: No Way!

Kaia POV

I’m in my bathroom, doing my skincare routine. I'm putting everything in motion tomorrow. It’s time. The sooner I can get this done, the better. Then I can go back to Blackstone and be free of the suffocating presence or lack thereof in my life.

I always thought Sinclair and I had similar but different lives. We both want to be wanted. We both had shit father’s growing up. We both want to belong. It’s the same circumstances but different forms.

She was bounced from foster home to foster home and ultimately landing in a shit environment with her last foster family. Chad, Candy and the fucking dad, Conrad. They never treated her right. She was always the outcast.

Then in my life, being given gift after gift, but no time with my own father. I rarely saw him growing up. The only time I could get his attention was if I did something bad. So, I would get in trouble…a lot. I did it on purpose so my dad would come and stay with me for a while. My mom died when I was young, but she wasn’t present when she was alive either. All I had left was my dad, and he barely tolerated me. Most days, I was left alone with no one to hang out with and no one to care about me.

By the time I turned eighteen, he arranged for me to get married to my husband. I thought, maybe this could work. Maybe if he got to know me, he would like me and want me. But no. Another disappointment. He never wanted me. Not once. Instead, he rarely comes home. Only when I ask him to come and wait for a repairman or something while I went on a job, would he come. He would only come under this roof if I wasn’t under this roof. So, tomorrow, I will ask him to come and wait for the cable repairman. Then I will sneak in and do my thing.

My phone starts ringing. It’s Sinclair. “Hey girlie. So, how is mated life?” I teased.

“I wouldn’t know. You are his mate. Not me.” She said.

“What?” I said. Even I hear the shock in my voice. I was certain it would be Sinclair. Why would he get paired with me? He doesn’t even like me.

“Just as you heard. We saw each other and nothing. I am not his mate. You are, Kaia.” She repeated.

“I may not be his mate either.” I said, still in denial.

“Really? Thalia told me he even went into our room. By the way, your unique scent for him is coconut and jasmine.” She said flatly.

I shake my head, willing myself to snap out of it. “Are you okay? I thought for sure you wanted to be mated to him.”

“Kaia, I have told you over and over again, even before we turned, he was always looking at you. Not in a normal way. Like a man should look at a woman. He is interested. I’m sure of it.” She said. “That’s why I didn’t want it to be me. He didn’t look at me the way he looked at you.”

“So, what do I do?” I said. My head is spinning. How could it be me?

“Why not call him. Text him. Something. He was not happy that you weren’t going to be around for a few months. He asked me why and I told him it wasn’t my story to tell.”

“I appreciate that. I don’t want to tell him anything about my current situation.” I said.

I hear her sigh, “You know you can’t keep him in the dark forever, right? He’s your mate. He is going to find out. Besides, he already knows you are married. He will have questions. Better to come clean and see where things go.” Sinclair said. “Also, remember, you wanted to turn so you could have a mate. You have one now. Don’t screw it up.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right. I did want a mate, and I do want a mate. I just didn’t think it would be this soon and Isaiah of all people. I know you say he looks at me, but he calls me a pain in the ass, Sinny.”

“First, don’t call me Sinny. That’s a hard line.” She said with a chuckle. “Second, so what if you are a pain in his ass? Most women are a pain in their man’s ass, Kaia.”

I laughed and the smiled as I said, “Okay, I promise I will reach out tonight.”

“That’s my fierce friend. Let me know if you need me back there. I will drop everything and come help you.” She said.

“Will do. By the way, did you find out who put those trackers in your car?”

“Not yet. But I have the scrambler in and now that I’m back here, I am going to search for the car again for additional trackers. I will trace it back to the origin point and deal with it.” She said.

“Okay. Good night, girlie.”

“Night and good luck.”

We hang up and then I go through my contacts and find Isaiah’s name. Actually, his name in my phone is ‘Stickler’ since he is so uptight.

[Kaia: So…we’re mates. Now what?]

I put my phone down and continued with my skincare routine. My phone buzzed and it’s Mr. Stickler.

[Stickler: How about you tell me where you are, and I come find you and bring you back to the pack?]

Ugh. Of course he would try that.

[Kaia: No can do. I’m busy over here. I am finishing up loose ends.]

Suddenly, the phone rang and it’s Stickler himself.

“Hello.” I said, casually.

