Lion Beta's Protective Mate

Chapter 6

“Hang on,” Jackson said in disbelief. “Why would they send an untrained pup to spy on Sara? That doesn’t make any sense.” He looked around suddenly on high alert. “Unless he isn’t really alone.” He turned slightly so his back was to the wall and he could see everything around them. His senses were telling him that there was no one around but humans. He was taking no chances with Sara though.

Terrence seemed to take offense at the ‘untrained pup’ comment but let it slide. “I am alone. They assumed that this would be something I could do without screwing it up. They thought the incentive of getting to eat or not being beaten that day would be enough to keep me in line.”

Sara gasped. He spoke as though this was a normal occurrence. “You’re only a child. How could they do that?” She turned her heartbroken eyes to Jackson. He took her hand to give her a little comfort. There were heartless, uncaring parents out there. She knew that. You couldn’t be friends with Lindsey and not realize that. But Sara had always assumed they were a minority.

The indifference was obvious when Terrence only shrugged. “They can’t not feed me for too long. They have to keep me somewhat healthy. They think I’m some kind of trump card or something.” He rolled his eyes at that. He didn’t seem to believe that.

“Why do they think that?” Sara asked softly. The reassurance from Jackson through their bond was helping to bolster her.

The first hint of uneasiness swept across Terrence’s face. “I’m not supposed to say anything. In fact, I shouldn’t even be talking to you.” He looked around them to make sure no one was paying them any attention.

“We can’t take him to the Pride. Not until we know more about what is going on.” There were children and elderly at the Pride. Jackson refused to endanger them.

“What about back to my house?” Sara asked, though she sounded doubtful. Janine showing up today proved they already knew where she lived.

Terrence shook his head. “They are watching your townhouse.”

Sara nodded hesitantly. “I know where we can go. No one will suspect but I’ll have to make a call first.” She pulled her phone out, trusting Jackson to make sure the kid didn’t run off. Taking a few steps away, she stopped when Jackson growled softly. He apparently didn’t want her going too far.

Holding the phone up to her ear, she listened as the ringing sounded in her head. There was a click, then a soft voice came through the phone.

“Hey, girl! How are you?” Lindsey always sounded excited to talk to her when she called.

“I’m good. There has been a lot going on this week, believe it or not. I was hoping to get with you tomorrow so we could talk and go over wedding stuff.” Sara bit her lip nervously. Lindsey was like a sister to her and she had been through so much already. She didn’t want to drag her into her drama.

“That would be awesome! I’ve never planned a wedding before so I need all the help I can get.” Lindsey’s bubbly, happy personality had begun to emerge the last few months thanks to her mate, Tony. Sara was positive he was the best thing to have ever entered her best friend’s life.

“Okay. I’ll call you again in the morning and see what time you have available. But I was calling to ask for a favor.” Sara knew the hesitancy came through in her voice when Lindsey stayed silent for a minute.

“Sure. Anything. But why do I get a bad feeling when you say it like that?” Her voice was quieter and more subdued than before.

Blowing out a breath that puffed out her cheeks, Sara just came out with it. “I was wondering if I could use your old house for a few hours? There is something going on and we need a safe place to go for a bit.” She knew it sounded a little sketchy but she wasn’t sure how to tell her what was happening. Doing it over the phone wasn’t advisable either.

“Absolutely. The construction crew just got finished fixing the damage that Larry caused to it. The key is…hold on a second, Sara.” Lindsey seemed to lean away from the pone because her voice grew a little muffled. “It’s Sara. She wants to use the old house. It sounds like something is going on.”

“Isn’t Jackson with her?” came Tony’s reply.

“I’m sure he is.” Lindsey’s voice came back at normal volume through the phone. “Sara, is Jackson with you?”

Her eyes swung to him. “Yes. He’s right here.”

Tony must have taken the phone from Lindsey. “Sara? Can I speak to Jackson, please?” His deep voice startled her a bit after listening to Lindsey’s much softer tones.

She handed the phone over with a sigh. This was something she should have expected. Tony was overprotective of Lindsey to the max. Granted he had reason to be. Lindsey was a little touchy about the house. It was supposed to have been her new beginning but it hadn’t turned out that way.

Zoning back into the conversation, she heard Jackson replying to whatever Tony had asked.

“It’s not something I can get into over the phone.” His concerned eyes moved between Terrence and Sara. “Are you sure that’s wise? I don’t think there is any immediate danger but I wouldn’t rule it out.” He nodded his head even though Tony couldn’t see it. “Alright. We will meet you there.” He hung up the phone before handing it to Sara. “They are going to meet us there,” he said unnecessarily.

