This time it didn’t go away and innocent lives are being lost and we are focused on the wrong things. We should not be having a ball to placate a f*cking princess wannabe, who decided to take, by force, what isn’t hers.
Finally, Sunday rolls around and the new patrol schedule was posted last night, effective immediately. This put Mateo and Oliver on the same patrol with Jena and I. We have to work fast though, before someone discovers Mateo and Jena are together. I think that is the bigger issue over him being with me.
Jena and I make sure we are fully geared up. I am not under the delusion that Mateo will be able to be freed as easily as Sam and Oliver. He has always put this pack first, above everything, including his own wants and needs. He was always taught that the Alpha is right and to never go against him. That kind of loyalty is great, until you have loyalty blindly, then people get hurt.
Oliver gave me a specific place to meet them on the route. He was afraid Mateo might lose his sh*t if he saw Jena and I both at the patrol house to check in. So we showed up early, ran to the location and were just stuck waiting.
Just as I really start to get antsy, I finally hear some noise in the underbrush. Oliver is being loud intentionally and it’s strange, normally he is the most stealthy of all of us. I wonder if my brother suspects something with him acting out of character like this.
Then I see it, my brother’s wolf barreling towards us at full speed, not good, cause he looks pissed.
“Incoming, Bitty. I think he can smell Jena or you, or both of you. I don’t know if Mateo has control right now.”
“We got him.” is all I have time to reply as I let Jena know.
“Come here, baby.” She whispers, and I pack that away for later as she shifts just in time for his wolf to collide with hers.
They are all teeth and fur. Flailing, snapping, biting, throwing. His wolf keeps grabbing her forelegs in his mouth and flipping her to her back, but then releasing her. Like they are playing, not fighting for dominance.
“Jena, I need him human, for this to work. Can you get him to shift?”
“How do you expect me to do that? I can’t mindlink him, dumbass.”
“Try shifting first, see if he’ll mimic.” I suggest wildly
They are just rolling and fighting and the look in his wolf’s eyes is devastating. He looks like he
is in pain. They roll again and he looks like he is going to take dominance again. She shifts mid roll and lands flat on her back in her human form. His wolf straddled her, open maw over her throat, all teeth bared. She just stares up at him defiantly. I’m not sure if her look is more taunting or accepting, but it’s disturbing on all levels.
He doesn’t clamp down though. Just breathes, the steam billowing from his nose, hot breath leaving a visible moisture on her neck. Then I hear bones start to crack and see a shimmer as his body slowly shifts back. I’ve never watched a shift like this before.
It is beautiful and terrifying. Every joint bends at an odd angle starting from his spine and working out to his limbs. His hair retracts, eyes close and head throws back as his face transforms. When he’s done, he’e left kneeling over Jena, still panting and looking at her wide-eyed and angry.
“Let us help you.” She whispers and moves to touch his face. He turns his head away and out of her reach, but doesn’t move to get off of her. Still fighting some kind of internal struggle, he whimpers again. While he’s not looking directly at her she makes eye contact with me, it’s time. I tell Oliver to be ready, we are going to need him to help hold my brother still.
Oliver runs forward out of the trees, Jena lifts her hips and thrusts them over to reverse positions, grabbing both his wrists and landing them in Oliver’s lap where he grabs Mateo in a headlock and pins one arm. I race for the other, taking a flying slap to the face in the process, but I manage to get the bracelet on his wrist and tight. He cries out in pain at my touch.
I start my incantation, he’s still bucking wildly under the weight of the three of us.
“You have to repeat it!” I shout at him. “Look at Oliver and repeat my words! Talk to him, Please!” I am crying, ugly tears streaking down my cheeks. Whatever spell is on him, he’s trying to harm himself to get away from me and my heart breaks at this fragile sight of my brother. I don’t let go of his wrist, waiting for the now familiar burn of the tattoo on my wrist.
With everything in my life, the one constant thing has been my brother and his strength, his physical presence and right now he just looks wild-eyed and broken. Whimpering and crying right along with me. Then white hot pain shoots up from his hand to mine, he looks at me and is truly terrified, but I’m not. He’s free. I know, as the half moon bands form around my wrist just inside Sam’s.
There’s a sudden jerk from Oliver then Mateo’s back arches, eyes smashed shut. He lets out a feral growl then collapses under Jena. He is completely limp and barely breathing. I bow my head and pray to the Moon Goddess that he’s okay, he has to be okay. Because if he’s not then the twins won’t be either and I don’t know if I can lose the three of them all over again. We all just sit, not speaking or looking anywhere but my brother’s face.
Then he shoots up to a sitting position, sucking in air like he was drowning. He tucks his head into the crook of Jena’s neck and she wraps her arms around him. She lets him sit like that catching his breath and Oliver and I just sit waiting for what he might do next.
“Nice of you to join us Beta.” She says into his hair, before letting go and getting up slowly.
“Oh, f*ck, that sucked.” He looks at the bracelet and the new tattoo. “How the hell are we going to get Cam and Kota? It took three of you just for me.”
“It will be all hands on deck, because I think I have to get them together. Not one at a time. They feel everything the other is going through and it might not work if they aren’t together. And I can’t risk Kaley knowing or finding out if their reaction is the same or worse than Mateo’s. But how do we do that? Mateo was ready to tear us to shreds.”
“That’s because that is the new order. It’s why we’ve been trying to stay away. You are to be captured and placed in a holding cell.”
“I never got those orders.” Oliver looks shocked.
“No offense but Kevin doesn’t care about you, or your connection to Sky. Although, if he was smart he would, seeing how this played out.” Mateo rolls his eyes.
