Gamma's Energy Attracts

Part 12

Stavros’s POV

“Did you put Carrissa to bed?” I ask Colin who is sitting alone on the arm of the couch. 

“No, I didn’t. Apparently, Bia knows something I don’t because she told Atlas they needed to pack their toys, they were going to see Momma tonight instead of tomorrow.” Colin gives me that look, I don’t know how to really describe it, but it tells me that I should have known better. She’s my pup, maybe I should have known that this imaginary friend thing was way out of my league. Even if the kids have decent wolf senses, they shouldn’t have been able to hear me whispering in the hall with Caroline.

“Did you hear me talking to your Mate?” I need to know if maybe they did hear something.

“No. Are you going to take them to see Caly? Because Rissa was quite insistent, I sure as hell don’t want to disappoint her. IF you don’t take her, I’m leaving before you give her the news, you’ll be on you’re own.”

“We are leaving as soon as we pack. Caroline thinks Caly is distressed and we are all feeling it,” I admit to my best friend.

Colin just hums and heads to the kid’s room. My girl is sitting quietly on her bed while Atlas brings her things she might like to take, her favourite wolf toy, books and her small fleece blanket and neck pillow we use when we go for long drives. Colin gets down the small suitcases from the top shelf of the closet to lay them open on Atlas’s bed. Colin is a professional planner and packer, he starts to load up suitcases with all the necessities. It’s a good thing too, I would probably have forgotten something important.

“Baby, how did you know we were leaving tonight?” I was talking to Carrissa, Atlas would never accept being called a baby by anyone except his Momma, but my boy answers nonetheless.

“Bia,” Atlas says curtly like the answer was obvious.

“Is Bia your friend, too?” I say light-heartedly until he shoots me a look that says my Dad’s an i***t. 

Colin is sending me a dangerous keep your mouth shut look, he’s probably worried I’m going to psychologically damage the pups. I’m sure if it’s because I’m giving credence to the fact they think she’s real, or because I’m asking questions, or perhaps I’m not asking the right questions.

“Bia is Rissy,” Atlas once again gives me a stern look, while he grabs Carrisa’s pile of toys and books and carries them over to Colin.

“You’re only going for three sleeps, that means you only need three books,” Colin tells him. “I still need room to pack your clothes.” Atlas considers his choices, and hands three princess books to Colin, thinking of nothing but his big Sister. Colin has a lopsided smirk on his face, “How about we compromise, two books each?”

Atlas grins up at his Uncle Colin, it never even occurred to my boy not to cater to his Sis. He’s nearly three years old, but already a better man than I was before I met his Mother.  Two superhero books go into his suitcase. 

“You both need to potty before we go.  I’ll go find the sippy cups and pack up some animal crackers,” I tell them before I head to the kitchen. I listen carefully, so I can hear if anyone needs any help, or forgets to wash their hands.

“They are going to need to more than just animal crackers,” my friend says. “What about dinner?”

“I thought we could stop halfway and grab some chicken nuggets. They don’t get eat-out often so they will enjoy that,” as if I would forget to feed the pups dinner! I’ve already learnt my lesson about that.

“You and Caly need to have a serious talk about Bia, don’t put it off any longer, and don’t interrogate the kids the whole way to Alpha Tucker’s.” Colin starts humming the tune Blue Moon as he carries the small suitcases to the front door. It’s an earworm he can’t resist it, every time we mention Tucker or his Pack he starts humming. Or singing, if he’s drunk enough.

“I will talk with Caly. As for the kids, once they start watching a movie they will either be engrossed in that or sleeping.” This isn’t our first car trip. The kids have a routine, they eat all the crackers and drink most of the juice in the first five minutes. After one movie we stop, refuel, feed small bellies, potty again, I switch the movie and they zone out. It's a good system.

*****

Caly’s POV

“Patrol just linked me, they have arrived at the gate,” Tucker tells us. He had stayed with us since leaving Blackheart Media, we all had dinner at his parent’s place.

“Tucker, maybe you should have someone escort the Alpha. How will he find the house?” Luna Anne worries.

Tucker, I think, is reading my mind, “Gee Mom, how is he ever going to spot a huge mansion less than a mile from the gigantic Packhouse? Perhaps we should set off some flares.”

“Don’t be rude, Tucker. I brought you into this world, I can still take you out of it,” Luna huffs in disgust.  Tucker rolls his eyes, knowing full well she’s watching him. She snaps her fingers, and Tuck heads toward the door, his mother close behind him. It is customary when receiving visitors with a high rank, that the Alpha (and usually Luna) goes out to greet them. Luna Anne takes protocol very seriously.

 I decide to join them. I miss my Mate and pups, I’m secretly very glad they came early. I know I’m an Alpha and I should be able to take care of myself, but nothing is more reassuring than having my own little Pack near to me. 

