“Alexander and Butler are responsible for that,” Janine started to protest.
“Yes, they are,” Jace told her, raising his hand to stop her. “But they depend on the rest of us to notify them of any concerns, and you did not do that. Go to your cabin, and do not come out until I give you permission.”
Janine stood and glared at Jace and Jackson, then turned to look at Laurie. The pure hatred she showed her made Jace stand and growl at her. “Go now, Janine, or I will not be so forgiving.”
Janine turned and left the kitchen, ignoring her mother as she passed her. Martha twisted the kitchen towel that she held in her hands. Looking at Jace and Jackson, she wasn’t sure what to do or say.
“Don’t worry, Martha,” Jace assured her. “You are not responsible for your daughter’s actions.”
Martha nodded, wiping at her tears as she smiled sadly. “I’m so sorry for what she has put everyone through.”
Jace nodded at the woman he loved like a mother and smiled sadly. His heart went out to her. He could never fault her for Janine’s actions. She had always been a troubled child. Martha’s love and guidance never seemed to have an effect on her. He watched silently as Martha turned and faced the kitchen sink, sadness evident in the way she held her body.
Jace turned to face Laurie. “Thank you for helping me,” he told her quietly, leaning forward to kiss her forehead lightly.
Laurie nodded, accepting his appreciation, but pulled away to walk over to Martha. She put her arms around the woman as she stood with her back to them and held her gently. Martha turned in her embrace and looked at her with such pain in her eyes. Laurie couldn’t stop her own eyes from filling with tears.
“It’s going to be okay, Martha,” she whispered against the older woman’s soft age-lined cheek. “Give Janine time. She’ll realize as she gets older how lucky she is to have you, and she’ll settle down.”
“I don’t know, Laurie,” Martha whispered, agony evident in her voice. “She’s always been such an angry child. I don’t know what else to do.”
Laurie nodded and pulled Martha closer to her, giving her a heartfelt hug as she kissed her cheek lightly. “Sometimes we have to let them make their mistakes and just be there to help them when they need us. Hopefully, they’ll see the right path that we’ve shown them. We can only hope they choose it.” Laurie stepped back and looked at Martha quietly. “And if that doesn’t work, we can beat them.”
Martha laughed and wiped at her tear-stained cheeks. “Thank you, Laurie,” she told her, snickering at the suggestion. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Laurie smiled and squeezed Martha’s hand gently. “Go and get some rest. Things will be better tomorrow.”
Martha smiled and turned to walk from the kitchen. Jace and Jackson watched silently as she left, grateful for their mate’s caring. Jace knew he wouldn’t have been able to have shown the same kindness. He was too angry with Janine to be able to show any compassion just then. And Jackson was too concerned with the look of hatred Janine had shown Laurie to care about much else.
Laurie’s innate ability to comfort the members of their pack showed them again that she was the one destined to unite their pack with caring and love. She was meant to be their queen. She was meant to be their future.
“Have you thought about your decision?” Jace asked her quietly as he stood apart from her, feeling a deep sense of loss at not touching her.
Laurie nodded, walking toward the two men as they watched her silently. She reached out to wrap her arms around both men’s waists, pulling them into her embrace. “I want to stay with you,” she said quietly, looking up at them slowly, her eyes meeting theirs with hesitation. “I just don’t know about forever.”
Jace nodded and pulled her into his arms, loving the feel of her sandwiched between him and Jackson. “Thank you, Laurie,” he whispered reverently, leaning into the crease of her neck and inhaling deeply the welcoming scent of their mate. “It’s enough for now, but I don’t know how much longer we can hold off claiming you as ours,” he told her honestly.
Reaching into the front pocket of his jeans, he pulled out the delicate gold bracelet with the charm of Laurie and the two wolves and gently took Laurie’s left wrist in his hand. Laurie watched as he unclasped the bracelet and placed it around her wrist to close it securely.
