Chapter 78
What the fuck was that bull shit. Growling out I crawl back out of the cave. I should have this thing destroyed. Storming back to the pack is taking less time than it did to get there. The smell of lavender coming from behind me tells me Ambrose is coming so I stop. “old man” “young man what happened?” dropping my shoulders I tell him what I was told from the red eyes. I can't see him as he is behind me but I get a feeling he's nodding his head as I talk. “well you must let me see the bracelet before you put it on.” I nod having thought of that myself why would I just put something on randomly. “is the spell broken on Ty?” I ask as I start walking again the sigh tells me all I need to know. “it has lessened but not gone I have a feeling it won't go fully away until after the fight with the winter's boy.”
The rest of the walk was silent until I had a thought. “does Ty's mate have everything she needs she had some injuries I was looking after and the clothes she was wearing were rags. I was gonna send sky to pick her up things but without sizes well that's hard. And did you say she is with the princess why is she with the princess? Where is the princess?” after a long pause he finally answers “she's a size 2 or small shoe size 6 I am sure sky can work with that I wouldn't know what to get a female to wear as you know I am not a female or keep females company for more than a night and they usually are not wearing clothing when I am with them.” he chuckles. Rolling my eyes I wait for me to start talking about the princess when she doesn't I growl lowly. This damn old man.
“oh don’t give me that young man. She's closer than you think but far enough for you to not do something stupid even if you can you could still hurt her more than she is. And having that witch and the winters boy searching in all the wrong spots is fun to watch.” glad someone is having fun I think as I pick up the pace heading back to the pack. We have a few more hours before nightfall and I want to work out a new training schedule and have the non-combat and pups all stocked up to be locked down in two days. Thinking over what needs to be done I link the stables to find out if they have moved the heard close yet. Finding out they planned to drive them close tomorrow I tell them to put it on hold keep them in the outer fields and send all the guardian dogs along with both wolf and human forms to watch the herd and keep them out there. I want some men out with the herds to keep them safe and stay with them until told otherwise. With a yes alpha I cut the link knowing they will do what I want without too many questions or issues. I know we have a few new teens now working in the stables who have not been on a drive yet and I hope they take them. But Gary knows who he needs to take and I won't step on his toes. He runs the barn and he's damn good at it. We have not lost a heifer or calf in over five years. The last one we lost was due to it falling off a cliff over the river and being spooked by a rabid bore.
“awe don’t worry the princess is fine along with miss Michelle. I do hope that miss Michelle will talk some sense into your mate. The young lady has a good heart and a sunny dispensation even after all she's been through she's a generally happy female.” snapping my eyes to him “and what makes you think I want that spoiled brat to change her mind?” I growl out at him my wolf preening inside me at the thought of our mate but also anger is there too as she rejected me. She chooses that stupid watch over me. Even after what he did she still choose him. “she didn’t you know when she found it was a lie she ran not just from you but from everything. How would you have felt young man? Hmm, I wonder?” “huh?” “oh, just this” and he snaps.
Everything goes black right before a bright light flashes.
“Looking around I see a bed the colors of the sunset. Not my bed what? Trying to turn I cant. What? The door opens behind me “mis.” “lo where have you been?” I hear myself say but not my voice. “father wanted to have a last-minute meeting before tomorrow. We turn 18 and can find out mates. I can't wait what about you?” “what if I don’t find mine lo? What happens when you have to have a beta?” a huge arm lands over my shoulders squeezing me. I can feel the love flowing through the bond. “don’t worry little sis. If you don’t find your mate tomorrow then we have time to find him before father has to pass the pack and titles over. If he's not at the party we will go on a tour of the packs.” laying my head on his shoulder we just stare out the window. Watching trucks and cars pulling in down by the dorm building.
The scene changes to being in a bathing chamber and an older lady with a weird look in her eyes come in. I can see her smiling at me and feel the smile on my face. I hear myself calling out for my grandmother and hugging the older lady. When she gives me a mug of steaming tea I didn’t think twice before I drank it. Watched through the eyes of Artemis as she prepared for a party. I had been invited to the birthday party as an alpha but it was so close to mine and Ty's pledge years I opted to stay home. When Artemis entered this bathing chamber spa-style thing she was in the sun was up its now dark out and the stars are showing up. I have sat here in her head as she's been pointed and prodded for hours. The hair pulling and makeup had to be the worse for me. I could feel she didn’t really enjoy it herself.
Hours later we head to the party. Walking in I smell cotton candy and laughter. How can laughter have a scent and what is that scent I have no clue but that is what I smell. Searching until I see Jacob white. The world explodes around me as I feel the bond snap in place.
Next thing I know I am looking into my own eyes the scent of citrus heavy all around me making my knees buckle. Confusion fears disbelief all flood me as I watch our first meeting take place. The pain she feels as her world crumbles. I watch as my eyes flash back and forth between black and silver. What that's odd. Then I’m running. Running as far and as fast as I can. My wolf grows weaker as I run but I chalk it up to fatigue from running. Shifting back once I come to a small human town with no other supernatural smells. The farther I walk into town the stronger the human scents were. This should help hide me.
Cold hard hands clamp down on my mouth yanking me out of my bed. Snapping my eyes open I saw black eyes staring at me. Winters guard uniforms all around. I had been found. The next few days speed up as I am drug back to the pack locked in my room for a day before I’m drug to the bathing chamber where not only her grandmother but Jacob's parents violate her and say some pretty nasty things. In the over-hot bath my Artemis's skin feels like it's on fire. The more things they dump in the water the worse it felt. A huge cloud down lives inside Artemis. Her feelings are all over the place. Why could I not hear her thoughts if I am in her head? I can feel her feelings. Hear her talking but not what she's thinking.
In a blink I am now on stage fighting with the horrible dress I found her in Jacob whispering about all the fun he will have to replicate what Apollo and shay do to each other.
