaym, Persephone, and Brianna.
“I don’t think she’s in London,” Flaym said.
“I asked if she’s seen Westminster Abbey, and she sounded like she had no idea what I was talking about,” Persephone told them.
“She avoided telling me the name of the pub she’s working at,” Brianna said.
“What are we whispering about?” I asked.
“Nan thinks Maeve is upset about being adopted and might be trying to find her birth parents,” Grandma answered.
“She hardly calls anymore and is vague when we ask questions,” Brianna added.
“I’m telling you, something is wrong,” Persephone insisted.
“She got life-changing news,” I said. “It’s been what? About three months?”
“Three months is a long time. I would have three other girlfriends by now,” Flaym smirked.
“Well, Maeve isn’t like you… you man-whore!” Brianna bit back.
“Give me your phone,” Flaym turned to Persephone. “I’ll come right out and ask her.”
“Maybe we should take a quick trip over the little pond?” Grandma suggested.
“Grandma, it’s the Atlantic Ocean, not a pond,” Persephone said, handing Flaym her phone.
“Nan is my friend, and I know she’s worried but doesn’t want to say anything,” Grandma told us. “It’s almost New Year’s in Scotland, and they have one of the largest celebrations. It’s called Hog-something.”
“Hogmanay,” Flaym told her.
“That’s it!” She squeaked. “I say we swing by, enjoy the Hogmanay celebrations, try some haggis, sample the whisky, peek under some kilts, and pay her a visit.”
“Or we can just call her,” Persephone motioned to the phone in Flaym’s hand.
“Killjoy,” Grandma murmured.
“What are you going to ask her?” Brianna pressed.
“I’m going to ask if she’s shacking up with someone,” he shrugged. “Then I’m going to ask where she’s at and if she’s okay.”
Shacking up with someone? I snarled at the idea. There’s no way. Maeve wasn’t the type.
I held my breath as Flaym tapped the phone and hit the speaker button. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, and I wondered if she had already met him or if she was going to meet him at a celebration with fire torches. The dial tone stopped, indicating someone answered on the other end.
“Hello,” I heard a deep voice ring out, and a growl rumbled in my chest.
“Who is this?” Flaym demanded.
“I could ask the same, Persephone ,” he replied, and her eyes blew wide. The caller ID would have shown Persephone calling.
“Where’s Maeve?” I snapped.
The fucker chuckled. “She’s sleeping right now. Would you like to leave a message?” My beast surged, and my canines dropped, aching to rip his throat out.
“Where are you?” Flaym nearly growled.
“She doesn’t want to be found right now.” The darkness in his voice made my beast uneasy.
“Tell her Flaym called,” he gritted.
“Ah, the redhead…” His voice taunted. He knew Flaym had red hair.
“If you hurt her, I’ll rip your dick off and feed it to you!” Flaym threatened.
“Is that so?” he chuckled again, and my claws shifted.
Flaym disconnected the call and scowled. Persephone retrieved her phone before he could send it sailing across the room. My mind raced as I considered hopping on the next flight and hunting the bastard down.
“What’s going on in here?” My mother asked, stepping into the kitchen.
“We were just discussing a little New Year's Eve fun,” Grandma said.
“Should I be worried?” Mom questioned.
“We’re considering having a poker tournament, playing some Left-Right-Center, and a little blackjack,” Grandma fibbed.
“I could rent a roulette table,” Flaym suggested. “Have casino night to kick off the fun.”
“Nothing out of control,” Mom warned. “I better not come back and find another broken vase.”
“Yeah, yeah, give my love to Grammy Lucy and Papa Diesel.” I hugged my mother goodbye and waited for her to leave the kitchen. Guilt pulsed through me as I recalled the broken vase I smashed after I had made Maeve cry at the Halloween party last year.
“I think you sold her on the casino night,” Grandma said.
“So what’s the plan?” Flaym asked.
“Maybe we should take a quick trip,” Brianna suggested. “Make sure she’s okay.”
“And take in the sights,” Grandma added.
“I’ve been wanting to try the Scotch Eggs with sausage and breadcrumbs,” Flaym added.
“My dad will know if I leave,” Persephone frowned. “Nothing gets past him.”
“You can be our decoy,” Grandma told her.
“We are not sneaking off on a trip to Scotland,” I told them. I was going to go alone.
“I’m going with or without you,” Flaym snapped.
A possessive tension coiled in my chest. I’d always suspected Flaym was sweet on her because he wanted her. Now here he was… wishing to be her knight in shining fucking armor. He threatened to rip someone's dick off and feed it to them.
“What’s with you and her?” I demanded. My beast rumbled in my chest, and I needed to know. “A secret love affair perhaps?”
“That’s not fair!” Brianna looked outraged at my accusation. “How could you say such a thing when you know it’s not true.” I wondered if Maeve had told her best friend about me.
“Maeve is a redhead,” Flaym said as he leaned back in his chair to study me. “Two percent of the world has red hair.”
“So you like her because of her hair color?”
“We’ve been friends since the first day she arrived. The first day you made her cry,” he reminded me. “I care about her like all of my other cousins.”
“Listen, Maeve is my friend and a member of this pack,” Grandma said, breaking up the tension. “It’s our duty to ensure she’s okay, and that arrogant bastard sounded like he was up to something.”
“Maybe we should call Alpha Hamish?” Persephone held her phone up.
“No Alpha wants Dad to know he’s failed,” I shook my head. “He’ll hide it, even from us.”
“So… I’ll tell my parents we’re going skiing at Gore Mountain with Storm and Caspian?” Brianna suggested.
All eyes turned to me expectantly. I needed to know that little kitten was okayandsee her with my own eyes. One thing was clear—I would not be able to shake off Grandma and Flaym.