Laurie looked at it and smiled. “It reminds me of myself with the two wolves,” she said softly, looking up at Jace. The soft glow of his eyes made her gasp, and she looked at Jackson to find the same thing happening to his eyes.
“Martha!” Jace called out firmly, waiting until the older woman returned to the kitchen. His heart hammered in his chest as he waited for her. He knew that what he was going to ask of the older woman would help determine the future for Laurie, Jackson, and himself. Nothing scared him more than losing the mate that they had finally found, and very probably losing his humanity in the process. He knew that the last few months had been a slow path of decline for him, and he could feel his tenuous hold on his control slipping daily. Without Laurie and Jackson forming the triad bond with him, he knew he would lose his battle to keep his sanity and his humanity.
“Yes, Alpha?” Martha asked quietly as she came into the kitchen, looking from one man to the other in concern.
“Martha, please tell Laurie the story about the bracelet,” Jace asked the older woman gently. “After you’ve heard what Martha has to tell you, then a decision needs to be made, Laurie. We’ll accept whatever you decide, honey, but understand that what we want, what we need, is to have you accept us as your mates and live here with us. Forever. Our future is you, Laurie.”
“We will never give you a moment to regret your choice,” Jackson promised, leaning in to gently kiss her lips before stepping back to give Jace access to their woman.
Jace leaned forward to kiss her gently then both men turned to leave the kitchen. They both said a silent prayer to the Fates that Laurie would accept their wolves.
Laurie watched them silently as they walked out onto the deck then turned to face the older woman, smiling as Martha looked at her with open love in her eyes.
Martha saw Laurie’s indecision and worry, but she had no such thoughts. She knew that Laurie was Jace and Jackson’s fated triad mate who would honor their secrets and make their lives complete. Time would help Laurie accept what was meant to be. She would learn to trust her destiny just as Jace and Jackson trusted that the Fates had chosen someone who would accept them unconditionally. The Fates were never wrong.
“Have a seat, Laurie,” Martha told her, smiling, joy radiating from her as she detected Jace and Jackson’s scent on her. “I have a story to tell you.”
* * * *
Jace walked with purpose toward the cabin where Alexander and Butler had placed the intruder. Jackson walked silently beside him. Their thoughts were consumed with the possibility of Laurie not accepting them once Martha told her of their secret. Despite their fears of their mate rejecting them, they had to put them aside so they could protect their pack. And that protection would begin with the questioning of the intruder. They looked at the small cabin and hesitated. Lucian and Cole stood guard at the cabin door.
“I have a gut feeling about this guy,” Jackson told Jace as they stepped onto the front porch of the cabin made specifically to house anyone within the pack or outside the pack who posed a threat to the safety of them all.
Jace turned to face Jackson and nodded. “I feel it, too,” he admitted. “We’ll see if we’re right once we talk to him.”
Jackson nodded and reached out to open the door to the cabin, allowing his alpha to enter before him. Alexander and Butler were standing on either side of the man who sat with his head bowed, his hands resting on his thighs. Jackson noted the dirty, ripped clothing that the young man wore that hung loosely on his slim frame.
Jace stood before the man, taking in a deep breath to scent him. He looked to Jackson and knew that his beta was doing the same thing. Before th
ey could speak, the young man raised his head and looked at them without fear. The bruise on the left side of his face surprised Jace, and he looked at his lieutenants in concern.
“Is there a reason this man has been injured?” Jace asked them calmly, not liking the way the young man’s left eye was swollen shut and his bottom lip was split and nearly twice its original size.
“He was this way when we found him in the visitors’ lodge, Alpha,” Alexander answered without hesitation.
“You are wolf,” Jace began calmly. “Yet you did not shift to heal yourself. Why is that?”
The young man looked up at Jace and swallowed nervously. “I can’t shift,” he explained calmly, unwilling to look away from the man who stood before him. He watched silently as Alpha Jace Beckett crossed his arms over his broad chest, his imposing muscles and intense stare making his nerves stretch tight.
