Chapter 11 #2
Paige started chanting. EJ grabbed Elise and Cayden already had Cassie. I asked, “Are you alright, Cass?” My sister admitted, “I wouldn’t have been.” Cayden glared at Cassie’ Guard. My brother in law asked, “What the fuck does that mean?”
Cassie explained, “I was drinking water. Addison and Sierra here filled us in that Hunters have a special type of drug they use. I know what it smells like now, but Melanie and her friends have been around it, so they already know the scent. Melanie knocked the drink out of my hands and then… it all went to hell. I guess technically it went to hell before then.”
I asked, “Who is in the van?” Cassie winced, “MaryBeth and Emma.” I heard two growls of anger behind me. Dane snarled, “WHERE IS MY MATE?!” Finn asked, “Who took my mate? Who would DARE to do that?”
Dylan said, “Ohhh now they are asking for it. LSGAP activate your legends and your powerful pups. My daughter in law has been taken and I need you to assemble your collected Pokémon to battle!” I retorted, “My mate is already with them.”
Dylan took out some popcorn, “Oh. Then why are we worried? MelAshley is LITERALLY electric. We just need to figure out where they are. LSGAP, hold on assembling our troops.” Dakota’s phone rang and he quickly walked away to answer then jogged back to us a minute later.
Dakota announced, “They are in Red Run. Melanie just got MaryBeth and Emma to the hospital.” Avery said, “Then there’s cleanup to do. Mel would’ve killed everyone in the van besides MaryBeth and Emma.” I popped to the hospital.
I saw several crying faces, but I didn’t see Melanie. The rest of the group popped in. I grabbed a doctor, “Where is Melanie McAlister?” The pack doctor frowned, “We tried to get her to stay, but Ladybug just took off. She’s sick though.”
I growled, “FUCK! Of course she is.” Paige sighed, “She’ll be able to be here tomorrow.
I’ll bring the brew by.” I took off outside and ran into Nick Kyle who was on the phone.
He hung up frowning. I asked, “What?” He sighed, “Ladybug was really sick, but she just took off running away from me. She’s so damn fast.”
A Warrior came up to Nick. The Warrior said, “Umm I think Ladybug might have destroyed the former Beta’s home. It’s been vandalized.” Nick frowned, “I seriously doubt that. For several reasons.” I added, “I agree. That’s not like her.”
Tank chimed in, “She definitely didn’t. Melanie didn’t have time, and the sight of that house rocked her.
” I growled. We walked up to the McAlister’s house together and went inside.
Pictures of the family were smashed all over the place.
Melanie’s room was a wreck. I walked back downstairs and picked up a picture doing a double take.
EJ asked, “What?” I turned the picture around, “I can see Melanie in this picture.” I looked at the other photos.
I added, “I see her in all the pictures now.” My dad added, “So do I.” EJ nodded confirming, “Me too.” Paige explained, “I did that. It was this whole complicated mirroring type deal. The point is it was complicated, and I fixed it. Let’s go with that. Just pop to Melanie, Alexander.”
I pointed out, “I can’t.” Paige sighed, “Yes, you can. One of the spells on the rings was to prevent popping or portaling EXACTLY to her location. You could have gotten near her, or around her, but if you tried to go directly to her it wouldn't work. Now, you can.” I was gone in the next second.
I was pleasantly surprised I actually ended up right next to Melanie. Good to know. I could finally pop to my mate. That would be handy. Apparently, the guy Melanie had was the one who’d vandalized her parents’ house. That made more sense. I seriously doubted she would do that.
Melanie knew this guy which raised my hackles. Oden snarled in my head, “If he’s from Black Path I will lose my shit.” I warned my wolf, “He probably is.” The asshole turned out to be one of Trevor’s friends. Because of course he was. I could smell Melanie faintly on Francis.
I looked down and pulled out her old hairbrush. Fury lit into me. They were going to use Witches and Warlocks to pull my mate to them. Oden snorted, “It wouldn’t work, but they would start to get the clue that she wasn’t a normal wolf.” Great. Just great.
I linked EJ, “Pop to us. We have the culprit who wrecked the McAlister’s house.” EJ popped in with Elise. I walked over to Melanie. Her skirt was still messed up from riding the motorcycle. Freya took over and taunted Francis saying his plan wouldn’t have worked.
Francis was stunned her wolf had actually come out. Apparently, they knew the plan. Oden was furious, “This WRETCH knew they hid my mate away! HE HURT MATE!” I got that. Melanie wanted answers, but Francis claimed he didn’t have them.
