Her Mortal Mate

Chapter Thirty Two: Overwhelmed

Adam

What had I just witnessed?

Jadea had attacked Lance for no reason. Just… shifted into her wolf and tore into him unprovoked and out of the blue and then she’d fled. Leaving me and her pack mates behind.

What was going on!? Why was she doing this?

My gaze frantically moved to the others as they just stood there, dumbfounded. Unmoving. Why weren’t they responding!? Why weren’t they trying to stop her!?

I watched, stupefied as she bolted into the brush and trees surrounding Lance’s house. I wanted to say something, to yell at them, to scream at her, but nothing was coming out. I think I was too shocked, honestly.

In the silent chaos that ensued, Lance seemed to realize something and he waved his hand towards Jadea’s pack, as if waving off a spell. Had she used her powers against them?

An instant later they were all sprinting off into the woods, giving chase, shifting on the go. Their growls and yips heard as their clothes were shredded and fell like confetti on the ground.

Well, that answered that question.

Though, it still didn’t make sense why she would do that?

From what I’d gathered by the chaotic scene that had just taken place inside the house, the packs who’d capture me had gone to her ranch in Wyoming. They’d gone there deliberately looking for her and for trouble. When they didn’t find what they wanted, they decided to kill her horses.

I couldn’t imagine the pain she must be experiencing. Yet, somehow that didn’t seem like a good enough excuse to go and try to rip someone’s arm off.

“Well, I have to give her props for being stealthy and sly,” Lance muttered to himself as his pack rushed to help him. They wiped away the blood, slathered on some kind of ointment before wrapping bandages around his shoulder. I just stood there, staring blankly at them unsure of what to do or say.

I couldn’t help but feel fear and anger at her actions. It seemed so unlike her to do something so hurtful. Could this be some kind of trauma response? Had my kidnapping and near death experience triggered her? Was it due to her blood relatives coming after her? A combination of both?

Not that I was trying to give her any excuses for her actions, but it could explain her sudden shift in behavior. Plus, the emotions from her sudden loss could have tipped her over the edge.

My gaze moved to Lance and I saw him as calm and cool as ever. It seemed so odd for him to be so calm after being mauled for no reason.

His lips turned up in a grin and I had to wonder if he could read my thoughts too. “There’s a lot you don’t know about Jadea,” he stated his strong voice piercing the silence as he looked at me from the corners of his eyes. His body was still facing the direction Jadea had disappeared. “There’s even a part of her life her pack doesn’t know about either.”

“And you know what that part is?” I stated more than asked because somewhere in his tone I heard the sympathy, the understanding only one could have when two individuals had experienced something terrible together.

“Yes. I do. I was there with her when it happened.” He explained gently, his gaze dropping to the ground as he picked at the grass. For some reason, I had a hunch it wasn’t connected to her blood family. “It’s something I know she wishes she could just forget. Hell, I wish I could forget it too.” The blades he’d bunched in his hand were thrown on the ground in agitation.

“W-What happened?” Even though I was afraid of the answer, I needed to know.

“A genocide.”

No! I was aghast. The only one in recent history that I knew of was the h*******t. But Jadea was far too young to have been there. Right?

Or had she lied about her age too?

“It’s not one you would find in your mortal history books,” Lance stated. “It happened below ground and only targeted immortals.”

Of course. “Was she there? Below ground?”

“Yes. And she had a front row seat to the abhorrent things that were done to the innocent.”

I really wasn’t sure how to respond to this information. It was overwhelming and shocking. Especially when Lance talked so casually about it.

“Ah, here she comes,” his attention shifted and my mind turned over a mile a minute at the very calm conversation we’d had. We’d conversed as if we had been merely talking about the weather, but there had been several bombs dropped.

I thought I’d known Jadea. There had been a lot shared, or at least touched upon. But now… it felt like she was a complete stranger all over again.

Was I okay with this new Jadea? Was I okay with what I was learning about her character as she was faced with all of these past, present and future challenges? Was I alright with how she’d casually kept such secrets, even from her pack? Because if she was capable of doing that, then she was capable of keeping them from me and my family too. And that was something I wasn’t okay with.

I was so lost in my own little world I hadn’t realized Jadea had reentered the area until after her and Lance made up.

Then Lance announced he was going to make some kind of temporary connection between Jadea and I. And there was a lot of confusing talk. Much of it I didn’t understand.

