From Maiden to Mother (Book 2 of the Northern Territories Series)

Chapter 5

From Maiden to Mother

Chapter 5

Clay’s POV

I’ve seen Stryder circling around the fields the whole time we’ve been out here. I know he is watching his Alpha’s mate for him.

I sit on the bench and watch Kara stretch. I want to touch her so badly, but I just enjoy all the lines and curves of her body as she moves. After a minute, she sits down and breathes deeply before settling in. I feel her power increasing, then the peace comes from her. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s like she centers herself and just exudes it. I study her beautiful face; I see Stryder from the corner of my eye moving a little closer.

“Who is the weird wolf sneaking around?”, she asks softly, never opening her eyes.

I chuckle, “Your mate’s Beta, Princess. I’ve given them permission to be on the fields. Just let him be, babe. He thinks we don’t see him and he is trying to do his job.”, I say back.

She scoffs. “Why do you always watch me?”, she asks, still not opening her eyes.

“Because you’re beautiful and you fascinate me.”, I answer honestly.

She peeks at me then opens her eyes. I can’t help but smile. “Come here, sit.”, she says, patting the grass directly in front of her. I stand and move over to her, sitting down in front of her. “Move this leg”, she grabs my thigh and ankle, moving me, “Like this… there. Good. Now give me your hands.” She holds her hands out, palms facing me.

I put my hands on hers and study her face as she closes her eyes and tilts her chin up. “Close your eyes, Beast.”, she says without even looking at me. I chuckle and do as I’m told.

She chants in Latin, I caught something about peace, calm, and clarity. Then I felt her power move through me and it was like all my stress was sucked away. Problem is, now all I have to focus on is my intense need to have her. She folds my hands in front of me and does the same with her own. I keep my eyes closed and just listen to the sound of her heartbeat and her breathing. It is very relaxing. I’ll give her that. I hear her take the deep breath she always does before she stands, so I open my eyes and watch her, leaning back on my hands. She opens her eyes and smiles at me, “You did so good! How do you feel, best friend?”, she asks.

I smile back to her, “I feel really calm, Princess.” This pleases her, her smile grows and she starts to stand. Holding her hand out to me, as I stayed seated watching her. I accept her hand, but stand on my own, it’s cute that she thinks she can pull me up though. I grab my shirt and pull it back on, watching her as she pulls her skirt over her hips and grabs her crop top, pulling it on. I get my keys out of my bag, toss the towel Kara used back in, and zip it back up.

“Ready to go, babe?”, I ask her. She grins and nods, grabbing her bo staff I follow her back to my SUV and hold her door. The Beta is still following us around. I shut her door when she gets seated and walk around to the drivers side.

The entire way to the coven, I think about the other night in the hotel. This girl has no idea how much I love her or how much she affects me. I drive her home and she holds my hand tightly in her lap, just like she always has, while she texts on her phone.

Nikolai’s POV

I’m sitting in the hotel waiting for Kara to make it to Council. I have my laptop sitting on the table in front of me. I see Jayce’s SUV coming up the drive to field where Stryder is. Magnus f*****g Clay! ‘Best friend’ is Clay?

He opens her door and she gets out. They’re talking to Tania, but Stryder is too far away for me to hear them.

I watch as they cross the field and I’m livid when Clay sets his bag on the bench and turns to watch my mate take her clothes off. He wants her and he makes no secret of it. She grins at him when he pulls his shirt off as he backs onto the field. She wants him too. This better be him actually teaching her something and not him trying to feel up on her or I’m driving over there.

I’m stunned when Kara attacks Clay. She’s actually really good. Clay is not coming at her full force, but it’s sparring and he’s more than twice her size. I don’t like him touching her, but he is actually teaching her. I try to control my temper. When he catches her, he holds her to him to trap her. Does Kara fear getting trapped or is he just making a reason to hold her?

Stryder gets closer and I hear Clay telling her to keep him away. He starts to circle her and she turns to move out of his circle, he lunges quickly and makes a grab for her, if his claws were out it would be deadly. She spins and connects her staff with the back of his shoulder and gets away quickly.

I send her a message, just to see if he has all her attention when they’re together.

