Chapter 39: Chapter 39
~Jaylen's POV~
"How can you not have found her?, It's been two whole months!" I growled in anger, Lon reached for my hand, interlocking our fingers, I calmed down a bit, smiling softly at him before turning back to face Leo, Caine, Kayla, Grey and Dan. Mia had moved into Dylan's pack some months back.
They fidgeted nervously, unable to look me in the eyes.
"Something tells me y'all don't really want to find her, you've never been so inefficient, this is intentional." I said, daring them to deny it and they looked away, I growled angrily even as Lon tightened his grip on my hand.
"You know how much we want...no need her back in our lives, why would you still cover up her whereabouts?" Lon asked them in a cold voice, obviously hurt by their actions.
"She doesn't wish to be found." Leo said with finality and I glared at him.
"And she said this herself?" I asked him hesitantly, he stared at me for a while before sighing.
"Sometime ago, yes." he replied, I felt a sharp pang of pain in my heart at his words and I looked away to hide how much his words had hurt me.
"However, she is not aware you are searching for her." he finished in a soft voice and I turned back to him with a raised brow.
"And why is that?" Lon asked him and he frowned, the rest of the guys had remained quiet throughout the conversation leaving Leo to do all the talking but Dan finally said something.
"She does not deserve to go through anymore pain, we convinced her into trying with you guys in the first place, only to watch the strongest woman I know get broken, she just got her life back on track, I won't sit and watch you both ruin that." he said harshly, I winced at his words before my features hardened.
"You speak like she didn't cause us pain as well, she fucking cheated on us remember?, with a woman, we're all trying to move past our pains because we love her, she could at least do the same for us." I said angrily and they all stared at me, I watched as Dan's features turned cold at my words.
"He didn't mean it like that..." Lon began to defend me but Dan cut him off with a harsh glare that honestly would have gotten him killed by his Alpha if he was someone else.
"Oh he meant it, and now I'm completely sure I do not wish for her to ever meet you both again, you both don't deserve her and you never will!" he yelled angrily before turning to leave but Caine caught his hand, halting him. I pushed aside my anger at his disrespect, giving Leo a questioning look.
"The thing is.... what happened that night wasn't intentional on Ana's part, she was drugged, her drink was spiked with an aphrodisiac." he explained, my eyes widened in surprise at his words as I exchanged a look with Lon.
"Why didn't she say anything?" Lon asked in confusion and Dan scoffed.
"What the fuck did you think she meant when she pointed out Claire that night?!" he snapped at us and my eyes widened in understanding, I turned to Leo and Kay for confirmation of which they both gave me a nod.
"We were all together that night when Claire pretentiously apologized to Ana, giving her a pack of juice as a peace offering, Ana being Ana went soft and accepted it, who would have thought it was spiked, it was only after a while that Ana began acting weirdly, Grey immediately told her to go to you because her scent was driving us unmated shifters crazy, I don't exactly know the details of what happened after that, after the entire event was passed Sky explained to us that Ana had told her there was something in the drink, after she left I confirmed it, the drug within would have no effect whatsoever on a shifter but when used on a human, it acted as an aphrodisiac, making the person act on their most primal needs unconsciously, which accounts for why nothing happened to Claire even though she also drank the juice, I'm not sure Ana was even in a clear state of mind till everything had already happened." Leo informed me.
I felt all strength leave my legs at this discovery and I collapsed into my chair.
"Damn!" Lon growled, slamming a hand down on my desk, I sighed, turning to him and asking in a horrified voice.
"What have we done?"
He sighed, his eyes conveying his guilt, the same guilt I was feeling. Turning to Leo I asked one final question.
"Why didn't you tell me Leo?" I asked confused at why my own brother didn't knock some sense into me, I would have gone after her immediately.
"She made us all promise not to say anything, that it'd be easier for you to forget her if you hated her." Leo replied and my heart ached at his words, for my mate who still had my best interest in mind even when I had failed to trust her.
Lon was quiet for a while before looking up to our friends, a pleading look on his face.
"Please guys, please help us find her." he pleaded.
