by B. L. Dawn
At lunchtime, Luke went out on patrol. Tatum gathered the oldest of the males to bury the bodies of the mangled shifters. They walked to the mine carrying shovels and a tarp. They collected the bodies on the tarp, maneuvered the bodies out of the mine, and buried them deep in the woods.
Showers and soap were underway, and dinner was around the corner. The bulk of the work on the farm was complete as far as repairs and appearance went. The tractor repair servicemen showed up and worked on the tractors for the rest of the evening. By morning, the tractors would be operational.
Chapter 27
Everything ran by the schedule and appeared fine on the surface, even though the owner of the property was still at the hospital. It was a lot like her and Luke. Everything seemed fine, but upon closer inspection, things were not okay. Tatum’s heart ached for Luke. For days she felt disconnected from him. He stopped having meaningful conversations with her. Mostly, he followed Tatum around with a half-pout, half-angry expression. The last few days had dragged on forever, but the nights may have been worse. When his arms wrapped around her, it was more calming to her body than anything she had ever felt.
Year after year, she had a hard time sleeping, but not with him. She was finally able to sleep peacefully. The problem came right before sleep fell upon her. Where did this shitty feeling come from? She guessed it was the pain that came from them holding back their love for one another. If she could get the old Luke back, she would change her mind about being with him. She was sure of that right now. However, it was most likely too late. His presence dragged her mood down so low that depression had started to make its way into her heart.
Thank Destiny one good thing was going to happen today. Enoch and Jenny were coming home. She had asked Luke to help out in the horse stables today because she needed a break from her chest pain, not that distance helped ease the stabbing of her heart.
Natalie pulled in front of the farmhouse with her parents in tow. Tatum ran outside, waiting for Enoch to help Jenny out of the car. Sliding her arms around Jenny, she hugged her gently. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
“I’m glad to be home.” Jenny gave her a weak grin. Enoch picked Jenny up and carried her into the house, laying her on her bed. Tatum followed them up the stairs. She went into Jenny’s room and sat on the edge of the bed. “I want you to relax. Don’t worry about the farm or the house at all. We’ve cleared the farm of the silo, and I’ve made a schedule. The shifters have jobs and are patrolling this land all day and night. You’re safe. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask. Everyone wants to help in any way they can.” Tatum laid her hand on Jenny’s leg. “I want you to get well.”
“Thank you for saving me.” Jenny coughed. “I’ll be as right as rain soon enough. Well, except for my ugly hair.” Jenny moved her fingers over her uneven locks.
Tatum grinned half-heartedly. “You’re beautiful, no matter what.”
Enoch threw his hands in the air. “I keep telling her the same thing, but she doesn’t believe me.”
Tatum looked over at him. “Everything is in working order. Don’t worry about a thing. I want you to worry about her until she is one hundred percent better.” Enoch nodded.
Tatum stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “Also, I’m going to leave Luke in charge for a week or so. He knows the regular schedules and the sub-schedules and should do a great job running the farm. As for me, I want to revisit the outskirt packs and bring them more food. I would also like your permission to renovate the old territory as a future meeting place between all the alphas. I don’t want any of them on this farm.”
“I agree. No one needs to know where we are,” Enoch said.
“Good. Well, you two rest up.” Tatum turned and headed for the door.
She hadn’t discussed any of this with Luke, but who else would she leave in charge? Enoch needed to be with Jenny, and someone needed to take on the responsibility. Plus, Luke was acting strange.
She had killed his brother, and maybe this explained his behavior, but the change made her uncomfortable. The plan was to leave in a week, visit the packs, work on the old territory for a little over a week, and return to the farm. Eli would have to drive the moving truck, which would hold all the materials and Eli’s motorcycle. She would drive the SUV. Once they unloaded the materials, she would have to take the rental back to the store and ride with Eli on his motorcycle back to Green Lagoon. There was a lot of planning involved, but she was excited to get started.
All the items on her list didn’t need to be purchased. Some of them were just to impress the other alphas. She needed the alphas to want what she had to offer, and she was willing to pay for it. The list included an assortment of supplies. The products would cost her a little over ten thousand dollars. Labor was free.
Once she was in the hall, Luke pulled her into his bedroom and shut the door. She had no idea he had been in the hallway the whole time.
“Why would you volunteer me to stay here?” Luke growled.
“Because you’re the next in command after me. Your job is to take care of the pack if Enoch and I are unable to.”
“I’m your guard, Tatum, not third down from the alpha. Sam can protect this place. I’m coming with you.”
“Are you sure we’re not true mates?”
Luke’s head jerked back, and his eyes widened. Then he shook his head. “I don’t think so. I don’t know. I want you to be my true mate with everything in my body, but we don’t act like we’re true mates, and we haven’t connected yet.”
“How should we be acting? And how do you know for sure?”
“WE’RE JUST NOT!”
The shock at hearing him yell at her stung like poison. But she could smell a sweet syrupy scent coming off of him, and it reminded her of someone that was embarrassed. Was he embarrassed of her?