“Why can’t you shift?” Jackson asked, stepping beside Jace to look down at the man. He couldn’t be more than twenty years old—if he was even that old.
The young man shrugged, drawing attention to the fact that he was severely undernourished, as his boney shoulder protruded through the tears in his shirt. “I’ve been told that I’m a mistake. Have always been different from the rest of my pack. I can’t shift. I have no triad partner. The old ones of the pack have told my parents that I’m defective, and because of me, our pack will never be healthy. The pack decided that I was to be banished, hoping that my leaving would lift the curse that they say has affected our pack since the day I was born.”
There was no bitterness in the young man’s voice. There was only a calm acceptance of who he was and what he was. Jackson stepped toward the boy and touched his shoulder lightly. When the boy turned his attention to the beta, there was something in his gray eyes that called to Jackson’s soul. The light blond hair that hung forward onto his face did little to hide the pain and sorrow that looked back up at him.
Jace, there is no evil intent in this kid.
I agree.
“Why have you come here?” Jace asked him with a firmness in his voice that would make any man know that he was an alpha to be reckoned with.
The young man hesitated. Jace could tell he was trying to decide what to tell him and hoped the boy would be truthful.
“I had a dream that I would find my triad partner within your pack,” he said finally, sighing as he waited for the alpha to laugh at him and throw him off his pack’s land. “When the alpha of my old pack decided to help me make the decision to leave today, I packed up my stuff and came here.”
Jace stepped forward and reached out to take hold of the young man’s chin, turning his face one way and then the other. “Butler, get Doc Barrett,” he told his lieutenant gruffly. He looked down at the boy and sighed. He could never tolerate another’s cruelty, especially to a child. It didn’t matter that this boy was into young manhood. He was a cub who needed his protection, and that was exactly what he was going to get.
“What’s your name, cub?”
“Mitchell,” he answered quickly, unsure what was happening. “Am I going to be able to stay here?” he asked, his voice hesitant. He had heard about Alpha Jace Beckett. His older sister had told him that he was a strong alpha, but his sister had also told him that Beckett was a fair leader.
Jace looked from the boy to Alexander and then to Jackson. He could see that they felt the same way he did about this lost soul. “You will have my protection, cub,” he told the boy with deep sincerity. “When you find your triad partner, let me know. And I want to know more about your dreams, too.”
The relief in the boy’s face almost brought a smile to Jace’s face. Almost. “But know this, Mitchell,” he warned with every ounce of sternness he could muster. “If you cause harm to anyone in this pack, you will answer directly to me. And you will pray that all I do to you is banish you.”
Mitchell nodded, swallowing nervously. “I will be a good member of your pack, Alpha,” he promised.
“See that you are.” Jace nodded, turning to leave the cabin. “Show Mitchell to the single males’ quarters after Doc has seen to him, Alexander. Get him something to eat and some clean clothes.” Jace turned to face the boy once more. “When you are sufficiently healed, we’ll sit and discuss your role within the pack.”
Mitchell nodded, offering his hand to his new alpha. He felt Jace’s power as he shook his hand, but he could also sense his goodness. His sister had been correct in her recommendation that Mitchell would be safe within this pack. His eyes never left the alpha as he left the cabin. Jace didn’t know it yet, but he had just earned himself one loyal shifter—even if he couldn’t shift.
* * * *
Laurie sat in the oversized lounge chair, looking out at the gorgeous scenery before her. She would never take this beautiful land for granted. It was peaceful. It seemed to speak to her very soul. She felt protected. She felt at home. It was wonderful.
Two large shadows emerged from the tree line. She smiled as she saw the two large wolves slowly make their way toward her. They crossed the open distance, and she was unable to hold back her sigh of contentment as they each took their place on either side of her chair as they had done before.
