War For Her Mate

Chapter 15

The city was still buzzing with nightlife as we whipped through it. Young teens stood outside the pounding clubs, looking at them with desire. Men roamed around the streets, searching for their next beer, or girl. I tighten my arms around my mate, knowing that we will never be apart. The city soon turn to a busy freeway and Carter continues to sped along, weaving through cars right behind Cassidy, earning angry honks and swears from drivers. I look over to the passing cars, seeng tired children falling asleep in the back seat of their parent's SUV. A smile come onto my face and I feel Carter hug me close. We pull of at an exit and enter a small town straight from the fifties. Older couples wonder the streets, hand in hand. Living their lives out together, forever. We pass a small bank and a convenience store in need of some serious painting. Some old chairs stood outside, swaying slightly in the wind of the night. Carter turned the bike and soon we where on a long winding empty road.

The trees on either side of us smelled amazing, decorated with red yellow or orange leaves. Cassidy's black bike takes a sharp turn into a small driveway, she hops off quickly and pushed open iron gates, then jumped back onto her bike. We speed down the dusty driveway, littered with broken leaves. We pull into a empty lot, with a large black circle in the middle of the green overgrown grass. The bikes stopped rumbling and we are left in silence. Carter gets off and lifts me off with him, holding onto my waist and not letting me go. "What are we doing here?" I ask leaning up against the bike. My eyes wonder around the lot we are in.

The only structure was a small well in the far left corner of the lot. It was covered in moss and greenery. I immediately recognize it and pull myself from Carter's grip, rushing toward it. My hands run across the brick, then over the black cover. I shiver, the wind whipping through the trees. Carter's hand comes over mine and pulls it back from the cover, "Careful angle." He mutters and continues holding my hand in his, moral support. Cassidy leaves us and crosses over to the other side of the well. She takes out a brick from the well and punches a code into a keypad, then covers it with the brick once again. The brick in front of me starts to glow blue and i jump back slightly, startled. "We need your fingerprint baby, it doesnt open to ours." Carter says, removing another brick and revealing a finger scanner. I bite my lip, hesitant.

Don't freak out, your with your mate, and your enforcer. What can happen? the Lakin says in my head, completely calm. I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding and place my finger on the scanner. The scanner glows green and the metal cover retracts into the side of the well. "Go on Cass, you can tell she's scared." Cassidy smirks at his comment, "My Lakin? Scared? Right." She chuckles lightly, but Carter's growl stops her. "Fine fine, whatever." She says, walking back about ten feet before sprinting forward and jumping into the well, feet first.

I listen for her feet to hit the floor, and they did after a few seconds. "Your turn sweetheart." Carter says, lifting me from his side to the edge of the well. "How do you know about this place?" I ask, still hanging onto my mate for dear life. "You will find out in a minute Melrose, now go on, he is waiting and no doubt with some other people." I look into his eyes, they shine with pride, confidence. Get ahold of yourself Melrose! Look around! Your family gave their life here, just so you could have a chance to save the future of this race. TAKE IT! I push off of the well and gravity does the rest of the work. I see a tiny glowing light under my feet, growing while I fell.

Once I hit the ground, I continue standing while others would have had their knees buckle. The five pairs of eyes I meet when I got down the well widen when I didn't fall on my face or even squat down. "It's defiantly her." An older man about 70 years old with balding hair and a tiny bit of a gut claims, stepping forward into the firelight that is hanging on the wall. He towers over me and strokes my cheek, staring into my eyes, I pull back and Carter lands right behind me. "What are you doing Barrett ? Snap out of it." Carter snaps his fingers in front of Barrett's face and he comes back to life. "I'm sorry, you just look so much like your mother. I can see why she is so proud of you." What is he talking about? She shouldn't be proud of me, not being here for my people. Pride is something that doesn't come to mind when my mother would think of me. Wait, he used the present tense. Poor guy must believe my mother is still here.

"My mother passed away a long time ago." I mutter, starting to stand tall, ready to tear any of these wolves heads off if something where to go wrong. "You didnt tell her?!?!" A small girl only about 12 years old shouts from behind Barrett, she glaring at Cassidy. She has bleach blonde hair reaching just below her shoulders and ice blue eyes that almost disappeared into her sclera. "It's not my place Ava!" Cassidy shouts back, equally mad.

