116. Precious Moments

ALEJANDRO

Her words rang in my fucking head, saying exactly what I was fucking worried about. If I hadn't met my nympho, I wouldn't have cared… If I was killed no one would have cared, but for Kiara, I had to stay alive.

Indigo had become a shell of the woman she once was, and it fucking scared me that if anything were to happen to me… Is that what would happen to Kiara? Just the thought made my blood run cold… I ran my hand through my hair, smoking my cigarette.

I needed to stop thinking shit like this.

"Baby…" Kiara's sexy voice came as she walked over to me, placing her hand on my waist as she looked up at me. Her eyes were full of concern. "Relax."

"I am fucking relaxing." I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her against me. Inhaling her scent, my hand resting on her ass.

"Why are you so stressed?" She asked, now looking up at me with concern in her eyes.

I couldn't tell her what I was scared of... Yeah, I was fucking afraid. I simply shook my head, despite seeing the flicker of hurt in her eyes. She knew I was hiding something, and I knew she knew… She hugged me tightly and I caressed her back, kissing her shoulder.

"Talk to me…" She whispered.

I closed my eyes. I couldn't.

"I just need to know what her fucking plan is." I muttered. She moved back, cupping my face.

She knew I lied, but she said nothing, kissing me deeply. I hugged her tight, my cigarette loosely between two fingers in my hand on her ass, the other tangling into her hair as I kissed her.

"We will be ok." She said so quietly that I almost didn't hear.

Her heart was pounding. So, she knew what was bothering me without me even having to speak. I moved back, caressing her cheek before I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around her waist, burying my head against her stomach. Kissing it tenderly as I inhaled her intoxicating scent. She wrapped her arms around my head, caressing my hair.

I hated this feeling of not knowing, I was feeling what every single one of my warriors felt when I threw them into the unknown. I never understood those emotions when they bid farewell to their mates. I never wanted to feel this hopeless... But at the same time, if it meant having her in my life, I was willing to do anything and feel anything to keep her forever…

"Ale…" Rafael trailed off and I moved back, standing up smoothly. Schooling my face into an emotionless mask. I turned and looked at him coldly.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Sorry… I just… wanted to make sure you're ok." He said quietly.

I raised an eyebrow, taking a drag of my cigarette.

"And why the fuck wouldn't I be?" I asked.

He shook his head, giving me a small sad smile.

"No reason."

A thick silence fell between us before Rafael scratched the back of his head.

"Umm, I'll leave you two to it…"

"I think we all need to unwind. Maybe we should do something?" Kiara said suddenly.

"Like?" Rafael asked, sounding like a fucking hopeful pup.

The fuck? He's like forty plus.

"Oh… I have the perfect idea…" I looked at her and there it was, that Cheshire cat smile… My nympho was up to something and I wasn't sure I trusted her… I exchanged looks with Rafael as Kiara giggled to herself, a pout on her face. Yeah, I'm fucking right… She's up to shit.

-----

"Ouch! Careful Elijah!" Scarlett snapped.

I clenched my jaw. The smell of burnt onions was fucking up my nose and this kitchen was too fucking tight for six fucking men.

Yeah, this was Kiara's idea, that I, Elijah, Marcel, Rafael, Liam and that Fucker Damon should have a fucking cooking competition. How the hell she got everyone to join in was fucking beyond me. To make shit worse, the most annoying fucking women were on the judging panel.

Yeah, Scarlett, Raven the old hag Amelia and then there was Kiara, the exception. Despite this being her idea, I couldn't stay annoyed at her. When she had handed me an apron, I had tossed it in the trash. I was in no fucking way wearing that shit.

"Come on boys! Get those sexy asses moving… Rogue Alpha… do you seriously not know how to turn that on…?" Raven remarked. Her annoying as fuck voice grating in my ears.

"Fuck." Elijah murmured, almost bumping into Rafael.

"Do I need to do this? I mean, I'm not an Alpha…" Damon protested.

Yeah, why the fuck was he here for?

"Leave." I remarked, earning a frown from Kiara.

"Baby, what are you making?" Scarlett asked, looking annoyed as Elijah spilt some shit on her cooker. I smirked.

"He's cooking shit by the looks of it."

Almost everyone burst into laughter as Elijah growled at me. Well, it looked like that anyway. What the fuck was that supposed to be… gravy?

"What about you, Liam, what are you making?" Raven asked, tilting her head.

Liam gave her a small smirk.

"Unlike the rest of these guys, I actually know how to make a few bits. I'm not trying to impress anyone… but it's turning out good." He said with a small pout as he looked at his baking tray.

The fucker was making a cake. Men don't make cake! What the hell was he? A pussy?

