40 - Deep Breath

40 - Deep Breath
~Hannah’s Point of View~




I can’t help myself as I nibble on Parker’s ear while we’re supposed to be paying attention. Since getting mated, my body is just dialed up to 10 every second of the day. I’m on sexual overdrive and there’s no getting enough. My body hardly gets tired anymore, I could just go all day and night.




Frederick says we’re naturally born to move, run, exercise. He didn’t say the big word but he hinted around it for sure. Born to breed I’m willing to bet. There’s no way a beastly creature with a lust for blood and fighting doesn’t want to get off 24/7. Also, since my shift I swear to the Goddess my hips have moved and are wider and I literally FEEL ready to pop out a kid. 




Pay attention. My mind tells me, and I turn to narrow my eyes at my mother.




She winks quickly though, and that makes me blush. I never dreamed I’d find my mother, let alone have her find me in the throes of getting mated. 




AWKWARD!!!




“And that’s when our surprise fighters will come in the next wave,” the Alpha says, pointing to a map.




That’s you, pay attention, my mind says, as I press my lips into a hard line. Yeah, I don’t need both my uncle and mother in my head all the time.




“Parker? You feeling good,” a male asks, kicking at my mate’s thigh.




“Never better Hunter, thanks to your pack’s help, and my mate,” he says, turning toward me and wiggling his eyebrows. I blush before I can help myself.




“Right, well keep it in your pants today all right? Celebrate after we have this fuck’s head,” Hunter replies, making me stiffen my back.




I nearly think that Oliver will be just like Hunter when he gets older. Serious, matter of fact but a very dry sense of humor. It was so hard to leave the boys at the pack, but I made sure that it wasn’t good-bye.




“We have to be prepared that they’ll have weapons, we’ll have a dozen armed fighters that won’t shift,” Rafe says, as I see everyone preparing to head out. I get to my feet as I feel my mother’s nervous gaze on me.




“I know mom,” I simply say, feeling her through our bond. She’s anxious and maybe a little bit afraid. I’m not used to having someone care like that, and a big part of me doesn’t want to let her down. She’s already had more grief and tragedy than anyone should have to.




Underestimating Isaac is what led to him escaping jail back at Nightwind, it can’t happen again. While I know he’s got a ton of enemies from his gambling and drinking habits, he’s paid off a lot of people. He’s got powerful friends who likely know he’s a Rhodes and that means something.




“Rafe? Did you ever find out who helped Isaac escape,” I ask, putting my hand on his shoulder as the tent becomes empty. 




He wraps his arm around me, leading me outside.




“No, and it’s pissed us off this entire time. I just can’t believe there’s anyone that dumb. My father would have their head no doubt. It’s absolute treason,” he says, as a light goes off in my head.




“Rafe! Who’s someone that hates me, thinks they’re invincible and doesn’t fear punishment,” I say, stopping him. 




“My mom,” Parker says, laughing. I pause at that, but know that I hadn’t even met the female yet. Hadn’t tried to tear her family apart, as she claims now.




“Cassandra! What if she distracted a guard or something and helped him escape? You said yourself that having him there kept you from her. You were interrogating him for a solid day then you were by my side hoping I’d wake. We messed up her precious time with you,” I question, as I look between my mates.




Rafe turns nearly white as a ghost. Parker eyes him for a response and I put my hands on my hips. 




“I can’t believe she’d be that dumb but… Fuck,” Rafe mutters, as he seems to have ten thoughts at once. 




“She didn’t really hate you then though,” he questions, as I raise my eyebrow.




“She hated any attention taken off of her, of that I’m certain,” I defend.




“No time to think about that now but we will at a later time I promise,” Rafe says, as many around us begin to shift. I nod to myself and try to loosen up. 




The entire way here the two lycans tried to give me pointers and advice on how I could shift on demand, but I wasn’t able to do it. They say that anger or having to be defensive fuels it, and that’s how I was able to partially shift earlier when I marked my mates. My mom had slapped me out of the blue and it got me instantly pissed off. The shift wasn’t immediate, but even a few minutes of stewing about it just got me even more angry.




