Chapter 23

Ayla’s POV

Finally, I could relax; I hadn’t even realised I was tense until I had all three Chase brothers surrounding me. I couldn’t stop staring at them. They were all equally gorgeous yet similar to anyone just meeting them, but the differences were huge to me. Aiden’s emerald eyes were so striking that it was hard to look away from him. His jet-black hair makes them even brighter. Then there was Archer; he was on the other end of the scale to Aiden with his silvery grey hair and sapphire eyes; it sent chills through my body. Finally, Axel was the perfect mix of his two brothers, with his black hair streaked with silver. His eyes were a stunning shade of amethyst and could captivate you in mere seconds.

I couldn’t believe they were mine. It still blew my mind. Michael had been talking, but I had missed the whole thing, thanks to my inability to focus when the Chase brothers were around.

“So yeah, we have a lot more research to do, but we have made a good start, I would say, and there seem to be a few mentions of this in the history. It seems mostly just stories, but who knows, there might be truth behind the stories,” Michael concluded.

“Shit, I didn’t hear a thing he said” I panicked. Then it happened.

“Don’t worry, babe, I can catch you up; any question he asks you, I’ll give you the answer”, Axel’s voice sounded in my mind.

Turning, I looked him square in the eye and furrowed my forehead. I couldn’t understand how I could hear him yet, as we hadn’t completed the bond. Haven’t we marked each other yet?

“Don’t ask me, beautiful; I don’t know how we are doing it either; I just heard you panic and instantly answered you,” he silently replied.

“This is so weird! I have only recently started hearing my wolf Bria, but now I can hear you too! will I be able to hear Aiden and Archer too?” I ask

“Yep, I hear you”, Aiden confirmed

“Me too,” Archer added

I grinned; this was just getting better and better, and then it hit me! Now they will hear everything I think, even the dirty things about them. Axel spat his coffee like a spray at that thought and had to try and cover it up with a cough. My face went bright red. That had just confirmed it, and now I was doomed.

“Dirty thoughts, hey, care to enlighten us”, Archer teases. I wanted to disappear. I knew my cheeks were flaming, and there was no way out; everyone would be able to see it. How would I explain my way out of this one?

“Aww, leave her alone, but look how cute she is with her little red cheeks” Aiden joined in the teasing. I wasn’t going to let them get away with this, I just didn’t have any good comebacks right now, but once I did, they were in for it.

“Ooo, I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do; you’re like a cute little Pitbull right now, all riled up and shit” Archer was having way too much fun at my expense.

Axel had regained his composure and reached his hand under the table to find mine. He intertwined our fingers and rubbed his thumb over the top of my hand. He was trying to calm me, but all it was doing was intensifying my craving for them, and right now, we didn’t need any more of those crazy hormones flying through my body.

“Okay, well, I think maybe a couple of hours away from the archive is needed right now”, Archer suddenly said, and axel nodded his agreement.

“Maybe we could take a walk or something for a bit; then, if Ayla is up to it, we could all go back to the archives together this evening and do a bit more research; what do you think?” Aiden asked the room

“Sounds good to me”, I start to say, but Michael stops me before I can finish what I am saying.

“Now I know you’re all mated and whatnot, but I still see Ayla as my daughter; I do not want to find you doing anything you shouldn’t be doing, do you hear me. right now, we do not know what is going on” he took a breath. “Once we get this mess sorted out, and I guarantee we will, I don’t want her regretting anything all because you thought you were mated when in reality you may not be”

“Michael, stop,” I say, forgetting I was addressing my Alpha. “I am mated to them if you like it or not. I’m also eighteen now. I’m an adult. You cannot dictate to me what I can and cannot do with my mates” I was shaking; I was angry. “I respect you and love you as a father, but I’m sorry you will not have a say regarding my relationship with my destined mates. You may not want to believe or accept it, but we can feel it and know it to be true.”

“Ayla, remember who you’re speaking to” Laura spoke up, looking nervous and unsure. “Michael is your Alpha, after all”

“With all due respect, Laura, I love Michael like a father, but since I shifted, I no longer feel the Alpha pull from Michael. I feel the respect required for him due to his status, but that is all” she looked her adoptive mother in the eye, then glanced at Michael, his head hung down, he looked sad, and it cut at my heart.

No one spoke for a few moments; Michael stood to leave, then turned back

“Ayla, I only say what I say out of love; you are my daughter in every way but blood; I do not wish you to get hurt. I understand how you feel towards me, and I do not begrudge you for it; I guess I’m scared to lose you” Michael poured his heart out; it must have taken some courage to do that in front of everyone.

“Michael, the Alpha pull may no longer be in place, but I still adore you like a father that hasn’t gone; never fear that. Just please trust me; I know what I’m doing when it comes to these men” I smile at him.

With that, he hugged me, nodded and left. He was taking his Luna with him.

Mason’s POV

Two days had passed since I saw Aiden Chase carrying Ayla’s lifeless body out of the woods. Two days since I convinced my father that the Chase brothers were terrible news, that it was one of them that had caused harm to my beloved sister! For a while, it worked. There was nothing better than watching my father demand that Aiden meet him in his office and then see its repercussions. Yet now, they seem to be back on top somehow; she had once again twisted the situation in her favour.

