by Dances
She shuddered when she remembered that electrical charge that had sparked the air. The only time she'd felt something even remotely similar outside of her time here in Scotland was once on a fishing trip with her Dad. A nasty storm had brewed out of nowhere. That charge of expectancy had zipped into the air, as though warning unsuspecting humans to get their act together, for the storm was coming and quickly!
Glancing out of the window, she looked at the silent and calm sky. No storm was brewing here. No rain fell for once. There was a little breeze, but she could tell that that charge of power hadn't come from the weather. It had been produced by those two men, changing from ... wolves into men.
Her breathing started to quicken as her thoughts actually turned to the fact that her eyes hadn't lied, that they had actually seen what she thought she had. That meant that werewolves existed .... With a gusty breath, Jada quickly scrambled under the covers and like a frightened child, pulled the blankets over her head and tried to hide from her thoughts.
What did all this mean? She was in love with three ... werewolves? And they loved her back? She quickly turned on to her side, wrapped herself into the fetal position and like a crazy patient, rocked herself into a calmer state of mind.
They hadn't attacked her. That was something, wasn't it? Caden had held her in his arms, had comforted her from her fright with the wildcat. Just because they were what they were didn't mean they'd become the animals they'd turned into. That was some consolation at least. They hadn't attacked her. Blowing out her breath, she tried to instill a sense of calm into her mind. It was easier said than done, but she thought just thinking about the implications of what she'd seen today would send her loopy. She rather liked her sanity, so chose not to think about the wolves anymore.
With a weary sigh, she closed her eyes and prayed for the soothing nothingness of sleep.
A small sound disturbed her from her rest, hearing the click of the door open, she sat up like a shot to watch whoever came in through the door. She relaxed a tad when she saw Larissa's blond head peep around the edge of the door and look for her. Larissa entered and relocked the door, crossed over to the bed and, seeing that Jada was awake, hurried to give her a hug. "Are you alright, darling?"
Despite her efforts to calm herself, Jada's bottom lip trembled. "Larissa, it was awful," she wailed. "I think I'm going crazy. I saw something that doesn't exist. I- I haven't eaten all day, but I mean low blood sugar can't cause hallucinations, can it?"
"No, darling. Low blood sugar can, I imagine, make you feel a little faint or dizzy even, but wouldn't cause hallucinations." She hesitated. "What did you think you saw?"
"I-I … Larissa. I can't tell you. You'll think I'm mad. I swear I'm not," she said hurriedly, starting to panic. "I know I'm not, but-but what happened …. It can't have really happened. I must have ... mis-seen, or something. It's not possible. I'm not drunk either," she said stiltedly "I've only had water all evening! I felt too sick to even contemplate drinking something stronger!"
"Jada," Larissa said sternly, giving her a slight shake. "What did you see?"
"Phelan and Lucas, the wolf masks." She paused and swallowed convulsively. "Wolves, I always thought they were like their masks. God I was more right than I ever thought possible."
"Jada!"
"Caden was asking me to stay with them, not return to America. Larissa, I could see in his eyes, that he," she gulped, "loves me. I knew I had to tell him that I can't have kids, but his eyes, God, Larissa, they were beautiful. All my hopes and dreams were right there in front of me. I wanted so much to grab this chance, be happy, love these three men, be with them. But I knew I couldn't give them everything. They deserve a family, Larissa. I can't give them that, so, so I-I ran.
"You know that group of trees at the back of the house? I ran there. I didn't look where I was going, just sort of collapsed against a tree and I sat there, bawling my eyes out and I feel this snuffling against my leg. I look up and there's a god damned big cat there! C-Caden called it a wildcat. I know they run away from humans normally, only come close and attack if they're rabid. It scared the shit out of me. I screamed and it ran away.
"Then Caden came running, he came to me, grabbed me and hugged me. I just happened to look up and there are two huge wolves sniffing at the ground. Next thing I know, Caden's calling them over and they ...." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Phelan and Lucas. The wolves turned into them." Bowing her head, she kept her eyes averted from her friend's. Larissa tugged her close and began stroking her hair. The soothing feeling calmed her a little, but she tensed at her friend's words.
