Fate Will Always Win

by K R Hall

  After the nurse got him settled, she left the room. Nathaniel was alert and looked around the room, stopping when he spotted her. His shoulders visibly relaxed, and his jaw loosened.

  “Tracie,” Nathaniel croaked out.

  Tracie blinked. She was relieved Nathaniel was okay. She knew that one of his shifter abilities was to heal faster, so he shouldn’t be in the cast as long as a human would have to. She saw the pain in his eyes. She pulled her gaze from him, unsure of what to say.

  “Tracie, are you okay?”

  She looked back at him. Unable to speak, Tracie nodded.

  “Thank god. I’m okay too.”

  “The doctor said that he was keeping me overnight for observation,” Tracie whispered. She knew his shifter hearing would allow him to hear her clearly.

  “Me too. They were going to put me in a different room until I explained that we are mates,” Nathaniel said, his voice a little stronger and firm.

  Ahh, that explained why they were in the same room. Most hospitals she knew of only had patients share a room with someone else of the same gender. Tracie let out a relieved breath, knowing he was okay. She let her eyes close.

  Tracie could feel Nathaniel’s eyes on her. She heard a low growl and assumed it was his wolf.

  “I’m glad you’re not hurt worse than you are,” Nathaniel said softly.

  Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She rolled over so her back was facing him.

  “Goodnight, Nate.”

  “Goodnight, Tracie,” Nathaniel replied on a sigh.

  Nathaniel turned away from Tracie’s body when he heard her crying stop and her breath changing. The pain medicine he was sure she had been given must have helped her fall asleep. He looked down at his hands, frowning. His shifter healing had cleared up his scrapes and most of the bruising. The doctors said that he was lucky he hadn’t broken his arm when he flung it up to protect Tracie.

  It was instinct to try to save his mate. That’s not what had saved Tracie. The airbags saved her. It hadn’t been a smart move, but he would always do what he thought was necessary to protect her.

  His leg was in a cast. The doctor said it was so that when his shifter healing worked, the bones would heal properly. Otherwise, the bones might knit back together not be lined up properly, which would cause him to have leg problems. He needed to be in the cast for two weeks.

  Both Nathaniel and Tracie had been awake off and on all night since the nurses kept coming into their room to check their vitals and ensure everything was okay.

  Nathaniel was an early riser, so he was awake before Tracie. He studied her face, the dark circles under her eyes, and wanted to wrap her up in his arms and tell her everything was okay. He knew that wasn’t true. She was hurt because of him. He was supposed to protect his mate, not be the cause of her pain. He would do a better job of protecting her in the future.

  The door opened, and an orderly walked in carrying their breakfast trays he had ordered. He had been delighted to see the hospital had an app to order their meals so he wouldn’t have to call and wake Tracie up.

  The orderly set his try on top of the bedside table and swung it over Nathaniel’s lap. When the orderly finished getting him settled with his breakfast, he went to the hallway to grab Tracie’s breakfast. By then, the noises had woken her up.

  Once the orderly had Tracie’s breakfast on the table, and had her settled, he said he would be back later to pick up their trays.

  “Thank you,” Tracie called out as the orderly was leaving.

  “You’re most welcome,” the orderly said, clearly surprised.

  “The doctor said he would begin his rounds at nine this morning. We should be discharged then,” Nathaniel explained before digging into his breakfast.

  “Great! I want to be home. I get less sleep with the nurses constantly waking us. I also really want to take a shower.”

  Nathaniel licked his lips at the thought of her in the shower with him. His hands roaming over her body as he made sure every single inch of her was squeaky clean.

  “Get your mind out of the gutter. Your leg is broken. I’m sure the doc wouldn’t want you to get the cast wet. I think you will be taking a bath till the cast comes off,” Tracie chided him.

  “Sorry, but you are delicious,” Nathaniel said as he closed his eyes on a groan.

  “This is all my fault. We wouldn’t be in this hospital if it weren’t for me.”