She dances out of his reach pretty well, I wonder what using her power looks like. I know she is using it through that staff because Clay’s skin gets pretty red when she hits him with it, lycan heal too quickly for it to stay red just from impact. There has to be a good deal of heat there. I’ll give it to her, Clay is fast as hell and I don’t think he is slowing down for her. He just isn’t hitting her.

They walk back over to the bench for another water break, but I think they’re wrapping up now. She digs through Clay’s bag and he just stands there watching her. She pulls out a water and one of his towels, wiping the sweat from herself and drinking. He is saying something back to her, she glances at her phone, but doesn’t open my message. She just sets it back down. That irritates me. She’ll open his messages in front of me, but ignore mine for him?

He sits on the bench and my blood boils when he relaxes, watching her stretch. I’m not one of those, 'No body looks at my girl' types, but I know for a fact he was f*****g her within the last few days.

She sits on the ground and starts meditating. She just sits there for like, I check my watch, 20 minutes? That’s f*****g boring. How the hell does Clay fake interest that long? He is still just sitting there. She says something to him and he stands and walks over to her. I don’t like the way she is grabbing on him when he sits or how he lets her maneuver him around. She holds her hands up to him and he places his against hers. She is chanting something, is she casting a spell on Clay? Why is he allowing that? Stupid wolf, shut that down quick. She folds his hands and she copies the action. They’ve been sitting like that for… half a damn hour. He must really enjoy f*****g her if he is willing to do all this bullshit. I’m bored and I can do other things while she does this. He has to remain completely still. He stops first, leaning back on his hands. She opens her eyes and the smile he gets awarded is stunning. She is such a gorgeous girl. She offers to help him up, this is a joke, why the hell does he entertain such nonsense?

They walk across the field and I hate that he keeps his hand on her lower back when he guides her to his car, opening the door for her. These women are a bit spoiled. I’ll have to keep it in mind. They’re accustomed to the men in their lives treating them like royalty, opening doors, pulling chairs, sparing them any inconvenience. There’s no f*****g way I’m doing all that for the rest of my life. She’s going to have to figure it out once I’ve marked her. She messages me back shortly after they head down Council's drive.

Kara- Hey, I just finished up. I’m heading home to shower. I think you forgot something, you may need to come grab it.

I look around and check my pockets. I'm not missing anything. Maybe she wants me in the shower with her.

Nikolai- What’s that, gorgeous?

Kara- Your Beta. Why are you following me, Nik?

Bitch, I’m following you because you want to play games and f**k other wolves. I guess that’s why your little training session with Clay didn’t get heated, you knew I was watching.

Nikolai- Can’t help it. You wanted to go alone and it’s in my nature to want you protected. You’re not marked, you’re mortal, losing you could kill me.

Kara- I’m safe at Council, Nik. You’re worried for nothing. He won’t make it into the coven so if you’re planning to have him try, you might let him head home now.

Nikolai- Are you mad, gorgeous?

Kara- No. You’re wasting his time, but I guess it’s yours to waste.

Nikolai- Are you training with your uncles or at Council tomorrow?

Kara- Council.

Nikolai- Will you meet me for lunch again before you go?

Kara- Yes. Are you going to have your Beta follow me around Council?

Do you think I’m going to leave you alone with your f**k buddy?

Nikolai- … yes

Kara- Same place, same time?

Nikolai- That’s perfect, gorgeous.

Kara’s POV

I pull up at Athena’s. Nikolai didn’t freak me out yesterday so I felt okay coming alone today. I did talk to Ivy on my way here. She knows where I am and will come for me if I need her to. I get out of my car and go into the restaurant. I spot Nik back at the same booth. He stands as I approach him. I smile back when he grins at me.

I sit across from him and he sits back down. We order and we talk about his childhood and where he grew up. How a lycan wolf became a pack Alpha. He looks a little nervous suddenly.

“What is it, Nik?”, I ask.

He stares at me stunned. “How did you know I was thinking about something, gorgeous?” I tell him his aura changed and he asks, “I’ve heard some rumors, when I was trying to figure out who you were. They say Head Councilman Clay killed your first mate, but no one knows why. I just… wondered if you’d talk to me about it. Would Clay be someone I needed to watch out for or did he have a reason to do what he did?”

