The Tribrid Heir's Orphaned Mate

Sweet Surprises

Elizabeth's P.O.V.

Warrick didn't come back for me last night, but I'm going to trust in The Moon Goddess and be strong, wait for him like she said to. Easier said than done, seeing as I'm barely getting any food. Carter finally left in the middle of the night last night, I'm assuming to finally go get some sleep, but now I have to deal with stupid Justin. I never understood how he and Carter were best friends before Warrick showed up, but now I do. Justin, even though he's a part of the pack and family, has always been very malicious and conniving. He's never been my favorite person in the world. Actually, quite the opposite, because I can't stand him. Now that I'm seeing the way Carter is acting, though, everything makes total sense as to why the two of them are so close, and it makes me even more convinced that this Carter that I'm seeing now has been the true Carter all along.

"I know you're awake sleeping beauty. You can stop pretending now, because I'm not going to leave you alone." Justin says from the corner of the room, with a sinister tone to his voice.

I slowly open my eyes and stare at him with a blank expression, "You've been verbally harassing me and talking all night, Justin. Why don't you just leave so I can get some sleep, or at least be quiet. I need rest."

A dark chuckle escapes from his chest, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen, Elle. You always thought you were so much better than me, always telling Carter he shouldn't be hanging out with me, always making me do grunt work just to get me out of your hair. Look at you now, though. Just a dirty prisoner, begging the guy who cleans the toilets to let you get some sleep. You know, I'm curious. If I touched you, took what I've always wanted from you, do you think your precious little mixed-blood mate would feel it? Do you think he'd feel your panic as I caress your body, feel the pain you'd feel as I broke that fiery spirit of yours once and for all?"

I hate when he calls me Elle. It's always made me cringe. The way he says it, the way it just easily rolls off of his tongue, has always sounded like him and I have a deeper and more intimate relationship than we actually do. It's always felt like he's trying to make it seem to everyone else that we have some sort of hidden secret, since no one else calls me that.

"Touch me and see what happens. It'll be the last thing that you do." I growl out threateningly at him as I stand up from the ground.

Justin shakes his head as he chuckles, "In time, mighty Alpha, in time. Right now, you've still got at least some sort of strength left. Soon, though, very soon, you'll be starving. You'll be begging me to give you extra rations. That's when I'll strike. I won't have to take your body by force then. You'll willingly give it to me. Like a little slut, trading your body for food. THAT'S how I'll break you. You'll have to live with the memory that you made that decision yourself, however long you live for. Willingly betrayed your mate, just for a meal."

I let out a small snort as I look away from him, "You underestimate me. More importantly, you especially, stupidly underestimate my precious little mixed-blood mate, as you call him." I say before looking back at him.

Justin stands up from the chair and walks towards me, stopping right in front of the cell bars, before shoving his hands into his pockets, "See, that's where you're wrong, Elle. You've underestimated me all of these years. While you were playing Alpha to this pack that just followed you without question, I've been doing my own digging and research. I've been flying under the radar all of these years, been keeping hidden secrets right under your nose this entire time, without you even noticing. Your mate is going to die, and I know how to kill him. I figured it out a long time ago, I've just been waiting for the right time to put my plan into motion."

I feel bile rise in my throat at what he says. I've never heard of a way to kill a tribrid, never even heard of a way to harm them. We only planned to trap them all, the way we did Warrick. We planned to imprison them and hold them captive for the rest of their lives, however long that would be.

"What...what are you...talking about?" I ask, stuttering out the question nervously.

Justin chews on the inside of his cheek, thinking about whether or not he should answer, and I pray to The Moon Goddess above that he lets me know what he has planned. However, my prayers go unanswered as he gives me an evil smirk and walks back over to his chair in the corner.

"You'll see eventually, and when you do, it's going to rip you to shreds. Just understand this one thing, I don't plan on taking just your mate away from you, I plan on taking both of the most important men in your life away from you. Completely destroying you as you watch what's going to happen right in front of your eyes. With the two of them gone, there's nothing stopping me from taking you as mine, forcing you to be my chosen mate." he says to me as gives me a disgusting wink, before crossing his arms over his chest.

