Chapter 5: Blessed with Two Mates

(Kiera)

Xavier took my hand and guided me to a huge table filled with different types of food. I looked to my right and saw Benny looking at Xavier with a small sad smile on his face and it confirmed my earlier suspicions. Benny is in love with Xavier. Benny looked at me and I smiled. He returns the smile. I grabbed a plate and looked at the food in front of me. Since I had a big breakfast and I wasn’t that hungry, I grabbed some toast, avocado, and a couple of pieces of bacon. I also grabbed a bottle of water, then followed Xavier to the table.

“Hey” I smiled at Benny.

“Hey” he smiled back.

“How was your day?” Benny asked.

“Great. You have a beautiful pack here” I said, and he smiled.

“Where have you been?” I asked.

“Getting some paperwork done. My daddy, the king, says I have to do all my homework if I want to go play”, Benny said with a toddler's voice, and Xavier growled playfully at him and I couldn’t help but laugh, which made both of them look at me in surprise.

“Sorry, but that was funny” I said.

“No need to apologize little bird. It’s just... it's the first time we heard you laugh like that” Xavier says, and I nod.

“So where are you going to go play?” I asked.

“To the club on Friday. Would you guys like to come?” Benny asked Xavier.

“I’ll go if Kiera goes” Xavier said. Benny looked at me and I could see the hope in his eyes.

“Sure, I’ll go” I said, and Benny grinned. We joked around a bit, and I could see the three of us were getting along perfectly.

“Hey Kiera, can we have your number?” Benny asked.

“We?” I questioned.

“Well, you’re my best friend’s mate and I consider you my friend as well, so…” he said, scratching the back of his neck, and I smiled.

“Okay”, I said and put my number on both of their phones and sent myself a message from both of their phones so I could have their number. The three of us got up and began to walk out of the dining room when we heard a squeal and saw a bleached blonde woman jump into Xavier’s arms. She tried to kiss Xavier, but he turned his face. Before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed the woman by her hair and yanked her back, making her hit the ground with a loud umph.

“MINE” I growled, placing a hand on her neck. She clawed at my hand, but I wasn't going to let her go.

“What? He’s my fiancé” the woman choked out, and I cringed and her nasally voice.

“We broke up months ago, Amanda. Get over it and I suggest you be respectful to my mate”, Xavier said from behind me.

“But baby-” she said, and I tightened my grip on her neck, making her scream as my nails pierced her skin. My right hand moved to my throwing knives when, suddenly, I was grabbed by my waist and by the sparks I knew it was Xavier.

“I think she got the memo, little bird. No need to kill her” Xavier whispered in my ear, then nipped my earlobe, making me shudder.

“Leave my pack and don’t come back, Amanda. Next time I won’t pull my mate off of you”, Xavier said in his Lycan King’s voice. Amanda growled at me, so I grabbed one of my throwing knives and threw it at her, nicking her on her left cheek. Her eyes widened and she reached up touching her cheek. I knew that was going to leave a mark because my weapons are laced with silver and wolfsbane.

“That’s just a warning. Next one goes right between your eyes” I gritted out and acted as if I was reaching for another knife.

“You’re going to pay for this bitch” she snarled. This time I did reach for another knife, but she turned and took off like a bat out of hell. I put my head down and closed my eyes. I needed to calm down so my eyes could go back to their normal color. I wasn’t ready to tell them about my secret.

“Little bird, are you okay?” Xavier asked. I took a deep breath, taking in Xavier's scent and felt my eyes go back to normal and I looked at Xavier.

“I’m fine” I said then saw Benny grabbing the throwing knife I had nicked Amanda with.

“Be careful, the blade is laced with silver and wolfsbane” I said, making them both look at me.

“What? I’m a hunter” I said.

“Haven’t you ever gotten hurt?” Benny asked.

“I’ve been training ever since I was eight. I’m good at what I do”, I said as he handed me my knife.

“I should go. I have something I need to do” I said. It wasn’t a lie. I needed to blow off some steam.

“Kiera, I’m sorry about Amanda-” I raised my hand, stopping Xavier from apologizing.

“You don’t need to apologize. I know you and her aren’t together. Some people just don’t know how to take no for an answer, but I still have something I have to do. Call me later” I said and walked out of the castle before he or Benny could say anything else. I got in my truck and drove back to my cabin. When I got back home, I sniffed the air making sure I was alone. Then I take off my shirt, and stay in my sports bra. I closed my eyes, lifting my face to the sky and I let my wings come out. I spread my wings as far as I could, absorbing the warmth of the sun. I felt really good. I flapped my wings and took off. I flew for about an hour, then went back to the cabin. Now that my anger had subsided, I brought my wings back into me. I grabbed my phone and sat on the porch. I tried calling my mom, but there was no answer. I haven't heard from her since we parted ways and, to be honest, I'm worried.

“Where are you mom?” I said to myself. I began to play a game on my phone for thirty minutes until I got bored. I sighed and went inside the cabin. I closed the door and took off my boots. Then changed to my pajamas. I went back into the living room and flopped down on the sofa. I looked through the tv and settled on an old movie called ‘Tremors’. Just as the movie ended, I heard a blood-curling scream. I went to my room and grabbed one of my swords, opened the front door, and walked outside. I walked deeper into the woods. I sniffed the air and the scent of blood, burnt wood, and rotten meat hit my nose. I knew ferals were around.

I needed to stay alert. Just then I heard a twig snap. I got to a fighting position, ready for what was coming, but I was shocked when I saw a child running and covered in blood. She had her thumb in her mouth and her eyes were wide with fear. It was like she wasn’t looking where she was running because she ran right into me. She couldn’t be older than a year or a year and a half. She had some bruises and scratches on her. I put my sword down and kneeled in front of her. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt with a Minnie Mouse on it, but no shoes.

