(Dimitri)
Staring up at the ceiling I tried to figure out whether or not I had actually got any sleep this time around. It was rare, but on occasion I managed to get a few hours here or there.
Glancing toward my window I noticed the sun had just barely started to break through the night's darkness. I dreamed of her again, of Mia. Feeling her perfect flesh under my fingers, kissing her beautiful mouth. Closing my eyes, I tried to shove aside the images of our mate, as I prepared myself to face another day, week, month and probably year without her, with no word or idea where she could be.
(Mitri... you awake?) my twin brother and Co-Alpha grunted through our link, sounding just as plagued and worn out as I was. (Yeah Dant... I'm awake.) letting out a deep sigh as I felt the shared pain that my brother and I had, passing it back and forth through our bond as we both tried to push away images of Mia. (I need to let my wolf out... and just run.) Dante my serious, stern twin stated simply as he struggled to wrangle in his emotions from our missing mate. (me too brother... me to.) shaking away my lack of sleep, I threw my blanket off and reluctantly climbed out of my bed. (I'll meet you in the back yard in ten minutes.) Dante announced with determination. Of the two of us, he was the one who could push pass the pain and focus his rage and frustration on something else or channel it into running or training. (Okay.) I reluctantly stood up and stretched out my tired naked muscles, padded over to my dresser pulling out a pair of grey basketball shorts and quickly slipped them on.
Yawning from my restless night I threw open the kitchen door and found my brother in a pair of black shorts, already in the yard stretching and jumping in place preparing for our run.
"Let's go." he snarled in frustration like most mornings, without even bothering to look at me. Yawning once again, I walked over and stretched out my back.
"Ready." I stated slipping off my shorts as he did the same. We both burst forth in our wolf forms ready to run off our anger.
At first glance our wolves looked almost identical, but there were slight differences. We were both dark grey with black streaks running along our backs, Dante's were wider, were as mine ran down my sides on to my back flanks. Shaking out our fur to loosen up, we both shot forward racing into the forest lining the back yard.
Dante swiftly pulled ahead, I felt fury coming off him in waves as images from his dream started to flood our mind link. At first it was just Mia when she first arrived, smiling, laughing. Then it switched to her reaching out for him, yelling, crying, begging him to find her. They were gut wrenching to watch as they flickered across both our minds.
This was why he needed to run, to get out his guilt of not finding her and bringing her back. I knew exactly how he felt, because I woke up with the same guilt haunting me. Frustrated that we could never track her scent beyond the Havencrest borders, as if something was blocking or masking her scent from us.
Trying to shove the images from my mind, I pounded my paws along the forest floor not far behind my twin as we rounded the lake, I glanced over and instantly remembered the first time we brought Mia here to swim.
"It's beautiful." she exclaimed her eyes twinkling as she stared across the water.
"Yeah." Dante and I both agreed yet we were watching her, not the water. She giggled turning toward us.
"Last one in has to carry me home." she announced playfully, stripping off her shirt and shorts revealing her white with black polka dot two piece.
Tossing her clothing on the ground she ran into the water laughing. Scrambling to get in with her, we both tore off our shirts and kicked off our shoes. We both ran in diving once we got pass the shallow part. Resurfacing I could hear her beautiful giggle as she watched us.
"Looks like Dante is carrying me home." she teased. Dante swam over to her and swept her into his arms, making her squeal.
"Your pretty light... I think I can manage." He chuckled lifting her up and tossing her into the air toward the deep part of the lake. Her eyes where wide as she screamed with excitement.
(STOP) Dante barked into our link. I snapped back as I felt his rage pushing him to go faster, run harder. his voice slipped revealing his devastation. (Me to brother.) agreeing with him.
We ran the whole length of the forest, rounding around the town and our property twice. All seventy-five miles of it. We both sprinted out our last burst of energy into the back yard and shifted back into our human forms, slipping on our shorts. Walking into the kitchen we found our Mom sitting at the round breakfast table, she was slumped in her chair, weak and exhausted.
"Mom." I called rushing to her as she looked up at us entering the kitchen. "What are you doing? You know you're not supposed to move around the house without one of us to help you." scolding her like she did to us as children.
"I didn't want to stay cooped up in my room all day." She whimpered, her voice was harsh and feeble as she spoke. Sighing behind me Dante came over and scooped her up in his arms.
"Maybe some fresh air will help." He grunted, holding her close to his chest and swiftly carrying her outside. "You want to sit in your garden... or Mia's?" his voice cracking as he spoke her name, a shared ripple of pain coursed between us.
They both had a garden just a few feet from each other in the side yard. Mia had started hers when she first moved here, a way of coping with her mother's death, but I had added to Mia's garden along with Dante helping occasionally a few months after she was taken from us. I continued to add to it and care for it over the years, just wanting something to be close to her.
"Mia's today." Mom whispered. Dante swiftly carried her toward the garden and gently placed her in a soft patio couch that we had placed out here, when mom had decided she liked to sit in Mia's garden once in a while. "You did wonderful job with this Dimitri." mom smiled weakly as she gazed around at the English roses and pink tiger lilies that dominated to area. I had added a few other lilies, petunia, and roses to the garden to add color to it.
