The Trinity: The Ashland Pack Series (18 page)

“I have a
question,” an older man stood up. Mace knew him to be the Head of the Elders in the Viston Pack.

“Yes,
Elder Meeks,” Mace answered.

“What
happens when you have different laws for your pack than we do?” Elder Meeks asked.

“Well sir,
I don’t know of any laws that we have different than you. Cade and I have always seemed to be on
the same page and kept everything alike so the packs could go into each other’s
territories. We didn’t want there
to be any difference. I don’t think
we will have that problem. If there
are any, then we will address them when they come up. I can promise you that we want this to
work. Cade will be your Alpha, as I
will lead the Ashland Pack. Cade
will live on the line between our packs. We have co-existed for hundreds of years like this. I don’t think there will be any
problems.”

Elder
Meeks seemed pleased with that answer and nodded he understood as he sat
down.

Most of
the pack had simple questions that were easily addressed. But the most intriguing question came
from a ten-year-old boy.

“Alpha
Cade?”

“Yes,
Michael.” Cade answered smiling at
the boy.

“What are
we going to do when the evil ones come to Viston?” Every eye turned to the young boy
because he asked the question that everybody wanted to know, but were too
scared to ask.

Adrianna
and Samson stood up and approached Cade. She smiled as she took Cade’s hand then looked up at Cade and Mace. Then she turned toward the front and
addressed the pack.

“Together we will fight the evil ones,
Michael. We will teach those that
want to learn how to fight. We have
already started planning and we will get through this together. The Ashland and Viston Packs have a lot
of their own magic that will help when the time comes. We have to always stay together and
trust each other as a Pack. The
Ashland Pack is also your friends and family, together as packs we will win
this battle.” Adrianna answered as
she looked out at the pack.

Cade
reached down and kissed Adrianna on the side of her head. “Thank you for saying that.”

“You’re
welcome, baby.” Adrianna answered
then looked up at Samson and whispered, “How did I do?”

“Better
than me,” Samson said smiling.

The first
people to walk up to Adrianna and introduce themselves were Cade’s parents,
Meris and Silvia Maxwell. They were
the Alphas prior to Cade taking over. Meris was still a huge man. He was six foot four and broad as a football player. He had some gray hair streaking through
his brown hair. He had green eyes
like his son, but Cade looked more like his mother. Silvia Maxwell was a beautiful
woman. She had all the curves a man
wanted. She was tall, around five
foot eight. She had a slender waist
with wide hips. She was curvy in
her blue jeans and sweater. Her
eyes were blue and her hair was long to her waist and curly. She was looking at Adrianna with a
welcoming smile. She immediately
hugged Adrianna and it felt like her mother was hugging her, which made her
feel at home. She released Adrianna
long enough to introduce Cade’s father to her. They assured her that they would get
together later at their house to welcome her and Samson to the family. Silvia informed Samson and Adrianna that
she was happy for them and would see them later that night, because they were
holding up the line. Adrianna felt
relieved that Cade’s parents had welcomed her. She hoped she could win over the rest of
the pack.

Most of
the pack came up to Adrianna, welcoming her and Samson to the pack. Some had questions about being called
the
Trinity
. Adrianna answered the questions, not
knowing if it was what they wanted to hear, but she felt it was the right
answer.

Adrianna
excused herself to go the bathroom after everybody had greeted her. Once she finished her business and washed
her hands, a beautiful woman walked into the bathroom. Adrianna smiled at the woman but the
woman growled at her as she walked up to the sink.

When the
woman stopped beside Adrianna, she started pointing her finger at her. “You Bitch! You could have anybody in Ashland but no;
you had to have Cade too. One mate
wasn’t enough for you?”

Adrianna
continued washing her hands before she addressed the snarling woman.

“I didn’t
pick Cade. The fates chose him for
me. I take it that you have been
with my mate before?” Adrianna
asked.

“Been with
him. Well honey, you could say
that. We fucked all the time. He couldn’t get enough of me. He was going to mate with me before you
came along and turned him with your magic.”

Adrianna
looked at the woman without any expression on her face. “If you are a true werewolf, then you
would know that we don’t pick our mates, the fates pick them for us. He was never yours,” Adrianna said, then
she turned back to get a paper towel.

The woman
was so angry with Adrianna that she released her claws and tried to slash
Adrianna in the face. Adrianna
reached out quickly and wrapped her hand around the woman’s neck, cutting her
air supply off. Her hand never made
it to Adrianna’s face. The woman
started turning red and gasping for air.

Adrianna
leaned over and whispered in the woman’s ear, “I will forget the rude comments
you have made about sleeping with my mate. I know he will be missed in your bed. However, if you ever try to claw me
again, I will keep squeezing until there is no longer life in you. You would be wise to remember that,
wolf.”

Adrianna
released the woman as she fell to the ground gasping for air. Adrianna never turned around as she
walked over to the door, opening it.

Peter
Reece, one of her students and now one of Cade’s Protectors, was waiting
outside the bathroom for Adrianna. While the door was open, he observed the young lady on the ground
gasping for air.

“What
happened, Alpha?”

Adrianna
looked up at Peter, surprised by him addressing her as Alpha.

“She got a
little frisky letting her claws out. See to her, Peter,” Adrianna said as she walked out of the
bathroom.

Adrianna
could hear Peter telling the woman, “Hey, at least she didn’t pop your shoulder
out. Trust me, she could have done
worse.”

