That Butt Naked Godly Being Has a Brother!
Take a moment and breathe.
Sometimes life isn't what you'd thought it'd be but you just have to remind yourself to push onward, make something from this life.
For you big brother, I push onward even when it gets tough and the easiest thing would be to quit.
Previously in Chapter Twenty Two
Chuckling, Seth pressed his lips to the top of my head, "I don't know how Nicole worded all that, but I was sure I wasn't that bad, maybe I needed a lay to fix me," He laughed.
I couldn't help but laugh at his words, "That is exactly what Nicole said, she figured you just needed a good lay to mellow you out from your tough guy charade!" I shook my head amused with my own words.
"I could be a tough guy now if it'd get me a good lay ..." Seth suggested with eyebrows raised suggestively.
Shaking my head, I laughed, "Not gonna work tonight, I'm tired," I responded quickly.
Seth pouted and moved his hands down my back and over my bottom, pulling me up suddenly flush against his body, "Fine, get some sleep my love," He grumbled, lifting his chin and pressing a warm kiss to my lips.
Chapter Twenty Three
The next morning I woke early with my head resting on Seth's chest, his arm wrapped protectively about me. Despite waking up in my ideal position; comfortable next to my love, there was something off about the morning and for some reason I wasn't getting good vibes.
"Seth..." I whispered softly as the bad feeling continued to sneak up on me.
Opening his eyes quickly, Seth looked up at me with soft eyes, reaching out and brushing his fingers along the side of my cheek, "Good morning, my beautiful," He greeted with a soft smile.
Biting nervously into my bottom lip, I looked at him with confused eyes, "I don't know what it is, but something isn't right. I can't describe it, I don't really have the words to...but I just woke to this eerie feeling and I don't like it," I told him honestly.
Seth's body stiffened at my words, his arm tightening around me as he remained silent and strained to listen for any abnormal sounds in the house. Sitting up suddenly Seth pulled me up along with himself and quickly released me from his hold as he moved towards the door. "Stay right here," He ordered suddenly, grabbing the handle and pulling the door open, disappearing in a second from my view. Staring at the empty bedroom, when time was slipping by and I grew too impatient, I climbed out of my bed and made my way slowly towards the door. Peaking outside my bedroom, I felt myself let out a breath as Seth came jogging back upstairs , his eyes catching mine instantly, "Get dressed, we have to head back to my house," Seth spoke firmly, my heart beating quicker as I heard his concern slipping through his voice.
"What's wrong?" I wondered.
Seth seemed spooked by what ever he came across when he was down stairs, and I didn't like feeling out of the loop, "Someone was down stairs recently, and it wasn't Della or your dad, their scent was unlike anyone's I've met before; they lingered in the kitchen, came upstairs once and then went back down stairs and out the back door. I need to get a few of my men on the scent before it disappears." He explained as if sensing my curiosity
I nodded, not needing any other excuse, "What about my dad and Della?" I asked faintly as I pulled my sleep shirt over my head and threw on a simple black tank top along with a light pair of jean shorts, keeping Seth's eyes the entire time.
"They're both still sleep down the hall; your dad is snoring slightly and Della is breathing with her mouth slightly parted, they rather enjoyed themselves last night," He chuckled faintly under his breath as I threw my hands over my eyes and let out a groan of disapproval which only raised Seth's amusement in the situation. "I'll have two men come stand guard on the house to ease your mind, but I have a feeling whoever was here earlier wasn't looking for them so they won't be bothered," He explained.
I felt relieved at his words and let out a breath, I didn't need to be worrying about my dad too.
"Why would they be looking for either of us then?" I wondered as we moved out of my bedroom and down the stairs.
Seth sighed, "Because we've been with my brother, and because we've been searching for them...I'm almost positive it's some of Kenton's men on Jeremy's trail, they've most likely been told at any cost to find him," He suggested.