  “Tracie, look at me.”

  She looked him in his eyes.

  “This isn’t your fault. It was a drunk driver who ran a red light and hit us. You could have been killed because of his carelessness. Understand?” Nathaniel said firmly.

  “Yes, I understand,” Tracie whispered, her voice barely loud enough for him to hear.

  “I know it sucks, but we’re going to be okay.”

  She snorted at his words.

  “Eat before your eggs and coffee get cold,” Nathaniel said gently.

  Before they knew it, the doctor checked on them and released them. They each had an appointment in a week for a follow-up appointment at the Lykos pack hospital.

  ***

  Tracie had been so happy to be back home from the hospital, but now three days later, she was restless. The television screen sat in the corner like an unwelcome mirror. Tracie tried not to look, but with it switched off, the reflected mess in the room seemed so much worse than the real thing. Tonight would be another lonely night in her apartment.

  Tracie thought about calling her friends, but they were busy with work and families. It was Friday. Maybe she would go downstairs to the tattoo shop and work on the books. Nothing had been done in the last week. Or perhaps she could do some of her apprentice shadowing. She was close to being able to be a full-time tattoo artist. Between the car accident last week and the kidnapping the week before, she was tired of being told she needed to rest.

  Her mind made up; Tracie took a quick shower and headed downstairs to the tattoo shop.

  “Shouldn’t you be upstairs resting after your ordeal?” Bruce asked.

  “I’ve been home from the hospital three days now, and I’m going stir-crazy. I thought I would get the books caught up. It’s almost payday.”

  “I hadn’t realized it was time for payroll. Okay, but don’t do anything else. Nate will kill me if you had any issues,” Bruce replied.

  “No problem,” Tracie laughed as she headed toward the office.

  Two hours later, Bruce popped his head into the office.

  “I’m closing up. Are you almost done?”

  “Yeah, I should be done in about fifteen minutes. Wait, why are you closing at three o’clock on a Friday?”

  “There is a committee meeting for the wine fest. Just about everyone will be there, so there are no appointments for the rest of the day.”

  “A wine fest sounds like fun.”

  “Oh yeah, we have a parade, a harvest queen, and all kinds of activities. Have Nate bring you; it will be fun. I will lock up after me, but don’t be too long. Remember to set the alarm as you leave.”

  “Will do, boss man.”

  An hour later, Tracie locked up the tattoo shop, setting the code as she left. She was so in her head she almost missed the fact that her front door was cracked open. She froze, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. She calmly and methodically pulled out her pepper spray. She didn’t go inside – she was smarter than that.

  Someone could be waiting for her inside.

  Tracie quickly looked through her window. She bit her lip so she wouldn’t cry out. Someone had trashed her apartment. Her sofa was on its side – ripped open with what had to have been a sharp knife. Her books and clothes were in shreds on her floor. The contents of the fridge were tossed all over the kitchen floor.

  There was no way she could go inside and see if anything was salvageable. She looked around and made a mad dash down the stairs to her car. Her instincts were screaming to run and find a safe place. This couldn’t be happe
ning to her again.

  Her hands shook as she unlocked her car door and jumped inside. She slammed the car door shut and locked all of the doors. In her next breath, she had the car started and peeled out of the parking lot. Her body was shaking; she bit her lip as she hit a pothole, drawing blood. She licked her lip and winced at the taste of blood.

  Tracie was driving with no thought about where she was going when she realized where her subconscious had led her. In the ten minutes she was driving, she was sitting in Nathaniel’s driveway. She put her car in park and sat there. Her body shook, and tears poured down her cheeks.

  “Oh, god, what am I going to do?”

  Tracie tried to stop crying. What if whoever broke into her apartment had followed her? Tracie would never forgive herself if she brought danger to Nathaniel’s door.

  A knock on the window made her scream.

  “Tracie! Unlock the door. What the hell is going on? Are you okay?” Nathaniel shouted through the window.

