58

POV – Kaitlyn
I wasn’t surprised to learn that we were all invited on this trip. What shocked me was that they had finally marked her. I had been biding my time, waiting for the perfect moment to snatch Kai-Lea from their grasp, hoping she’d be handed over to either Milton or Millus—or even that warlock whose name I still didn’t know. Not that I actually cared what it was. I simply wanted her out of the way. The idea of her and those twins bonding further made my skin crawl, and I was desperate to prevent it.
In my mind, the plan had been flawless: I would lure her into a trap, and in the chaos, I’d hand her over. But boy, was I wrong. When I told Milton where the cabin was located, it nearly got her killed. If it had worked, I wouldn’t have felt a shred of remorse. But instead of a clean handover, it sent them on a warpath, hunting down either Milton or that jerk who was supposed to have destroyed those damn special weapons. Their anger only solidified the bond between Kai-Lea and the twins, strengthening them in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
The only silver lining in this mess was Milton’s assurance that he could still remove their damn marks. However, it was going to take time. Time I intended to use to keep a watchful eye on them. I would be ready to reclaim what was rightfully mine when the opportunity arose. Karrin and Cal were foolish to confront the twins the way they did. Their reckless attempts to undermine Kai-Lea only fueled the flames of her bond with them. The rumors I helped spread about her being bought were just icing on the cake for me. Little did they know that their actions would only solidify the connection I was trying so hard to break.
If they had succeeded in driving her away, I would have had them killed anyway for getting in my way. They were pawns in my game, and I didn’t take kindly to anyone trying to upend my carefully laid plans.
I hated this—packing and going on a trip to find Kai-Lea’s two other sets of mates was the stupidest thing I should be doing. But I’d not come this far in my plan to get Kallen and Stuart as my chosen mates, and that wannabe little mutt wasn’t going to stop me.
“So, do you know when they are going to grab her or not?” my mother asked. She had been helping me with my plans since middle school; we were the real reason Kallen and Stuart broke it off with those stupid little skanks, Cal and Karrin.
“No. But they said they’ll meet with me halfway through the summer for an update. It seems all three have joined forces because they all want that freak. I don’t get it; she’s not even attractive. She’s covered in scars, and until she started training with the twins, she was afraid of her own damn shadow. I just don’t understand what the hell they see in her,” I told her proudly.
“I know, sweetie. She is nothing compared to you,” she said, as if it wasn’t something we both didn’t already know. I hated it when she stated the obvious. I mean, I stood as tall as Kallen and Stuart, I was fit, my body was pure perfection, and I looked like I just came off a runway every time I woke up. Yet they thought Kai-Lea was attractive. Please, gag me now.
“Tell me something I don’t know, Mother. Like if you’ve gotten a hold of the witch who can help remove her damn marks from their necks?”
“Yes, she will meet you in two months’ time, as she is gathering the ingredients. However, it still won’t work until theirs are removed from her. So, when the three take her and remove them, you’ll have a shot for no more than twenty-four hours to make them drink it and mark them yourself,” she told me.
“Good. I will not bow down to her as Luna Queen. Did you know that she has even created aid packages for other packs to build and properly maintain orphanages?” I liked what I was hearing, but it didn’t aid my anger. I was completely disgusted with the way Kai-Lea was being allowed to rule. I mean, really caring about orphans? Eww.
“What? Why the hell is she wasting pack resources like that?”
“I don’t know, but it’s disgusting. I know it’s the first program I’m getting rid of the moment they bear my mark.”
“Of course, Lunas of any standing should never worry about those below them. Especially that of a Luna Queen. She should be focused on being poised and proper, not training and creating projects or programs like that,” my mother said again, stating the obvious. I let it slide as we were shopping for new clothes for me to take on this stupid trip of Kai-Lea’s. “Did she at least tell you what all you would be doing?”
“No. She wants to keep our options open since she’s never traveled. Until she left Black Moon, she never left that pack house for anything other than school, and barely for that, from what I’ve been told. The issue isn’t just that I don’t know what we’re doing; I also don’t know where we’ll be stopping. And I will not look like an idiot. I think maybe I’m just going to get gift cards to take with me and pack light from home.”
“Sensible yet luxurious.”
“Exactly.” I said. After getting a dozen or so gift cards for different stores we were bound to see or be near while we traveled, we finally headed off for lunch. “You know, Mother, I think I’ve been looking at this trip all wrong. I could help plan stops and activities in between, you know, as a way to be helpful. I mean, it would be more prudent to know at least where we are going to be and when, right?”
“I swear you are a complete genius. That sounds wonderful, and I don’t see why Kai-Lea won’t be accepting of your help.”
“Yes, see, this is better. This trip is useful, after all.”
“I’m glad you’ve found a positive outcome for you and this trip.”
“Me too.”
We headed home, where I packed my bags and got everything ready, as neither of them bothered to tell us when we were even scheduled to leave. Instead of being bothered by their lack of respect and common sense, I decided to grace them with my presence and help Kai-Lea plan the trip.
“Hey, so I was thinking that since you’ve never traveled, I could help out with setting up stops for us to look for your other mates and for fun. I mean, that is what you were going for with inviting everyone on this trip, after all,” I told Kai-Lea, sitting down next to her.
“Yeah, absolutely. That’s great. I thought you were mad at me for something earlier, and I was going to come and talk to you about it, but I didn’t know how without sounding like a fool,” she said, as sweet as could be. Eww, again.
“OMG… no, I’m not mad. I was just hungry, and you know we all get cranky when we are hungry. But you could never sound like a fool, Kai-Lea,” I said, thinking that everything she said made her sound like a damn fool.
“Oh… good.” She smiled like the fool she was, completely unaware that before the start of the new school year, I’d have Kallen and Stuart, and she’d be at the mercy of those creeps.