"Jada, Caden told me what happened. He says I can talk to you freely." She hesitated a moment.
"What do you mean he says you can talk freely? What is it with him and you?" Jada pulled away from her. "He said earlier that he requested you change the table plans so that they could be alone with me. What is he to you?"
"He's my Alpha," Larissa said in a whisper.
"He's your what?"
"My Alpha. Phelan, Lucas, Caden, Alex, me, we're all wolf. Caden leads us. He's called the Alpha. It's his status."
Jada simply stared at her dearest friend for many moments, trying to wrap her mind around what she was telling her. Although she more than half suspected, at first, that it was Larissa's idea of a joke, albeit a poor one considering how upset she was, she realized after a few moments that Larissa was completely serious and she hadn't misunderstood. Pushing away, she slipped off the bed, wrapped her arms around herself to try to chase the chill, and paced to the window. "What I saw is real then?" she asked in a whisper.
"Y-Yes, we can shift from wolf back into this form."
Jada stared at her, trying to tamp the sense of betrayal that welled in her.
"Darling, I couldn't tell you. You understand that, don't you? My parents were so worried, when they learned how close as friends we were, how we shared everything. I-I had to swear to never tell you. People knowing, i-it puts us in danger. Even friends knowing is forbidden."
Jada had never heard Larissa sound so unsure of herself. It eased some of her sense of betrayal to realize that Larissa was afraid of losing her friendship. "I understand."
"Caden asked me to explain to you. He didn't think you'd speak to him. Was he right?"
Jada's response was a stiff nod.
Larissa sighed with a mixture of impatience and resignation. "You're their mate, Jada."
"Mate?" Jada laughed harshly. "As in friend? Or I'll die when they die kind of mate?"
"You're body, soul, and mind is made for them, darling. You know how you say Alex and I are perfect for one another. It's because we're mates. Wolf only marry our mates and we only marry for human appearances. Y-you'll find it difficult to live without them, Jada." She hesitated, then continued haltingly, "It will kill them to not be with you."
"Kill them?" Jada choked and spun around to face her friend.
Larissa nodded slightly. "Once a wolf finds their mate, they're complete. If that mate is taken away, the wolf can take control, takes over the human and becomes feral. J-Jada, Caden is already very upset. His lieutenants aren't that much better, but Caden, as the Alpha, needs his mate."
"Why?"
"The Alpha has a lot of responsibilities. When he finds his mate, she can provide a-a softness that he'll find nowhere else. I suppose it's his only succor. He can get it from no other person. Before he finds her, he can cope. The only succor he's known is from his mother. But afterwards, it stabilizes him. I'm not saying he's crazy," she added hastily, "It's just that your presence can soothe him as nothing else can and the beast side of him needs that. Needs it desperately. He'll be okay for now, because you're here, where he is. He can't touch you, but he knows you're here. He knows you're safe from any harm, that you're being looked after. Any type of risk to you will drive him to distraction, your safety, care and protection is his priority now, even above the pack. It all boils down to the fact that you're more than his love, you're his life, h
is future," she finished softly.
Jada didn't comment on Larissa's last sentence. It made her chest tight. It gave rise to a yearning she didn't want to face at the moment. "If humans aren't to know about werewolves, then how can I be his mate? How can I be all of their mates?" Dragging in a deep, calming breath, Jada realized that she was very proud of herself. She was handling this with great aplomb. She hadn't run screaming from her friend!
"Werewolves have no say over who their mate is. Mother Nature chooses the correct person that matches you body, heart, and soul. To her human or werewolf doesn't matter. She knows us, knows our hearts and who we belong to. As to your other question, multiple mates aren't uncommon, especially between human and werewolf mates. Alphas, who have human mates, usually find that they have to share their mate. Mother Nature deemed it necessary for two werewolves to protect a human mate, to assure the security since the human doesn't have the defenses of a mature, adult werewolf. Matings of your size ... are unusual," she added honestly. "Usually it's two men and one woman."