I nodded, not really knowing how to respond to this. By the time we reached Seth's house, I was nervously cracking my knuckles as I followed Seth around the house as he gathered everyone he thought would be useful, explaining to his father the situation from this morning at my house. I wasn't surprised when everyone seemed to agree to Seth's suspicion but it did continue to make my uneasy feeling grow.
As the men chatted around the living room, waiting for Jeremy to arrive after they got ahold of him, I sat with a hot cup of coffee in my hand and my feet tucked underneath me, my head leaning into Seth's shoulder. Sitting up and setting my coffee down when Nicole came into sigh clutching Colton in her arms, "What in the world is everyone doing up this morning, usually you all are sleeping in till noon..." She laughed faintly, I opened my mouth to warn her that Jeremy was on his way over after this mornings visitor at my house when both of our eyes snapped towards the door as Jeremy welcomed himself inside without even a simple knock.
Everyone was silent, you could actually hear the clocks ticking on the walls as Jeremy's eyes stayed fixated on Nicole holding their baby, the baby he has yet to see. Biting into my bottom lip, I moved to jump up when Jeremy stepped in Nicole's direction but was stopped by Seth's firm hand. My heart was pounding in my chest as Nicole hugged Colton closer to her chest, but remained rooted in her place as Jeremy continued to get closer. When he was standing in front of her Jeremy reached out and brushed his fingers softly against Nicole's cheek, her head turning into his hand, her mates touch too strong to deny, before lowering his hand and touching his baby for the very first time.
I swear I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest as Jeremy turned into a softie right in front of my eyes, tears pooling up as he looked at his son and slipped down his cheeks. "Oh, he's perfect," Jeremy sucked in a deep breath, holding his free hand up and dragging it underneath his eyes. He lost his manly persona for a moment looking down at the child he'd yet to lay his eyes on, and all he could see was perfection in his mates arms.
Nervously biting into my bottom lip, I reached out and dug my hand into Seth's thigh, my nerves getting the best of me, wanting to jump up and do something, anything. I saw the situation moving smoothly but I didn't want it to quickly do the exact opposite. This was the first interaction between the two that I'd witnessed that didn't cause yelling almost instantly, no one could blame me for being nervous.
Seeming to realize the situation herself Nicole clutched colton closer to her chest and took a slow step away from Jeremy, "Excuse me, I-uh...I need-I got to go," Nicole stumbled over her words as she turned and booked it towards the stairs.
Sighing, I grabbed my coffee and slipped out of Seth's hold, chasing after Nicole and leaving the boys to talk about the situation at hand.
Knocking softly on Nicole's door, I wasn't surprised when she didn't answer and tried the handle anyways, surprised to find it unlocked as I let myself in. Seeing Nicole sitting there in utter shock, tears streaking her face as she held Colton close and bounced him softly in her arms.
Shutting her door, I caught her eyes as I closed the distance, set down my coffee and scooped Colton from her arms, giving her the opportunity to curl over and let it all out.
After a solid ten minutes, Nicole pulled herself together and dabbed under her eyes, "I am so fucking glad there was that many people in the room or I might have let him take me over the sofa after that look in his eyes," She chuckled lightly, finding humor in her own words.
I shook my head, "He really wanted to see his son, maybe it can genuinely change who he is, make him strive for greatness?" I suggested.
Nicole shrugged, " I just don't want to get my hopes up," She sighed.
I nodded understanding her concern, "I know, but that look," I reminded her, "It looked like he had finally seen the light after all this time," I spoke softly. "As much as the guy drives me nuts, I saw such love in his eyes, and not only for Colton, for you too..." I told her truthfully, "I'm not saying forget all his wrongs, but maybe he isn't unforgivable," I finished.
Letting out a sigh, Nicole bit into her bottom lip, "You might be on to something," She admitted softly, before holding out her hands, "Here, let me put Colton down for a nap and we can head down stairs." She offered.
Glancing down at Colton, I realized his little eyes were getting tired and sleepy yawns were slipping through his lips. "You sure you want to go back down there?" I asked faintly.
