✤ Freya ✤
The whole pack was obviously in distress. My father had left, and a week has passed, and he still has not returned. Even my mother is starting to worry. It wasn't like him to disappear for so long, and worse, not be in contact with anyone, including my mother.
“Where did he go?” I asked her. I had managed not to question her but now, I was stressed and needed answers.
“He went to see Dimitry,” she said. “The ultimate supreme-”
“I know who he is,” I interrupted her. “Why did he go see him?” I continued to question her. Laura stood by the kitchen counter waiting for the kettle to boil.
“Because of your situation,” she whispered her answer and I nodded. We were not alone in the kitchen and I was grateful for her discretion but that meant my father had told her. I wanted to be angry that he had told her, but I was honestly just grateful. I didn't have to deal with this on my own, yet curiosity burned within me, I wanted to know what her thoughts were on the fact that I had been fated, two mates.
“Shouldn’t he have been back by now?” I questioned. I was not sure if my mother refused to call Dimitry or if she was worried due to the fact that my father’s mobile phone was either dead or off. I refused to think that he was in any kind of danger.
“He should’ve been…” I could hear the worry in her voice.
“Why don’t you call or something?” I eventually asked as I watched her finish making the tea.
“I don’t think I should…or do you think I should?” she turned to look at me and I nodded. “Ok, then I’ll give Dimitry a call,” she turned her attention back to the tea and I smiled. I had seriously thought she would argue or refuse but maybe she was worried enough to do something. It was not until she pulled out her phone that I realized she was going to make the call not only in front of me but in front of the other wolves that littered the kitchen. She held the phone up her ear and I slowly walked away to give her a bit of privacy, the other wolves seemed to catch on and left the kitchen.
“Hello Dimitry,” she greeted him, and I tuned out, not wanting to listen in on their conversations. “I just wanted to find out if Arion is still visiting?” she asked and I waited, glancing over at her. Curiosity once again making me eavesdrop on her conversation. She smiled then and I knew he was alright. “Wonderful, thank you, Dimitry,” pause. “You too, bye,” she hung up and turned to face me. “He is still there, doing research with Theo,” she explained to me and I nodded. He was alright, just busy. I could deal with that. We headed into the sitting room and Laura placed down the tray on the coffee table. I picked up my cup and breathed in the steam from the milky tea.
“When is he coming home?” I asked casually.
“He said he will tell your father to call me as soon as possible,” she answered as she took a sip of her tea. “So, do you want to talk about it?” she asked, and I quickly nodded.
“Yes, I don’t know what to do,” I admitted. My relationship with both wolves was escalating quickly. Now I was being physical with both of them and each time I was with one, I would feel guilty. Especially with Ryder as he had no idea about Cole. With Cole, it was somewhat easier since he knew all about Ryder. “Should I tell Ryder about Cole?” I asked her curiously as I sipped on my own tea.
“I think that you should, Cole knows but the fact that Ryder is in the dark well, that makes it bad for him,” she offered. I thought about it for a moment but fear itself kept me from telling him.
“I don’t want to hurt him,” I muttered out sadly. “I am in love with both of them,” I added softly.
“Understandable, but Freya, tell me, would you really want to have two mates?” she asked as she placed her cup down on the coffee table. Laura turned in her seat and faced me.
“No, I don’t think so. It is just so hard, I hate it actually,” I once again admitted my deeper feelings. “I love them both, I enjoy my time with both of them. I cannot imagine my life without them,” I realized that it was true. I could not imagine my life without either of them. “They are different,” I shrugged as I thought about the differences between the two of them.
“Tell me about them and your relationship with each of them,” she said, watching me.
“Well, Ryder is not as talkative as Cole,” I started. “I mean, sure he talks to me and stuff, but we just enjoy being together. I know a little bit about Ryder and honestly, most of that information comes from being neighbors with him and his family. Yet, I feel like I know him. With Cole, it is completely different. He talks to me a lot, shares his life with me, tells me stories about his past and his parents. He is funny and thoughtful, and I love just hanging out with him,” I finished off my tea and set the empty cup down on the tray. “They both make me feel different things when I am with them,” I added as I pulled down my sleeves and eased into the sofa, getting more comfortable.
“And the s*x?” Laura suddenly asked me. I felt my cheeks grow hot as I blushed. Where can I stick my head? I tried to avoid her intense gaze as I thought about how to answer her.
“How did you know?” I asked instead.
“Oh, I am your mother, Freya,” she pointed out, but that did not exactly explain how she could know such private things. “A female just picks up on the little details, after all not only am I your mother but I am a Luna too,” she winked at me and I pressed my hands to my cheeks as I stared at her in awe. She laughed at my awkwardness. “Oh, come now, just tell me how it is?”