“We leave in two hours.”
“I’ll book the tickets,” Flaym said, pushing back from the table.
“I’ll get my lucky rabbit’s foot,” Grandma chirped.
“Leave the pistol. We’re flying commercial,” I reminded her.
Between the flight time and the time zone difference, our plane touched down in Glasgow early in the morning. I hated flying commercial airlines because the planes were slower, security took too long, and I could hear every little noise from economy class thanks to my lycan hearing. Flaym, Grandma, and Brianna had shoved foam plugs into their ears and quickly fell asleep.
I didn’t trust myself to fall asleep on the plane and not wake up raging from a dream. The foam plugs didn’t work on me, and I could still hear the crying baby in the back of the plane. The baby triggered thoughts of Maeve… thoughts that haunted my dreams. She was going to find someone, probably already had , fall in love with him, and have a family.
The shuffling on the plane started even before the doors were open. People filled the aisle, trying to get to their luggage so they could rudely shove past others in rows before them. This was another one of those things that annoyed me on commercial flights. Even in first class, the asshole in the seat behind me tried to cut off Grandma.
“Oh my!” She feigned surprise when her leg shot out into the aisle, sending the idiot toppling face-first over his suitcase.
I heard the sound of snapping bone and then a loud cry. The stewardess rushed to the man and helped him stand as he cradled what I suspected was a broken radius or ulna. Flaym coughed to help hide his amused laugh, and I resisted the urge to smile. The man was escorted off the plane first with the help of the stewardess. Flaym retrieved Grandma’s pink suitcase from the overhead compartment and followed her out.
“Well, he wanted to be first off the plane,” Grandma shrugged. “Guess he got his wish.”
We went through the airport, stopped at the restrooms, and cleared passport control.
“Are we going to the pack first?” Brianna asked.
“We’ll have to start somewhere,” Flaym replied.
“What if Alpha Hamish calls the Alpha King and tells him we’re here?” Brianna questioned nervously.
“Pshh,” Grandma waved her hand dismissively. “We’ll tell Hamish we’re in Glasgow to pick up a special order of Scottish Crystal for your parent's anniversary and ask him not to say anything.”
“Scottish Crystal?” Flaym asked.
“Highland cows for all I care,” Grandma shrugged. “Your father would love itif we shipped a few back.”
We stepped outside to the taxi area and found a comfortable van to drive us. I gave the driver the address of the private resort we were visiting and loaded our luggage. Grandma and Flaym chatted with the driver the entire hour about demon water horses, seals that shed their skin and become human, faeries, sleeping giants, and even a Scottish version of a werewolf.
“You mean to tell me The Wulver was a friendly wolf shifter who shared his fish with people?” Grandma asked.
“Aye, thare’s been rumors o’ shape shiftin wolves fer centuries,” he replied.
“Imagine that,” Brianna giggled.
The taxi dropped us off at the resort check-in center, but I knew it was a front because it wasn’t a resort. It was pack territory, and the receptionist behind the counter wasn’t a receptionist. It was two warriors who seemed to lose their tongues the moment they set eyes on me.
“Rex, honey, can you reel in your aura before you give these poor darlings an aneurysm,” Grandma smiled sweetly.
“We need to see Alpha Hamish immediately,” Flaym clipped with authority.
Ten minutes later, the Range Rover that escorted us from the resort check-in station to the pack house stopped. The pack house looked like a sprawling lake-side resort in the middle of nowhere. The doors were pulled open, and heads lowered the moment I approached. Their wolves didn’t need to see me to sense me. This was probably the first time many from this pack had seen a lycan.
I entered first, with Grandma and Brianna behind me and Flaym behind them. We were in friendly territory, but I never trusted anyone.
“Alpha Rex,” Alpha Louise greeted me. She had been theAlpha of this pack before passing the pack to Hamish. “Wonderful tae see ye again, an with Dori.”
“Hi, Louise,” Grandma waved.
“Please sit,” she motioned. “Hamish is on th’ way.”
I didn’t want to sit. I wanted to see Maeveand find the bastard who hadanswered her phone. Beat the smugness from him. Tension pulsed through my veins, and the beast inside me wanted to hit something.
“Alpha Rex, Flaym… Dori, pure barry tae see ye again!” Alpha Hamish entered the room with warriors trailing behind him. “An who might ye be?”
“I’m Brianna,” she introduced herself. Hamish looked her over with a pleased smile. His eyes darkened, and his wolf pushed forward.
“A’h dinnae remember meetin' ye at Moon Realm,” he took her hand.
“Yes, well,” Flaym cleared his throat. “Our pack is over three thousand strong. You can’t expect to meet everyone.”
“I’m Maeve’s best friend,” Brianna smiled.
“Is Maeve wit ye?” Hamish looked around.
“What do you mean, Hamish?” I asked.
“She left th’ pack two months ago. Think she wis homesick,” he replied.
“She left two months ago?” Brianna asked.
“Aye,” Hamish nodded.
“She probably ran aff wi one o’ th’ humans from town,” a burly warrior spoke from behind him.
“Are you the rugby player?” Brianna asked, and the prick puffed his chest out.
“Aye,” he replied like a neanderthal.
My beast rumbled in my chest when I made the connection. My father interviewed Maeve when she first arrived, and his file contained detailed notes about her cruel cousins and Scottish family.
“You’re Jack Jameson?” I asked, stalking toward him.
“A’h am,” he smiled, extending his hand for a shake. “Tis mah pleasure—”
I didn’t give a fuck about his pleasure. He had bullied Maeve, and that was all I needed to know. I drew my closed fist back and hurled it into his face before he could react. The punch connected with his jaw, and Iheard it crunch. The big oaf flew back a few feet before he crash-landed on his ass.