Urquia

Chapter 29: The meeting part 1

*Author POV*

Wednesday came, and as usual, Andrea

was already awake at five in the morning.

She's done self-defense since she knew how to walk. But the pinans (Karate katas) always calmed her and made her think clearly. Her mind and body synchronized, clicking into a sudden, absolute silence. It was as if a frantic clock had abruptly stopped, and every warring thought in her head simply ceased, leaving behind a profound, unwavering clarity.

After an hour, Damian, Diana, Cris, and even her parents go outside to meditate with them. She doesn't correct her kids; she doesn't even say a word. She wants calm and peace, only good energy.

They know she was beaten and r***d. Cris told them a bit more, and the kids opened up too. They pieced together the fragments: her careful demeanor, the effort to suppress flinching or reacting badly in front of the kids, the constant fight against the urge to shrink back when hovered over. Every action spoke volumes. They've been in the military and did stuff that would make your blood freeze, so they know her plan is to take revenge, and they plan on helping her gladly.

They felt remorse, believing they had failed her as parents. Having raised her in war zones and oppressed countries, they had mistakenly believed she would be safe in a country like Spain.

They didn't see it coming. That man never showed any signs that made them think he had issues. That bastard fooled everyone.

But now she'll discuss all her plans in this meeting. She refused to stay a victim, and she's doing something about it. They were proud of her. She can rule the world if she wants to; she's stubborn, determined, and unfazed.

They ate breakfast. It was quiet and peaceful. They all showered and got dressed. The kids knew that this meeting is important to their cause. Andrea called them to a 'table talk' in 20 minutes. They looked at each other.

-"Don't worry Dee, I'll always protect you," Damian said to his sister, and she said back,

-"And I'll protect you." They nodded.

-"And we'll protect baby Sam.

********************************

Meanwhile, at the pack, Nathan was going down the stairs of the pack mansion to the training field. Today, all the cards would be laid out on the table. No more secrets.

-'Maybe she needs his help. She was concerned that whatever was going on with her would affect his pack.'

-'Just like a good Luna,' Shadow said proudly.

When he went to the training field, he called everyone to listen up.

-"Good morning everyone!" In his Alpha voice.

-"Good morning Alpha!" they shouted in unison.

-"Today things are gonna go differently.

Top warriors, step forward."

Fifty men and women did.

-"Today you will be the ones training the rest. Groups of ten and rotate. Leo, Tom, Ramirez, Liza, Mon. You come to my office. Alpha Marty and Luna Susana will be in charge today. Anything happens, you ask them. We will be back as soon as possible. But you know what to do. You are the best pack in the state. You are fierce warriors. I count on you. Go on!" he says with pride.

-"YES ALPHA!" they all shout.

When he sees them starting to work, he leaves for the pack house. The beta, gamma, delta, and their mates come with him quietly. They go to Nathan's office.

-"What's going on?" Leo didn't even wait for Ramirez to close the door. Tom and he sat their mates on the sofa. The three men were standing in front of the desk. Nathan sat down, took a deep breath.

-"I found my mate." Leo and Tom already knew, but the rest gasped in surprise.

Ramirez looked at Tom, narrowing his eyes, and he nodded. He smiled wide. The girls, Liza and Monique, were excited to finally have a Luna, but because of Nathan's distancing from them, they didn't know how to react.

-"That's great news, Alpha!" Liza said.

-"Yes, congratulations, Alpha," said Monique shyly.

Leo knew something was going on. He saw his Alpha pressing his lips in a fine line. He waited.

-"Tom and you, Ramirez, have been following Andy and her family since I saw her at the airport. Both of you have seen she's not the usual human." They both nodded.

The girls knew they were following a human family. A woman and her three children. They wondered, 'How is everything going to work with the Alpha line and all that. Will he welcome them? Of course, he will.' But they said nothing. They looked at each other, a slight nod of agreement. Now both were in gamma and delta mode too. Nathan saw them, and he and his wolf were so proud of his pack.

-'They've already accepted her.'

Now all of them were waiting for Alpha's orders.

-"Tom, you were with me at the warehouses. Now we know something is going on. She asked to speak to all of us at her place." Nathan says, and all of them were surprised.

-"Did any of them, by any chance, notice you following them?" Leo was still puzzled. How had she found out about them?

