His Lost Mate

Chapter 7

Freja

The beeping wakes me up. I wake up in what looks like a hospital. How did I get here? Where is here? I look down and see an IV in my the back of my right hand. I try taking it out but a hand stops me. “Freja, you can’t Kwai taking the IV out. It’s just fluids sweetheart,” Ares says, sitting to my left. This is a dream, or a nightmare that’s about to go horribly wrong. Theo is going to walk in any minute and kill Ares. And me most likely.

“You’re not real,” I whisper, and rip the IV out. When I try to sit up my head pounds and spins. “f**k,” I whisper again and push against my eyes with my palms. I relieves the pressure only slightly.

Ares sits on the bed next to and puts his hand on my thigh, “I am real, I am here. This is reality. You’re safe now.” He looks tired. He has bags under his eyes like he hasn’t slept in days. His face is full of concern. He’s still beautiful.

“Please, just leave me alone,” I beg, a tear rolls down my cheek. He swipes at it but I turn my head before he can wipe it away. “Please go.” His eyes are pleading but I don’t trust him. He’s not really here. I’m not really here. This is not reality.

Ares

My heart breaks. My wolf is restless and wants to comfort Freja. I don’t know what to do to convince her that she’s not hallucinating. When we found her, I couldn’t believe the state she was in. She’d been beaten and drugged and chained with silver cuffs and chains. She has bruises and cuts covering most of her body. We brought her to the pack doctor. He put her on fluids because she was severely dehydrated. She’s been in and out of consciousness for two days. Every time she wakes up she pulls out the IV and she thinks she’s dreaming.

“Ares, you have to understand, she is coming off of lethal amounts tranquilizers and wolf’s bane. And god knows what else that bastard forced into her veins. She should have died, anyone else would have. Give her some time to process what’s real and what’s not. And for f***s sake, get some sleep. You look like s**t,” Elena tells me. I can’t always count on her to tell me the truth, even when I don’t want to hear it.

“I don’t like seeing her like this. She was doing so well before Claire,” I can’t even finish the sentence. I almost killed her the night we rescued Freja. My dad had to restrain me from tearing out her throat. He said he needed to hear her side before we decided on what to do with her. He sent her back to Montana with Damon. She’ll sit in a prison cell until we get back home.

Elena hugs me tight and says, “Its okay, big brother, she will be okay. Give it time.” I sigh and hug her back. I don’t she’s gotten any sleep since we left Montana. “Get some sleep, you need your beauty rest,” I say.

“You’re one to talk,” she says and goes to sit down with Tomas. I really don’t think any of us have slept since leaving Montana. I’ll slept when I know Freja is okay, and we can go home. I feel like I need a vacation. I need to shift and run but I’m not leaving Freja, not again.

The doctor comes out of Freja’s room and motions for me. “I have to agree with your sister, she should not have lived through the amount of drugs that was in her system. That on top of the wolfs bane? She’s strong, but she has to have time for mind to heal. Be patient.”

“When can she leave?” I ask.

“She should be okay to leave the hospital tomorrow. I would put off traveling t couple days, though,” she says. “You can go back in there. She’s doing better today, seems to be not calm.”

“Thanks Doctor,” I say and walk back in the room. Freja lifts her head and I swear she smiles. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she says, her voice coming out raspy. I get her some water. She takes it hesitantly, but drinks it anyway. She has to be hungry and thirsty.

“Can I sit?” I point to the foot of the bed. She nods her head and I sit. I place my hand on her ankle. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.. Confused,” she says. “I can’t feel my wolf anymore.”

“That’s the wolf’s bane. You should start to get her back soon.”

“I can’t tell what’s real and what’s not.” She looks dejected. I move closer to her, take her hand and place it over my heart. “This is real, Freja. I am here. Look out that window,” I point to the window, “That’s real. None of this is your mind playing tricks on you.”

She grabs my shirt and slowly sits up. She sticks her pinky out, “Promise?” I laugh and loop my pinky with hers, “Promise, my love. I promise.”

“Good, I have to pee,” she says. I help her out of the bed and to the bathroom and I wait for outside the door. Something falls and I’m about to open the door but she says, “Sorry, stupid bed pan.” I sigh.

She comes out of the bathroom with wide eyes, “Where’s Theo?”

“He’s dead,” I tell her and walk her back to the bed.

