I couldn't help but but find the woman sitting in front of the lake a haunting memory. She looked like my mate, but she was different. Her features were similar but contrasting. Her hair was a different colour, her lips were much more pouty, they looked like soft pillows, ones that I wanted to bite until they were red. Her figure was much more mature that my mate, her curves were much more rounder. I couldn't help but feel my heart beat in my chest, it was hammering hard. My reaction to her was something that I couldn't quite understand, I hadn't had this type of response to any female other than my mate.
It can't possibly be her? She doesn't smell like my mate, she smells sweet, pure, innocent. Everything that woman wasn't. I couldn't help the words that tumbled out of my mouth. "Leanne?" My tone was a mixture filled with agony, longing and anger. I couldn't quite understand my response to the woman in front of me. I can't help the words that tumble out of my mouth. The sarcasm, the pain, the anger just roll out. "It's like I've gone back in time."
"Do I know you?" The beauty in front of me questions.
I can't help but feel anger at her response. She should know who her mate is, regardless of what has happened. I couldn't understand how she could forget me so easily. "You should know your mate."
She snaps her gaze to mine and her eyes focus on me. I see her eyes wonder up and down, appraising me like I am some piece of art. I'm something different, something unknown in front of her. Normally when females looked at me, they swarmed to me like I was the fire and they were moth. But the beauty in front of me did the complete opposite. She rolled her eyes in the back of her head and scoffed like she was disgusted at me.
It's then that she speaks words that shock me to the chore. "Ah you must be talking about my sister."
Sister? She's Leanne's sister. I can't help but want to throttle her, not wanting to fall for one of Leanne's lies. "Sister? Leanne don't play me for a fool like you have done all these years." I angrily replied.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but you are talking about my twin sister. I'm Louise, well I go by Loretta now." She responds without a care in the world as she shrugs her shoulders. Dismissing me like I am a piece of crap on her shoe.
"Stop lying to me! That's all you have ever done to me! Is lie and cheat! What did I do to deserve this Leanne! You got our son killed!" I shouted.
She peeked one of her eyes open and she shakes her head. It's like she is dismissing me and I can't help but feel my blood boil. "Listen, I am her twin sister Loretta, sniff me, touch me and you will soon see that I am not Leanne. Just because I look like that bitch does not mean I am her." She snarls at me.
I rush up to her and I feel my nose flare with anger, I stare to inhale her scent. Not a lingering smell of another male, but the smell of fresh Cotten and daffodils fill my nose. I can't help but feel my face contort in different shapes. A part of me wants to run my hands down her silky skin. My hands itching to touch her. She shouts "Touch me, go on, you won't feel any sparks. I am not my sister." It's then that I grab her wrist and her skin is everything I imagined it to be, except there are no sparks. My hardened fingertips just make her seem softer.
"Your really not Leanne." I murmured.
"Nope and thank fuck for that. It's bad enough that I share her DNA and look like her." She shudders. "She told me her twin died." I whispered quietly.
"My sister is a pathological liar. So I wouldn't be surprised." She exhale deeply. "So what did she do to cause her own mate to hate her."
"You don't sound surprised that I hate your sister?" I questioned.
"Why would I be surprised? She's an evil bitch. The first time I see her in eight years and she literally tried to murder me." She shake my head.
"Your sister got my son killed." My voice is hoarse filled with pain as I think about the son that I never got to hold.
"Now that is not the story I've heard." She replies.
"What story have you heard?" He huffs out.
"That you killed her son, my nephew because she had a child with the Alpha of this pack. That you killed him out of anger and jealousy." She replies with confidence .
He shakes his head, I see his fist clench. "Is that what she told you?" I can't help but let the anger boil to the surface.
"No, if you haven't guessed I don't speak to my sister. I hadn't seen her for eight years. But that is the story that is going around. I didn't realise that the child was yours." She explained.
"How do you know then?" He hastily responds.
"Well you see, my mate rejected me for your mate, who is my twin sister. My mate told me that he had found his dead son on the edge of the pack. Ripped apart." I was never one to mince my words. I wasn't ashamed of what my mate had done to me, to our bond. It wasn't my shame to carry. I was his gift from the goddess and he snubbed his nose at it."
I don't know how to respond to this unique beauty. Even though she shares similarities with her sister, she is completely different. There's this fire within her, one that has experienced the hardships of having a difficult and devious sibling, however she is still so pure and innocent. I can't help but let my eyes linger on her beauty. There's something in me that is stopping me from turning in the opposite direction. I can't help but want to sit and enjoy the spitfire that she is.
"I see." I reply as I cough into my hand.
It's then that we sit there and share our past, our troubles. I don't know how much time passes but I can't help but want to spend the rest of my life listening to her musical voice. She isn't demanding of my time and isn't filled with compliments or complaints, she sits there and listens as the pain in my heart tumbles out. She tells me everything that my bitch of a mate has done to her and the pack. She talks about the reason for her return to a place that she hates and I can't help but admire her more.