I actually believed him, and it appeared Melanie did too. Great. Just another person to worry about popping up. I needed another one of those obnoxious people to look out for. Melanie didn’t want me to kiss her because she’d been sick.
I pulled her skirt down and her reaction told me that she’d forgotten all about it.
I nearly killed Francis when he made a comment about her ass and called her Ice Queen.
Luckily for him, I had to assure Alpha Raven’s wolves I was not here for them.
Which they damn well should know since we were allies.
I popped Melanie and I home in the next moment. We had so much to discuss. The need to claim her was pounding in my ears, but that wasn’t what needed to happen right now. Oden growled, “She smells like other men.” True.
That was solvable. My mate could shower, brush her teeth, and I could go for a run. I took off outside, running past everyone in the living room without a glance backwards. I shifted the second I was outside. I could hear someone behind me.
I felt in my connection it was EJ. I ran for a few miles and shifted back. I snapped myself clothes, punched a tree, and turned around. I demanded to know, “What do you want?” EJ snorted, “What do you mean what do I want? You took off like a bat out of hell. Of course I followed you.”
I sighed, “It’s been a fucking day.” EJ acknowledged, “I know.” I growled, “My mate shifted alone again. How many times can the universe victimize Melanie? Even if it took a few seconds, someone should’ve been there. I should have been there.”
EJ said, “I know that, and I agree. The thing is we had no way of knowing when she would shift.” I snorted, “Selene just keeps proving she’s a shitty goddess.
I don’t know why this continues to surprise me at this point.
I expect this out of Azoney, but I’m done with all of them. All the goddesses are dead to me.”
EJ agreed, “Me too. This has hurt you, mom, and Elise. I’m done too. We have Aesir, and that’s good enough. Selene allowed a wolf to be suppressed. I don’t care if it hadn’t been someone we knew who is your mate.”
“No one should have to deal with that as a sixteen year old kid. That’s wrong. Now, that knowledge is out there. We can protect our pack, but what about the ones Melanie knows about that can’t protect themselves?”
I sighed, “I think she took ten years off my life tonight.” EJ snorted, “So you are changing the subject, I see.” I put my head in my hands, “My mate is strong and I know she’s capable, but when Melanie jumped off that bike onto a van and went through a holoport bleeding I froze.
Melanie is in the Resistance, and she hasn’t even told us that yet. ”
“I don’t know how to handle her going off for them because she will. She runs off into the unknown and always has. I just didn’t know that. This whole time I thought she was safely in New York dancing her heart out I was wrong.”
“Instead, I find out that’s not true at all. My mate has been running around and in danger. She’s got to be on so many people’s most wanted list, and not for anything good.” EJ said, “They don’t know who she is though.” I snorted, “That doesn’t really make it better.”
EJ sighed. I threw my hands in the air, “Melanie’s the white wolf, big brother. THE white wolf is REAL, and she’s my mate. What the HELL do we do with that? I told her I’d protect her. Can I even do that? It will hurt me if I ended up lying, and she’ll be the one who feels bad about that.”
EJ answered, “Of course you can. Besides, you can’t lie. You’re my Alpha Enforcer, Alexander. You are also a Squadron Leader for Cayden. Additionally, you are an Alpha. Plus, Melanie is not now, nor has she EVER been, defenseless.”
I yelled, “That’s not the point! I know she’s not defenseless.
My mate is now like this super Werewolf.
Mel was already insanely good without a wolf!
Now she has one and Freya is the freaking white wolf.
We should’ve known that for four years. We should’ve had four years to plan.
Now, we are scrambling, and I feel unprepared to protect my mate.
I already feel like a failure at every turn with her. ”
EJ interrupted, “You aren’t a failure.” I raised an eyebrow arguing, “I let some stupid cookies convince me Melanie was fine MULTIPLE times when my instincts were SCREAMING at me that she wasn’t.”
“I was drawn to Ashley from the first time Phil said her name. Her emails to me furthered my need to know her, but did I go see her? No. Because I felt guilty because I believed Melanie was my mate. I could’ve saved her so much pain had I simply satisfied my own curiosity about her.
Or had Phil go do it. Hell, I could’ve had Levi go or even you.
Or if I’d had her brought up for Elise’s party. There was even a plan!”
EJ tilted his head, “Ok, I did not know there was a plan for Elise’s party. Technically the plan would be called kidnapping. It’s probably for the best that you didn’t start your relationship out that way. I don’t know if that would’ve ended well for anyone you sent to get her.”