Cade and
Samson were walking toward Adrianna as they saw Peter going into the
bathroom. “What’s wrong, Adrianna?” Cade asked concerned.

“Oh
nothing, just a pissing contest between me and one of your girlfriends. Hey, guess what?” Adrianna asked Cade.

“What?” Cade answered warily.

“I won!” Adrianna said as she walked past her
mates who were frowning.

Cade and
Samson watched as Adrianna walked over to Mace and the Elders. Cade looked over to Samson frowning,
“Shit, I had hoped the past wouldn’t reach up and bite me today.”

“Well,
let’s hope none of the ones I’ve been with try to have a go at her.” Samson sighed as they walked over to
Adrianna and Mace.

As they
were walking out of the town hall, Cade reached over and grabbed Adrianna’s
hand. She tugged her hand back, and
looked up at Cade with an expression that said, “DON’T.”

“Adrianna,
I’m sorry for Petra’s actions today. I hope you don’t blame me for it.”

“I’m sorry
Cade, but I don’t know if I can handle much more of this. All the women with their dirty looks and
snide remarks, I don’t deserve it. Don’t you teach your wolves the fates decide their mates, not us? I didn’t choose you. The fates chose you for me.” Adrianna knew immediately that she had
hurt Cade with her words. She had
pretty much said that she didn’t want Cade but she had little choice. The fates chose for her.

Cade
stepped away from Adrianna, and then informed Samson that he would catch up
with them later. You could see the
hurt in his eyes. He walked away
from Adrianna without another word.

“Cade,
please, I’m sorry,” Adrianna pleaded with Cade as he turned his back to her,
walked over, and got in the truck with his Beta.

“What have
I done, Samson?”

“You
fucked up,” Samson said angrily as he pulled Adrianna to their vehicle.

Mace was
already sitting in the front seat waiting for Adrianna and Samson. “Where is Cade going?” Mace asked.

“He needed
to pick up some stuff from his house. He wanted to show us where he lived, but I guess we’ll see it later,”
replied Samson.

Adrianna
knew what that comment meant.

Samson
didn’t say it but he was pissed at Adrianna too. She had hurt both of them with just one
comment.

Mace looked
back at Adrianna as he felt the tension in the air. Adrianna was looking out the
window. She had put her sunglasses
on so you couldn’t see her eyes. Samson sat on the other side of the vehicle looking out his window too.

When they
pulled up at Adrianna, Cade, and Samson’s house, Adrianna jumped out of the SUV
and ran for the trees. The big oak
tree’s limb swept down and picked her up.

Mace stood
in shock, looking up in the trees. “Shit, I know you said she could talk to the trees, but I guess I never
really realized that.”

Samson
just shrugged his shoulders, still pissed at Adrianna. He walked in the house leaving Mace
standing outside looking up at the trees.

A few
minutes later, Mace walked in the house looking around at the new
furniture. “Wow, it looks great in
here,” Mace said surprised.

Jacob Cord
walked into the living room smiling at his Alpha. “Hey, Alpha.”

“Well
hello, Jacob. It looks great in
here. You did a great job,” Mace
said softly.

“Thanks,
Alpha. I hope I got everything in the
right place. Where is
Adrianna? I need to tell her where
I put everything.”

“Well,
Jacob.” Mace paused not knowing how
to tell Jacob about Adrianna’s ability to talk to the trees. “She’s in the trees.” Jacob looked up at Mace and saw the look
on his face that said he wasn’t kidding.

Jacob ran
to the window and looked outside, trying to see if he could see Adrianna
talking to the trees. “Alpha? I don’t see her.”

“Well
trust me, Jacob, she is out there. Why don’t we go into town and eat? I think Adrianna needs to be alone with her mates tonight.”

Jacob
wanted to protest, but thought better of telling his Alpha no. “Okay, if you think she won’t be mad at
me for leaving.”

“She won’t
be mad. Let’s go, Jacob. I’ll bring you back in the morning bright
and early.” Mace knew Samson could
hear Mace talking to Jacob. He knew
he was telling Samson that he would bring Jacob home in the morning and he had
time alone with his mates.

The tree
cocooned Adrianna in its limbs. She
sat talking to the trees, telling them what a horrible mistake she had
made. Explaining how she hurt her
mates.

Cade drove
up an hour later, walking into the house finding Samson alone. “Where is Adrianna?” Cade asked.

“She has
been up in the trees since we returned home.” Samson sighed as he looked down at his
feet. “I shouldn’t have been so
mean to her. I was mad at what she
said to you. I didn’t speak to her
on the way home. We sat on opposite
sides of the car. I was just so
pissed off.”

Cade shook
his head then bellowed at Samson. “Well I’m still mad. I’ve
done nothing but try to appease her. What, did she expect that I was a virgin? I didn’t exactly want a mate either, but
I got one.”

Both mates
turned at the gasp that came from Adrianna as she walked into the living
room. Adrianna burst out crying and
ran through the kitchen back door. She was too fast for Cade and Samson to grab her before she shifted into
her wolf and ran toward the woods.

Samson
grabbed Cade’s arm before he could go after Adrianna. “She’ll come back when she cools
off.”

“I hope
you’re right. I just got pissed off
with everything and her actions today with Petra. Shit man, It’s hard for me too. If she had listened longer, I would have
said that I didn’t want a mate at first, but I do love her now. I can’t see my life without her. I thought she felt the same.” Cade sighed as he walked over to the
couch and sat down.