Lock him in her basement

It was Monday afternoon, and while Aubrianne was on her way to the airport, she attempted to call her mate with the number he had given her, but she got no answer.

She thought nothing of it, brushing it off as he was probably busy. He would have just gotten in. It was not like he had the time to lounge around, but she wanted to know if he was ok.

Especially since she had seen that she missed a call from the number earlier, he probably contacted her to let her know that he had arrived safely.

Nevertheless, she promised to contact him later on when she landed. The flight was four hours, and they would be there at nightfall.

Aubrianne was so pumped to get this over with. Even with what she had just faced, she was even more eager to unbound all her powers, knowing that the same entity was after her.

And knowing what they were into, they would dissect her insides to see what made her tick.

Aubrianne grimaced at the idea while sitting in seat FC five A by the window. They were in first class. Her father needed the private plane for business, but he would send it for her arrival at Ragnuff Crescent Moon.

Aubrianne gazed out the window as she replayed events, and just like that, she was on the radar of an entity that relished in their monstrosity.

A shiver ran down her spine, and her heart rate spiked. The sh!t was getting real and severe fast. It was not petty, Ron, that she was dealing with it anymore.

These people had a weapon that could kill them in seconds.

The gravity of what her mate did suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks, the extent he was going, risking his life for these people, and suddenly she felt a strong wave to lock him in her basement.

But she'd drop the ball big time. She cannot get past the idea that this could have been all over.

Aubrianne still suffered deeply. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

And now they set their sights on her, and if she was being frank with herself, it was not now.

Now they found her, but Dr. White was a part of this, even if he tried to fool her into thinking he was there to help her.

Goddess, was she grateful for her wolf's sense that she did not willingly accept his aid.

She may have been strapped to some type of machine by now. She squeezed her eyes shut at the thought as she shivered again. Then her right foot began a light tap as nerves flared in her.

'We will be fine.' Leia spoke, sensing Aubrianne's tumultuous emotions. Aubrianne let loose a shaky breath and sought comfort from Leia's words.

She will be ok. She was getting her powers unbound soon and would also have access to her gifts, so she could defend herself and hold her own should they be attacked again.

Now more than ever, Aubrianne needed Martha. She wanted to learn as much as possible while there, hoping to hold out for a week tops. She saw the urgency of her situation.

It was not to simply rush and get unbounded. Honestly, it was never only about that. Aubrianne wanted to learn from a powerful witch like Martha, who was second only to her mother.

Nevertheless, somewhere along the trip, Aubrianne dozed off for the first time since Zayne left her side.

All too soon, Jada was nudging her awake, the flight had landed, and it was time to depart. Aubrianne glanced around, recalling she was on a plane to Wickersville.

She stretched and groggily reached for her travel bag. Slinging the strap over her shoulders, she followed Jada out of the plane, a team leading the way and the others behind them, Kirrah and Shawn, close by.

As Aubrianne stepped off of the plane, a wave of familiarity hit her, as if she had been there before with her mother as a child.

And the thought of her mother left an ache in her chest. She would never get to talk to her mother about her mate. Though she knew her mother would have been happy for her.

Aubrianne wished her father felt the same, recalling their conversation before she left the manor to catch her flight.

The audacity of her father to try and convince her again that she could go through with the joining, but she did not have to keep him by her side nor be by his.

This way, she can tap into her full potential by being fully mated and choosing a mate to spend her life with. He went on to explain that she could easily love another. Look how he was able to do it with Athalia. It can be done.

Aubrianne flinched at her reaction to her father's words. Leia instantly sprung forward and growled lowly, "Two options." She held up two fingers and wiggled them.

"Option one, accept Alpha Zayne as my mate in every form and fashion Or. Option two, should I return from my trip, and this is still your stance on the matter," she waved her hand up and down at his rigged form, her features screaming disgust.

"I will be moving out," Aubrianne and Leia spoke, her voice a little distorted with anger and rage. Then her lips curled in a scowl directed at him, and she spun on her heels, shaking her head, and left the manor.

That was the last thing she said to her father. She was furious at him for even suggesting such a thing.

How could he?

She felt sick to her stomach. There was no way she could love another. It simply was not possible.

Her heart was already taken.

Plus, her father had tried to bribe her first. The nerve of this man.

Theo wanted to do something extravagant for Aubrianne for her coming out ball. However, given the turn of events that night, he did not get to show her the garage full of the latest and best rides for her to meet clients in style.

He used it as an excuse to spoil her, but she took it differently when shown on Monday right before telling her of his oh-so-great idea to use her mate.

And that had upset her even more, which is why she had made it clear she was willing to give it all up.

Oh, and then there was Timothy, who had been distant from her. Aubrianne noticed the day of her ball but had not gotten the chance to approach him on the subject.

As a matter of fact, it was not a thought. Aubrianne was over the - back and forth, hot and cold, up and down games with Timothy. Besides, she had too much going on.

And Christen, she'd only seen her once; that was the night of her safe return, and she actually looked relieved to see her, which somehow warmed Aubrianne's heart.

Maybe she was growing on Christen after all, and Tobias was still his fantastic self, checking in on her occasionally. And she had told him they would resume their training as soon as she was back.

Tobias was starting to come into his own and was arranging to enroll in school after the summer. Returning at the beginning of a new year.

Aubrianne was a proud big sister.

Nevertheless, the crew and three teams soon arrive at Jada's childhood mansion.

"Oh my Goddess," Martha clasped her hands, bringing them to her lips as she stared at Aurbrianne, beaming with excitement, almost jumping up and down that she was meeting her best friend's daughter.

All grown up and as beautiful as ever, just like her mother. Martha also felt a pang of regret for not being there for Aubrianne when her mother died, at least when she was finally doing better after she lost her mate.

Martha was not about to fool anyone or herself. She knew she was a mess after she'd lost her mate, and it was a young Jada that held it down.

She only wished she was a bit stronger. Nevertheless, Aubrianne was there now, and Martha would do everything she could to help and guide her.

It is what Athalia would have wanted.

"Oh honey, you look just like your mother at this age. What are you twenty-two?" Martha guessed right, arms open, palms and fingers moving, calling Aubrianne into a hug.

Aubrianne smiled at Jada's mom and swore she could see Jada clearly in her mother. Just at that opening, she walked into Martha's embrace.

"Everyone, come this way," Martha announced, leading the group.