Hidden Destiny (Redwood Pack) (12 page)

“Oh! I know that look,” Melanie said as she sat down on the stool opposite of them. “She totally got some.”

Lexi felt her cheeks heat up and cleared her throat. “So, uh, we’re here to grind plants, right?”

Hannah nudged her with her shoulder. “Oh no you don’t. This is the sacred ritual of women bonding here. We want to know all about North and how he put that look on your face. Well, not all about him.”

Thank God.

“We’ll wait for the really juicy details for when Willow, Ellie, and Bay are with us. I’d say Cailin too, but since North is her bother that might be a little awkward.”

“Just a little,” Melanie agreed, a devious grin on her face.

Lexi hadn’t had real girlfriends for almost a decade. Even within the Talons she hung out with Logan and his friends. Sure, she was friends with the Talon princess, Brynn, but it had been a long while since she’d had a chance to dish with the girls.

“Um…it’s good?”

Hannah threw up hands. “Oh please, you’re so talkative. It’s like I can see every detail in my mind.” She narrowed her eyes. “Now give us the deets, woman. We all know North has to have some secrets in bed. He’s all dark and swoony.”

Melanie laughed. “Geez, woman. You have two men for yourself, and you want the dirty details on North? Are you looking for another for your harem?”

Hannah threw a plastic baggie filled with seeds at her sister-in-law. “Shush, you. I’m very,
very
happy with my men.” She grinned. “Oh, yes, mated to a wolf and a partial demon? Best. Ever. But we’re not here to talk about my tremendously amazing sex life. And it is that. Tremendously amazing. We’re here to talk about Lexi’s sex life. She’s a Jamenson now. She has to share.”

“I didn’t know that was part of the code,” Mel said wryly.

Lexi swallowed hard, that slight pain that had always been there arching.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Hannah whispered. She wrapped her arm around Lexi’s shoulders and brought her in for a hug. Mel hopped off the stool and came to Lexi’s other side to hug her as well. “What is it, honey? I can back off. We’re just so happy North’s found someone and now we have another woman in our club.”

Lexi pulled away to wipe away the tears she hadn’t known had fallen. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just a little emotional.”

Melanie moved so she was in front of Lexi. “Tell us what’s wrong. It’s not about us prying, is it?”

Lexi let out a breath. “I’m not a Jamenson.”

Hannah tilted her head. “Well, no, not technically. But you and North are mates. You’re an unofficial Jamenson until we party and make it legal. You’re part of us.”

Melanie frowned. “You know we don’t care about who Parker’s father is, don’t you? I mean, we care in the sense we want to gut that motherfucker for you, but Parker is innocent in all of this.
You’re
innocent in all of this.”

Well then.

It looked like the cat was out of the bag.

Oh, Lexi had known the Jamensons had been filled in on her past, but it was a whole other thing to have it out in the open like this. She’d never talked about it, not really. She’d told North, and that was it. She and Logan had always tiptoed around the actual topic of conversation.

It was too hard to deal with otherwise.

Lexi let out a shaky breath. “I might not ever be fully mated to North. You understand that, don’t you?”

Mel nodded. “I know that you might not be able to fully bond with North. We all know that. We also all know that Corbin will die. There’s no other outcome for him and not just because of this situation. No, he’s deserved to die for a long time now and has used pain and dark magic to keep living. We’re in a standstill now with the Centrals, but that won’t always be the case. When he dies, you and North will be free to mate fully.”

Lexi shook her head. “But what if that doesn’t happen?”

“If you have to look negatively on that, then know that it won’t matter to us if you don’t fully bond with North,” Hannah said. “Yes, it will matter to you because, God, the pain, but to us? You’ll be our sister-in-law. In fact, we pretty much already think of you that way. And if the bond doesn’t happen, and you can’t have babies, you can always adopt.” The pain in Hannah’s eyes looked fresh at the thought of not having babies. She didn’t quite understand that, considering Hannah had twin babies, but that seemed like a whole other story.

Lexi ran a hand over her face. “Let’s start over for the day, shall we? I need to not be so emo, I guess.”

