Victory Short Lived

***Tamara***

Jackpot, I felt like I had secured one the moment Mimi stated that we could catch the villain with Monica's scent. These bloodied papers had been tormenting me for weeks. They lodged  themselves deep in my brain and ate up my brain cells, forcing my systems to go overdrive.

I couldn't contain my feet as they padded on the area rug in our sitting room, from one edge to another. The bond link was left open and even so, my pulse kept on spiking up with every minute that went by, without any update from Ryker. I had already

groomed myself up for good news and nothing could have stopped me from smiling as I pictured it all.

'You're starting to piss me off with this  pacing of yours. ' Janette was seated comfortably on our couch with no care in the world. A bowl of homemade double butter popcorn sat on her lap. She held a sizeable cup of white tea, chasing the popcorn bite with it. I tried understanding why or how she could eat such a combination without throwing up.

'Aren't you at least worried about Jayson? ' I forced down a gag as she fed herself  gluttonously.

'Nope ' She threw a mouthful of the popcorn without even sparing me a glance.

'Are you being serious Janette? ' I placed my hands on either side of my waist, my previous worry temporarily coming to a halt.

'Come on Tammmmla, eyaa. ' Her muddled words made me shake my head.

'Oh please swallow up before speaking. ' I cut her off, waiting patiently as she swallowed a mouthful of her weird snacks.

'I was saying that they are big boys, the Alpha and the Beta respectively. ' She gulped down the words with a loud sip of coffee, making me curl my lips downwards.

'So what if they are? ' I swear something was awfully wrong with her. The Janette I knew would be hyperventilating now, given the situation our mates were in. Instead, she sat comfortably filling her stomach with such intemperance.

'It simply and straightforwardly  means that they can take care of themselves. They were born for this, you realise that right? ' Another swig of her tea in three gulps, some dripping on the corners of her mouth.

'I just can't with you right now. ' I raised my hands in surrender.

'Come. ' She patted the spot next to her for me to take a seat. Willing myself to relax and wait for a response from Ryker, I obliged the smell of butter hitting my nostrils as I sat down.

'I came into this pack without nothing. ' Her low voice was perceived by my sound sense, getting a little bit of my wavering attention. I couldn't help that my thoughts were still inclined to the search party that my mate was currently involved in.

'Janette. ' Was she finally telling me about her past and particularly her genesis? I scooted closer to her, the movement made her put the bowl and the cup on the wooden table. If she had finally put down the two, then that meant she was serious.

'When I say nothing, I mean it. I was nude, totally with nothing to show other than my bruises. ' She took a long deep breathe with her eyes mirroring a resolute look.

'You don't have to do this please. ' She turned her face on me, watching me silently before turning it again and staring  on the far end of the living room.

'Ssshhh. ' She put her finger on her mouth. If she was ready to tell me all about it and so be it.

'The patrol team at that time spotted me on the neutral grounds, right before your border. I didn't know where I was at that time, hell, my mind couldn't even function. ' She clicked her tongue, I guess the memory was not so appealing.

'They asked a lot of questions that I don't remember but I do recall the former alpha coming. Then it was determined that I was to be allowed inside the pack. That is the very first day I smiled genuinely. ' I couldn't believe my ears, but I had more questions that I didn't want to pressure her into answering.

'That was six years ago, while you mother was still alive. ' That piqued my interest as to why I never saw her until that day at the forest,  if she knew my mother.

'Wait, did she know you too? ' She nodded, and that only confused me even more.

'She healed me, helped me get back to health and gave me a shoulder to lean on. She acted basically like the mother I never had. ' Now that reminded me of a pack member my mother talked about almost all the time a year before she passed on.

She would always gush about a polite young werewolf that would be a good friend of mine if we ever met. I still didn't get how I never met Janette for the entire six years she lived here until recently. Could have been because, I didn't interact with the pack members, or there could have been another reason.

'She would talk about you a lot, but for the entire year, she would look at me and just smile. Your mother kept on saying that one day every thing would fall into place and that I would meet my family. ' A brief smile graced her face at the remembrance, her eyes twinkling just a little.

'She however turned down any plea I made to get to know you better. I didn't know the severity of the matter until a few weeks before her death. ' She paused, breathing steadily.

