Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Jayce hoped his decision to overstimulate his mate until she came so many times she was worn out would help her relax. She was relaxed all right. She fell asleep when she finished her bottle.
He let her rest in his arms until they needed to leave. Hating to rouse her, he kissed her temple and did it anyway. They didn’t have a choice. Everyone was gathering in order to hear from her. The two of them had to show up for the meeting.
“Hey, Baby girl.” He popped the pacifier from her mouth, wanting her to use some words before they headed out. “It’s time to head to Elias and Leah’s house.”
She whimpered but didn’t argue. She wouldn’t defy him, but that didn’t mean she liked this plan. He was certain she wasn’t keen on the idea of a large gathering of strangers. He couldn’t blame her.
“I’m scared,” she murmured.
“I know you are, Baby girl. I can scent your fear. I’m already able to read your emotions pretty well.
I want you to know this is totally unconventional.
Newly mated couples do not have guests. They do not go to meetings at other people’s homes.
It’s unheard of. Even though some of the more recent mates have had to face other people a few times during their honeymoon period, none of them have been forced to endure something like this one day after their ceremony.
I’d rather lock all the doors, strip you naked, and spend a month ravishing your body.
But we have to face the pack. It’s important.
As soon as we’re able, I promise we’ll come back here and spend as much time enjoying each other as possible. ”
“Okay, Daddy. I’ll be brave.”
“I know you will, Little one. I’m so proud of you.” He was. His chest was tight with pride. It was also hurting because he knew crowds made her nervous.
He sat her upright and kissed her forehead. “I think it’s best that you wear a diaper. I promise there will be other Little girls wearing one. I’ll even put a pair of leggings on you to give you a bit more modesty. Can you be strong and do that for me?”
“Yes, Daddy.” She was trembling, though.
“I won’t force you. If it really unnerves you, you can wear panties, but I think you’ll be far more embarrassed if you wet yourself than you will be from people knowing you’re diapered.”
She nodded. “I understand.” Tears sprang to her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. A little sob escaped.
“Oh, sweet mate of mine. I’m so sorry.” He swiped at the tears with his thumbs. “This is so challenging for you. It’s not fair. I wish I could make everything go away.”
She lifted her arms and threw them around his neck. “Thank you, Daddy. You’re the best.”
“Like I said earlier, I won’t set you down unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’ll hold you in my arms as much as I can. You’ll have your pacifier around your neck. If you get stressed, pop it in and suckle.”
“Okay, Daddy.” She sniffled.
“Of course, I won’t be able to hold you while we’re traveling.
When we get outside, I’ll give you space to shift.
You haven’t gone for a run yet, so it might be awkward at first. Stay right on my flank the entire time.
I’ll go slow for you while you get your footing.
When we arrive, we’ll shift back, and I’ll pick you up, okay? ”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl.” He kissed her forehead again. Man, he hated this. It was killing him to have to share his new mate with so many people. They should be sequestered in their bedroom, lying around naked, feeding each other from a snack board, lounging in the tub, snuggling on the back porch. Not this.
He prayed whatever was causing such tremendous unrest in the atmosphere could be challenged and defeated soon so he could begin his life with his mate in a more traditional way.
The truth was, Jayce was as unnerved as anyone.
They all feared that something truly bad might happen.
It had been centuries since any of the wolf packs in the area had been challenged by an outsider.
Is that what was happening? Were the lions going to challenge the wolves and the bears? For what? Territory?
There was nothing inherently special about the land any of them occupied. There was no reason for another group of beings to descend on the area and upset anyone’s way of life. For what end goal?
He feared the lions were the root cause of all of this disturbance. It wasn’t the bears. Sure, they’d had issues with a few rogue bears. One of them recently killed another and was in guarded custody while the bears tried to decide what to do with him.
At this point, Jayce didn’t really believe anything happening had to do with Drow—the rogue bear. It seemed unrelated. But there was no way to be sure.
