Sisters by chance - The beginning

Three

Sofia’s POV

When the new week begins, my new everyday life does so too. Monday morning when I woke up, Jacob and Lucas had already left the house to go training. There's a little note that they're back at half-past seven. The Alpha was very clear that Jacob needed to continue with his responsibilities and that Luca was expected to train with the pack to defend it even though he isn't a member yet. I haven't spoken to Lucas about the offer to join the pack. I don't want him to feel obligated because of me. I'm pretty sure that I want to commit myself to this pack. I don't want to go back. Not when my life there isn't the same. Not When those I love the most are gone.

I have slept terribly, and it's with a heavy body I put one of Jacob's t-shirts on as a dress today. With my hair in a messy bun and the laundry basket in my arms, I go into the master bedroom and collect Jacob's laundry as well. Down on the couch, Lucas still has his things. I pick up the clothes on the floor and then take them with me to the laundry room. I get a machine going and go back to remove the bedding from the couch and fold it up before I start making breakfast. I looked up at the clock in the kitchen, they should be back soon. They train two hours every morning as a minimum, which sounds brutal in my opinion. I prepare the coffee maker and put on tea water to myself before I open the fridge to see what I have to work with. I find eggs in the fridge, oatmeal, vanilla sugar, and bananas in the pantry, so I mix a quick batch of banana pancakes and start baking. It takes some time to find everything I need in the cupboards, but I'm not in a hurry!

When they enter the kitchen sweaty, bare-chested, and laughing, the table is set, and the pancakes are almost done.

"It smells good in here!" Jacob smiles with fluttering nostrils and winks at me!

"Thanks!" I smiled back without letting go of the frying pan. I gaze at them over my shoulder from the stove.

"We'll just wash up!" They announce and give me a sweaty kiss each before they leave. With a frown and wipe my forehead and try to concentrate on the pancakes again. Something about them distracts me. My thoughts constantly slide into obsessing over their bare and sweaty upper bodies.

When they come back down freshly showered with damp hair and clean clothes, it happens again, my focus shifts from the food in front of me to these two indescribably handsome men. Jacob has a clean steel blue shirt and dark trousers, he has trimmed his beard though. I sigh happily over the fact that he hasn't shaved it off completely. He's so handsome. I like him this way! He gives me a smug grin as if he can read my mind before he sits down.

Breakfast was over pretty fast, Jacob had to go to work. It surprises me for some reason. We've talked a lot, but I've completely missed that he has a regular job. Something quite obvious. I just thought his work was to protect the southern border. But that is not the case. He works for a timber company owned by the Alpha family and supervised by his brother since his father stepped down. His easy-going personality has made him responsible for customer contact, his work is mainly administrative. Lucas, on the other hand, lived something of nomadic life. Even though the campsite was his home, he had always been 'on the move' and had various odd jobs. At the moment he is unemployed, so he stays at home with me!

Jacob gets up when he's done and gives me a soft kiss before he leaves. He shouted 'See you later!' To Lucas, who just raised his hand in greeting, not looking after him. Lucas' eyes are on me. I blush like a stupid girl. Oh good, what did I do?

"Sorry!" I mumbled, embarrassed. I looked down at the table, and with clumsy fingers, I started picking up the plates and cutlery before I quickly got up and walked away towards the sink.

When Lucas grabs me and lifts me up on the kitchen counter, I don't look up at him.

"Honey, why are you apologizing?"

"Oh, I did not mean to do that, in front of you!" I frowned and chewed on the left corner of my lower lip.

"I don't care if he touches you, kisses you, or more…" he says and places some escaped strands of hair behind my ear before he puts his index finger under my chin and forces me to look up at him. "But ... No one else can touch you, no one but us!" He growled out the last word before nuzzling me. This simple gesture makes me dizzy. He stands between my legs and puts his hands against my back and pulls me towards him for a hug. My body is pressed against his, and my hands rest around his neck.

When my phone rings and interrupts us, he growls angrily before releasing me. He begins to take care of the dishes in the sink. Is it just me, or has he reached the peak of sexy? The question is how long it will last. Dad gave up all that stuff before we were even born. If he ever did it at all...

