77. What the hell just happened?

I look at my luggage before checking that of the kids. I make sure that everything is packed and that we’re good to go.

Lilly and I decided to go via car instead of flying. Bash was willing to give us one of his private jets but I thought it would be more fun going by road. It would be sort of like a road trip.

Both him and Micah had been against the idea at first but we reached a compromise. Hunter was to drive and bring us back.

“You guys leave yet?” Bash’s voice sounds in my mind.

I will never get used to how deep and sexy it sounded. I could hear him talk for hours without getting tired of listening to him.

“Not yet, I was just going through everything while waiting for Lilly to arrive.” I pause. “Hunter is here though and he’s set and ready”

“The kids?”

“Excited as hell for the road trip, more so Krystal. She’s never been to a beach before” I tell him.

Darren isn’t a fan of oceans or any large water body for that matter. So we’ve never vacationed on the beach.

I’ve always wanted to take Krystal but with how things were for Darren I felt like it would be insensitive to go for a vacation and leave him behind. I was happy that now I can finally fulfil Krystal’s wish.

“That’s good. I hope they have fun…If I finish my business earlier then I’ll make a detour and come” he says before continuing.

I smile even though he can’t see me. “I would love that”

“Shit, I already miss you, how’s that fucking possible when I just left yesterday?” He asks genuinely confused. Like he can’t figure it out.

“I don’t know” I giggle, something I’ve never done in my entire life. “But, I can’t wait for the catch up sex. Hot, sweaty and rough”

I hear him groan. “Damn it Red, I’m in a fucking meeting now is not the time to get rock hard”

“If it makes you feel better, I’m wet and I miss you, well your dick mostly”

“You know what, I’m just going to cut this conversation off for now. We’ll resume it when we’re both not preoccupied and we can have telepathic sex”

I laugh. “Okay Alpha mate, we’ll talk later”

“Let me know when you get there” he commands.

“Will do” When he cuts off the mindlink, I start carrying our bags down.

After that night we had sex in the car, we got home and he dragged me into his bedroom. We ended up having sex again before falling asleep in the early hours of the morning.

The next day he asked me to move back into his bedroom. I agreed, seeing no reason to sleep in separate bedrooms anymore. Besides, I preferred to being fucked to sleep and being woken up with his tongue between my legs, instead of waking up alone.

We didn’t amend the contract but we agreed on the sex. We couldn’t resist the pull between us and it was futile to try and do so. So why not just give each other what we both wanted?

I was carrying the last suitcase down when I heard a car outside. It must be Lilly.

The door opens and she walks in. “Are you ready for the best most unforgettable mini vacation”

I chuckle. “Definitely. This is going to be fun”

“Krystal! Jax! Come down, we’re about to leave” I shout their names.

It doesn’t take long before a door opens and they are rushing down stairs.

“Hi Auntie Lilly” they both say in unison.

Lilly steps forward and hugs them. Kissing their cheeks. “I’m fine now that my eyes have seen you both. I was missing something and now I realize it was a vitamin called Jax and Krystal”

They laugh like crazy at what she said.

“You’re so cheesy” Jax tells her, grinning from ear to ear.

“But you love me anyways don’t you?”

“Definitely” both he and Krystal reply.

I was about to call Hunter but he walks in. “You guys ready to go?” he asks, his hands already on our bags.

“Yeah!” the kids shout before I can answer.

The excitement was making my day. After the disastrous outing they needed this.

It didn't take long for Hunter to load all our bags in the SUV, minutes later we were on the road. It was going to be a six hour long drive but I was excited nonetheless.

About four hours into the drive, Krystal and Jax dozed off after we had lunch at a certain diner. Lilly, Hunter and I chatted. Though it was mostly just me and Lilly since Hunter was focused on the road.

“So tell me about your family. I'd like to know something about them before meeting them” I tell Lilly.

She smiles wide and I can tell the love she has for them is unending. Lilly is a sweet soul and anyone who meets her immediately knows it. I don’t make friends easily but something about her just clicked.

It’s hard to explain but something just drew me to her.

“Well, my dad is called Lucas and my mother is Valery. They’re the former alpha and luna of the Coastside pack which is now run by my older brother Luke”

I smile. “Was naming you brother Luke, your father’s or mother’s idea?”

“Definitely my mom. She wanted to name him Lucas after my father but he didn’t want him to be known as Lucas the second or Lucas junior. He thought that was stupid so she settled on Luke. It was the closest thing to Lucas” she grins. The affection for her family is clear in her voice.

“So both you and your brother’s names begin with L similar to your dad, was that also on purpose or purely accidental?” Hunter asks, joining the conversation.

She laughs. “It was on purpose”

“Tell me more, what sort of people are they?” I ask.

“Dad is the typical dad, sweet but tough when needed to be. He’s the best father anyone can ask for growing up. My mom on the other hand is really sweet and doesn’t know how to say No to anyone. Just like you and Bash, they're chosen mates. I don’t know much about dad’s fated mate, he always said it was too painful for him to think about her so he’d rather not open closed wounds. I asked mom about it and she told me that his mate died while mom’s mate rejected her for someone else. They’re happy though, just like you and Bash. They’ve been together for more than twenty years”

I let that sink in. Thinking of how great it was of the goddess to bring two broken souls together and give them happiness and love. I don’t know if mine and Sebastian’s contract will go past three years but I do now that for now I am happy.

“I’m glad they found their happiness because everyone deserves that” I tell her. She nods her head.

“Luke is the typical arrogant dominant alpha male but he also has a sweet side just like dad. He’s loyal and loves deeply. He hasn’t found his mate yet, but Oracle Sylvia told him this year will be the year he finds her” she continues “One thing I have to warn you beforehand is that our pack is a little backwards. Any modern technology especially phones, tablets and tv’s are frowned upon. They rarely even get newspapers let alone magazines. I love my pack but I was glad when my mate turned out to be from a different pack. Their backwardness used to irritate me especially when I was in high school and everyone else had phones except for me” she huffs.

“You’re being serious right now? So there’s isn’t even Wi-Fi” Hunter asks “There’s definitely no Wi-Fi. Except for electricity, it’s like we still live in the dark ages. Luke is trying to change things but he’s having a hard time convincing the pack, especially the older generation since it’s what they’re used to” she replies.

Wow, this was a lot to handle. I wish she had told me that before inviting us. Maybe I wouldn’t have agreed so easily. But then again, isn’t the whole idea of a vacation about relaxing? It wasn’t ideal but maybe we could make it work.

“That’s okay. We’ll make it work. Besides, there is the beach. What else do we need?”

I munch on some of the snacks as we continue to talk. For some reason the closer we got the more nervous I became. I pushed the feeling down and focused.

When we finally get to the pack, the smell of the oceans hits me and I breathe it in. It calms me. We park the car where Lilly directs us, near a huge Victorian mansion. Krystal and Jax who were now awake jump out of the car in excitement.

I get out and survey the compound. The houses I could see were all similar in a way. All of them looked like they were built in the Victorian era.

“Ren, could you please go and get someone to help Hunter will the luggages? My seat belt is jammed”

“Okay”

I turn and walk towards the house, with Krystal and Jax following behind me. I step on the porch and knock since there wasn’t a door bell.

I hear footsteps and the door swings open.

“Hi…” I begin but the woman's gasp interrupts me.

“Hailey?” she asks in shock right before her eyes roll to the back of her head and she collapses.

I stand there frozen and speechless What. The. Hell. Just. Happened? And more importantly why did she call me Hailey?