"Thanks." I shrugged glancing around the garden, wondering if Mia would have even liked it. "Dante helped out." glancing toward my brother who was scowling as he looked around.
"What time is your Doctors appt. today?" Dante demanded, no longer wanting to talk about the flowers or who they were planted for.
"Three thirty this afternoon." mom sighed leaning her head back against the couch and closing her eyes.
"I'll take you today... I have to run a few errands and need to stop by the bank for the club today." Dante ground out, biting back on his anger as his expression softened slightly watching our mother. She simply nodded as she laid back.
"You need my help with anything at the club?" I asked watching my mother as well. Worried that she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. I had been to one to stay with her as Dante took over running the Pack's club, we had opened just a few years ago.
Our dads had helped us get it up and running. My heart clenched as I thought of them, they had both been killed a few months ago in a deliberate attack against our pack. They were targeted since they were our Alphas. Their deaths are what is killing our mother, their mate bond was severed when she lost them and took her will to live with it.
When you are mated with your destined mate a connection is formed, a close-fitting bond that binds you with the other person. Mom was mated to both our fathers and when the connection to them both was severed, her body and mind were overwhelmed with grief and pain that it started to shut itself down. The pack doctor already informed us that it's her own will power that will keep her going and when she gives up on that, she too will be gone, slipping into her own death from the despair of losing her mates.
"I'll take care of it." Dante shrugged pulling me from my thoughts. "I'll call if I need you to come down."
"Alright... Maybe I can get a nap in before you guys get back." I chuckled knowing full well that wasn't going to happen.
Several hours later I found myself outside chopping wood to burn off some excess energy hoping to tire myself out so I could hopefully get some sleep tonight, but I doubted it.
"Hey we're leaving." Dante yelled from the back-kitchen door as I swung the ax down splitting another log.
*****
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I turned and nodded toward him. Wedging the ax into the piece of log we used as the brace for splitting the wood, I gathered up the pieces I had cut and tossed them into the wheel barrel and took them to the pile that was lined along the side of the patio. After piling up the wood I headed into the house to shower and get something to eat.
I stripped off my clothes on my way up to my room and tossed them into my laundry basket as I headed into my bathroom. Turning on the shower to as hot as I could stand it, I slipped in under the current and let it relax my muscles. After washing up I quickly changed into a pair of dark grey khakis and a dark blue tank top. I slipped my boots back on just in case I had to head to town to help out Dante and headed toward the kitchen to get myself something to get, hoping that there was still some leftover spaghetti still in there from the other night.
I had just opened the fridge to search for the spaghetti, when I heard a vehicle turning onto our driveway. Focusing on my hearing I was able to distinguish that it was an Equinox, with only a single passenger most likely female from the sound of her heart beat and breathing.
Groaning in annoyance that another fucking tourist was lost and heading onto our property only seemed to piss me off or maybe it was the lack of sleep and food. Growling I heard the car come to a stop in front of the house. Slamming the fridge shut, I stomped out to let them know they we're not welcomed, today was not a good day for me to encounter strangers.
"This is private property... You can't just dri..." I started to bark at the woman standing outside of her car, staring at my mother's garden that I had added a few of Mia's favorite flowers too.
When the wind suddenly picked up and sent a light breeze pass the woman, toward me. Her scent hit me directly, causing me to stop in surprise. I knew that scent, my wolf jumped up just as astonished as I was to finally smell that wonderful scent again, I couldn't forget it if I wanted to. Lavender, vanilla and Mia. This can't be real, it's a trick, an illusion from the lack of sleep.
Finally, I took notice that I was slowly approaching this woman, I stopped myself to inhale that scent again, to see if it had changed and yet every time I was met with the same scent, her scent. I closed my eyes in complete bliss with Mia's delicious scent wafting around me. I didn't want this euphoric feeling to go away.
(What has you so happy I can feel it radiating through our link?) Dante questioned in irritation, feeling the pure happiness pulsing through me. (A wonderful surprise brother... a wonderful surprise.) whispering back as my wolf howled with relief and satisfaction that our mate was back. (Whatever, keep your secrets. We'll be home soon.) he snipped back hating surprises (Okay.) keeping my answer simply as I shut off our link, not wanting him to catch anything about Mia in it. I wanted him to be just as shocked and caught off guard as I was.
Tentatively she reached up and removed the aviator glasses that were covering most of her face. Finally, I got the confirmation I needed, proving that this was our Mia standing in front of me, those gorgeous chocolate brown eyes of hers, there was no denying it.
Tearing my eyes from hers I allowed myself to gaze over the rest of her seeing how much she had changed since the last time I laid eyes on this beautiful creature standing before me. Her hair was cut shorter with bronze and copper highlights, her curves had filled out in all the right places complimenting the woman she has grown into, she still had long, flawless tan legs and the most enticing full lips.
It was her, she was really back, after all this time, after all the agony and despair she was finally home. But how? Why now?
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