T.J. POV
Standing outside the Tavern, staring at a drunken Jo-Jo, who had decided to start yelling at him, for the first time ever, T.J. did know why. He was man handling her, not something he had ever done. But not even he was happy about her being in that place, knowing it was about to turn into a lust filled place full of horny hot blooded Alpha males and their Beta’s too boot.
Her eyes were practically glowing at him, all super bright and iridescent around the edges, he’d not seen anything like it before and the angrier she got, the more they seemed to glow, very unnatural.
T.J. had never actually seen the girl he’d known, or the woman before him mad before, not ever he realised, as she was yelling about West having a stick up his ass. He’d had to cut her off mid sentence and yell at her using his Beta tone, to stop her words. They were borderline punishable. It was also not the first time he’d heard her say it in fact, also said the last time she was drunk. Seems alcohol mixed with Jo-Jo brought out a whole new side to the woman.
One that could potentially be a problem.
If West heard her say it, he might go all Alpha rage on the woman, and West had seemed to finally be adjusting to having her back on pack territory, was actually trying to be an Alpha and respect her as other pack members. Not act like the crazy domineering and possessive Ex, that he was.
T.J. marched her all the way home, in through the front doors of the pack-house, he was not however expecting that just about all the other Alpha’s and their Betas, to be sitting around in the foyer common room drinking with Alpha Damien and his father Beta Jonathan. He found several pairs of eyes on him and her.
He glanced right down at her frowning, she really did look pissed off and her eyes were still kind of glowing he noted, pulled her passed all of them, quite quickly, she did struggle a little bit, but his Beta’s Strength was no match for her at all and she had no choice but to fall in line and follow him.
Yelled at him about it ‘not being fair’ at the top of her lungs, T.J. knew that every Alpha and Beta on the floor below them would have heard her. Hell she could have said it normally, or even under her breath and all those Alpha’s if they were so inclined and wanted to listen would have heard her with their hearing.
Telling her she was just going to have to deal with it, which she was going to have to do. Unless she wanted West up here in her face, putting more Alpha orders on her, she needed to just suck it up. He could only do so much and intervene at certain times, he was still only the Beta and West was the Alpha.
That crack about her attending the up coming mating ball, finding her mate and then leaving the pack. Shocked him completely, she’d just gotten back, it was a bit strained but with the history it was bound to be, just needed time to let things settle. She had still be yelling at him and those eyes of hers were all glowing now, right at him, all silver glowing bright like neon.
It was unlikely, very unlikely that West was going to let her anywhere near that mating ball. Didn’t even like the fact that she was here in the pack-house with Alpha and Beta males without a full moon. Putting her in a room full of them on a full moon. Likely not going to happen, it was more likely she was going to be locked in this very room with West staring right at her.
Slammed the door right in his face, then opened it and slammed it again. T.J. could have sworn the thing was about to go flying off its hinges and smash right out of the door frame and into him, had actually taken a step back away from it, braced himself for the impact.
What the hell was that? He thought.
He could have sworn he felt raw power roll off the woman, had no idea what to make of it, just stood there and stare at the door, could see cracks in the wood, reached out and touched it those cracks so many of them, that was one hell of force she’d slammed that door with. And it was slightly warm to the touch.
What the hell was that? He frowned, was not going to go inside and find out, might not like what else came out of the woman, turned and walked away down the hall. Down the stairs, something was definitely different about her since she returned, likely why she smelled different, why her eyes were different and now bloody glowing.
Found himself under the gaze of everyone in the room glanced around and sighed internally, then just smiled amused at them all as though nothing was wrong, shrugged half laughed and stated “Teach me to take her drink right out of her hand and down it for myself.” then headed off to get himself a beer. He needed it, had a lot to absorb right now.
“Looked very unhappy son.” his father commented to him.
“Yes.” he nodded, but was not about to disclose what he had just witnessed up at her room. Would be keeping that to himself until all these alpha’s were off the packs territory and gone. It was likely that his little Jo-Jo, was not only just a wolf, but part something else, though what he had no idea.
West walked in the door and looked right at him, wanted him to report. He had and the man had simply turned in for the night. T.J. had watched him stop briefly on the first floor and look down the hallway to where her room was, maybe stood for 5 seconds, then he turned and moved on, heading for his room.
His eyes had returned to the room to find Beta Jeremy walking right over to him, leaned casually on the wall next to him “my my.”
