by BE Kelly
“Was he late to school that day?” Aylen asked. Kaiah knew her sister already knew the answer though. They both saw it.
“He was,” Jace said. “I was the one who drove him in that morning because Mary seemed to be at her end. She had a meeting at work and I needed to get over to an early morning council meeting.”
Aylen nodded, “So, you found Ash playing with this,” she said, holding up the Lego spaceship she took from Kaiah.
“Yes,” Mary agreed. “I told him we didn’t have time for toys and he raised a fuss but finally gave up when Jace came in from the kitchen to find him pouting about not wanting to go to school,” Mary said. “Jace got Ash moving and offered to drive him to school. I needed to get to work, so I took him up on his offer. I went to work just after the two of them left for school.”
“Anything out of the ordinary?” Rios asked. “You know, maybe someone dropped by your house unexpectedly or you had a phone call from someone you didn’t know?” Rios knew the drill—they needed a needle in the haystack for cases like this. The authorities called them cold cases but she and Aylen loved to work the impossible to solve cases. It gave them a challenge and she was always up for a challenge.
“No,” Mary said, looking at Jace. “Nothing out of the ordinary that I can think of.”
“Me either,” Jace said. “I spent the morning out in my garden and then shifted and went for a run. When I got back, I realized how hectic Mary’s morning had been with Ash and tried to pitch in where I could.”
“When you got him to school, did you drop him off or walk him in?” Kaiah asked. Something wasn’t adding up but she couldn’t figure out who was lying to her, Jace or Mary.
“I had to help him in because of his project. The glue wasn’t dry along one of the walls and I had to help get it in and fix it. His teacher was kind enough to let me hang out in the classroom to fix it,” Jace said.
“How long were you there?” Aylen asked.
“About thirty to forty minutes. I got to the council meeting a little late that morning but seeing the smile on Ash’s face when he saw that I fixed his project was worth it,” Jace said. He smiled at the memory and Kaiah’s heart ached for him. Sure, he was an asshole but he missed his kid. He longed to find his son and that was a part of him she understood. She’d feel the same way if it was her kid missing.
“What happened next?” Kaiah asked.
“The next thing I remember was the school calling to tell me that my son was missing,” Mary said. “I called Jace right away to let him know and ran down to the school. The whole drive, I thought for sure that someone had messed up—you know?” Mary asked. “I thought that I’d walk into that school and Ash would be sitting behind his desk wondering why I was at his school but, he wasn’t. He was gone and there wasn’t anything I could do to save him.” Mary sobbed and Kaiah felt her remorse down to the pit of her stomach.
Echo’s cell phone rang and he answered it. “Yeah,” he said. “All right, I’ll tell her.” He ended his call and looked at Aylen. “Your son is demanding your presence,” he said. “That was Anita and Ryker is hungry and wants nothing to do with his bottle you left for him.” Kaiah wondered if they had set up a time for Anita to call Echo’s phone and make some excuse for them all to be able to leave Jace’s.
“You just started,” Jace said. “You can’t leave.”
Aylen stood and Jace crowded her, causing Rios to growl and step between Jace and his wife. “Step back,” Rios ordered. Aylen put a hand on her husband’s arm, silently asking him to stand down.
“My sister and I will be back in the morning,” Ay promised. “We would like to talk to Ash’s teacher and if possible, any other employees at the school. Can you arrange that?” she asked.
“How do I know I can trust you to return?” Jace asked.
“You can’t,” Aylen said. “My word means nothing to you but I can promise you that if you fight us on leaving, we will not be back—ever.” Aylen stared Jace down and he looked back to his wife, seeming unsure of what he wanted to do next. Kaiah could tell that he was spoiling for a fight but she worried that wouldn’t end well for any of them.
“I’ll stay,” Lake said.
“Wait—what?” Echo questioned. “You aren’t staying out here, son.”
“It’s fine,” Lake said. “I’ll stay here as a promise that Kaiah and Aylen will come back in the morning.”
“You expect me to believe that your half-sisters care enough about you to return for you?” Jace spat.