Stavros remembers his manners for once, he gets out of the car to acknowledge Tucker and Luna Anne. I wait my turn, I’m his Mate, but this isn’t our home. I refrain from jumping into his arms, but I do squeeze him tightly while he nuzzles into my neck to take in my scent. Luna Anne is already beside our SUV opening up the back door. Atlas has unbuckled himself because he hops out immediately and heads for me.  I pick him up and steer him back towards Luna Anne. Might need to start working on the pups' manners ASAP. 

“Did you even say hello to Luna Anne? She’s letting us stay in her home, it’s important you use your manners,” I remind him.

“Hello,” my boy says perfunctorily.

“It’s ‘Hello, Luna’ Atlas, she has a rank, we need to use it,” I tell him.

“Hello, Luna,” he repeats, but only because I told him so. I can already see the wheels turning in his head, he’s going to be an Alpha so why does he need to even bother. I sigh.

“Let’s try this again with Alpha Tucker,” I tell him.

“Caly, Dear, don’t worry too much,” Luna Anne says gently. Wait, what? She’s the one all into this!

“I need to start him young, or he might end up like…” my words trail off as I nod my head in the direction of his Father and her precious Son.

“It’s the Alpha in him. They want to make all the rules, all the time. It starts at a very early age,” she says quietly so the big boys on the porch don’t hear. That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.

Luna Anne swiftly moves around to Carrissa’s side and opens her door. “Hello, Luna Anne,” my daughter says sweeter than pie.

“What a sweet young lady wolf you are,” Anne says as she holds Rissa’s hand while she hops out of the car and takes the steps up to the house. I follow.

I bounce Atlas on my hip, “What do you say, Atlas?” He keeps his lips pressed together, being obstinate.

“Hello, Alpha!” Rissa says cheerfully.  That gives Atlas the incentive to speak, he says “Hello, Alpha,” as well.

Luna asks who wants ice cream and Atlas jumps out of my arms to follow her and his sister.

“He’s going to be tough Alpha one day,” Tucker says grinning smugly.

“I know! I had hoped that I would balance him out a bit,” I am admittedly worried he’ll turn out just like his Daddy.

“Just try your best with Carrissa, he seems if he’s going to follow anyone's lead, it’s going to be hers,” Tucker says thoughtfully.

“I hope you are right.” 

*****

Julia was excited to see the pups and kept them entertained while the other adults sat and had a nightcap. She showed them her art project, and they were over the moon, literally. The mural Julia had planned for their bedroom was incredible: the sky as seen over the tops of the forest as it went from sunset to full dark. Carrissa’s side was a sunset, full of oranges, pinks, reds and purples. The picture showed a purple comforter and throw pillows in orange and pink. On Atlas’s side, it transitioned into a midnight blue with stars hung in the sky and on top of a cliff’s edge was a wolf howling at the full moon. Atlas had a navy comforter and sky blue sheets. Julia showed the kids some items on her phone from online shopping, fancy pillows that came in every colour of the rainbow, glow-in-the-dark stars and curtains with fluffy white clouds. My favourite was the moon nightlight that hung on the wall. It had a remote to turn it on, and you can choose to use the full moon for full brightness or set it to phase and match the moon outside. It came with a book about astronauts, but it was absolutely perfect for us children of the Moon.

Terri asked Julia if she had finished her art project. I had no idea what Theressa had asked her to draw, I was surprised when she produced a picture of an elegant office. It had glossy black furniture and chrome finishings. It had all the important components of an office, Terri pointed out there was a nice desk for me and a soft leather couch to put her boots up on while she worked from her laptop. It made me kind of excited about the idea of having a ladies' office.

I know Julia has misgivings about going to college, for social reasons as well as fear that a degree in early childhood education would be academically hard for her. She is so good with the kids at the school, but perhaps that should stay as something she enjoys doing as her contribution to the Pack. I think when we get home I’ll encourage her to pursue something in the Arts. Maybe some design classes, interior design might keep her interest. I want Julia to continue to grow.

Thankfully the pups didn’t nap in the car on the way here, so they were ready for bed at the usual time. Luckily, Anne had a room with two double beds. The kids didn’t want to be separated, I know Atlas would have just kicked up a fuss and would have ended up in her room at some point in the night.

Stavros and I headed to bed right after the kids. We had a lot to talk about. He listened while I recounted all the things we had discovered in those missing person files so far. What I saw in mine and Mama’s files. All the horrible things we found out from Micah.

Then Stav opened up about why they came here so suddenly. How he sensed my distress, but also how it affected Carrissa, and Bia, the imaginary friend.

‘Not imaginary,’ My wolf chuffed out. ‘How many times do I need to tell you this?’ Athena who I thought was tucked safely in the back of my mind, talking to her own Mate, decides to interrupt.