“Kaia, what exactly is keeping you away for a few more months?” Isaiah asked.

“Before you turned me, I believe it was your dad that informed you and Aiden that Sinclair and I would be leaving to get things done here. My situation is taking longer than Sinclair’s.” I said.

“You said a whole lot and told me nothing. What is so important that you can’t come back?” He asked and I could hear the frustration in his voice.

“Family business. I don’t want to bore you to death. Between you and me, I’m the fun one.” I said with a smirk. The phone is on speaker, and I am finishing this damn skincare routine that is taking three times longer than normal because of all these interruptions.

“You’re idea of fun is causing trouble!” He said, exasperated.

“There is no better kind of fun, Isaiah.” I said. I finally finished getting ready for bed. “Now that the stage is set here, tomorrow the fun begins and so does the countdown of when I get back. Wish me luck…mate.” I finished before hanging up.

I go to my bed and lay down. I’m staring at the ceiling, and I don’t even realize there is a smirk on my face. That’s the first time a man, not related to me, has called me. Sure, the conversation frustrated him and it wasn’t all lovey dovey, but that was our first conversation…as mates. Something about it is giving me butterflies. I need to take care of this problem here and close this chapter. Then I can open a whole new one with Isaiah. Maybe it will be a better ending. Wouldn’t that be nice?

: She hung up!

Isaiah POV

I wake up from a very restless sleep. I can’t believe she hung up on me and didn’t give me any answers. Only that her issues are family business. Then she said she is the fun one. Implying I’m boring. I’m fun.

Storn scoffed. ‘No, you’re not. You’re uptight. You never know when to chill and have a good time.’

I look at myself in the mirror and see my eyes changing color. Storn is at the surface. ‘Whose side are you on, anyway?’ I huffed.

‘Kaia’s. She is a fierce one. She is also not like you. She is opposite you. You need someone that can help you enjoy life. You’re too dedicated to work and I’m bored.’

‘Seriously? We stay busy, Storn. We have an important job.’

‘Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let go and have a good time every now and then.’ He continued, ‘You never do and even though you let me out, it’s only to patrol or stretch my legs. We never do anything fun. She’s fun.’

I scowl in the mirror. Am I really that boring? I like to think I’m interesting and fun.

‘Oh, yeah? Name me one hobby you do that isn’t related to your beta position.’ Storn scoffed.

He has a point. When I was younger, I played sports and listened to music. I flirted with the girls and acted like a normal teenage kid. Once I became beta though, I stopped. I threw everything into being a beta and tried to follow Aiden’s example.

I finished showering and getting ready and made my way to the dining hall for breakfast. I see Sinclair and her eyes are tight with worry.

“Sinclair?” I called out approaching her. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s ten in the morning and Kaia isn’t responding to my texts, and she isn’t answering my calls.” She said.

“Maybe she is still asleep?” I said, trying not to make myself worry.

Sinclair shakes her head. “No. Kaia doesn’t sleep past eight in the morning. No matter how hard she tries, her internal alarm clock always has her up at eight in the morning.”

Storn is fidgeting in my head. ‘Where is she?’

‘I don’t know, but I’m about to get on the jet and go to her. I will get the information out of Sinclair somehow.’

Suddenly, Sinclair’s phone rang. It’s Kaia.

“KAIA! Girl! What happened? It’s not like you to ignore my texts or calls. Is everything okay?” Sinclair asks trying to calm her heart rate.

Sinclair puts the phone on speaker and I hear Kaia. She sounds emotional. “Yeah, I’m fine, Sinclair. I just needed to get outside. Izo said going for a run would help me settle. She was right.”

Why does she need to settle? What happened? I’m listening intently but Sinclair takes the phone off of speaker. What they don’t know is my hearing is sharp because I’m still an alpha. But they don’t need to know that.

“Tell me what happened?” Sinclair said.

I heard Kaia’s voice crack. “More of the same, Sinclair. He insulted me and then said I was useless. After he was done spewing his venom, he said he would be here this afternoon and then said to make myself scarce.”

I feel my blood boiling. Storn is snarling in my head. Is this how her husband treats her? No wonder she wants a mate. That guy is a total asshole. It’s better for me. She’s my mate and I intend to bring her back here and claim her. Pain in the ass or not, she’s mine. I suddenly feel very possessive and want to rip her husband to shreds.

