Chapter 15
Brenna’s POV
I didn’t know how he knew what had happened inside our pack, but the vampire knew. I guess one of his men did have the gift of clairvoyance. Alexei would gently guide us back to where we needed to be if we got off-topic or didn’t want to speak about what had happened over the years. Halfway through the conversation, I felt tingles on my hand. Jaxon had reached out to comfort me. He could tell that I was about to share something much harder to say than what Cara had experienced with the pack.
Cara was the one who had suffered at the hands of the pack, not us. That is, not until they decided to kill our parents. That was a pain that was on another level. Losing our parents like we did was still so hard to talk about. It was unexpected; we haven't been able to recover from it just yet. It was exacerbated by the fact that they did it to take us against our will. What we wanted didn't matter to them. I don’t even know if I would have been able to get the words out if he wasn’t lending me his support.
Once he heard what they had done, Jaxon’s lips lined out. I knew that he was pressing them together to keep from blurting anything out in anger. He was angry, but it was not aimed at us. He was angry at the pack for what they had done. He didn’t seem to be shocked or upset that Cara was a witch. He seemed to be very accepting of her. His only concern was that no harm came to his pack for allowing strangers into it. That already made him a thousand times better than Paxton was.
I had never met a vampire before. Everything I knew about them was from gossip or old books in the pack library. But this man in front of us proudly claimed her as his. It was clear that he was totally smitten with Cara. He had already protected her and us by going to Jaxon and begging for us to be allowed entry into Black Adder.
Alexei was agitated, and I knew it was because he was concerned for our sister. I felt more welcomed and cared for here in just a few hours than I had at my former pack. Dad and the warriors had accepted us, but the other she-wolves never did. I don’t know why I was so willing to trust Alexei, but I did. I knew this man would put his life on the line for Cara, which took a great deal of weight off of me. I had protected both my sisters for so many years. I never realized what a weight it had become lately. I felt like I could now move forward with my life. They were both going to have mates to care for and protect them.
Our old pack had been unnaturally scared of Cara being a witch. She never had any training, and no powers could be sensed, so why they feared her is a mystery. They were also intimidated by Luna and me because of our strength. I knew what the real reason was. They didn’t have to admit it again. I knew the three of us we considered to be the most attractive females in the pack.
That was not my opinion. I couldn’t care less about appearance. I never wore makeup and wore my hair in a ponytail daily. I heard it accidentally during my senior year in high school. I needed to use the restroom, and while I was in there, I was privy to a private conversation.
“I swear Brenna thinks she is the best this pack has to offer,” the first girl said. I tried to lean forward to peek through the small opening to see who was speaking, but they had stopped at the first few sinks, and I had gone further down to get privacy.
“She sure does. She and her sisters. I agree that Luna and Brenna are both good fighters, but why try to seduce all the guys? I mean, you can’t have them all. Leave some for the rest of us,” a second voice stated, then sighed in frustration.
“I have been trying to get Rex’s attention for the last two years, but he is so focused on Brenna he can’t see anyone else. Plus, why is Paxton so focused on that freaking witch? She doesn’t even belong here. He should have sent her away now that Beta James knows she is not a wolf. She needs to leave. Paxton made his choice, and Lisa is his Luna now. Yet I have caught him myself on several occasions, watching Cara whenever she is around. I mean, can you imagine him actually liking her? Why would he?” a third voice spoke with contempt.
I don’t mind them talking about me; their opinion doesn't matter. I am fine with it. They are just jealous. But Cara didn’t have any choice in who she was. Dad and Saoirse (Sur-sha) were the ones who had fallen in love. I know why Mom is withdrawn around her. I understand; Dad had fallen in love with Saoirse without a mate bond. Their love was real. Having Cara around, looking just like her mother, had to have been hard. I felt bad for Mom, but it was Dad’s fault for chasing after a witch and not trying harder to find his mate. Dad had explained to Mom that he didn’t think he had a mate. He had chosen her because he was drawn to her.
