That vision I had has been sitting on my mind since I had it. I wanted to ask Kayla about the guy in the picture and also why she suddenly joined this pack. Doing so was in no way easy considering the news of our royal beta wolves was spreading like a rumor. Because of all the excitement and obvious reasons, another meeting had to be held and recorded to show the rest of the wolf nation that it was in fact true.
Just as we had, Jax and Kay were asked to shift so that their wolves would be recognized and it was then that we noticed the differences. Their wolves had grown but weren't quite as big as ours and instead of having the same silver streak, their right paw was silver. I found that to be very weird considering we marked them over their hearts however when they returned to humans form the same vines that surrounded their marks were traveling around their wrist intertwining and stopping on the back of their right hands. It made sense after the fact that when one pledges they place their right hand over their hearts to swear their loyalty to us so the marks appeared on their hands as their wolves accepted the bonds Dominic and I have created with them.
With Jaxon and Kayla a part of the team now our home has been like a never-ending party minus fun and freedom. My mother has been running around like a chicken with its head cut off setting up a room for Kayla since she will be living with us too now and gathering things for Jax as well while making sure we're eating in between meetings with more people interested in becoming a part of the staff.
By the time things died down it was well past midnight. I laid in bed with the blanket pulled up over my shoulders waiting for the second Dominic's breathing steadied to sneak out the room. His arm was draped over me making it hard for me to just get up and go so I ended up laying there for an unknown amount of time trying to figure out my best escape route. I gripped the tip of his fingers and tried to lift his arm up that way but it was like trying to pry myself from the jaws of life. There was only one way out of this without waking him. Pressing myself tightly to his bare chest I slid down underneath the blankets, then his arm, and maneuvered my way across the bed until I felt the cool air surrounding the bed brush against my back. Too busy trying to avoid his leg that seemed like it was searching for mine I moved over too far and fell butt first onto the floor.
An involuntary squeal slipped through my nose as I shot up peaking over the blankets like a little mouse hoping he hadn't awakened. I need him to stay asleep so I can get some girl time in with my beta. Finally free, I cracked the door open enough just to slid through it and tiptoed down the hall toward Kayla's room. I knocked lightly three different times receiving no answer and silently prayed she hadn't already fallen asleep. My wolf is anxious for me to get to connect with her and I fear turning away now will mean giving up that chance for a while. I let myself into her room just as she was coming out of the bathroom and grinned from ear to ear silently thanking the Moon Goddess.
"Queen Jade," she bowed to my dismay, "is there something you need?"
"Yeah, first I need you to stop calling me Queen and second," I ran over and grabbed her hand, "follow me and be quiet." Wasting no time my fingers intertwined with hers and I basically pulled her out the room and down the stairs.
"Why do we have to be—"
Her words faded into silence as I pointed toward the ceiling then to the kitchen. Once we rounded the corner I let go of her hand and motioned for her to have a seat. Pulling through the cabinets, drawers, and the freezer I gathered everything we needed to completely pig out. "Vanilla or chocolate?" I asked, waving both boxes of ice cream in my hands.
"Both! Why do I get the feeling we're not supposed to be doing this?" She whispered but gladly accepted the bowl I placed in her hands.
"Because you met my Dad and know he'd flip if he knew we were up eating ice cream and not getting the sleep we need." I rolled my eyes dropping down on the stool across from her. "Between him and my Mom, I don't know which one is the bigger pain in my ass!"
I heard Kayla giggled and felt this weird sensation, got this strange feeling that she didn't do that very often. "Well, that's why you have Dominic right? To massage the pain away."
I snorted, "He'd enjoy that way too much! He's another case all in itself. Since we mated he just refuses to keep his hands and everything else to himself! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining but it feels weird looking everyone in the face when I'm pretty sure they heard me moments before. Too much info?" I cringed thinking that after everything was already said, "I'm sorry!"
"No need! My whole life I lived with my other Uncle and his mate so I've seen and heard a lot worse! I'd come home from school to a wrecked kitchen and they'd both look ruffled as they'd just been caught."
"The kitchen?! I can imagine how gross that must have been. I used to feel that way about my parents but now that I've actually...you know...I understand that it can't be helped. When you feel that need you feel that need!" I laughed lightly only to realize I was alone. I looked up at Kayla and saw her with a faint smile that looked forced. "I'm sorry! I touched a sore spot didn't I?" Still, she said nothing so I bit down and asked the question sitting on the tip of my tongue. "Where is your mate, Kayla?"