Nicole nodded, "There has to be a reason that everyone is here this early anyways, I've grown curious..."
I laughed faintly at her thrown together reasoning and handed her over her baby as she reached for him, rocking his faintly as she bounced in place, whispering softly to him for a few minutes before softly laying him down in his crib.
Letting out a breath, Nicole looked at me before gathering herself and nodding confidently, waving me to follow as she moved towards her bedroom door. Standing quickly, I scampered quietly behind her and walked at her side as we defended the stairs and walked down the hallway into the living room.
Pausing their conversation, the guys eyes drifted up towards us as we entered, I smiled faintly in Seth's direction before turning to Jeremy who was watching Nicole carefully, seeming to have regained his composure from earlier.
Dropping my gaze, entering the room, I moved towards Seth and took a seat beside him, finding comfort as Seth's arms moved around my waist and held me close to himself, leaning in close and pressing his lips to the back of my head.
"Let's continue," Seth's voice ordered the group, over powering the awkward moment and sending it directly into conversation. From what I picked up in the first few minutes back in the room, I found out that they had already sent out a small group to track the scent back at my house, while another was sweeping he surrounding trees. Mel and Hunter were on their way over for protection and for once it felt like everything was falling into place.
Derek had been quite silence since I reentered the room, and cleared his throat when chatter started to pick up, "We need to think back on the clues; when it first started it was with Jenny and her murder, then Mel's kidnapping and the 'game' she was supposed to play, now watching the future Alpha sleep in his mates house." He went through a quick recap, "Can you think of anything that might lead us to whoever is following you Jeremy?" He asked his son.
Jeremy broke his gaze from Nicole's direction, "Who isn't following me?" He laughed faintly, "Kenton has this plan of a statement of power, wanting everyone to know who he's messing with, that he's always watching. When I disconnected from the gang I became a game to him, it was only a matter of time before he decided to carry out with his plan with or without me, I'm surprised it took this long honestly." He explained, "I was briefed on the statement of power before I denied the offer, he wanted to start off slow, not let anyone know what was about to hit before he went in for the finale. He wanted a blood bath, and that it nothing I'd ever want to be apart of. It is very important that we find him and his men before the real killing begins," He urged.
I tucked myself into Seth as his arms subconsciously tightened protectively around me, "That means 24 hour guard and patrols. I want rotation of the land and regular contact with everyone," Seth spoke confidently.
Everyone instantly agreed to his words and people were moving, guys slipping out the back and scattering.
Looking up when Mel and Hunter came into the living room, I uncurled myself from Seth and walked quickly towards my best friend, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her in tightly, "How are you?" I asked softly.
Mel returned my hug and let out a sigh as we broke our hug and looked at each other, "I'm going okay, Hunter isn't letting me out of his sight. He tells me the heartbeat is kicking strong," She smiled, her hand subconsciously moving down to her stomach at the mention of her growing baby.
I smiled at her words as Nicole walked up and pulled Mel into a hug of her own, "Oh Mel dear, you missed so much!" She spoke in an amused whisper.
Instantly intrigued, Mel looked between me and Nicole and smiled, "I need to be caught up!" She insisted.
Both me and Nicole agreed quickly, and just as we were about to dismiss ourselves and move our conversation out of hearing range, Jeremy walked up behind us and cleared his throat softly, "Could I talk with you Nicole?" He asked faintly, his voice breaking faintly.
Nicole bit into her bottom lip upon his question and took a slow breath before nodding hesitantly, "Oh-sure..." She mumbled faintly.
Beckoning her to follow, Nicole sent me and Mel a wide eyed stare before she turned and followed Jeremy out of eyesight.
"Let them talk," Seth's voice came from directly behind me.
Spinning around, I came face to face with Seth's soft eyes, "After earlier they need to talk. He could barely focus as we talked about what tot do, he's no help to us if he can't think straight." He explained.
I nodded, "I just question her self control..." I told him truthfully.
