The Betas Tribrid Mate

5 - You and I

Adam

“I can’t believe you’re here,” I mumble, stroking her white hair back from her forehead.

I almost fell through the floor as soon as I walked into the room. My beautiful mate is battered beyond recognition.

I’m going to kill the motherfucke.r who did this!

I understand now why Alison rejected me, and it breaks my heart. So much pain suffered by one woman at the hands of a madman.

She birthed his child, one she didn’t even try to deny when we met. I wasn’t angry with Alison; it’s not like I haven’t had my fair share of women in the past.

But if she’d told me about her life with Mike back then, I would have saved them both. I would have loved Melinda as though she were mine. But I know it wouldn't have been that easy for Alison to admit, especially when she had a child to think about. My mate couldn't fight the urge to be with me, but the need to protect her daughter won out, and she left me.

Then there’s the fact Alison had my pup without my knowledge. But I couldn’t be angry with her when she had no way of getting away from Mike.

How would Alison have been able to seek me out?

Sure, she could have gone to Lorcan. But I understand that if Mike had found out, he could well have killed my Alison before she stepped foot out the door.

My mate tried with everything in her to protect her daughters. She took so much shi.t from that man to keep them alive.

I don’t doubt hell would have been a better place to be than with Mike. I’ve read Jessie’s mind, I’ve seen the horrors my girls have lived through, and that’s just my three-year-old daughter’s memories. Goddess knows what I’d see in Alison’s mind.

I’m beyond pissed with Lorcan for not realizing something was wrong long ago. We’ll be having words soon enough. But for now, I need to be here with my mate. I’m sitting on her bed, facing her. I hold her hand in mine and pray that she will pull through this.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, Alison. I thought I’d die without you. If I’d known the truth, I would have saved you from it all.

“I met our little girl today. She’s beautiful, Alison, and you’ve done a wonderful job raising her, even in that house. I can tell how smart and funny she is already. Not to sound conceited, but she looks just like me.”

I chuckle, but it's the truth.

“I want you to take back the rejection, Alison. Take it back so that we can finally be together. You don’t have to worry about Mike; he will never come near you again. You’re safe now, baby, I promise.”

Kaden, a doctor here, told me that Alison’s body was all but broken. She has so many broken bones, cuts, and bruises that he doesn’t know if she’ll survive.

If he thinks, for one second, I will let my mate die, then he’s fuckin.g stupid. He clearly doesn’t know what we Dalgaard’s can do.

I lean over and press my forehead to Alison’s.

I close my eyes and will myself not to cry, but how can I not let the tears fall when she’s black and blue?

I lift enough to look at my mate and know what I must do. The greatest perk of being part Vampire is the fact we have the power to heal anyone with just a few drops of our blood. It works wonders for one’s mate.

I pry Alison’s mouth open with my finger and thumb on my left hand. Then I bite into my right wrist and let a few drops of blood drip into her mouth.

I close her mouth and hold it shut, hoping enough blood will enter her system. My wrist instantly heals, so I again take Alison’s hand in mine.

It’s not but a few seconds before my mate’s wounds begin to heal. The sound of bones snapping back into place makes me cringe. It says something about what happened that Alison wasn’t healing independently.

Alison suddenly sucks in a deep breath, eyes wide, and I can’t help smiling. There she is, free from cuts and bruises, my beautiful Alison.

Her eyes lock with mine, and the shock she’s in is evident. “Adam?”

“Hey there, beautiful.”

She suddenly starts looking around while sitting up. “Where am I?”

“Gray Shadows Pack. Melissa brought you here after Mike attacked you.”

Alison swallows while looking at me. “My babies, where are they? Oh no, Mike still has Jessie!”

“No,” I shake my head while clasping Alison’s shoulders to stop her from jumping out of bed. “Jessie is here with Melissa. I promise you that they are both safe. Mike doesn’t know where you are, nor will he ever come near you again. Believe me, baby; I would never lie to you.”

Alison nods her head, my words seemingly settling the fear inside her.

“Ho – How did you know I was here?”

I smile while tucking Alison’s white hair behind her right ear. “I arrived yesterday. I had a feeling that this was where I needed to be, and today, I realized why. My mate needed me.”

Tears well in Alison’s eyes. “But I rejected you. You shouldn’t care about me, Adam.”

“I know why you rejected me, Alison. You were afraid of what Mike would do. But, baby,” I scoot a little closer. “I didn’t accept your rejection, and we both survived for a reason.

“I love you so much, Alison, and I can’t be without you any longer. Please take back the rejection, accept me, and I swear, I’ll never hurt you. Nor will I ever let anyone harm you for as long as I live.”

“But I had our baby, Adam. I kept her from you, and I am so sorry!”

“I met Jessie, Alison; she knows who I am. I didn’t tell her who I was; she just seemed to know,” I chuckle. “She is everything to me already, just as you are.”

Alison lowers her head and sobs. She needs to cry for all that she’s been through. I’m not sure if Alison is related to the King of Lions, but I know she’ll tell me everything soon enough.

My mate looks at me, tears falling from her eyes, yet a smile on her face.

She pulls my hand to her face and says the one thing I have longed to hear since the day she left me.

“I love you, Adam. I never stopped, but I didn’t know how to leave Mike without him coming for us. I wanted to be with you so badly, but I couldn’t leave Melissa behind. I should have trusted you’d help us, and I’m sorry I couldn’t put my faith in you back then.

“Please forgive me, Adam. Please. I promise that if you do, I will never hurt you again. My heart has ached since the day we parted, and all I wanted was to return home to you. I tried so hard to figure out a plan to get away from Mike, but nothing I thought of would allow me to bring Melissa along.

“I loved you so much, and I would have done anything to be with you. But I couldn’t leave without Melissa, Adam. I tried so hard, I really did, but I knew that if I took off with her, Mike would have hunted me down and killed us.”

“Shh.” I take her face between my hands. “It’s okay, baby, I understand, believe me. But I can’t walk away from you. Take back the rejection, please.”

“I, Alison Snowflake Vale, Princess of Antorina, take back my rejection and accept you, Prince Adam Dalgaard, as my mate, soulmate, and one true love. Now and for always.”

I can’t stop myself; I press my lips to hers as our mate bond snaps into place. Everything inside me is right, and nothing will ever tear us apart again.

It’s not lost on me that Alison referred to herself as Princess of Antorina, Lion territory. Someone is going to have to call Frostbite and soon.