Fighting For My Mate: Blood Moon

Chapter 18

Monika POV

After what’s felt like an eternity of flying, we were finally only a couple of hours away from home when I fell asleep. I’m exhausted from having to spend weeks tracking the Shaman down. I’ve been in peaceful sleep until I wake up with a gasp, startled, covered in a cold sweat, and shivering. What’s happening? I quickly search for my connection with Pete, but it's not there.

“No, no, no, what’s going on? I can’t feel him. Where is our link?” I say, panicked.

“Ma’am, is everything ok?” A stewardess asks me calmly. I need to get myself under control. I realize that I’m beginning to cause a scene.

“Yes, sorry. I had a nightmare.” I tell her, giving her a small smile to try my best to reassure her. She quickly nods her head in understanding.

“Let me know if you need anything.” She tells me before wandering over to a person who had just pressed his call button.

I do my best to relax, but my mind is going a thousand miles per minute thinking about what could have happened. I feel so helpless right now, and I hate feeling that way. I need to hurry and get home and hope that my worst fears haven’t come true.

**Pete**

“I can’t believe that I marked her. I don’t understand how this could have happened? How can I be mated to one person but feel the mate pull with another?” I ask myself as I pace back and forth in my house. Since I marked Jenna, I haven't felt my link with Monika. I wonder if she can feel it or not. As I’m thinking things through, I receive a phone call. I look down at the caller ID to see it’s my guy I sent to follow Monika. I pick it up immediately,

“Yeah, what do you got for me?”

“Hey, she’s on her way back to you, but before she got on the plane, I had completely lost track of her. It was like she disappeared into thin air. I asked some locals about her when I had shown them her pic; all I got was that she was asking around for some Shaman. They couldn’t tell me any more than that.”

“Okay, thanks. I appreciate your help.”

“No prob. I’m heading back now. See you in a couple of days.”

“Yeah, see you,” I responded before hanging up.

What could she possibly want with a Shaman? I realized that it was time to meet with my sister. It seems she knows more about this situation than I do. I wonder if what she was trying to tell me has something to do with what’s going on? Either way, I need to figure it out and quickly. I can’t keep avoiding the situation any longer. I need answers.

**Christa**

I’ve been trying all day to get a hold of Pete, but he hasn’t been answering his phone. I can’t help but feel panicked. I pace the bedroom until Eli comes home and sees the distress that I’m in, and I explain everything that had happened.

“Why won’t he answer my calls? What if Monika found out and did something to him?” I continue frantically asking questions that I know Eli doesn’t have the answers to, but I can’t help it. Finally, Eli closes the distance between us and wraps me up in his arms. My body immediately softens as I slump against his body as he holds me in support.

“I’m sure he’s ok. He probably needs a moment to comprehend everything that has just happened. He’ll come to you when he’s ready for answers.”

“But what if Monika finds him before he gets those answers? What will she do to him? Oh, gosh! I should have just told him when I had the chance; now he's in danger, and he doesn’t even know it, and it’s all my fault!” Eli quickly takes my shoulders in both of his hands and slightly pushes me away from his body, and he gazes down into my eyes. I gasp as I see a seriousness I have never seen in his eyes before as his ocean blue eyes begin to grow darker as if I am diving into the depths of the dark sea. It sends shivers down my spine, but it doesn't scare me.

“Listen to me, it isn’t your fault, and it will never be your fault. The fault lies solely on Monika! Do you understand me? Do not ever blame yourself for someone else’s doing.” He pauses and waits for my response, and when I don’t say anything, he asks again.

“Christa, do you understand?” This time I give him a slight nod of my head, unable to get words to come out of my mouth. He quickly pulls me back into his body, where I once again sag into him, taking comfort that he will always be there for me. I let out a sigh right as my phone started to ring. I immediately rushed over to the nightstand where I had set it down. I pick it quickly, almost dropping it but quickly finding my grip before pressing the answer button.

“H-hello, Pete, is that you?” For a moment, I don't hear anything on the other line. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me.” I hear Pete answer.

“Oh my gosh, Pete, you had me so worried when you weren’t answering your phone! Don’t you ever do that to me again!” I say as I hear a light chuckle from him and then a sigh.

“I’m sorry, lil’ nugget, it won’t happen again. I just needed a little time.”

