Alpha Battle (6 page)

We'll never know, but maybe another Alpha’s pup was born latent like Jadelyn, and they never documented it.  Baron, we have to find out if this is the case why they didn’t write it down, and what happened to them,” Jake said as his mind started running rapidly.

“You are the historian, Jake, but I will go help you.  This is something I always wondered as well.  We can dig as deep as we have to, after you get out of the hospital and the Battle Finale,” Baron said as the nurse came in to give Jake his medicine.

Jake's eyes began to get heavy as the nurse shot the medicine through his left arm with a needle.  He wanted to talk to Baron some more, but knew he had to stay on schedule in order to get better.

“Don’t worry, Jake, we will talk about it in the morning.  The nurse is bringing me a bed in.  I will stay here with you since Eli is there protecting Jadelyn.”  Jake heard Baron as his eyes dropped closed.

***

Eli waited on the Alpha’s house front porch for Ace after he watched Baron leave to visit his father.  He had no clue where Jadelyn had stored their tents and couldn’t ask her right now since she was still pissed at him.  Eli couldn’t wait until after she read the letters and they talked to each other.  Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough for him.  He couldn’t believe what was going on with Jadelyn while he was away.  Eli would have come home with or without his father if he knew what was going on with Jadelyn.  He couldn’t believe someone wanted to keep them apart as well. 
Fuck!

Eli stood up and walked toward the driveway when he heard Ace getting out of the car.  He had to talk to him in front of the house, he couldn’t risk Jadelyn or Chelsea overhearing the conversation.  If Chelsea heard what he was planning, she would tell Jadelyn for sure.  He learned his lesson when they were younger and Chelsea told Jadelyn what he got her for her birthday one year.

“Hey, what you are doing standing on the front porch?” Ace asked when he saw Eli approaching him.

“Shhh, I need your help with something else now,” Eli said.

“Why are you shushing me and what do you need my help with?” Ace asked.

“I am shushing you because Jadelyn is still mad at me and would pitch a fit if she knew I was still here, so don’t tell Chelsea.  I don’t know where Jadelyn put the tents, and I need you to get them.  No, I am not going to look myself so she could discover me in the house, before you ask,” Eli said.

“You don’t have to go in the house, they are in the garage now.  Jadelyn put them there years ago after you left.  She hasn’t been camping since the last time you took her.  For some reason she wouldn’t go with anyone else,” Ace said as he raised the garage door and got the tent and sleeping bags out for Eli.

Eli felt bad
when he heard Ace say Jadelyn wouldn’t go camping after he left—she used to love it.  “Ace, remind me to take her camping after the battle, also, I will call you before I leave here in the morning.  Hurry up and get in the house before Chelsea comes out to discover what is taking you so long and ruins this,” Eli said as he made it to the side of the house where Jadelyn's window was.

Eli quietly put the tent together then climbed into the tent with his sleeping bag.  He had already hidden his bike from plain sight as he was waiting for Ace to get home.  Eli felt content as he drifted off to sleep—he was finally home.

***

Jadelyn woke up two hours later with letters sticking to her body.  Jadelyn never got a full night of uninterrupted sleep since she caught a shifter trying to break into her room.  She woke at least three times a night to check every corner of her room and to make sure her door and windows were secure. 

Jadelyn gathered all the letters off her bed and placed them in a secret box she kept with everything Eli ever gave her.  Sometimes, when she was alone at night, she would gather the box and pull out everything Eli had given her one by one, reliving the moment and occasion surrounding the gift.  Jadelyn shoved the box back into her secret hiding place, she wouldn’t pull out the gifts while Chelsea was sleeping in her room.  She couldn’t let Chelsea see it since Chelsea could hardly hold a secret, and everyone already thought she got rid of everything Eli gave her.

She shook her head and blinked her eyes rapidly trying to check the emotions that were trying to surface.  Jadelyn stood up from the position she was crouching in to make sure the door was secure enough for her to feel safe while sleeping then moved on to the window.