"Ooo Liam, are you making your Victoria sponge?" Kiara asked, leaning over the counter, her breasts spilling out of her top - well almost. She was hot as fucking hell…

"Seems like the little prissy is just another princess… Elijah were you not man enough to raise an Alpha? Look at that, you have yourself a cake baking boy." Amelia added.

These women sure were brutal. They all began laughing, although Scarlett gave her son an apologetic look. Liam rolled his eyes.

"Cooking and baking does not make me any less of a man." He stated, giving them a look.

"And I think he's actually handling this…" Rafael murmured.

I smirked. Now there was a fucker who really was losing. He had never cooked in his fucking life, and I knew Maria never let him touch shit. Well, he was paying for it now.

"What are you making? A salad?" I asked, mockingly.

"Cutting veg takes skills." Rafael replied, sucking his thumb after his fucking fifth accident and almost slicing his finger off entirely.

"Well, I know all you men seem to talk really big. Let's see if you are actually capable of making dinner. My… I'm glad you ladies called me to witness this. Six oafs trying to cook." Amelia remarked, sipping her tea.

The four women were sitting at the counter on the stools, and it was annoying as hell.

‘Not going to help me, Amore Mio?'

‘Nope... But if you win… I'll give you something tonight…' She replied suggestively. I glanced at her, feeling myself throb.

‘You'd give me that anyway…' I replied. ‘At least fucking guide me…'

‘Sorry… How about you win and I'll dress as a pretty little maid for you?' She teased.

Fuck. That image was hot as fuck…

"Are you two cheating?" Raven asked sharply.

"No!" Kiara protested.

I looked at the pan that held the grilled chicken, I was trying to make some fillets to create some burgers… the image of Kiara in a tiny maid outfit was kinky…

‘Fine. You better have a good outfit.' I growled through the link.

She smirked.

‘Oh, I know exactly where to get one, sooo you better win.'

I fucking intended to…

I tasted the spices, maybe a bit more salt…

"Oh shit!" Damon swore as he took his burned onions out of the fucking cooker for the second fucking time. How stupid was he? I gave him a cold glare, and glanced around at the so-called ‘competition.'

After a quick look, I think my only competition was either Marcel or Liam… Marcel was working silently, but he seemed to know what he was doing. Plus, cake boy… He looked at me and I frowned at him.

I forget he's Kiara's fucking twin…

"What you looking at?" I frowned.

"You were actually looking at me first, Alpha." He said, with a small smile.

I ignored him and got back to flipping my chicken.

Music was playing lightly in the background, and I looked around as Marcel pointed something out to Rafael. Elijah was frowning as Rafael slapped his back whilst Damon and Liam were snickering over the burned onions.

I glanced at the women, seeing them laughing and pointing.

My eyes met Kiara's and I realised this had actually lessened the tension… I knew she had tried to get Indigo to join but she had refused and stayed in her room. I walked over to her, leaning on the counter and reaching over to kiss her lips. Sizzling sparks rushed through me when mine met her plush ones. She sighed against my lips, her fingers tugging at my necklaces.

Raven whistled.

"No bribing the judge!" Scarlett said, waving me back.

Kiara blushed, her heart pounding as I gave her a sexy smirk and walked back to my pan, narrowing my eyes at Damon, who had been eyeing it.

"Touch it or try fucking sabotaging me and I'll fucking castrate you." I growled.

Liam smirked as Damon raised his hands in mock surrender.

Amelia snorted.

"He at least says it as it is." She remarked to Kiara.

"He does." Kiara replied softly.

I stabbed the chicken, I was definitely going to win this shit.

"Looks good, Alpha." Liam said, looking over my shoulder.

I frowned at him,

"Alejandro's fine…" I said coldly. Why the fuck did I say that…?

"Aww." That pint-sized brat cooed.

Yeah, see, I shouldn't have fucking spoken.

‘I love you.' Kiara's voice came in my head.

‘Same, Amore Mio…' I did not want to do this shit, but he was Kiara's brother…

He grinned at me, and it was then that Damon put his elbow on my shoulder.

"Can I call you Al too?"

"No. It's Alpha to you." I frowned.

"Alejandro then?" He said, smirking. "I'm Kiara's friend."

"Yeah, and a dickhead." I said shrugging him off and taking my chicken pieces out of the pan.

"Should we be honoured that Al is actually cooking for us?" Rafael remarked.

They began agreeing and I just had to picture Kiara in a little kinky outfit to keep my fucking cool…

-----

INDIGO

I could hear them all downstairs through the open window, laughing, joking and teasing. The pain that clawed at my chest hurt more than I could ever put into words. They said losing a mate was like losing half your soul. And it did feel like that… it tore me apart from the inside. The worst part was I didn't even get the chance to ask Fred where I was lacking… I know deep down it isn't my fault, it was never my fault… I wanted to believe that…

But was I really completely broken? Every time he went to another she-wolf, it broke me… Looking into the eyes of those women who couldn't even meet my gaze because they knew he was meant to be my mate.