“Seriously?”

“Yes, he’s dead and we’re tracking down his mate, Tasha. Do you remember us talking about her? She’s on the council.”

“Yeah, she was there, at the warehouse. Torture house, whatever you want to call that shithole.”

“We have a few guys tracking her. We saw when she left but she was able to evade the tail we had on her. She hasn’t gone back to the council headquarters. My guess is she’s holed up somewhere in a lot of pain since her mate is dead.”

“Good, I hope she dies, too,” she says. She has so much pain in her eyes. I only hope I can ease it all. “You look tired. Have you slept at all?” I shake my head. “Since when?” She asks.

“Since the day you went missing. I couldn’t sleep,” I admit. I couldn’t sleep if I tried. Truth is, I’ve grown used to having her there with me. She pulls on my arm, “You need to sleep.” I lay beside her and she puts her arm around me. It doesn’t take long for me to finally fall asleep.

Freja

Ares’ scent soothes me as he sleeps with his head on my chest. I’m trying to remember what exactly happened when he rescued me. It’s vague, but I know Elijah was there. I remember Ares’ in his wolf form. But I can’t remember how I got out. My mind keeps trying to tell me none of this is real; that I’m still back at the warehouse. I conjured up Ares coming to my rescue so many times that I lost count.

Elena knocks and comes into the room, drawing me from my thoughts. I wasn’t getting anywhere with them anyway. “You got him to sleep. It’s about time. He was getting very grumpy and intolerable,” she says. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m getting better. Everything is still foggy. Like it was all a bad dream, but I know better than that. Got the bruises to prove it.”

“I’m sorry, Freja. I’m sorry this happened to you, again. And I’m sorry I was kind of a b***h to you when we met. I can’t help it, though; he’s my brother. I want him to be happy because he deserves it. You make him happy.”

“Thank you. For saying that and for helping rescue me. I promise to not be kidnapped again. I’m done being this weak, pathetic person. It’s time I take place in our world. When we get back home, I’m going to the Blood Moon pack and I’m taking my thrown. Then I’m going to take down the council. They cannot continue to do this to their people.”

She smiles at me, and I feel Ares shift. He leans back onto the bed and says, “That’s my girl.” He kisses my temple. I ask him how long I’ll be in this hospital and he tells me just one more night. I may have been out of for the past few days, but I’m already tired of being in this bed. It’s uncomfortable and Ares takes up a lot of space. But I do love being close to him.

We spend the the rest of the day watching bad tv on the tiny hospital tv. I guess I’ve gotten used to Ares’ giant tv. Alaric came to visit and make sure I was doing okay. He looked tired, everyone looks tired. I feel bad for all of them having to leave their families and risk their lives because of me. It’s not exactly my fault, even though my mind tries to convince me it is. But I have to stop letting the bad thoughts in or I won’t be able to do what I have to. It’s my birthright to lead the shifters. I am the queen and I have to start thinking that way.

Before we leave for Montana, we have dinner with the pack that let us stay in their territory. I thank them for all their help in rescuing me. We fly home on a private jet. I’ve never flown before, well at least not consciously. It’s scary at first and I feel my wolf is on edge when we take off. I’m glad to be able to feel her again. I missed her comfort. Ares holds my hand as we’re landing. Although, I thinks it’s more because he also doesn’t like to fly. I can feel his unease too.

Lily meets us at the airstrip with a handful of guards. I guess they’re taking all the precautions since I was kidnapped. She wraps me in a bear hug as soon as I get off the plane. She not a big woman, but she packs a big hug. I hug her back just as tight. I don’t want to let go because, even though I haven’t known her very long, she’s become like a mother to me. A mother I never knew. When she pulls away she wipes my tears. I didn’t even realize I was crying.

“Welcome back, Freja. We’ve missed you. Don’t ever go missing again, you hear me?” She says.

“I don’t plan to. I promise you that,” I tell her.

We arrive back at the pack house and I’m surrounded by guards. It’s weird, but I guess I’ll get used to. I tell Alaric that I want to talk to him and Ares in his office. I want to tell them I want to move forward with my plan to take over as queen and alpha of the Blood Moon pack. I don’t know what that means for Ares because he is next in line to take over his pack.