Mel cupped her face, the Heir’s mate’s eyes glowing gold as her wolf rose to the surface. “Honey, you’re entitled to feel whatever you want. This situation? It sucks. God, that’s not even a good word for what’s going on right now. I know what we need to do to fix it, but I don’ t know how to get there. At least not yet. But no matter what happens, know this, you’re ours. You’re a Jamenson in our hearts if not in bond or in name. It might be working too fast for you right now in some respects, but remember, we aren’t human. We’re wolves. I learned the hard way about what happens when you try to slow things down for fate, and I don’t want you to go through that too. So just breathe and be with North as you can now, and we’ll all work on a way to make that permanent.”

Both women hugged her hard then started back to work. Today they were grinding up some of the leaves and plants that Hannah had been growing in her greenhouse. As wolves, witches, and partial demons, in Josh’s case, they couldn’t use normal human medicines. Yes, as the Healer, Hannah could Heal wolves and the like, but it was costly. Each time she used her powers, she drained herself and had to wait to recharge herself using the bonds with the Pack and time. She would do it daily if she could, but everyone knew she needed time to rest.

So Hannah would only Heal those who truly needed it.

As they were at war, that need increased daily it seemed.

The medicines they made were old recipes handed down for generations. They would be too potent for humans, but for wolves, they helped alleviate pain, headaches, and other small things.

They were also very time consuming and annoying to make.

Cailin used to make them on her own for almost five years because she wanted to shoulder the burden. The Pack hadn’t had a healer or a witch within the Pack who dealt with herbs on a primary basis, so Cailin had stepped up.

Lexi had a feeling the young wolf had wanted to prove herself, though to whom she didn’t know. Being the Pack princess had to be hard, considering everyone thought she had everything yet needed to earn it more than others.

Or, at least, that’s what Lexi thought.

It would be interesting to see how Logan and Cailin would actually fit together if they ever stepped over the barrier they’d put in front of themselves.

“So, where are those beautiful babies of yours?” Lexi asked as she curled her lip, grinding the pestle in the mortar with a little more vigor than she should have. The plant smelled disgusting, and the quicker she got rid of it, the better.

Hannah grinned. “Kaylee and Conner are both with their daddies at the moment. They wanted to have a kiddie date I think.”

“I love the fact that Reed and Josh are a couple too, you know?” Mel added in as she bagged up her herbs.

Hannah smiled, that dreamy, in-love look on her face heart-warming. “I know. Plus, it’s fun to sit back and watch them get all hot and sweaty together.”

Lexi barked out a laugh. “What is with you and sex today?”

Hannah shrugged as Mel shook her head, a smile on her face. “Last night and all day today it’s been all about the men. They don’t get much time alone since we all like to cuddle together, so I get I’m a bit lonely. Not that it’s their fault. We all need time together and apart as duos and as a triad, but I’m spoiled.”

Lexi snorted. “Yeah, honey, just a bit.”

“What can I say? I like being the creamy center of that cookie.”

Melanie threw her head back and laughed, almost falling off her chair. “Oh hell, I can’t sit here in this room and deal with that smelly herb anymore. Let’s go to Willow’s bakery and get some cookies.” The Heir female winked, and Lexi choked on a laugh.

“Uh, I think I’ll get a cupcake and leave the cookies to Hannah.”

Hannah rubbed her hands together. “Sounds good to me. Come on, ladies. Willow is working today and has Bay with her I believe. Ellie is off with Maddox and Charlotte doing…something. And Cailin and Noah have Parker for the day, right?”

Lexi nodded. “Yep. Parker loves Cailin, and she loves him like the little brother she never had. I don’t mind them hanging out when I would need to find someone else to watch him anyway if I’m working.”

They made their way out of the triad’s home and toward the den center. The den was situated in the middle of the forest between two rock faces. It kept them safe on three sides, and the wards, usually, kept them safe on the other. Since the Redwoods would conceivably be living with each other for centuries, they’d done their best to leave tons of space between homes. The Jamensons all lived near each other in one corner of the den and were either a long walk or a short drive to the center, where the school, shopping, and other amenities were located.

Today they decided to walk the distance, needing the fresh air.

“I’m glad you decided to help today,” Hannah said a few minutes into their walk.

Lexi smiled. “Me too. You two are hoots.”

Mel laughed. “You wouldn’t have thought so if you’d met me before I mated with Kade.”

“Oh shush,” Hannah admonished. “I bet you were just as adorably dorky as you are now. You’re just getting some.”