"We made a huge mistake and we'll do anything to make up for it, we just need to see her, If she has moved on then we'll walk away, I promise." I added, imploring them.
They exchanged hesitant looks, Dan giving the rest of them warning glares, I sighed when they didn't speak, turning to Dan.
"Dante, please, don't be like this, I'm not asking this as the rex leonum, but as your friend Jaylen, help us get our mate back." I pleaded and his cold look faded off slowly, with a defeated sigh, he nodded.
"I'll inform the pilot to get the jet ready, you both should go pack up, I believe it's autumn right now in England." he said with a smirk, I grinned at him nodding gratefully before heading to my room, pausing halfway, Lon gave the order for Claire to be seized and locked up till our return before following me.
~Oxfordshire, South East England, United Kingdom~
~Ariana's POV~
I woke up, sitting up on my bed and stretching with a tired yawn, I had thought things were stressful when I studied for my first degree, medical school was a whole different level of stressful entirely, I groaned getting off my bed and changing into a a pair of jogger pants and a sports bra, throwing on a tank top, I grabbed my air pods and my phone before heading down the stairs and out of my apartment for a morning jog.
Two hours later, I was heading out my room again, ready to head to class. Getting to the kitchen, I took a seat at the table, typing on my laptop even as Sky came out her room to get our breakfast out the microwave oven, she always got up early to prepare breakfast so I could eat before leaving.
"Good morning love." She said , placing a kiss on my cheek.
"Hmm, morning." I replied looking up from my work and giving her a small smile before returning my focus to finishing up my work even as she served breakfast.
It had taken a while to get used to being around her again but she was adamant and worked really hard to earn my trust, eventually we worked things out.
"Luca, breakfast is served!" I called.
"Coming love." he replied as I heard his footsteps from the basement.
"Good morning love, Good morning sweetheart." he said kissing us both on the cheek, I smiled in response as Sky replied with a good morning.
They conversed lightly as we ate, while I multitasked, eating and typing simultaneously, after a while Luc sighed.
"Ana stop that, you know I don't like it when you do that, that project isn't due for the next three days, there's no hurry, eat properly." Luca scolded, I laughed softly, nodding and closing my laptop.
"Yes Dad." I replied with a mock salute, he growled playfully at me and I flipped him the bird, he chuckled rolling his eyes at my childishness.
Breakfast went on quietly and when I was done eating, I stood up, shoving my laptop into my back pack.
"There's a wolf pack some miles from here like you suspected, Luc already met the alpha and got permission for me to see the pack doctor, we'll be going out after you, this way we'll be able to confirm your suspicions, I'm telling you hon, it can't be that." Sky insisted for the hundredth time, Luc chuckled and I rolled my eyes.
"Well we'll know soon won't we, I'm always right you know, anyways you both be careful there, wolfs around here aren't the nicest, stay safe, Love you." I said as I headed out in a rush.
Five hours later
I groaned as I walked out of the university, heading to the parking lot, it was already late noon, I was supposed to meet up with Luc and Sky a few minutes from here to get feedback on their trip and then I had a few runs to make before we all met up again for dinner, we'd be eating out today, Luc insisted.
Getting to our meeting point, I spotted them in front of a cafe and I pulled over, getting out of my car and crossing the street.
"So?" I asked the moment I got to them, Luca grinned widely as Sky squealed excitedly and pulled me into a bone crushing hug, I groaned but couldn't help the huge smile on my face.
"I was right huh?" I asked and she nodded.
"The doctor says I'm three weeks along, but supernatural foetus matures quickly hence the symptoms, he also said I'd be showing a bump soon." she rushed out in a single breath and I laughed at her excitement, before turning to Luc and hugging him tightly, pulling away, I placed a light kiss on his cheeks before dropping to one knee and placing a kiss on Sky's stomach, where a new life was currently developing.
"I already can't wait to meet you little one, you're gonna be so special and you'll grow up with so much love, I mean you have a dad and two moms who already love you immensely, so make sure you grow well and fast please, momma can't wait to see you." I said, before placing another kiss on her stomach, I stood up to see tears slipping out her eyes and I smiled.
