Jina

by McKayla Schutt

  "Good, you need more fruit in your system." Dominic patted Hunter's shoulder. The way Hunter talked about Dominic, it seemed like he had gained a son while Jina had raised Alia. She wondered what their lives might have been like had she left with her mate and baby the night before her parents took Luna. Jina glanced at Hunter and Luna and hoped their differences wouldn't pull them apart. She'd never push them to separate like she had tried to with Alia. Stupid fucking move, by the way, her inner bitch chimed in.

  "We should be heading out soon. There's a lot of space between here and Nevada." Luna sighed then she popped an orange slice in her mouth. Dominic snapped his fingers before he hit the last step.

  "I'll pack a bag for the trip." Dominic climbed up the stairs two at a time. I really hope we can make all this work! Jina tried to push away her fear of being separated from her mate again.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Dominic

  DOMINIC PULLED HIS truck into the first hotel in Topeka, Kansas after eleven hours on the road, with a half hour break for lunch and an hour break for dinner. The long drive made his wolf restless. He itched to run in his wolf form but resisted the urge, he knew better than to shift in someone's territory without the alpha's permission. Better to be restless than dead. Jina climbed out of her car and stretched her back making her tits rise. He licked his lips as she met his gaze.

  Dominic turned and strolled into the front of the hotel to pay for the two rooms. He didn't want to let Jina out of his sight yet. His wolf begged him to say yes earlier when she offered a fresh start, but his human side wanted to get to know his mate again. He walked out to find Luna talking to her mother.

  "You two are sharing a room, right?" Hunter raised an eyebrow.

  "Yes." Dominic nodded quickly before handing Hunter their room key.

  "Hey, I'd love to have you living in the same pack with me." Hunter leaned closer but kept his gaze on Luna He also wanted to stay close to his daughter.

  "I'll keep it in mind." Dominic patted him on the shoulder.

  "Also, I'm pretty sure Luna would want to have you near as well." Hunter left Dominic and pulled Luna into a hug. "Let's get some rest. Plus, my wolf is needing time with you."

  "No shifting." Dominic reminded him.

  "Hey, I'm not completely crazy." Hunter shook his head and grabbed Luna's hand. His other hand held a small bag.

  "Goodnight, Mom and Dad." Luna smiled.

  "Goodnight," Dominic said at the same time as Jina. He met her gaze and resisted the urge to take her in his pickup truck like their first time. His wolf loved the idea.

  "Come on." Dominic grabbed her bag while he carried his in the other hand. Jina followed him into the hotel. They were on the first floor while Hunter and Luna were on the second level. It made him nervous, but he pushed the unease back. They would call if trouble came, he reminded his wolf as he pushed the card into the door.

  "After you." Dominic waved Jina in. She kept her gaze down, which didn't make his wolf happy.

  "I'll be quick with my shower, so you can wash up." Jina scurried into the bathroom and closed the door. Dominic placed the bags on one of the beds. He had paid extra to make sure there were two beds, he didn't want to presume they would sleep next to each other.

  He wanted her so fucking bad but all the pain from years of silence was affecting him more than he anticipated. The water pattered against the tiles, Dominic pictured his mate taking off her clothes slowly before climbing under the hot water. His cock throbbed at the ideas flitting around in his mind. He plopped down on the farthest bed.

  The scent of salty water met his nose and he stood. Before he managed to stop himself, he inched into the bathroom to find Jina crying under the water. She turned toward him and covered her chest. His wolf hated her covering herself from his eyes.

  "What's wrong?"

  "I've hurt you too much. I shouldn't expect you to forgive me. Hell, I don't even forgive myself." Jina shook her head. Dominic's heart broke seeing his mate cry. He couldn't take any more of it as he closed the door and jumped right into the shower. With a quick toss of his phone onto the floor, he wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head in his chest as he rubbed her back. His clothes clung to his body as the hot water hit the fabric.

  "Jina, I never blamed you. I blamed your parents for taking our little girl." Dominic blew out a long breath. "And if I'm being honest, I would have killed them to find Luna if I thought it might've helped." He had never admitted it out loud before.