“Mom!” I cried out. “Um…” she continued to giggle as she picked up her cup and finished off the cool tea.
“Don’t be shy, you know your father and I…”
“Do not finish that, I do not want to know!” I leaned back against the sofa and shook my head slowly. “Its different with both of them,” I finally revealed.
“How so?” she asked. “You don’t have to go into detail Freya, I am just merely curious,”
“Ryder is…loving, tender, caring during our lovemaking,” I thought back to how he would take care of me. “He is thoughtful and takes care of me,” I voiced my thoughts.
“And Cole?” she pushed. I glanced away from her, once again my cheeks fired up. “Oh, now you have to tell me,” she urged as she noticed my red cheeks.
“He is the same as Ryder, loving, and caring. He takes care of me too. I don’t know if he is experienced or what, but he is rougher and more demanding,” Laura raised an eyebrow and I quickly added. “He will tell me to look at him or it would be easier for me to say, he is a lot more vocal in what he wants and asks me to be the same. It’s simply different from him, mom,” I finished off.
“Hmm,” she hummed out as she placed her cup down. “Well, which do you prefer?” she asked. I think she was trying to help me choose but just based on the s*x, no, I could not.
“It’s not that simple,” I groaned out. "It's not just the physical connection I have with them. It is a lot more emotional than that. I feel that I should choose between them but I am confused as to how to do that. Do I choose the one that makes me laugh? Or do I choose the one that makes me feel safe? Yet they both make me laugh and they both make me feel safe and loved," Laura nodded thoughtfully and it was at that moment, that I knew just how hard this was going to be.
"I think time will give you the answer," she said and I nodded. I doubted it but I was hopeful.
"Yes, but what do I do in the meantime?" I asked her.
"Enjoy your time with them Freya," she simply stated.
✤✤✤
Everyone knew when the Alpha had returned, and I was by far the most relieved to see his smiling face as he entered the packhouse. He looked rough but nothing a shower and some sleep would not fix. Of course, I was an eager beaver and wanted to learn everything I could from his little visit to the council. I watched as he embraced my mother and I turned away just for a moment, giving them privacy, oh who am I kidding? I rushed forward and hugged them both.
“Ah! I should go away more often,” he remarked in his deep voice that I hadn’t even realized I had missed.
“Dad!” I moaned out as Laura slipped out of my tight grip. I hugged my father and looked up at him. “You should make sure your phone is charged at all times,” I scolded. Arion tilted his head back and roared with laughter. I stepped back and smirked at him as he grabbed my mother’s hand.
“Oh Freya, yes, I will make sure of that in the future,” he said.
“Good,”
“Would you like some dinner?” Laura asked him and he nodded.
“That would be great,” he said, and I followed them into the kitchen. Now normally, I would not interrupt their time together, but I was hoping he would reveal his findings. Laura dished up a hearty portion of the lasagne and placed it down in front of him. I sat down across from them as my mother sat next to him. The late hour did not matter as the bright light created a comfortable setting in the otherwise darkness of the night.
“How was your trip?” Laura questioned. Arion looked thoughtful as he chewed on his first bite.
“Interesting,” he said after he swallowed. “I know you are both wanting to know what I found out but that will have to wait until morning,” he looked at me when he said this, and I understood. He was silently requesting me to leave. As disappointed as I felt, I slowly stood up and smiled.
“Point taken, goodnight,” I gently pushed the chair in and threw them a little wave before rushing off to my bedroom. It was obvious that he wanted to discuss things with my mother first and despite my eagerness in wanting to know, I would give them tonight to talk. Privately. I paused for a moment, glancing over at Ryder’s door. He was at his parent's place for his mother's birthday. I missed him but thought better of it as I pushed open my door and got ready for bed.
✤ Someone else’s P.O.V – Somewhere in the Wild Thicket Forest ✤
“What is his plan?” the young female wolf asked. The older male turned to her in frustration.
“Who knows what his plan is!” he growled out. It was bad enough that the others had questions. He was furious with Cole for not returning home.
“Does he plan on coming back?” she pushed, eager to know more. At that moment, he felt as if he could rip her throat out. She must have picked up on his change in mood, so she took a step back, distancing herself from him.
“As I said, who knows what his plan is!” he turned away from her, it was seemingly pointless to be having this roundabout conversation. “He has abandoned us, but I will find out what his plans are,” he said, mostly to himself as he thought about Cole.
“Just shout if you need anyone to go with you,” she said.