“Yes,” Kaiah said. She stood and crossed the small family room to Lake, taking his hand into her own. Aylen did the same, flanking his other side. “We might have just met our brother but he’s family and Ay and I don’t leave family behind.” Kaiah could feel Echo’s eyes on them, especially with the way Aylen was mean mugging their father.
Jace sighed and ran his hands through his already unruly hair. “Fine,” he agreed. “Lake can take our spare room.” He pointed at Ay and Kaiah, “You two don’t come back for your brother and you’ll be searching for another missing person—understood?” Echo’s growl filled the cabin and Rios and Gray didn’t look much happier.
“Deal,” Kaiah quickly agreed, trying to deescalate the showdown between the wolves in the room. “You lay one finger on Lake and Aylen and I won’t help you—understood?” Jace nodded and they all turned to leave.
“Be back here by eight,” Jace ordered, still trying to call the shots.
“Will do,” Aylen sassed. “Better yet—we’ll meet you at the schoolhouse. Have Lake text me the address and make sure everyone is there for Kaiah and me to talk to.” Kaiah loved her sister. She was the youngest but so bossy, she’d never let Jace believe, for even one minute, that he was in charge, even if he was.
Gray
Gray shut the door to the little cabin that they were staying in at Echo’s and turned to push Kaiah up against the wall. “You pissed me off tonight, Baby Girl,” he breathed. Kaiah looked up at him, no fear in her beautiful brown eyes. She had no reason to be afraid of him—he’d never do anything to hurt her, ever. Kaiah seemed to know that about him and even with the threat in his voice, she didn’t back down. His girl was fierce.
“I pissed you off?” she shouted. “You possibly got me pregnant in the middle of the woods but even better than that, you could have turned me into a wolf. So, sure—you should be the one who’s mad here, Gray.” She tried to push him off her body but when he didn’t budge, she leaned in closer nuzzling her nose into his neck. She scented him and it was so hot.
“Shit,” he whispered. He pushed her back against the wall again and kissed his way into her mouth. “Kiss me,” he growled when she wouldn’t open her mouth to let him in.
“Daddy,” she moaned, shamelessly rubbing her body against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down, giving him exactly what he demanded. Hearing her call him Daddy was always a fucking turn on and the way she responded to him made him instantly hard. He pulled her jeans down her body and made quick work of getting her naked.
“I need you, Baby Girl,” he mumbled against her lips.
“I need you too, Daddy,” she groaned. Kaiah pulled his t-shirt up over her head, running her greedy hands all over his body. When she unzipped his jeans and slipped her hands in to find his cock, he moaned. She stroked his cock and he nearly came in her hands.
“You need to stop that, Baby Girl,” he whispered against her lips.
“Why?” she coyly whispered. His girl knew exactly what she was doing, teasing him to the point of him losing his shit.
“You know exactly why, Baby Girl.” Gray pulled her hand from his cock and out of his pants. He quickly pulled down his jeans and wrapped her legs around his body, picking her up and wedging her body between him and the wall. Gray thrust into her body, loving the way she breathlessly cried out. “You feel so fucking good,” he whispered, kissing his way down her body. “You’re mine, Kaiah,” he demanded. “Say that you’re mine.”
She gently nodded her head, “I’m yours,” she agreed. “Always.” Gray pumped into her and he knew he wouldn’t last long.
“If you’re pregnant, the baby is mine too—say it,” Gray ordered. He wanted her and if tying her to him through their pup was the only way to keep her, he’d do it.
“Yes,” Kaiah moaned and he knew she was close.
“Yes what?” he asked.
“We’re both yours, Gray,” she insisted. Gray felt her core tighten around his cock and he couldn’t help but find his release, pumping deep inside of her, spilling his seed. They stood like that, breathlessly holding each other and for just a moment, he could see his future and he knew it was with her. Kaiah and the family that they were going to build was everything he dreamed about and so much more.
“Marry me,” Gray whispered against her neck.
“Gray,” she whispered.