"Does it always happen this fast?"
"Yes," Larissa replied instantly.
Jada nodded, feeling a little better after her friend's explanations. Why did she feel as though she hadn't been told everything? Maybe she knew her friend far too well?
When Larissa looked away, Jada knew she'd been correct in her assumption. She could tell just from her manner that there was something else. "Werewolves have very strong control of their senses, Jada. Even in human form, we can see, hear, and smell ten thousand times better than an ordinary human." She stopped, swallowing a little convulsively as if she was bracing herself for a fresh storm. "Jada, you're pregnant."
Shock rolled over Jada. Her eyes flared wide open. "What?"
"I-I can smell the baby. Your scent …. It's different." Larissa shrugged uneasily.
"Larissa, I cannot have children. I can't be pregnant."
"You can't get pregnant to a human male. Wolf male?" She shrugged. "They're different. Maybe it's because you were always meant to be a wolf mate? Mother Nature works in mysterious ways, but all I can say is that you are …. Regardless of what you believed to be true before, your mates have most definitely given you a baby."
Jada clasped a hand to her stomach, looked intently at her friend, and whispered, "I'm really pregnant?"
Larissa nodded. "You really are."
Hope warred with disbelief. Her mind was so chaotic that she couldn't grasp half the thoughts scrambling around. "I can't be!"
"You are. If Caden was suffering before, knowing you're pregnant will make it a thousand times worse! His natural instinct is to protect. Now that you're nurturing his baby, that natural instinct increases tenfold. It's normal, but as you're human …." She stopped and shook her head. "He'll need to be with you constantly, Jada. Just to know that you're alright."
"Sounds like fun," she whispered sarcastically.
"It is actually. You don't get tired of each other like in human relationships, Jada. The mate bond flourishes and grows as you spend time together. It's a beautiful process. You're the sister I never had, Jada. I couldn't wish anything better for you. It's truly a beautiful, wondrous gift that you hold in your hands, darling. You can't throw it away and even if you begin to contemplate that, out of fear or pigheadedness or whatever, you can't. You have to come to terms with this as your future, because I know you can't handle having those three wonderful men's deaths on your conscience. Because that is what will happen if you run from them and they turn feral. Feral wolves are hunted. No matter their status, they're hunted and killed. They're too dangerous to let free. Know that, Jada. It's a hard truth. I know this isn't easy to accept … any of it, but if you care for them at all, you need to understand just how much they need you and what it will mean to them if you run away like you always have before," Larissa finished softly. She studied Jada for several moments and then moved back to the door, unlocked it, and left Jada to her thoughts.
* * * *
Only God knew how, but Jada had managed to sleep an entire twenty-four hours. She only realized that she'd slept so long because she'd checked her cell-phone and noticed the date. She'd missed her flight. It was a trivial thought, but one that freed her somehow, somehow released her from schedules and time constraints.
She awoke with a feeling of calmness permeating her body. It was the strangest thing. Here she was in the middle of the greatest upheaval she'd ever dealt with and yet she felt calm and rested. Relaxed even.
Placing a palm against her belly, she tried to feel for signs of life. How could she be pregnant? The doctors had told her that she might as well have been born without a womb, because no baby would grow there. She could remember the day she'd learned that news, two weeks after her fourteenth birthday, when she'd suffered with some extremely painful periods. What a wonderful belated birthday present!
Larissa seemed so damned sure. But how could trained doctors be wrong and her friend, a somewhat ditzy blond who thought herself a werewolf, be right? She couldn't be right. But God, every part of Jada longed for it to be so, longed for a baby to be forming and growing in her womb. What was it Larissa had said? That yes, she probably was barren to a human male, but to a werewolf, she wasn't.
A spurt of laughter escaped her lips. She realized that the fact that she was even contemplating the existence of werewolves or wolf or whatever the hell they were called was ludicrous. But contemplate them she was, seen them she had. So if that was ludicrous enough to laugh, then why couldn't she be pregnant?