-"Nope, we were always in the dark. On rooftops, at the forest line, or just following their scent when they were further in the city. There's no way they could've spotted us." Tom said, and Ramirez nodded.

-"What if it has anything to do with that night, Alpha?" Tom added after a few thoughts.

Leo turned to Nathan. -"What happened?"

Tom started telling the conversation Andy and Cris had outside their warehouse. The girls and Ramirez were furrowing their brows and filled with confusion.

Why would they need to protect US? Leo asked.

-"From the kidnapping?" Monique said.

-"Yeah, maybe she tortured the ones who kidnapped Tom and Rami," Liza said.

-"Yeah, abou—" Leo started to say, but Alpha cut him.

-"I don't know the whole story, but my gut tells me it's her husband. Her EX. She told me they separated four years ago, but he found them in Germany, and he…" Nathan couldn't finish the phrase.

His hands gripped the table with so much force that the wood splintered, and thin cracks spider webbed across its surface. He breathed himself calm, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw the same fierce anger reflected in his people's gazes. Their shared fury, solid and unwavering, settled a surprising, fierce warmth deep in his chest.

Now Leo asked, -"You think he found them again? Do you think he's coming for her?"

-"I don't know, maybe that's the issue here. But WE need to be prepared. Her knowing about you, the kidnapping, I don't know what to think. I don't think they are human.

When we go there, I want you to be careful. I don't want to scare her or her family. It's the first time I'm meeting her sister, and she's kinda the deal breaker on this. Whatever this is. Her father I've already met, and I might get to know the kids too. So this is really important for me, guys."

He started sounding like an Alpha but ended sounding like a friend. Like when they were a close group of friends. He was asking a favor, not an order.

-"Don't worry, Alpha, it will be alright."

Monique said. They all nodded, smiling.

*************************

Downstairs Andy's house, Urimare and Emmanuel settled on the couch.

-"You invited Nathan and his friends?" her dad asked, looking at Andy squirm, amused.

-"Yeah. What's going on involves them too. It's fair they know what's going to happen."

-"You trust him?" her Mom asked, looking at her daughters.

-"Yeah. He's clean, and also his friends. You saw it yourself," Cris answered.

-"Mija, you know if you need us to do anything, we'll do it," Dad said with his military stern face. Andrea knew what it meant. 'He'd be all Rambo if she needs him to.' She smiled.

-"I know, papi, and I might need your expertise. Remember Som…" she got interrupted by the sound of a car parking.

The kids came downstairs, straight to their grandparents.

Cris went after Andy, already taking the bat they had next to the door if needed. It was a habit. Andy took a breath and turned to her sister.

-"Vamos fuera antes (Let's go outside first)."

Andy stepped onto the small porch landing, her eyes immediately scanning her perimeter like always. Cris positioned herself just inside the threshold, the bat hidden by her leg, doing the same. They watched four massive, exquisitely muscled men and two remarkably beautiful women emerge from a van.

Andy took a deep breath and smiled courtly. Nathan saw her, and his wolf started wagging his tail in his head. -'She is on guard. But he could feel it wasn't because of them. He saw her looking around, checking the area for possible threats.'

-'Be alert,' he mind-linked them.

-'Yes, Alpha!'

-"Hey there, princess. We brought some pastries my mom made." He stood in front of her now, his presence a warm pull. She couldn't take her eyes off of him... He leaned and gave her a peck on the cheek, and a rush of unexpected heat bloomed instantly across her face.

Leo, on the other hand, froze. A sharp gasp caught in his throat. When the scent of chocolate and strawberries hit him, it was a dizzying, powerful wave. His wolf howled with joy, a strong pulse beating beneath his ribs, screaming 'MATE!' all the time. But he didn't do a thing. He only moved quietly, looking for her. When he saw her at the door his heart froze.

She was gorgeous. She was petite like her sister. She has dark blond hair that flowed to her lower back. She is slim but not skinny. She wore huge glasses, and her mesmerizing, smart, dark blue eyes were so beautiful. Her lips were cherry red, the lower lip a bit bigger than the upper one. Her face is oval, perfectly proportioned.

She was assessing everything around her, looking at everyone and checking them, like a scan. She was in a fighting position, as well as her sister, ready for anything. A hand hidden behind the wall.

She locked her eyes on him, and he'd swear she recognized him. Like she knew him. He smiled at her, and she looked somewhere else, blushing.