Alpha's Human Mate

Flashback

"Ella!" Momma calls. I turn towards her voice and giggle. I can hear her behind me, chasing after me. I take off faster toward the woods. Following the trail I make sure not to stray too far. Momma always said if I stick to the trail I wouldn't get lost.

Being the six year old that I am, of course I don't listen. I slowly wander off the trail in pursuit of purple lilacs. I am currently bending down too inspect the flower patch when I hear rustling behind me. Turning around with a big smile on my face, thinking it is momma, I come face to face with piercing blue eyes. Blue eyes that I will never forget.

"Dani!" Cole says. I open my eyes and see Cole hovering over me shaking my petite form slightly. "You ok? You blacked out." His eyes shine with worry. Nodding, I ease his nerves. I was thrown back into my past, remembering my childhood. I look away from Cole's comforting eyes and into Jorden's fierce ones. He smiles softly at me. I scramble up off the floor and grab my notebook. I remember you. I write. You're the boy from the field. Jorden furrows his eyebrows in thought. The boy from the flower patch, in the woods. With the non-forgettable eyes. I blush as I write the last part. Jorden smirks and Cole growls. Wait, growls?

"I remember now," Jorden says. "Cole and I were in the woods that day, it was like what, nine, ten years ago? Both Cole and I had just turned 13. We had flew out to where my parents were living at the time to celebrate our birthdays. They moved around a lot. Anyway, my father told us about a lake in the woods. We decided we would go check it out, you know enjoy some summer swimming. Except, first we had to find it." Jorden's lips twitch upwards in a smile at the memory. "I went one way Cole went the other. I was just walking along when I heard a giggle. I followed it and I saw, I guess you sitting there picking flowers. I thought it was interesting. A young girl alone in the woods. I decided to follow you home. Make sure you got there ok. I watched you go in the door; I felt like I should of followed you in there, but I just walked back to my parents' house. The next day I decided to head to the field, see if I could see you again. Instead I saw a women."

My breathing hitches, is he talking about Momma?

Jorden draws in a breath, glancing at Cole. "Something made me stay there. To this day I can't put my finger on it, but, I, her face, there is something familiar there."

"The woman, she was crying, but she looked happy. She was talking to herself, I realize now that she was praying. I just stood there, watching her. When she was done she stood up and looked directly at me. I remember I was going to step out and talk to her, but she motioned me back into the brush. A couple seconds later an angry man emerged from the trail. The man, he looked right at her, and she held his stare. Before I knew it, he pulled out a gun, and he shot her. She was warning me." Cole looks at his best friend in shock, apparently he has never heard this story.

I wipe away my own tears. That's how it happened, all I remember is Father coming home with the gun. He looked right at me and said, "Daniella your mother's not here to protect you now." Then he hit me and I cried myself to sleep that night at Tate and Heath's house. All of this happened on my seventh birthday.

I take a deep breath, composing myself, before continuing the conversation. Do you remember what she said? I ask Jorden, while she was praying? What were her last words? Cole looks at me but doesn't say anything, just turns to Jorden. Jorden pauses to think for a moment before speaking. "I didn't catch all of it, only the ending." That's ok. I urge, I am very eager to hear about my mother. "Ok," Jorden starts, "I leave her behind in your trust, promise me you serve her well, I cannot ensure her safety, but you can, for the sake of my final wishes and that innocent girl, do her right, don't let her suffer at the hands of my mistakes. Treat her well, protect my little girl." Her last words? I write. A look I can't recognize flashes through Jorden's eyes. "She never got to finish, the man killed her first, and it seemed like the words enraged him." What did she start to say? "Forgive me El...."

I look at Cole, tears freely falling down my face. He doesn't seem to be affected by this women's death. Of course he didn't know her, she wasn't his mother, he didn't have to suffer that man's abuse, he isn't mute, and I bet he has never had thoughts of suicide. I scan over Cole's face once again. It's as if he doesn't care about the death, the murder. My emotions get the better of me in the moment. Those two act like they don't care! That women was murdered! She left behind a child! What is wrong with them! Have they no heart?

I throw my notebook at them.

Cole looks at me in shock. Well of course, he doesn't know I just yelled at him in my thoughts.

"Dani?" He begins in confusion but Nona cuts him off. "You two boys run along, I'm going to take Dani shopping." Cole shoots his grandmother a glare before huffing and walking out of the room, followed by Jorden.

Nona leads me to the car and we both get in. "The women was your mother wasn't she?" I look at Nona in alarm. How did she guess that! As if reading my thoughts Nona answers, "With age comes wisdom, it wasn't that hard to guess, those boys are just idiots. Why else would you be in the field the day earlier? The woman had to of been related to you." I chuckle at the last comment made about Cole and Jorden.

"You want to tell me Dani? You can trust me, I have some guesses of my own, but I want you to say it. It'll help you move on. I promise, I won't tell the boys." Nona turns away from driving to look me in the eye, understanding shining clear in her gaze.

I pull out my notebook and start writing. It feels good to get everything off my chest. I write it all, the abuse and how I stopped talking to trying to kill myself and how I killed for the monster and he left me.

After reading all I had written down Nona begins to share her story.

"When I was younger Dani, I was taken away from Hank and our son, Cole's Father, Dalton. At the time, I was a young Italian beauty freshly in America. Back in those days, many of the other... powerful families weren't as established as they are now. My family back in Italy, Famiglia di Lupi, were probably the strongest other than... nevermind. My family back in Italy was the strongest and most established at the time. Hank, his however was the most progressed in America. Let's just say many were not happy about the alliance.

As his... new bride, I was just as much Hank's strength as his weakness. I was taken." Nona closes her eyes and breathes deeply. "By a radical group with the intent to crumble Hank and his family."

"I was there a year before Hank rescued me; but by then, the damage was done." "I took a long time to heal Dani, but I did heal."

"For a while there I didn't want anything other than my baby. Dalton was eight months when I left and he was almost two when I returned. Thank the Goddess my baby remembered me. I don't think I would have made it if he hadn't."

"Hank never gave up on me, and Cole won't give up on you."

By the time the conversation is over, there is no doubt in my mind that I can trust Nona. I also realize I might have found someplace where I belong. Someplace where I plan on staying forever. Where I'm wanted, where I'm needed. Like someone up above has been looking out for me all along. I just had to get through the storm first. 

Question of the day: Are you closer with your mother figure or father figure?

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