On the screen, it's an unknown number, so I answer briefly with a simple hello and wait for the other person to introduce himself.

"Hi, Sofia!" Says Magnus Lee. "I have been in contact with a police officer from your hometown. He is like-minded, so to speak, and will help us sort out all of this. He wants a video meeting with you and me. When would it be fit to meet?!"

"Oh, hello Magnus! I can at any time. Does he have any suggestions?"

"We want to get this show on the road as soon as possible. What do you say about one o'clock?"

"Absolutely!"

"Good, text me your email address and I'll send a link. See you at one o'clock!" He says cheerily!

"Yes, thanks!" I said, relieved that everything was moving forward.

I send the text, and then it's just for us to wait. When everything's cleaned up, I don't know what to do. There is at least an hour left until the washing machine is finished, and I have no stuff here except my phone. The day is cloudy, so sunbathing is also excluded. Fortunately, Lucas has plans and it doesn't take long before we sit on the couch and cuddle. The film that rolls is a pleasant way to pass the time, and everything feels so peaceful and normal. When it's over, we take the next one and the day turns into a marathon. We even eat on the couch after cooking together. I got to help this time!

At one, I picked up the phone and clicked on the link that Magnus had sent. Magnus is already present with another man I don't recognize. He politely greets me and introduces himself as Inspector Owen Decker. He quickly summarizes what Magnus has told him, and asks if I have anything I want to add.

"I don't think so, everything seems to be right. I was picked up, came up here to camp, and hurt myself. I woke up in the hospital and found out what had happened to my family. ”I summarize absent.

"Sofia, I'm sorry about what happened. Maybe I should have started with that!” Owen apologized "Do you have any questions?" he wondered. That question makes my body solidify. I have so many questions that I don't even know where to start. Lucas takes my hand and holds it softly. Despite that, my breathing is uneven and shallow.

"Who found them?" I managed to whisper.

“Noah never came to his swimming lesson, so they called home. But no one answered. The teacher drove there on her way home. ”He answers in a low voice. The swimming lesson was three days after I disappeared. Three days. At that time, I didn't even know that I wasn't alone.

"Three days…" I gasped in despair.

"Yes, unfortunately. When you were not found, it was assumed that you were abducted to face the same fate. Your room showed signs of struggle. ”

"But I didn't, I didn't fight. I did everything he said, he was gonna leave them alone if I did as he said… He was supposed to let them live” I pleaded, just like Owen was going to do something about it.

"So why was your room turned upside down?" Owen asks.

I thought about it for a while. What happened to my room? Owen uploaded a picture for me to look at. My clothes are scattered on the floor as if someone has been looking for something.

"He had a bag with my things."

"So he took your things with him?"

"He was going to keep me," I whispered quietly.

"Mr. Decker, you can, with Miss Bell's consent, of course, hear her statement if it helps you with your investigation. But what we need to do now is cover up this incident so that Miss Bell can continue with her life!”

"Of course, I apologize!" He says and looks at me through the screen "if you have any more questions you can contact me with them!"

"Thanks!" I answered.

Owen promises that there will be no problems, that he will personally contact my relatives and tell them where I am and what has happened. I gave him my new number so they will be able to reach me if they want. I suspect that there will be some difficult conversations in the future. But it's nice to know that everything seems to work out. It's really practical to have werewolves on the police when things like this happen.

“Hey, Owen. You're a werewolf, aren't you? ”

“Yes, but not from the beginning. I was human like you. My mate found me and the rest is history. I simply continued with my previous job, which is convenient in many ways! I'm glad I can help you. And happy that you are one of us!" His answer makes me forget why I even asked.

"Oh, okay, thank you!" I answered and smiled, surprised by his detailed answer. He answered my question without me even asking it.

"I will soon let you return to your day, Sofia, but first I have a question regarding another investigation!" He says professionally and presses the keys on his computer. A picture appears on the screen, and he continues "Is she one of the girls who disappeared with you?"

