Reckless Regrets
Chapter 59

Marisol

“Mom!”

Was the escape all just a dream? I could remember bits of it, but not everything.

“Mommy! Wake up.”

I was so comfortable; it felt like I was floating on a cloud. Maybe we had tried to escape, and I didn’t make it. Perhaps this was heaven? It sure was soft.

“Ms. Morgan, why won’t she open her eyes? Is she alright?”

Ms. Morgan? Who was that? Oh! Morgan. I talked to her; she brushed my hair. I did make it out, and I wasn’t dead.

“She’s just tired, sweet boy. She missed a few naps where she was, and now she’s making up for it.”

That was a good answer, perfect for a four-year-old to understand. Morgan and Kade’s baby was going to be in good hands if she could come up with something like that so quickly. Improvisation was vital in motherhood.

“Okay. Well, I’ll just give her a k**s and come back later. Maybe we can make her some cookies; I always love cookies after a nap.”

“That’s a great idea. I think she’d love that.”

I felt two tiny petal-soft lips touch my cheek, and it warmed my soul. My little boy, he smelled like goldfish crackers and applesauce, one of his favorite snack combinations. I’d missed him so much, and even though my eyes refused to open to look at him, to hear, feel, and smell him was incredible. I couldn’t wait to wrap him in a hug and hold him close.

I felt the bed shift as he jumped off and ran out of the room, and I inwardly smiled. When I dropped him and Nate off such a short time ago, I was nervous about how he would acclimate and if he would be comfortable, or if he would feel welcome. Hearing the way he interacted with Morgan put any remaining doubts I may have had to rest. Cameron had made this place his home, and I was so proud of him.

“Get your rest Marisol; we’ll take care of the little guy for as long as you need us to.”

The door quietly shut, and I was all alone again. My family was safe and happy, it was all I’d ever wanted, so I allowed my body to shut down and drifted back to sleep.

***

“Mari! I need you to wake up now! This is a Code Ten or Code Red or whatever code means an emergency. You’ve been asleep long enough.”

Ugh! Why couldn’t I just enjoy the peace and quiet? I’d literally just been through hell. Was it too much to ask to have a few hours of uninterrupted sleep?

“Mari, I will pinch the s**t out of you like you did me; fingernails included. Open your eyes; I can see them moving, so I know you can hear me,” Gabby demanded.

She was sweet and innocent with everyone except me. If there was any inner b***h in her, she saved it up for times like these when we were all alone. Lucky me.

“What Gabby? I know you see that I’m trying to recover. What is so damn important?” I asked, keeping my eyes closed.

“Mari, you’ve been recovering for almost two days. How much more sleep do you need?”

I fought to peel my eyes open and focus on her face. She had to be lying. I’d just heard Morgan and Cameron maybe an hour ago. That was the next morning after I’d arrived, wasn’t it?

“Two days? Are you sure?” I asked.

“Pretty sure. We got here early yesterday, so Wednesday morning. Cam tried to see you yesterday afternoon, and now it’s Thursday night. Now sit up, I need your help.”

She helped me sit up against the headboard then smiled at me. It was then that I noticed that she’d been smiling the entire time. Why was she so damn happy?

“Okay, so what’s up? Is everything okay? I’m sorry I’ve left you by yourself this whole time,” I apologized.

She waved her hand at me and continued to smile.

“The ladies here are really sweet, even the Luna. She’s so beautiful and down to earth; I never expected Blue Moon to be like this, but everyone, including the ranked members, is incredible.”

“I have to agree. Everyone I’ve met so far has been awesome. It makes me see how f****d up Canyon Woods really was. So you’re okay?” I asked.

“I’m better than okay. I found my mate! And he’s not just handsome Mari; he’s drop-dead gorgeous,” Gabby squealed.

I laughed and stretched my arms above my head.

“Of course you’d say that; he’s your mate. He could look like a wombat, and you’d still drool at the sight of him.”

She smirked and pulled out a phone. When she’d gotten it, I didn’t know, but when she turned the screen to face me, it felt like someone had sucked all the air from my lungs.

“Holy s**t! That’s him? Don’t play games with me, Gabby, who is that?” I asked.

