Chapter 149: Chapter 149

Chapter 60 – Are You Okay?

“The closest thing to being cared for is to care for someone else.” – Carson McCullers

Third Person POV

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“Come on! Is that all you got?!” Jacqueline shouted at the soldiers, ignoring the one groaning under her heel. Her nose flared with every inhale and her braided hair was disheveled. Some soldier trainees flinched in fear from their Beta’s thundering voice. Since she came back from Zircon Moon, the woman busied herself with exercise and training. Working up a sweat provided a distraction from the chaos looming in the air.

As some trainees were brave enough to attack, their female Beta swiftly defeated them, her muscles rippling underneath the scorching sun. Before she knew it, all the trainees were scattered on the ground, defeated. A. Delta called for a time out. Jacqueline groaned. There wasn’t anyone left to fight her, and it frustrated her. Disappointed, she grabbed a towel and a water bottle and took a break on a secluded bench. All the worried energy she hoped to burn off returned with a vengeance.

Losing Kiya angered her. If she had the opportunity, she’d find Osiris and rip open his chest for taking her best friend. Her anger rushed through her like hot lava, fists balling up and her jaw clenched with her unsteady, ragged breathing. She remembered their initial meeting like it was yesterday; her frailty became Jacqueline’s motivation to befriend her. Small, adorable, and full of promise, the Beta watched as Kiya grew from a scared pup to a powerful woman.

Her best friend. Her sister.

She wanted to protect her, always. But her stay at Zircon Moon opened her eyes, truly, to the terrors Kiya faced. Nothing about what they did made sense to her. Jacqueline grew up believing all packs had a duty to protect their members with love. But Kiya wasn’t the first person to prove

her wrong.

Without warning, fingers flicked her nose, causing her to flinch and growl. Jerking her head behind her, she was face–to–face with her identical twin brother’s knowing smirk. She wanted to punch Dwayne in the face, but threw her sweaty towel at him instead.

“Gross.” He muttered, throwing it over the spine of the bench. “How did you not hear me sneaking up on you? That is unlike you, Jack.”

“I was thinking.” Jacqueline grumbled, rolling her eyes. “Don’t you have Beta business to attend to? Last time I checked; it isn’t ‘Annoy Your Sister‘ Day.”

“Ha, its every day in my book.” Dwayne laughed. “But, that’s not why I’m here. I wanted to check up on you to see how you’re doing.”

“As you can see,” She gestured to her body. “I’m fine.”

“You aren’t.”

“I am.”

“Jack, you can’t lie to me. Twins can’t lie to each other; it is a sixth sense thing we have going on.”

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“Ugh.” Jacqueline pinched the bridge of her nose. As much as she hates being checked up on, she missed Bonus brother. The months away from him made her appreciate how lucky she is to have him in her life. Sight 00:59 regarded her brother with a look. Dwayne took it as an invitation to sit beside her on the bench, grasping her

hand.

“Tell me what’s wrong, little sis.”

“It’s just…” She sighed. “I’m concerned about Little Bit, bro. We don’t know if she’s okay. I’m terrified and I’m so fucking pissed off at everything that has happened. We don’t have any answers. But I feel like I failed, somehow.”

“Why would you think that?”

“I vowed I’d protect her, and I didn’t. But…” She clenched her fists. “I’m also mad at her and I shouldn’t be! I wish she told us everything that happened, including what that guard did to her, but I understand why she didn’t. We wouldn’t have gone there to help, or at least made her stay here. Remember how you told me to not burn the place down when I got there?” Dwayne nodded. “I wish I had.”

“When you texted me, I had the right mind to tell you to do it. He chortled. “I know you love Kiya a lot, but don’t blame yourself for what transpired. Anthony has been doing that a lot and I don’t need my sister doing it too.”

Jacqueline sighed, settling her head on her twin’s shoulder. Both have the same height and build, but she’ll always be the smaller of the two. Dwayne wrapped his arm around his sister’s shoulder, rubbing her shoulder.

“This isn’t like what happened with Katrina, you know.” The woman stiffened at the mention of the woman’s name. “Her death wasn’t your fault.”

“I promised her, just like I did Kiya. Maybe if she knew about werewolves, I would’ve had her join the pack. She’d still be alive. I wish she talked to me instead of reading the damn note she left behind. I would’ve killed that stupid human she called a boyfriend.”

“And karma came to him when he died a week later in a car crash. You shouldn’t be taking on responsibilities not meant to be yours.

