Isaiah! No!
My eyes shot open just as I reached out to grab Isaiah only to realize it was just air. Confusion clouded my mind as I couldn’t remember where I was. The last thing I saw was Isaiah standing dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. I screamed for him but he couldn’t hear me. I was less than a foot away when I tried to grab him but my fingers barely touched his shirt as he went over.
My erratic breathing was suddenly replaced by a calm sensation. James. I looked over to see James’s emerald eyes staring at me. He was talking but for some reason I couldn’t register it. Was I still dreaming? I shook my head to clear the fog in my mind then I heard.
“Zira, it’s okay. It was just a dream.” James pulled me into a hug, rubbing circles on my back. It didn’t take long for me to relax. I was safe. It was just a dream but something in my heart just didn’t feel right. Then Arias started crying. I wondered if he felt something wrong too.
“I got him,” James offered, getting out of bed to get Arias. He picked Arias up and walked back over to the bed. I wiped the tears coming from his eyes.
“It’s okay, baby boy. Everything’s okay. You want to come to Mommy,” I asked him, reaching out my hands but he turned away and hung onto James.
I scoffed at him and looked at James, who only smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
“That’s because you spoil him,” I said, getting out of the bed.
It was close to five in the morning and I usually get up around five thirty. Thirty minutes of spare time was enough to scrounge up some breakfast before the kitchen fills up.
“Hey, I spoil you too and I don’t see him complaining. Besides, I can’t help the fact that everyone loves me.”
I rolled my eyes as I continued to get ready for the day. These last few months have been the best months of my life. James has been the perfect mate. Now I see what all the fuss was about. My little Arias has been the highlight of my life. Motherhood has been such a joy especially now that he’s walking. It is amazing how fast pups grow in the early years.
So far the three of us were content with a little daily routine. In the morning, James would get up with me to train in the forest while Miss Emma takes Arias to daycare. It took a few weeks to get me comfortable with leaving him with someone else but Trixie promised me she will be there always.
After training, we have some time for some training that requires less clothing and more fur. Nina is completely enamored with Deacon. She’s nicer to him than she has ever been with anyone including me. I’ve never seen a wolf blush as much as she does with him. After training with the wolves, we get cleaned up and get Arias from the daycare.
In the evening when Arias is fed and asleep, I get in some more training with the warlocks while James helps out around the pack. Then we meet up and chill for the rest of the night until Arias wakes up from a nap. If there’s sometime after Arias is down for the night, we go into the other room to have a little ‘us’ time.
This routine has made me feel stronger every week. Even stronger than I was back at my old pack. My old pack. There were days I thought of everyone at home, especially now that I was accepted here. I wonder what they were doing or if they were thinking of me. I wonder if anything has changed for the better or the worse. I wonder about my parents, my brother, my best friend, and occasionally, my first love.
Just the thought of returning back to them gives me the strength to continue training and become stronger. For when I faced Alaia, I wasn’t holding back. She was going to pay for everything she had done. To me. To Isaiah. To the Black Moon Pack. To Maria. To Victoria and most importantly to Arias and James.
I was sitting down eating, watching James feed Arias. One of my pastimes was watching how they interacted with each other. Arias’s gray eyes and dark hair made him look so much like Isaiah. The only thing he got from me was my complexion and maybe my nose. Best of both worlds I say. He was a nice contrast to James’ fiery ginger hair and green eyes.
His eyes were so gorgeous and expressive. He could be silent but his eyes could speak volumes. He smiled at me observing him and I couldn’t help but smile back. I love the way his eyes squint when he smiles and the dust of freckles on his face come alive. It was like picture perfect perfection. It’s funny how I thought the same of Isaiah once.
After breakfast we dropped Arias off at daycare and went to the gym. We skipped the forest run today and just focused on the area where I needed more training. Close combat. James taught me a few new techniques like ways of using my opponent’s size to get them to the ground, going from a defense to offense in quick succession, and learning how to use your foundation to add power to punches.
After another full day of training, the three of us went back to the pack house. I put Arias down for a nap and decided to take one myself. Then it came again-the dream. Isaiah. The cliff. Isaiah falling over and disappearing into the fog. I shot up again in bed and looked around the dark room. I got up and noticed Arias not in his crib. As soon as I went for the door it opened and Arias ran in, running away from James.
“Hey, you okay? I had felt some weird emotions coming from you.”
“I have to go home,” I blurted out before I could think about it.
I walked over to the closet to get my jacket and turned to see James looking at me with a confused expression before recovering quickly. He walked over to Arias and handed him a toy before turning back to me.