T.J, raised an eyebrow at him.
“Nice set of eyes the woman has.”
“Stop.” T.J. shot at him with a warning glare.
“Hmm. I’m betting by the look on your face, that’s the first time you’ve see it.”
“Enough Beta.” he grated and rolled his Aura right at him, letting him know that yes he was a Beta but was also Alpha-blooded too.
The man tilted his head, smiled right at him like it didn’t phase him at all “We all saw it. Just so you know. You might like to know. My Mate’s eyes glow too.” he nodded to him and then walked off, back over to his alpha, who had been watching them.
Was the man trying to tell him something, perhaps he understood what was going on, maybe he was trying to put across that he was up for a private conversation before he left. T.J. didn’t know.
But just great every one of them Alpha and Beta’s had seen it, including Alpha Damien and his own father, there was no hope in hiding it then. West was going to find out, but if this lot started talking about it West would be on him like a shot for not bringing it up with him the minute he walked in the door.
He downed his beer and one long drink and stalked off up to his own room ‘Son?’
‘Not now.’ he shot back down the mind-link. Didn’t want to get into it.
‘Son, why the anger?’
‘Let it go dad.’ he replied and severed the link, he was actually one of the most laid back and easy going wolves within the pack, and for him to go and stalk off all angry and annoyed, it never went unnoticed.
T.J. stripped off his clothes and looked down at the inside of his right bicep, it wasn’t the first time he’d looked at the mark there. Not since seeing Jo-Jo’s back the other day when being patched up in the pack hospital. He had not seen all of it, but T.J. was willing to bet she had 5 moons all the way down her back, like he had 5 moons down the inside of his arm. Just appeared the night she had left. 2 in the morning, it had burned like hell when branding him.
Didn’t know what it had meant at the time. Or why it had appeared, it had not escaped his attention that it was the day she had been born. Roughly, well now, was likely the exact time she had been born.
He still recalled that night, vividly so. He’d been just 4 and had woken up in the middle of the night, in his bedroom, crawled out of his bed and stared out his bedroom window. He’d felt cold all over and had heard a baby crying out there somewhere, sounded sad and he’d felt pain touch him, even at just 4 years old, felt so very cold and alone.
He’d left his room, to go and wake his father.
“Daddy, I hear a baby crying.” he’d tapped his sleeping father’s shoulder, as he had stood next to the bed.
His father’s eyes had opened, just barely, and looked at him still half asleep, and then he’d closed his eyes and sighed.
“Daddy, I hear a baby crying.” he’d repeated himself.
“Son.” he’d sighed, sounded tired to little Terence’s ear “there is no baby crying.” he’d not even opened his eyes.
“But daddy,” he’d tugged at his own fathers arm now. He could hear the baby and it was crying, it was somewhere outside in the snow “the baby’s crying.”
“There is no baby Terence.”
“But daddy.”
“Go back to bed son. I hear no baby.” he’d given Terence a gentle push towards the door “it was just a dream son.”
Terence had left his father frowning, there was a baby and it was alone and cold, crying somewhere outside, in the snow. He knew it, he could feel it. He could hear it.
He was convinced, even if his father was not. There was a baby and he was very worried, something was going to happen to that baby, if he didn’t go and find it. Went back to his room and looked out the window worriedly.
‘If daddy won’t help, I will find the baby myself.’ he had pulled on a pair of shoes and headed for the door to the room. But he had not been big enough to get it open. Struggled for many minutes with it, before going to his room and getting his small chair to use to stand on so he could better reach the door handle and open the door.
Left the suite they lived in and headed off down the darkened pack-house, hurriedly heading for the front doors, there was no one around, no nanny to pick him up and take him back to his father or to his bed.
Pushed out through the front doors and went out into the bitter coldness of the winter night, snow was falling lightly that night, and he ran away from the pack-house in knee deep snow, in search of that baby so cold and still crying. With every step he took he snow getting deeper, the further from the pack-house he had gotten. The louder he could hear that baby crying.
No one was out looking or searching for the baby, he recalled, no-one could hear it, but him. He ran on searching “I’m coming.” he called out to the crying baby, worried as the cries were becoming less, it was too cold for a baby out here.
