*** Eva ***
The heat of Aiden’s stare warms me into a wanton frenzy, but I cannot back down too easily. I am sick of feeling hurt and rejected and lacking. I need to know that he accepts me for me and that all I am will be enough for him. I love him, but if loving him means I have to spend the rest of my days feeling inadequate then I will take my chances on spending it alone.
He loves us, the gentle voice from within tells me and it finally clicks into place: I am not crazy or hallucinating. It’s my wolf. I have a wolf.
“Aiden, can you have a wolf and not know it? And how do I find out?” He gives me a huge smile which melts me even more. I can try to resist him and his charm but ultimately, I love this stupid man and I do want to be with him.
“Can you feel her, Eva? Roman said he could. He said she is buried deep inside you, but she is there. Maybe you could try and talk to her?” I give him an incredulous look since I have no idea how to do that.
“How? How do you talk to Roman?” I ask him and as he answers, he strokes my hair and head and I find myself relaxing into him, like we are one.
“I suppose it's kind of in my head, the conversation between us. Try saying hello to her so she knows she is welcome to emerge. Close your eyes and say the words in your head.”
Umm, hello? It's me, Eva. Are you there? I wait a couple of seconds until the gentle voice returns, and this time there is a note of excitement.
Hi Eva, it’s great to finally talk to you. I am Lina, your wolf. I have a wolf. I am a werewolf. This is unbelievable.
I didn’t know I had a wolf. You tried to help me, didn’t you? I think back to the time in Germany when Ryan almost broke my spirit and to when Summer was missing. There was always something deep within me that kept me going, something I couldn’t explain.
I tried to remind you that you are strong, we are Alpha wolf, and the human was not worthy of us. I am sorry I scared you. Her soft tones comfort me, and now I know she is there, I wonder how I ever existed without her.
I open my eyes and look at Aiden who is watching me closely. “I have a wolf; her name is Lina.” Then I break out into a massive grin and burst out crying at the same time, and Aiden immediately cradles me back to him.
“Roman is going to be delighted. Well, he will be if you can forgive me, of course.” When he mentions Roman, I remember how loved I felt, how accepted I felt by his wolf counterpart. I remember how I had been disappointed that I didn’t have a wolf for Aiden to experience the same feeling.
“I can’t go through life feeling like I am not enough, that I am inadequate, Aiden. That look of disappointment in your eyes has the power to kill me faster than any guns or knives. I got us lost, that was how we ended up at Moon Stone. I was terrified and I lost my way. It was dark when we had crashed and when I came around, I just couldn’t figure out what way to go, I just followed the light. I would never, ever betray you. I need you to have faith in that, I need you to have faith in me or this isn’t going to work.”
When he looks into my eyes, I know he feels genuine remorse for doubting me, so I soften my tone but I keep going.
“I know there will be times when we will both need more reassurance, but if we are open and talk about how we are feeling, then we can only get stronger. If we do this, I need us both to be all in. I feel too strongly about you and us to be doing this half-arsed, Aiden.”
His reply is firm and immediate. “You are and will be my equal in everything. I will never ever doubt you ever again, All I want is to love you and cherish you and spend my life with you and our family. We will work everything out with your father, whatever you want I will support you, though I’m not even sure what you want to do about your mother and Ryan.” The anger flares in his eyes again.
“I want him dead, Aiden. I want Ryan gone. Does that make me a bad person? I don’t even care anymore if it does; he sickens me right down in my bones and I do not want him anywhere near Summer so he can destroy her in every way he can. He can rot in hell for what he has put me through.” I am surprised by the strength of my loathing for the man who was once my everything.
“No, it doesn’t make you a bad person. Eva, you are an incredible person, much better than him and he never deserved you and he knows it. Don’t waste any more time worrying about him, I will avenge you and we will keep our Sunshine girl safe from him. I promise.” He looks into my eyes, his green emeralds shining back at me. “I love you Eva, I love you so much and I will never ever hurt you again, I promise. Please forgive me.”