Hearing a tap on the door, Jada leaned up on her elbows. "Come in!" On seeing Martha's head pop around the corner of the door, she smiled and sat up. "Martha! It's so wonderful to see you! Thank you for all the lovely food! I'm sorry I haven't been to see you earlier, to thank you. It's been a little wild." She grimaced as soon as the words left her mouth.
Martha smiled and answered in her sweet Scottish brogue. "Och, dinnae worry about it, lass. I understand. You're the Alpha's mate, aren't ye?" She cackled lewdly. "I dinnae blame ye fer bein a wee bit preoccupied."
"Et tu, Martha?" Jada cried. "You're a wolf, as well! Is everyone here a wolf?"
The older woman looked shame-faced, but scolded. "Eat yer toast." She settled the tray she'd brought in on Jada's lap, refusing to talk until she at least ate a slice. "Darlin' of course we're wolf. Ye dinnae think Larissa's Papi is gonnae have a house filled with human servants, do ye? The family would ne'er be allowed to run free! All the guests are wolf, too."
It was bizarre to be talking about it as if it was the most natural and normal thing in the world when she still hadn't completely accepted what she'd learned. "I'm Phelan and Lucas's mate, as well, you know?" At the old woman's nod, she hesitated, but she needed to know. She needed all the reassurance she could get that she wasn't …. That her mind hadn't 'turned' because she wanted so badly for it to be true. "Larissa says I'm pregnant, says that I smell different. Do I?"
Martha smiled. "Aye, yer pregnant, lassie. Can I feel?" When Jada nodded, she spread her gnarled hand out and rested it on Jada's flat belly. A slow smile spread on the older woman's face. "Three bairns, lass. One fer each man. Tis good that is! Wouldnae be good fer one man no' to have a bairn, whilst one has two! I can feel the Alpha's bairn, as well. Boy, another Alpha! His Mami will be so pleased!" She cackled again, this time joyfully. "Congratulations, Jada, ma dear! I bet yer so happy!"
"Three babies, Martha? You're sure?" She grabbed the woman's hand. "Promise me, Martha, they're there, aren't they? Don't lie to me. My heart can't take it ...." Her voice broke.
A tired hand reached for Jada's hair. Tucking a strand behind her ear, the older woman whispered, "Aye, I promise. I knae those stupid doctors told ye that you couldnae have bairns, lass. But the Alpha and his lieutenants are pretty potent." She winked lewdly. "Yer pregnant with the next Alpha, lass. Och, the pack will be so happy! A pack is ne'er as secure as it is when there's an Alpha, his mate, their heir, and his lieutenants. I'll leave ye to
yer tea and toast. Rest well now lass. Yer caring fer our future." Pressing a soft kiss to Jada's forehead, she patted her hand and once more Jada was left to her thoughts.
She'd never doubted Larissa before, not when it was over something that really counted. It was a strange sensation, but she realized that she hadn't truly believed her friend until she'd seen the sparkle of joy in old Martha's eyes. Now, she felt pregnant, could feel the burning little lives as her children developed inside her and not for the first time this holiday, she cried. This time, though, it was tears of happiness that rolled over the curve of her cheeks, tears of great joy.
She spent the rest of the day in her room, snuggled into bed, a hand pressed against her belly. A part of her didn't want to move, didn't want to risk these little lives that had been entrusted to her care. She wanted to stay cocooned in this lovely warm room, in a cushioned bed, safe and sound, no fear of danger from any quarter.
At around five o'clock a knock tapped at her door. "Come in," she called and jerked upwards into a sitting position when she saw Caden walk through the door. Sans mask. With a gasp, she traced his features with loving, yes loving, eyes and once more tears began to fall. These babies sure played havoc with her emotions! He was as beautiful as she'd thought he would be, strong nose, proud forehead-his face tough and lean, but so masculine he was a heartthrob. With a missed beat, her heart restarted when she thought possessively, my heartthrob.
"Can I come in, Jada?" Despite his beauty, she could see the two days separation had affected him, more so than she'd thought possible. He was a little white, his face drawn and his golden eyes tired, the skin a little pinched as though he hadn't slept.
