My Werewolf Mate is a Nerd

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Joey was lying in bed, exhausted after his long day.  Suddenly he felt pain in his face and a sense of panic although nothing was wrong with him.  Laney!  Something had to be wrong. 

He called Aidan.  But the call went to voice mail.

*

Aidan got home early that evening.  He went straight to the shower.  Jamie and Mrs. Prichard were making dinner.  Jamie went up stairs and laid on the bed waiting for Aidan to emerge from the bathroom.  He came out only wrapped in a towel.  “Hey hot stuff.” Jamie said jokingly. 

“Hey yourself.”  He said walking to the bed, gently laying her on her back.  He hovered over her and began kissing her on the lips before moving down her neck. Then he began tickling her.  She burst out laughing and squirming as she begged him to stop.  He did then kissed her on the head.  She stayed on her back catching her breath.  He laid on his side next to her studying her face.  ‘She looks so beautiful.’ He thought ‘Like she’s glowing.’ 

“What did you make me for dinner, my beautiful mate.  I’m starving.” 

Jamie smiled at him.  “A bun.”

“What?  You made me a bun?  I’m hungrier than that.” 

Jamie held the smirk on his face.  “Mmmm Hmmm.  It’s in the oven.” 

“Ok.  A bun in the oven?  That’s funny.”  He said.  Aidan sat there a minute.  Then it hit him.  “Wait, a bun in the oven?  Jamie, are you…pregnant?” 

She sat up and looked at him smiling then shook her head yes.

“What?!”  he jumped up while his towel fell off “Oh my goddess!  I’m going to be a dad?” 

“Yes.  I’m pregnant.”  She couldn’t stop smiling.

Aidan pulled her up off the bed, gave her a huge hug and spun her in a circle.  “Not too much.” Jamie warned.  “I’m already feeling sick to my stomach.”  Aidan put her down while he put his hand on her abdomen.  “My baby is in here? This is amazing.”  Jamie began to cry happy tears.  “I have been waiting all week to tell you.  Are you happy?”  she asked.

Just then the phone rang.  Aidan glanced at it and silenced it.   ‘I’ll call Joey back in a minute.’ He thought.   “Of course, I am.  I’m beyond happy.  Our baby is going to be so good looking!”  he kissed Jamie over and over.

Aidan got dressed then walked downstairs with Jamie.  His parents and Kyle were sitting at the table waiting to eat.  “Where’s Laney?” Aidan said.  “I have something I want to tell you all.”

Jamie piped up, “She told me she was going to go for a run, but I thought she’d be home by now.” Laney never missed family dinner.  “I hope she’s ok.”

“s**t.  Joey called me.”  Aidan pulled out his phone and began to call Joey back when there was a loud knock on the door.  “AIDAN!” It was Joey’s voice on the other side of the door.  Aidan ran and flung it open, Joey burst in.  “I think something happened to Laney!  Something bad!”  Joey was breathing hard.  “I felt something…a pain in my head. I have a terrible feeling about this.”

“JAMIE!”  Aidan yelled “Where’d Laney go running?” 

Jamie rushed in, “At the end of the neighborhood.  She likes to run through the woods to the stream.” 

Aidan, his dad, and Joey headed towards the woods.  Aidan mind linked Trent. “Damnit!  Trent said they were just informed that there was a Rogue sighting 15 minutes ago!  I have a bad feeling about this too!”

They got to the clearing.  Joey found Laney’s belongings behind the tree.  “Well, she was here.  Her scent is still strong.  I smell blood, her blood.”  Joey began to tremble a little.  “I smell a Rogue.” said Mr. Prichard.  Aidan could smell it too. 

“Over here!” Yelled Joey.  There were 2 pools of blood and blood splatter on the trees at the edge of the woods. “It’s Laney’s.”  Was all he could say when the men approached him.  Joey stood up, staggering to a fallen log, needing to sit down. 

This was all his fault.  ALL of it.  If he had just mated Laney months ago, they wouldn’t be here right now.  Laney wouldn’t be injured and missing.  But he had to be stubborn, he wanted to be difficult on purpose to make her feel what it was like to be ignored.  To know what he felt like when she had ignored him for years.  Then he had been worried to mate with her because he was so small and scrawny, he knew that there were others who wanted to fight for Laney.  Joey had spent weeks getting big and strong for her so that if Zander wanted to challenge him again, he would have a fighting chance.  Joey had bulked up to a lean 170 lbs.  He was almost unrecognizable.  He had gained lean muscle mass, learned new fighting techniques.  Aidan had shown him all the best moves and tactics so he would be ready to take on an Alpha.  But for what good?  It had delayed precious time he could have spent with this mate.  All Joey could do now was curse himself for being so stupid.  He had to get Laney back.  He loved her. 

“This is all my fault.  We’ve got to find her!”  Joey was upset. 

Aidan grabbed him by his shoulders.  “We need to think about this logically.  Stay calm.  We won’t do her any good if we let our emotions take over.”  Aidan looked him in the eye to see if Joey understood. 

“Easy for you to say, your mate isn’t the one missing…” Joey said.  But nodded with what Aidan was saying. 

Alpha Prichard chimed in.  “Ok, so we know she was here and so was a Rogue.  She managed to injure that Rogue, so that’s good.  Now we need to find out what direction that Rogue headed.”  They followed the blood trail of both the Rogue and Laney and saw that it stopped at a dirt road, then disappeared.  They knew she had been put in a car.  But that was it.