I stared at the phone for a few seconds and realized that she was probably telling the truth. He looked exactly like one of the guys I’d seen the last time I was here, but he was married. The Beta, I think.

“That is Luca Stone, and he’s all mine,” she proudly said.

“Wow. Uhm. I-I don’t.”

Gabby laughed at the way I was fumbling, but I didn’t see anything funny. This guy was making me hot just looking at his picture; how was I going to behave when I met him in person? And how would Nate feel?

“It’s true! I thought he was making it all up, but it’s true,” she laughed.

“What’s true? And what’s so funny? This is a big problem, Gabs.”

“You’re not marked, and his family has a curse.”

She explained everything to me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the goddess; there was no way I could live with myself if I tried to jump my best friend’s mate every time I saw him; that would have been devastating.

“So once he marks you, the sexiness goes away?” I asked.

“I don’t think it goes away. Look at the Beta; he’s still really good looking. We’re just not falling at his feet. From what I understand, they just lose that ‘magnetic pull,’ that’s all.”

“So, when are you going to let him mark you?” I asked.

All the excitement she had evaporated and was quickly replaced with nervousness. It was understandable that she’d be a little afraid, but I hoped that she wouldn’t let that fear hold her back.

“I don’t know. That’s a huge step, Mari. You’ve known Nate almost your entire life, and you’re still not marked. How do you know when’s the right time?” she asked.

“In my case, it’s going to be the second I get Nate behind closed doors; if that’s taking too long, it could be out in the open. But we’re all different, Gabby and I can’t tell you what’s right. Only you and Luca can decide that. I can tell you this though; I’m so happy for you. You deserve that beautiful man and everything he has to offer.”

“Luca didn’t wait for me. I worked so hard to make sure that I only gave myself to him, and he didn’t put in the same effort. We’ve been talking, and do you know what he told me? He told me that he couldn’t remember, Marisol! Luca Stone can’t remember the number of women he has been with. I thought that he would have trouble accepting me, but how do I accept him? How do I know that it’s not his family curse that draws me to him, or that I’m not just another girl for him to sleep with?”

How had we gotten here? She was just so excited about him less than a minute ago, and now she doubted that he was really hers? Her emotions were all over the place, and I needed to get them in check.

“I’m guessing you’ve touched him, right?”

“Yes. We’ve held hands and hugged a few times.”

“You felt the sparks? Little firework-like tingles that start at the fingertips, or wherever your skin is touching, then spread all over like a brushfire?”

“Yes, I felt it.”

“And what does he smell like?”

“Earthy. Like rosewood,” Gabby replied. She’d closed her eyes, and a small smile graced her face as the thought back to the scent of her man.

“So, what does that tell you? He’s your mate, Gabs. No curse is going to make you feel those sparks or smell his unique scent. And none of the countless women he’s wasted his time with ever felt or smelled him in that way; only you. It sucks that he was with a bunch of women before, but that has to do with his immature stupidity. It has nothing to do with his love or desire for you. And definitely, nothing to do with your bond.

Those women got nothing compared to what he has saved for you. They may have gotten a few hours of pleasure, but you’ll get a more intense version of that pleasure, plus a lifetime of love and devotion. That’s a hundred times more meaningful. None of his past experiences, no matter how exciting they may have been at the time, will ever compare to something as simple as him getting to watch you brush your teeth or put on your earrings.

He was an i***t, but he was also honest about it; don’t make him suffer for his past mistakes. I let Nate suffer for far too long, for things that weren’t even his fault, and I regret it. Don’t lose future time with your soulmate hung up on something from the past. Let it go and move forward because neither of you is perfect, but you’re perfect for each other.”

“You really have changed, haven’t you? The Marisol from three months ago would have told me to forget about him and walk away, that I could find something better.”

“Yeah, well, that Marisol was also willing to marry a stranger for a title. She was an i***t, and I hope you never listened to any of her advice.”

I looked around the room and saw there was no clock.

“You said it’s Thursday night. What time is it exactly?”

“Uhm, 6:17,” she replied.

“Awesome! Do you know where Cameron is? Could you bring him to me, please?”

Back at home, he wouldn’t go down for bed for at least another hour, so I really hoped he was still awake.

“He’s in the playroom with the other little ones. I’ll go get him.”