“I mean it, Baby Girl,” he said. “Be my wife. I don’t care about any of the other shit going on around us, all that matters is you and me.” He pressed his forehead to hers, hoping she’d be able to read every one of his thoughts. He needed her to see how much he wanted her—how much he wanted her to say yes.
“What if it isn’t just you and me?” she asked. Gray knew that she was worried she might be pregnant but he wasn’t worried. He was feeling quite the opposite of worry. He was excited and even thrilled about the possibility of Kaiah being pregnant.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “In fact—I’d be happy if you were pregnant.”
“You would,” she whispered, seeming unsure of herself.
“Yes,” he said. “Marry me,” he repeated.
“Yes,” Kaiah whispered. “I’ll marry you, Gray.” He lifted her back into his arms, cradling her small form against his body and carried her back to the bedroom.
“Gray,” she squealed. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to tie you to the fucking bed and keep you there so you don’t have time to change your mind,” he teased.
“I won’t change my mind, Gray,” she promised. “But, I need you to agree to one thing for me.” He could tell from her tone that he wasn’t going to be thrilled about her request.
“Name it,” he breathed, dropping her onto the bed.
Kaiah giggled, “No more hiding things from me. If you fuck up, I want to know and we’ll work through it together. Deal?” she asked.
“Deal,” he agreed. “And, if I piss you off—and we both know it’s going to happen, Baby Girl, you promise not to run away. Deal?” he asked.
“Yes,” she quickly agreed. “I’m sorry that I ran, Gray. I was married to a man who liked to control my every move. He wasn’t abusive, just controlling. I can’t go back to that kind of life,” she said. “I won’t.”
“I’d never want that for you, Baby Girl. I love how competent and in charge you are. You are the most capable woman I’ve ever met,” he assured.
“I’m not sure just how capable I am anymore,” she said. “I can’t see what’s happening around me like I usually can. How can I help find Ash if I don’t have full use of my gifts?” Gray wasn’t sure what to tell her. If she was pregnant and that was what was blocking her abilities, she wouldn’t be able to help Jace. Their only hope was Aylen and she wasn’t fully back to having her focus when it came to her visions.
“We’ll get through this—all of it,” Gray promised. “You trust me?” He knew she did but he needed to hear her say the words.
“Always Daddy,” she whispered, reaching for him. “Always.”
Gray was walking through the woods and he wondered where the hell he was. The last thing he remembered was falling to sleep with Kaiah in his arms, his world feeling right for the first time in a long time because she had agreed to marry him. There was snow on the ground but he wasn’t cold. God, he hadn’t seen snow for so long and he remembered how much he loved it. He hated living in New Orleans—even thought about moving a few times especially when the temperature rose to over one hundred. He hated sweating through his shirts and never being comfortable, but his pack was in NOLA and now—his woman was there too.
“Gray,” Kaiah whispered. He loved dreaming about her. It was like she was there with him but she wasn’t. He could tell her all his secrets and it wouldn’t matter because he’d wake up and she’d be gone.
“Baby Girl,” he whispered.
“Where are we?” she asked. Kaiah looked around the woods and back at him.
“Not sure, but I’m betting we’re still in Canada. I haven’t seen much snow in New Orleans lately—at least not this much.” Gray took her hand and she smiled up at him.
“I love you,” she whispered. He smiled and nodded. He would never get tired of hearing her say those words to him. “And, I love our baby too,” she said, cupping her flat tummy.
“You’re pregnant?” Gray whispered. “Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure,” she said. “I think it’s why my abilities are off.” Gray knew all of this but he was wondering why he was dreaming about it. Usually, when he dreamed about Kaiah, they were both naked and climbing all over each other. Talking wasn’t something that they did much of in his dreams. “You still haven’t figured it out yet, have you?” she asked, smiling up at him.
“Figured what out?” he asked. Gray wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his body.
“That this isn’t a dream,” she said.
“No?” he questioned.
“No,” she said. “It’s never just dreams between us, Gray. This is what happens when two people are connected. We share the same dreams. This, for me, is a vision and I think we’re here for a reason.” Kaiah looked around again and he was trying to catch up.
