Her Mortal Mate

Chapter Eight: Childhood Friends

Jadea

I sat my little wolf butt down in the grass and just stared off blankly into the horizon. Numb. Tired.

I'd already cried and howled my voice hoarse from the information I'd been given. And now, I was just trying to survive the tough decision I was going to have to make.

After Briar brought us up to speed on what Sargent Moore found, I knew what I had to do, but hated I had to make this decision.

Before, when we were participating in a hunt—when we were chasing down villains—we wouldn't have hesitated to go into a trap like this. Hell! Even when we had been down a wolf or two, especially with Valdis, it hadn't stopped us from running head long into danger.

However, the difference between then and now was that it wasn't just a single enemy we were hunting. From what we knew, there were seven wolves with Adam. Who knew how many others were waiting in SoCal for us? The odds were already stacked against us. If we kept tracking them, we ran the risk of falling into their trap. A trap we knew would happen, but didn't know the specifics. And I highly doubted the three of us would be able to protect Adam and ensure we didn't get killed—or captured—in the process.

It was just too risky.

"You should get a hold of Lucien. I don't think he would think twice about pulling his wolves out of retirement to come help you."

Garret was probably right. I knew my father and his pack wouldn't think twice about helping me. But, that was not only unfair to them—upending their lives and disrupting their routines—just to help me out. Plus, it would also mean a severe setback. It would take time, time I couldn't afford if I wanted to ensure Adam's safety.

The enemy hadn’t given a deadline, but I doubted they would be patient.

Raising my head to the sky and closing my eyes, I allowed the gentle dawn breeze to sooth me as I slowly breathed through the panicked haze in my mind. I knew what would buy me time, though I was afraid of giving into their demands. Afraid they wouldn't need Adam alive anymore if I immediately backed out of the political position I was running for. I highly doubted I could trust their word and code of honor—if they even had one.

I grumbled, frustrated.

What was I supposed to do?

If I played the waiting game, they would maim him and make him suffer for my selfishness. If I gave in to their demands, they most likely wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

I was damned if I did, and damned if I didn't.

But then, in the mix of it all, a plan slowly started to tickle the edges of my mind.

If I was able to make a big enough scene about my pending drop out from the campaign, I might just be able to buy myself some time. The first debate with my opponent was a little over a week away. If I leaked information into the immortal rumor mill, Adam's captors might just hold off until then to do anything to him. The man who'd initially called hadn't given a specific date as to when I needed to pull out of the race. Holding them in suspense might be the way to go. It would then give Sargent Moore some time to follow up on his leads, and it would give me time to rally a small army of wolves. It would, hopefully, buy me some precious time. And, if the ring leaders who had Adam wanted something different, they would let me know.

"Maybe we should start heading back towards Modesto?" Blade suggested while I continued to mull over this thought.

"No," Garret stated, a little bit of excitement leaking into his tone as he listened in on my thoughts eagerly.

"What's going on?" Blade asked a bit dejectedly, hating he was being left out of the loop. It wasn't intentional. Garret was a mind reader, and I refused to open my train of thought directly with my pack in circumstances like these. These kinds of decisions were mine to make alone.

"Just shut up for a minute so she doesn't lose her concentration," Garret snapped.

"Well, that ship has already sailed," I stated sharply, glaring at the two wolves from over my shoulder, a very soft and threatening growl emanating from my chest. "Silence would be nice."

"Sorry, alpha." They both apologized, ducking their heads.

Taking a deep breath, I looked back at the horizon. I was going to need help. And, preferably, someplace to stay that was relatively close to LA. We might still be able to follow Adam's trail, but we would have to be more inconspicuous about it. We couldn't go as a pack. We would have to go alone, or at most with a partner. It would be riskier, but what else was I supposed to do?

Reaching out to my father, I relayed all the information I had been given. I was feeling like a failure somehow, because I was having a hard time coping with this development. My entire world was starting to crumble around me, and I didn't know how to stop it. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. And, I felt that no matter which path I chose, I would lose Adam. They had me backed into a corner with no way out.