“What’s going on, Zira? Why the rush?”
“There’s something wrong, James. I can feel it. I don’t know how to explain but I keep having these dreams that something bad might’ve happened or is going to happen and I feel like I’m needed there.”
James chewed at the bottom of his lips while he paced around the room. We’ve been talking about this for the past week and every time James finds a way to avoid it. This time I wasn’t taking ‘No’ for an answer.
“When,” he asked.
I didn’t want to lie to him but I knew he wasn’t going to like my answer. “Now.”
“Zira-”
“I know it’s early but if I go now, I can easily slip in and get out before anyone sees me. I just need to see them, James.”
“I know, Zira but what if someone does see you? What if she sees you?” Of course he brings up Alaia. As if bringing her up will immediately make me rethink this.
“She won’t if I wear that.”
I pointed to the necklace on the nightstand. I noticed he wears it whenever he leaves the pack. I knew it could hide his scent and if I wore it no one would know I was there. He was concerned and I got that. I mean I would too if someone tried to kill my mate but I needed him to come to terms about this. He looked at me thinking about what was said. He sighed and it was heavy.
“You’re going to go with or without my say so, aren’t you?”
“Yup,” I said with an emphasis on the ‘p’.
“Then what’s the point of asking me,” James asked, falling on the bed.
“I don’t know. A courtesy, I guess. Also I need to borrow your necklace.”
“Then I’m going with you.”
“No! I have to go alone. The less the better.”
James closed his eyes and I could feel his disapproval of my plan. I climbed on top of him and planted kisses on the side of his neck, paying special attention to my mark near his collarbone.
“Just in and out,” I whispered between kisses. I could feel his arousal growing against my thigh as his hands tightened around my waist.
“Fine, but fyi this is not making it easy to let you go," he said while lifting up to a sitting position. He quickly looked behind me, probably checking on Arias. I followed his gaze but he pulled me back into a kiss. “Just promise the moment things get hectic-"
“I will disappear in a flash. I promise I’ll be safe," I said while walking to the closet to get ready.
"Woah, woah, woah. You're just going to leave me like this," he said, pointing to his shorts. I looked at him and rolled my eyes while putting on my jacket.
“It's not like I'm going to be gone long. It's just a little in and out mission,” I said. I walked over to grab the necklace from the nightstand but he beat me to it.
“I would like to do my own in and out right now,” he smiled, waving the necklace in front of me.
Foolishness, I went for it just to have him wrap his arm around my waist, trapping me against his body. He planted kisses down my neck while taking off my jacket.
“James, Arias is-”
“Being taken care of,” he interrupted while taking off my shirt, “so you can finish what you started.”
“I don't have time for this,” I said. I pushed out of his hold to pick up my clothes off the floor. I don’t even remember him taking off my bra.
“Make time. My necklace for your time.” I turned to him to see him completely undressed, laying on the bed, failing at the smoldering look. Some nerve he had. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You're being ridiculous.”
“Me? Ridiculous for wanting to spend time with my mate before she goes somewhere potentially dangerous? How terrible? Let’s discuss this on the bed.”
He walked over to take my shirt off just as I pulled it down. Now I am getting tired of this little game as I walked behind him to take my shirt back.
“James.”
“Zira.”
“James!”
“Zira! We can do this all night.”
We stared at each other for a while. James backed up to the bed and sat down. Without breaking eye contact, he pats the space next to him while smiling. I could even feel Nina pushing to take my place. It’s not that I didn’t want to but time was of the essence. Though I could make it quick right. Dammit! That cocky bastard,” I thought, slowly walking to the bed. That cocky bastard was mine.
Finally, out of his addictive embrace which wasn’t as quick as I wanted it, I met George by the forest only to see James there before me. I walked up to them confused.
“What are you doing,” I asked.
“I have to go with you,” James started, putting his necklace around my neck. “The moment George portals us there, they are going to be expecting a reason. So I’ll go as a distraction to see Victoria while you see everyone in the shadows. Just-”
“Be careful. I know.”
George gives me a pouch. “In case you need a quick getaway,” he said before opening a portal and walking through.
James gave me a kiss and pulled us through. We exited to the woods right by the packhouse. I don’t waste time as I hide in the trees just as Jace and Chris come out of the packhouse. James and George greeted them and they headed inside. James looked out towards the woods probably trying to see if he could see me. I knew he couldn’t.
First stop was my family. I needed to make sure they were okay. I made my way ducking through bushes and backyards. It was dinnertime so my mom would be in the kitchen dancing and cooking like always. I found some cover near the kitchen window. I slowly peeked through the window and what I saw was shocking.