I didn’t see what they saw in her; she wasn’t anything special, nothing more than an annoyance. Goddess knows why three twenty-year-old guys like the Chase Brothers would be interested in someone like Ayla, it was weird, yet here I am stuck with Stacy constantly wanting my attention. Sure, she’s pretty and all, but damn, that girl was annoying.

She was the same age as Ayla and hated her as much as I did, which was a bonus. Yet I didn’t like her like that. Whereas those brothers are choosing to be around Ayla? It baffles me. I’m pretty sure they know I hate her too. The little charade I put on for my parents wasn’t fooling them. They made it very clear they didn’t like me; that was their first big mistake. I’m the next Alpha of this pack, and if they wanted to get along here, they had to please me, and right now, they are failing badly!

Pushing those idiots out of my mind, I head downstairs to find my mother. She always sided with me, and right now, I needed to ensure she was still firmly behind me. On the other hand, my father had always been besotted with Ayla. He had always wanted his own little girl; it was no secret. So, when Ayla landed in his lap, he was over the moon. The sun shone a little bit brighter for her in his eyes. So, I knew I could use that affection to my advantage. If I could turn my father against those brothers, the ball would be back in my court again.

Annoyingly, I found my mother doing one of her silly little staff meetings in the kitchen. They were unnecessary. The staff knew how to do their jobs but humoured her anyway.

“Morning, mother, where is the Alpha?” I asked as I grabbed a piece of toast off the side.

“Oh, good morning, my darling! How are you feeling today? Anything nice planned?” she asked me like she always does.

“I asked you a question; I don’t have time for this chit-chat; I’m busy; you should know that”, I snapped; I wasn’t in the mood today.

“He’s down in the archives with Archer and Axel,” she said quietly.

“Why is he with them? What do they have that warrants his time” I couldn’t believe it; once again, they steal time with my father away from me. How the hell am I meant to show my father I’m ready to be Alpha if he is never there to see it!

“I’m not sure, my love; he should be back soon; why don’t you ask him then” my mother always made the best of everything; even if she wasn’t feeling the happiest, I could see she was having a tough time, but still I couldn’t bring myself to focus on her, I had way too much I needed to do.

“Tell him I’m looking for him when he’s back; it’s important,” I said as I walked out of the kitchen. I was off to meet Lucas; I needed a good laugh. Hopefully, Jacob won’t be home with his annoying little girlfriend; I didn’t have the patience for her right now.

The rain decided to pick up just before I stepped outside. I darted across the driveway towards my truck. Hopefully, it wouldn’t last long as I had plans to meet some of the new representatives in town later with Lucas. We had sparked up a few conversations with a few of the girls the other night before Ayla ruined everything. Surely my mate has to be around here somewhere; I can’t be an unmated Alpha. Everyone knows a bonded Alpha is a stronger Alpha.

Archer’s POV

Our time in the archive was draining. It was insightful but exhausting. Michael and Aleena had been really helpful, which, if I’m honest, shocked me. We had spent the first few hours searching book after book and the occasional scroll from the beginning of this pack’s lineage with nothing coming up. Not even a whiff of what we were looking for.

It was Aleena that finally said she thought she had found something. It was a very uninspiring-looking piece of yellowed parchment. Aleena sat cross-legged on the floor with a magically charged candle floating beside her head. Instantly we all stopped and listened as she read the old words aloud to us.

“There was a story told to me as a child of a maiden destined to be more than ever before. She faced the world alone until she was united with her protector, warrior, and Provider. All the same but all very different in every way. When the maiden finally finds herself, the world will be made anew, and things will start again” Aleena’s beautiful voice sounded haunting as she read the passage scrawled on the aged page in front of her.

“Can I see that, please?” I ask with my hand stretched out

“Of course, but can you speak the old tongue?” she asked me, pure interest lacing her voice.

“No, I can’t, ma’am, but you can!” I smiled at her and picked up the next book in front of me.

“I guess it might be related in a way; it does mention three others with her, which would suit our situation perfectly,” Axel thought out loud.

“Keep searching, Aleena; keep that one out to the side. It’s possibly related,” Michael spoke from behind a massive hand-woven book he had been reading.

Axel was perched on the edge of a large wooden bench. Old scrolls surrounded him. He was favouring the older texts. He reasoned that going back to the beginning was a good start. He wasn’t wrong; the logic was definitely in the right place.

It wasn’t long until Axel spoke up, holding a scroll in his hand.

“Aleena, could you please read this one for me. I don’t know if it’s related, but the image shows one female and three males. Or so it looks anyway” he scrambled to his feet. I could feel his excitement admitting from him. He really hoped he had found something already.

“Oh, wow, this speaks of an ancient myth….no wait, that word means prophecy, not a myth”, Aleena began deciphering the text. It was ancient and faded, so she found it harder than the last one.

“It says something along the lines of she will come, and with her, she brings bonded ones?” she paused, her fingers running over the text as if running her hand along the words helped her understand better.

“Everything will change once the child with flaming hair as rich as the fallen leaves comes of age. She will be untouchable, unfathomable and unyielding.” Aleena took a deep breath.

“The rest is nonsense to me apart from one last word; it reads as Alune?” She hands the scroll back to my brother and looks at Michael. “I think it’s wise to look into this Alune thing, my friend; far too much is ringing true to be a mere coincidence.”

My head felt light; I could feel Titan getting restless; he wanted to be back with Ayla; he didn’t like this distance between us. Axel and Ace were feeling the same. It was definitely time for a break.