  "If I had known she wasn't in that car, I would have found her within days." Jina met his gaze. "I put a tracker spell on her necklace. It had a small bit of my blood, so I could always find it but when I thought she died, I never tried to look." She pushed the tears away.

  "We both thought she was dead. You can't blame yourself for not looking." Dominic kissed her. She snapped her fingers and his wet clothes vanished, leaving no barrier between himself and his mate. "Damn it, woman."

  "Dominic, do you still love me like before?" Jina met his gaze. His wolf whimpered at the question, he hated the fact Jina doubted the strength of his love for her. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pressed her against the tiles.

  "Woman, I've loved you since the moment I saw you elbow that drunk bastard the night we met." He pushed back a groan when her breath hitched, which in turn made her nipples rub his chest.

  "Since then?" Jina smiled which calmed his beast.

  "Most would just try to push him without much effort. You have a fire inside of you that my wolf likes." Dominic's wolf wagged his tail and Dominic almost laughed. "That fire for you has never died, Jina." He rubbed his nose up her neck to kiss her earlobe. Her arousal filled his nose.

  "Then why won't you agree to stay with us in Nevada?" She grabbed his arms. The question had some validity to it.

  "Because I want to make sure you will stick with me this time. I can't commit to you unless you're ready to give yourself over to me, no matter what happens." Dominic pressed his forehead against hers.

  "But you forgive me for not coming to you after we thought Luna died?" Her voice cracked.

  "I do. I was a mess myself when I thought I lost her and not having you around sucked but I understood on some level that you needed time to heal. I figured when you were ready, you would come back to me." He sighed, he never expected it to take thirty fucking years.

  "I wasn't ready but thinking about it now, I'm glad I'm kicked out." She smirked, and the tears finally stopped.

  "Why's that?" Dominic never expected to hear her say she enjoyed being kicked from her home.

  "Because seeing you made me realize how much I missed you and how empty I've felt." Jina rubbed her hands up his arms which made his cock twitch. "I gave my sister hell for going back to Pico because I thought I was the strong one. In reality, she had more strength to realize she needed her mate." Jina bit her lip. The water began to turn cold making her shiver.

  "We can wash up together tomorrow." Dominic turned off the water and grabbed her a towel.

  "Thank you." Jina gave him a half smile which didn't touch her soft eyes. Dominic grabbed his towel and dried off quickly before picking up his mate and strolling into the room.

  "I paid more to have an extra bed but I'm not sleeping alone." He advanced to the bed without their bags and pulled the covers back. "Do you have a problem with that?" He raised an eyebrow and she shook her head. Carefully, he set her on the bed and climbed in after her. Having her so close made his soul peaceful. If this kept up, he would become a shattered glass bowl if she left again.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Jina

  MORNING SEX, WHAT A great way to wake up. Jina adjusted herself in her seat as memories of the morning took over every thought. With cruise control switched on, she didn't have to worry about loss of speed as she moved her legs around in an attempt to calm her aching core. Years of no sex and then a ton of sex in a few days did a number on her lower half.

  Seven hours in and their lunch behind t
hem, Luna's car started to smoke on the outskirts of Denver. She pulled over and Hunter yanked Luna out of the car before Jina finished parking.

  "I'm fine!" Luna yelled at him as he pulled her away from the little car.

  "You don't know what's wrong with it. I'm not taking chances. You don't heal like I do." Hunter turned to Jina and Dominic walking up.

  "Let's go check it out." Dominic popped the hood.

  "It's a damn rental. I can call them, and they can pick it up," Luna suggested but they didn't listen.

  "Let them work on it." Jina rubbed her back. Luna pulled out her phone and tapped on the screen while Jina stared at Dominic and Hunter trying to figure out the reason for the black smoke. A truck pulled up behind Dominic's. Jina didn't like the alpha strength rolling off the man climbing out of the pickup.

  "Dad, you're going to make me late." A little girl about six or seven climbed out of the passenger side. Thankfully, the traffic moved over, giving them room.