"Ugh." I grunt as I walk start for Barrett who seems to be the ring leader of this group. "You have about three minutes to explain what the hell is going on before I rip your head off! I dont care how important you are to Joe or how high ranking you are!" I spit out, balling my hands into fists. It's the only explanation, they all must be in on Joe's corrupt crazy game to keep me and my wolf quiet.

Something wafts into my nose, my mothers scent. Its undeniable, I remember sleeping on her pillow so I could always remember her. Joe suggested it one night when I was up late with nightmares. My eyes try to hide the realization but to no avail. "You can smell her, cant you?" Barrett says, relaxing. "Two minutes." I say, pretending like i counted down. "For Gods sake Barrett!" An older women, about 60 with graying blonde hair and striking hazel eyes steps up. "You my dear, are not alone. This," she motions to the tunnel around her, "is your army. We are all here to support you Lakin. Most of us have lost someone because of Joe, and we need to take him out of power. People are dying, and with you, melrose, we will prevent any more innocent deaths and horrendous murders." She smiles, white teeth gleaming in the light. Barrett steps up behind her and puts his arm around her, "She is right young Lakin."

Im stunned. These people left their lives for this cause. To save others who don't have the courage or opportunity to fight. I put my hand on her shoulder, "I am honored to have you with me. We will finish this, and make it right." Her eyes shine with hope, and love. Carter steps up behind me and puts a arm around me, "alrighty then, time for introductions, obviously you know Cassidy over there, your enforcer," He says, pointing to Cassidy to gives him a "no duh" look. He then points to the small twelve year old who was referred to as Ava. "Thats her little sister Ava, their parents where killed during the revolution. Then destiny came into play and they meet Barret and Abigail." My heart goes out to Cassidy and Ava for losing their parents like I had, at least they have each other.

"That is Jacob and his mate Sophia." They both had brown hair and tall, they gave me small was and Sophia's eyes never left the ground. "The others are either on guard duty or sleeping." A few people chuckle and scatter down the hall, which I had resorted to calling "main street". Barrett and Abigail stayed in the hall with us, along with Cassidy and Ava. The sisters took a seat in a small couch pushes off to the side of the tunnel, on the wooden floor that stretched from the opening from the well to the end of the tunnel. "Now, this," Carter takes our intertwined hands and pointed to Barrett, "This is Alpha Barrett of the Pure Blood Pack." My heart stops, he cant be the alpha of my pack, they got whipped out, they are all dead! I start to shake and Carter pulls me closer to him, rubbing my back soothingly. "You cant be the alpha, all the packs are gone." I mutter, now trying to study him further than I had initially. He certainly had the stator of an alpha, tall with black hair and green eyes, he was well build besides the slight belly hanging over his jeans, he certainly had the aura of an alpha. "I am alpha Melrose, we thought the pack was whipped out, until your mate came along and told us differently, that you where alive. We watched you carefully until now, we needed to act. The deaths of our pack and my son made the alpha title come back to me since the goddess had other plans for you."

I felt the push to trust him, and with the Lakin chanting one of her famous mantras of always giving people a chance, I did. "Well, Alpha Barrett, how do you know my mother?" That part still didnt make any sense, I only know a few things, this is a defiance of Joe and his "unison pack", and that he somehow knew my mother before she pasted. Abigail chuckles to his side, smiling like a crazy person. "Abby, hush, theres no need to laugh, she doesnt see the resemblance, its fine." That struck a cord, "excuse me, resemblance?" This time Barrett laughs along with Abby, "I am your grandfather my Lakin, your mother and uncle's father, sole Alpha of the Pure Blood Pack, save our Lakin." It clicks, that pathways connect, I finally understand. A smile comes across both their faces, shining with pride for me. I step forward, out of Carters grip and into Barrett's awaiting arms. "I thought you were dead." I mumble once I lean back from our hug. "I was just never around. A neighboring pack wanted me dead, and so we let him believe I was dead. I lived down here ever since, fixing this place up and everything. I was even here the day Joe took over the pack, and slaughtered your uncle. I stayed in the shadows, waiting until you needed me, but you never did." He finished his story and I stare at him in silence. He was in the tunnels when I left,