Loving Shiloh

Chapter 18: Beautiful Pain

I moved around the couch and folded my legs underneath me and sat down on the soft cushion. My dad was looking at Kai with a hard face before he went over to his chair and sat down. Dufus mewed so I let her go and she hopped into my dad's lap curling into a ball and purring. Dallas, Akila and Lucy walked into the living room, Dallas and Kia plopped down in the bay window with Lucy on their lap while Stephen and Kai joined me on the couch, Artemis ran up to me and jumped in my lap sniffing my shirt where I had been holding Dufus. 

"Who are you?" My dad asked them as Artemis began licking my face. 

"I'm Alpha Stephen of Smoke-eagle pack in Washington and this is my first warrior Malachai." My dad hummed as the door to the house opened. I got up and met my mom in the kitchen, we clung to one another as tightly as we could. I felt her body being to shake as she began crying softly. 

"I missed you baby girl, I didn't even get to say good-bye." She said as she sobbed into my shoulder.

"I love you Mom, so much." I said as I cried on her. 

"I love you too baby." I was sobbing again reveling in the warmth of her arms. There is something about hugging the person who brought you into this world, the one who raised you and took care of you all of your life. It's like being wrapped up in the warmest blanket there has ever been, I felt myself calming down enough to wear I could pull back and look at her. I inherited her face, eyes and freckles, she smiled at me before kissing both of my cheeks and brushing my hair out of my face. "You look thin baby, you need to eat." I nodded as the tears returned. The door opened, I looked over my mom's shoulder as Nova walked in, she smiled and gave me a hug which I returned before taking her hand and walking into the living room. 

I watched as Stephen perked up and looked at Nova with black eyes, Nova pulled her hand from mine and met Stephen halfway to the couch. 

"Mate." Stephen growled, I smiled and walked back over to Kai and curled up beside him with Artemis. Stephen pulled Nova down on his lap as he settled back on the couch beside Kai. My mom walked over to her chair next to my dad and took his hand. 

"Bear, why don't you take Artemis up to your room and show her your toys." I said with a small smile. She giggled and grabbed Artemis and led her up to the toy room while I sighed and prepared myself. 

"Shy." My dad said, I took a large breath before more tears fell down my cheeks. Kai pulled me against him as I tried to pull myself together. 

"I...I don't know how to start." I said through the tears as I tried to wipe them away. 

"Take your time love." Kai said kissing my head lightly. 

"How about you tell us about the day you left." My brother said. I tried to talk but no sound came out of my mouth, I covered my face with my hands as all of the pain and fear washed back over me. I felt Kai move so I could cling to him better. 

(K: Do you want me to start baby?) I nodded as I cried. And so Kai began, he used the bond to slowly calm me down as he told my family about what happened at Blood-sky. 

"At one point Lilo took control and she was so betrayed and hurt by her own mate she began distancing herself from Shiloh....He took her and threw her up against a wall snapping her back in two before throwing her down a flight of stairs leaving her on the brink of death."

"That was when I first met the moon goddess." I said sniffling and looking at my parents who looked like they had seen ghosts. "She thought I would be able to tame Harlem, but she was mistaken. I was sent back to my body even though I really wanted to die. I didn't want to live if I had to live like I was, but when I woke up he and his beta were gone. I took my chance and I ran, for 22 days straight. I ended up in Washington where I severed our bond. That was how a warrior named Callum found me, he brought me to the hospital where Alpha Shane offered me protection. He also let me use his phone, that's how I called you Dallas." 

"Stephen and I got called back to the pack while we were searching for our mates, when we go home Shane filled us in on what was going on. They had set Shiloh up in my room because everyone in the pack knows better than to invade my space." 

"My brother's mate Pearl told him not to go back into his room seeing as she was in there passed out and understandably terrified of men." Stephen added. 

"I ended up forgetting about her warning and went back anyway, I found Shiloh curled up in my bed clutching my pillow for dear life. I immediately knew who she was seeing as she looked like a skeleton, I ended up taking a blanket and pillow and sleeping on the couch out in the living room." 

My mom didn't say a word as she crossed the room and pulled me into another hug as she began to cry hysterically. I held her and rested my head on her shoulder as my dad joined us rubbing her back, Dallas just kept staring into the space in front of him as tears made their ways down his cheeks. 

"You're her mate?" Nova asked Kai.

"I am." Kai said from his spot on the couch. 

"How has he been treating you baby girl?" My mom asked. 

"Like a queen mom." I reassured her.

"He better, or I'll shoot his ass." 

"I promise Dad, Kai has been nothing short of amazing. He has never touched me without my consent, he respected my space when we first met, never getting close enough to make me uncomfortable, even when he wanted to." 

