The Betas Tribrid Mate

3 - It can't be

Jai

“I didn’t know Lorcan was coming today.”

I shrug my shoulders at Adam because I didn’t know either. My Uncle Lorcan isn’t one for dropping by unannounced unless it’s an emergency. As Dad didn’t mention anything, and Lorcan is smiling at the little girl in his arms, I’m clueless.

“I wonder who the kid is,”

“Yeah,” Adam answers me, seeming miles away.

Adam is my father’s cousin; their fathers are brothers. The man is your typical tall, dark, and handsome pric.k. He holds himself like a Wolf, dresses like a Vampire, and has eyes women seem to get lost in. Dad always said that had more to do with Adam’s ability to hypnotize people than women falling at his feet.

This is not to be confused with Adam forcing anyone to be with him; he would never do that. However, Adam is known for hypnotizing people to watch them make fools of themselves for fun.

Weirdo.

I’ve always felt sorry for Adam. He may look to be in his twenties, but he’s, in fact, in his fifties. Adam is the same age as my father but has never found his mate. I can’t imagine waiting years to find your mate but never catching a glimpse of the one you’re supposed to spend your life with.

Adam says he’s not bothered and doesn’t need a mate, but no one believes it. Every Wolf craves the other half of his soul; Adam is no different.

Adam dropped by yesterday, saying something was calling him here. None of us knows what, and he doesn’t know himself. Dad told Adam to stay a few days to try and work it out, wondering if something was bothering him. If Adam stayed, perhaps whatever is on his mind, he’ll work it out, or at least we could help him do so. Uncle Adrian and Aunt Tracy won't miss Adam too much because the man is always off somewhere or another.

Adam is closer to my Uncle Luther than anyone and always has been. I had wondered why Adam hadn’t gone to Blue Water, yet it was Gray Shadows and my father he decided to come to. Of course, Adam is close to my Aunt Lilly, Dad, and Uncle Lorcan, but Luther seems to be the one he gets on the most with.

Dad asked me to keep Adam occupied today and to try and figure out what’s on his mind. Adam and I decided to go for a walk, hoping that would clear his mind a little, but it doesn’t seem to have worked. Now I’m at a loss at how to help him.

I haven’t determined what’s wrong, but we have been walking for two hours, and I’m about ready to kick him in the nuts.

I’m frustrated here, so fuckin.g shoot me!

Adam told me that something was pulling him toward the packhouse, so we made our way home.

Back to Lorcan.

I don’t know if he’s collecting kids now, but I know the little girl in his arms is not his. No one mentioned another child, and this one looks around three years of age. We’d have noticed if Gianna had given birth again. Plus, the kid isn’t a member of our pack, so he must have brought her here from Silver Paw.

Perhaps he’s babysitting?

Maybe she's an orphan Lorcan has taken a shine to?

Lorcan walks down the front steps of the packhouse with Dad by his side. They seem to be whispering, which means nothing for hybrids like us, though I don’t listen in on their conversation.

Adam’s eyes suddenly Wolf over. I stare at him momentarily, not knowing what’s going on or why his chest is heaving.

Adam walks away from me quickly towards Dad and Lorcan. I follow him because I’m nosy and interested in what his problem suddenly is.

Since Adam arrived here, he’s been on edge. He’s been jittery, a little jumpy, and even quieter than usual.

Adam might be Dad’s cousin, but we’ve always been close. When I was a little boy, Adam would visit and take me out, just the two of us. We’ve been close friends my whole life, and I’d do anything to help him.

I had thought Adam had come to help with Drew, especially when Adam wouldn’t tell anyone what was wrong. Plus, he spoke to Dad about Drew and what was happening with him.

Why wouldn’t I think he’d want to help?

My brother found his mate a couple of years ago, and they were so in love it was sickening. Emery had been visiting Gray Shadows with her father from Crimson Moon. She stepped out of the car, and Drew was on her like white on rice.

