Best Friends Mate

chapter 22

"beautiful necklace" Keely said looking over at me.

I pressed my finger to it. "Thanks"

"From Ryan I assume?" smiling at me.

I didnt respond, I just smiled back at her.

"Hey Keely, can we stop by that boutique again? I saw some earrings the last time we were there that would match this"

Keely looked shocked and smiled a sheepish grin

"Wearing earrings now? Im wearing you down Hudd, I am wearing you down" emphasizing and dragging out her last word.

"whatever." I laughed.

"yeah we can go"

We arrived at the spa where we first got our pedicure. Id never seen someone make such a fuss over my feet. I opted out of having my toe nails painted. Baby steps and I can just see it now. My newly transitioned werewolf self with a set of hot pink nails. Not a chance.

I was pleasantly surprised by the massage and watching Keely flirt with the massage therapist brought great amusement.

We finally arrived at the boutique and I was feeling great. Maybe I shouldn't have doubted Keely. Keely and the shop owner were lost in their own conversation about who knows what. For some reason I couldn’t hear what they were talking about despite my supernatural hearing. They kept looking at me though and the witch shop owner looked extremely intrigued. I wandered around the shop giving them time to talk. Finally, grabbing the earrings I wanted, I made my way to Keely and this witch. All of a sudden I could hear them.

I laid the earrings on the counter, looking between Keely and the witch. Keely looked at me shrugging and the witch was ringing up my earrings, glancing up to look at Keely.

"ok, spill it" I said.

"what?" Keely trying to act innocent.

"why could I not hear you?"

Keely placed her hand on my shoulder.

"maybe youre getting old" she laughed.

I swatted her hand away, clearly frustrated. The witch just watching us both.

"ok, ok! geez! Janeen put up a barrier spell. No one can hear us. I wanted to do something else for your birthday"

she finally admitted.

"like what?" I asked cautiously, eye brow raised.

"want to have your fortune told Kiara?" wiggling her eye brows and smiling.

"oh this is ridiculous!"

Janeen finally spoke up.

"Keely, this probably isnt a good idea actually "

Keelys mouth dropped. "You were the one who said you sensed danger when you saw her?!" as if trying to defend herself.

Wait, what? Danger? This caught my attention and I turned to Janeen.

"what do you mean? can you see that im a warrior, a special forces operative?"

"No" she said flatly looking around her shop to see if anyone else had walked in which no one had, I would have heard.

"I dont do fortunes contrary to popular belief " and gave a side eye glare to Keely who just stood there arms crossed.

"I can't see the future but I can see your past. I can access memories. I can sense a persons aura, human or otherwise, and I can see the challenges or choices ahead of you and the outcome of whatever you choose. I cant see what you do choose of course. "

I just stared at her and then looked at Keely.

"do you believe this?" I asked Keely.

"give me your hands" Janeen insisted.

I did as she told me. She faced my palms up and laid hers on top of mine. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath I feel a warmth in my hands. It seemed like much longer but in a minute, Janeen quickly pulled her hands back, wide eyed at first but then a look of sadness crossed her face.

"im so sorry about your parents" lowering her eyes. Well that wasnt anything new.

She looked up at me, staring into my eyes for a moment as if she was reading me, analyzing me.

She turned and grabbed tissue paper to wrap around my earrings before placing them in a brown paper sack.

I just stood there waiting for her to say something.

"well?" I asked annoyed.

She turned to me and placed both of her hands on the counter.

"Kiara, I saw the dreams you have with your moon goddess. The bloodied field of bodies? War is coming and there will be loss. But I think you already know that" I only nodded. "Your moon goddess has chosen you for something greater than yourself because youre strong and capable."

I wasnt quite sure how to take all that. I knew I shouldn't have but I did because deep down, in my sub conscious, it haunted me.

"Did you see Ryan?"

Janeen smiled.