"Good." I let go of my parents and went back to Kai, sitting beside him and resting my head on his shoulder. "You." He said pointing to Kai. "When did you mark her?"

"About four or five days ago, not until she asked and marked me first." Kai responded evenly. 

(K: I may be calm on the outside but I am freaking out babe!) Kai said into the link making me giggle, I put my legs over his as he put his arm around my shoulder and held me closer with a smirk showing off his right dimple. 

"Mommy! I want a puppy!" Lucy squealed as she ran down the stairs and jumping into Akila's arms. Artemis ran around the couch and jumped on my legs which were covering Kai's lap. She gave us both sloppy kisses before laying down and panting with her tongue hanging out and a large pittie smile. 

"We'll see Bear." Dallas said while Akila scowled at me. 

"And where did this little girl come from?" My mom asked. 

"Kai and I found her tied to a pole outside of the restaurant we had our first date." I said petting her soft fur. She looked up at my with her large smile, she licked her nose and put her head back down. 

"Well she is absolutely adorable." She said while walking up and petting her head. "What is her name?"

"Artemis." Hearing her name she picked up her head and tilted it at Kai. "Good girl." He cooed while rubbing under her chin. Her tail wagged a few times before going back to her resting state. I smiled as the front door opened and closed, not to long after Cheyanne walked into the room with Louis, the Alpha's son. She froze when she walked in seeing all of us together, Louis stood behind her. I smiled at her when her eyes found mine, she lit up before rushing over and hugging me from behind. 

"When did you get here and why didn't anyone tell me?" She growled. 

"I got here a few hours ago and you were in school child." I said turning my head and kissing her cheek. 

"Child my ass!" She growled making me laugh. "Who are these men? Nova you know better to sit on strange men's laps." She scolded waggling her finger. 

"Chey, this is my mate Malachai, and Nova's mate Alpha Stephen." I said smiling. "Hi Louis." I said waving at the kid who was standing in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. 

"I'm confused Shiloh, I thought Harlem was your mate." Louis said rolling his shoulders and raising an eyebrow. "He's been coming here at least three times a month looking for you."

"If anyone tells him she is here I will personally rip them limb from limb." Stephen snarled from his seat letting his eyes go black. I could feel his Alpha power radiating from where he was seated, I leaned into Kai who growled at Stephen. Almost immediately Stephen stopped and calmed down, he looked at me with a shy grimace. 

"Sorry little wolf."

"Apology accepted." I said giving him a small smile from my comfortable spot on Kai. 

"What rank do you hold?" Louis asked Kai with a curious look. 

"I'm first warrior to Alpha Stephen." Kai said simply. 

"Below the beta and gamma then?"

"I have no beta, Malachai is pretty much my gamma." Stephen said. 

"I see, your brother Alpha Shane has a beta though correct?" Louis asked. 

"Louis." I said calmly. "There is a reason for everything, this just happens to be something you don't need to know." Louis gaped like a fish while Kai squeezed my side and Stephen nodded at me in thanks. 

"Very valid point little sis." Dallas said in amusement. I shrugged and looked over at my dad who was holding in a laugh. 

"It is." Stephen agreed, while Cheyanne walked over to Louis and kissed his cheek. 

"She has a point babe." She said before taking his hand in hers and interlocking their fingers. "We should probably go up and do our homework." He nodded and they went up to her room. Once they were gone I realized I needed some alone time with Kai to recharge my "batteries", I was exhausted from all the crying I had done along with talking and reliving the worst days of my life. I pulled Artemis from my legs and stood up before setting her on the floor.

"We'll be back soon, I want to show Kai the old pond." I said to my parents who nodded in understanding. 

"Take your time baby girl." He nodded at Kai and held out his hand. "I trust you'll keep her safe."

"It's my top priority." He answered instantly. My dad nodded before walking over and hugging me once more. 

"You've got a good one baby, I'm not thrilled you're living so far away but I approve of him." I smiled into the hug and sighed once he let go. I took Kai's hand and led him out to the backyard where we walked into the woods. I began pulling off my clothes until I was completely naked, then I shifted into my wolf. I looked back at Kai who had his back turned as pulled off the last of his clothing and shifted. I nudged his head and took him through the dense underbrush, we were stopped in the middle of the territory by a mid-sized copper wolf. He snarled at us, Kai snarled back putting my small self safely under his belly. After a few minutes a large dark grey colored wolf with sand colored ears, paws and back ran over. I recognized him as Alpha Jake and crawled out from underneath Kai. 

Alpha Jake tilted his head before shifting and looking down at me, I moved behind Kai and shifted letting his fluffy body shield me from the eyes of the other men. 

"Shiloh, what are you doing here?"