I take a deep breath. I don’t like this question, but it makes sense for him to ask it. He needs to know if he should fear Clay. “I met my first mate while imprisoned and shackled in iron. He was a lycan bear, his aura was dark and terrifying. He was going to rape and force mark me. I fought as hard as I could, but I couldn’t use my power and I was shackled so I couldn’t get away either. Clay came for me. He asked me if I wanted to accept the bear, I told him I did not. Clay killed him, broke my shackles, and got me out of there. Clay wouldn’t attack you without reason, he is my best friend. He only killed my mate to save me.”, I tell him.

He furrows his brow, “I’m sorry you went through that, Kara. You getting freaked out at the arena makes a lot more sense now. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I nod at him and finish my coffee. “It’s okay, Nik. It’s in the past.”, I answer. He finishes his sandwich and takes a drink.

“Are you the one that made that painting in his office?”, I smile, happy he still has it there. I haven’t been to his office since I came onto him that day.

“Yes, I made that for him after he saved me from the bear. He asked me if I was afraid of him and asked me how I saw him.”, I tell him.

Nikolai is searching my face. “Do you love Clay, Kara?”, he asks.

I nod, “Very much, Nik. I will always love Clay. He is very important to me.”, I answer honestly. I catch him grinding his teeth before taking another drink of his coffee. He is angry, but he is trying to control it. I understand, he’s a wolf and they’re extremely possessive. I imagine Rayne or Jayce would also be angry if Tania told them she loved another man. I won’t lie to him though. I feel like my loving Clay is okay, but lying to my mate about it makes it wrong.

“You know he will have his own mate one day?”, he asks.

I smile, “He will and she will be amazing. He deserves all the happiness in the world and I’m positive the Goddess will bless him with the best she has.”

Nik smiles at me, “That’s really sweet, Kara.” I look down at my phone when my text tone sounds.

Best friend- Shane is going to meet you on the field, sweetheart. I’ll be down a little later. Don’t injure my new Second, please. I need him to finish training before Shane becomes Councilman on Friday.

I smile when I reply.

Kara- See you in a little while, beast.

Nikolai is finishing his coffee when I look back up. He leans forward after he sets it down. “Can I kiss you again, Kara?”, he asks.

He looks sweet and loving but I can feel the anger in his aura. Nikolai is very upset over Clay. I decide refusing to kiss him could go very badly and there really isn’t any harm in kissing him anyway. He’s my mate, it’s weird for me to not want him to kiss me. I smile and move to his side of the booth, not wanting him to block me in on my side. He slides in, making room for me to sit by him. He leans in to kiss me and he puts his hand on my neck with his thumb in front of my ear, pulling me to him harshly. Clay gets rough, but never like this. This is almost bruising, very aggressive and demanding. I pull back and touch my lips. He leans in again and kisses me more gently, but his grip on my neck is painful. I don’t think I will be letting Nik near me when he is angry, he gets too rough. He releases me and I study his face. He is still angry and I’m getting anxious. I need to get out of here. I stand and pull cash from my pocket. He tried to tell me he has it, but I leave it on the table anyway. I tell him I need to go and move, as quickly as can possibly still seem casual, back out to my car. Starting it and driving away before Nikolai has a chance to come out.

Nikolai’s POV

Kara takes off out of the restaurant and is driving away before I even got to the door. I slam my fist against the outer wall of the restaurant. She got anxious when I kissed her. It was too rough and she ran from me. I don’t want to play these stupid f*****g games, she is mine! Who does she think she is fooling with her little innocent girl act? She’s f*****g a wolf like Head Clay. She expects me to believe he’s all tender and gentle with her, never being rough or possessive? Spare me the bullshit, gorgeous.

I message Stryder and tell him to be watching for her at Council. I drive back to the hotel and open my laptop.

Stryder is close to them briefly and a warrior is talking to Second Fields. "She is really fast and her hits hurt like a b***h. You'll have to plan your moves. Just keep in mind she doesn't heal like us. You make damn sure you don't hurt her. Head Clay will literally end your life where you stand, Shane warned me the first day I came out to assist."

Fields nods, "Cute little witch is red zone, got it."

That mountain from the waiting area of Clay’s office comes out as Kara pulls in. He is across the parking lot and opening the door for Kara as soon as she's parked.

