Karis
Chapter 31
“I can’t believe Upa did that to him,” I argued after they left.
Oma laughed. “I do like that boy, Karis. You chose well to accept him as your mate.”
“Technically I haven’t accepted him yet,” I reminded her.
“And why is that really?” she inquired.
I shrugged. “I guess I was waiting for your approval. I mean, this is a really big deal and I needed to know he was ready to take on all this Alpha mess.”
“Do you love him?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Is he your one true mate, chosen by God himself just for you?”
“Yes.”
“Does God ever make mistakes, child?”
“No, ma’am,” I said grinning.
“So why let it worry you?”
“I guess when you put it that way, I should call him right now to get over here quick and seal the deal.”
Oma chuckled. “You’ll do no such thing. Your Upa is having far too much fun at his expense today. I can’t believe he tried to do all my chores.”
We both laughed.
“Unless you need me this morning, I think I’m going to try to catch up with a few more people today. Several of my friends from high school are also home on fall break this weekend, or they didn’t leave. I know I always kept them at arm’s length, but I’d like to try and fix some of that, you know, get to know them better,” I said.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea. Go,” Amka encouraged.
She had always harped on me about making friends and not shutting others out. I never really saw it that way. They treated me differently and I hated that, but seeing Damon handle the pressures of his sudden Alpha powers with such grace gave me a new perspective on a lot of things. It wasn’t too late to try and fix this. I would be their Pack Mother some day and trust and alliances would be necessary. Plus, Kelsey and Jenna had taught me that I’m not meant to be alone. I needed friends, good friends.
I wanted to see my friend Stacey. I used the term lightly, but we’d hung out a few times and I knew she mated just after high school and they had settled down in our territory. Her mate was a few years older, but we had gone to school with his younger brother, Seth, who had always been nice to me too.
I was actually excited to see them and see her new place. I was nervous, but optimistic that perhaps I would find a true girlfriend in my Pack.
Oma had given me her address and a basket of sweet treats she’d baked to take over. The small cottage was cute. It was white with red shutters and it had a nice front porch I could see us sipping coffee and chatting on.
My hands were shaking when I knocked on the door.
It opened, and Stacey gasped in surprise. “Karis?”
“Hi, I, uh. . .” Before I could finish she squealed and hugged me.
“I didn’t know you were home this weekend. Come in, sit down. Tell me everything.”
I grinned. I knew I had been right about Stacey. I immediately relaxed and handed her the basket Oma had made. I looked around her living room; it was clean and tidy. I couldn’t wait to have a place of my own.
“You’ll have to excuse the mess,” she said after putting the basket in the kitchen. “I’ve been a little under the weather and haven’t left the house much in the last week.”
“I’m sorry you’re feeling bad, but honestly I see no mess here,” I assured her.
“Can you keep a secret?” she said.
“Of course.”
“I’ll probably be feeling poorly for a few months, maybe nine,” she said with a squeal.
I felt like my eyes were going to bug out of my head as I looked down to her hand gently rubbing her stomach. “Oh my gosh! Stacey, that’s wonderful.”
Stacey’s eyes teared up and then she started to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m a bit of an emotional wreck from the hormones. We haven’t told anyone yet, but I thought I’d explode if I didn’t tell someone. I’m so glad you stopped by. Now catch me up and tell me everything. I want to hear all about college life. Have you met anyone there? Everything. Spill!”
“Um, well, okay, yeah. College is great. I love my classes, nothing’s been too difficult.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’ve always been so smart, so that’s no surprise there.”
I blushed at her compliment. “Things aren’t great with my roommate, but we’ve sort of found a happy place I guess. I honestly thought we’d get there and it would be my chance to start over. No one would know who I was. No pressure or expectations to live up to. I thought Sabrina would be my best friend and we’d do everything together.”
“And that didn’t happen?”
“Not even close,” I laughed. “Gosh, was I always that naïve?”
“No, you just put a lot of pressure on yourself. I mean I get it. You have big shoes to fill. I can’t even imagine the stress that must cause you.”
“It’s never really felt like a burden though, Stacey.”
“I know. It’s just who you’re meant to be, and you rock it like no one can. So other than the roommate, life at the ARC is good?”
“Better than good,” I said, and knew I had just given her my dreamy face.
“Oh really? Would this better than good, be of the male variety?”
I giggled. “Am I really that predictable?”
“What’s his name?” she inquired.
“Damon. Damon Rossi. He’s shadowing Upa today as they go over some Alpha stuff or whatever,” I confessed.