The amount of trust Jayce and the rest of the Alpha Protectors had extended toward the bears was tremendous, but with the arrival of so many mates who could verify with near certainty that the trust was not unfounded, everyone felt more confident.
The bears couldn’t do anything without the knowledge of the newly mated females.
They couldn’t have a conversation out loud or even telepathically without one of the wolves listening in.
When they ate, Rylee smelled it. When they moved, Amber saw it.
When they spoke, Molly heard it. When they made decisions, Khloe had a flash of their intentions.
Leah was having dreams. Olivia could speak to them telepathically when they visited.
And Suzette had recently developed an odd sense of touch.
When she set her hands on things, she could see who else had been there across time.
The only recent mate who had no powers anyone could discern was Jezebel, and Jayce was sure she worried every day that something would change, and she would suddenly find herself with new abilities. It was unnerving for her and for everyone.
What was Sienna’s role?
Jayce hated not knowing. That was the worst part. He wanted answers and solutions. Strange visions of a bear pressuring her made no sense to Jayce. The oddness was compounded by the fact that Surge denied being aware of the scenario Sienna had described.
“Daddy?”
He shook himself out of his thoughts and leaned her back to look into her eyes, pasting on a fake smile. “I’m sorry, Little one.”
“It’s going to be okay,” she said calmly.
He furrowed his brow. “I know, Baby girl. Everything will be fine,” he fibbed. He had no way of knowing that, but he wanted to sound confident for his mate.
She shook her head. “No, I mean it really is going to be okay. I know it.”
“What do you mean, you know it?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know how, but I know everyone is going to be safe soon, and the threat will be gone.”
He forced himself to smile. “I certainly hope so, Little one.”
She grabbed his face with both hands. “Daddy, I mean it. I know it.”
She was so adamant that he couldn’t dismiss her yet again. “Okay, Baby girl. I believe you.” He really did. He took a few deep breaths and forced himself to center. His mate knew things. He had to trust that if she sensed everything was going to be fine, it was.
“We need to go,” she said as if she was suddenly the voice of reason. “They’ll be waiting on us.” Was she saying that flippantly, or did she know it from some weird sixth sense? It didn’t matter. Either way, she was right.
Jayce stood and set his precious mate on her feet. He guided her to the nursery and toward the closet to pull out a red dress and matching leggings. He figured if anything happened that caused her to shift in the middle of their travels, he would easily be able to spot her.
Hurrying, they were outside minutes later, ready to go. He was concerned. His new mate had very little experience shifting, and she had never gone for a run. This was so far out of the ordinary that he wanted to tip his head back and howl loud enough to shake the mountain.
That wouldn’t help at all, though, so he took a deep breath and nodded toward Sienna. “Go ahead and shift, Little one.”
She closed her eyes and let the shimmer take over. Moments later, she stood next to him, her gorgeous black wolf taking his breath away.
There was no time to waste, so he shifted next to her and took off, keeping his pace slow enough for her to keep up while she got her bearings. As soon as she could pick up the pace, he trotted faster.
It didn’t take long to reach Elias’s house. Jayce came to a stop just outside the clearing and shifted back into his human skin. Sienna did the same seconds later, and then he swooped her off her feet and kissed all over her face. “So proud of you.”
She giggled. “Daddy…” Every time she used that endearment, his heart raced. The single word was music to his ears. He’d waited twenty-eight years for his Little mate to join him and call him Daddy. She was here. She was his. He prayed nothing happened to destroy his happiness.
Hoisting her up on his hip, he headed toward the front of the house. Everyone was arriving from different directions and gathering outside in the clearing. All the recently mated couples were joining the group, plus a few of the elders—Talon and Owen.
The two older Alphas approached.
Talon nodded stoically toward Sienna. “Welcome, Little one. I’m sorry you’ve been forced to assimilate so quickly.”
“Thank you, Sir,” she murmured, her body stiffening.