“Who said anything about me going anywhere?” he asked her. “I said I will find out, I didn’t mention how,” he added as he sat down on Cole’s chair. After all, he is the beta and since the Alpha has left his pack, it was only fitting that he, Dominic, take over the pack.
“Oh, of course, I simply meant that…” her annoying voice trailed off and he turned his attention back to the young female.
“Aren’t you here for another reason?” he questioned suggestively. She blushed as she nodded. “Well then, let us get on with it,” he stood up and pulled her along with him until he reached his bedroom. “Don’t mention Cole again,” he ordered before closing the door behind them.
✤ Freya ✤
I sat on the sofa as I waited for my parents to arrive. Ryder would be home a bit later and I wanted to have this important conversation with them before he returned home. I also had a date with Cole later in the day, so I wanted to know more about my situation before I saw either of them.
“Good morning Freya,” Arion greeted me as he entered the office. “It is no surprise to see you here,” he added as he made his way to his desk.
“You know me,” I said half-heartedly. “Where is mom?” I asked instead as I looked to the closed door.
“In the kitchen, as usual,” he sat down and looked at me closely. “Now, tell me, how are things with the two males?”
“Fine, I guess,” I mumbled out.
“Alright, well, after talking to the council and doing some research, I have news. Firstly, there is something that your mother and I need to talk to you about. As you know, we are not your biological parents. I am sorry Freya, we assumed that you are of Beta blood,” he explained but paused as someone knocked on the office door. “Come in,” he called out. Lucy came in with a tray and quickly placed it down on the desk and bowed respectfully before silently leaving the office. I watched as my father poured two cups of freshly brewed coffee and gestured for me to collect my cup. I did so and then sat back down.
“Hmm, good,” I whispered as I took a sip of the coffee, it warmed me up. “So, if I am not of beta blood then what am I?” I asked curiously.
“Alpha blood,” Arion stated. “I’ve learned more about your parents but that is not what is important right now. I promise you; your mother and I will talk to you about it, very soon. Apparently, when the gods fate a wolf two mates, it is for an extremely specific reason,”
“What reason?” I interrupted rudely.
“I’m getting to it, Freya,” he said in his warning tone and I nodded as I continued to sip on my coffee. “Anyway, it doesn’t happen often, in fact, it has only ever happened once before. Now, this story dates back to the early nineteen eighties’. A love story to end all love stories, but that too is a story for another day. You see, Freya, you’ve been gifted with much more than two mates. Ryder and Cole are different, I assume so?” I simply nodded. “Right and each one gives something different to your relationship, however, that is beside the point,”
“Then what is the point?” I snapped out, irritated that he seemed to be taking his sweet time in getting to the point.
“The point is,” he gave me a dirty look, a disapproving look. “You have a destiny and the gods deemed it appropriate for you to have two warriors, two protectors, two lovers,”
“They deemed it appropriate?” I screeched out in disbelief. “A destiny?” I queried as I tried to wrap my head around all of this.
“Freya, we won't ever know for sure but from the research, yes,” Arion sat back as he enjoyed his coffee, while I had a full-on freakout.
“How does that even begin to make sense? What could my possible destiny be? Who says I need warriors? Or protectors? Who says I will need two of anything? Why can’t I just be normal? Why must everything be so complicated? Why must the gods do this to me?” I was on a roll as I stood up and placed my cup back on his desk. I started to pace as the thoughts swirled around in my confused mind. “Is it not bad, enough that I don’t know anything about my past? Or about my parents? Now I need to deal with some destiny s**t? In what year are we living? Since when does this kind of thing even happen anymore? Why me?” I turned to face him. “Why me?” I asked again.
“Freya…”
“I mean, look at me! I am nothing special! I’ve been teased my whole life for being different and now I get to add this to my résumé? This is absurd!” I shouted out.
“Freya…”
“Don’t Freya me, give me answers!” I demanded. “This is some serious bullshit, you know that?!” I turned around and stormed out of his office. I needed room to breathe. I headed out and didn’t stop until I stood in front of the woods. I needed to…run. I shifted then. Allowing my wolf to take over. The aches and pains of shifting didn’t bother me as I turned. My body changing from human to wolf in seconds. Then, I was running, jumping, and avoiding obstacles in my way. The cool breeze brushed through my soft white fur as I pushed harder. My large paws easily manoeuvring my body as we neared the river. My eyes adjusted to my surroundings as my wolf looked around, checking to make sure we where alone. My wolf felt a lot better to be out and I gave into her. Letting her roam around as she wished. I didn’t want to think. I didn’t want to feel. I just wanted to be.