The Tribrid Heir's Orphaned Mate

Vivid Dreams

Elizabeth's P.O.V.

I walk out of Warrick's cell with tears already threatening to spill from my eyes. Between my mom communicating through him and finally telling me the truth, fully feeling the mate-bond for the first time, and having to leave Warrick locked up even though I want nothing more than to let him loose, I'm mentally exhausted. I hear Zeke clang the door shut behind us and lock it, before we start walking down the hallway together. He's keeping quiet next to me, but I know he has a million questions running through his mind right now. Zeke has always been like this, he's always been able to read the room to know whether or not to bring something up. Obviously, he knows that right now is not a good time. That's what I love about him so much, and it's also why I trust him with all of my secrets.

"Mate." Sierra, my wolf, whimpers in my head as she flops down on her paws.

I let out a defeated sigh, knowing exactly how she's feeling, "It's just for right now, Sierra. Warrick has to convince the others before we let him out. If not, they're going to think he's a threat."

Sierra lets out another whimper as she starts to retreat to the back of my mind. I go to comfort her again, but before I can say anything else, Carter appears in the hallway looking the angriest I've ever seen him. I feel Zeke softly squeeze my shoulder to let me know that he's still there.

"No matter what, Lizzie. I've got your back." he quickly says through the mind-link as Carter stomps his way towards us.

"What the hell was that?! You're just going to listen to him and throw me out of the room like that, whenever he asks?!" Carter screams at me as his eyes flash back and forth between his and Drake's, his wolf.

I chew on the inside of my cheek as I stare at him, before letting out a small, frustrated huff, "There's nothing I could really do about it, Carter. You felt his aura and how powerful it was. He could've just commanded you to get out of the room if he wanted to."

Carter scoffs at me, "Yeah, well, you should've just waited for him to do that! It would've hurt my pride less than you agreeing with him and being the one to throw me out!"

"I was just trying to keep the situation under control! He was already angry at you for touching me! He felt it through our bond! I gained his trust by telling you to leave!" I yell back at him, quickly becoming more frustrated with him than I usually do.

Carter rolls his eyes at me, "Yeah, whatever! Did you at least reject him this time? His jealousy made him slip up, Lizzie, and give you the answer you've been waiting for! When he commanded me to never touch you again, he gave you the proper words to use for your rejection!"

I look up at Zeke, who only gives me a look of pity, before looking back at Carter, "No, I didn't reject him, Carter. I need to gain his trust to get answers out of him. Besides, it's not like it would matter whether or not I rejected him now, anyway. You're not allowed to touch me ever again, since he commanded you not to. I'm pretty sure that command still stands, even if I reject him."

"What do you mean IF you reject him, Elizabeth? You're still planning on rejecting him after this is all said and done, right?" Carter asks me as he narrows his eyes at me, before crossing his arms over his chest.

I lift an eyebrow at him as I cross my arms over my chest as well, "Are you really sitting here questioning me right now, Carter? I'm still the alpha of this pack. My plans on what I intend to do with my mate is my concern and no one else's."

Carter gives me an angry chuckle, before he rubs his hands over his face, "You've got to be kidding me, Lizzie! You're not planning on rejecting him at all, are you?! Don't lie to me, either! I know you better than anyone! I can already see the difference in how you feel about him today, than how you felt about him yesterday!"

I let out a defeated sigh, before looking down at the ground, "It's just the mate-bond, Carter. I'll get over it. Seriously, don't worry your pretty little head about it. I'll figure it all out." I tell him, before looking back up at him with a forced, reassuring smile.

Carter stares at me questioningly for a few seconds longer, before nodding his head at me and turning around to walk off. I stare at his retreating form as I quietly stand there with Zeke in the hallway. Zeke stares at Carter as well, until Carter turns the corner, before turning around and looking down at me with a small smile.

'You aren't planning on rejecting him, are you?' Zeke asks me through the mind-link, to make sure no one can hear us.

I look up at Zeke as I chew on the inside of my cheek, before replying through the link, 'Would it be so bad if I didn't reject him? There's no way that what happened in there was some sort of trick, Zeke. That was my mom's voice and there was no way he could've fooled me on that. He's never even met my mom before to be able to duplicate it or anything. Not to mention the emotions that came from him. Him, Selene, my mom. Every single personality had a different type of emotion.'

