Catori
Is it sad that I have been avoiding my mates? I’m the first one to tell other people what to do, tell them how it is, give out sound advice, yet I can’t take my own. It’s not that I don’t want them, to be near them, to claim them, but the thought of Elijah is holding me back. I’m not ready to tell them about him, about what happened. I know I’ll have to. They have the right to know, but I’m not sure how they would handle it. That right there is the main reason I don’t want to tell them. I groan. I need to get over myself, suck it up, and just do it. I flop back onto my bed. Callie should be here any minute. Maybe if I talk it out with her, it will help ease my mind. As if thinking about her conjures her, the doorbell rings.
I roll off the side of my bed, landing on my feet. As I make my way down the hall, to the stairs, the doorbell rings again.
“I’m coming. Hold your horses!” I yell. I pick up the pace a little faster. As I open the door I say, “A little impatient are…” I don’t finish my sentence because Callie is not stand on the porch. Instead it’s Stephan, Ivan, and Josh. My mates.
Well shit.
I thought I would have had a little more time before they would seek me out. I should have known better. Once you find your mate, it’s pretty hard to not want to be around them, to smell them, to touch them, to claim them. It’s hard even for me, but I’m made of stronger stuff, and there are some things that we need to talk about before we make any life altering decisions.
“Wh-wh…” I clear my throat. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Now Kitty Cat, you know exactly why we are here.”
I have a pretty good idea, but I still what to hear him say it. “I don’t know what you mean,” I say as I cross my arms. I look at Ivan, and he mimics my stance.
“Don’t play dumb. Why are you avoiding us?” he growls. I shrug my shoulders. I didn’t want to tell them the truth, plus, I want to see how far I can push Ivan. Mostly, because I want to know if he has a gooey center, like Graydon. He growls, and I smile.
Josh rolls his eyes. “Can we come in and talk?”
I sigh but step to the side. I wonder if I can stall enough for Callie to get here. All of my guys enter, taking a look around. I move around them and point my head in the direction of the living room. I take the chair, just so I can sit by myself. They take up the couch. For a few minutes, we all have a stare down; no one saying anything.
Ivan is the first to break the silence. “For the love of all things holy. Why are you avoiding us, Catori?”
I shake my head.
“You know you can tell us, right? We’re mates. We’re here to support you, make you better, stronger. We’re not here to judge you,” Josh says.
It takes everything in me not to breakdown and cry. I know he’s right, it's just something that is hard to talk about. Okay Cat just do it. Like ripping off a Band-Aid. I inhale deeply, which was a bad mistake because the air is permeated with their scent. I growl. They smell amazing. All I want to do is sink my teeth into them, mark them, make them mine. I peer over at them; my eyes meeting Stephan’s. A knowing smirk breaks out on his face. He knows exactly why I growled, the jerk. I narrowed my eyes briefly, before sighing.
“Fine, but I’m setting some ground rules before I tell you.” They all nod. “One, I don’t want your pity. What I have to say isn’t easy. Two, I don’t want to hear any jealousy. And three, wait until I’m done before you ask any questions or say anything. I don’t want to lose my nerve.”
They all look at each other, and I know what must be going through their heads. The major thing is curiosity. What the hell could I have to say that would warrant those rules? Like I said, once I start I want to get it out. No interruptions.
“Done. Please tell us,” Josh says softly.
I look away. It’s the only way I know I can start. “So, a few years ago I had met my mate.” I glance quickly at them. Confusion, hurt, and anger quickly flash over their faces. I look away, focusing on the window. “Elijah just moved to town, and my friend Kelsey saw him first. She tried to stake a claim on him. She always had to have the best. She wanted the new, good-looking guy. At that time, Kelsey and I were best friends. She was walking down the hall with him, showing him around the school, when she spotted me. I knew who he was the moment he stepped in front of me.
“He was mine, my mate. I told Kelsey, thinking that would be the end. You know, once you find a mate everyone backs off. They know that they’re not single, not available. I don’t know what changed in her, but she wouldn’t let it go. I even asked her if by some chance he was her mate too. I didn’t think he was, but you never know. She said he wasn’t. So, I didn’t understand why she was still fascinated by him, knowing he would never give her a chance.
“For weeks, I watched her trying to make a play at him, but like a true mate he never gave in. I finally had to step in and threaten her. I thought it worked. Kelsey backed off and moved onto the next victim. Or so I thought. In hindsight, she was just biding her time, making plans. She invited us to one of her parties. Claiming, she was trying to make amends for the way she acted. I should have known better, especially the way she was acting recently. But I wanted to believe her, to believe she was sorry. She was my best friend.”