Jadelyn could see something green through the reflection of the window as she approached it.  She slowly opened the window and peeked down to see a tent below her window.  Jadelyn knew without a doubt it was Eli.  It was just the person he was and what he'd do if he felt someone was in danger.  She would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed.  This made feeling angry with him even harder and confused her emotions toward him when he did something thoughtful for her.  On one hand, she wasn’t mad at him anymore when she noticed the 'Return to Sender' on the letters he wrote, but damn if she wasn’t mad it took him this long to come home to her.  They were going to have a long talk and soon, if she had anything to say about it.

Jadelyn left her window cracked and slipped back into bed.  She had always liked sleeping with her window open so she could feel and smell the night breeze. 
Something she hadn’t been able to do in years, but she knew that with Eli out there standing guard for her, she could.  Jadelyn couldn’t understand how she could be pissed at someone she hadn’t seen since she was twelve and could still make her feel secure and loved.  Jadelyn closed her mind of all her confusing emotions and fell into the most peaceful sleep she had in a while.

***

Ace woke Jadelyn and Chelsea up the next morning after he received a phone call from Eli, who had been trying to reach Jadelyn for a few hours.  Once Ace and Chelsea left her room, Jadelyn hurried to her closet and pulled out some clothes and her bathing suit.  She hated when she was late to something, and decided to take a quick shower and dress quickly before she started to panic.  She didn’t know why, but every time she was late to something she always started to feel anxious, and sometimes that led to panic attacks. 

Looking at the clock on her phone, she noticed she took a half
an hour shower instead of the fifteen minutes she was shooting for.  Jadelyn hurriedly dried off, threw on her bathing suit and clothes before quickly throwing her hair back into a messy ponytail.  Jadelyn grabbed a bag with a change of clothes and towel, just in case she needed them after the swim.

Jadelyn hurried down the stairs.  She had so many questions for Eli when they were finally alone.  Just as she reached the last stair, Jadelyn heard the sound of his bike as he pulled up and hurried
toward the door.  Before she could make it off the last stair, Chelsea handed her enough food for her and Eli.  “Ace and I will meet you guys at Paradise Theater in a few hours.”  

What is going on?  First the food, now we are meeting them at the
Theater,
Jadelyn thought as she put the food and drinks into her bag. 

Chelsea had no clue what was going on either
. All she knew was that Ace and Eli had made plans over the phone earlier.  Ace had told her everything Eli had planned for Jadelyn, and Chelsea felt as though she could help a bit by making them brunch.  She knew they had to talk before the battle to get everything they learned out in the open, or else it would affect Jadelyn during the battle.  Chelsea could hear Eli as he approached the door and decided to follow Ace into the kitchen to give them their privacy.    

Jadelyn was thinking about changing her mind about going with Eli until the doorbell rang.  The first thing Eli did when he entered the room was take the huge bag from Jadelyn and awkwardly
kiss her on the forehead and put his arms around her.  Jadelyn stiffened for a moment then relaxed into his arms, staying that way for a few moments before he pulled away.  He didn’t know what to say to Jadelyn so instead he turned his attention elsewhere.  “We will see you guys in a few hours.  Ace, I will call you before we head over to the Theater so you guys can meet us there,” Eli said loud enough so they could hear him in the kitchen as he led Jadelyn outside of the house to his motorcycle. 

Jadelyn didn’t say anything
, all her thoughts were jumbled in her mind.  She had a feeling the same person who hijacked their letters had something to do with their mothers’ deaths and for some reason, wanted to keep them apart.

Eli didn’t want to push Jadelyn too far since it was a miracle in itself she
left with him.  He put the bag into the huge saddlebag on the side of the motorcycle before helping Jadelyn onto the bike.  She scooted as far back as she could to give him enough room to get on the bike comfortably. 