At first, Emery tried to push Drew away, so Dad held him back. Pat, Emery’s father, explained how he and his destined mate had adopted Emery when she was born. A pack member had given birth to a defective Wolf—a deaf child. It’s practically unheard of, but Emery was deaf.

The birth parents didn’t want a deaf child, so they gave her up for adoption. When Kathy, Pat’s destined mate, saw Emery, she wanted to be her mother, so they took her in.

Pat’s destined mate died when Emery was a little girl, and Pat has since found his second chance mate. He explained that he hadn’t spent much time with his children since then, so he decided to bring Emery along on this trip to try and make it up to her.

How do you make up for abandoning your child?

Pat then explained how Emery feared that Drew would reject her once he realized what she was. The girl couldn’t speak unless it was through the pack link, which she didn’t have with Drew.

My brother smiled and signed to Emery that he didn’t care that she was deaf. Her smile lit up the courtyard; the fact my brother knew sign language was incredible. It’s not something we shifters learn because deaf Werewolves are so rare; there had been none in a hundred years.

However, Drew was a language buff and had learned a dozen or so languages before he was ten. Our Aunt Jenna, using her Deity powers, gave Drew the gift when he was four years old. She saw how eager he was for knowledge, so my brother can now understand every language he hears or sees, including sign language.

I remember how tears fell from Emery’s eyes as she threw herself at Drew. He held her close, and that was that—they were mates. It was ridiculous, really, but they loved each other fiercely.

Emery moved to Gray Shadows, and they were beyond happy for two years. Then, suddenly, an argument erupted between them, and Emery took off. No one believed we’d never see her again; we thought she would come home when she had cooled down. But she never did, and Drew searched for months but never found her.

Drew has since taken to his room and refused to leave. Mom sometimes takes food to his room and sits with him, but nothing seems to snap him out of his hopelessness. We're all so scared of losing him. I had hoped Adam would get through to him, but it seems I’ve gotten that wrong.

“Adam!” I yell after him as he walks purposefully, but he doesn’t listen.

“Adam, what’s wrong with you?” Dad asks.

Adam stares at Lorcan, eyes still wolfed over, chest heaving. “Give me what’s mine,” He mumbles.

Lorcan narrows his eyes. “What are you talking about? I don’t have anything that’s yours.”

“Come to me, little one.” Adam holds his arms out to the child, who giggles while jumping out of Lorcan’s arms and into Adam’s.

Dad, Lorcan, and I all stare open-mouthed as the child lays her little hand on Adam’s face. He smiles, eyes returning to their usual brown.

“What the hell is going on?” Lorcan looks at Dad while asking the question, but Dad shrugs his shoulders.

“Hello, Daddy,” The little girl says, causing us all to gasp.

“What the hell?!” Lorcan bellows.

“Hello, Jessie,” Adam replies, pressing his forehead to the child’s. When he finally pulls away, he kisses her forehead. She giggles, then lies her head on his shoulder.

“Adam, what the hell?”

Adam lovingly strokes Jessie's back, holding her close to him as though he were afraid of letting her go.

“I know you’re confused, Lorcan.”

“You can say that again.”

“Look, long story short. . .”

“You don’t need to tell us that her mother is your mate. Alison's daughter Melissa already told us. Well, she didn’t say it was you, but you know what I mean.”

Adam nods at Dad.

“So Melissa told you Alison rejected me, but I didn’t accept?” Dad nods. “She wouldn’t tell me why, and I couldn’t force her to stay with me. I let her go because what else could I do?

“I’ve spent the past three and a half years wondering if Alison is okay. Every time I visited Silver Paw, I didn’t see Alison, though I could scent her. I knew she was hiding from me; she may have rejected me, but I’m still her mate.

“I came because I needed to know if she was still alive. I know what rejection does to a person; one not accepting can be catastrophic. But something kept us both alive.”

Adam sighs while kissing Jessie’s head.

“I didn’t know about Jessie. Believe me; if I had known, I would have done more to make Alison realize we belonged together.”

“You really believe your mate didn’t want you?”