Sara wanted to protest but held her tongue. When Tony and Lindsey decided on something, nothing would change their mind. “Okay. Let’s go before all the food we just bought spoils. The power was just cut back on at the house so we can put the cold stuff in the fridge and freezer until we are done.”

Jackson dropped his hand down on Terrence’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “Come on, kid. Let’s go somewhere safe to talk.”

He nodded silently and followed, though his shoulders were still slumped in defeat.

They made it to the house without a fuss. Jackson had circled around several times to make sure no one was following them. When he was satisfied, he pulled into the driveway of Lindsey’s little house. Tony and Lindsey were already there waiting on the porch. There was a shocked expression on their faces when they noticed Terrence getting out with them.

“Tony. Lend a hand, man. We can’t have all this food going to waste while we talk,” Jackson said good-naturedly from the back of the truck.

Tipping his head in Terrence’s direction, Tony refused to move away from Lindsey. “Who’s the kid?” He sniffed. “Besides being a jackal?”

“It’s a bit of a long story but I don’t think he’ll hurt any of us,” Sara said. She got slightly miffed when Tony ignored her and turned to Jackson who sighed.

“He’s not going to hurt anyone. But you shouldn’t disrespect my mate like that. Future alpha or not. My lion definitely doesn’t appreciate it,” he practically snarled. He seemed even more upset about it than Sara was.

It had really hurt her that Tony had done it. She thought they had become better friends than that the last few months. Of all of Lindsey’s friends, Sara had been the first to give him a chance when he first met Lindsey. Did he really think she would introduce someone to them if he was dangerous?

“I meant no disrespect, Sara. But Jackson knows more about security than you do.” The hurt in her eyes was bad enough but he visibly flinched at the anger coming from his mate.

“Come on, Sara.” Lindsey gestured for her to come to her. “Ignore the neanderthal. We brought a table and some chairs since we haven’t refurnished anything yet.”

“Lindsey, Baby, I didn’t…” he stopped when she cut him another glare.

“You of all people, should know that Sara and Jackson would be the very last people alive who would ever endanger us. Sara has been trying to protect me for years,” she snapped. Motioning for Sara to follow her in, she continued to glare at Tony while shaking her head in disbelief. “Just go help Jackson.”

Sara linked her arm with Terrence’s before walking toward the house. She was feeling a strange kind of kinship with him that she didn’t understand. Almost a protective feeling, which didn’t make sense. She barely knew the kid.

Getting to the steps, she let Lindsey draw her into a big hug. “I’m really sorry about him,” she said softly. “Let’s go sit and see if we can’t figure out what is going on and take some of this stress and tension off of you.”

Pulling back, Sara nodded. “That would be great. It’s not just that there is so much going on but it’s hitting us so fast.” She was starting to think she read too many mystery novels. Reading about the intense situations was a lot different than actually experiencing them. It didn’t help matters that her lioness had been on high alert all day since the confrontation with her mother. It was tiring trying to figure out which was her emotion and which was her lioness’. She was too new at this to know right off hand. Sighing, she shook her head. Maybe talking to Lindsey and Tony would help to make sense of the jumble that was her thoughts and emotions right now.

“But first, where are my manners. Let me introduce you. Lindsey, this is Terrence Fitzpatrick. He is somehow connected to my mother. Terrence, this is my very best friend, Lindsey Matthews. And that annoying guy over there is her mate, Tony. Their wedding is coming up soon.” Sara still wasn’t sure how she felt about how Tony was acting.

Terrence awkwardly shook Lindsey’s hand before stepping back. It was obviously something he wasn’t comfortable doing. It was kind of cute. Of course, at twelve, weren’t most boys awkward?

“Clark,” Tony growled. “Her name is Lindsey Clark.”

“We aren’t married yet, hot shot,” Lindsey growled back. She glared at him again before stomping, yes, stomping, into the house. Maybe Sara wasn’t the only one who needed to figure out how to get control of some tension.

For a few seconds there was only silence. “s**t, Dude. I’ve never seen her that pissed at you before,” Jackson said in amazement.

Tony rubbed at the tension in his neck. He shook his head. “She’s right though. I shouldn’t have questioned you, Sara. I’m sorry.” He truly looked apologetic. “Lindsey’s been amazing dealing with all the changes the last few months but she’s been extra stressed the last few weeks and it’s affecting my lion.”

Keeping the hurt from her voice wasn’t even a possibility. “I just can’t believe you would think I would do anything to hurt her. After everything we’ve been through.” Sara just walked into the house, pulling Terrence in with her.