  "Damn it, Cora," the man growled as he picked her up and strolled over to Jina. "Are you guys in need of some help?"

  "I think you could use some help with your little one." Jina smiled at Cora.

  "She is a handful some days." He shook his head. Luna walked over to Hunter.

  "Thanks, Dad." Cora rolled her eyes and looked at Luna. "She's pretty, Dad."

  "Yes, but your mom's prettier. My name is Raymand Nox." He offered his hand and Jina took it but quickly let go when Dominic growled.

  "What?" Jina turned to Dominic who headed right for Raymand, anger lighting up his brown eyes. Thankfully, the smoke stopped pluming from the car.

  "You're in my territory. I'd watch it if I were you. You may be older but I'm the alpha here." Raymand stood his ground as his power washed over Jina. Jina struggled to breathe.

  "We are fine." Dominic wrapped his arm around Jina's waist like he wanted to prove something.

  "Dad, let's go. I don't want to be late for Mom's appointment." Cora wiggled in Raymand's arms.

  "Enough." He glared at the little girl then turned back to Dominic. "Luna, is this your car?"

  "Hey, Raymand." Luna strolled right up to him and hugged him which made Hunter lurch forward. Dominic stopped him before he reached the alpha. "You, my dear, are beautiful."

  "Ash and Drake are on their way to help me out." She moved Cora's brown hair from her face.

  "Good." Raymand smiled but the tension didn't ease.

  "Who's Ash and Drake?" Hunter hissed into Luna's ear.

  "Ash helped save me from the scientists. He also helped me find my parents." Luna turned and kissed Hunter which seemed to calm him down. Jina glanced up at Dominic, wondering what was going through his mind. She thanked the goddess above for the man or wolf named Ash for helping out her little girl when she couldn't.

  After a few minutes of silence, a black pickup truck pulled up to the shoulder. "Well, let me know if you need a place to stay tonight." Raymand waved and Cora smiled before they climbed into their truck.

  "That's crazy!" The man's voice made Jina jump as he approached. His brown eyes were completely focused on her as he strolled right for her. Dominic seemed to take this the wrong way when he blocked the younger man's path. "Wow, your photo was totally accurate too."

  "What the hell are you talking about?" Dominic growled, and the tension grew stronger.

  "Oh, I was the one who did the research so Luna could find you, I'm Ash by the way." He extended his hand, but Dominic didn't take it. "Anyways, finding your mate was easier than finding you but they have up to date photos from about a year ago."

  "And where did you find this?"

  "Oh, it's on the wolfbase." Ash shrugged. Luna laughed then stopped as she looked around.

  "Let's get your car back to a shop." The man next to Ash finally spoke as he pushed back his auburn hair.

  "You can take it back to the rental place for them." Luna pulled out the card with the logo on the top.

  "Cool." Ash nodded and followed the other guy.

  "So, what's the plan?" Jina asked. They couldn't just leave without her stuff, but she knew the guys didn't want to unpack the car on the side of the highway.

  "You and Luna go get some food while Hunter and I follow them," Dominic suggested. The way he kept himself between the new guys and Jina spoke to her. She didn't want to push him, but she didn't want him to take her leaving the wrong way. He suggested it, her inner logic pitched in, but her stomach still tightened.

  "Sounds good to me. I'm hungry again." Luna kissed Hunter and then climbed into Jina's car.

  "Are you sure you want to split up?" Jina asked and Dominic's body turned rigid. He bent down and whispered into her ear.

  "I guess this will be a test to see if you stay true to your word." Dominic leaned up and met her gaze. She nodded and climbed into her car. After a few attempts, she merged onto the interstate headed into Denver.

  "Honey, didn't your heat just end?" She tried not to think about Dominic's words.

  "Why?" Hesitation filled her voice.

  "When we get to the store, you might want to pick up a pregnancy test or two." Jina recalled grabbing five because she didn't believe the pink plus on the first two.

  "Wouldn't the guys smell it?" Luna asked while she tapped her chin.