Tatum nodded, looking at the ground. “Yeah, well…I know I love you like I’ve never loved anyone before, and it scares the hell out of me. If I start getting attached to you more than I already am, how can I let you go to your true mate? Even now, it makes me want to scream. If you left me for another female, I might kill her.”
Tatum’s eyes watered, but she didn’t flinch away. “And yet, here we are, driving each other crazy because we can’t have the whole package. But that’s what I want. That’s what I need from you. If you can swear to me you’ll stay with me forever, even if you find your true mate. I’ll lay you out right now. I’ll make you spiritually and physically mine—heart, body, and soul. But you would have to swear to turn your back on her, your true mate, whoever she is, and stay with me forever.” She looked up at him for his reaction and prayed he would give in. “Can you do that?”
Luke looked at the floor and shook his head. “You know I can’t.”
“Then stay here. Let me breathe without you, and stay here!” Tatum’s voice cracked as she left the room. Luke didn’t follow her, didn’t chase her. It’s okay. Put your big girl panties on, and drown yourself in work.
It had worked for Tatum for the last seven years, and it would work now. Maybe one day, a male would find her and chase her when she was upset. He would never give her up and never let her leave him—he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Her true mate would have followed her and sworn his undying love for her. She was making the right choice, and there was the proof. She needed distance between herself and Luke. Something was off, way off. She guessed it was the whole true mate, I won’t mate with you, your brother’s dead kind of a thing.
Throughout the week, Tatum had placed some material orders with different companies. Deciding not to sleep in Luke’s arms for the rest of the week and trying to ignore him as much as possible was more difficult than she had first anticipated. During training, she made it her goal not to look his way. She would grab something small from the kitchen to eat in order to miss him at mealtimes. Sleeping wasn’t an option. He ran through her mind continuously. She stayed busy, but the stress was taking its t
oll.
Tatum wasn’t sure why, but Oliver hung around her for most of the week. He looked at her with pity in his eyes. Still, she had never mentioned anything to him about her broken heart.
On Thursday, they traveled to the One-Stop Superstore in silence. He went with her to pick up food supplies and helped calculate all the products they needed. On the way back, Oliver kept glancing her way.
Tatum sighed. “Go ahead and ask.”
“What’s up with you and Luke? Is he mad about his brother, or is it more than that?”
Tatum swallowed as her eye stung. “I told him I loved him, and he doesn’t think we were true mates.”
Oliver reached over and took Tatum’s hand. “Is he your true mate?”
Tatum shrugged. “One would think so, but he doesn’t believe that we are.”
Oliver’s brows pinched together. “Maybe he’s confused or—”
“Embarrassed of me because he is submissive to me.”
Oliver looked down. “I’m sure that’s not it,” he said gloomily.
A short burst of laughter escaped her mouth. “It doesn’t feel that way on my end. I feel like I’m weak around him. I’d do anything for him, but I need that commitment back from him. I don’t know what to do.”
“Ask him to explain why he doesn’t believe you two belong together. He’s probably confused. It happens. Don’t let him shut you out. I bet you can both figure this out if he could explain why he feels like you’re not true mates. I think you both act like intended mates. I mean…I don’t know firsthand, but I imagine true mates being like you two. Just…make him explain.”
Tatum nodded with her chin wobbling. “Maybe when we get back, I will.”
Oliver patted her hand. “Good. I don’t like seeing you like this. Anyway, you might have to be the one to tell him that your true mates since you’re the dominant one between you two.”
With wide eyes, Tatum’s mouth dropped open. “Are you for real? I have to be the one to solidify it?”
“I don’t know for sure. But it would make sense.”
As Friday evening crept up, Tatum took Eli to pick up the moving truck. Eli, Oliver, Sam, Lilly, Dean, and Leo helped her load the truck. They were going to be her crew this time around.
The next morning, before the light peaked in the sky, Tatum waited by the SUV. Leaning on it with her arms crossed and a scowl, she tried not to think about Luke. Sleepy, exhausted, and maybe a little cranky, Tatum waited on the sun to arrive. She wanted to get the hell off the farm. Distance would surely help her out with this heartache.
After a long while, the sun came up, mocking her. The bright rays did nothing to brighten her dark mood. Sorrow engulfed her whole being, all the way into her soul. When her crew showed up, she got inside and started the car. Luke caught her eye. He was standing in the window of the hallway upstairs, staring down at her with his arms crossed.
Why were they doing this to themselves? Tatum put the SUV in reverse and left him standing there, even though it felt like her heart was ripping out of her chest.
For most of the ride, Tatum didn’t talk. She left it up to the others and didn’t interact with them on a mental or emotional level. Oliver sat beside her up front and would glance over at her every once in a while. She could tell she was making him uncomfortable in her silence but couldn’t bring herself out of this funk to ease his mind.
When they arrived in the old territory, Green Lagoon looked eerie with no life in it. They unloaded the moving truck.
“I need to turn this truck back in. Eli will drive me back on his motorcycle. I want the gutters cleaned out and the water barrels hooked up to the spouts while I’m gone. I need the barrels to be as full of water as they can be whenever the rain decides to fall. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
Four hours later, Tatum and Eli returned. The progress the shifters had made was incredible. All the barrels were in place, and they had carried most of the supplies into Enoch’s old house. “It looks great. You guys did a wonderful job.”
