“I bought new sheets. These ones got your blood on them when your wings practically cut their way out of your back. I was freaking out when your back tore open, until your aunt told me what was going on.” Charlie explained.
“She seems to like you. What happened while I was asleep?”
“Baby, I love you but you do need a shower. I will tell you everything when you come out. I may join you once I get the bed situated. I need to clean the mattress.” Charlie winked at me. I rolled my eyes and I turned on the shower and gladly stepped in.
The spray of the warm water felt great. I raked my nails along my scalp relishing in the sweet pleasure it brought to my head. As I moved to scrubbing my body, Charlie stepped into the shower to help me scrub the dried blood off my back. I was finally starting to feel like myself again.
When I finally shut the water off, my skin was red from the heat of the water and the force of my scrubbing. Charlie handed me a plush grey towel, that I happily took and began drying off with. I opened the draws to the dresser, and pulled on a pair of black yoga pants and a pink cotton t-shirt. As soon as I was dressed, Charlie pulled open the curtains to show that the sun was high in the sky. I blinked at the window and sunlight.
“What time is it?” I wondered out loud.
“Around two. Before I forget you’ve had some phone calls and messages. First, Billy called a bit worried. I told him that you had a heat stroke and had a seizure, also that you would call him and Debbie back when you were up to it.” Charlie recalled. I nodded, making a mental note to check my phone after I was done eating. “Secondly, and reluctantly, Bo informed me that Sal has gone to your mom’s twice now because you missed two days of school. I don’t know how he knows that but I have some suspicions.”
“Well, I don’t give two shits about Sal. But I will text Debbie and call Billy. Thanks babe.” I relied with a smile. “I hope Billy didn’t talk your ear off.”
“No, he was cool. I got to chat with him. He told me all about your birthday month challenge thing you guys do. It sounds nice.” He said, taking my hand as we walked out of the room. “Listen though, we are on tight security around here until we figure out and catch this mystery wolf that’s stalking our house. The whole pack is nervous, so we’ve begun training this morning. I came in for a nap when you woke me up.”
“Are you seriously complaining about me waking you up? I’m pretty sure you enjoyed yourself.” I scolded as we walked into the kitchen.
“No complaints here babe. Just letting you know what’s going on, in case you hear or see us fighting, you know why.” Charlie kissed me as I took a seat at the table. “Eat, and come out when you're done. Everyone has been worried about you and will be happy to see you up and about.” I nodded as Charlie stepped out onto the back deck.
Aunt Carol set a plate of leftover lasagna on the table in front of me. I happily began eating, since I haven’t eaten in over three days now. Carol took a seat and eyed me thoughtfully. “I must admit I have never seen someone transition like you did.” She said.
“What do you mean?” I asked between bites.
“While you were making the transition, you would call out for Charlie, and as soon as he touched you or spoke to you, you stopped being in pain for a little while. I’ve never seen that before, but I trust him. He’s earned my trust over the past couple of days, and I plan to visit your mother soon. I’m not happy with her, and neither is he. Annie, I need you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“If Sal tries, promise me you will not go with him. Stay with Charlie, he’ll keep you safe. I’ve never trusted Sal and neither did your father. Promise me that no matter what you won’t be alone or go anywhere with Sal.” Aunt Carol was practically begging me. I thought back to my dad’s letter and he said something similar.
“I promise, but why all this concern?”
“He somehow knows we’re fairies. I don’t know everything, but I think he’s after your abilities. After seeing your wings, you could have some powerful abilities. My grandmother had wings like yours, except her swirls were pink. She had the ability to throw electricity and control minds. If I touch someone, I can see into their minds, but she could look at them and place thoughts into their minds. My grandfather could control water, and was a fierce warrior.” My aunt explained.
I thought back to some of the conversations I had with Sal when we were dating. He began telling me about the various mystical creatures after he revealed that he was a wolf. He was focused on the abilities of Elves and Fairies. I never thought much of it back then, but now maybe my aunt was on to something. This thought made me wonder if the mysterious wolf who was stalking the house really was watching me, and maybe it was Sal. The thought had me worried, what if he tried to attack this pack because of me?
I finished eating, and stepped outside. I hastily walked over to Charlie. “Hey baby.” He greeted me with a delicious kiss. “Everything okay?”
I took a deep breath and focused on our mind link. “I think the mysterious wolf is Salvador. I just chatted with my aunt and something she said jogged my memory about something he mentioned a few times. He was fixated on the various abilities of Elves and Fairies. If Carol is right and he knows I could potentially have a powerful ability, it explains why he’s shown up all of a sudden and is presumably stalking me.”
“Steve and I came to the same conclusion, but we won’t know for certain until we catch the mystery wolf. When we catch him, the plan is to restrain him and let Carol look into his mind to find out what he’s really after. I promise you; he’s not going to get near you.” He assured us through our link. He wrapped me into a hug. I sighed and leaned into his embrace. I felt so safe and loved in his arms, I wanted nothing more to stay like this and melt into him.