I broke into tears, hating how I was stuck in this vicious cycle. I wrapped my arms around my knees, feeling useless.

I had grown up witnessing my mother"s recovery from abuse, both physical and mental. Experiencing it… I felt so… weak, too weak to escape. I didn't know when it became my life.

But even then, I still loved Fred… I know… I know Alejandro, in his own twisted way, wanted to help. He always showed me some compassion. In his own way, he looked out for his pack members, but I hated how he made this decision for me.

Guilt consumed me, remembering what I had said earlier. I could never wish that on Kiara… In my anger towards Alejandro, I had hurt her too. Even after what I said, El and Scar were still very supportive; all El said was that he would re-join me in their pack... Scar had simply told me things would get better, that this was not the end… I had our pup too… the only thing I had left of him…

I broke into tears, rocking myself. How do you get over someone that you love so deeply that you simply take all their crap in your stride?

There was a knock on the door, I knew it was Scarlett and Kiara by their scent. The door opened and they stepped inside, I looked at them, similar yet so different. Strong, beautiful women… Kiara was holding a tray of food, whilst Scarlett held three cans of fizzy.

"The boys cooked... Some may not be edible… but some is actually really good." Scar said as Kiara placed the tray on the bed next to me.

I looked up at her, her soft blue eyes still holding all that love and kindness they always did. Why wasn't she angry at me? Didn't I attack her mate? My eyes stung with tears, and I looked down at the tray.

There was a grilled chicken burger with cheese, salad and mayo, a potato salad, some weird meat with some gloopy gravy… some strangely burned...I don't know what it was, but I was sure it had rice in it... Then there was a cheesy pasta and a soft sponge cake.

"What is this…?" I asked, prodding the burned mush.

"Damon's Chinese rice…" Kiara said, sitting down next to me.

"It's off-putting…" I murmured, then looked at the weird meat and gloop... "And this?"

"The Steak and gravy were made by my baby, and he failed big time. But he looked hot in an apron with his sleeves rolled up…." Scarlett said, sitting opposite Kiara and me.

"Ok, eat up." Kiara said with a small smile.

I looked at the burger, picked it up and took a bite. It was actually nice, a little spicy but tasty.

"Oh, this is good." I said, trying to fight my tears back.

I wanted to feel better, but for so many years, Fred had been everything to me… He slowly distanced me from my family until I felt that he was everything and all I had... I missed him so, so much. I couldn't swallow the second bite of my burger and put it down, Scarlett opened a can and passed it to me.

I took a sip. Turning away, Kiara took the can from me and wrapped her arm around me.

"Aunty… please… I know things aren't easy, but you will get through this." She whispered,

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to sound like a bitch… I'm just… Fred was everything to me."

"You"re hurting, it's ok." Kiara said, pressing her cheek against mine.

I touched my neck, knowing that those thin scars would remain as they were linked to an exile… I never thought he'd do that... But I knew I had hit a nerve…

I poked at the pasta as Scarlett opened a can for Kiara, then took the last for herself.

"You know, the amount of mess they made is stressing me out." She said ruffling her red hair. "And I dismissed the Omegas for tonight…"

I took a bite of the pasta, it was really good… I smiled softly, eating some more, the melted cheese making it easier to swallow.

"Marcel made that. He actually won the competition. Two certain Alphas couldn't take that though…" Scarlett said, laughing.

"I don't even think Dad should have gotten huffy, he did terribly…" Kiara said, wrinkling her nose.

"When things get sorted, we need a girl's weekend away." Scarlett suggested.

"Oh, definitely! That would be great." Kiara agreed.

"Mm." I murmured. I put my fork down, not wanting anything else.

"At least taste Liam's cake." Scarlett urged.

I broke a piece off and ate it,

"His mate will be lucky... He makes amazing cakes like both of you…" I whispered.

I touched my stomach; this child will never have a father... And what was I meant to say to it? That your father was abusive and was sentenced to death? At the same time, I wondered if Fred was alive… would he have cared for our child? Or would he have tormented it too? He knew I was pregnant yet still beat me… Maybe I was better alone… but it hurt… it hurt so much…

"We're always here for you Aunty." Kiara whispered, she pulled me into her arms and I simply cried my eyes out, wishing life wasn't so painful… I didn't realise when Scarlett removed the tray and joined our hug. Will I be able to recover from this? Shouldn't mates die together? How were some strong enough to survive?

All I could see was darkness... There was no hope, there was nothing left for me… Kiara's and Scarlett's comforting voices faded away as I sat there, feeling numb. Knowing they would return to their mates… But me? I'd be here all alone… in the end, I was still hurting, with or without him. This pain would never end…