That question seemed to break the dam. Her nose scrunched as tears quickly raced toward the resting point underneath her chin. My wolf whimpered at the sight and pushed me to be by her side. Jumping off the stool I rushed around the counter and wrapped my arms around her allowing her to rest her head on my chest. I knew this was going to happen, I felt it and still asked anyway because I felt like I had to ask.
"He—" She sobbed trying to gain control of her breathing. Pulling back enough to see my face she let another stream of tears roll that I wasted no time wiping away with the palm of my hand. "He—" she paused looking at me with a much deeper frown, "They killed him! He was a lone wolf when I met him and really didn't want to be a part of a pack but he was going to join for me. The day he planned to go to my pack's alpha and request membership the enforcers of our neighbor pack caught him on their land, chased him down, and killed him. They—they thought he was a threat." By the time she got all of that out, she was bawling her eyes out sobbing loudly into my chest. I pulled her to me and stroked her hair gaining that familiar feeling of spinning then saw exactly what she said. Clear visions of Kayla and her mate on the phone arguing over her leaving the pack for him then him agreeing to join for her. Suddenly I could feel her pain, the exact moment of his death like I was experiencing it myself. Every blow to his body, I felt and the moment his neck was snapped—mine throbbed with inexplicable pain.
Right away my mind went to my own mate. Was this what it was like for Dominic? Did he suffer the same way? I know pain; not being wanted but I don't know what it must feel like to have to live and breathe every day knowing the one you're supposed to be doing it with is no longer there. I have to do something to help her but what can I do? Dull footsteps sounded behind us and before I could help her banish the evidence of her sadness Jaxon walked in. I moved away from her to block her with my body so she could clean herself up.
"You're having a party without me?! I'm hurt!"
"Yeah, and it's no boys allowed so...bye Jax!" I threw my hands on my hips.
"So rude! For that, I think I'll party crash!" He tried to sidestep me but I followed each of his steps. He chuckled then out of nowhere gripped me by my waist picked me up like I weighed nothing and then put me back down behind him. He sat down on the other side of Kayla with a fleeting smile. Whiffing the air he leaned into her and frowned more. "You were crying."
"N-no I wasn't." She stammered shoving a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.
"Yes, you were. There is salt mixed in with your scent. It can't be from sweat because it's freezing in here. I could smell it from my room."
Damn, I forgot all about his strong sense of smell. Dominic's blood must have enhanced it more. I was about to enter his mind to tell him not to press it but to my surprise, he just grabbed her chin gently and ran his thumb over her cheek. No words were spoken vocally but I could clearly see what was being said through his eyes and feel what was passing through them both; his genuine concern and her appreciate for it. They feel something for each other but don't know what. Their confusion both surrounds the fact that they know who their mates are yet they're intrigued by one another...like Dominic and I were.
Jaxon smiled warmly and to my surprise, Kayla returned it. I feel like an idiot standing back watching the two of them with a smile of my own but I can't help it. Compared to the way I found him sad and sulking yesterday, he seems so happy just being near her. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin this moment for them and thought about joining my mate in bed but I brought my beta down here to talk and form my own bond with her so I'm not letting Jax take this chance from me. Quietly I returned to my stool and melting ice cream watching them as if it was a real love story playing out in front of me. When both of them realized I was still there they tried to pull apart adding a small gap between them avoiding each other like ex-lovers.
"So...what were we talking about?" He scratched the back of his head nervously with a half-smile.
"That this is girl time and no boys allowed!" Retorting with a smirk earned me a response of narrowed eyes and a cloned smirk.
"Well good thing I'm a man and not a boy eh?"
Leaning over the counter he snatched my spoon from my hand just as I was bringing it to my lips. A slight brush of his fingers against mine sent me into another vision. These things are happening a lot more now and it's to the point that I can feel it coming on. Things slow down dramatically and almost freeze as if someone is controlling it with a remote. I was seeing one scene then thrust into another before I could process what was going on. A girl with long reddish-brown hair crying and pleading. Then I saw two wolves fighting. One I know for sure to be Kayla due to the silver paw. There was biting, snapping, and blood in what looked like the front yard. Lastly, there was a wolf almost as big as Jaxon's standing in front of both betas snarling with this fearless air surrounding him. That can't be. There are no wolves as big as ours.
"Jade!" I heard a male voice shouting, looked up, and found my mate standing over me with heavy lids and furrowed brows. "Are you alright? What just happened?"
"I'm fine. When did you get down here?" Looking away from him I blinked a few times trying desperately to make sense of what I saw. The two wolves fighting in front of my house should be a concern but something about this huge wolf has my own riled up.