I can't believe that was over eight years ago. I can't help but feel my lips curve as I smile at the memories of when I first met the woman who changed my life. I never expected that the sister of the woman who rejected me would end up being the love of my life. The person who would help me deal with my past and make peace with the death of my mother.
My mind flashes to the moment when I thought she would leave forever and never return. I knew that she wouldn't stick around when I was announced as Alpha, for she hated the Redbridge pack and what they did to her. Especially with Jacob being around and lingering. His presence in the pack would never bring her peace if she was to stay here. The day she left, me and my wolf felt a sense of loss and fear, that we would never see her again.
It was then that I realised that I developed a connection with her, one that was on a deeper level than a mate bond. It was a relation that was built on choice. I realised that my wolf had chosen to her and even though there was nothing such as a second mate, I knew that she was my second chance at happiness and I would do whatever I could to make her mine. It was during that time that I developed a close relation with Benji, he was like a younger brother to me. Even though he was human, he was a good man, with skills that only benefited the pack. He took Loretta's business plan and took it to new levels, helping numerous packs across the country. Although he was human, no one could question his contribution to the werewolf world. A part of me always wondered whether that was Loretta's plan to ensure he was easily accepted into our world.
In my early days of running the pack, my whole focus was helping members to adjust to the leadership changes while also making sure that the rogues that followed my command were accepted and had roles and jobs. I didn't want there to be any division, I wanted to make sure that the place was harmonious and welcoming. It took me a year to get the pack to where I wanted it to be. It took a lot of pack meetings, parties, and gatherings but after a year things seemed to settle. Even though I hated to admit it, but Jacob had helped me a lot in getting things to where it was.
As much as I wanted to hate him, I couldn't help but feel pity for him. He was a man who had lost everything, from a mate to his pack. However, he embraced my plans and helped me implement them. He wasn't resistant, if anything he was more than willing to help. I could sense that he was trying to seek redemption for his mistakes but as more time went by I felt his unhappiness. I could sense that he felt out of place, isolated from everyone. He was unwilling to participate in pack activities and he would only watch on in the background.
It was then that I decided to approach the subject with me and he explained that his wolf had told me that there was some type of bond formed between me and his mate. I remember the hitch in my breath and shoulders. I didn't want to get into a fight, I didn't want to cause him pain because as much as I felt he didn't deserve Loretta, she was still his mate. However, it was him who told me to fight for her and not let her go because she was special and I needed a Luna. I still remember his sad eyes when he said his goodbye, disappearing into the night.
"Louise-" Jacob started to speak.
"You mean Loretta." I replied.
He gave me a sad smile. "To you, she is your Loretta but for me she will always be Louise. She is one of a kind. She gave without ever expecting anything from anyone. I don't know how much you know about her sufferings here, even during the trial she never revealed the worst of what happened here. She may hate this place, this pack, but it will always be her home. This pack, what you have created here, she would love. She would feel at home here. As much as I want to be with her, I can't. I do not deserve her. She deserves so much more than a mate who didn't look beyond the surface to see her worth." He stops and looks out of the window in the Alpha office.
"My wolf, he tells me that your wolf has accepted her as a second chance. As much as I want to be angry with you, I can't. I am suffering without her and so is my wolf. But I can't be selfish, we can't be selfish. I made this bed and now I have to lay in it. So what I am saying is, if you love her and can make her happy then don't hold back. Bring her back. Give her the home, the family she deserves. I know you can give her the happiness and peace that I will never be able to give her." He sighs.
I remember the words being stuck in my throat, not knowing what to say, or how to respond his words. All I could do was gulp and nod. It was then that he said something that shocked me to his core.
"I would like your permission to leave the pack and join my parents in Italy. They have retired in a small pack and I believe it is best for everyone if I move on. The pack will never truly move forward with me loitering here. My presence would only cause people to remember the past. I only stood by for so long to make sure the pack is in good hands, which I know it is." Jacob said with a sad smile. With that he picked up a duffle bag which was on the floor by his feet and exited the office and left the pack that his family had built behind.
That was the last time I laid eyes on Jacob and I had never heard from him again. I didn't know if he stayed in contact with anyone else from the pack, but if they did, they never told me. I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of respect for his decision. As much as he hurt his mate, he was giving her a second chance at being happy with her family. He knew she would never stick around with him hovering like a shadow. She would never be able to be with her brother Benji.
When I told Benji that Jacob left the pack, I could see the hope sparkle in his eyes. It was then that he had a mischievous smile on his face as he told me he would like to have a wedding. He said even though he was marked and mated with Lewis, he was still a human who would like to get married. Even though he adapted to our culture, he didn't want to forget his roots. That was when he excitedly left my office calling Loretta and telling her he wanted her as his best woman.
It was then that my heart began to flutter at the thought of her returning to my arms. It was then that I made the decision to embrace everything Jacob said and finally make my play for the Miss Loretta Romano.