“It’s ok. I forgive you. I know that what just happened is a lot to take in, but we really need to talk, like tonight! It can’t wait!”

“Is she still there?”

“Yes, she’s here. We thought it would be safer for her to stay with us, so we set her up in a guest bedroom.” It’s quiet for a long minute.

“Are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here… I’ll be over soon, but I’m not ready to see her right now.”

“Okay, that won’t be a problem. Jenna’s been resting in her room. All of this has taken a lot out of her.” There’s another moment of silence.

“I’ll be there shortly.” He says before the phone goes dead.

After what feels like forever, there is finally a knock on the door; when I open it, I see Pete in a rough state. His eyes are red; his hair is a mess as though he'd run his hands through it multiple times; I can’t help but run into his arms to hug him and give him as much comfort as I can. We make our way to the living room, and I sit down right next to him and take his hands into my own.

“Pete, what I’m about to tell you is going to be hard to hear, but know that we’re here for you, and we will always have your back. Isn’t that right, Eli?” I look up at Eli as he stands leaning against the wall with a serious look on his face with his arms crossed against his chest. He gives us a firm nod.

“I’m ready; what is it that you need to tell me.?”

“Pete, Monika isn’t your true mate; Jenna is.” He stares blankly at me for a while before he shakes his head in confusion.

“How is that possible. We have a mate connection; we’ve been together for five years! I don’t understand how that’s possible?”

“Just listen, Monika has been slipping you a potion that makes you feel a mate connection. It makes you think that they’re your mate, but they are not. And once you bite into each other, it forces a mate-link.” I pause to let him soak that much in before I continue.

“She’s been using you, Pete. She took away your chance to be with your real mate and…” I stop as I have a hard time getting out this next bit of information.

“And…” I say again, but the words won’t come out. Eli then steps in and takes over.

“Monika was involved in Christa’s car accident. She and Eliza set it all up in hopes of getting rid of her.” I look back at Pete and nod my head to confirm that what he said is true. All of a sudden, Pete’s eyes go dark. His wolf is trying to come forward as he fights it. He lets out a guttural growl that rattles the windows. I’ve never heard anything more powerful other than Eli. I look to Eli and then my brother, and Eli slowly and carefully pulls me away from him and hides me behind his back.

I’ve never seen my brother like this before, and it's really scaring me. It’s like he’s completely lost control of himself, and my brother isn’t here anymore. Eli carefully puts his hands out in surrender as he tries to calm his beast.

“Pete, you need to stand down,” Eli says in his Alpha tone that would usually make any other wolf cower to him, but the order just makes Pete even angrier.

“I do not follow your orders!” Pete’s voice sounds different. It’s not him speaking. It’s his wolf! I’ve never met his wolf because Pete was always so protective of me, he was afraid he would accidentally hurt me. I take a big gulp, not knowing what his wolf was capable of doing. Eli continues to talk to him using a different tactic.

“Xander, listen to me, bring Pete back out your scaring Christa.” He says gently. Xander’s eyes fall on me as I look at him behind Eli’s back. He must see the terror on my face because soon after, his eyes soften as he whispers, “Christa.”

“Yeah, it’s me,” I say with a timid smile. He looks back at me, “nobody hurts, Christa,” he says as his eyes land back on Eli.

“I know, Christa is safe, I promise you. Can we talk to Pete now?” Eli asks as Xander's eyes fall on me once again.

“Need to see Christa. Make sure she is safe.” Eli looks down at me and gives me a nod to go ahead.

“It’s okay; I’ll be right here.”

I slowly and carefully walk over to Xander, and once I’m close enough, he takes me into his arms and hugs me.

“Pete never lets me meet sister. I protect sister too!”

“It’s okay. I know he means well. I’m happy I get to meet you now!” I look up into his black eyes, and he manages a smile, then shortly after, my brother's brown eyes come back. He looks down at me and hugs me tight.

“Are you ok? I’m so sorry I couldn’t control him, and he can be unpredictable!”

“I’m okay. He was really sweet and easy with me.” I reassure Pete. He lets out a relieved sigh.

“Thank goodness!” He says as he gives me another good squeeze before Eli cuts in.

“Now that you know the truth, we need to know where Monika is.”