Seth laughed at my words, "They are mates beautiful, my brother may be an ass, but she fell for that ass a few years ago and obviously liked something about him to get herself pregnant. She's held quite the grudge towards him for the past year of his absence and I saw a weight be lifted from her shoulders when she saw his eyes light up seeing Colton," He spoke confidently, "Nicole is one of the most stubborn girls I know, I doubt she'd give him anything for at least a solid month after he apologized for being a complete idiot and leaving his mate pregnant."
Biting into my bottom lip, I nodded slowly and glanced back in Mel's direction, she seemed completely confused by Nicole's willingness to talk to Jeremy. "I missed a whole lot didn't I?" She sighed.
I laughed, "Oh yes..."
Mel laughed, "Well while we wait for her to rejoin us, how about we take a seat and catch up?" She suggested.
I agreed and we moved into the living room and took our seats. With our mates at our side, it wasn't much of girl conversation, more casual conversation as we both glanced anxiously in the direction that Nicole and Jeremy disappeared in, "They've been gone quite some time, don't you think someone should check on them?" I asked softly, turning and glancing up in Seth's direction.
Seth chuckled, "If they were bickering, we'd hear it by now. They're fine," He promised.
A few minutes later, when me and Mel ran out of casual conversation, I jumped up when Nicole came walking back into the room, her hands clutching themselves, twisting in a nevous behavior. "Can I steal the girls?" She asked softly, looking between Hunter and Seth, her eyes soft.
Both guys didn't have a reason to deny her and nodded, following behind her, I wasn't surprised when we ended up climbing the stairs and moved straight into her bedroom where Colton lay sleeping still.
When the bedroom door was shut and locked behind the three of us Nicole let out a deep breath, "He apologized...I mean he physically got down on his knees and begged for my forgiveness-He cried over missing out on me being pregnant with Colton and my labor that I had to go through alone-He told me he never thought he'd be gone that long that he would leave for a few weeks before returning and asking for forgiveness, he just wanted the assurance me and Colton would be safe if he returned." She explained faintly, "If that fucker just never got involved with Kenton none of this would have happened and I'd be a mated wolf by now!" She growled faintly.
"And there was no fighting?" I asked faintly.
Nicole shook her head, "No, how could I fight with a man near tears on his knees begging for my forgiveness. I could barely think straight just over the simple fact that we were alone for the first time in over a year and for once I wasn't furious with him. I'm afraid his forgiveness will be what sends my wolf into heat and either I accept we're going to mate finally or he needs to be very far away from me when it starts..." She groaned.
Mel nodded, "You'll know when it starts, yeah? I don't have anything to really go off of, Corey probably knows better..."
"It just hits, last time mine hit we were about to go at it and Seth knew before it was even noticeable to me. We'll just have to keep an eye on you and Jeremy..." I suggested.
Nicole sighed softly, and jumped up as Colton started fussing in his crib, moving over and checking on him, she was obviously relieved when he fell silent once more.
Our conversation slipping into silence, the three of us ended up curled on Nicole's bed, filling Mel in on everything that she'd missed as she recouped from her kidnapping event. Our talk fell silent as a knock came down on the door and the door pushed open, startling not only us, but the poor sleeping Colton, drawing a cry from his lips as he was scared from his sleep.
Surprised to see Hunter standing there with wide eyes, I sat up straight in the bed, "You all need to come down stairs," He ordered, stepping into the room and pulling Mel up to a standing position, his hand falling protectively on her back as he led us out of the room without another word. Nicole staying back to calm Colton and to put him back down.
I felt my heart thumping loudly in my chest as we descended the stairs, I was comforted when I was greeted by Seth's warm arms as I reached the last step, his arms pulling me into him as he pressed his lips to the side of my neck, "Some of the guys came across some bad stuff on the sweep of the trees..." He mumbled softly. "Jeremy has officially seen red."
I was curious about what was discovered, it was sounding quite serious, and I didn't like the sound of it.
