‘Til We Meet Again

Chapter 10: Unintentional Eavesdropping

Trinity

I was glad it was Friday. The week had gone by quickly and I was exhausted. It was a blessing I no longer had to do chores. I fell back onto my bed and inhaled. The leave-in conditioner I used smelled like mango. I smiled to myself and sat up, reaching for my phone. Christian had said he’d call me after his shower so we could let our wolves out for some fresh air.

Alpha Chris promised he’d be at dinner tonight, so we were going to show our marks then. I was nervous, but Christian assured me we were in this together. My phone vibrated just as I was about to set it down.

The text from Christian instructed me to meet him at the bottom of the stairs in half an hour. I got up and stretched, heading over to my mini fridge to grab a snack. The time was ticking by painfully slow. I left my room a little early and walked as slowly as I could.

I heard voices in the stairwell and paused, holding my breath.

“You promised!” It was Luna Marjorie. I slowly turned on my heels, hoping she didn’t even notice anyone had been there.

“I made one promise to you and it was that I would never sleep with another woman.” Alpha Chris sounded calm. I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but the next thing Luna Marjorie said made me cover my mouth to keep from making any noise.

“You have never loved me. Never! I should have known this would be a mistake.

You never got over that… that tramp! And then you took in her little orphaned child out of pity. Now I know for sure why you protect her so much. You love Clementine! You always have. You lied!” Luna Marjorie started sobbing.

I backed into the wall and tried to remain silent.

Alpha Chris loved my mom? Why?

The next thing I heard were feet running down the stairs and then a door slammed shut. I heard the Alpha’s sigh. I hurried back to my room as his footsteps came closer. After closing the door and locking it, I plopped down on my bed.

I quickly stood again and walked back and forth. No way. I needed to know what the Luna was talking about.

***

Dinnertime came and went. Luna Marjorie seemed too distracted to care about our marks. Alpha Chris just smiled and offered a few kind words. This made Paige seethe in anger. She dismissed herself from the table and stormed out in a huff. I was relieved it didn’t go down. I was anxious enough.

My mind kept wandering to that conversation I had overheard. I needed some answers. I didn’t even know who to ask.

Was my mom in some kind of love triangle? Is that why my dad waged war on White Crescent? I desperately needed to know something. I can’t go to the Alpha or Luna. Paige would’ve been too young to notice anything odd going on between our packs.

Carmen suddenly wanted to get out again. I was sore from our run with our mates before dinner, but I thought it would be good to get more fresh air, considering my thoughts were racing. I found a bush to tuck my clothes into and shifted. Carmen bounded toward the thick of the forest. She was weaving through trees, moving fast and gracefully.

She finally slowed down and settled beside the small pond, resting her body and drifting off to sleep.

Alpha Chris

After my argument with Marjorie, I wanted to go for a run. My wolf urged me to go see her, but I knew it was best to stay away for a while. The last thing I needed was to lead Marjorie to her. I shifted into my wolf, who stretched and growled, turning his nose up to sniff the air. He ran in the direction of the Eastern border. He seemed to be taking his time.

A wolf was resting by the small koi pond that Beta Giovanni had constructed himself. I don’t think the wolf heard us approaching. It appeared to be asleep. The scent was familiar.

“It’s Trinity.”

I frowned. What was she doing sleeping by the pond in the dark?

Cayman crouched low to the ground and inched toward the wolf. She turned her head to glare at him. He stood up straight and tall, which made her stand and bow. I couldn’t mindlink her, since I hadn’t officially made her part of the pack. I shifted back, remembering I didn’t have clothes. s**t.

I covered myself with my hands as much as I could. Trinity shifted. She was trying to look anywhere but at me.

“Why are you out so late?”

She shrugged and stared down at her feet.

“Well, let’s get back. Christian would be worried if he knew you were out here alone."

She nodded.

“Alpha Chris?”

“Yes?” She looked nervous.

“Did you know my mom … personally?”

My eyes widened in shock. That was a bold question and it was unexpected.

“I—“ I paused. I didn’t know if it would be the right thing to tell her. Then again, if she found out the truth later, she might never forgive me.

I inhaled deeply and went for it.

“Trinity, there is no easy way to say this. Your mom was my mate.”

She gasped audibly and shook her head.

“That can’t be true. How?”

“The Moon Goddess paired us. Like a coward, I rejected her and chose Marjorie. Your dad was her second chance and then they had you."

She pursed her lips, glancing down again.

“Why’d you reject her?”

“I didn’t think she was strong enough. Marjorie was a better fit. I let my parents talk me into it.”

She nodded slowly.

“That’s why I’m so proud of Christian.” I tried to offer a reassuring smile, but she continued to stare at her hands.

“Let’s head back. We can work this out at the packhouse.”

We raced all the way there.