"That doesn't matter." I was forced to look him in the eyes, ones filled with immense worry, "Your eyes were fluttering like you were fighting to keep them opened and you weren't responding to any of us. I'm going to ask you again before my wolf makes me lose it completely, what happened?"
"I had a vision." Shrugging I turned to pull my face out of his hands dropping my eyes back down to the table.
"A vision? You just said that like I asked you if you like donuts! How long has that been happening?" He said his wolf is about to make him lose it but it sounds like he already has. This overprotectiveness he's adopted is just like his inability to keep his pants on around me; it seems heightened. We're still changing, I get that but it feels like something else is going on. In the days since we've mated, he seems edgy and more aggressive and for once my wolf doesn't seem to have the answers.
On a hunch, I placed my hand on Dominic's arm. I hadn't felt anything when he touched me but maybe it's because my mind was on something else. Leaving it open this time I tried to focus but there were no signs of a new vision. Instead purrs emitted from my throat and a burning need to pounce on him consumed me.
And I say he can't keep his hands to himself!
"Jade?"
"It started earlier. Kayla hugged me and when I wrapped my arms back around her I saw things. The same thing just happened when Jackie touched my hand. Oddly, I didn't get one when I touched you."
"Well, what did you see?" Jaxon smiled seemingly eager. On a normal day, I'd be happy to burst his bubble and say I saw nothing that will expand his already gigantic ego but I really can't explain what I saw. I don't know who it was that Kayla was fighting although I do have an idea. I also know nothing about the larger wolf.
"A girl with reddish-brown hair and green eyes—" Jaxon's eyes nearly fell out of his head as he pushed up knocking the stool backward. "Jax—"
"What about her?" Icily he cut in provoking a growl from Dominic. I stroked my mate's arm until I felt him relax.
"She was crying. Begging or something."
"That's it?! That's all you saw?" His voice raised. He almost seemed frantic like the answer to his question meant life or death.
"Watch. Your. Tone!" Dominic growled again. Jaxon bowed his head despite maintaining a scowl. The soothing of Dominic's arm didn't seem to work this time so I stood, directed him to sit down in my place then stood between his legs. My mate wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my neck inhaling deeply. His temper cooled but right away I felt his body heat up. The quick change in his mood didn't seem to go unnoticed by everyone else either.
"That's all I saw before another vision came in. You and Kayla were in the attack stance with this large wolf in front of you. I don't know who this wolf was and what's weird is, I could clearly see you and Kayla but this wolf was a blur."
"Large as in an alpha?" Kayla frowned looking at me worriedly. If only she knew about the other vision she'd know her fighting skills are nothing to worry about. Like being hit with a bucket of ice water, Dominic pulled his lips and nose away from my neck. I could feel him staring at me waiting for an answer. "I can't fight an Alpha, Jade! I've never been in a fight a day in my life!"
"As long as I'm around I won't let anything happen to you."
"And neither will I," Dominic added after Jaxon. "You think it could be that little shit—what was his name...Travis? Tyler?"
"I think his name was Trent." I shook my head stifling laughter. "And I don't know. I couldn't see the color of his fur, only that he was bigger than normal wolves."
"How is it even possible, a wolf as big as theirs? Hemming made it seem like he knew for sure that there were no others like us."
"But if he knew there were others or at least one, he would have said something. My Uncle is obsessed with this idea of new wolves. He studies it day and night and has been digging as far back as the first of our kind to try to make sense of it and predict what else may be in store for us." I can agree with Kayla on that. Doctor Hemming has been doing everything in his power to make sense of this mess and bring understanding to us.
"She's right. If he knew about this other wolf he would have told us. We need to get him here first thing in the morning and explain the vision. If you saw us preparing to attack then that means trouble is headed our way and Dad needs to know about it too."
I leaned back in Dominic's arms tuning out the rest of the conversation to deal with questions and worry rolling around in my own head. When we were introduced as royalty I was too focused on the shock factor of it and had not considered the possibility of those that may not be accepting of us. I can't think of anyone or any reason why someone would be against us considering we have not decided to impose new laws and harsh rules. We haven't even been in this long enough to have made an enemy yet. The more I think on it I wonder if Dominic guessed right. I stripped someone's wolf away. An alpha's wolf at that. What if I'm not as strong as everyone thinks and by doing that I actually took his wolf and replaced it with a bigger, stronger version? The beast inside me growls at my questioning of her strength and assures me that that isn't the case but without any other answers, I can't help but doubt.