Keeping one of his arms protectively around my body, Seth walked us into the living room where a crowd had quickly gathered. The chatted around the room was all over the place, I was hearing all sorts of things from pictures to maps, and it wasn't piecing together anything in my mind except creating more confusion.
Squeezing my sides, Seth cleared his throat as his mom and dad walked in the room beside us and almost instantly silenced the room, everyone obviously searching for answers, needing guidance from their leaders.
"I understand each of you are concerned about the discovery made this morning, not only do we have the tragedy of yet another pack members murder, but we found detailed plans towards the physical harm of another. I want to assure you that we are going to do whatever it takes to find this individual before another is harmed," Seth spoke confidently.
Derek agreed to his sons words, "We had set out a at all costs discovery and we'll fall through rotations of 24 hour patrols. " Derek ordered, "I want everyone within pack lines and checking in with myself every four hours," He spoke firmly through the crowd, "I understand everyone isn't present, so I expect each of you to spread the word."
After assigning groups, and Seth was given a later patrol shift, everyone was dismissed, the first patrol heading out as I pulled Seth upstairs and into his bedroom.
"Who was the detailed plan of harm towards?" I asked as soon as the door was locked.
Seth let out a soft breath and reached out, running a hand through my hair, "Not you, thank God," He breathed, genuinely relieved.
I leaned into his touch, and pulled him towards the bed, the two of us sitting down face to face, "Okay, but who. Was it Nicole, is that why you said he was seeing red, and why he wasn't there for the briefing?" I asked softly.
Silent, my question was answered before Seth had a chance to respond, "There was pictures of Nicole and Colton across multiple days, a list of potential times to target, when she was alone. They have been following her for weeks now, it was a sick collection right up until when Jeremy came back into town, which leads us to believe that it wasn't because of his arrival that who ever this is has been watching her for the sport of it or by Kenton's orders when they couldn't track down Jeremy." He explained.
I shook my head, "Oh my-"
Seth nodded, "That's not it, all of this was discovered in the hands of a pack member, Danielle, she was 19 and was attacked so badly she was barely recognizable. She wasn't some weak girl either, she was supposed to be with the guys doing sweeps of the woods, she could kick half the guys butts she was running with. I just can't figure why they would give away their intentions with this latest murder," Seth mumbled.
I bit into my bottom lip, "To show that they're capable of," I suggested, "They wanted you to know what they could do, and how they plan on doing it," I offered. "Nicole wasn't downstairs, she was with Colton, is someone going to tell her?" I asked softly.
Seth nodded, "My mom is going to, they wanted you to, but I'd rather not have you out of my arms," He admitted with a soft smile, reaching out and pulling me towards him, laying backwards and pulling me with him so I was laying on top of him.
Laughing faintly, I shook my head, "Why do you have to go tonight?"
With a sigh, Seth looked at me with soft eyes, "I've got to protect our pack, these people need me. We need to find them so people can sleep in peace at night," He explained.
I nodded, "If you don't mind, I'd prefer to stay here tonight then, wait for you to come home and know you're safe," I told him truthfully.
Seth nodded and ran his hands up my back, "You can call and tell your dad, but I'd love that," He admitted.
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A Little Note From The Author:
Ah, it only took me three weeks to get this posted, I know that's still a long while, but honestly way better than last time! I am honestly a little proud of myself!
No editing done, so sorry for the mistakes!
So if you didn't get my message, I spent last week in the Bahamas and enjoyed every second of it! Scuba diving and enjoying the beautiful island full of amazingly sweet people! I'm home now so between work and life, I'm getting in a ton of writing. I may or may not have the next chapter ready as well...!
Since I'm not a person who has a set goal of votes or comments before I upload the next chapter, and honestly I don't ever see myself doing that, because this is sequel, and I don't know how many are joining the fun wagon of this journey, the only thing I'm asking you to do if you want to see me continue to update this at a regular pace, I would love to see a constant response coming from this... so, if you want the next chapter really soon....VOTE and COMMENT on this chapter! And if you want, maybe FAN me too;)
THANKS SO MUCH!
~J
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