Ares and I sit in the chairs in front of Alaric’s desk. Sampson greets me with a nod. He’s not the hugging type, but that’s okay. I’m not sure how Ares would feel about me hugging another man besides his dad.

“So what’s on your mind Freja?” Alaric asks.

“I’m ready to take my place in the Blood Moon pack. It’s my birthright, and it’s time that I stop hiding from it.”

“Okay, I support your decision. You’ll have to notify them that you will be coming,” he says

“What’s this mean for Ares?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he’s the heir to this pack. Can he still be alpha here while I’m alpha and queen there? I don’t know the rules,” I stop for a moment and chew on the inside of my cheek. A nervous habit. “Maybe I’m not ready to take over just yet. I should know these things, right?”

“That’s what you have me for, I can help you. And Ares too. He’s a lot smarter than he looks,” Alaric chuckles. Ares makes a disgruntled sound.

“If you think you won’t be able to do it, don’t. You are smart and caring, and you have good instincts. The rest is basically laws and those are pretty cut and dry. Don’t kill anyone without provocation. Humans can’t know about our world, but there’s a loophole to that one. A human can only have knowledge of shifters if they are a fated mate. It’s rare, but it happens.”

I think back to Lily’s sister. She’s human. She obviously knows about shifters. That’s a conversation for another time. “So, you think I should do it, like now?”

“Yes,” Ares and Alaric say at the same time. “Baby, if you really don’t think it’s the right time, then we will wait. But there will always be an excuse. You said it yourself, it’s your birthright. Take it.”

“Okay, it’s settled, I’m going to take my place as alpha and queen,” I say. Ares kisses me, “My queen, I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” I smile at him, “ Now, I have a request.”

“What’s that?” Ares asks.

“I want to shift,” as soon as the words leave my mouth, I feel my wolf spring to life. Like she had been sleeping, but now it’s time for her to come out play.

“I think we can’t make time for that,” Ares says. “Tonight?” I nod my head. “Okay, we’ll do it tonight.”

I look to Alaric, “I’d like for you and Lily to be there, too.”

“We wouldn’t miss it.”

We settle on sunset in clearing by the lake. In the meantime, I want to talk to Claire. Ares doesn’t want me to but I don’t care. I have to talk to her. I need to know why she did this. Ares has avoided talking about her. If it were up to him, she would be dead. But there’s more to it. I remember only bits and pieces of my time in the warehouse, but I do remember what she looked like. She was full of regret and guilt. Like she didn’t want any part of it but had no choice.

Ares reluctantly brings me to her prison cell. She’s laying on a small bed in the corner. I almost feel bad for her, then I remember why she’s here. She sits up when she hears us arrive, “Freja, I’m so sorry.” I put my hand up for her to stop. “I’m going to ask the questions and you’re going to tell me truth or I’ll let Ares kill you,” I say and she nods.

“When did you meet Theo?” I ask her.

“A week after you arrived here,” she says.

“What did he tell you to get you to kidnap and drug me?”

“He told me he would kill my daughter if I didn’t bring you to him. He took her when I was visiting my mom in the city.”

“Why didn’t you go to Alaric, or Ares? They would have helped you. You had to know that.”

“Come on, Freja, you know what kind of person he was. He kills without remorse. If he even thought I told anyone he would have killed her. I can’t lose her, she’s all I have left of my mate,” she starts to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me.”

“I can’t. You brought me back to the hell I spent my whole life trying to escape. Theo and Derrick stole my the happy life I was supposed to have.”

“I had a plan,” she says.

“I don’t give a s**t about your plan! There’s a protocol you’re supposed to follow. You don’t betray your pack! You ruined any trust you ever had here.”

“She’s my daughter,” she whispers.

I grab her by the throat through the bars, the silver burning my arm. “And I am your queen!” I yell. I stare into her eyes, but she cannot keep my gaze. I drop her to the floor and turn to leave. Ares follows close behind me. I can feel his breath on my neck. He leans in close to my ear and says, “My queen, let’s go home.”

Ares

When we get to my house there’s two guards standing at the front door. There’s also two at the back. I nod at them and they bow their heads to Freja. She goes to the bedroom, but I haven’t been back home since I broke the dresser and a few other things. She looks around at the destroyed room and asks me, “Was this really necessary?”