Carter.

He means Carter.

I already know that he's going to try and kill Warrick. Him telling me that he's going to kill TWO of the most important men in my life, though, I can't think of anyone else that he would be talking about. That also explains why he's kept Carter by his side all of these years. Why every time that I wasn't around, he'd pull Carter away and isolate him somewhere. Why even though he doesn't like anyone else in this pack, he somehow magically liked Carter, without Carter even having to try.

I close my eyes again, not worried about Justin staring at me with a hungry and predatory gaze. I might have underestimated him, but he's still underestimating me. There's a reason I'm the Alpha of this pack, or at least was until a week ago. I'm no weakling, and I earned my way to the top. There's a reason I'm mated to the tribrid heir, because The Moon Goddess knew that Warrick would need someone just as strong standing by his side. Sure, I might not be just as strong physically like Warrick is, but my backbone is equal to his. I'm a fighter, a warrior. My mom might not have been the woman I thought that she was, she might have been pure evil when she was alive, but she did teach me one good thing, and that was to never let anyone f**k with me.

I take deep breaths, trying to calm the rage building inside of me. My body feels like it's going to explode for some reason, and I can't seem to figure out why. It's like magnets are embedded inside of me and pulling in all sorts of different directions, while trying to cling to one another. I've never experienced this before, and it makes me wonder if it's because I've started accepting Warrick as my mate. Selene said I'd start experiencing new things if I started accepting him more, which I have. I decided last night to accept Warrick, to let him mark me the second he has a chance to. Truly, even with only knowing him for close to a month, he's the one person that's made me feel completely safe, made me feel like I had a home.

I sit completely still against the wall on the bed as I continue to keep my eyes closed, letting the last bit of lingering coffee scent invade my sense again. When his scent is gone, I'm not sure what I'll do, because right now it's the only thing that seems to keep me anchored and from lashing out at everyone that steps into this room. Without saying a word out loud, I reach out to The Moon Goddess in my heart. She said if I needed her that she'd be here. I need to figure out if what Justin says is true. I need to stop whatever he has planned. I need answers and I need them now, because if I don't get answers, I'm going to lose my mind with worry. Sleep starts to overtake me once again, and I obediently let it consume me without fighting.

"Elizabeth" the woman standing in front of me says.

I was expecting darkness, like last time, so what I'm seeing right now completely takes me by surprise. Selene is in a shimmery white dress that glitters in the sunlight. Her hair is as white as snow, and her skin twinkles like diamonds. She has bright blue eyes the color of the sky, or the ocean on the brightest day. I smile at her, before looking around at my surroundings. I'm in the middle of a field and there's not a cloud in the sky. Butterflies are fluttering around everywhere, while small pups chase after them giggling.

"This is beautiful." I tell her, while slowly spinning and taking in my surroundings.

When my eyes meet Selene's again, she nods softly and gives me a gentle smile, "This is my home, my realm. You've made up your mind to finally accept Warrick as your mate, which is why your connection to me is stronger. I'm glad that you did. I know it's hard letting go of someone you've known for years, someone you've truly loved for such a long time. I promise, though, that if you loved Carter, who wasn't even your fated mate, as much as you did, then you'll be amazed at the love you'll feel for Warrick, who was made for you and is the other half of your soul."

I give her a bashful smile, suddenly ashamed of the fact that I was going to take Carter as my chosen. Standing in front of The Moon Goddess, while she calls me out on wanting a chosen mate, rather than waiting for the mate that she made for me, it's embarrassing. Selene gently cups my cheek and rubs her thumb against it in a motherly way. My body suddenly calms at her touch, and tears almost spring to my eyes at the sudden intimate contact. I haven't felt that way since my mother was alive.

"I know you have questions, Elizabeth. You need to know that Justin is telling the truth. Tribrids can be killed. A tribrid can be killed if they're decapitated, that's the only way. However, the one that causes the fatal injury to a tribrid, will also end their life with the same fate. A person cannot kill a tribrid, without killing themselves, as well." she tells me, her voice taking on a more serious tone all of a sudden.