Jacqueline didn’t want to remember the loss of her first friend. She worked hard to move pass it, yet: she

reminisced. Similar to she didn’t know specific details of their pain until it blew up in their faces. Maybe

Kiya,

it was her instinctive sense to protect those she loves as Beta, or maybe she was terrified of losing more people. That fear trickled in with her mate, a magnificent human with all of humanity’s vulnerabilities.

“I know.” She sighed, wiping her tears before they fell. “I love Kiya, dude. And I miss her. I hope she’s okay, wherever she is. If I joined the search party, I’d go mad looking for her.”

“We’ve got people out there searching. Something will come up, I promise. All you have to do is stop beating the shit out of our trainees because you’re stressed. They have to walk too.”

Jacqueline chuckled, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “I guess I should find another way to relief this tension. right?”

Suddenly, the aromatic perfume of papayas assaulted her nose and a pair of loving lips made their home on

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“It isn’t!” Darien shouted, turning to his lifelong friend. “You have a mate who loves you with his heart! i Bonus the same damn thing and got it crushed because mine couldn’t be bothered with me. How would you kno:53

how I feel?”

“Hey, I’m not trying to say I know how you’re feeling, Odessa took your heart and trampled it underneath her heel. She played you like a fiddle. Your anger should be on her, not Neron.”

“Part of this shit is his fault.”

“I don’t think he asked Odessa to fuck with your heart for his sake.”

Darien sighed in defeat, holding his head. It was easier to blame Neron for the collapse of his relationship- he’s the reason Odessa hurt him. He had every right to be resentful at him and tell him exactly what is on his mind. He knows he didn’t deserve that shit.

“Sirius misses Ariel so much.” He revealed. His voice was low, pinging with sadness. “Those two never got time to be with each other, and I feel like I robbed him of that experience. Hell, Odessa did too. Maybe it was her way of not wanting the mate bond thing to come true.”

“That’s so messed up. How could she deny her wolf her mate?”

“I don’t know. Because of that, I cannot and will not rescind my rejection. Sirius deserves better.”

Class I

“You do too.” Galen smiled small. “Odessa was bitch. If I had the chance, I’d roast her entire lineage. Fucking with your heart is shit I won’t tolerate. Just like the rest of us, you deserve someone who loves you for YOU, not because of power, rank, or other useless crap.”

Heavy silence fell between them for a minute. “…Do you think I have a second–chance mate?” The melody of trickling water suddenly quieted in Darien’s ears, his chest tightening in grief. He was scared. He wanted a mate for so long, but after his struggle with Odessa, he wasn’t certain if he wanted to move forward with another one. “What if they are just like Odessa? My heart can’t take another heartache, Gal.”

Galen placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders, his heart sinking at his despair. “I believe our Moon Goddess is merciful. There is someone out there for you who will cherish you like the king you are. I don’t know who they may be, but there won’t be another person like Odessa for you. She is a special type of selfish.”

Darien thought he should be mad when Galen insulted her, but he wasn’t. The love and care he once had for that she–wolf disintegrated into dust, blown aside by the breeze. He didn’t know if Odessa accepted his rejection, but he didn’t care. Deep in his heart, he felt Sirius‘ pain. His wolf hadn’t spoken to him in a while, licking his wounds. The separation hurt him too.

“I’m just…”

“Afraid? Yeah, I know. Don’t be so worried about another mate; our Moon Goddess will bring the both of you together when the time is appropriate. There is no need to rush the process.

Darien nodded, expelling a shaky sigh. “Thanks for being here, bro. I didn’t know how much I needed Everything is so fucked now, especially with Little Bit gone.”

talk.

“Everybody is worried about her. It is like the light has been sucked out of us.”

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“Do you think she is okay?”

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“Oh, yeah!” Galen grinned. “That girl is a powerhouse and a survivor. I have faith.” He then patted his shoulders once “If you need to talk again Darien, or just need a shoulder to lean on, you know where to find me. We’ve been best friends since we were kids, and I’m not letting you go that easily.”

Darien laughed for the first time in a while, feeling his heart soar with missing happiness. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, dude. Again, thank you. I appreciate it.”

Both men drew into a powerful hug, patting each other on the back. Sharing a tender moment, both allowed the impact on their conversation to settle. Best friends turned brothers–in–arms. Birds returned to the fountain for their mid–afternoon bath as peace settled over them once more. Darien knew Galen was right. He deserved better than Odessa. The pain she caused left a lasting impression on him, but he hoped that if he had a second–chance, it won’t swear him off of mates all together.

He could only hope.

“Darien! Galen! I need you both at the Northern borders, now!” Alpha Anthony ordered through mind–link. Both men jumped apart and sprang into action, heading in the same direction as many soldiers are.

“Alpha, what is the problem?” Galen asked.

“We have visitors.”

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