Unity (PP 2)

5.2

5.2 - Hope Blossoms
~ third person ~
++++ 2006 ++++

Niall shifts in the booster seat, trying to get comfortable and soothe his excitement. "How long is the drive, mummy?" He asks, looking at his mum in the driver's seat from across the car.

Nicole laughs before glancing back at her son, her own green eyes sparkling like his young green eyes. "Twenty minutes from here," she replies.

"Is that Uncle's pack?" He looks out the window in curiosity at the wolf running alongside the car.

"Yes, it's Pat's pack."

"Will Et be running it when we're older?"

Nicole glances back at her son again who is intently staring out the window still. As she turns to face the road, conflict passes over her eyes. "Maybe."

"What if Ro takes over instead?"

Again, she glances back to see an adoring look in his eyes making her smile and chuckle to herself. "What about it, baby?"

"I think it would be pretty cool. Maybe she'll get more respect."

"Why is that?"

"Because male Alphas struggle running a pack on their own without a mate as they need assurance from them that what they are doing is fair. Ro will be fine doing it on her own as she's amazing. She'll look beautiful doing it as well."

Nicole chuckles again, hearing the love for Robyn in her son's voice. "How do you know that?"

Niall turns to face his mum, his eyebrow raised and a small pout on his lips. Nicole mimics the expression making them both laugh. After a few moments, Niall stops his laughter and looks at his mum with new resolve in his eyes. "I know she'll be beautiful doing it as it's like how beautiful daddy said you were when he found you working for Pat."

Nicole glances back at her son. The memories of the late night conversations with Grace and Maeve coming back to her. The meetings in Pat's lounge as she sat rolling her eyes at Gerard's and Maeve's antics while Riley snickered, Grace sighed and Pat separated them. Them all laughing it off afterwards with Gerard and Maeve glaring at each other. The trips they would make as a group, them against the world quite literally. Pool parties, bars, clubs.

There was a time they held a meeting in and around the twins' Jacuzzi. That night she met Lee while wearing one of Pat's old shirts that he had given her to keep warm. At the time, he was mated with Grace but he didn't want any of his team getting cold, it was Grace's idea in the first place.

She was inside filing a few papers when she had heard the twins' dad speak to someone. Brushing it off, she finished her work and headed back out to meet the others when she was pinned to the wall, her cheek stinging from the impact. Nicole's scream of pain alerted the others and they came charging in, Pat almost throwing Lee to the other side of the room and standing in front of Nicole protectively as Riley examined her for injuries.

The five minutes after had been chaos.

Lee has accused Nicole of sleeping with Pat because she was wearing one of his shirts and his scent was all over her. That was only because of a hug after Nicole said she would take the papers in rather than Pat. But he had been a hypocrite. There were dozens of females scents mixed in with Lee's. Nicole had very justifiable reasons for not following him straight away. To get back at him, she played with him a few times before they actually got together as mates completely. When she saw how broken he had been because of it, she felt guilty but, in a way, he needed his eyes opening.

That is why she decided to raise Niall a gentleman so his mate didn't have to go through what she and Lee did. But there was no guarantee that his mate will wait for him. However, with how Niall managed to detect Robyn in Grace's womb, Nicole was sure that Grace and Pat will raise Robyn to know the importance of saving herself for her mate. It will be awkward when they first mate as neither of them are entirely sure what they are meant to do, but they'll get through it.

"Mummy?" Niall asks snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, she will be beautiful doing it," Nicole replies.

"Yeah, I know. Like she was beautiful when I gave her the flowers." Niall sinks back into silence, staring out the window at the passing scenery.

Nicole chuckles before looking in her rearview mirror. In it, she spots Pat and Grace in the car behind, them both grinning as they talk. Her expression sobers as she watches them, realising that what they have is better than what she has. Lee had never been harsh towards her, it was just he was closed off and not as carefree at twenty-eight as she was at twenty-six like the pair behind her. Meetings could be awkward as much as Orison tried in vain trying to lighten things up, but Lee never took to it and stayed reserved. Uilleam sat there with his unsettling smirk. Uilleam gave her the wrong vibe. Her end was going to come with him. Along with the end of most of the Alpha and Betas team she loved.

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"I don't need your help, mummy. I'm a big boy," Niall states as Nicole opens his car door. Unimpressed with his attitude, she raises an eyebrow. "Sorry, mummy," he says looking at his lap as he unbuckles himself and climbs out the car.

"Just don't do it again," Nicole warns.

"Yes, mummy."

"Good. Never treat your friends like that."

"I'll try not to."

Grace looks around the car park. "I told you that was Nic, you didn't believe me. I think it's a different colour, Grace," Grace mocks.

Ethan and Robyn laugh in the back of the car as they look between their parents. "Yes, alright, I should have listened," Pat replies, placing a kiss on his mate's temple.

"Can we get out now?" Ethan asks, snapping Grace and Pat out of their staring competition.

"Right," they state before smiling at each other. The pair climbs out of the car and opens the back doors. Ethan jumps out, landing on the tarmac as Grace helps Robyn down with a hand. Robyn stays holding her mum's hand as she looks round intrigued with their location.

"What are we doing?" Robyn asks.

"We are going to have lunch before we go round the zoo and then the aquarium. Depending on the time, we may have dinner as well. Lee could join us, it depends on how the meetings go for him," Grace replies. She crouches in front of her daughter, smoothing back the loose brown hair as she watches the deep brown eyes. "Remember why the decisions at meetings are important?" Ethan runs to join them and goes to answer. "Let Robyn answer this time, Ethan."

"Question?"

"Why are decisions in meetings important?"

Robyn's eyebrows crease slightly in concentration. "The decisions affect the pack, not just the Alpha." Robyn pauses, glancing down slightly, trying to regain her thought chain. "The decision has to benefit everyone within the pack and should not harm anyone for no reason. If war has to happen, there should be precautions already in place in case there are people in place to attack after the decision."

"That's my girl." Grace kisses Robyn's forehead before standing up. "Come on. You guys ready for lunch?"