“Jae,
there is a green and silver helmet in the other saddlebag if you would like to wear one,” Eli nervously said.  This was the first time he spoke to Jadelyn in forever, and he didn’t want to screw it up.

Jadelyn shook her head no to answer him.  She felt if she opened her mouth now all her emotions would pour out before she was ready for them to.  She took a deep breath and blew it out
, trying to control her thoughts enough to speak. 

“Um, let’s go to the place
where we used to talk when we were younger.  I think there are a few things we need to go over before we head to our secret location,” Jadelyn stumbled out.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Eli said as he pulled
away toward their special place to talk.

Chapter Four

Ace and Chelsea sat at the table holding their breaths until they heard the door close behind Jadelyn and Eli.  Neither of them thought Jadelyn would go.  They both were waiting for her to call it off.

“I thought for sure she
wasn’t going to go,” Ace said as he admired Chelsea’s golden-brown wavy hair, rosy pale skin, and deep set light-brown eyes, between bites of his breakfast.

“Yeah, I thought so, too, but Jadelyn thinks whoever it was taking their letters may also be responsible for their mothers’ deaths.  She wants to ask him if he thinks the same thing, and to talk over their problems before the
battle tomorrow tonight,” Chelsea said as she marveled at his light olive skin tone, dark-brown hair, and hazel hooded eyes.

“Jadelyn need
s to get it all out before the battle, or else it will distract her during the battle,” Ace said, which surprised Chelsea by his logic.  He usually said the first thing that popped into his mind before he thought them through.  Chelsea, on the other hand, was the one who thought everything out before she acted.  In that sense, they balanced each other out.

“Okay, enough about them.  I have confidence they will sort out their problems.  So let’s sort out ours.  I need a shower and so do you.  So I was thinking we should do something to help save on the water bill,” Chelsea said as she headed out the kitchen door and ran up the stairs straight to their bathroom.

Ace sat at the table for moment, digesting what Chelsea said until he got the underlying meaning.  Without a second thought, he left the kitchen for the shower where they had done a lot more than just wash each other, they stayed until the water ran cold. 

***

Jadelyn wrapped her arms around Eli tighter when he patted her hands to let her know he was about to jump the curb.  He jumped the curb and pulled along the dirt path that led to a secluded wooded area.  Eli drove down the path for two minutes until the park finally came into view.  He parked a few feet away from the swings and helped Jadelyn off.

The park was in the middle of the wooded area with trees surrounding it, a pair of swings, a blue slide,
with the paint chipping away, and a bench area.

A
s Jadelyn and Eli walked toward the swing set in the park, Jadelyn dropped to her knees onto the ground.  A shocking growl escaped through her lips as her she-wolf began to growl inside of her and tried to force her way out.  She wanted to mate with Eli, now.  Jadelyn was in shock!  She never felt her wolf try to claw to the surface. 

Eli was worried.  He was on high alert since he learned what had happened to his father over the years
, not to mention the mysterious death of their mothers.  “What’s wrong?  Are you okay?” Eli asked Jadelyn in a worried tone as he bent down so he could be eye level with her.

When Jadelyn tried to answer, an earth-shattering growl escaped her.  ‘
Mate now
!’  Her wolf growled so loud it escaped through Jadelyn’s lips.  “No, I have never felt anything like this, and I don’t know how to stop it.  My wolf wants us to mate right now, and I can’t seem to stop her from trying to get out.  What should I do?” Jadelyn said as her hands and teeth began to shift into claws and sharp canines.

Eli knew what she meant.  He was having a hard time controlling his own wolf.  He knew Jadelyn’s wolf was more powerful than
his wolf since she had never shifted to run off some of her power.  “You have to touch me so your wolf will calm down.” 

As they touched, warmth spread through each of their bodies; neither of them had felt anything like it before, and a new awareness was there as well.  It felt as though the years they spent apart never happened, until the unanswered questions floating in Jadelyn’s head came to the front of her mind.  They continued on their way to the swings when Jadelyn’s wolf was calm enough.