"I need you to take a deep breath Jadea and keep your head," Lucien encouraged. "I am in route to retrieve the packages for you. You made a good call asking for someone to come and get them. You followed your gut instinct then. Follow it now. What is it telling you?"

To not rush into this. To take a moment to step back, even if it felt wrong to do so.

"You need to take a break," he encouraged in my silence. "You need some time to come to terms with the situation at hand. You need time for a few more pieces to fall into place. It won't look quite so dire after you get some sleep. Rest always helps clear the mind."

"Should I go back to Modesto, then?" And give up on all the progress we made?

"No. There's a friend nearby. One you'll recognize. I'll give him a heads up you're on your way."

"Who?"

I could feel his amusement as he gave me the address. "Just thank me later, Jadea."

Garret and Blade looked at me curiously, but I was just as clueless as they were. Blade plugged the address into the phone's maps app and gave us the quickest directions to the residence. We were going to basically cut straight across the state, heading East towards Lake Isabelle. Where we were going looked to be in some kind of mountain range on the outskirts of a national forest.

The three of us took off across the land, and we remained silent. There wasn't much to say. I mean, what could we say in an instant like this? Sorry? We will get him? Everything will work out in the end? Everything felt so inadequate for this kind of pain.

We knew the instant we came upon their land. We could smell the marked territory, and I perked up in an instant.

No way!

This couldn't be...

My heart rate picked up in excitement and I went bursting onto the land at a full out sprint. The instant we were on the property, I heard the chorus of wolves on patrol announcing our presence.

"Jadea?" Garret and Blade both called out to me as I left them in the dust.

"Wait up!" Garret said, concerned. But I knew who this was. I knew my pack and I would be welcomed with open arms. How had my father known he was here?

As the rather large cabin-esque dwelling came into view, I saw a tall, handsome alpha come skidding out the main door and onto the porch and I laughed at his goofy expression. He was dressed in a loose-fitting t-shirt and pair of long, black basketball shorts. He had short, black hair and big, beautiful caramel brown eyes with darker flecks of brown closer to the pupil. His jawline sharp. Features handsome.

This had been my one true friend growing up.

"Lance!" I fairly shouted in his mind.

"Jadea!" he yelled back, a smile splitting his face as he came running full boar towards me too.

I shifted on the go, which was a little harder since I was going from four legs to two, but that was ok because right as I finished and was tripping over my own two feet to get to him, I crashed into his arms.

"Man, it is great to see you!" he burst, swinging me around, holding me tight.

I clung onto him like a lifeline. "You don't know how happy I am to see you," I almost sobbed, beaming up at him.

"Your father didn't tell me anything that was going on, other than there was an emergency, and you were going to crash here for a little while." Pulling his shirt off, he threw it at me.

We were all wolves. Modesty wasn't a luxury to be had. Nakedness didn't make us squeamish. It didn't invoke untoward feelings of sexuality—unless you were mates with someone of course. However, the gesture was a kind one. Indicative of just how close of friends we were. Even after all these years, he was still willing to give me the shirt off his back.

I hugged it to my body for just one moment, feeling myself breaking down as those memories from long ago rushed to the forefront of my mind. They clashed uncomfortably with those raw emotions I was battling now.

"Oh, my dear strong and sensitive Jadea, come here." He pulled me back into his arms and just held me until the storm subsided. "So, you haven't told your pack about me?" he smirked, seeing a wide-eyed Garret and Blade behind me. Both looking uncomfortable and taken aback by my outburst.

I shrugged, smiling impishly. There was a twinkle in his eye. I knew he wasn't offended or hurt by this. We had been childhood friends. After Constance ensured the half breeds were safe to go back to their daily lives, Lance and I were separated. I left with my father and his pack back to go back to our lands, and Lance...

Well, he had gone with Constance. She was his half-sister and all. She and Celeste were the only blood relatives he had left. There was a lot of family drama in their past that was spread throughout the generations, it was hard to keep up on it all.

"Well, c'mon in! Let's all get acquainted, shall we?" he encouraged brightly, a big toothy grin plastered on his face. As Garret and Blade shifted, others of Lance's pack stepped forward and offered them clothes as well.

"Thank you," I said honestly, looping my arm through his as he led the way into his home.