"yes I did. Your moon goddess has chosen him to be in your life for a reason. your destiny's intertwine. She speaks to him too. You two are part of something so much bigger than yourselves and you dont even know it yet."

"but hes not my mate?" I was annoyed.

"not yet" and her grin widened. What the hell? Thats what Ryan was told too. This is bullshit, I thought to myself.

She gave me the package telling me it was "on the house" and wishing me a happy birthday but as we walked through the door, I turned hearing her call for me.

"oh, and Kiara... your wolf is beautiful " I offered her a smile and closed the door behind me.

Dustins POV

I taped in the last photo into the album I had made for Kiara as a birthday present.

It was a photo of me,kiara,markus and ryan and across from it was a photo of me and Kiara before I left to come here.

I flipped through the album, checking my work and admiring again all the photos. There were photos of me and kiara with our parents when we were young. My favorite one of our father teaching us how to fight with a staff and the other of our mother knelt down in a bed of flowers, me and Kiara on each side of her.

I felt Alyssa wrap her arms around me and touch the photos, as if touching them she couldve been there in the moment. I turned to face her, kneeling to face her belly and touch her smooth chocolate skin. I kissed her belly whispering that he or she better be good to their mom. She lifted me up and kissed me and when she finally released me, she grabbed my hand leading me out the door.

"come on. we have a birthday party to get to. she needs her brother tonight" and smiled. I have a damn good woman I thought to myself as I grabbed the album and we made our way to the Redwood pack territory.

Ryans POV

I had finally finished gathering wood for the bonfire tonight and stumps for all of us to sit on. I decided id give Craig a call and check on things while I awaited everyone to arrive.

"hey man" I heard him on the other line

"Hey, how's it going?" as I kicked a rock.

"I'm in Vegas but im sure thats not why you called."

I laughed internally. Craig knew I didnt do the small talk. I was a no bullshit, cut to the chase guy.

"you know me too well"

"too well" he said before continuing.

"so heres what I got. I've followed them into Nevada and my source tells they're heading up North..."

I cut him off. "your source"

"yeah man, remember Genevieve?"

"the hunter?!" I yelled gripping my phone. Did Craig become a dumbass over night?

"former hunter. dude, she is mated to a werewolf. Aint that some s**t? and we thought we had a mate problem"

My thoughts drifted to Kiara for a moment and then back to this hunter Genevieve.

"wait.. craig didn't you sleep with Genevieve?"

"why you gotta bring that up?" he quickly answered sounding annoyed.

I only laughed. Craig and I had our fair share of fun with women. I wondered if he had calmed down. It was always Craig picking them up with his charismatic carefree personality. I envied that about him sometimes. We had been through some serious s**t and id seen Craig cruel and heartless, a killer but yet he still possessed the ability to block his mind from all the demons, figuratively speaking. A memory played back of him and I NYC a couple years ago.

We had walked into a bar that was popular amongst humans. We walked in and sat down at the bar, women young and old immediately hitting on us. I sat there and watched a beautiful brunette make her best attempt to flirt with me. I just sat there and stared at the screen and listened to her go on and on about being an English Lit major at NYU. She was bubbly and ditzy and looked like the type to that read romance novels or watched Rom Coms.

Craig sat there beside me and non chalantly quoted Thomas Hardy, Charlotte Bronte and the poem invictus by William Henley.

He was a smooth son of a b***h let me tell ya. I watched him get up from the bar leaving me with the english lit major and effortlessly he made conversation with two other women, no one knowing who we are, what we do and what we've done.

"anyways" he interrupted my memory.

Theyre heading north to the Paiute Reservation "

"your moms tribe? but theyre humans"

Craigs mom was a Paiute Native American. He showed me a picture of her once. She was a beautiful woman but Craig looked nothing like her except for his tan skin and high cheekbones. He looked just like Michael and I often wondered if it killed him to see his fathers face in the mirror.

he sighed "yeah, that was my first reaction too but theres a small werewolf pack up there"

I had forgotten about that. The Paiute were friends to the werewolves, having known the moon goddess's magic and even some of them worshipping her. That is how Craigs mother met Beta Jasmine, she was a werewolf from that pack and when his mother was running from Michael after Craig was born, she gave him to Jasmine who of course had mated with James, the beta of the Redwood.