What was going on!?

“Don’t look so scared.”

I hadn’t said anything. How… how did he know? Was my expression that transparent? Wait!

His lips hadn’t moved! He just spoke in my head!

Or was I hallucinating?

Holy crap! Was I losing it!?

“No, you’re not going crazy. I’m speaking to you telepathically. The gifts I have allow me to do this.” His calmness was starting to become irritating. Was this guy never ruffled? He smirked and I couldn’t help the embarrassment that overcame me as he listened to my unfiltered thoughts. “I’ve been through a lot of s**t, Adam. I’ve had to learn to be calm when faced with such challenges, or else it could prove detrimental. However, I’m getting off topic.

“She’s beyond scared, Adam,” he refocused our attention to the present issue at hand. “What you don’t realize and understand is how cruel, merciless and heartless our world can be. She came from a family that abused her immensely. So much so she repressed many of those memories and they are starting to shake loose.”

Now this was something I understood.

So, her actions did have something to do with her birth family…But why was it all of a sudden coming up now? Obviously, they had been behind my capture, but what was driving them to target her?

Hadn’t she already worked through all of this with Dr. Andrew and Caden? Or was there something else I was missing?

“I’m sure she will answer all of your questions.”

But what if she decided to lie? Or didn’t tell the entire story? How would I know—

“That’s what this bond is for. You will be able to be inside of her mind. You will be able to see and experience her thoughts, emotions and memories first hand. You will be able to tell when she isn’t being entirely truthful or forthcoming. And visa-versa.”

Interesting… I wasn’t entirely convinced this was what I wanted. But, perhaps it was what we needed. We needed the honest truth to come out. Regardless if it was pretty or not.

However, what I found most interesting was what Lance told Jadea about love and mercy after he’d stitched our minds together. I knew that message wasn’t just for her. It was for both of us.

“Take your time,” he said aloud. “And if it comes down to it and you need me to reconnect you two, please do not hesitate to ask.”

He leaned in and quickly placed a kiss against Jadea’s cheek. Her intense gaze never left mine, even as he ran his hand once over her head soothingly.

I didn’t quite catch what she said to him, but I felt it was positive and more of a thank you than anything.

I couldn’t explain why my jealousy rose as he touched her, even though the way he touched her wasn’t in any way s****l or threatening. I knew she had no feelings for him beyond a ‘brotherly-sisterly’ relationship. Yet, it still made me want to push him off a ledge.

I heard his chuckle and knew he’d heard that little tid bit too, but he was no longer my main focal point. My gaze held Jadea’s as she sat in her wolf across from me. Her white fur looked smooth and it took a lot of effort not to reach out and touch her. I could feel her need for space. To not be touched.

I’d seen her like this before, but I hadn’t really gotten to experience it beyond that.

As she had been with Lance, she sat just out of my reach. Maybe she kept her distance to feel more in control of the situation?

Within her, I could feel her coiled so tightly I was afraid she would break at any given moment.

As the seconds ticked by and turned into minutes, it felt like both of us were at some kind of standoff. What was she waiting for? Was I supposed to do something? Say something? It was odd, being so connected to her, feeling her emotions and experiencing her thoughts as she was thinking them. Yet, there still felt like a wall. Like she was holding me at arms length.

I felt, more than heard, her sigh in my mind. “Can you do me a favor and take a deep, slow breath for me?” She didn’t sound irritated. She was back to her calm, collected self. At least on the surface. Below it all, I could feel the emotions as they festered.

Nodding, I did as she asked.

“Thank you.”

What had that been for? I hadn’t done anything other than breathe—

I saw the amusement bleed into her eyes. “Because, Adam, your mile a minute conversation with yourself had me stressing too,” she teased.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. This is your first time. You don’t know what to do or what to expect because of it.” I could almost feel her mental shrug. “So, what is it you wish to know vanilla?”

I knew there were so many questions, but on the spot my mind went blank. I was too overwhelmed by everything that had just happened. The attack on Jadea’s animals, her unprovoked attack on Lance, and everything else that had occurred before and after.

How was I supposed to get answers when my mind practically erased itself over this current situation and acted all dumb and s**t?

As I continued to berate myself and try to come up with just one question, I felt her mind fully merge with mine and what I saw took my breath away.