Her eyes got big. “You’re serious?”
I didn’t understand her question. “What do you mean?”
“Tulok is mentoring your boyfriend? It must be very serious then. Are you thinking of taking him as a mate?” she asked.
“I guess I should have mentioned first, he’s my true mate. We haven’t sealed our bond yet. I wanted him to visit and meet the Pack first.”
“Karis, are you really worried he’s going to back out? I mean, you’re handing him the position of future Alpha. No one in their right mind would turn that down.”
“It’s not all about that though, Stacey. If I told him I didn’t want this life, and I wanted to run away and live on a deserted island for the rest of our lives, he’d walk away from it all. The thought of being Alpha kind of freaked him out at first. He’s coming around to it. I just want him to be absolutely sure before we take that next step.”
“I think that’s so sweet. He sounds humble. I hope he’s good to you.”
“He’s amazing. I can’t even describe it. You can meet him if you’d like,” I offered.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’d love for him to start making friends while we’re home.”
“This is so exciting! Are you making an announcement while you’re here?”
“No, not this trip. Maybe when we’re home for Thanksgiving, or I guess if we seal our bond before then.”
“Okay then, I’ll keep my mouth shut until an official announcement is made.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m certain rumors will be flying just because I brought a boy home,” I said dramatically. We both giggled.
There was a knock at her door.
“I guess it’s Grand Central Station around here today.”
“I’ll head out and won’t bother you then,” I said, feeling a little disappointed. I thought Stacey and I were making a real connection since I’d let my walls down and opened up to her.
“Oh please don’t leave. Whoever it is I’ll get rid of them quickly,” she whispered.
I smiled and nodded. “Hi Seth. Beau’s still at work.”
“I know. He’s working overtime. Asked if I could swing by and take a look at that leaky sink,” he said.
“Now’s not really a good time. I have company,” she said. Seth walked in, pushing past her anyway. “Karis is home. We were just catching up.”
Seth dropped his tool bag as he stared at me. “Karis, hey. I hadn’t heard you were coming in this weekend. I would have taken off so we could hang out,” he said.
It seemed strange. Seth and I were friendly enough at school, but we’d never just hung out.
“It’s okay. I’m just here for a quick visit to see my grandparents,” I told him. “It wasn’t announced or anything like that. I just stopped by to catch up with Stacey.”
“I’m really glad you did. It’s important we talk,” he said. “Why don’t you finish up here and we can head back to my place. I have some things I need to discuss with you.”
He sounded so serious, but I had no idea what he was talking about. Something he said made my wolf growl in my head.
“Um, thanks Seth, but I’m not sure I really have time for that on this trip. I’m just catching up with Stacey, but then my Oma is expecting me back to help her with a few things,” I said, trying not to freak out. My wolf was extremely uncomfortable around him and I had no idea why.
“Oh,” he said, sounding disappointed. “Guess I’ll see you around later then.”
He turned and left without another word. His tool box was still laying on the floor where he’d dropped it and the leaky faucet project was entirely abandoned. Stacey watched out of the front window until she was certain he was out of earshot then turned to me giggling.
“What was that all about?” I asked her.
“I have no idea. I mean he’s weird on a normal day, but that was strange even for him.”
We visited and talked for several hours, reminiscing about things from our youth and talking about plans for our futures. I had been wrong not to let my guard down with Stacey sooner, and I couldn’t help but wonder how different my life would have been if I had.
It wasn’t that I was mean or disconnected from the people I grew up with. It was more like I kept them at arm’s length even when they had tried to include me in things. I didn’t want to do that anymore, it just wasn’t the life for me.
Going away to college was teaching me who I was and who I wanted to be. I always knew I would grow up to be a strong Pack Mother, respected and revered by my people, but that wasn’t enough anymore. I wanted to surround myself with good people. I didn’t want to be disconnected from others. I needed girlfriends to confide in, and I absolutely wanted to be the best mate possible for Damon and help him to see his full potential.
I looked at the time. The morning had flown by too quickly. I frowned.
“You have to go, don’t you?” Stacey asked.
I nodded. “Oma’s probably already wondering where I am.”
“Thanks for stopping by, Karis. I hope you’ll come see me again the next time you’re home. I know you have a really busy life and more important things to do, but it was so nice to spend time with you today.”
I could tell she genuinely meant it.