Second Fields follows not far behind him. The mountain hugs my mate and strokes her cheek, holding her face up to him, staring at her mouth. It makes my blood boil. Why do all these f*****g men feel the need to touch her? Is she f*****g all of them?

Clay’s POV

I’m finishing up my meeting and walking up to my office to change. Shane links me, “I don’t know what’s going on, she isn’t talking about it. We went straight to training, but her lip is busted and she smells like Alpha Cobran.”

I growl lowly, “I’m changing and I’ll be right there.”, I link back. I change out of my suit into some athletic shorts, t-shirt, and running shoes, then hustle downstairs.

I come out on the field and race over to Kara and Shane.

Shane pauses the training when he sees me coming. I grab Kara’s chin and tilt her head up to me, accidentally startling her. She hadn’t seen me coming. “I didn’t mean to startle you, Princess. What happened to your lip?”, I ask touching it gently with my thumb. It doesn’t look like she got hit, but it’s split and swollen.

“I’m fine, Clay. Really, you worry too much.”, she says pulling back from me. I let her go and I can feel the anger building. She doesn’t want to talk to me about it because her mate did it and she doesn’t want me to hurt him. I spot Stryder on the other side of the field, is she refusing to tell me because he is watching? I can fix that. I grab Kara’s hand and pull her with me back toward the Council Building, linking Shane to wait there with her things.

Kara asks, “Clay, where are we going?”, as she follows behind me. I don’t respond. I pull her into the cleaning room, just off the field, closing the door behind us.

“Kara, I don’t do well with my questions being disregarded. You know this. If you don’t want me to act on what you tell me, then just tell me that, but answer me when I ask you something.”, I turn and say to her.

She raises her brow at me, folding her arms, “I can choose whether or not I want to answer you, Clay. You have no authority over me.”

I smirk at her, mimicking her actions and folding my arms over my chest. “Very well, I’ll choose whether or not I answer your questions, sweetheart.” She asks far more questions than I could even think of. It will bother her more to have them disregarded.

She huffs at me. “Fine… Nikolai kissed me and he was just a little rough, that’s all. I didn’t feel the need to share that with you, Shane, and Kieran. It really isn’t that big of a deal.”, she answers.

It’s a partial truth, I can tell by her body language. “Why didn’t he just fix it then?”, I ask her. It would take me half a second to suck her bottom lip into my mouth and completely heal that, why didn’t he?

“I didn’t give him a chance to, I left.”, she replies simply.

"Why were you running?", I ask, softening my tone so it doesn't come out accusatory.

"I just don't trust him yet, Clay. I don't have my mind made up and leaving, though childish, is easier. Will you let it go now? It's becoming embarrassing." I feel like that was truth.

“Very well. Do you want to go back to training?”, I ask her.

She nods, “Yes, we had only just started when you came out.” I cross the room and open the door for her. She walks out and I follow her back out on the field where Shane and Kieran still wait. I see Stryder hasn’t moved from the other side of the field.

“Alright, Princess. What do you want us to do?”, I ask her.

She replies, “I need you to shift and spar. Tania said they attacked her in groups on several challenges.”

I nod and pull my shirt off. Shane and Kieran follow. “Kara, you will hurt Kieran if you project your power through your staff at him. Make sure you keep control over your emotions so you don’t accidentally hurt him.”, I tell her.

Kieran looks at me wide-eyed, “If she gets upset, she’ll try to cook me? That’s comforting, boss.” Shane and Kara laugh.

I smirk, “No, her intention matters. If she doesn’t intend to hurt you, the fire is just really hot. I meant for her not to get scared and accidentally use a little more power than she would’ve otherwise.”, I assure him.

Kieran smirks at Kara, “Watch the face, Darlin.”, he tells her as he kicks his shoes off by the bench.

She chuckles and turns away as we strip and shift. I open a joint link with Shane and Kieran warning them, "Touch or tap her when you have an opening, DO NOT hit or injure her. If you grab for her, watch your claws. Confirm orders."

Shane already knows this, but I can't punish Kieran if there was no warning given, that is the law. “Confirmed.”, they return in unison.