Do I really have a choice? It doesn’t feel that way as I smash my lips against his. I love him too, I just needed to be sure he knew that I will not stand by while another man mistreats me. I am stronger now, and I know I deserve more.
Mate, Mate, Lina chants happily and I find myself saying it too without intending to.
“Mate!” I shout as I pull away from our kiss and joy illuminates Aiden’s face. He smiles at me and nods.
“Mine!” I raise my eyebrows at him, asking him to explain what just happened.
“Lina has just recognised us as your mate, she has laid her claim to us, and both Roman and I confirm you are ours.” I take a moment to allow myself to process what he has said.
“Then I also lay my claim to you: you are our mate. However, I will only forgive you on the basis that this will never happen again. I need you to have faith in me, Aiden. I need you to trust me. I need us to be a partnership. I want to love you and be loved by you, and I don’t want to have any doubts that it is based on conditions. I am giving you everything that I am; if that is not enough, then I want you to walk away now. I accept you for everything you are, and I promise to trust you and have faith in us.”
I look directly at him as I finish speaking. I know it was long winded but if I have learned anything from my shambles of a marriage, it is that being honest is important, telling someone what you want and need is vital to a healthy relationship. Listening to what they want and need is also essential. That is the way to a fulfilling and happy relationship that meets and exceeds expectations.
“You are more than enough; I promise to trust you and have faith in you too. I swear to be honest and open and to love you with everything I am. I love you, Eva, I will love you until the end of time.”
I nod to accept his pledge and Lina howls in my head for the first time. Her excitement at having her mate fuels my own excitement.
The pains of the past are already fading: not completely going, but the aching loneliness has eased and the pain ceases to take my breath away.
“Move to the packhouse with me today. let's pack up some stuff and move you and Summer in right now,” he asks me.
The room monitor informs me that Summer has woken up from her nap, interrupting our talk, so I pull away from Aiden to go and get her. When I come back downstairs with Summer, she runs to Aiden with her arms up in the air.
“Teddy Bear!” she shouts to him and giggles all over the house as he lifts her and swings her about.
When I look at Aiden’s hand he has my phone, so I frown at him, but he shakes his head. “There are more videos, Eva, and he was ringing you too. Would you like me to turn it off and we can get you a new number until you want to address this?” I nod to him gratefully. Ryan is not ruining another moment of my life.
“Yep, please turn it off but would you text Salma for me and ask her to contact me on your number instead. They got called to the coroner’s office, that was the reason they left me here. And then we can get packing!”
*** Aiden ***
I mindlink Preston and Amber and tell them Eva and Summer are moving in with me today and ask them for some help.
Yeah Alpha, no problem, just give us two minutes,Preston answers.
Make that ten minutes, Alpha, kind of busy here,Amber interjects and I shake my head.
Fine, ten minutes and then get in here and help us.
I ask Eva what she wants to take for now and we start with Summer’s bedroom. Summer tells me she needs her ‘babas’ which I now know means her dolls, so I fill a box with her toys and Eva packs up a suitcase with Summer’s clothes.
“We can always come back for more stuff, Shortie; we don’t have to pack up the whole house today.” She smiles at me.
“This is for a few days, Aidy. We’ll probably need a removal van to take everything.” Shit! I might have to get a second apartment if this is stuff for a few days.
Preston comes in and helps me load Summer’s stuff into the car. “Are you and your mate all sorted then, Alpha?” I nod to him.
“Yes, she’s definitely Xavier’s daughter but she knew nothing until last night. She’s got a wolf and the reason we ended up in the Moon Stone is that she was also knocked out in the crash and became disorientated. She doesn’t know it yet, but she just recited the Mate’s Ceremony pledges to me and I did it back. And her wolf claimed me.” Preston slaps me on the back in congratulations.
“I’m so happy for you, Aiden. Maybe we could have a double Mating Ceremony soon.” That’s when I remember about their ceremony, it should have happened about an hour ago.
“I’m sorry about your ceremony…” I start to say but Preston holds up his hand in protest.