“We’ve been sharing dreams?” Gray asked. Kaiah smiled and nodded. “All this time, it’s been you in my head?” he asked.
“Yep,” she admitted.
“So, every time we—you know, you were here?” he asked.
“I was with you in here,” Kaiah said, pointing her finger to his temple. Kaiah took his hand and started to lead him through the forest. “This place reminds me of the woods around Jace’s house.” Gray looked around and he had to agree although he didn’t see any buildings around, Kaiah was right—it looked like the reservation that they had just been to earlier.
“You think you’re seeing this place for a reason?” Gray asked.
“Yes,” she said. Kaiah released his hand and walked around searching the area. “I’m betting that’s the school over there,” she said pointing to a tiny building that had been painted red. It reminded him of the little one-room schoolhouses, although it was a little bigger than that but not by much. It had a flag pole out front and a small sign that was still too far for him to make out what it said. Kaiah started for the building and he followed her, cautious that they were being watched or followed which was crazy since it was his dream.
“You know I can hear your thoughts, right?” she questioned. “It’s our dream,” she corrected.
“Well, I can think of about a million other things I’d like to be doing in our dream than trudging through some snowy woods,” he reached for her and she giggled, running the rest of the way up the slope to the school. “I’m too old for races, Honey,” he grumbled. Gray trailed behind her and when she was just about to the school, she stopped dead in her tracks. It was almost as if he could feel her fear before he even reached her.
“Kaiah?” he questioned.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “She took him.” Kaiah pointed to Mary who was rushing Ash out of the school. He recognized the boy from a picture he saw the night before at Jace’s place.
“You think Mary took him?” Gray ask. He watched as Mary rushed Ash to her waiting SUV and helped him into the backseat and shut his door. Ash looked out the side window back at the school and Kaiah gasped.
“She’s hiding him so Jace won’t know,” she whispered.
“So Jace won’t know what?” Gray asked. He was having trou
ble following her, she was running towards the school again—towards Mary’s car as it quickly sped away as if she could stop her. “Kaiah—wait up,” Gray ordered. “What is Mary hiding from Jace?” he asked
“Ash can’t shift,” Kaiah said. “Mary is only part shifter and Ash hasn’t shifted yet. She thinks that her husband will have their son killed if he finds out that Jace isn’t a pure bred. She’s been hiding the fact that her mother was human from Jace all these years. We need to talk to Mary,” Kaiah said.
“Yeah—we should talk to her but it needs to be alone. If Jace is in the room with her, things might not end well for any of us,” Gray said.
Kaiah turned and looked at Gray, “We need to wake up now,” she ordered. “We need to find a way to talk to Mary alone. Wake up Gray,” she said again just before she disappeared from his dream. Gray took one last look back to the schoolhouse and quietly cursed. This thing was about to explode in their faces and there wasn’t a damn thing any of them would be able to do about it.
Kaiah
It had been a month since Kaiah let Ay and Rios talk her into pretending that she didn’t have her vision. She couldn’t believe that her sister wanted her to lie about what she saw but she understood that they needed a plan in place before she accused Mary of hiding her son away. Ay told her that Mary abducting her son was a good thing. That would ensure that Ash was safe because his mom wouldn’t hurt him. She was betting that Mary took Ash to keep him safe.
The morning after she had her vision, she woke up ready to drive out to Jace’s house and demand answers from Mary and Gray seemed to feel the same way. As soon as they got up and dressed, they headed over to Echo’s house to tell everyone what she had seen but instead of agreeing with her about confronting Mary, they took a group vote to come up with a better plan and pretend that she didn’t know that Ash was taken by his mother. Even her sister and brother-in-law voted against her and that hurt. Instead, she let the same sympathy she felt for Mary turn to disgust. How could she do what she did and keep on pretending that she was distraught over losing her son? Kaiah had to give it to Mary—she was either a damn good liar or a fantastic actress because she had everyone in her tribe believing that she was the grieving mother lost in her despair.