I look up at her as my chest clenches tight, before letting out an angry chuckle once the puzzle falls into place in my head, "So, that's what Justin is planning. He's going to use Carter's love for me, his need to try and win me back, for his own advantage. It makes sense as to why he befriended him, why he said I'd lose both of the most important men in my life. He's going to tell Carter how to kill Warrick without telling him the consequences. Then, he's going to sit back and watch all of the pieces fall into place."

Selene nods her head at me with a small smile, "You're a very smart girl, Elizabeth. No doubt in my mind that I chose the perfect woman to be a tribrid Luna."

"I have to warn Carter! I have to tell him what Justin has planned!" I yell out as I pull on my hair, panic suddenly starting to overtake me.

"You have time, Elizabeth. Nothing will happen just yet. Just make sure that Carter is alone when you do talk to him. You can warn him, but remember, it's up to him on what he does with that information." she says, before she smiles, "Before you leave my realm, I have a surprise for you."

I furrow my brows at her, "A surprise? What do you mean?"

She gently squeezes my shoulder as she leans in, "Just remember, you don't have long, so make it worthwhile." she says, before her gaze moves to something behind me.

I turn around, and as soon as I see them, tears stream down my face without warning. There in the distance at the edge of the field, walking towards me, is my mother and a man that she's holding hands with. I recognize him, but only from my dreams. I take off sprinting towards her, before colliding into her only moments later as I wrap my arms tightly around her neck. She lets out a loving chuckle as she peppers my cheeks with kisses. She pulls away and stares at me as tears stream down her face as well, while she gently cups her hand around my cheek, just like she always did.

"My darling Lizzie." she says as her gaze roams over my face, before she looks over at the man beside her, "I think it's finally time you met your father."

"My father?" I ask with wide eyes, before looking over at the man, "Dad?"

The man beside her nods, before tears brim in his eyes, as well, "You've turned into such a beautiful young woman, Elizabeth. I'm so proud of the woman that you've become, and the decision that you've made to accept Warrick as your mate. I'm so sorry that I couldn't be there with you growing up."

I chew on the inside of my cheek as I look between the two of them, "You aren't mad at me for accepting Warrick? I know that his parents..."

"No, Lizzie! We aren't mad at you!" my mother says as she cuts me off, "Your father and I were in the wrong. I was in the wrong. I should've accepted your father right away. If I would've accepted Marco, we would still be alive to be with you. Callan was always such a kind and wonderful man when I was growing up with him. Plus, Athena is pretty amazing too. She controlled herself so much with me, even when I was trying to take Callan away from her. What happened with your father and me between the two of them, that's our faults and our burden to bear. If Warrick is anything like the two of them, your father and I both know that you'll always be taken care of and truly loved, and that's all we've ever wanted for you. We want you to be happy, Elizabeth. So, please, leave the past in the past and move forward with your mate. Silver Crescent will be a great home for you. You'll be an amazing Luna."

"Plus, you have my family there, YOUR family. You won't just have Warrick's family. My sister will accept you with open arms and be so happy to meet you." my dad says as pulls me into a tight hug, before talking gently into my ear, "When you finally see Callan and Athena again, please tell them that your mother and I are truly sorry for everything that we did. We betrayed them and they've been living with guilt for a long time, not knowing what happened to us. Tell Callan to tell Ashley not to worry about your mom either, that your mother and I are happy here watching you grow and heal."

I nod my head, before pulling away and wiping tears off of my cheeks, "I miss you guys so much. I don't want to leave."

My mom smiles at me, before pulling me into a hug, as well, "You have to leave, Elizabeth. You don't belong here. You'll be seeing us again, though, I promise."

With that, everything disappears, and I open my eyes to the view of the dirty cell I'm being held in. I look over to the chair to make sure that Justin is still sitting where I left him, only to see that Carter is staring at me with tears in his eyes.

How long was I out for?