Then there it was, lying in the snow, wrapped in a light cloth, not a blanket, a torn piece of clothing maybe. A little girl lay there in the snow, her tiny arms and legs moving as she sobbed, her little grey eyes filled with tears, her lashes had frozen tears on them from the cold winters night, and there was snow covering half of her tiny body.
He had reached down and brushed the snow from her and told her “I got you.” softly. Picked up the tiny baby and cradled her into his body, the little girl had looked right up at him and stopped crying.
Little Terence had smiled down at her, held her into his chest, keeping her as warm as he could, as he walked back to the pack-house and through the front doors, she is sleeping in his arms now, feels warmer now and Terence feels happy. He had been right and he had saved her. Carried that baby girl all the way back to his father. Walking into the Beta’s suite he’d not closed the door when he’d left.
Walked right up to his father, still sleeping in his bed “Daddy.” he says happily, knowing his daddy would be so proud of him, for saving the baby.
“Terence son, please it’s late, go back to bed.” he’d grumbled without looking at his son.
“But daddy, I found the baby.” he tells him proudly.
“What?” his fathers eyes open and he turned to look at his son, standing next to his bed holding a baby.
Terence smiled up at his daddy “See daddy, its a little girl.”
His father was really staring at him now, wide awake, reached out to touch the baby as though he didn’t believe what he was seeing.
“She’s stopped crying now daddy.”
“Where did you get the baby son?” his father had asked him.
“Out in the snow daddy, she was crying and all alone.” he smiled down at the little girl he’d still been holding “She’s sleeping now daddy.”
His father had reached for the baby “Give her to me son.”
Terence had shook his head and stepped back from his father “No daddy, she’s my baby. You didn’t believe me.”
“Son come on, give her to me.” his father had encouraged him.
“No.” he’d told his father firmly “She’s mine daddy.” he looked back down at the little girl in his arms “I will name her...Jo-Jo.”
“Son you can’t keep her, she’s someone’s baby.”
“She’s mine.” Terence had told him and turned and left his fathers bedroom, to take little Jo-Jo back to his room. Climbed up into his bed with her, tucked he blankets around her and lay down next to her put his hand on her tiny chest and pat her gently.
Alpha Damien and Luna Natalia had appeared in his room to look at the baby, tried to coax him to give her over, but he would not, she was his baby to look after and protect now.
He had went where little Jo-Jo had gone the next day, his hand in the Luna’s hand as she had carried little Jo-Jo, down the hall, having removed her from a very unhappy Terence’s care.
No-one had stepped forward to claim he little girl and Terence had told the Luna, it was because she was his baby. Wanted to keep her for himself. Threw a tantrum as she’d handed little Jo-Jo over to a man, who promised to keep her safe and love her as his own.
That man had hunkered down in front of the little Terence who was crying and upset at loosing his baby. He didn’t want her taken away from him, he’d let little Terence kiss her right on the head gently to say goodbye “bye Jo-Jo.” he’d sobbed.
“Jo-Jo, huh? It’s pretty. Why don’t we call her Jo-anne and just you, young man can call her Jo-Jo.”
Little Terence had looked up at the man and nodded ‘My baby too.”
He’d watched that man walk out of the Luna’s office with his Jo-Jo.
T.J, sighed at his own memory, still bloody tugged at his heart strings, he was willing to bet that mark on her back just appeared as his did that day. But what did it mean? They had always been strongly connected. He lay down and stretched out on his bed, now to see her eyes glowing like that, to feel actual power roll off of her and that door hot to touch and splintered from the slamming.
Rubbed his hand over his face, he didn’t know. No-one knew anything about her. He’d not been able to show them where he had found her out in the snow. They’d never found her birth mother either. Just a lone baby out in the snow, in the middle of the packs woods on a dark and moonless night.
Only he had been able to hear her, no-one had seen anyone coming or going from the pack, it was presumed the mother was someone within the pack, but hadn’t wanted the little girl for what ever reason.
Heath had raised her and no-one knew she wasn’t actually his daughter. His Mate had died in childbirth the day before Terence had found her and everyone just presumed the child had survived, only a select few knew she was an orphan.
He knew, always had as did his father, the Alpha and Luna, likely the entire previous Alpha Unit, and Heath but other than that, just he and West.
Who was she? What was she? Was she now well adjusted because of what she was? She did seem different to him at times. T.J. raised his arm and looked at the mark. Everyone thought it was a tattoo, even West did. He’d never correct the man, when he’d asked about it a week after it had appeared.