~Chapter 13 - Wolf Minds~
2379 Words
~Joseph~
“Woah, did Louise do that?” Shaking my head, I righted myself, pushed the pot plant back, and faced her door. Did that happen? f**k! No way! I stared forward blankly, trying to comprehend what had happened. Did a tiny, sickly Omega shove me halfway across her front yard? Woah, I think she did!
The Alpha part of me wanted to chase after her, demanding that the disrespectful Omega submit to me! The mate-lustful half of me wanted to chase after her… To kiss her again—to mark her—to take her to my room, claim her, f**k her and never let her leave, or anywhere else…
“She infuriates me so much! But I kind of like it… The Kiss… But the smell… the sickness! Arh!”
Zodiac snarled in my mind. Some of these thoughts were his, and some were mine. And suddenly, he disapproved of them all. “Stupid wolf! Why can’t you help with this?”
Her sour caramel vinegar scent reached my nose again. I recoiled from the door. Zodiac’s hackles stood on end. My heart dropped. “If this fucken Jekyll and Hyde thing continues, Zodiac, I’ll seek a witch and have you removed!”
“You need me!” Zodiac flashed his fangs in a weak attempt to argue back. Then he huffed, turned away and laid down.
“I don’t know how much more of this I can take!” Rubbing my forehead, I backed away and glanced up at the window to her bedroom. I knew it was her room—the scent was the strongest there. When I didn’t see her, I turned around and headed back to the packhouse.
I had left after dinner with Maddison early last night and had spent the rest of the night and this morning thinking only of Louise. Even the mild happiness in Maddison’s presence was fading with each day. She was smart, pretty, and came from a long line of Betas. But the connection wasn’t there, and it never would be with Louise as my mate. Even Zodiac’s wag had lost its lustre. Each time I kissed Maddison, a pang of guilt sank into my stomach. I thought about Louise’s cute scowl and her funny sarcasm. Is Kingston—the hopeless romantic, right? Am I going to regret it? Am I already regretting it?
“Yes—No—I don’t know…” Zodiac mumbled.
“You are no help!” I chastised him as I ran back to the packhouse.
“Joseph!” Josie-Anne called as she met me at the packhouse front door. Her smile was wide—a knowing smile beyond her junior years.
Ever since Josie-Anne returned from her time with the Elders, she seemed different. She was more focused and mature than her age would suggest. There had always been something special about her—something magical, a psychic ability, which was why she was sent away. This magic had continued to grow and was shaped by the experienced Elders. Each Elder had a power infused with an element—earth, fire, air, and water. They were ancient and the closest to the Moon Goddess. Now, it seemed my little sister knew and sensed things that no one else should. It was possible that, as she matured, she would become the fifth Elder, making her the youngest werewolf to join them.
“You saw Louise!” It was a statement, not a question. “Nice!”
“Yes, Snowflake, I saw her…” I reached down and scooped my little sister into my arms. “What—”
“—does it matter?” She interrupted as she slid onto my back and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Because it does…”
“Why?” I opened the door and carried her inside, avoiding the wave of Omegas as they relayed plates and cutlery to the marquee.
At the staircase, she leaned against my shoulder. “It matters because she’s sick…” She lowered her voice so only I could hear. “She has cancer…”
“What?” I tensed. I had told no one but Kingston about Louise’s sickness. As my future Beta, he was trusted to keep the secret. By now, I think my parents suspected something was off about her, but not how severe it was, and I didn’t want them to know. I didn’t want Josie-Anne to know about Louise. If it got back to the Elders, it could be disastrous. “How did—”
“—I know?” she continued. “I just do… And I’ll tell no one… not even the Elders. You have my promise.” She peered over my shoulder so I could see her narrow face out of the corner of my eye. “Why do you keep following her? You were at the hospital today… hiding from her. And you kissed her…”
“How did you know that?” I knelt, letting her off my back, and then faced her. My face was burning now. “No one—”
“—will know, Jojo,” she winked at me. “Except Kingston, who already knows. You have my word!”
I opened my mouth to ask how she knew, then thought better of it. Of course, she knew.
“I like her…” she patted my cheek. “But you don’t have long, so I don’t know why you’re wasting time here…”
“Long? Long for what?” I frowned at her. “Snowflake, you’re making no sense…”
“Josie-Anne… your dress arrived an hour ago!” Mum called from the second-floor landing. She peered down at us, her dark brown hair pulled back in curlers and clips. She waved at us. “It’s time to get dressed…”
“I have to go,” Josie-Anne said as she skipped up the steps. She paused halfway and turned to face me, lowering her voice. “Don’t waste time, JoJo… trust me.”
I shrugged my hands. “I don’t—”
“—understand?” She chuckled. “You will…”
“Hurry, young lady!” Mum called again. “And Joseph…”
“Yeah, Mum.” I glanced up at her to be met with her steel-blue eyes—eyes Josie-Anne had inherited.
“Your suit is in your room…”
“Thanks,” I replied as I stood again.
“Don’t take too long…” She waved down at me and then vanished from sight.
“I don’t understand any of what Josie-Anne is saying…” Shaking my head, I jogged up the stairs to my bedroom. “Why can’t you be of some use, Zodiac?”
Spreading his claws, he dug them into my mind. I winced as pain radiated from behind my eyes.
“Quit your fucken tantrum, Zodiac!” I shook his claws free, then fell backwards onto my bed, sinking into the soft king-sized mattress I hoped to share with my mate. “Why the f**k does it have to be her? I’m an Alpha, for f***s sake! I need an Alpha mate… who can carry on the Black legacy!” “Not an Omega, and a sick one at that!”
