Ch. 132: Developments

CHAPTER 132:
Ally~
Nick’s mom’s hands gripped the armrests on her chair.
“It is. I was there when they realized they were mates, months ago. Evan also witnessed this. This is very true,” he responds patiently.
“What-” her voice breaks. “Months ago?”
Nick inhales deeply, taking a strong inhale of my scent while my hand involuntarily clutches his shirt.
“Yes mom, months ago,” he affirms. “One of the best moments of my life.”
I can’t watch any of this. I can feel Jake’s empathy, Nick’s love for me and his anxiety over what will happen next, his mom’s pain and shock laced with anger. It’s a lot. And while I have practiced blocking out auras and emotions, several werewolves and their super intense feelings wasn’t something I had much experience with. They feel so big, so much.
Nick holds me steady and bends slightly to kiss the top of my head. He can likely feel some of this and is trying to calm me through the bond. It helps, but I still feel like someone at the bottom of a well feeling water rush in.
“Nicky - you’ve known for… months and you didn’t tell us?” she asks, her voice breaking, and the heartbreak in those words has me almost clawing Nick’s flesh.
The metaphorical well was rushing with water and I needed to calm down to let some of this out of me. Emotions usually pass through me but there’s so much to sort through…
“I couldn’t risk you reacting badly. You’re both so incredibly hateful of other species, and I couldn’t risk my mate’s safety,” he says like he’s rehearsed it a hundred times.
Something changes in his mom. “You hateful witch!”
She’s lunging for me and Nick is already moving, swinging me away, behind his chair. He stands up in an instant and rushes at her.
“STOP!” Jake commands.
I’m grateful for his speed. He reacted faster than me. I freeze with my hands up that were about to make a shield around Nick.
He freezes, she freezes. But they’re both panting, holding back their wolves at their Alpha’s command.
This is just awful.
I’ve done it, I’ve broken a family.
“You will leave my son alone! Cancel whatever spell you put on him! You evil little-”
A loud smack reverberates through the room and I gasp audibly.
Nick hit his mom.
“Alpha!” there’s pounding on the outside of the office door - the voice sounds like Nick’s dad.
I can’t see a way out of this now.
Jake’s eyes glaze over and then the Gamma bursts into the door. He’s raving mad. He rushes to his wife first and they look at each other for a moment.
“What the hll have you done?” he says, his voice rumbling, laced with threat.
“Gammas, take a breath and sit,” Jake commands.
He feels like he’s in control of this situation and if we could hit pause on this I would tell him I didn’t agree.
They bare their teeth but Nick’s mom comes back to her seat and her husband stands behind her. Meanwhile, Nick pivots back to me and offers me a hand to help me stand back up, he guides me to the chair to sit while he continues to stand.
“We won’t tolerate this Nick,” his dad says menacingly.
He bores a hole into me with his hateful gaze.
Jake growls and it resets the room a bit.
If Nick was in his wolf form his fur would be standing straight up.
Jake holds the room for a bit and then looks at me with some unknowable question. I try to show dismay back to him. If he’s looking to me to guide this, knowing I can read auras and feelings - he better know that this is incredibly tense.
“I’m going to say this once,” Jake’s wolf flares in his eyes. “Ally is Nick’s mate. You have my word on this. And if you can’t accept this, then it seems like you need some space.”
He nods at Nick.
“We’ll go,” Nick says hurriedly. “With your permission, I’ll take Ally and we’ll leave.”
Jake nods. “Temporarily, yes. I think that would be best.”
My hand goes up to my head, I’m holding my temples trying to move these emotions out of me before my brain explodes.
Before I know it I’ve been scooped up and we’re heading out. His parents don’t follow.
“Come on Fae boy,” Nick grumbles when we’re outside.
Kyle must be here.
“Al- I’m sorry,” Rachel’s voice adds. Her hand rests on my wrist. “I know you don’t believe me right now - both of you - but it’s going to be okay.”