Shane and Kieran start circling on the inside, I move on the outside in the opposite direction. We’re making it hard for her to keep her eyes on all of us. Kieran growls at her and acts like he is going to lunge, she turns to block him and Shane lunges. She catches Shane across the side of his head with the staff and dodges Kieran as he moves in. I grab her by her waist from behind, roughly lifting her to me before setting her back down and backing away. She knows that she would’ve just gotten hit hard if this had been real.

Shane and I trade places and he circles on the outside. We make it feel as real as we can by growling and snarling when we lunge, it hurts quite a bit more than a sting when she hits us, but it is good training for us too. She leaves pretty serious burns, but we heal quickly. Kieran crouches low and lunges up at her, she catches him in the chest and sends him flying back, crashing into the ground hard, I come in on the backside of her swing and grab for her waist again. She spins away from me and hits Shane’s shoulder with her staff as he lunges at her, knocking him off balance in his lunge. He stumbles, but rights himself and she missed Kieran coming back up and grabbing her from behind. He sets her down and moves back again and we start over. She really doesn’t have a chance against us without using her full power, but it’s good practice. If she is attacked by a group of lycan, she could use her power and keep them down long enough to get away if she knows how to stay out of their reach.

Nikolai’s POV

I was pissed seeing Clay’s hands all over my mate’s face and mouth. Then he drug her inside with him. They were gone for less than 10 minutes. Now they’re all shifting. What the hell are they doing with my mate? They start circling her. Why the hell would she need to know how to fight off that many lycan wolves?

The Mountain and Clay move together well, it is clear they’ve fought alongside each other for a very long time. I definitely underestimated Fields, he is a beast. He doesn’t move as fluidly with the other 2, though he reads them well. If they’re going to train her like that, they need to actually hit her, not just grab her. How will she know how to take a hit if she’s never been hit?

After a couple hours, Kara sits on the ground by Clay and stretches her back with her arms up over her head. He has shifted and is back in his athletic shorts. I don’t miss how his eyes roam over her as she arches and it pisses me off, but she doesn’t seem to notice his stares. She is watching the other 2, still shifted and sparring each other. She is pointing at them and asking Clay something. He looks over long enough to see what she is talking about before returning his gaze to her and responding.

He sits forward, resting his arms over his raised knees and studies the 2, telling Kara something. Clay looks over at Kara and she seems to be all he sees, he is completely focused on her. Mountain hits Fields and he stumbles trying to right himself, but he is coming down on top of Kara. Clay is as reactive as I thought he was when we first met, he is up on his feet stopping Fields and blocking Kara before she sees what was about to happen.

Clay pulls Kara up from where she sits and she walks over to his bag while he is talking to the other 2 that are shifting and dressing again. She uses his towel and takes a water from his bag.

A little girl, toddler age, with curly brown hair runs up to Kara and she picks her up. They are talking and laughing. The child came with a tall thin woman, long brown hair, braided in a bun. She must be fae, the way she walks and moves is not shifter. She is an exotic beauty. I think it’s Mountain’s mate and her child, if it were his, it would be male. His focus has shifted to only the 2 of them since they stepped onto the field.

At least Kara didn’t already have a kid. The fae hugs Kara and the Mountain takes his mate’s daughter.

Clay sits back on the ground and accepts Kara’s staff, placing it beside him, and watches Kara spar with the fae. Hand to hand with someone not much bigger than her, my mate is fierce. I’m feeling pretty proud watching her. I can tell by the way this fae moves, she is well trained. Some kind of Fae Warrior or Hunter. Mountain must be proud as well, he watches while his mate’s daughter chases Fields around the benches. This goes on for another hour. For the life of me, I can’t figure out how the hell Mountain and Clay aren’t bored yet. Fields is entertained by the fae child, but that doesn’t surprise me. Fields seemed like a pretty boy to me and they’re into girly stuff like that.

Kara meditates with the fae. They each place their palms against the others, the same way she had done with Clay before. There must be something that comes from that. I get bored watching and just keep the video up while I start my paperwork. After about half an hour Kara and the fae stand.

The fae touches Kara’s mouth. What’s with all the mouth touching? Kara shakes her head and says something back to her. She starts back across the field to her car, Clay walks with her.

The fae makes eye contact with Stryder. Her stare is eerie. She says something to the Mountain and he eyes Stryder as the fae approaches him. “Hello, Stryder. I am Mrs. Councilman Ivy Gladstone.”