“It’s okay; I have waited seven years, what's another few days? Although Amber said she is going to kill you.” I smile at him; I’m glad things are working out for us both.
My phone beeps as a text message comes through, it's Alejandro.
We are glad things have worked out for you both but Salma just had it confirmed that Jose was poisoned and is understandably angry. I’ll be in touch again soon, but I’d appreciate it if you could bring Eva to see Sal soon, she needs her friend.
I type out a quick reply.
Sorry to hear that Alejandro, I will tell Eva and when Sal is ready let me know and I’ll bring Eva to visit her. Take care.
There is always something happening, even when I feel we are starting to weather the storm.
*** Alejandro ***
Sal is shaking in rage and I feel pretty much the same. The coroner called us to say there had been a development he needed to discuss with us and when we arrived at his office, the police and the pathologist were also there.
“We have completed our autopsy and we can confirm that Mr Jose Morales died of a massive cardiac incident as a direct consequence of being poisoned. This is now a criminal investigation, and the police will want to question you all to find out what happened to Jose in the last few hours of his life.”
I had to pay off the investigating officer. He was already on our payroll as an informant anyway, so he had no reason to turn down the bung. The last thing we needed was the filth combing over all our dealings. Me and Sal alone could go down for a couple of decades for the things we were now involved in.
This is Mafia business, and that is how it will remain.
As I drive Sal and her mother back home, I can feel Sal’s anger and pain. Her mother sits in silence and yet I get the feeling she is holding out on us.
My suspicions are confirmed when we get safely back into the sitting room. Salma locks the doors and turns to her mother.
“Talk, now.” I have never heard her speak so harshly to her mami, all that simmering rage and grief is now bubbling over. I go to calm Sal, but she puts her hand up to me. “No. This has to be done, Ale, you know it does.”
“Your father went out of town on ‘business’ but I didn’t go with him.” Both me and Sal frown, how did she find his body then? She apparently found his body when he didn’t wake as normal.
“Mami, I don’t understand.” Sal is losing her grip; she has tears in her eyes, but her voice is raised.
“That was our arrangement, Salma. I know you don’t want to hear this but that’s the truth. If he was discreet, I turned a blind eye to the fact that he had a mistress. He was with Dominga when he died. She called me, and I then had to go and pretend it was me with him and that I had found him dead.”
Jose had a mistress. It's obviously as much of a shock to my wife as it is to me. She slowly falls to her knees, and I rush to her aid.
“Come on, Chula,” I say to her, but she jumps at her mami, enraged.
“So, all this, our family, our life, the whole fucking lot, was it all just a big farce? Was any of it true?!” She screams at her mother. “Do you have any pride? How could you stand by and let him cheat on you and play the dutiful wife? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Her mother remains passive on the couch, holding her hands together and showing no sign of upset. This same woman has been inconsolable since her husband died but now, she is cool as a cucumber.
“I didn’t say I was happy about it, Salma, but your papa had needs that I could not cater for. He was a virile man and women flocked to him because of his good looks, his power, his wealth, and he found it hard to resist. He always came back home to me though. You will find out yourself in your own marriage that we will do anything to keep the man we love. We will do anything to keep them happy.”
Sal looks at me incredulously and I hold my hands up. I have no intentions of taking a lover. I love my wife and I cherish my bollocks too much to ever slight her in such a way.
“Well, that is where we differ, Mother. I would never accept that, Ale knows that. I am not so desperate that I would accept his poor treatment. How many are there?”
Her mother looks confused. “How many what?”
“Mistresses! How many people was my father screwing? We need to check them all out,” she screams at her mother who blanches.
“Well, for the past ten years, it's just been Dominga. They have a child together. That was why your father was so insistent on you marrying and taking over.” I see the confusion on Sal’s face, wondering why a younger half sibling would be a threat to her position, but I think I know.
“He has a son, doesn’t he?” I say out loud. Salma’s eyes widen and her hand involuntarily goes to her mouth.
“Yes. Jose fathered a son, who by Mafia law is his successor. His premature death before your marriage and takeover has us set to lose everything Salma.”