She releases me and I try to recompose myself by the time we make it to the car.
“Nick-” I start to say.
“No love, this is how it’s going to be. I’m coming with you and never leaving you again,” he says softly, moving me into the front seat of a car. Kyle holds the door open.
I don’t say anything more, I’m too disappointed and hurt. Nick buckles me in and kisses my forehead before closing my door and moving around to the driver’s side.
Kyle moves to the back seat and holds the door open. Rachel is far off talking to Jake. They hug briefly and he lets go, his arm still outstretched like he could still hold on, as she makes her way over.
She enters the car and scoots over, Kyle joining and closing the door.
“He doesn’t think it’s safe right now,” she says shakily.
Nick pulls away and I start to see all the people who have come out to watch us go. With hate and anger in their eyes. Fear and outrage. Some of them sneer. Others clench their fists. They line the driveway and dirt road. No one says it, but I think it.
Jake’s right. It’s not safe here for us anymore.

Evan~
I’m outside when I see Nick, Ally, and his mom follow Jake into the packhouse. This can’t be good. Nick was openly clutching Ally’s hand the whole way in and I know they’ve been found out.
I think of my own witch mate for a moment.
Yes, our witch, Xavier heartily agrees in my mind.
It’s not that easy, I link back.
He just huffs.
I hear the words before I hit the bottom of the stairs. They make my blood boil.
“Come on, such a pretty little thing…” a male voice slithers.
I hear Amber’s heartbeat pick up and I jump to the bottom of the stairs, rushing over. A loud growl escapes me before I round the blind corner.
“SHUT YOUR MOUTH BLOODSUCKER,” I roar out, already running towards his cell.
Some genius put this kidnapper next to my mate, like they were the same! I’m disgusted by whoever decided to do that.
“Oh, sounds like I touched a nerve,” the vamp hisses out, casually standing there, picking off invisible lint from his jacket.
“I WON’T SAY IT AGAIN,” I snarl.
I’m seeing red and everything in me wants to tear this thing limb from limb. My eyes flicker to Amber who is firmly in the total opposite corner of where the vampire stands. She’s looking at me intently, her eyes shining with something. Hope? Worry? I don’t know.
We have to get her out, Xavier insists again for the millionth time - although this time there's a clear whine in his voice.
The vampire put his hands up in a gesture of surrender and I heard a door open upstairs. Someone heavy is coming down. A moment later I recognized the scent of my father.
“Ah I see you couldn’t wait to assist me with the questioning,” he says, barely looking at me.
I don’t correct him.
The vampire looks between my father and I with a question in his eyes, and then glances between Amber and I a few times. Meanwhile my father retrieves the extra set of magic blocking cuffs, the one with chains in between for feet. He’s taking someone out for interrogation.
Without asking he’s putting them in my hands and I stand there letting my canines show as my father grabs a key out of his jacket.
“Stand at the back,” my dad says in a bored tone.
The vampire glares once but no one moves a muscle. I watch Amber as she takes everything in. She looks hurt. Disappointed. In me? I try to look back and convey to her some assurance I couldn’t voice even if no one was around. But she doesn’t react, just watches my father. I see a small shiver pass through her and it sets my heart racing. She’s scared of him.
Finally the vampire listens. My father steps forward to unlock it while I get in position. He opens it quickly and I rush in while he closes it behind me. The vampire sneers at me while I continue to bare my teeth and lock the additional cuffs around his ankles.
They snap into place and we are then joined by two of my father’s best warriors. The cell door opens and they escort him down the hall to another cell. This one has a sort of medical bed on it with all kinds of additional charms to block magic. Along with an array of tools for torture.
I stay there outside the empty cell and continue to stare at Amber. She’s entranced by the door they just took the vampire in.
“I won’t let him hurt you,” I say, my voice shaking.
“Which one?” her voice cracks.
The door down the way cracks open and my father’s irritated voice comes out, “Are you coming?”