“Kaia, I’m sorry. Don’t listen to that asshole.” Sinclair said.

Kaia sniffled, “I know not to listen to him. What bothered me the most was his tone. It was full of contempt. Like he found me disgusting. I’m not disgusting, right?”

I grabbed the phone from Sinclair. “Kaia Black, you are not disgusting. You are beautiful. I don’t know who that asshole is but say the word and I will come down there and tear him to shreds for you.”

There was a pause on the phone and for a moment I thought she hung up. But then in a quiet and almost grateful voice, I heard, “Thank you, Isaiah.”

“Why don’t you come back?” I asked. “I’ll come get you myself.”

“I need to see this through. His words may have hurt, but I’m tough, Isaiah.” She said and I’ve never heard her sound so dim. It’s like her spirit is crushed and I don’t like it at all.

“Okay. You call me if you need me to come to you. I will. Understand?” I said.

“Yeah. Understood.” She said and I handed the phone back to Sinclair.

“Girlie, keep me updated. Say the word and I’m there. Okay?”

“You need to find out about the trackers. Let me know what you find out.” She said and I looked at Sinclair. My eyes are telling her I heard about the trackers. What trackers?

***

Rodrigo POV

I saw Sinclair talking to Isaiah. It looks like she is explaining something to him and he is listening intently. They both are sitting at another table and talking in hushed tones. I wanted to go up to them and sit with them, but it seems like the conversation is serious and probably private.

I keep looking at Sinclair though. Last night, she was amazing on my laptop. The dexterity in her fingers as she typed away was fascinating. She found that someone had installed a back door to access my information. Which means Julian has probably been monitoring me. Sinclair shot a virus through the backdoor access she found and then closed the access. Afterwards, she added some triggers that would alert me if someone was trying to breach the system again.

We laughed and spoke for a good thirty minutes before she was done and said she was going to sleep. Before she left, I asked her, “When Isaiah and I first got here, you said something about knowing now to Isaiah. What did you mean?"

“Oh, Isaiah turned me and my friend Kaia.” She said. “The next day he realized one of us is his mate. When we saw each other, we knew we weren’t mates and that his mate is Kaia. That’s why I said we now know."

“Oh. Did you want to be mated to Isaiah?” I asked.

“No. Don’t get me wrong; he’s a great guy. But I suspected it would be Kaia. Before he turned us, he always looked at Kaia differently than the way he looked at me. I’m glad it’s them paired together. I think it will be a good thing.” She said smiling and seriously, she is beautiful behind those glasses.

Unfortunately, I’m not mated to her either. I want my fated mate, but if I don’t find her and if Sinclair doesn’t find her mate, then maybe we can become chosen mates. I think she would be a good woman to have as a mate.

Now, I’m looking at her talking to Isaiah and I’m feeling left out. For now, though, I am going to leave it alone. She just turned. She could find her mate and I don’t want to confuse things. I just hope whoever is mated to her will treat her right.

: Trackers

Sinclair POV

Isaiah heard more than he should have at the end of my conversation with Kaia. Now he is asking me about the trackers I found in my car.

“Honestly, I have it handled, Isaiah.” I said.

“Listen, Kaia and you are close, right?” Isaiah asked.

I raised an eyebrow, “Yeah. Best friends. She would even say we are soul sisters.”

“What kind of mate would I be if I didn’t look out for her sister then?” he replied.

I smiled, “I am going to love seeing how your relationship with her unfolds.”

He is already thinking about the people who are most important to her. I am one of the very few and I feel honored that I am. She is important to me too; just like a sister would be for most people.

Isaiah smirked, “I’m sure it will be like oil and vinegar. In any event, you are also a pack member. We look out for our own. So, tell me about the trackers.”

I chuckled, “Oil and vinegar make for a great salad dressing. It can complement one another under the right circumstances, Isaiah. As far as the trackers, I found five in my car.”

“Five?” Isaiah’s eyes darkened. “Who the fuck puts five trackers in a person’s car?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out. I pulled them all out and disabled them. Then I took a picture of each one for the make and serial number. I am going to hack into the database and figure out who got them and then go from there.”

“You think you are doing this by yourself?” Isaiah asked incredulously.

“Um, yeah.” I said with a sarcastic face. “Isaiah, I know you are going into protector mode, but honestly, before you were in my life or even Kaia’s life, we were handling things on our own.”