“Hi, sweety” I said softly, and she blinked as if she had not seen me until now. She took her thumb out her mouth and her bottom lip quivered as if she was about to cry.

“It’s okay baby” I said, picking her up and grabbing my sword as I stood. I have no idea what was going on, but I need to make sure she is safe, clean, and fed before I come back and see where her parents are. I let my wings come out and flew back to the cabin. Once I got there, I let my wings go back into my back, then looked around sniffing the air before I went inside. I locked the door and closed the curtains. I go to my bathroom and turn on the shower. My pajamas now had blood, but I didn’t care. I wanted to make sure this child was okay. I put her down on the floor and the little girl looked around. I could still smell her fear.

“You’re safe here. I won’t let anyone hurt you” I said as she looked up at me with her big blue eyes. I smiled as I tested the water. I began to undress her. I put her in the shower, but she held on to my hand. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to give her a proper shower and get all that blood off of her if she didn’t let go of my hand. So, I did the best thing I could and got in with her. I still had my clothes on though. I got on my knees and gently washed her hands, arms, neck, legs, and feet. She was watching me the whole time.

“I need to wash your face. Can you close your eyes for me?” I asked. She looked at me for a few seconds before closing her eyes tight. I washed her face then rinsed it making sure no soap was left on her eyes or close to her eyes.

“Good job, sweetie”, I smiled, making her open her eyes. She lifted her hand and placed it on my cheek before sitting down on the shower floor. I needed to wash her hair really good, so I also sat on the floor with her and began to wash her hair. I would tell her when to close her eyes and she would do it. I had to wash her hair three times to get all the blood out. Once I was done, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her, then dried her hair with another towel.

“Stay right here, okay?” I said, then quickly grabbed a towel for me and went out the bathroom. I took off my wet clothes and put on some clean underwear and bra, then quickly changed my clothes to black camo pants, long black sleeve shirt, and black combat boots. I looked for the smallest shirt I had and grabbed a pair of new underwear I had, then went back to the bathroom. I put the panties on her and had to make a knot on both sides for them to stay up. I then put the smallest t-shirt I had on her, and it was still long on her. I picked her up and took her to the kitchen. I kept the lights off and used the light on my phone so she wouldn’t get scared. I took out some bread and peanut butter. I made her a sandwich. She ate it fast.

“Do you want more?” I asked her when I saw her eyeing the bread. She nodded her head, and I made her another one. This time she took her time, and I gave her a warm cup of milk. When she finished, I took her to the bathroom. I took out an extra toothbrush I had. I put a bit of toothpaste on it and brushed her teeth. She bit the toothbrush a couple of times, but I successfully brushed her teeth. I then picked her up and placed her on my bed. I could feel her fear picking back up as she looked around. I cupped her little face.

“I will protect you”, I assured her then I sang a lullaby my mom used to sing to me when I was small.

“A dream is a wish your heart makes… when you’re fast asleep… in dreams you lose your heartaches. Whatever you wish for, you keep… Have faith in your dreams and someday… your rainbow will come smiling through… No matter how your heart is grieving… if you keep on believing… The dream that you wish will come true…” I sang it again until her breathing and heartbeat evened out. I grabbed one of my black half ski masks. The only thing that was visible was my eyes and forehead. I then grabbed my keys to the house and grabbed my sword. I walked out of the house and locked the door behind me. I made my way to where I had found the little girl. I pulled down the ski mask a bit and sniffed the air and followed the stench of blood. The stench of the ferals was not as strong around, which was good. It meant that they were gone.

I continued following the scent of blood which led me deeper into the woods. As the scent of blood got stronger, I took out my sword. I looked around and my eyes landed on two bodies. I got closer and saw that the male had his throat ripped out and his chest was clawed. I checked on the female and I could see the resemblance to the little girl.

‘These must be her parents’, I thought to myself. I sniffed the air, and I caught the little girl’s scent on both of them. I noticed the woman had something in her hand. I looked closer to see it was a locket. I took it and opened it. There was a picture of the little girl on one side and a picture of both the male and female on the other side. On the back of the locket was something carved, but it was covered in blood, so I couldn’t read it. I put it in my pocket.

I heightened my senses to make sure no one was around. There was no way I could leave them like that. I got back to the cabin and went to the back of the house and grabbed a shovel. I went back to where the little girl’s parents were and began to dig two holes. By the time I buried them it was two thirty in the morning. I made my way back to the house. I grabbed some underwear and pajamas. I went to the bathroom and undressed. I kept the sword close just in case. I got in the shower. I grabbed my loofa and body wash. I poured some of my body wash on my loofa, then washed my body. I then washed my face and rinsed it off. I let the hot water hit my back. I really felt bad for this little girl. Both of her parents are dead, most probably from those ferals I smelled earlier. See rogues smell like burnt wood, but ferals… they smell like burnt wood and rotten meat, which is how I knew it was ferals. The question is what am I going to do with her?

I sighed, turning off the shower and grabbing a towel. I dried myself and got dressed. I grabbed my dirty clothes along with the little girl’s clothes and my pajamas from earlier and put it all in the washer, but then I remembered the locket. I dug in my pants pocket and took it out, put the pants in the washer and turned on the washer. I then went to the kitchen and turned on the faucet. I cleaned off the blood from the back of the locket.

“To my little Emma. Love mom and dad” I sighed again.

‘Her name must be Emma’ I thought to myself. I opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water and walked back into my room. I laid on the empty side of the bed. After I drank some water, I laid down. Not long after I fell asleep.

***