  Tracie shook her head. Her hands were still holding a tight grip on the steering wheel. She could hear Nathaniel still shouting her name through the closed window.

  “I will break this window, Tracie. Open the damn door, now.”

  Tracie turned to face Nathaniel, her mouth opening and closing, but she couldn’t say anything. She was so shocked.

  “Baby, please open the door. Please let me help you,” Nathaniel begged.

  Slowly she lifted a hand from the steering wheel and placed it on the door handle. She looked at his face, noticing how worried he was.

  “Please, Tracie. Sweetheart, please open the door. Let me in.”

  With her eyes on Nathaniel, Tracie turned the car off. She watched as his shoulders relaxed a little bit. Then she unlocked the door. As she opened it, he helped pull the door open and immediately had her in his arms. His hands were roaming her body to check that she was physically okay.

  Nathaniel picked Tracie up and, using his foot, kicked her door shut, then carried her inside his home. He also used his foot to kick the front door to his home closed. Then he carried her into the living room and gently sat her onto the sofa.

  Nathaniel sat next to her on the couch and cupped her face to force her to look at him. He could see the dried tracks on her cheeks from her tears. Her lip seemed to have stopped bleeding. She had a wild, frightened look in her eyes. He vowed to kill whoever did this to her.

  “Tell me what you need. Do you want a drink? Coffee? Water? Something stronger?” Nathaniel asked.

  “Water.”

  “I’ll be right back,” he said as he dashed to the kitchen.

  Nathaniel came back into the living room with two glasses, one with water and the other with a brown liquid. He handed Tracie the glass of water and downed the brown liquid. Tracie thought it might have been whiskey.

  “You bit your lip, sweetheart. Why?”

  “I can’t.”

  “Can you tell me why you’re pale?”

  “I. I can’t,” Tracie said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Yes, you can, Tracie. You can tell me anything.”

  Tracie looked down into her glass. Nathaniel put a finger under her chin and gently raised her chin so he could see her face.

  “Please.”

  Her body shook, and her heart began to race. Could she tell him? She looked at Nathaniel’s eyes. They were full of concern and love for her.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay,” he breathed. “I’m listening.”

  Tracie swallowed hard and sat back into the sofa cushions. She took Nathaniel’s hands into her own. She let out a shaky breath before she began.

  “Someone was in my home.”

  Nathaniel’s hands tightened in hers.

  “What?”

  “Someone ruined everything I own, Nate.”

  Nathaniel pulled her onto his lap and kissed her forehead. She could feel the tenseness in his body as he held her. She could tell rage was building inside him.

  “We need to call Darias and the enforcers.”

  Tracie whimpered and pressed her face into Nathaniel’s chest.

  “I can’t go back there, Nate. This makes it twice in three weeks that someone has broken into my apartment,” Tracie cried.

  “Move in with me, Tracie. Stay here, and let me keep you safe.”

  Nathaniel kissed her on the cheek, then softly on her lips. Tracie was tired. She was tired of the fear. Tired of being alone. Maybe moving in with Nate would be the best thing for her.

  “Okay,” Tracie whispered.

  “Thank you,” he said as he squeezed her tightly.

  Nathaniel leaned backward and grabbed his cell phone off of the end table. First, he called the pack enforcers, then Darias.

  Within ten minutes, the pack enforcers had arrived and began taking Tracie’s statement. She gave them the key to her apartment. As they were getting ready to leave, Darias arrived.

  “Alpha,” the officers greeted.

  “Gentlemen, please don’t let me detain you.”

  The officers nodded and left. Darias walked into the living room and sat in a chair across from where Nathaniel sat, holding Tracie in his arms.

  “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I received disturbing news from the Shifter Council after you called. Maximus has escaped their custody,” Darias informed them.

  “What? How could that happen?” Nathaniel asked; disbelief and anger were evident in his voice.

  “I’m not sure. They are investigating it. I drove by Tracie’s apartment on the way here to check for any scents. Maximo’s scent wasn’t there. What I did scent disturbs me.”