“What was I supposed to believe, Leander?”

Dad sighs before pressing his fingertips to Adam’s temple. Dad and his siblings have immense powers thanks to Grandma Anja being who she is. Dad can show people past events by touching the temple.

I don’t know what Dad is showing Adam, but Adam’s eyes are so wide and wolfed over that I’m worried he’s about to murder the whole pack!

When Dad moves away, Adam’s eyes shoot between him and Lorcan. “Tell me none of that is true?”

“We can’t,” Lorcan shakes his head while folding his arms around himself. “When Melissa took off from Silver Paw with Alison and Jessie, I came looking for them. I did because I had only recently met Jessie. She was born into my pack, yet I’d never set eyes on her. Gianna delivered her and helped Alison through the birth, but Mike always made excuses about why his family was never around.

“I should have tried harder to have him bring them to me. But the truth is, I’m always so busy that they just slipped my mind. I know how terrible an Alpha that makes me, but it is what it is.

“I realized instantly that Jessie was related to us; I felt it when she ran to me. I was furious about why I hadn’t known before that moment, and I demanded Mel bring her parents to my office. I wanted to question them and find out which Dalgaard family member Alison had slept with. I wanted to know who Jessie’s father was and why none of us was aware of who he was.

“When I arrived here, Jessie ran straight to me, giggling because she seemed to have an uncanny ability to know her family instinctively upon meeting them. Melissa was having a breakdown, and I discovered she took off to save her mother from her father.”

“Where is Alison?”

Dad shakes his head. “Adam, did you ever mark Alison? Melissa said you did, but did she mark you in return? We’ve never seen a mate mark.”

“Yes, I marked her. She marked me.”

Adam waves his left hand, using his vampiric ability, over his neck. A mark appears there, causing me to look on in shock.

Do I actually know anything about him?

“I’d been rejected, but it didn’t fade because I didn’t accept the rejection or reject Alison in return. I kept it covered because it hurt to look at it all the time. I assume that as mine didn’t fade, Alison’s didn’t either?”

Dad shakes his head. “She kept it covered with makeup so the man who kept her captive since she was fifteen didn’t find out. Look, Alison is here, Adam, but. . .”

“But what?” He probes when Dad fails to answer.

“That asshole did a number on your mate, Adam. He beat her so badly that she’s barely alive.”

“Woah,” I grab Adam’s arm, and Lorcan snatches Jessie from his arms as he falls to his knees. All his strength seems to have failed him, and Adam can no longer stand upright.

That is quite a reaction—poor bastard is in shock.

“Daddy!” Jessie screams in fear and reaches for Adam.

I don’t even know how it’s possible for one so young to trust this man is her father. Okay, every Werewolf will know their kin instantly; it’s why Adam knew Jessie was his daughter. But I wouldn’t have thought this little girl would have no fear at all.

It shows what I know.

Goddess, I need to get out of this pack more!

Adam jumps to his feet, pulling himself out of shock instantly. He grabs Jessie and brings her to his chest.

“It’s okay, baby girl; Daddy’s okay.”

Jessie sobs on his shoulder. “Don’t leave me!”

Adam closes his eyes, and I feel so much sadness coming from him right now. “Daddy will never leave you, Jessie. Daddy loves you so much.”

“I love you.” She mumbles, finally calming down.

“Oh my, Goddess! What are you doing?!”

Oh, shi.t!

Oh, Goddess.

It can’t be, but I know that it is. . .

My mate!

‘Claim her!’

‘Calm down!’ I yell at my Wolf. ‘I will not dive at her; I don’t even know her name yet.’

‘You have to claim her; she’s our mate, Jai!’

‘I will in time, Cadmus, but not like this. I want my mate to want me because she chose it, not because she has no choice.’

My Wolf growls inside my head, but I ignore him, unable to take my eyes off my little mate. Telling Cadmus that I wouldn’t force my mate to be with me is what I intend, but the Wolf within doesn’t seem to care.

Goddess, help me!