I don’t think that his explanation helped things. Mom became even more withdrawn after that discussion at the dinner table a few years ago. It was right after Cara didn’t get her wolf. Dad was angry that he refused to allow Saoirse to take her. His life had been difficult trying to protect Cara over the years. He just stopped doing it altogether after she was found to be wolfless. So even though I was sixteen and Luna was fourteen, we started to take her protection up ourselves. It took a little while to get the message out to the pack. Eventually, the message was out. Everyone knew that if they hurt Cara, they should expect what they did in return.
I stepped out of the stall. The one nearest the door saw me first, as the other two faced her. Once the blood drained out of her face, the other two turned to see what scared her so badly. They immediately grabbed their things and headed to the door, but how could I let them go so easily? They spoke so badly about all of us, they clearly needed to be made an example of, since they felt so free to malign us.
“Brenna, hey, I didn’t realize you were in here. We were just leaving. I hope you have a good day,” the first speaker tried to downplay it as if I didn’t hear what they said.
I blocked them at the door and said, “I look forward to sparring with each of you in the next few days.”
“No, I refuse to fight you. Don’t you usually fight with the guys? Why pick on us?” the third girl, who had spoken the harshest, asked.
“You don’t have to fight. I am fine with you standing there and taking a beating. You three better leave my sisters alone, both of them, or I will deal with you all. That includes leaving their names out of your vicious mouths. If I hear you saying something about either of them, we will fight right then,” I told them.
“You can’t threaten us. We will report you,” the third one replied.
“Please do. I can’t wait to tell Alpha Paxton and Luna Lisa you three think it is OK not to use their titles when you speak about them behind their backs. How well do you think that is going to go over?” I asked them.
I watched as two of them shuddered in fright before I warned them again. “I don’t care if you want to talk about me. Go ahead and do it. I can take it, but I will never allow you to speak about Cara or Luna. Try me again and see how it turns out for you,” I told them before moving out of the way and letting them leave. They couldn’t run away fast enough. They all gave me wide berth after that. They were repeating what they heard others say. At the root of it was Lisa and her viperous friends.
Jaxon stood up after Alexei ran off to go sit with Cara. I don’t think I have ever seen a man so excited to watch someone sleep in a hospital bed before. His obvious love for Cara made me smile. Jaxon reached down to take my hand and said, “Let me take you to your new home. Luna can spend the night in one of our extra rooms.”
I blushed again as I understood what that meant. We headed for his SUV, still parked in front of the hospital. We would be staying together in our room, and I grew nervous. Did his parents not need to meet me first? I was formerly the Beta’s daughter but had been demoted to warrior. I had been stripped of my rank to make it easier for Paxton and his goons to control me. They did Luna the same way. We were no longer recognized as Beta females anymore. It seemed as if Luna might be getting her own Luna title. That was the only explanation for Alexei’s comment.
I hope she gets a good man. She deserves to be loved and doted on; from what I am seeing, we have all hit the jackpot so far. I can barely control the thoughts I am having about Jaxon right now. I felt his hand tighten a little on mine, and I knew he could tell exactly what I was thinking. I knew my face was red. I had been caught thinking illicit thoughts about my mate. I am glad it is dark now, hiding it a little.
Jaxon takes us right up to the top level of a really nice pack house. “I will get your thumbprint added to the system in the morning. I want you to have full access to everything you need. I will have food sent up for you. There is a robe for you to wear while I get someone to bring you some clothes. I am sure my mother will be on that for you both in the morning. Sleep well. Our door is the next one down the hall. I put you as close to us as I could. But I didn’t want to disrupt your sleep,” Jaxon told her.
The meaning was clear to both of us. Jaxon was going to complete our bond tonight. I was both excited and scared. I have never done this before. I have no idea what I need to do here. My mother gave all three of us the talk but was uncomfortable answering our questions. She got a book on the subject, which was pretty informative. I didn’t know I would have to try to figure it out tonight. I always thought I could get a refresher on the subject before it came up. I don’t want to look stupid in front of Jaxon. I guess I will follow his lead. Luna hugged me before entering her room. Jaxon quietly led me to our room, and I suddenly felt really shy. Am I going to disappoint him?