My reminiscing was broken by the squeal of the two girls who made my heart sore with happiness. Loretta was chasing our little cherub around the house. Even if she was only three years old, she was well developed at driving her mother crazy.
"Get back here little miss!" Loretta said huffing out of breath.
"No mommy! No bath mommy!" The little cherub started squealing through her laughter as she ducked under the dining room table and started crawling to evade her mother's arms. I couldn't help but cough into my hand to hide my laughter.
"Poppy! I mean it! You have been rolling in mud all afternoon! I told you to stop and you promised you would have a bath without arguing! Now here I am chasing you around!" Loretta playful shouted. Even if she was annoyed, the laughter of our daughter melted her anger.
I couldn't help but notice the brown curls that were bouncing under the table. I could see her head looking over her shoulder to check where her mother was to ensure that she was out of bounds. It was then that I quietly made my way to the end of the table where Poppy would make her escape. I crouched down on my knees and before I knew it the head of curls bumped into me and let out a small gasp of shock.
"Daddy!" Poppy said in surprise. Her eyes widened like saucers.
"Hello trouble!" I replied as I pulled her from under the table and lifted her in my arms. She quickly wrapped her arms around my neck and hid her face into my face. "I think mummy is upset with me." She mumbled.
"I think so too." I sniffed the air and exaggerated the stink in the air. "Phew-ooo. Your mummy is right. You stink and need a bath." I used my free hand to pinch my nose.
"But daddy!" She pouted giving me her biggest puppy dog eyes.
"Nope. No arguments. Your mummy shouldn't be chasing you all over the house. She's carrying extra cargo." I explained as I made my way to my beautiful wife and mate.
"Ah I see you caught the trouble maker." Loretta said with a grin on her face. She was caressing her large belly as she was once again pregnant. But rather than a little princess, she was carrying our Prince.
"Ahh give me my niece, I'll take her for her bath." Benji said with a big grin on his face.
"Uncle Benji! Save me!" She screamed with delight as she held her arms out for her favourite Uncle. Benji was quick to grab her and take her from my arms.
"Come on Princess, we're go have a bath and then we can watch any film you want. I'll even make popcorn!" Benji bribed Poppy.
"Really!?" She shouted in excitement. Benji nodded and walked off in the direction of the bathroom. "Okay! Love you mommy. Love you daddy." Poppy shouted over Benji's shoulder.
With that I was finally alone with my love, my queen. My reason for breathing again. I couldn't help but pull her into my arms and sniff her intoxicating scent as I rubbed my nose into the crook of her nose. I couldn't help the huge exhale of breath from my lungs. Even if it had only been a few hours she was finally in my arms.
"I missed you." I whispered into her milky soft skin. My breath fanned across the skin of her neck, I could feel her shiver as the goosebumps danced across her skin.
"It's only been a couple of hours." She chuckled. Her laugh was still as musical as the first day I heard it.
"I know but I can't help it. I can't be away from you or our little prince for too long." I reply as I pull back and gently kiss her soft pillowy lips. I can't help but lost in her lips every time they meet, but unfortunately seducing my wife seems to get interrupted. Whether it be from our little cherub trying to climb into bed into the middle of the night or the phone ringing, which was what was happening right this second.
"Ignore it." I said as I pecked her lips and made my way to her neck.
"But it might be important." Loretta moaned as her hand made her way to the pocket of her maternity jeans to pull out her phone. She looked at the phone and her brow furrowed in confusion. She swiped the call and brought the phone to her ear.
"Beta Richards." She sung on the other end of the phone. "I can't say that I wasn't expecting a phone call from you. I just didn't expect it to be so soon." I couldn't help but look at her in confusion. Why was the Beta from the Lotus Pack calling my wife.
"Luna, I really need your help. My daug-" My wolf hearing was picking up his pleading tone on the phone. "- My niece really needs your help. You are the only one I know who can help her. Please." Beta Richards begged.
"James, what's going on? Hold on I'm putting you on speaker." She clicked her phone so that it was on loudspeaker of her phone"Babe, can you come here. James in on the phone. It's sounds urgent." I could sense she was trying to cover up that I was about to woo my wife, I can't help but let out a frustrated sigh as I spoke into the receiver.
"James, what can we do for you?" I question.
"Luna Loretta, Alpha Xavier. I really need your help. Ellie has challenged the Chancellor and I don't believe she can fight this battle on her own. I beg you to help her." He pleaded through the phone as I shut my eyes listening to the silence that comes through the receiver.
"What has that imbecile done now?" I sighed.
"James, you know we will help you no matter what, we owe you. Now tell us how we can help." My wife responds.
With that I see the anger and feistiness that has always been inside my wife as she offers an olive branch to help whoever she can. It's then that I realise how lucky I was to have this amazing and strong woman as my partner for life.
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Want to know what help Loretta and Xavier are up to next? Want to know more about their life and their children? Then please check out Thirty Days, where these characters will cross over with my next story!
Love Cam
Xo