I stared wide-eyed at the young woman. I was right. Amanda, the last girl he took, sits on horseback with a confident smile and looks into the camera.

"Yes! That's Amanda, he took her last." I nodded in confirmation.

"Okay, do you know who bought her?" He wonders and notes something on a piece of paper. A wave of gratitude for the fact that Magnus had told everything to Owen washes over me. It's a relief not to have to go through all the details.

"Yes, she was sold first. It was to an unpleasant man named Manfred! He looked like a wannabe vampire", I answered eagerly "Why, have you found her? How is she?"

"I'm sorry to have to be the bringer of bad news, but Amanda was found dead three days ago." He says with words laced with pity. I don't answer, I just nod. I didn't know her well. Not as well as the others. But she didn't deserve this, none of them did.

Lucas, Magnus, and Owen end the conversation. I crawl closer to Lucas, and we return to our film marathon. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks. We say nothing to each other, Lucas massages my scalp and fiddles with my hair. Three days before they were found, three days since she was found. Three days...

***

When Jacob comes home, I'm still sad and lying on the couch staring blankly in front of me. He gives me a gentle kiss on the forehead before he and Lucas leave me alone. I hear low-pitched voices disappearing upstairs.

I feel strangely empty, my family is gone, I know that. But now Amanda, too, I expected them all to make it. I know Mia's alive, but what about Rose and Ruth? Olivia and River? Who bought the twins again? A gray man, he looked worn, worn, and tired, but not mean. Oscar? Surely his name was Oscar?

What if Olivia is as confused as I am right now? She should know that River is a bear by now. But I doubt Arthur offers them the same respect and understanding I'm getting.

I've been unlucky, but now I'm lucky. Just the thought that Lucas and Jacob are mines gets a wonderful warmth to spread in the body. Thinking of them eases the darkness and anxiety off the others' fate. But it also makes me reflect on the fact that they are not here with me. The thought makes me frown and sits up to look around. But the house is quiet. Slowly, I sneak out into the kitchen, but it's empty. Haven't they come down yet?

I sneak up the stairs, the hall is empty. But there is a low rumbling sound from the guest room that I have been assigned to. Driven by curiosity, I gently opened the door. They are sitting on my bed and seem to be discussing something. But sneaking on a wolf and a bear is easier said than done. Before I could hear a word of what they were saying, they fell silent.

"Angel?" Jacob wondered with his soft voice. So I opened it and stepped inside.

"You didn't come back down," I whined slightly embarrassed.

"Did you miss us?" Lucas wondered with sparkling eyes, he referred to my text message. Which makes my cheeks go red.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked in an attempt to change the topic.

"We are discussing our options," says Jacob and rubs his clenched fists over his thighs "but we should have had the discussion with you. You just seemed a little too absent!" he mumbles.

"Honey, we can't sleep without you!" Lucas says straight to the point and closes his eyes for a second. "We were hoping you would let us sleep here. We can lie on mattresses on the floor. But we need you!" I looked at them in surprise. And sees for the first time Jacobs bags under his eyes. He looks tired, more tired than Lucas.

"If you feel comfortable with both, then maybe one of us can stay. We can take turns every other night. But two nights without your scent is awful!" Jacob begged.

"I slept here on the floor, your first night!" Lucas points out. "But not tonight, I understand Jacob. It's hard without you!"

My heart is racing. But not out of anxiety or fear, I feel happy. I slept useless the night before today.

"Don't be ridiculous!" I said, "You can't sleep on the floor in here!" they collapsed on my bed, their shoulders drooping, they looked forlorn. It's almost comical, with these two tall strong men sitting collapsed like disappointed children. Had it not been for the fact that I had already made up my mind, the sight of them would have made me change.

"We'll sleep in your room!" I decided, turning to Jacob. The turnaround in their body language is enormous. Lucas looks up at me skeptically with his body still sunken, while Jacob sits up straight and looks as if he is mentally wagging his tail.

"Seriously?" Lucas asks doubtfully. Jacob punched him on the shoulder with wrinkled eyebrows.

"Seriously!" I answered and smiled gently "All three of us!"