Keeper (Matefinder Next Generation Book 1) (9 page)

All of a sudden tears welled in my eyes. I nodded.

Jax grabbed my forearm in a firm grip. “Then we will do everything in our power to save him. Do you understand me?”

Jax’s eyes were a fierce blue threading with yellow. I growled my agreement. Jax was my twin, my protector, my closest confidant. If I couldn’t tell him, I couldn’t tell anyone.

“We’re True Mates, Jax. Born mated, can have children tomorrow if we wanted. No need for a ceremony. But Nahuel said that if he dies … I die too.”

Jax’s eyes were wide. “How is that possible? No!”

I shrugged, helpless. “Mom saw something. We need to get it out of her. I’m freakin out here.”

Jax nodded and then we both saw Gavin coming out of the house in a black hoodie, carrying a big duffle bag.

My heart sped up and Jax grinned. “I’ve never seen you like this. You’ve had every unmated guy in the pack after you for years and you never looked half as riled up as you look now.”

Gavin’s hand was on the door handle.

“Shh!”

Opening the door, Gavin tossed his duffle bag in and closed the door, nodding to us. Jax took off and that was that. After months of dreaming of this guy, I find out he’s my True Mate, we’re destined to die together in four days, and now he was coming to live with me and my pack. Not exactly how I envisioned spending the summer before college.

We drove most of the way in silence. I think everyone was stuck in their own thoughts. But then it dawned on me that we were bringing my mate into a den of werewolves and he knew nothing about our kind.

‘Jax, he stared Mom down earlier and her wolf didn’t like it. We need to teach him about our kind.’
If he didn’t learn to live by our rules, he would be in for a rough time. My father’s pack was once small but now it boasted large numbers and I would be lying if I didn’t say a few of the males had been after me. They wouldn’t like that Gavin was my mate and that he wasn’t a werewolf.

Jax grinned.
‘No way. Did she rage on him?’

Ignoring my brother, I cleared my throat. “So, Gavin,” I turned to face him, “I should probably catch you up on werewolf culture. So we don’t … have any problems.”

He simply nodded. He was probably overwhelmed enough but my father would expect this of me.

“My father is the Alpha. His word is law, and you shouldn’t look him in the eye for too long.”

He swallowed hard but nodded.

I cleared my throat because he had been staring me in the eyes this entire time.

“Don’t look any dominant wolf in the eyes too long. It’s rude. Makes them think you want to challenge them.”

His mouth popped open and he stared at my lips. “Oh, okay. But you realize eye contact is a normal part of a healthy social conversation, right?”

Jaxon laughed. “Funny guy. I like him.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, I know, but I don’t want any fights to break out. We’re supposed to be keeping you alive.” I winked.

He gave me a sexy look. “What makes you think I can’t hold my own in a fight?”

Well, hot damn. Now my eyes roamed over his chiseled body. Even through his tight hoodie and jeans, I could see he was an athlete. Did he take martial arts? Boxing? God. Now I was dying to know everything about him. Speechless, Jax spoke for me.

“Heads up, bro. Ben and a few of the other guys want Anya for themselves.”

“JAXON!” I roared and faced the front, face beet red.

‘You have no filter. I seriously can’t believe you just said that,’
I scolded my stupid twin.

Gavin chuckled in the back. “I don’t blame them.”

My eyes met Gavin’s in the mirror; he didn’t look down.

Oh, boy. This was going to be interesting.

*

When we pulled in, I noticed way more cars than usual. Shit. My dad must have called a pack meeting. As if sensing us, my father’s voice boomed inside my head.

‘Brady is back. Pack meeting. Bring the boy.’

Boy. My eyes would disagree with my father. Jax’s eyes met mine and he nodded. Dad had told him, too. We tossed Gavin’s duffle bag in the house and then walked together to the barn. Crossing through the thick woods, Gavin was looking all around.

“Have you ever been to Mount Hood?” It dawned on me then that other than public ski parks, the mountain was closed off to most humans.

Gavin nodded. “Just skiing, but it didn’t look like this. Your land is beautiful.”

I smiled. Score. He was funny, sexy, and sweet.

As we crossed the clearing, the barn came into view and I saw that Mason and Avery stood outside waiting for us. Avery took one look from Gavin to me, and smiled.

Jaxon pulled Avery into a hug, giving her a quick kiss. Mason was sizing up Gavin, unsure whether or not to let him into our tight little circle.

“Guys, this is Gavin. My mate.” Any hesitation from me and the pack wouldn’t accept him. I needed to own it so that he would be treated with respect. Mason nodded and stuck out his hand.

“Good to meet you, bro.”

Gavin returned the gesture.

I could hear rumbling voices in the barn.

“What’s going on?” Jax asked.

Avery chewed her bottom lip. “Brady’s back. His captors let him go.”

“That’s great!” I exclaimed.

Avery and Mason shared a look.

“What?” Jax prodded them.

Mason leaned in close, whispering, “I overheard Brady tell your dad that the people who took him, did like … experiments on him.”

“What the fu–” I started before my father poked his head outside.

“Pack meeting,” he reminded us sternly.

Whoops. We began to shuffle inside when my father’s arm came out, stopping Gavin.

“Son, I’d like to talk to you in private for a moment, if that’s ok,” he asked Gavin. Hah. That was a very nicely disguised order.

My eyes bugged out of my head. “Dad,” I growled. He better not embarrass me anymore than I already was.

My dad met my gaze.
‘Trust that everything I do in life is for your happiness and wellbeing, dear daughter.’

Well, shit, how can I argue with that? Nodding, I reluctantly followed Jax, Mason, and Avery inside and left my mate with my Alpha father. What could go wrong?

