Untwisting Visions

Unexpected Meetings

Riley

I get off the ferry and walk along the shore until I see the spot where I always see him swim and run. I start thinking about how his body looked. Beads of sweat on his body, glistening in the moonlight. Those abs, mmmm...

Focus Riley! I get the smell of fresh pine. It makes my heart flutter.

Lexi is screaming mate in my head.

Alright, I get it. You can stop now, Lex.

I start retracing his steps. I go to the shop he had entered.

"Where is the elderly woman that works here?" I ask the lady at the counter.

"We are very busy today girl. I am sorry, we cannot help you. I am here to close the shop early,” she says as she ushers me out.

They didn't even have a single customer before I showed up! She literally shoves me out and locks the door. How rude! I guess I will have to look elsewhere. 

I continue walking down the the street and turn the corner like he did. All I see is a dead end with a lamppost lighting up this nook in the road.

Lexi is prancing around proudly in my mind. Mate saw us, he kissed us. No one else.

We still don't know that Lex.

Yes, we do. She insisted until I agreed.

I get a mindlink from my mom. 

Uh oh! I have been caught...

Riley Carter, where are you?

Hi Mom, I am just out looking for my mate.

Where?

In town. I think I saw him here.

Get back right now! We have an emergency!

I'm on my way.

Shit! What happened? I run back to the ferry. My mind starts wondering everywhere and my nerves can't take it. I get on the ferry and start panicking. All kinds of thoughts start bouncing around in my head. Mom has never called anything an emergency before so this must be serious! Is someone hurt? Did the packhouse burn down? I am lost in thoughts, when I hear a annoying voice. 

"Hey, little thing. You going to the party?" A very drunk guy asks, interrupting my panic attack. 

"I don't have time for s**t right now," I snap.

"Woah! I do like my women a little feisty!" He looks at me with lust filled eyes. What the f**k is his problem? I was just minding my own business. 

"Look at me like that again, I will mess up your pretty little face."

"Hmm, I would like to see you mess me up."

Somehow I felt like my angry words were just turning him on. What the f**k is wrong with people? I walk away because I didn't have anything else to say and my nerves were already on overdrive. If he follows me, I am taking a punch.

Luckily, he doesn’t. I breathe as sign of relief when I see him getting some attention from another girl. Disaster averted! At least he snapped me out of my mind racing and going somewhere it didn't need to be. Now, I just need to keep myself calm. 

I take deep breaths. Maybe it isn't as bad as I think it is. What's the point of worry about something you don't know? I will find out soon enough what is going on. It seemed like hours before I make it back home. I pickup that pine scent again as I go up to the pack house. Is he here? 

Dan and Jeanie pull me into a hug before I can process anything. "Oh Riley, I am so sorry about Laney." Jeanie says.

"What! What! What happened to Laney!" All the calm I had convinced myself to adopt during the ferry ride just went out the window. I know I am making a big scene, but that girl is like my sister. And no one thought to tell me something happened to her!!!

"Calm down, Riley. We thought Mom told you. She got kidnapped. Everyone is trying to find her, and we realized you were missing, too. Stop being an i***t. Why would you leave without telling anyone? We are wolves, we stay together," Dan snaps out.

It's like all the panic and stress just hit me hard. My sister and best friend is missing. Maybe if I stayed, she would be alright. It's my fault. 

With those thoughts, my tough exterior I like to hold onto just broke down and the waterworks started. I heard some people head towards us. I smell that familiar pine scent. 

I turn around and see Jace. 

He is just a sexy as we thought, Lexi purrs. 

Yes, he is. 

If I weren't so sad about Laney, I would have been mortified that I am meeting my mate with tears running down my face and snot coming down my nose.

He immediately runs to me and holds me. I take a big sniff. His pine scent. The warmth of his body. The tingles I feel. Everything about him calms me down enough to focus.

"Thanks, Jace." I say as I pull back.

He looks at me shocked that I knew his name. "Anytime, Riley." He loosens his grip but doesn't let me go all the way. I look into his dark grey eyes.

Perfect, our mate is perfect. Lexi starts.

Hmmm, he is. 

"I guess the mate you went to find in town was here instead," my mom say with a smile in her voice. I knew she was happy for me but there was a heaviness in it. In fact, everyone felt that heaviness. 

I turn around but Jace holds onto me a protectively so I have my back pressed up against him. It's like he was not going to let me go. It's comforting, so I wasn't going to stop him. 

"Tell me everything," I say to no one in particular. My father tells the whole story. By the wide eyes Dan and Jeanie have, I can tell they haven't heard the story either. 

Jace

I can't believe it. Here she is. Even when she is crying, she's beautiful. Her smell is intoxicating. I am having a hard time following the conversation but I hear my name so I focus on the words.

"Jace, why don't you go and ask your pack if they can help us figure out this dragon? My Luna will track the amulet. We are going to get Laney back," Alpha Hugo says.

"With all due respect, Alpha Hugo, I would like to stay near my mate. If someone kidnapped her friend who was wearing her amulet, she may have been the intended target. I can have Max and Trevor go back to my pack territory to start trying to find the dragon. Would that be alright with you?" I ask.

I know that being an Alpha I didn't need to ask for permission; but he was my mate's father, and I would be respectful. 

"That sounds perfect" he replies.

Trevor and Max bow their head in respect and get into a car headed for the ferry.

"Riley, you have had a long day. Why don't you get some food and rest?" the Luna suggests. 

I feel my mate wiggle in my arms, her body getting tense. I can tell she is about to start something. 

"My love, why don't we get you cleaned and changed into something comfortable? We can then get some food and take it to your family. We can all work on getting Laney back." I whisper into her ear. I can feel her calm down.

"That was smooth, Jace. I was worried the firecracker was going to go out," Dan says laughing as he follows the Luna with everyone else. They go back to the library.

Goddess, my mate was cute. She is a tiny little thing but fierce. I was worried I would have to hold onto her again before she went for her brother but she closed her eyes and started taking some deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, I got lost in the yellow and green of her eyes.

"Are you just going to stare at me or are we going to do the things you said?" She asks.

"There are a lot of things I would like to say and do to you. You are going to have to remind me which ones you want?" I purposely say to insinuate something. I want to excite her like she excites me. I feel her heart accelerate as she processes my words. It's good to know she is so responsive to me. Her eyes turn a little dark before she suggestively says, "follow me, I will show you the things I want you to do."

Shit! This girl, she is going to be the end of me! I start following her like I am in some trance. She turns to me with a smirk on her face. She knows exactly what she is doing to me, and she is loving it. I guess I have to one up her next time.

I watch her black dress hug her curves as she climbs upstairs. I could just grab onto those hip and.... Goddess help me! I wanted to f**k her when I couldn't even see her. This is so much worse. As I fight my inner battle to not lose my s**t, she stops suddenly, and I almost ram into her.

"This is my room. You can sit for a second while I get changed."

I nod. I have no words right now. She is about to get naked behind a door, and I am going to be just a few feet away. I needed to preserve my energy and think of something else other than shoving her up against a wall in her room until I hear her moan like earlier.

I go inside and sit on her bed. She goes into the bathroom. I didn't hear her lock the door. 

Stop it, Jace! Get a grip, you are an Alpha. 

This woman has turned me into a puppy dog and we haven't even known each other for twenty-four hours. I have to ask some questions. It will get my mind off of things and hear her angelic voice. Perfect plan!