“Yes, it was. Come here,” I say. She stalks toward me and I wrap my arms around her, breathing in her scent. “Don’t ever leave me again.” I kiss her hard and she whimpers. I could stay in here with her for the rest of my life. Just hide from the world that’s been trying to kill her two decades. But that would be counterproductive. She has a lot to accomplish in the near future.

“Ares,” she moans my name on my lips.

“What do you want baby?” I ask.

“I want you,” she says. Our clothes go flying and she bumps into the bed as I walk her backwards. Grabbing her by the back if he thighs, I crawl onto the bed and place her down in the middle. I line myself up at her entrance and slide in slowly. She moans and closes her eyes. Her back arches and I palm her breast, taking her n****e in my mouth. She gasps, “Ares, please.”

“What do you need, my love?” I ask, know full well what she needs. I just want her to beg for it. To tell me to give it to her. When she says, my control will snap. My beast will take over and she will get exactly what she wants.

“I need you to f**k me.” Those are the words. She puts her leg over my shoulder and I start to thrust harder into her, rolling my hips. The way she grips my c**k is going to make me c*m sooner than I would like.

“f**k. Me,”she demands. I take my c**k out and flip her to her stomach, pulling her hips up to. Her p***y is sopping. I run my tongue through her fold, her sweet juices coating my tongue. She moans loudly. I line myself at her p***y again and thrust deep inside her. I wrap her hair around my hand and tug slightly, careful not to hurt her, and f**k her until she cums. I palm her ass with my free hand and thrust until I feel she’s about to c*m again.

“c*m with me Ares,” she says. A few more thrusts and we both c*m hard. Shivers run down my spine. I stay seated inside of her and bring us both down onto the bed. She sighs happily. “I love you.” I kiss her shoulder, “I love you too baby.”

We fall asleep for a few hours. I wake up to knocking on the door. “Who’s knocking?” She asks. I’m curious too, but then I remember we were supposed to meet my parents at sundown. “My parents.”

“Oh shoot. What time is it? How long have we been sleeping?” She looks at the clock and it’s just past eight. “Three hours! Dammit Ares! I blame you.”

“Hey, you asked for it. Nay, demanded it. I just obliged.”

“Sorry, we’re coming. We fell asleep,” I mind link my dad.

“Uh huh, meet us at the clearing you filthy animals,” he chuckles. We put on light clothes and leave for the clearing.

Freja

The lake looks serene. Peaceful. I wish I knew how to swim. Ares said he would teach me but we haven’t had much time to just relax. He’s always busy doing pack stuff or running their business with his dad. They have construction company. They’ve built a lot of homes and businesses around town and in the city. Their work is amazing.

My wolf is anxious for our shift. She’s been itching to run. I guess I would be too if I hadn’t been able to for as long as she has. It’s been a very long time since I shifted, but I still remember the agony. Ares told me it’s because Derrick forced my shift and it was the first time. This time should be easier.

Alaric and Lily are already in their wolf forms. Alaric’s wolf looks almost the same as Ares’. He all black with a white spot on his chest. He’s bigger than Ares’ wolf but not by much. Lily’s wolf is smaller, and her coat is dark gray with light gray on her snout and legs. She’s as beautiful as she is in human form. They nod to me and Ares.

We strip our clothes off and Ares flows into his black wolf with ease. His piercing blue eyes are mesmerizing. I’ve never seen a wolf a gorgeous as him. He stalks close to me, offering me comfort for my own shift. He senses my unease. I’m not sure what to do. “Just call out to your wolf in your mind. She knows what to do. And don’t forget to breathe.”

I call to my wolf like he says and I can feel her presence. My skin starts to tingle and my fingernail lengthen into claws. My bones start to break and the pain is unbearable. I scream and drop to my hands and knees. Fur starts to spout on my skin. My claws grip at the ground as my spine breaks and reforms. I feel the tears run down my face.

Ares nudges me with his snout and I look toward him. He licks my cheek then nuzzles my neck. His fur tickles me. “Let go Freja, you can do it.” He tells me. I feel someone at my other side. It’s Alaric; he’s sitting next to me. Offering comfort as best he can. Ares rubs his head on my arm and the motion eases some of the pain. My legs snap back and reform. My arms follow, and my nose lengthens into a snout. I look down and I see paws instead of my hands. The worst is over.

