~Tia~
“Here we are,” Neal states as we stop in front of the clinic. We took a nice, leisurely walk to the clinic, chatting and laughing on
the way. “I suggest you get that hand looked at, just to be sure that everything is okay.” Neal reaches out and runs his hand down
my arm before griping above my elbow and giving it a squeeze. As Neal walks away, my mom walks out of the clinic.
“Uh, what’s that all about?” My smile falters a bit.
“What do you mean? That was Neal, he walked me down here.” My mom walks up to me, stopping right in front.
“Yeah, I got that part. I was more wondering why that would be.” Mom gives me a quick hug and steps back. “Where are your
mates?” I sigh and shrug my shoulders. I really didn’t want to revisit all of that right now. I finally got my anger under control.
“I came to get my hands checked. I’m sure they’re fine though. I spent some time with the punching bag without any barrier.”
Mom grabs my hands and starts to inspect them while making eye contact with me here and there.
“Everything looks fine. I’m sure you will be okay and if there is anything wrong, Andricia will take care of it.” Mom starts to rub the
back of my hands. “Is there anything you want to tell me?” I really didn’t want to get into all of this with my mom. I don’t know
what she would say, but I’d rather figure things out myself.
“No. Everything is okay.” Mom sighs.
“Let me just say…….be careful. You have two mates who adore you and it would be easy to let outside influences interfere. Just
be mindful of who you spend your time with.” Mom kisses my forehead and walks back into the clinic.
She’s right. I don’t like being around Neal. Something about the entire thing feels off.
What do you mean? He just wants to be friends and try to make up for when we were kids.
Just be careful. Something doesn’t sit right with me. Andricia has always been less likely to forgive people. We have always had
a back-and-forth about it. She’d rather scorch the Earth and rid us of anyone who even looked at us funny. I prefer to see what
people are about because sometimes people can change. I’m in desperate need of a shower, so I turn back toward the
packhouse. I don’t get far before a mindlink comes in.
B***H!!!!! Where the f**k have you been?! Damn! I completely forgot about Mark and Lynn. I think it’s because I’m used to not
seeing them regularly that I forget that they are around. I can spend as much time with them as I like these days.
I was just leaving the clinic. I was going to take a shower.
You have been neglecting us, and that’s not cool. Mark and I have had to hear things through the grapevine. Who the hell is
Jenna? Why is there a ‘Neal’ in the mix? You have a lot of explaining to do. I guess I can’t be surprised that secrets aren’t kept
around here. Too many eyes to see and too many mouths to report.
I will come find you after my shower. I swear.
You better, b***h!
~Lincoln~
I stayed away a lot longer than I wanted to, but being an Alpha, what choice do I have? We had a couple of issues that needed
to be attended to. I figured it made more sense for me to do it and give Landon time alone with Tia. She needs the one on one
time just as much as she needs time with us together.
I walk through the woods to get back to the packhouse, and a wave of anger hits me in full force. Something is not right with
Landon, and I can feel it. I hope that he and Tia didn’t get into an argument. I make my way to the treeline and shift into my
human form. I find a pair of shorts in a tree trunk and throw them on. I find my twin in the office and take a look around the room.
This is a small office that we have been using until our father steps down. The office is now destroyed; the desk is split in two,
and the chairs are smashed against the walls. Papers are thrown everywhere, along with anything you can imagine. In the
middle of the mess is Landon. “Uh….what’s up L?” He looks at me with wild eyes, and I can see the battle he’s having with
Goliath. Landon has control now, but it isn’t that strong.
I step toward Landon and kneel down to his level. I put a hand on his shoulder. “Goliath, you need to stop fighting Landon. Let
him have control.” Landon closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. When his eyes open, they are no longer flashing
between black and brown.
“Thanks brother.”
“Any time. Now do you want to tell me what this is all about?” Landon’s expression changes to sadness and frustration.
“It’s Jenna.” Jenna? What does Jenna have to do with anything?
“What happened with Jenna?” Landon fills me in on what I missed when I left. I sit on the floor, stunned at how brazen Jenna is.
“What can we do? There is no way we can let Jenna do anything more like that to Tia. I know we told Tia she can deal with all
issues any way she likes and I did mean that. I just don’t think it’s fair for her to be put into these crazy situations continuously.”
“I agree. Maybe we need to talk to Alpha Brenner and dad. Maybe we can come up with a solution that way.” That isn’t a bad
idea, actually. Alpha Brenner wouldn’t want his daughter doing what she’s doing right now, and dad is rooting for Tia and us. If
we go to them to help us, we should be able to eliminate one issue. Between the three of us, we should be able to take care of
the rest with minimum issues.
“Let’s get this mess cleaned up.” I stand up and hold out my hand for Landon. I pull him up and pat him on the back. “Next time
you want to vent, please think about taking a run outside instead okay? I don’t want to have to clean our office often.” Landon
hits me in the back of my head as I head out to find a few Omega to give us a hand. Landon may be the logical one, but when
he’s pushed too far, he can be brutal.
I head down the hall with the intent to see if anyone is available to help us. “Well, well……I’ve been wondering where you’ve
been hiding.” I turn around and come face to face with Jenna.