“Anna! You're finally awake.” Sophie cried from across the yard. She came barreling towards us at a full sprint. She stopped directly in front of me, pulled me out of Charlie’s arms and wrapped me into her own hug. She let me go and took a step back, looking sideways at Charlie who began to chuckle. “Sorry, I’ve just missed you. I got so used to having another girl to talk to that was my age, and Charlie banded us from entering your room until you woke up.”
“Well, I wasn’t decent for visitors.” I admitted. “But I’m up, and here. Let’s go catch up.” I smiled excitedly at her.
“I have to train with the guys for a while, but after dinner, I call some girl time in the living room.” Sophie giggled.
“I look forward to it.” I smiled. She quickly walked away, as Charlie pulled me back to him. “Don’t you have to go by train to?” I asked him. He nodded, but pressed his lips to mine sliding his tongue across my lips. I moaned into his lips, causing him to chuckle.
“I love you Anna.” He whispered as he released me. I stood in the middle of the backyard watching him walk over to the rest of his pack. “I love you, Charlie.” I replied triumphantly through our mind link.
I walked back to the deck and took a seat in a patio chair under an umbrella. I pulled out my phone and began looking at all my missed calls and text messages. Charlie really only answered one of Billy’s calls. I sighed a bit and decided I would call Billy back first. “Hey Charlie? How’s Anne doing?” Billy asked when he answered.
“You dope, this is Anne.” I laughed.
“Sorry, he answered your phone last night and told me you were sick. I thought he’d be calling back with an update.” Billy admitted. I could almost picture him blushing with embarrassment at his assumption.
“Yeah, he told me you called, so I wanted to call you back and apologize for missing 7 calls from you. I’m a terrible friend, I should have been honest and told you and Debbie I’ve been sick since I heard about my dad. Charlie has really been great.”
“I talked to him last night and Debbie sent me a picture… Girl he is F-I-N-E!” I rolled my eyes at Billy. I love him, but sometimes he can be super girly. “He sounds like a catch. And he is super in love with you babe.”
“I know he is. I’m falling for him too.” I admitted to my friend. “You should see how romantic he can be. Plus, he finally sees my mom’s true colors, and we both have a mutual distaste for her.”
“Love it! Stop making me want your man, Anne.” Billy teased. “I’m so happy you found someone who makes you happy even with everything.”
“Me too. Listen, I’m going to call Debbie now. I just wanted to check in and tell you I’m feeling much better and apologize for missing your calls.”
“Good, she’ll be happy to hear from you.” I hung up the phone.
I looked up to see the pack all shift into their wolf forms and begin to attack each other. I guess I hung up just in time, because as they shifted one of them let out a loud growl that echoed through the yard. That would have been fun to try and explain. All I saw was a blur of fur and realized that I have no idea which one is Charlie. I made a mental note to be more observant, because if needed it maybe useful if I knew the wolves of my friends.
I chanced a phone call to Debbie once the wolves quieted down a bit into snarls and growls. I needed to call her before Billy sent her a text about me being awake. “Hello?” Debbie answered.
I smiled at the sound of her voice. “God, I’ve missed your voice.” I sighed.
“Anne!” She screeched. “So glad to hear your voice too. Billy told me yesterday that he talked to Charlie. How are you feeling?”
“Better, thanks. I was just going to text you, but I needed to hear my bestie’s voice. Is it April yet?” I joked.
“I wish…” She agreed. “I want to hear details… You're living with him and some of his friends, and he is super into you. When they were talking Billy said he could hear the concern Charlie had about you being sick. I can’t wait to meet this hunk. Please tell me he has at least one friend who is single for me.”
I laughed. “Actually, all four of his male friends are single. You’ll love Sophie though. She’s our age and lives here with her older brother, who is Charlie’s best friend.”
“What does Carol think about them?”
“She admitted to me this morning that she genuinely likes Charlie. She thinks he’s a good guy that will take care of me if I stay with him.” Debbie let out a shocked gasp. I understood her reaction, because Carol doesn’t like anyone who isn’t family.
“Did you find a man Carol approves of? How did you do that?”
“I don’t know. He did it all on his own, but she likes him.”
“That’s awesome, but terrible too. Now I can’t pretend to hate him when I first meet him. Carol’s approval trumps everyone’s.” Debbie pouted.
“Trust me, he’s hard to hate or be mad at.” I assured her with a smile. Two of the wolves let out some howls, and I held my breath hoping she didn’t hear it.
“What was that? Are there wolves near you?” Debbie asked worriedly.
“I mean, we border the woods so it’s possible. I’m sure it’s nothing.” I tried to dismiss nonchalantly.
“Okay, but that sounded super close to you. Are you safe?”
“Everything is fine, I promise.” I sighed. “Can you guys not howl while I’m on the phone? Debbie is freaking out that there is a wild wolf near me now.” I snapped at Charlie through our mind link.
“Sorry baby. I didn’t realize you were on the phone. I’ll tell the others to quiet down.” Charlie replied.
“Is Charlie nearby?” Debbie wondered.
“Him, and his buddies are working on building a beautiful patio, complete with a barbequing station. It’ll be finished when you come visit in April.”
“Okay, I’m not so worried now. I can’t wait to come see you.” Debbie replied.