Even when I knew she did it to help me. It’s like the caveman part of my brain took over and only cared about revenge. I literally began to crave her blood, wanting to take it to appease the thirst. No matter that we’re related, I just had tunnel vision.




I still don’t know what to make of all that, it isn’t normal. None of this is normal.




But when has anything in my life been like … well Scarlett’s life. She’s truly got a picture perfect normal life. 




“We’re gonna shift baby,” Parker says, as they both kiss my cheeks. 




Within minutes we’re all walking, following Frederick though we’ll be splitting up in a minute. I look to either side and see my mates proudly moving and ready. It took me long enough to ask about their wolves but I now know they are Cruz and Crush which is just adorable. There’s still so many things I need to do and spending one on one time with those four legged hotties is high on my list. It really does bother me that I can’t mind chat them though, especially right now.




I still don’t like this. I hear in my head, and know it’s my mom. I don’t know how to explain when I know it's her or Frederick, my brain just does. 




I send her back vibes that say it’s okay. Isaac held so much over me for so long and if I don’t ever get to face him, I’ll regret it. I’ll feel incomplete.




The Barclay scouts reported at least fifty rogues in the area, and I have no doubt on Isaac’s payroll. I hope they got paid up front cause he’s not good for it, alive or dead.




My body never got the chance to know his scent as a lycan, otherwise I’d probably be able to track him within a mile now.




Someone whistles and my mates take off running, with several other wolves. My body immediately misses them close, hates not to have eyes on them. But I can’t let it be a distraction. Pax is with them, and that brings me comfort, I know that he is also a great fighter.




Several minutes pass as I pace, hating to wait. 




“News? Does anyone have eyes on Isaac,” I ask, one of the Barclay warriors. He shakes his head.




“We’re moving to location B on Alpha’s orders, let’s go,” someone says, and I’m to at least be moving. Though not even half way there, my entire being rocks with what can only be described as an explosion. 




I turn swiftly, ready to run toward it but a hand lands on my arm.




“No Hannah, you wait,” my mother snaps. I glare at her, knowing fully well she’s not supposed to be in my group. I should have known.




“I lost you to that bastard once, I won’t let it happen twice,” she says, nearly in a whisper as her eyes glass over. I bite my lip and nod. 




I got the brief and condensed version of how I was taken from my mom. In a raid, in the night. They came like cowards … their usual style. They came from all directions, it was pure chaos and the pack wasn’t even remotely ready for any such thing. Never saw it coming until it was too late. The Rhodes thrive on chaos and I realize now that’s mostly what my life was, if I think about it. Never in the same place for long, always strange people coming and going. Little explanations of anything. I had to adapt.




“Challenges force us to show what we’re made of.”




What damn challenges did Isaac have? All self imposed while I was stuck along for the ride.




“I’m loyal to you, no one else is.”




Always making me distrust everyone. Think that everyone but him is inherently bad and up to no good. 




What a damn joke!




As I pace I only grow more angry, until I can feel it practically bubbling in my veins. When I look down at my hand again, it’s that of a lycan. I quickly feel my face beginning to distort, and my height growing. When I blink rapidly, my vision has changed too. Everything about my senses gets so much more intense when I’m shifted, yet my vision kind of goes to shit. I can’t focus that well, but Frederick says it's to force me to use everything else. Apparently a lycan’s sense of hearing and smell are by far their best weapon.




While my lycan brain may not know Isaac’s exact personal scent, I more than know his cigars and cologne. The reek of patchouli and tobacco is permanently lodged in my psyche. I close my useless eyes and draw a deep breath. My brain goes to work, bringing the scent to the forefront of our memories. I know he won’t even try to hide that, it won’t be something he’ll even think about.




I tell myself over and over we’ll find him. I tell my lycan half that scent is the enemy and when I open my eyes again, suddenly I’m like a dog looking for a raw steak. 




He’s here, and there won’t be any telling my lycan to sit idle. I’m moving despite the calls to stop. My feet pound the earth, my breathing immediately gets heavy and labored. The scent of the cigar hits deep in my lungs, like he’s actively smoking one. Those things could have killed him slowly, but they’re going to help me kill him a lot faster.