'I completely believe him, Lizzie. I don't think you should reject him at all, honestly. I think there's a lot more to the story that we don't know about. Plus, his family seems pretty cool, from the way that he talked about them. I think The Moon Goddess made him a direct link from the day that he was born for a purpose, and I think that purpose is right now. He will be an incredible mate to you when this is all over, I'm sure of it.' Zeke says to me as he gently places his hand on my shoulder.

I nod my head at him as tears start to form in my eyes again, 'Why are you so calm and open-minded about this? You used to be exactly like Carter and me in this entire situation.'

Zeke chuckles at me, 'Delilah, honestly. Delilah never wanted to be involved in this whole plan to avenge our parents. She's always been a gentle soul like that. Delilah also had her own reasons for not wanting to avenge her parents too and to question what happened during the war, but she'll have to tell you that story herself. However, she had no where else to go, though, after her mom passed away. It was either stick with us, or try to go out on her own and take the chances of trying to find a pack that would accept her. She was always afraid that another pack wouldn't accept her after finding out who her parents were, so she stuck around. After we found out we were mates, her perspective on things and hearing her story has really shined a light on how I used to view things. Like I said earlier in the kitchen, I just want to have a happy future with her and let go of the past. I'll always be loyal to you, but my priorities have changed.'

I nod my head at him again, before wrapping my arms around his waist and pulling him into a tight hug, 'Thank you for being my best friend. It's nice to know that I have someone on my side and I'm not alone in this. Talk to Delilah for me too, to let her know what's going on.' I tell him as I let out a soft sigh, before letting him go, 'I'm about to go take a nap. I'm mentally exhausted. Don't let Carter near Warrick's cell while I'm asleep.'

Zeke smiles down at me as he nods his head, before walking away from me. I walk down the hallway and into mine and Carter's bedroom, happy to see that Carter is nowhere to be found. I lock the door behind me to assure me that he won't come in while I'm taking a nap, before walking over to my bed and flopping down on it. Before I know it, my dreams consume me.

***

"Hello, Elizabeth." a beautiful woman says to me as we stand in the middle of a field; a woman that I know all too well.

"Athena?" I ask her, before I walk towards her while butterflies flutter around me.

Athena gently smiles at me as she walks towards me as well, while gently dragging her fingertips along the tops of the wildflowers that she's walking past, "You know who I am?"

I nod my head at her, before stopping only a few feet in front of her, "I do. My mother talked about you a lot growing up and showed me pictures of you. She hated you."

Athena chuckles at me as she looks around the field, before turning back to me and giving me a small smile, "I'm sorry about what happened to Victoria, Elizabeth. I thought that what happened during the war only killed the supernatural's that were attacking me and Callan at the time. We never knew that there were pregnant she-wolves and witches who lost their wolves and magic that day, and we certainly didn't know that their children became orphans at the age of thirteen. The magic that I emitted to wipe out my enemies at that time, I had no control over. It was like a bomb that exploded from within me. I felt too much grief and pain and it just consumed me. I was completely done with others coming after me and my mate just because they couldn't accept what we are."

I furrow my brows at her in confusion, "What do you mean, because they couldn't accept what you are? I thought that the war was because you were trying to take over all of the packs and covens?"

"I'm sure that Victoria was a great mother to you, Elizabeth. However, you have to understand that she wasn't a good person when she was alive. I don't mean to speak ill of your mother, but I feel like you need to know the truth to be able to further bond with my son. Whatever Victoria told you when you were younger, I'm almost positive that it was far from the truth. The war happened because Selene wanted it to happen. There was no stopping it. It had nothing to do with Callan and I seeking power over everyone. In fact, I would've been completely happy living a normal life with my mate in my home-pack. The point of the war, was that it was meant to unite all of the supernatural species together, so that we could all live harmoniously. It was meant to bring us together so that everyone would be more accepting of inter-species mating. Years ago, people like me, Callan, Warrick, my brother Gavin, who's a hybrid, were considered abominations and kicked out of packs because of the fact that we aren't full-blooded. Now, the supernatural world accepts us, and all of the packs and covens are THRIVING because of it, while being able to mate with supernaturals that are different from them, without having to worry about judgement. Selene wanted all of her children to stop fighting against the fates that she laid out for them. Back then, inter-species relationships were prohibited, even if they were fated. Her children had taken matters into their own hands and started going against her. It was the start of our extinction." she says as she smiles softly.