“Same. Keep sending me the challenges, I’m going to play catch up now that I’m feeling better.” I told her. “Love you girl.”
“I love you too.” Debbie giggled into the phone as I hung up with a sigh of content.
“All done on the phone. She’s calmed and happy again.” I told Charlie triumphantly. He didn’t reply, which told me he was busy practicing. I stood up and walked over to the railing of the deck. I watched as a black wolf and a brown wolf fought. If he hadn't warned me ahead of time, I probably would have been panicking that they really are attacking each other.
I sighed as I watched the wolves, still trying to figure out which one was who. After a few minutes of wondering, I turned and took my phone back out of my pocket. I looked at my messages and began replying to Debbie’s challenges that I have missed. One was sharing the view (not my man), so I took a picture of the backyard to the right, to ensure no wolf was in the picture. The next was a picture of a new friend (not my man). I rolled my eyes at her constant need to remind me not a picture of my man, like I’m obsessed with him or something. I would have to get a picture of me and Sophie later. I sent a message back to Debbie explaining that Sophie is out at the moment, but will send a picture after dinner. The next challenge was a picture of the house. I sighed and walked around to the front of the house to take a quick picture for her, and then returned to the back deck before anyone noticed I left. I really don’t need them stressing over me some more. The challenge for today was a picture of me actually relaxing. Again, another picture someone else will have to take. I could have asked Carol to take it, but she seems preoccupied with her book.
As the sun began to set, they all shifted back to their human forms. When I looked up at the sound of cracking bones, I saw that all six of them were butt naked. Ugh, seriously I forgot that wolves shifted naked. Luckily, they all pulled clothes on or at least enough to cover up. Charlie climbed the stairs first. He was dirty and covered in dried blood. “Hey baby.” He replied pulling me in for a hug. Even though he was a mess he still smelled good. “Sorry I couldn’t reply. Steve and I were practicing, and if I replied to you my focus would have been lost in the match and that could be dangerous.”
“It’s okay, I figured you were busy.” I smiled before kissing him. “You need a shower though. You're covered in dried blood now.”
“That is true, but I can’t just walk by without a kiss from my girl.” He replied, crushing his lips to mine. I felt my heart rate speed up with every second of our contact. Our lips molded together, as we clung to each other for balance. When he finally broke the kiss, we were both breathless. “Now I’ll go take another shower.” He murmured against my lips.
He let go and headed into the house. I sat back in a chair on the back deck across from Aunt Carol. I found myself lost in thought about everything I was beginning to learn. Dad said Aunt Carol had a box of items for me when I turned 18. Part of me wonders if she’d give me the box a couple weeks early since I seem to be developing my abilities early.
**********************************************
Charlie
I’m over the moon with happiness that Anna is finally awake. I’m a bit disappointed that I spent most of the afternoon training instead of cuddling and holding her. She seemed content watching us and making a couple phone calls to her friends. Which reminded me, I need to run the idea by Steve by the end of the week.
Before I do, I need to double check my facts with Carol. I need to make sure these two friends of Anna’s are humans and not more fairies. I needed to seek Carol out without Anna seeing me. I don’t want to spoil the possible surprise before we even know if it is a possibility.
After my shower, I went on my search for Carol. I found her heading to her room. “Carol, can I chat with you for a minute?” I asked her, jogging up to her.
“Make it quick.” She responded.
“It’s about Anna’s friends. They want to do a surprise visit for her birthday, but before I run the thought by Steve and the rest of the pack, I need to know my facts. Billy and Debbie, are they both human?”
“Anna can’t know yet.” She hissed. “Billy is yes, but Debbie is an elf. Debbie is like Anna’s sister. You cannot have Billy without Debbie or Anna will lose her shit.”
“That is going to be mor
e difficult than asking if two humans can visit.” I murmured more to myself than her. “Thanks.” I walked away looking for Steve. I found him in the backyard looking over some details of the patio we’re building. “Hey man.”
“Hey.”
“I need to chat with you about a non-threat situation. I know we’ll have to call a pack meeting about it, but I need to know your thoughts.” I began. “Anna’s birthday is less than three weeks away. I talked to one of her friends last night and her two best friends have a request. We have the option to say no, but they asked if it would be possible for them to visit for the week around her birthday to celebrate. I told them I would need a week to get back to them. I checked with Carol and I got more information on the friends. Billy who I spoke to about this is a human, but Anna’s closest and best friend Debbie is an elf. The problem is, Anna doesn’t know about Debbie yet for obvious reasons.”
“A friend of Anna’s is a friend of ours. We will call a pack meeting on Thursday night after dinner to discuss this with everyone. We need to think about the pending threat at hand before talking about celebrating.” Steve replied.
I was a bit shocked that Steve was on board with the idea of having an elf in his home, even for a week. “They will need to stay here. Hopefully Sophie and Robby crack before they come, otherwise they will share a room.” I teased.
“My sister better be on the fucking pill. She is too young to have a pup.” Steve growled back at me. “I’m going to crack before them at this rate.”
“Chill out man. This is fun for us, it’s a good game.” I assured him. “We should head in since Anna and Sophie are cooking dinner tonight.” He nodded in agreement.
The Beta's Mate Page 15
