Stitching My Heart

Chapter 3

With no cars, out front a normal person would not suspect that there is mass chaos barely contained behind the door to my house. But there is no disguising the rich scents of my pack seeping from every open crevice of my house hitting my sensitive nose.

A smirk can't help but appear on my face my mother tries so very hard but forgets that we aren't normal people with normal sense.

I love her for it though.

Carter and Cort aren't far behind but Maisie races forward in front of us rushing to the front door slamming the door as soon as she clears the doorframe.

Subtle, very subtle Maisie.

I slow my walk the others follow my lead. Cort leans in and speaks in my ear. "Just keep in mind she is never going to learn, she hasn't yet anyways.... or she just might not care. So please be careful of what you say. Anyways wait ten seconds after I clear the doorway before you come in.

I nod in response. I count my ten seconds out and walk into my house.

The scents are the only way I can tell how many are present, too many to distinguish especially with my eyes trained on the floor until one very familiar throat is cleared.

Then I'm face to face with my wolf or a fabric version of my of as my eyes scan over the area surrounding him I recognize where this scene, its from a photo taken months ago. One my mother took of course but I and everyone else know there is no way she made this because it's almost an exact replica of that picture. And while my mom has many talents, quilting is definitely not one of them. I'm in absolute awe of the artisanship that went into this piece. I am drawn in by the pieces making up each of the bigger pieces like the moon that has a couple dozen hexagons in varying colors to the strips and scraps that make up the bare trees then there's my wolf 's replica there is a dozen different shades of grey, white, and black.

So entranced it takes everyone shouting "SURPRISE" to bring all my senses back including smell. Even with the rich comforting scent of my pack overwhelming everything else one new and amazing fragrance stands out. The one I've been searching for since I turned sixteen. The addicting smell of my mate its faint but tinged with the coppery tawny, its the unmistakably the scent of my mates blood just turn up the pull. My wolf urges me to fix her, save her.

A snarl resounds through the foyer of my house stopping everyone in their tracks but me. I swiftly move pass, around and through them all. I circle through the entire crowd not finding what I am looking for until I am back to where I started right in front of the quilt and my mother.

The scent is the strongest here. I take one very reluctant step towards my mother because the god and goddess might just hate me that much that all is blessed, its not her.

The back door opens splashing from the pool drifting in brought in by the cooling autumn breeze but on that breeze is also the enthralling scent of my newly discovered mate. What they hell I thought, I clearly checked everyone inside. They only people that should be outside right now are anyone under mating age.

Shit really?

I send up a prayer, "please don't hate me this much."

Everyone here for my surprise party jus gawks at me as I run around like a lunatic. Thankfully after one whiff of the pool area, I catch only pups and chlorine. Dejected I slowly move back inside and make my way to my mother, for comfort. I don't care that I am a twenty-five year old alpha I still need hugs from my mother.

But there's that scent again! I just want it to stop.

When mom sees me my slow movements and all around disappointed air, she quickly has my quilt down and waiting so, she can wrap it around me. I let her, six years of searching and the first whiff I get is a false alarm. There are two parts warring inside of me one saying fuck it and party like it is going out of style, two-hide wallow and hide.

Mine would be option number two so the quilt will come in handy. I let her wrap her quilt-covered arms around me, tucking the quilt nice and tight against my neck.

Her actions have my mate's scent front and center, again. The quilt must be the source. I take the quilt out of her hands sniffing the entire thing until I come to a small square on the back a smack rust tinted patch draws me in the most.

"Addison, what in the hell are you doing?" my mother, Willa, asks in her most southern draw, extending the 'l's in hell about as far out as they can go.

It's only then that I realize I am drooling all over my new comfort item.

"HAHAHa, you are reverting to when we were kids. Does this mean Cort will take over for you because I am all for that he is less of a jackass." Carter, my beta says from off in the corner, with his mate, Maisie.

Cort joins in on the laughter my growling shuts them all up.

"Mom who made this quilt?" I ask no temper, no attitude reflected in my tone, just desperation.

"I....ummm....she....," My mom stammers.

"Please mom she is my mate." She knows and wants to tell me but it seems like there is more to the story.

"Her name is Eliana and she's a local quilter that people rave about especially in the quilter community but she travels a lot I was barely able to catch her long enough to get this," she gestures to my quilt. "Done before she had to move on she wont be back until after the snow clears the mountain passes so she can get back to her studio."

"Call her, if she's is as good as you say she would never let someone think she did shoddy work. Call her and let her know some of the hand stitching has come undone, leave a message if necessary." I beg on my knees because I am desperate to have her close to me.