We weaved our way through the crowd, getting respectful nods and glances. As the first pups of the result of my mother’s Matefinding gift, we were treasured. More so than the pups being born now. It was common place to see children and pregnant women in packs now, but twenty years ago that was not the case. We were the first born, the most valued.

We found my mother off to the side of the elevated platform. She was talking with Alexa, one of my father’s most trusted and valuable wolves. Not only was she a
changed
wolf with the power of creating an EMP type of blast that could short circuit electrical devices, she also used to work for the government. She was my father’s representative at all meetings that involved the human government. There used to be a secret research branch of the government called RAIDOS, Research and Intelligence Division of Supernaturals, and Alexa headed it up. Only when they began to turn on us did Alexa break free and become one of us.

Alexa and my mom stopped talking as we neared. Alexa was looking at me with sympathy, so I was guessing my mom told her that I had found my mate and he had an expiration date.

I waved at her and she gave me a tight smile. Great, I was envisioning lots of pity looks in my near future. The pack quieted as my mother took the stage.

She stood tall and strong and her voice boomed, carrying out to the entire barn.

“Kai and I have met with the council and I’m sorry to tell you but Brady’s kidnapping was not an isolated incident.”

Rumbling went through our 300-strong pack as my father slipped inside the barn doors, Gavin on his heels. They walked over to meet us and I saw something fierce in Gavin’s gaze as he looked at me. Protection, possession, pack.

‘Mine,’
I heard Gavin say in my head. I sucked in a breath at the sound of his voice in my head and nearly stumbled backward. Then I felt it, I was too preoccupied with my mom and Alexa before but my father had brought Gavin into the pack. He was pack now and that must have jumpstarted our matebond because as I was locked in his gaze, I got flashes of thoughts and images from him. Everything around me ceased to exist as I stared into his green eyes.

I got visions of him as a child, playing in the backyard with Tom and Betty. They were good parents and he loved them but the knowledge that he was given up for adoption still hurt him deeply. Then I was shown him being picked on in school, at around twelve I saw him taking wrestling classes, then at sixteen he started MMA training, then I saw him holding up a belt, trophies. This was the one thing that kept his mind calm, kept him from giving in to the madness that tried to take him when he was thirteen and the sickness and fevers started. Right after he missed the spirit walk. They were mild then, nothing like now, but he knew something was wrong with him then and it only increased his drive to compete in martial arts and gain control over his mind and body.

Suddenly, the connection broke and I knew that Spirit had just shown him things that would be important for him to know about me. We were both panting and I was very aware that there were over 300 wolves standing around us but I didn’t care. I reached out and took his hand in mine. It was impossible but this was the proof we both needed ... we were 100% True Mates. Instead of being totally in shock or running away, Gavin simply squeezed my hand and held on tighter.

Suddenly, my attention was drawn to my father, who was up on the stage. “I’m an old wolf,” my father addressed all of us. “My entire life has been dedicated to finding mates and protecting humans. But my gut tells me that times have changed and if I find out that the human government is behind this string of werewolf kidnappings … it means war.”

A nervous ripple went through the pack as we all looked anxiously at each other. Saying what he said felt wrong. Werewolves were meant to protect humans from the vampires. To keep the bloodsuckers accountable, honest. It felt wrong to declare war on the people you were meant to protect. But then my eyes found Brady who looked like he had been through hell and back. He was staring at my father with pride and respect, all the while, the wolf tattoo shown on his neck like a brand.

My father cleared his throat and met my eyes. “In happier news, my only daughter Anya has found her mate.”

The pack rumbled with cheers and gasps. I grinned. It was a happy thing, at least it should be anyway if we weren’t both going to die in four days.

My father quieted everyone. “His name is Gavin, he’s a shaman and now a member of our pack. Please take the time to get to know him. He is one of us now.”

At the word shaman, every wolf in the room began to whisper, point, and stare. But my father’s voice was strong and the subtle threat laced into his speech was not lost on the pack. Just because Gavin wasn’t a werewolf, didn’t mean he wasn’t pack. I was suddenly grateful my father had thought to bring him into the pack before announcing him as my mate. It showed his approval and made Gavin look equal to us. If a war with the humans was on the horizon, then we couldn’t afford a division in the pack, we needed to be strong. What my father hadn’t told the pack, and what was spinning in the wheels of my mind, was that the man I was slowly falling in love with was destined to die, and if Nahuel was right, so was I.

‘
I’m stronger than you think and I have a lot to live for,
’ Gavin told me and my eyes widened. I would have to get used to this matebond thing. …

*

After the pack meeting, Jax, Mason, and Gavin went into the basement at our house to play video games while I talked to Avery in my room. I told her everything and I mean everything. The True Mates thing, the visions, and the fact that I was somehow linked to Gavin so much that I too would die if he perished.

Avery sat there dumbfounded for a few moments, her cascade of red hair so vibrant to me in that moment.

Finally she spoke. “Well, shit. Not how I expected this day to go when I woke up this morning.”

I laughed. “Me neither.”

I could see the wheels turning in Avery’s mind, she was my science friend, my logical mind, no fo-fo bull crap. She didn’t believe in angels, or fairies or any of that. She was all about what you could see and touch. That must be why she wanted to go into the medical field.

“Okay,” she began and I braced myself for her rational tirade, “obviously True Mates exist because your mom was half witch and half wolf.”

I nodded but her brow creased.

“But according to Nahuel, Gavin should have died shortly after not attending his vision quest to meet his power animal and I’m assuming he would have somehow joined with his wolf to become one or something.”

I nodded, impressed. I hadn’t really thought about it like that, like he was half empty without his wolf. This is why I needed Avery’s advice, she saw things differently. She didn’t crack under pressure.

“Fever,” Avery repeated and looked at me with wonder.