Isaiah sat back, “How long have you both been doing this type of work?”

“Since we turned eighteen. Three years now.” I said.

“In three years, you have been able to do all these things? Hack systems, improve security and defenses, find digital threats and train to fight and kill?”

“Why does that sound impossible to you?”

“It’s not, but it sure as hell wouldn’t be easy to do in three years, Sinclair.” Isaiah said.

“It’s only impossible when you have other options in your life, Isaiah. I certainly didn’t have other options. I learned on my own. Kaia had options but no one cared to hear what she wanted. So, she made do with what she could do without getting anyone else’s buy-in.” I said.

“Tell me about her husband. Do you know him?” He asked.

“No. Kaia has always kept that part of her life private.” I said and then added. “She did confess that she had hoped to make it work with him in the beginning, but he always looked down on her and insulted her.”

I see Isaiah’s eyes turn dark. He clearly doesn’t like hearing that Kaia is being mistreated. I approve of his behavior towards her so far.

“He doesn’t abuse her, does he?” He asked and his voice was tight. I feel bad that I have to keep him in the dark.

“Aside from the emotional and mental, no. According to Kaia, he has never touched her.” I said.

Isaiah sighed and nodded. “Okay. Promise me that if you find out she is being abused, you will tell me. I will protect her.”

I laughed softly, “Kaia will wipe the floor with any person who tries to hurt her, Isaiah. If anything, you’d have to pull her off someone, not the other way around.”

Isaiah smiles and I think there is a glint of pride in his eyes. That’s good. All this conversation is good for assessing him. I want him to be good to my friend. She is important to me, and I want to see her happy.

As we are wrapping up our conversation, Rodrigo comes over. “Hey. I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation, but I thought I would come over and say hi.” He said.

I smiled, “Sure. Sit. How are things with the laptop? Any alerts?”

Rodrigo smiled widely. It kind of reminds me of Thalia’s smile. You can tell they are related. “Not a peep. Everything you did is working. It was really impressive.” He said.

“Good. If you get an alert, let me know. I will have fun playing my own version of ‘Battleship’.” I said with a little laugh.

“Will do.” He said.

I looked at both Isaiah and Rodrigo. “As much as I would love to continue talking, I need to work on my car. I have quite a few things to go over.” I stood up and got ready to leave, but my phone buzzed.

When I saw the caller ID, I pressed the decline button and put my phone away.

“Who just called to make your eyes darken like that?” Rodrigo asked. When I look up, both he and Isaiah are looking at me.

“No one important.” I said. “I’m going outside now. Later.”

As I am making my way outside, my phone once again started ringing. I see the caller ID and I ignore it again. After a few moments, my phone buzzed. This time a text message came through.

[Chad: Dad wants you home. Now.]

[Sinclair: I said I was leaving permanently. I meant it.]

[Chad: Dad said that if you want to know about your birth parents, you need to come back. Now.]

I stopped and read that again. He has had information on my parents all this time and never told me? I could have looked for my parents. I feel anger rising inside of me and my hands start shaking. I feel tears threatening to fall too.

“Sinclair?” I heard Isaiah behind me. When I turned and looked at him his expression went from curious to concerned very quickly. “What’s wrong? What happened?” He said rushing over to me.

“I need to leave for a while. I have something important to do.” I said.

“Sinclair, what is going on?”

“Nothing. Business that I thought was finished isn’t finished yet. I’m going to get an overnight bad ready. I need to leave.”

Jonah walks up, “Hey Sinclair!” He says cheerfully, until he sees my face and then his expression darkens. “What happened?”

I take a deep breath, “Nothing. I need to leave for a couple of days. I will be back.” I said.

I walked past both Isaiah and Jonah and I can feel their eyes on me as I walk away. I looked down at my phone and reply to my asshole foster brother. That’s not even an accurate description of who he is to me. He is just an asshole.

[Sinclair: I’m not exactly close by. I’ll be there in a couple of days.]

[Chad: That’s my Sinner. See you then.]

“Sinclair?”

I turned around and I saw Isaiah. I sighed, “Yeah?”

“How about we take the jet? I will go with you, and we can be back this evening. I don’t think you should go alone.” He said.

I guess this is what belonging feels like. Someone actually caring about what happens to you. It warms my heart to be a part of this pack.

I smiled gently at Isaiah. “Okay.”