“I have to find a way to reign in my lion’s protectiveness,” Tony muttered as the guys followed the girls into the house. “I almost lost her a few months ago. I can’t go through that again. It’s only going to get worse until the mating is complete.”

Jackson clapped him on the back as they passed through the living room into the kitchen. The girls weren’t there so they must be giving Terrence a tour of the house. The guys had sorted the groceries at the truck, so Jackson put his in the fridge while Tony put his bags into the freezer.

“Maybe you should talk to Nate. See how he handled it.” Nate was one of their friends that they had grown up with. He had just gotten mated three months ago to one of their other friends, Renee, and they were already expecting a cub. He shrugged his shoulders. “Or you could ask your dad. I mean, he had to wait for your mom to come of age before he could claim your mom. He would definitely have some tips to handle it. I have to say it, though. That might be an awkward conversation.” He chuckled.

Tony grimaced but couldn’t hold back his smirk. “Yeah. Not sure I’d really want that kind of information regarding my parents. I’m almost positive that there was no innocent coping method.”

Walking into the living room, they found the other group at the table already. Terrence was sitting at the end of the table with the girls on either side. Tony took a seat next to Lindsey. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and took her hand with the other. He leaned his forehead against hers but Sara was sure that they were doing the mind link thing Lindsey had told her about.

Jackson took a seat next to Sara and wrapped his arm around the back of her chair, pulling her against him. It was comfortable and she knew that she was going to need his strength to get through the next few hours.

Still apparently irritated but not as much as before, Lindsey looked at Sara. “Okay. Spill girl. I know something is going on with you. You only get evasive when your worry is out of control. Lay it on me.” She glanced at Terrence. “Unless there are some things that you don’t want Terrence to know about?”

Looking is way as well, Sara puzzled over that for a minute. She really didn’t think he would do anything to harm them, but she couldn’t afford to be naïve. She didn’t know a lot about him and it wasn’t just her safety she had to worry about. But that strange pull she felt towards him was telling her that she could trust him. Her lioness hadn’t talked to her yet the way that Jackson said she would eventually, but she was giving the impression of trust as well.

“I know that this is going to sound off the wall but I think we can trust him. Even my lioness is saying we can trust him. I can’t help but feel that he is just as much a victim in all this as I am.”

Jackson squeezed her hand. Their bond had progressed enough that he could feel what she was feeling. Trust your lioness, Sugar. Her first priority is your protection.

“I know it doesn’t mean much right now but you can trust me, Sara. Once I tell you everything I know, I’m hoping you all can help me as much as I’m planning to help you.” Terrence was giving her a look of such hope. At that point you could see just how young he really was.

For the next thirty minutes, Sara explained everything that had been going on. She started at the beginning. If there was anyone that could help her it was the people in this room. To do that they needed all the details. She started at her grandmother’s funeral and that morphed into the worry and struggles about her dad. The meeting with the lawyer and the information about her mother that he had dropped on her. She told them about her and Jackson being mates and the changes that had been happening concerning her lioness. The meeting with her mother this morning, if it had even really been her mother. Had it really just been this morning? And to finish it up, she explained about how she had been noticing Terrence following her and then confronting him at the grocery store.

Everyone was quiet for a moment while they processed the information.

“Wow, Sara. That’s a lot. And all of this pretty much right after the kidnapping.” Lindsey looked like she was still trying to piece everything to together.

Sara nodded. “It is. But Jackson has been with me every step of the way so I was never dealing with any of it alone. I’m just so overwhelmed now though that I can’t seem to make sense of any of it. And something else has been bothering me.” She turned her gaze to Terrence. He had been quiet this whole while she had talked. “Why would think you could be used as a trump card? It just stayed with me after you said it earlier. I mean, aside from the fact that no person deserves to be used or abused the way they seem to do to you.

Terrence looked uncomfortable. “You aren’t supposed to find out. Not until they are ready. If they find out I told you, they won’t just beat and starve me.” He didn’t elaborate further but all of them could scent his very real fear.

Tony leaned forward. “Terrence, if your life is in danger, we can protect you. Not a single person at this table or in our Pride would stand for a child being abused. It doesn’t matter what kind of shifter you are. There are laws against that and a shifter council that enforces them.”

Sara leaned forward as well. “Even if he hadn’t offered to protect you, Terrence, I would have. I still will. Thanks to my grandmother, almost anything is possible. Hiring bodyguards, setting you up in a secure location. You name it and I’ll do it. You don’t deserve to be treated the way you seem to have been.” She reached over and rested her hand over his on the table where his fists were balled up.

Fear was still evident in his eyes but there was a determination there now as well. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Janine isn’t just your mom, Sara. She’s mine. I’m your half-brother.”