Zodiac made an odd noise—a mixture between a whine and a snarl. I closed my eyes and focused on the wolf in my mind. The huge silver beast differed from his usual fiery self—sullen. We met gazes for a moment before he forced my eyes open again. “Help me out, will you… You great, useless, hairy beast!”
Nothing. He had blocked me out again.
Our relationship had been strained from the moment Louise had walked into our lives. We had a formidable and strained bond the day he awoke, but it got worse each time we saw Louise. It was the scent of sickness and the knowledge that cancer could kill her or that knowing about her illness could send her away. Death! Was that what Josie-Anne had meant?
I sat bolt upright. “We don’t have long to figure this out!”
“Hmmm… rowl… ruff… whine… snarl… growl…” Zodiac was arguing with himself in my mind.
“What the f**k… Stupid mutt!” I cursed aloud. “This is your fault! Humans don’t imprint… It’s a wolf thing… So, it’s all your fault!”
No reply.
“I wasn’t joking when I said I would bring in a witch!”
Still no reply.
“I’m getting closer to finding one!”
Nothing.
There was a knock at my door.
“Who is it?” I snapped as I clambered off my bed. “What do you want?”
“It’s me, bro… No need to bite!”
“Kingston,” I threw open the door to see him dressed in his suit, with his blonde hair styled in its usual preppy-boy flow. I propped my shoulder against the door frame. “Well, I see you’re ready…”
“And I see you’re not…” He gestured at my clothes. “Going for the ‘I don’t care’ look? I don’t know if the Luna will approve, but it works. The rugged, unruly heir of the Mist Clan… Some girls might think it works….”
“It works for me…” I stood aside, allowing him through. “Come in…”
I crossed the room as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
“I don’t think Maddison will think much of it. She’s a bit more… fancy,” he scanned me, noticing my dishevelled clothes and hair, and smirked. “Did you get into another tussle or something?”
“Not exactly,” I sighed as I sat back on my bed and stared at my future Beta.
He dropped on the two-seater couch across from me, resting his elbows against his knees. “Well, what happened?” He asked, tapping his fingers together impishly. “A little birdy tells me you followed a certain little lady today… Possibly the future Luna?”
“Seriously!” I rubbed my forehead. “I can’t trust that sister of mine… And no!” I glowered at him. “I told you, I can’t, in my right mind, accept her as my Luna… Dad won’t allow it! The Elders would…” I railed off, scratching my head. “I don’t actually know what they would do, but they could banish her… or worse!”
“You can trust your sister,” Kingston defended, rubbing a finger across his chin. “She’s got some kind of magic up in here,” he pointed to his temple.
“She’s a rare Snowflake,” I agreed with a sigh. “But it wasn’t her place to say.”
“You can’t mess with fate…” Kingston stood again, gesturing at my suit. “Say all you want, but if this girl is your mate… you can’t fight it… and why would you even try?”
“I told—”
He held up his hand to protest. “I’m not here to argue with you, Joseph.” He headed for the door, paused, and peered over his shoulder. “If you admit to yourself and your wolf that this girl is your mate, then whatever the obstacle between you two is, you will overcome it.”
I stared at him, unsure of what to say. Zodiac retreated.
“It’s a shame,” my Beta sighed softly, “she petty adorable…”
“You stay the hell away from her!” I roared as I launched at him, pinning him against the door.
Zodiac broke through my restraints, gnashing his teeth at Kingston. “Stay away!”
Kingston laughed, his blue eyes sparkling. “I knew it…!” he eyed me suspiciously, making Zodiac retreat. “You both care about her… You can feel the pull!”
“s**t, I don’t know…” I dropped Kingston on his feet, then paced, running my hands through my hair. “Zodiac has been making everything difficult!”
At his name, the bipolar beast clawed at my brain, sending another headache behind my eyes. Once it passed, I faced my Beta. “I better get ready.”
Kingston opened the door, then gestured to my suit again. “I’ll see you out there, bro…” he winked at me. “And don’t worry, I will keep my hands off your mate…”
“She’s not my mate!”
“Believe what you want.” Grinning, he left the room, closing the door behind him.
I stood there for a moment; the silence amplifying the turmoil in my mind. The idea Louise was my mate was both terrifying and exhilarating, a chaotic cocktail of responsibility and desire. How could I, the future Alpha of the Mist Clan, the one tasked with upholding tradition and ensuring the strength of our lineage, be destined for someone so… vulnerable?
With a frustrated sigh, I ripped off my shirt and grabbed the suit from the wardrobe.
Black with a purple shirt and black vest, of course. Each alpha had a colour scheme, and this was my fathers.
As I tugged on the trousers, I thought about my father. He had always been so stoic, so unwavering in his dedication to the clan. What would he say if he knew his son, his heir, was considering a mate who was both an omega and battling a life-threatening illness?
The thought sent an icy shiver down my spine. I couldn’t risk his disapproval, not when the future of the clan rested on my shoulders. But the idea of losing Louise… of never knowing what we could be… that was equally unbearable.
With a final, resolute sigh, I straightened my vest and headed out the door. It was time to face the music, to put on a brave face for the sake of tradition and family. But as I walked down the hallway, I couldn’t shake the words Josie-Anne had spoken, the cryptic warning that echoed in my mind: “Don’t waste time, JoJo… trust me.”
What did she know that I didn’t? What game was the Moon Goddess playing?
- Writer