'What happened? '

'She asked me to promise her that I would never come to you or talk to you or even let you see me until fate brought us together. ' This info was puzzling, it really played with my thoughts.

'What? ' Why would she do that? I knew there was a plausible reason behind it, but why didn't she tell me something about it before hand?. My thoughts tangled up, a silence washing over us as I digested every thing.

'I don't know, but since she had loved me more when I first came here, I felt compelled to agree to it. I mean I felt so safe around her, like I was certain she would have never let anything vile happen to me.' There was no getting rid of the inquisitive and perplexing thoughts that had riddled my cerebrum.

'Where did you grow up before you came to this pack? '

'Western pack. ' She spat the name, scrunching up her face.

'The same Western pack that was ambushed and massacred six years ago? ' As more dots formed, I drew lines to connect them.

'Yes.'

'But rumor had it that no one survived. ' Word spread very fast, from one pack to another and as the further they went, the originality of the story would change.

'I did, I escaped the attack narrowly and after days of walking aimlessly, I found myself right at the boundaries of Steel pack. ' Another smile formed as she recalled how she had cheated death.

'I re...' My words jammed at my throat as a searing pain pierced through my shoulder, spreading rapidly to my back. It was enough to pull me up on my feet, but almost immediately another wave of pain hit on my left leg. I tumbled over as it gave out, falling face first on the area rug.

'Tamara!' My eyes were blinded by the hot gnawing burn that wrapped itself on my leg and spread nimbly than I could blink.

A deafening scream overpowered my groans, so loud that it forced my eyes open through the pain. Janette clutched her leg, tears already coursing down her face.

'Wha..t is..happe.nin?' She managed to squeeze the words out through her gritted teeth. There was only one explanation, and it scared me shitless just imagining about it.

'I don't know!' I fought my own tears, willing my nerve cells to keep on fighting through the pain.

My mouth opened to let out a  shriek as the  burning pain radiating from the leg spread all over my body. It felt as if my veins had been set on fire, while similar flames were placed inside my stomach and back.

Janette was no different, she writhed and convulsed on the floor, a series of anguished cries mingling with mine in the living room. I tried channeling it all to my mate but it felt as if the signals were hitting on a barrier. I could feel them being pushed back with every strenuous but unavailing effort I made.

'T-ry, mind - linking Jayson. ' I managed to force the words out through the grueling, unrelenting affliction.

'Not g-g-oing through. ' Her words were hardly perceptible through her wheezing voice. I swear I thought we were going to die, but that ideation alone had me crawling on my belly in a trial to grip the table and help my exhausted hurting legs stand.

Something was patent erroneous, what my throbbing head couldn't conjure was, what. My mind drifted to my mate through the agony and I couldn't help but feel that this pain I was experiencing was his.

It was much of a coincidence for Janette and I to go through the same pain at the same time unless something had happened to them. The mere thought of them being hurt had bile rising up my throat, leaving an awful taste in my mouth.

Like a tide, the agony ebbed slightly but I knew soon it would hit again. I don't know how but I just did.

'Something is wrong with our mates. ' my throat was sore, voice croaky as it filtered out.

'Correct! ' Our eyes snapped up at the approaching footsteps. My body tensed in a trice as the familiar dastard wizard came into view.

'What do you want? ' The words were like burning lava, setting my tongue on fire as he came closer and closer.

'Now now Tamara, the question is, what will you do to save your mates? ' Erratic, that is the only way I could describe my pulse. It was all a trap, and we all didn't see it. My excitement had crowded my reasoning, so this pain, it was indeed from our mates.

'A witch's womb is enough to free them, plus the spineless warriors. ' He rubbed his hands together, a sinister smirk pulling his lips upwards on the side.

'Oh but since you are two. ' He paused, his eyes trained on a writhing Janette.

'No three. I will have two uterus and a  more, valuable gift. ' He cackled, the sound sending shivers along my skin.

'Three? ' Janette shot him a glare through her glossy eyes. He then shifted his eyes to me, watching me intently before laughing maniacally again.

'But I thought the two of you were best of friends. ' He pointed at the both of us, his creepy long nails coming into view.

'Don't tell me she hasn't told you, but anyway, I will tell you.' Another pause.

'You friend here is pregnant, that means, pure blood for my wizardry'.