Once I’m fully shifted into my wolf, I howl loud and long. I feel so free. I stretch my body, releasing endorphins. Ares bumps me in the shoulder. “I’m so proud of you. You did beautifully. You are beautiful Freja.”

I smile to myself. No one had ever shown me so much love. This man really loves me and I can’t understand why. He calls me beautiful when I know I look a complete mess. He can have anyone in this world; he’s gorgeous in human and wolf form.

I can feel Ares getting antsy. He wants to run, and so do I. He leaps around me like a puppy. It’s cute, really. I’ve never seen his playful side. He’s always so serious. Especially these last few days. “Calm down, puppy. Let me get my bearings.”

“Puppy? I’ll show you a puppy,” he says and leaps on me. We tumble and roll and land at Alaric’s feet. He just looks down at us and I can imagine he looks slightly annoyed. Ares gets up and let’s put a playful bark. He takes off for the forest and I chase after him. The wind in my fur feels amazing. My paws meet the earth with force as I gain speed to catch up to Ares.

It’s nice to be able run free and not be chased by your pack as a tortuous game. I’m doing the chasing, but I won’t be torturing my prey. We leap over fallen trees and duck on low branches. I’ve never been so happy; my heart feels like it could pound out of my chest.

Alaric and Lily run with us for about an hour before turning back toward the pack house. I’m sure they enjoy being in wolf form and getting to run free, but they’ve done this their whole lives. This is new for me and I don’t want to go back home any time soon. I want to run all night, until the sun comes up. Being in wolf form is invigorating.

I pass Ares and let my wolf take over. She leaps gracefully over the trees and rocks, never missing a step. Ares stays close behind me but gives me space to just be free. He knows how badly I need this. I love him for letting me do this. He’s not being overbearing or overprotective. But I know he’s keeping his eyes open for any sign of danger.

I keep running until my legs feel like they will give out any minute. I don’t know how long or how far we’ve ran through the forest. We come to another clearing that over looks the city. It’s a good place to stop and rest. I lift my head to the moon and howl. Ares does the same. He sits next to me and I sink to the ground, finally feeling tired.

“That was fun. Thank you,” I tell him. He lays down and puts his head across my back. “You are most welcome, my love. Rest for a bit, we’re several miles from home.” I close my eyes and breathe deep, smelling the fresh air and listening to crickets chirp. Letting it lull me to sleep.

The sun is creeping through the trees when I wake up. Ares is carrying me, and I’m back in my human form. I guess I shifted back while I was asleep. I shift in his arms to look up at his face. He smiles down at me.

“Good morning. Sleep well?” He asks.

“I did, it was the best sleep I’ve ever gotten. How did you sleep?”

“Good. I haven’t slept outside in a long time. It was nice, but I’m spoiled to a bed,” he laughs. I smile. I try to get him to put me down because I can’t let him carry me all the way back. I don’t even know how long he’s been carrying. He refuses to let me go; just wraps his big arms tighter around me. The clearing we shifted in comes into view. He sets me down when we reach out clothes.

“So, how was your first real shift? Everything you imagined it’d be?” He asks.

“The shift itself sucked. But being out here, running free, that’s was more than I expected. It was the best feeling in the world.”

“The best?” He asks. “Even better than what we did before?” I roll my eyes and he winks at me. I take his shirt and throw it towards the lake. It lands about twenty feet from the water. “You gonna go get that?” I shake my head. “You think you’re funny, huh?” I nod and he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder.

“Put me down!” He doesn’t, just continues to walk toward his shirt and the water. “Is this any way to treat a queen?”

“It is when the queens acts like a brat,” he says. He walks past his shirt, getting closer to the water. I start to panic; he’s not going to throw me in the water. He knows I can’t swim. “Ares, put me down!” I start kicking and slapping at him. He just laughs. I punch him hard in his back and he stumbles. He puts me down right at the waters edge.

“What the f**k? You punched me in the kidney,” he rubs his back.

“I can’t swim dumbass!” I retort, “ You were going to throw me in the lake and watch me drown!”

“s**t, Freja, I’m so sorry. I forgot,” he says. His face is full of regret. “You’ve mentioned more than once too. I’m such an idiot.”

I feel kind of bad for calling him a dumbass, but I was scared. I hand him his shirt as a peace offering. “It’s okay, I still love you.”

He smiles, “That’s a relief.”