I nod at her, "My mom visited me earlier, through Warrick. She told me that she lied to me about everything. It all makes more sense now as to why the war happened."

Athena walks closer and stares at my face for a few seconds, before letting out a small sigh, "I'll accept you and your friends into our pack, as long as none of you are a threat. You have my word on that. I will even accept you as Warrick's mate, Elizabeth, as long as he'll have you." she says to me, before tears brim her eyes, "Warrick sent Selene to tell me that he's okay and to call off the search parties for him. He doesn't want us to find him, because he feels like he's meant to be there, wherever you guys are. He didn't want our warriors to hurt anyone in your pack if we discovered your location. I hope that you soon learn that he's an amazing man and will love you and protect you with everything he has in him, even if it means risking his own life or parts of him. Trust him, Elizabeth. He's a pure soul. Selene wouldn't have made him a direct link to her if he wasn't."

I nod my head at her as tears brim my eyes as well, "You have my word that I'll try to put my trust in him and learn to love him, Athena. After everything I've been through in life, I honestly thought I'd never even have a mate. Finding him, it came as a surprise, but he's almost like a breath of fresh air after drowning for a long time." I tell her, before looking around the field and then looking back at her with furrowed brows, "Am I dreaming all of this, or is this some form of magic?"

Athena giggles at me as she looks around the field as well, before looking back at me, "It's both. You're dreaming, but I was able to teleport myself into your dream after my visit from Selene. She gave me a one-time-gift to be able to use only once to talk to you, after filling me in on everything that has been happening with my son. I won't be able to visit you after this though, I'm afraid."

I nod my head in understanding, "I'll take care of him, Athena. I won't let anyone hurt him. I promise that he will be home soon."

Athena's lips quirk into a small smirk as she tries to hold back a chuckle, "Elizabeth, if you think that Warrick can be easily hurt, then you don't know much about your mate. If I had to guess, my son is casually just sitting around waiting for those small moments that he gets to be with you. He's not afraid, because he knows there's nothing your friends can do to him." she says to me, before furrowing her brows at me in concern, "Be careful though, Elizabeth. They might not be able to hurt Warrick, but they can certainly hurt you. They'll try to use you as a way to torture him."

"My pack wouldn't do that to me. We're a family." I tell her.

Athena stares at me questioningly, before letting out a frustrated huff, "You'd be surprised at how many of your pack members are already probably questioning your loyalty to them, after learning that Warrick is your mate. When pack members start to question you, that's when their backs have already turned on you." she says to me, before clasping her hands in front of her, "Just a little bit of advice, Elizabeth. If you do plan on eventually accepting Warrick as your mate, and you do start to feel like you're in danger, just let him mark you."

"What's that going to change?" I ask her.

"Just trust me on this one." Athena says, before snapping her fingers and disappearing.

***

I jerk awake, gasping for air. I look around me, only to realize that I'm no longer in the field of wildflowers, but in my bedroom again. Someone is banging on the bedroom door and yelling at me to open it. It takes me a few seconds to realize that it's Carter, and to remember that I had locked it earlier. I quickly unwrap the covers from around me, only to realize that they are drenched in my sweat. Whatever Athena did during that dream, obviously took a toll on my body, since I'm dripping sweat and even more exhausted than I was before my nap. I walk over to the door and quickly open it, revealing a pissed off Carter.

"WHAT THE HELL, LIZZIE?! FIRST, LOVER BOY BANS ME FROM TOUCHING MY GIRLFRIEND! THEN, MY GIRLFRIEND BANS ME FROM OUR ROOM?!" Carter roars out, while his words echo down the hallway.

I swallow hard as I watch his eyes change colors back and forth, before he aggressively pushes past me and walks into our room. I slowly walk out into the hallway to see if he drew a crowd, only to realize that there are six other people standing there, watching the entire scene with wide eyes. They all stare at me silently, before their faces turn into angry scowls. Relief washes over me as I see Delilah push through them until she gets to me, before giving me a soft smile and gently grabbing onto my arm.

"I'll help you gather some of your things. You're coming to stay in mine and Zeke's room from now on." she says to me, before pushing past me and walking towards my closet.