  "They could but it's better to double check." Jina smiled. Luna seemed to ponder the thought for a few miles.

  "So, do you think Dad will stay with us?" She turned in her seat to face Jina who swallowed hard.

  "I sure hope so." Jina glanced at Luna. "I'm doing my very best to convince him to stay." Jina wished it could be easy like before. Yet she had no one to blame but herself for not going back to him sooner. He could've come for you. Her inner voice had a point, but she didn't want to blame him anymore. She had spent years doing it, and it made her miserable.

  "I know you are. It would be nice to have my whole family in one spot and be able to talk to my parents whenever I wanted. It's the stuff I used to dream about when I was being held."

  "They didn't..." Jina lost the words as she tried to question her daughter about her time with the scientist filth.

  "No, they didn't physically hurt me. I mean, overall, other than having to watch the wolves be killed, they didn't torture me." Luna shifted around in her seat.

  "I see." Jina didn't know what to say. She blamed herself for her daughter's captivity because if she had raised her, life would have been very different.

  "If my grandparents weren't so hell-bent against wolves, do you think we would’ve been a family then?” Luna asked making Jina really think.

  “I don’t know, honey." Jina turned off the interstate toward a big chain grocery store. "I would like to think it would have been a lot better than where we are now... however, we can't change the past. We can only learn from it." She was trying like hell to learn and fix her mistakes.

  "What have you learned?"

  "Always investigate to make sure you know all the facts." Jina tapped the steering wheel. The night she heard about her parents’ deaths had shattered Jina for months.

  "You know, I think I have an idea on how to convince Dad you're staying with him," Luna said while Jina scanned for a parking spot.

  "What is that?" Jina turned toward her daughter after she parked.

  "Now, just have an open mind here." Luna's mischievous grin reminded Jina of Dominic when they were younger. She may not know what the idea was, but she had a feeling it would help.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Dominic

  DOMINIC RESISTED THE urge to growl again as he followed Hunter, Ash, and Drake. After his mate and daughter left, Drake had introduced himself. The man kept quiet as he strapped the car up to his pickup.

  They pulled into the rental place and Hunter explained what had happened to the car while Dominic stared at Ash.

  "Is there a problem?" Ash asked after tossing a strap into the bed of his brother's truck.

  "I don't like the idea of having a database for werewolves."
The whole notion bugged the hell out of him. He also wanted to know why Brauc didn't tell him about it. He made a mental note to ask later.

  "Oh, it's completely secure. I had to have Raymand's information to even log onto it. It's for the alpha's eyes only and only wolves can access it. The humans, of course, wanted to gain access but can't crack the codes no matter how hard they try." Ash smiled. Dominic was still leery about having so much information in one place.

  "Still don't like it." Dominic popped open the trunk of Luna's car and put her stuff into Hunter's mustang.

  "Well, once this is all clear, I think we should find a hotel to sleep in." Hunter shoved a hand through his hair. Shallow lines rested beneath his eyes.

  "Zac can hook you guys up with two rooms." Drake grabbed Luna's last bag as he spoke.

  "Who is Zac?" Hunter asked.

  "He owns one of the hotels near the airport." Drake pulled out his phone and started typing. Dominic's own phone buzzed with a text from Jina. 'Could you come pick us up?'

  'What happened?' Dominic sent back. He didn't like the message one bit. They didn't need any more car troubles.

  'Come here.' Jina sent the address and Dominic entered it into the GPS on his phone. Thankfully, they were less than ten minutes away.

  "Something is up. Jina just messaged me about picking her and Luna up." His wolf paced in his mind, wondering if Jina left or stayed with Luna

  "Seriously?" Hunter shoved his hands through his hair.

  "We'll follow just in case." Ash climbed into their truck and Drake shook his head before climbing in.

  "They're being too helpful." Dominic didn't trust the other two wolves and the only reason he accepted their help was that Luna knew them.

  "I trust Luna's judgment. Plus, they did help save her." Hunter brought up a good point before sliding into his car.