I sigh. “We went. I left Elijah for a few minutes to use the restroom. When I came back, he was gone. I asked around to see if anyone saw where he went or to see if he told someone where he was going. It took me too long to find him. By the time I did, it was too late.” I didn’t know I was crying, and I didn’t hear Josh move until he was kneeling in front of me wiping away my tears. I curled my hands around his wrist, needing an anchor to get the next words out. “Elijah died. I learned later that Kelsey lured him there, using me as the reason. Whatever her plan was, it didn’t go as she hoped, and one thing lead to another. I will never get the sight of how his neck was bent at a weird angle; how his lifeless eyes seemed to just stare at me in the darkness, or the remorseless look on Kelsey’s face. She claimed he tripped and fell; hitting his head on a rock. I didn’t believe it then and I still don’t. I had no way of proving she lied. I wasn’t there to see it happen, and no one else stepped forward to combat what she was saying. Kelsey got away with it, and I lost my mate and best friend that night. I hate that I may never know what actually happened. It’s not that I don’t want to be with you guys, because I do. And I’m sorry that I’ve been avoiding you, but I don’t know how to handle this.”
I was expecting a barrage of questions, but when I finally got the courage to look at them, it wasn’t pity that I saw in their eyes. Instead, I saw understanding, affection, and acceptance. They were all kneeling in front of me. Each placing a hand on me, showing their support. In that moment, I knew I would do anything for them. They didn’t have to say anything. Them just being here was enough.
“Were you afraid to tell us about Elijah?” Josh asks. I nod. “Why? We would never try to replace him or make you forget. I’m just sorry he isn’t here to see what a fierce, strong person you are. He would be proud of you.”
I let go, letting myself cry. I was pulled from the chair and unto someone’s lap, but they all kept a hand on me, trying to sooth me. They didn’t rush me. They sat quietly until I calmed down and eventually stopped. I looked up, getting ready to thank them, when I felt the stirring of a vision.
Heaving breathing, grunting, and footsteps echo around me. The creaking of a door opening and suddenly a flash of bright white light. The room is bathed in a soft glow. There are no windows, and a lone chair with shackles in the center. The person who was heavily breathing bends and plops someone in the chair. He makes quick work of the bindings, trying the person to the chair. He takes a step back. The person has a black canvas bag over their head. The sound of high-heeled shoes comes next.
“Oh good, you were successful,” Circe says as she enters the room. “I want to play with her a little bit before I give her over. She’s been more of a problem than what she’s worth. I’m so going to enjoy this.”
Circe walks over to the figure in the chair, grabbing the bag, pulling it up and off the person’s head. There sitting bound to a chair, slummed over, is Callyn.
“Oh yes, this is going to be fun,” Circe grins as she yanks Callyn’s head back.
“Cat.”
“Kitty Cat, come on, come back to us. Did we break her?”
“Why isn’t she responding?”
It takes me a few seconds, but I finally register what my guys were saying. “Guys, I’m fine.”
“What the hell just happened?” Ivan growls.
“I had a vision. You know I’m the Alpha Queen’s prophetess.” They all nod their heads. “Well, I have visions. I don’t know when I’m going to get them. I get this tingly feeling right before I’m thrown into one. I get this blank look on my face. I zone out. There is nothing you can do. I won’t come out of it until the vision is done. Speaking of, I need to get ahold of Callie. What I just saw…” I shiver. “... I need to warn her and her mates. I need to stop it from happening.”
I pull my phone out my pocket and text Callie. As I start messaging Callie, the guys start talking amongst themselves.
Me: Where are you?
Callie: I’m just getting ready to head over to your house. Why?
Me: Stay where you are and get the boys. They need to be with you. I had a vision, and it’s really important. I need all of you there.
Callie: Shit, really? I’ll message them. Meet us at my house.
Me: Heading there now.
I get up, walk over to the stand, grab my wallet and keys and head for the door. I look behind me and the guys are still in the same position they were in when I got up, kneeling on the floor in front of the chair.
“You guys coming or what?”
“Wait, you’re driving?” Josh questions.
“Um, yeah. Why not? You see that big, beautiful, black truck with the neon green rims outside? That is my baby.”
“Oh, hell no,” Ivan bellows. “You can’t think we would let you drive knowing what happens when you have a vision, especially after seeing it first-hand.”
I start to laugh, and I mean belly busting, bent over laughing. No one joins in. “Oh, you’re serious,” I say, once I could control myself.
“I’ve never had one driving, and like I just said, I get a tingly feeling right before I have one, giving me plenty of time to move over. I’d like to see you try and stop me.”
“Someone grab her keys.”
“Lay one hand on my keys and I’ll break your damn fingers,” I say menacingly.
“Fine, then one of us is with you at all times.”
“You can’t be serious?”
“You bet your sweet little ass I am.”
“Whatever. It’s not like you can actually be with me twenty-four seven.”
“That’s what you think.”
“Look, I don’t have time for this right now. I have something of importance to tell Callie and her mates. Now, if you would quit wasting my time, by arguing, can we get going?”
“After you.”
The guys follow me out to my truck. Besides that vision I had of all of them dying, this is another vision I can’t see come true.