When she left the room, I had a massive smile on my face. My best friend had found her mate, and I’d given her some solid advice, and on top of that, I was about to reconnect with my little boy. Now I just needed to see Nate; then everything would be perfect.

***

Kade

“Sugar bear, did you get it? Let me see.”

“I don’t know how he did it, but it’s perfect! I didn’t even tell him any of my ideas; this is one of the mockups he already had when he got here. Luca Stone is a genius!” she squealed.

She turned her laptop around and bounced in her seat as she revealed the new logo for Sugar Bear Cakery.

In the center was a huge cupcake with a fluffy swirl of pink icing on it. Perched on top of that was a cute little golden brown bear sitting on its butt, wearing a chef’s hat and covered in what looked like flour. The bear looked a lot like Morgan when she was in her animal form, and I loved that detail.

“Luca has another version where the flour on the bear is kind of sparkly; he said it could be used for the website and that this one could be for print, the decals at the bakery, the sign over the door, stuff like that. What do you think?” she looked up at me and asked.

“Do you like it, baby?”

“Yes! It’s so simple but cute, and perfect for my bakery,” she replied.

“Then, I love it. Anything that makes you this happy, I love.”

She squealed again and turned the laptop back towards her to get another look at the design. The smile never left her face, and I made a mental note to give Luca whatever he wanted for making this happen. At that moment in time, that kid was my hero.

“Can I pull you away for just a few minutes? It’s time for Xander to make you and me Beta again.”

“Oh, s**t! I’m so sorry, I forgot; I was so caught up with this. Let’s go; I can gawk at the logo once were done,” she replied as she stood up.

We made our way to Xander’s office hand-in-hand when she looked over at me with a question.

“What happens to Tyson? He was an excellent Gamma, he even went and got the girls, and now he gets demoted? I know he never wanted the position to begin with, but it doesn’t seem right for him just to be any other member of the pack,” she said.

“Xander’s got that under control, don’t worry.”

When we arrived, everyone was already there waiting.

“Okay everybody, we’ve got a lot going on right now with new mates, surprise dragon eggs, psycho ex-alphas, and two pack locations to unite, so excuse me if I’m a little behind schedule,” Xander began. “Some of those things will work themselves out, but for everything else, I’ve got all of you to lend a hand. With that being said, we have some restructuring to take care of.”

Alaia walked over and stood next to him with an excited look on her face. Clearly, he’d shared the news with her already; she looked like she was ready to burst with excitement.

“Tyson, you’re up first,” Alaia announced.

Tyson walked over to her and Xander, who were now both wearing huge grins.

“Okay, what’s up? I’m just losing a title and going back to my normal life. Why are you two being so weird?” Tyson asked.

“Because you’re not going back to your normal life. You’re being made our Information Tech and Securities officer. You’ll work closely with the patrols to make sure both pack locations are 100% secure, and after that, all forms of computer or internet or technical magic will be in your wheelhouse. We’re becoming a 21st-century pack, and your knowledge and expertise will take us there. If you’d like the position,” Xander said.

Tyson smiled and shook his head.

“Do I have a choice? I was pretty much forced into the Gamma role if I remember correctly.”

“No, you don’t-”

Xander was elbowed in the ribs by Alaia, who looked up and scowled at him.

“Of course, you have a choice, Tyson. We won’t force anything on you. But you deserve this position, no one here can come close to what you do, and we know that with you on the job, we’ll be the biggest and best pack in the country,” Alaia sweetly stated.

“Well, when you put it that way, I’d be honored. Thank you.”

Alaia jumped up and gave Tyson a big hug in congratulations before she straightened up and got back into character.

“Do I have to get cut for this?” Tyson asked Xander.

“Nah. It’s like Alexi’s advisor role; you’re a high ranking member but not bound by b***d. We’ll just let Alaia announce the change to the pack once were done here, and we’ll be all set. We’ll start planning for upgrades in the coming weeks once everything else has begun to settle,” Xander replied.

“Works for me. I can do without any more slices across the palm.”

Tyson stepped aside, and Xander went to work, reinstating Matt and Taylor as the Gammas, then Morgan and me as Betas.

Unlike Tyson, I welcomed the slice across my palm. When I locked hands with Xander and felt the pack link flow through me again, I knew I was back. I was finally home.