Lexi tripped over a root, laughing so hard. “Oh my God, Hannah. Those men need to get home soon so you can get laid.”

Hannah huffed out a breath. “I know. It’s been like thirty hours or something like that. I’m shriveling up.”

“Jesus, Hannah,” Mel mumbled through her laughter.

“What? I’m still waiting to hear the deets on North. Just saying.”

“Yes, why don’t you tell us the
deets
on the man you stole,” a voice said from behind a tree.

The girls stopped walking. Melanie put herself in front of Hannah while Lexi took the other side. Hannah was a witch with powers connected to the earth, but she couldn’t Heal herself. Lexi might not be able to shift, but she was still stronger.

Melanie could kick ass if she had to, but Lexi hoped they wouldn’t have to.

“Colleen? Is that you?” Melanie asked, her voice cool, dangerous.

Three women walked out from the trees, smirks on their faces and looking as though they were out on the prowl for trouble. Lexi had seen them around the den but hadn’t spoken to them. For the most part, the wolves she didn’t know stayed clear of her.

After all, she was just the new addition to the Pack with the shady past.

Honestly, Lexi didn’t blame them for their hesitation to welcome her and her family with open arms. The Pack had been beaten and culled through battle after battle. Lexi was a threat because she was an unknown.

Picking a fight, though, was too much for her.

She might deserve space from others, but she didn’t deserve whatever these women were about to dish out. Melanie and Hannah for sure didn’t deserve it.

“So tell us, Lexi, how is it with North?” Colleen spat. “You come into our Pack and take the last remaining available Jamenson? What kind of shit do you think you’re trying to pull? You’re nothing but trash.”

Melanie growled, the sound crawling over her like a sweet chill. “Marissa, Sandra, go if you don’t want to be part of this with Colleen. If you stay, you’ll all be forced to deal with me.”

“And me,” Hannah added. She stretched her fingers, the soil around them rippling like small waves, the tension in the air rising.

“Guys…” Lexi didn’t know what to do. Yes, she was more dominant than the non-Jamensons by far, but as a latent wolf, the others wouldn’t know that. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt because others were prejudiced or whatever the hell was going on with them.

“We’ll stay here,” Sandra answered, an ugly glint her eye.

“Yes, it’s about time we deal with the Jamenson bitches,” Marissa added. “The three of you came into this Pack and took our men. Melanie had to be turned. She’s not even a born wolf like us. Hannah is a fucking witch. And you, Lexi? You’re not even a real wolf. You’re just a broken joke.”

“Shut your fucking mouths,” Melanie ordered, her power flaring. Lexi swallowed hard, the power washing over her like a warm blanket. Though she couldn’t feel her wolf, she could feel the comfort that came with being with another wolf that was there to protect her. The other women’s eyes widened, and their knees buckled. Lexi knew Melanie hadn’t put out too much of her power, but shit, she was strong. “We’re Pack. We’re family. Why they hell are you spouting nonsense and trying to break that?”

Lexi had been right when she’d thought the Pack was changing from within. The Jamensons had spent so much time protecting their members from outside evil they hadn’t been able to see the poison within.

“You’re nothing,” Colleen yelled then charged. Her claws spouted from her fingertips as she swung at Melanie. Mel ducked then punched the bitch in the face. Colleen attacked back and tried to pounce on Mel, but the Heir female would have none of that. Mel kicked and punched, showing how strong she was compared to the lower-ranking female.

Sandra came at Hannah, her fangs bared. The Healer pulled up her arms, bringing the earth with her. A heavy wave of soil, leaves, and roots slammed into Sandra, and the other woman screamed.

Marissa attacked Lexi, her claws out, ready to maim. Lexi didn’t have claws or fangs. No, but she had strength plus the fact she’d been the underdog her whole life.

She ducked then used her shoulder to slam into Marissa’s gut. The woman let out an oof, but Lexi didn’t stop. She pushed Marissa to the ground, twisted the woman so she was on her stomach, and then pulled her arms back so Marissa screamed out in pain.

“Yield.”

“Never, you bitch!”

Lexi pulled harder, and Marissa screamed louder.

“All of you, stop it.” Melanie’s voice held a thread of power, sending shivers down Lexi’s back.