“I wasn’t sure about coming over today,” I confessed. “You were always nice to me, but I wasn’t good at letting people in. I’m learning that I need friends in my life, good friends. I sort of made a personal vow to stop getting in my own way of that happening, and when I thought of friends back home you were the first person that came to mind.”
She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Really?”
I nodded and smiled. “Really.”
She surprised me when she reached over and hugged me. “I’d like it if we could be good friends, Karis.”
“Me too, Stacey. Would you mind if we exchanged phone numbers?” I asked her. “I don’t know a whole lot of people our age who have been through this mating madness. It would be nice to have someone to talk to or vent to or whatever.”
I waited, bracing for her to say no.
“Absolutely. Here, give me your phone,” she said. I handed it to her and she punched in her number. “I texted myself so I have yours now too. Seriously, call me any time. Even if it’s just for nothing. It would mean a lot to me too.”
She promised to keep me posted on her pregnancy as we said goodbye. I felt lighter and happier than I had in a long time as I left Stacey’s and headed back to my childhood home.
“Karis,” a voice startled me. I turned towards the woods where I thought it had come from and saw Seth casually stroll out. “I’ve been waiting for you. Come, we must catch up.”
Goosebumps ran up my arms, and not in the good way that Damon caused. My wolf instantly became agitated.
“Oh, hey Seth. Sorry. I’m on my way back to help Oma. She’s waiting on me.”
He looked frustrated and started pacing, which meant his wolf was on edge. Then he calmed and gave me a creepy smile that made me shiver. Something wasn’t right with him. I couldn’t put my finger on it, though. He had always been quiet, a little shy, but sweet. I didn’t know him all that well, but he had been nice to me growing up. There was no reason for me to fear him, yet my instincts said I should and I was big on listening to my inner wolf.
He reached for my hand. “This will only take a minute. I want to show you something.”
I snatched my hand back a little too quickly. It made him irritated.
“I really have to go, Seth,” I told him in a firm voice, turning to walk away.
“I just need a little time. You have to see this. It’s all planned out now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Us, Karis. My wolf finally came in and we can be together now, just like I always knew we would.”
I froze. Was this guy for real? “Seth, we aren’t together. We never will be.”
“Of course we will, baby. You’re my one true mate. Don’t tell me you don’t feel it. And finally you’re here, and I’m here and we can complete our bond that started so long ago.”
I was so shocked by his crazy revelation that I hadn’t realized he was luring me in until it was too late. I was at the edge of the woods. My wolf was spooked by his words, and I turned to bolt for the woods. He may have thought he had an advantage there, but I knew those woods like the back of my hand.
“I love a woman who plays hard to get,” he said in a strange growling voice and gave chase.
My heart thumped in my chest as I ran, cutting right to head towards home. I needed help, or rather he needed help. There was something clearly not right about him. I checked up at a little clearing I didn’t recognize. There was a small lean-to there. I took a quick sniff of the air and stopped cold. It smelled like me. I was so shocked I stopped running for a minute.
“Isn’t it beautiful? And it’s all ours, baby.”
I turned to see Seth entering the clearing.
“What is?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
“This. All of it. I did this for you, Karis. For us.”
He opened the door just enough for me to glimpse inside. The walls were covered with pictures of me. I saw a blanket and stuffed animal that should have been in my room at the Alpha house. How?
“Why do you have my things?” I asked. I needed to run, but I needed answers too.
“You are mine, Karis Begay. Don’t tell me you don’t feel it too. We’re mates. I’ve known it since we were kids and I’ve been preparing this place to worship you ever since. I was just waiting for my wolf to come in to prove it to you.”
“Prove what?” I ask, realizing there was no way to rationally deal with him.
“That you and I are meant to be together.”
“Seth, that’s sweet, but you aren’t my true mate,” I told him.
He started breathing heavy like he was struggling to stay composed. “Don’t say that, baby. You are mine. I will have you. Once I complete the bond, you’ll see.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Seth. You can’t just bite me and make everything better. I am not yours to take, and I will never bite you back. It takes two to seal a bond, not one.”
“You will, sweet Karis. Oh, you will. You will beg to taste my blood once you submit to me and see that I will make a great Alpha with you at my side.”
Oh shit! This guy was entirely delusional, and I needed to get out of there, fast. I turned to run, and this time I wasn’t going to stop. Just as I started, something knocked me hard on the head.
“I didn’t want it to come to this, baby, but I know when you have time to think it over you’ll see that no one loves you the way I do.”
My eyes rolled back in my head and my body went limp. My wolf growled in protest, but darkness took me over quickly.