Owen patted Jayce on the back. “Talon and I are only here so we’ll be informed. We’ll report back to the other elders.”
Jayce nodded. “Thank you.”
A loud voice made them both turn to find Arion in the center of the gathering.
“Thank you all for coming. As you know, we have zero idea why we’re all gathered here today.
It’s disconcerting to say the least. It would seem all of our recent mates have been gifted with abilities none of us could have predicted.
There has to be a reason. I feel the sizzle of electricity in the air. I’m sure all of you do.”
“Thank you for calling this gathering,” Brock stated.
“As many of you know, my mate Suzette has recently come into her own power. The power of touch. She can set her hand on any object and see who else has also touched that object. It’s unnerving.
We stopped several times on the way here for her to experiment, and I’m frustrated to say that she has discovered holes in her knowledge.
Sometimes she touches an object and isn’t granted a view of whoever came before her. I’ll let her elaborate.”
Suzette stepped in front of Brock and cleared her throat.
“I was curious why we all felt compelled to gather here specifically, so I touched everything in the vicinity. Sometimes I could see specific people having been in that spot before—any of us or several of the bears. But other times, all I got was a blurry shimmer of a person perhaps almost in human form but in the process of shifting.”
Jayce gasped. Everyone did.
“Leah has something to add,” Elias stated as he picked her up and held her higher.
Leah glanced around, fiddling with the hem of her dress. “This morning, I dreamed of all of us standing right here. I know we were meant to gather.”
“I do, too,” Khloe added as Felix pulled her into his arms. “I watched each of you preparing to head this way.”
The air was thick with impending…something. Jayce couldn’t put his finger on it. None of them could. “Where are the bears?” he asked, knowing several of the women could answer the question.
Molly, Rylee, and Amber stepped into the center of the clearing and faced the direction the bears were known to live. They each looked like they were in a trance as they stared into the distance—hearing, scenting, and seeing things no one else could.
Sienna squirmed in Jayce’s arms. “I have to join them, Daddy.”
He held her tighter. “No, Little one. You’ll stay with me.”
She grabbed his face and twisted to look him in the eye. “I have to join them,” she repeated.
He stared at her. He couldn’t let her go. It went against his common sense.
“Daddy,” she urged, “you have to trust me. It’s my calling. They need me. I’m here for a reason.”
“What reason, Baby girl?” he whispered, shaking from head to toe.
“I don’t know, Daddy, but it’s all going to be okay. You have to put me down and trust me.”
He swallowed hard, kissed her on the forehead, and lowered her to her feet. She rose onto her tiptoes, grabbed him around the neck, kissed him on the lips, and smiled at him. “We will live a long, happy life together, Daddy. But first, I have to take care of this.”
He choked up as he let his mate of twenty-four hours turn and walk away from him. It wasn’t as though he couldn’t spot her. She was wearing the red outfit he’d put on her intentionally so he could see her at all times.
She joined the other women in the center of the circle at the same time as every other mate—Suzette, Olivia, Leah, Khloe, and Jezebel.
All of the women stood together, huddled really, touching each other. They gasped in unison but didn’t share what they seemed to collectively know. Whatever powers they each held seemed to sort of coalesce, as if by holding hands they could share information between each other.
Jayce knew all this without knowing a thing. He simply knew. His heart was racing. He sensed all the rest of the Alpha Protectors having the same panic attack.
There was a sense of impotency. For centuries, the Alpha Protectors had existed for the purpose of ensuring the safety of the rest of their extended pack in the valley.
They had patrolled these mountains day and night to make sure no creature—shifter or otherwise—broke their ranks and upset the peaceful existence of the inhabitants of the valley.
Suddenly, the power was shifting. Nine women had all the knowledge, and they were going to put an end to this looming threat, whatever it was.
Jayce was humbled and proud. His mate was both his Little girl and a powerful wolf in her own right. All of these women were.