My eyes started to drift shut. I sighed, “And I’m just… so tired! How do I get back?” Bjourn set me down on the couch answering, “It tends to be like this.” I sighed in relief. Haley said, “For the record, shoving your feelings down doesn’t work out. Eventually, they come out. Trust me, I would know.” I went to answer her, but my eyes closed.
I opened my eyes and jerked back. I looked around, “Umm… how did I get here?” I was in the Hackura realm with the man who kept changing his schedule….and it was probably to annoy me. Since I couldn’t find any other reason for his schedule changes.
Prince Hastein laughed, “You appeared here. I just got back myself. I do know who you are though. You are Melanie McAlister. Or at least I believe you are since I see my cousin’s mark on your neck.” I confirmed, “I am.”
Then bit my tongue so I wouldn’t ramble at him about changing his schedule when I wanted him to meet Kingsley. Prince Hastein smirked, “Do you know who I am?” I answered, “You are Crown Prince Hastein. The future King of the Hackura.”
Hastein smiled saying, “Yes, except family doesn’t use the title. Some even call me H.” I asked, “Are we in the Hackura realm?” Freya snorted, “You know that answer.” Yes, but Hastein didn’t need know I knew exactly where this was.
Hastein nodded, “Yup. Let’s get you home little wolf, before my cousin loses his mind. I knew he’d met you based on the bond. Some people are getting shit for not calling me home forthat alone.” I snorted, “Xander’s probably already lost it… we’ve had a heck of day.”
Hastein chuckled, “I have so much to catch up on. I was only gone for two months. What could I have possibly missed?” I laughed before I gathered myself because he was giving me that look people did. Freya said, “He’s more intrigued and confused than he was a few seconds ago.” I knew that, but it was a funny statement.
I explained, “A lot. You missed A LOT… like so much… it will annoy you on a very deep level.” All my tables told me that about him. Hastein opened a portal, and we stepped through. Xander instantly crushed me into his chest. Xander questioned, “How did you get to the Hackura realm?”
I shrugged admitting, “I don’t know. I met other versions of us… fell asleep on that couch then woke up in the Hackura realm. I wasn’t in that realm in that reality… so… I’m confused.” Eric sighed, “It happens to me sometimes. Haley usually ends back up in the realm she left from, but I don’t always.” I sighed, “Great. That’s just great.”
Hastein commented, “I see all is well though, cousin. Melanie is yours after all your worrying.” He worried? Freya said, “Oden said it worried them a lot. They worried they were possessive like other people.” Well… that was silly. Of course he was mine.
Xander confirmed, “She is.” Elise walked in and put her hand on her chest exclaiming, “Oh thank god! Alexander, why didn’t you tell us she was back?” I closed my eyes because I was talked out. Freya warned, “We are definitely not done talking.” Ugh!
EJ asked, “So, where did you go, Ladybug? What age were you there?” I answered, “I went to the time I tried to get to Xander on my eighteenth birthday. The other me was VERY drunk and far too chatty.” EJ laughed, “I see.”
He and Xander exchanged looks. Yeah well… I wasn’t about to drink several bottles of vodka to blabber about things to him.Xander said, “Paige did say you almost made it to me then.” I nodded, “Trevor, Francis and Mark stopped me. Had I not been so drunk… I probably could’ve made it. It was NOT a good day though.”
Elise asked, “Why?” I snorted, “Trevor declared he was my mate. We fought about it and the pack realized their leadership was lying to them… Trevor said my lack of wolf meant I had to be marked to tell. I essentially told him to drop dead, and that I wouldn’t be gaslit about him being my mate.”
“We were dragged to the Alpha’s office where the pack leadership said I should let him mark me. I told them all to go to hell. Then I went outside and informed the pack wolf less do feel the mate bond… and the hold Edward had on the pack slipped even further.”
“Tensions were at an all-time high because they realized I was right so… people knew they’d been lied to about being fated to some people… and the wolf less were pissed. The pack leadership and Trevor whipped me… it was all a fine Happy Birthday to me.”
Xander growled loudly and pulled me into him. Hastein asked, “What? What the HELL is going on right now?” EJ explained, “We have a lot to catch up on, cousin.” I said that first… but I didn’t say cousin… so… Freya snickered in my head.
Hastein stared at me and eventually nodded, “So Melanie said. Do I need to recall my brothers and our cousins? No one is out on anything that means they can’t at least be briefed on this situation.” My eyes widened and I actually gasped. Hastein would recall the royal Hackura family… because of me?
EJ answered, “We should brief everyone at least. You and Uncle Bjourn can decide from there what to do.” Haley advised, “Alexander, why don’t you take Melanie upstairs and go the fuck to sleep. Your mate is clearly exhausted.”
EJ said, “I need to know how Melanie knew something was off with the girls' night first. They weren’t after her from what Elise said.” I sighed, “I’d imagine they were only after Emma and MaryBeth just happened to be with her… so they decided to take her too.”
“I thought something might be off when Adlee said several of their human staff just happened to call out tonight. It seemed weird. Then there were some guys who wouldn’t look at me. I knew Cassie would be drinking water, but her drink was not water.”
Everything I had on my Resistance information said the females in the Lyons, Conners, Tuckers, Richards, and Daniels were high priority targets for abduction. So was Haley herself. Technically Lexi too. Emmaline was on the wish list, but not super high up. Maribella and Sharon were on it too, but lower down.
Emmaline, Sharon, and Maribella were more like a bonus. In my mind, I figured that out because no one actively tried to abduct them for the Ring specifically; whereas Haley was in it previously and from what I’d gathered… Lexi was meant to be in it, they just never managed to get her.
Some guy named Noah protected her… until he went totally off the rails, but that was only because he wanted her for himself. Based on what I’d found… he wasn’t going to get it… but he thought he was. Chase Daniels definitely hated that guy before he died and my mother in law had called him a Troll. Which seemed to be insanely accurate.
EJ studied me eventually saying, “Ok, Elise said you knew those guys at the club.” I acknowledged, “I do. They are Hunters that I’ve met before from Kentucky. They were purposely not facing me. Then Emma and MaryBeth weren’t with the group… it felt off.”
Xander nuzzled me saying, “Next time link me.” My eyes widened because… it had not occurred to me. I stammered, “Umm…. Well… that’s… I’d completely forgotten… that I….” Haley interrupted, “It’s perfectly fucking natural that linking us is not an instinct to you yet. You’re used to being on your own, and it was an urgent situation. Not to mention, you boys tried to pop to the van and it didn’t fucking work.”
I closed my eyes and apologized, “I’m sorry, Xander. I should’ve linked you.” Xander kissed my temple, “It’s ok. Next time, though.” I responded, “I’ll try.” Haley interjected, “That’s all anyfuckingone can ask of you.”
Xander popped us upstairs as more people walked in the front door. I stared longingly at our bed. Xander nudged me saying, “Come on.” I sighed, “People will want to talk about…” Xander kissed me, and I forgot what we’d been talking about.
When he pulled back, he said, “People can talk all they want, but WE are going to bed. You’ve had a very big day, and you’re tired. I can feel it. You’re physically, and what feels to me like you are, emotionally spent.”
“I don’t think anything good comes from talking through anything right now. Once you are rested, we can all talk more. The facts remain the same no matter when the conversation happens. You’re the white wolf, we have marked each other, you saved Emma and MaryBeth, and you caught a member of Black Path who wanted to hurt you. Then we capped it off by you going into the Ribbon for the first time without me, which I do not care for.”