“Maybe we could talk to Rissa about Bia. Ask her what she looks like, how often she talks to her, that sort of thing?” Stav suggests. He hadn’t paid much attention to Bia until this week, always thinking she would outgrow it. I wasn’t so sure. 

It couldn’t be what I think it is, could it? She’s far too young…

‘Well, Miss Internet research, why don’t you ask your phone if you don’t believe me?’

‘Contrary to your beliefs, you are not all-knowing,’ I warn her.

‘Not true. I am aware of a great many things that you are not, however you cannot convince a wolf before they are ready. You don’t listen to me!’ Athena stretches her limbs, deliberately scratching her claws against my brain.

‘Give me one example of a time when I didn’t listen to you. I have no choice but to listen.’ I couldn’t ignore her, she’s so dominant and insistent, it gives me a headache to even try.

‘Yet you disregard the things I say all the damn time! I told you that friend of yours, the Gamma was a squirrel and out of control, yet you continued to let him lead you around by the nose and coddled his cravings. I told you the pups were growing in your belly, but you preferred to think you were dying rather than believe me.’

‘I don’t think you knew about the pups.’

‘I watched your caffeine intake. I took you to the Doctor, I knew you wouldn’t believe anyone but her and the man-made tests. I told you we needed TWO baby monitors.’ Okay, well that one is true.

‘Well, let’s hear it then, what do you have to say?’

‘Bia is an old Greek name, look it up. Bia is her wolf. Our child is already ten times smarter than you Babe, she already accepts her wolf and what her wolf says as gospel truth. Her Brother also believes in her wolf, too bad it wasn’t before he glued sand into his hair!’

“Caly, Babe? Are you and Athena okay? You’ve been talking to her for a while now,” My Mate has pulled me onto his lap and has a hold of my chin so he can look into my eyes.

“Athena thinks Bia is Carrissa’s wolf.”

“What?! That’s not possible,” Stav’s words come out sternly, but his beautiful blue eyes convey a different emotion, fear. 

“We are supposed to be impossible! Werewolves, magic, gift’s from the Moon Goddess, none of that is supposed to exist, but it does!” I say fervently. “I think most gifted children get outed around kindergarten because it’s the first time they are exposed to people outside of their normal circle.”

“What are we going to do?” his bewilderment is evident. 

“We can’t do anything while we are here. I don’t want Elder Darryl to pick up on it.”

“You don’t trust him?”

“I like Elder Darryl as a person. I trust him to do his job, which also means this kind of thing should be reported. Even if he doesn’t build a case, it would only take one slip of the tongue to the wrong person and both our kids would be in jeopardy. There are horrible wolves, like WIC that are trafficking the gifted. I won’t put my pups in danger, I won’t be reporting them to the Elder’s Council or anyone else. We need to explain to the kids somehow not to tell others about themselves.” I’m speaking quickly and loudly, something I only do when I get worked up. I feel frantic in my desire to shield my pups from the outside world. Stav pulls me closer to his chest as he does the thumb thing, slowly circling his thumbs over my thighs and giving a little squeeze after each circle. It is easy to lose my train of thought when he caresses me this way.

“If you don’t want to tell the Council, I will back your decision 100%. I will do anything to protect you and our pups, anything,” he murmurs into my hair as he lays kisses onto the top of my head. I slowly start to relax.

I have an overwhelming urge to take comfort from his body. I turn myself so I am straddling his legs. I start unbuttoning his shirt. I want to smell his warm scent and feel his warm body next to mine. I need to. I need him now. I’m shaking so badly, I’m doing a terrible job of undressing him. He goes to lift my hands away, thinking he’s helping, but I growl at him in frustration.

A half a second later he has me pinned down, flat on my back on the bed. He holds my wrists down on either side of my head. I struggle a bit and his lips crash down over mine in a bruising kiss. He tries to get me to open my mouth and let our tongues dance together, but I am too frenzied and end up nipping at his tongue. 

He pulls away and stands, “So impatient today.” He softly growls and that noise alone makes my entire body thrum with desire. I watch as he ever so slowly finishes the job of removing his clothes that I started.

His glorious n*ked form stands at the edge of the bed watching me with dark, hungry eyes. He may not have every abdominal muscle chiselled, but he is a broad and solid muscled wall. Everything about him is thick. Everything. I want to touch him, taste him. “I thought you wanted me badly? You’re not even getting undressed.” I strip quickly, recklessly tossing the clothes on the floor. “You are eager.” I nod, my throat has suddenly gone dry. I wait for him to pounce.

I make a small squeak when he lifts me and tosses me onto the bed and in a flash, I can feel him everywhere all at once, stroking, rubbing, licking across every sensitive area of my body. He brings me incredibly close before thrusting into me. This is what I need. All of him.