It was time to visit the outskirt packs, and Tatum would bring the new males there. She wanted them to be aware of the other packs, plus the locations of their territories, just in case something ever happened to her. The more information her pack had, the better.
“Lilly, Oliver, and Eli, you guys need to stay here. You can get started on the renovations. You need to sand the houses and build a place to hold firewood behind that row of houses.” Tatum pointed to her right. “I’m glad we’re strong shifters because this is going to put our muscles to the test. Start with Enoch’s house. I want it to be the centerpiece.”
Eli mockingly saluted her. “Will do, boss lady.”
“Thanks, brother.” Tatum rolled her eyes. “It’s time for these males to get acquainted with the outskirt packs.”
Tatum hoped Lilly and Oliver could have some alone time this evening. She wanted someone to be happy.
Around noon, the four shifters were parking the SUV in Merrill’s territory. Grabbing the food supplies, the males followed her to the village. They came across the beginnings of a garden. Shifters came outside, smiling.
Feeling a warm welcome, Tatum smiled and nodded back at them. Coming out of his house, Merrill welcomed her with a friendly smile. He didn’t come out to meet her on the road. He let her walk straight up to his porch.
“Come in, Tatum Roloff.”
“Thank you, Merrill. I brought more food.”
Once inside, Merrill pulled out a chair and offered it to Tatum. She sat down.
Merrill smiled at her as he took his seat. “I want to thank you for the first gifts. The shifters have hope in their eyes. They are always asking me about you.”
Tatum chuckled. “I’m honored to be held in such high regard.” Sure enough, it felt nice coming through the village, being welcomed and adored on some level by her people. Of course, that’s not why she was doing this, but it was way better than the cold, hard looks she had been getting before.
Tatum clasped her hands on the table. “I want to discuss something with you.”
Merrill leaned back and stroked his long white beard. “What’s on your mind?”
“This may sound shocking, but I want to reveal my message to you first. This conversation will let me know how the other alphas will receive me.”
“I’m listening.”
“Our pack is working alongside humans to become financially stable. We’ve learned a great number of things from them and about ourselves. We can discuss those things at a later time. I’m revealing this to you so you may consider it for yourself. Our goal is to bring our race into independent strength because it has become weak over time. What do you think about this idea?” Tatum stared at Merrill to get a good read on him.
Merrill smirked. “You showed your concern for my pack, but right after, you allude to the whole race. Is your pack planning to join us all together under one rule?”
Tatum narrowed her eyes. “No, sir. Our goal is to stop the extinction of shifter kind. You told me about your pack withering away. I’ve visited some of the other packs, and they’re not doing well either.”
Merrill sat up and crossed his arms. “And what about the humans? Is it not a known rule that our kind shouldn’t interact with them?”
“And to that, I would say, ‘who made this rule, and why are we following it?’ If there is no ‘one ruling pack’ over us all, we’re free to make our own decisions.”
Merrill contemplated this. “The ‘why’ is because they’re dangerous.”
Tatum shrugged. “As a whole population, I would agree with you. But if you befriend them a little at a time, they grow to trust you and you them. It will be just as you and I have done with each other. There is no difference. If I had come into this territory with a huge number of shifters, you would have let fear take over and wiped me from existence, but as it were, I came with my brothers. You gave us a chance to talk with you. Give humankind a chance. L
ittle by little, make your way out of the shadows, and become the proud shifter you’re supposed to be.”
Merrill moved nervously in his chair, staring at the table. “Long ago…the alphas in charge blamed humans for murdering shifters. They said our human allies were sharing shifter secrets. We distanced ourselves from them and each other. We thought that it must be true because no one discovered us. I don’t know if humans were the ones who shared our secrets or who was killing our kind, but I also know that we thrived alongside them.” Merrill stared at Tatum for a short time. “How do we start?”
This is it—a new beginning for this pack. “In a month or so, I want to invite all of the willing alphas to join me at Green Lagoon territory. We’ll discuss the details there. I’ll have beds and food for you. I would like for you to stay a couple of days. I’ll send someone back with more details, as I’m about to become very busy.”
“This is exciting to be a part of,” Merrill said, but his words didn’t show through his features. He looked sad, maybe worried.
Tatum caught it before he wiped the expression away. “Merrill, be honest with me. What upset you just now?”
Merrill looked down at his hands. “Could you ask your males to leave?”
Turning around, Tatum nodded for the males to exit. They didn’t look happy about it, but they walked out the front door.
“Please, tell me.”
“I’m not so much worried about humankind destroying the shifter race. The thing I worry about is my daughter, Adina. She has trouble seeing and can’t hunt for herself. I’m getting too old to hunt, and Adina needs food. I know this is a lot to ask, but would you take her with you? Take care of her for me? I love her, but I can’t take care of her needs.”
Tatum didn’t even think twice. No one needed to give her permission to save someone’s life. “Of course, Merrill. Where is she? She can go with us today. I have food in the car.”