Laurie looked at both wolves silently. They stayed where they were, waiting for her acceptance of them. She knew they wouldn’t move until she made the decision they waited for.
“Did you have a nice run?” she asked them quietly, determined to stay calm despite her nervous fear because of the secret she now knew.
Both wolves stepped forward and rested their heads on her thighs. Laurie looked down at them quietly, sighing slightly as she finally reached forward to run her fingers through the silky hair on their heads and stroked them both gently.
“This is a lot for me to take in,” she said finally. “But on some level, I must have known what you were. Your eyes pulled at me. They showed me your hearts, and I felt a connection to you immediately even if I didn’t understand it.”
Laurie leaned back in the chaise lounge and rubbed at her face tiredly. The large black wolf with the blue eyes that she knew had to be Jace stepped toward her and licked at her hand when she lowered it to her lap. The dark brown wolf with the soft brown eyes that could only belong to Jackson did the same.
“Oh, don’t think your sweetness is going to make me forget that you watched me get naked in the laundry room when I fell into the stream,” she warned them angrily. She smiled when she saw both wolves close their eyes and lower their heads in obvious shame. “And we need to talk about you both being totally honest with me from now on.”
She stood up then, and both wolves stepped back to give her space. She walked into the ranch through the sliding glass doors, glad that everyone had already eaten dinner and they had the kitchen to themselves. Both wolves followed her into the kitchen and stood next to the counter as she turned around to face them.
“Shift,” she told them both firmly.
Her breath caught in her throat as the air around the two wolves shimmered blue, and Jace and Jackson soon stood before her in their place. They were silent as they watched her, and she had to admit to herself that she was a little afraid at the miracle that had just happened before her.
“Laurie?” Jace spoke finally, his voice strong. “Does this affect your decision?”
Laurie was quiet for a moment as she looked at the two men before her. “Yes,” she said finally. “I guess I’m going to have to be really good about keeping secrets because I can’t let anything ever happen to any of you because people don’t understand or are afraid.” She knew that this miracle was one that she would keep a secret to her dying day. There was no way she would ever put these men or their pack in danger.
The two men retrieved the folded jeans Martha had left for them on the table, pulling them on quickly. They faced each other briefly before turning to step toward Laurie. She held up her hand, and they stopped immediately.
“Do you promise to be honest with me in ever
ything from now on?” she questioned them sternly.
“Yes, sweetheart,” Jace answered seriously, the corner of his lip threatening to give way to the smile he barely held back as he looked at their mate, a true alpha female.
“Will you apologize for secretly watching me in the laundry room?” she asked, blushing profusely as she remembered being naked before them.
“Yes, baby,” Jackson answered, not even trying to keep the smile from his face. “But I have to tell you, darlin’, I intend to watch you every moment I can and will be thrilled out of my mind whenever you’re naked.” He reached forward and cradled her cheek in his hand. “And I, for one, am going to keep you naked as much as possible.”
Jace couldn’t help but chuckle as he leaned in and kissed Laurie’s forehead gently. “I’m with you on that, Jackson.”
Laurie looked up at both men and couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “You both are bad influences on me,” she told them, laughing.
Jace’s smile fell from his face as he looked down at her with such seriousness that Laurie’s heart stuttered in her chest. “What have you decided, Laurie?” he asked her quietly.
Laurie closed her eyes and breathed deeply, reveling in the wonder of Jace’s touch. Jackson’s hand as he encircled her waist felt warm and sure. Tears filled her eyes as she realized that she was actually being touched with caring and gentleness. She had never been touched that way in her life. To finally feel it nearly brought her to her knees. She had been truly starved for affection her whole life. These men offered her that affection with open hearts, and they offered it with nothing but kindness and caring. Maybe they actually could grow to love her. She had always been afraid to hope that such a thing could be a part of her life. Maybe it was time to take a chance.
Bernard, Lynnette - Laurie's Loves [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 13