"Silly girl, mom's don't cry that easily, they're the strongest people in the world." I told her, pulling her into a hug, she sobbed quietly on my shoulders but I didn't try to stop her, I knew they were tears of joy.
"I love you Ana, you're the best thing that ever happened to me, thank you for being apart of my life." she said between sobs, and I hummed in response to her words.
"And I love you both." Luca added, wrapping his arms around Sky and I.
"It's not just us both you love, it's the three of us now." I reminded him and he smiled, happiness filling his eyes at my words.
"You're right, I love you three, Sky my magic, Ana my queen and our little one." he adjusted and I nodded in approval.
~Jaylen's POV~
The moment we set eyes on her again, I knew I definitely couldn't live without her, not knowing how to approach her, we watched her as she walked out her house, got into her car and drove off to school.
We followed, waiting in a cafe outside the University for majority of the day, when we noticed Sky and Luc heading towards the cafe opposite the one we were in, we knew our mate would be out soon, leaving the cafe we headed into the woods, moving to a point closer to where the two people stood, waiting for our mate.
The moment Sky picked up her phone and spoke lovingly to the person on the other end, I focused my heightened sense of hearing, picking out our mate's voice, I felt a pang of fear course through my veins.
"Had she moved on?" I thought, hoping and praying I was wrong even as her car came to a stop across the street and she got out and walked across.
As she got to them, I and Lon focused on the conversation, watching in horror and pain as Sky pulled her into a hug, speaking about her confirmation of her pregnancy.
"Please Ana, No, please don't let it be that you've moved on, we can't live without you please." I heard Lon pray outloud what I was praying within my mind.
I bit my lip in anticipation, hoping our prayers would be answered and that our mate hadn't moved on, my hopes were disappointed.
I watched, my heart breaking as she hugged Luc, kissing his cheek before dropping to a knee and placing an affectionate kiss on Sky's stomach, intense pain slammed into me as she spoke affectionately to the foetus, referring proudly to herself as one of his mothers.
My pain intensified by the second and I knew it was the same for Lon as I could hear his pained gasps even as Ana placed another loving kiss on Sky's stomach before standing up and pulling the sobbing Sky into a comforting hug, my Lion growled loudly within me, demanding Sky's head but I resisted him, his angry growls turned into pained whimpers even as Sky openly declared her love for our mate, his whimpers becoming more devastated when our mate didn't refute her words, instead humming in agreement, pain radiated constantly from my heart, spreading to all parts of my body as Luca also confessed his love for my mate and the witch, Lon growled, intending to attack the traitor but I grabbed him, stopping him from doing anything stupid that'd cause our mate to hate us more than she already did.
I was completely and utterly crushed when Luca joined the hug and rather than pushing them both away like I desperately wanted her to, she instead reminded him that they now had a child, and as he adjusted his words, addressing my queen as his, I felt my world crumbling down around me as I realized my mate now had a happy family of her own, my precious queen now belonged to someone else.
"She's moved on...she has completely and utterly moved on." I choked out, my voice thick with pain, Lon growled, his eyes blazing in anger.
"So we're just gonna go home now?, and let someone else have our woman?, really Jay?, to hell with the promise we made to Dan, I fucking can't live without her...we can't live without her and you know it, I'm killing them both if that's what it takes to get our mate back, fuck it, I'll kill anyone and anything that fucking stands in my way, now are you with me or not?" he asked me angrily and I stared at him quietly for a while before nodding, he was right,we couldn't just leave like this, I'd forever regret it if I didn't do everything within my power to get her back, well at least I'll regret it for as long as I was able to live without her, and with how weak my Lion already was from being away from her for the past five months, it didn't feel like that'd be very long.
At that moment, Luca's eyes turned to our direction, widening as he caught sight of us, Lon's eyes glazed over and I knew they were talking through the mindlink, Luca seemed shaken after the conversation while Lon's eyes were dark with anger, his dominant aura pouring out in intimidating waves, Luca bowed slightly in submission towards our direction but not enough for the two conversing women beside him to notice, whatever it was they had discussed, I was sure we'd be getting an explanation from Luca soon, what I wasn't sure of however was if he'd walk out of our presence in one piece.