  “What do you mean?” Tracie asked, fear building inside her again.

  “I scented a mountain lion. Specifically, Pumas. They are our natural enemies.”

  “We haven’t had problems with the Pumas in years. Why are they on our territory? Why are they after Tracie?” Nathaniel asked.

  “I wish I knew. Now that I know, I will be calling their pride alpha in the morning,” Darias replied. “I know this has been a difficult day for you, Tracie. Nate walk me to the door.”

  Nathaniel walked to the front door with Darias; he was curious about what he wanted to talk to him in private. When they reached the door, Darias stopped and turned to him.

  “I’m sorry this has happened to your mate after everything she has been through. Bruce will be handling this investigation personally. I give you my word we will figure this out and also find Maximo.”

  “Thank you, Darias. Tracie has agreed to move in with me. As soon as you give the go-ahead, I will have some friends help us move her.”

  “Good. That’s the best thing for everyone concerned. I will call you when I know more. Good night, Nate,” Darias said before heading out the door.

  When Nathaniel returned to Tracie, he was a little surprised to see that she had fallen asleep on the couch. The events of today had obviously wiped her out. She looked so vulnerable in her sleep. It broke something inside him that she was so frightened. Until recent events, she had seemed to be a strong, confident woman.

  Nathaniel wanted to fix everything for her. He needed Tracie to feel safe in his home. No, it was always their home. He bought it with her in mind. Someone was out there threatening her. Maximo was on the loose. He texted Rosalie to let her know and asked her to bring some fresh clothes for Tracie in the morning.

  Then he picked up his mate and carried her to his bedroom. As he laid her on his bed, he briefly thought that she might have wanted to stay in a guest bedroom, but he and his wolf needed her by their side to ensure her safety. Nathaniel stripped quickly, crawled into the bed and pulled her to his side. He slept soundlessly throughout the rest of the night.

  ***

  Tracie stirred at the smell of coffee and bacon. She bolted upright in her bed when her brain told her that no one should be in her apartment. Looking around, she quickly realized she wasn’t in her apartment; she was in Nate’s bed. The events from yester
day began to fill her memory.

  Tracie went to the bathroom to take care of her business, then grabbed Nate’s toothpaste and the extra toothbrush he had for her and brushed her teeth. Realizing she didn’t have any clean clothes, she went to Nate’s closet and searched for a shirt she could wear. Then she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

  “Morning, Nate.”

  “Morning, love. Did you sleep well? Would you like some coffee?”

  “Yes, to both,” Tracie said, smiling.

  Nathaniel prepared her a cup of coffee the way she liked it and set it on the table in front of her. Then he leaned in for a leisurely kiss, tangling his tongue with hers. She moaned against his mouth, reaching her arms around his neck. He pulled away and rested his forehead on hers.

  “I want to take you back to bed and make love to you all day,” Nathaniel moaned.

  Tracie’s stomach took that time to grumble, reminding him that she hadn’t eaten since sometime yesterday. He hoped that having food in her belly would make her feel like she was okay again. He wasn’t the greatest cook, but they wouldn’t go hungry.

  He piled a plate with bacon, eggs, and toast then placed it on the table next to the mug of coffee. He turned back to the stove and served himself an identical plate and sat across from Tracie.

  “It all tastes pretty good. I didn’t know you could cook so well,” Tracie joked.

  Nathaniel loved that she was joking and laughing, even if it was at his expense.

  “I’m no Julia Child, but we won’t starve.”

  “I hope you don’t mind me borrowing one of your shirts. I will need to go to my apartment to get some of my clothes.”

  “My shirt never looked so good. Don’t worry about your clothes. I texted Rosalie last night and made arrangements to get you something new to wear for today. Then you two can go shopping.”

  “Was there nothing salvageable in my apartment?” Tracie asked sadly.

  “I’m not sure, love. I didn’t think you would want anything that the Pumas may have touched.”