I froze. That was right across the state line from the Redwoods. Those rogues.. they were Michael's scouts and they were scouting that pack to take over. They probably crossed over to scout out the redwood as well.

"Craig..."

"yeah?"

"Michael and the hunters are going to hit the Paiute next and after that theyre coming for the redwood"

"well shit.. Alright im on it " then he hung up the phone.

I stood there for a few minutes planning for the megalomaniac until I noticed Alyssa and Dustin drive up. When they got out, I immediately began to tell Dustin about what Craig had just told me.

Keely was calling me for some reason but I ignored it. Whatever it is she can wait, I had to discuss this with Dustin.

She called again.

"ignore" I clicked.

I couldn't even get a word out when she called again but this time I felt a pang in my chest.

I handed the phone to Dustin to answer it.

"its happening!" she yelled

"whats happening?" dustin asked both of us looking at eachother and at that moment I hear the screeching of Keelys car wheels. It sounded like she was a mile away.

"Dustin?" I heard Kiara say in the background. She sounded like she was in pain.

Dustin and I immediately knew and we looked at eachother. Kiara was transforming into her wolf.

"f**k!" I said, still holding my hand to my chest where I felt the pain.

"why did they call YOU" Dustin asked annoyed.

Alyssa chimed in. "i dont think that matters right now" and we all saw Keely pull up like Tokyo drift, gravel and dirt flying everywhere. We ran to the passenger side to help Kiara out.

I looked at her and the sight was all too familiar. She was pouring in sweat, her breathing was labored and all across her face was pain. Her fingers had already started lengthening when she had arrived. I knew she would be ok but the first time was the hardest and I hated seeing her in pain.

"Its 5 o clock, I thought she wasnt born until almost 9!" Keely yelled to whoever was listening. I looked at Dustin who just shook his head and put one of his arms over his sister. I went to get the other arm but Dustin dismissed me saying "I got her"

My fingers curled into my palms. I wanted to help Kiara but I couldn’t make it too obvious. Not right now. Keely, Alyssa and I followed Dustin past the site where we had originally planned for the bonfire. Dustin laid her on a bed of moss while we watched Kiara writhe in pain. Nobody said anything as she screamed but tried to fight it. I looked at all the faces around me. Keely looked freaked out, Dustin worried and Alyssa calm as she comforted him. Kiara moved to the fetal position to what looked like crouching, her legs, arms, hands and feet lengthening. She was fighting back the pain but when her spine snapped, vertebrae detaching and repositioned she cried out in pain.

I couldn't handle this anymore. I knelt in front of her and held her face.

"Kiara. Kiara. Look at me"

She looked up at me, her eyes greener than id ever seen them. She held onto my arms.

"Ryan.." she wimpered sounding like that 12 year old little girl again.

"im here. its ok. just let go. im here. I love you Kiara" I told her.

I barely got my words out when Dustin tackled me, landing a punch.

"My f*****g sister dude!" he yelled at me throwing hit after hit, in my full guard as they'd call it in jiu jitsu. "I knew it!" he swung again. "youre a peice of s**t Ryan!" delivering another blow.

This time I grabbed his arms planting my feet on his stomach and pushing him off me. I was in his full guard now, holding his arms.

"I love her, man." I said calmly as he pushed me off of him. We stood to our feet.

"Dustin, I f*****g love her!"

I watched him about to transform when we both heard Kiara’s voice in our head.

"STOP! THATS ENOUGH!"

We both turned to see Kiara as her wolf. Our eyes widened and jaws dropped. Dustin and I looked back and forth between eachother and Kiara.

Kiara was GOLD.

(music recommendation. "carry you" by novo amor)