Three Fated Hearts
Chapter 67

~Landon~

I know…..I know…..I’m usually the level-headed one, but in this case……this instance……. I can’t believe that Tia would betray us like this. She never struck me as that person. I could have never thought that she would be someone I’d have to watch out for. And the fact that my brother wants to ‘talk to Tia’…..WTF?!

I block my brother out of my mind as well as Tia. I just can’t deal with either of them right now. I take the traitor Neal and the car they came in back to the packhouse. I just want to have some time to myself before she comes with all her lies and excuses.

The car ride is quiet, though I can’t say that I’m surprised. Neal says nothing, but he does sniffle here and there. A part of me was hoping that he would say something, declare his love, try to ask forgiveness…..anything! At this point, it wouldn’t take much for Goliath and me to rip his throat out. Of course, he did none of those things; he just stayed quiet in the backseat.

We finally arrive at the packhouse in what felt like hours, though I know it didn’t take that long. I instruct the warriors to take Neal to the cells and take care of the car. I know I beat everyone back, and I’m glad I did. I just need some time to myself to think and to calm down. I know Mark should be in our office handling the pack business we dropped on him unexpectedly. I decide to go for a walk.

I walk slowly, trying to give myself time to reign in all of my emotions. If Lincoln wants to hear her out, I guess I have to; I just have to make sure I won’t kill her before she speaks. There is a spot I like to go through the woods a bit, so I head there. It isn’t spectacular with a breathtaking view or anything. It’s simply a place many don’t visit and is just the quiet I need. It is a small, open field amongst masses of trees. The branches and leaves make a perfect umbrella. There is a large boulder that sits in the middle of the area.

I easily make my way there and take a seat on the boulder. I take a few deep breaths, and the tears start to flow before I can stop. I waited my adult life for my mate, believing that she would be my eternal happiness, my peace. I finally replace her just to have her betray me in the worst way. My soul is crying out, and my heart hurts. I don’t know how I can ever put this behind me.

I hear twigs snap behind me. I quickly wipe my face clean and slowly let some of my aura seep out. Just enough so whoever it is knows they will not make it out of here alive if they mean me harm. “You look like you could use a friend.”

“What do you want?” I can’t smell her, but I know her voice. I really don’t want to deal with her right now.

“Like I said, you look like you could use a friend.” I scoff.

“I’d hardly think to call you a friend, no offense.” She chuckles behind me, but I’m starting to feel the heat from her telling me that she is walking closer. I don’t move from my spot, nor do I turn around.

“I get it; I understand. We do have a past, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends now. I can be a friend to you if you let me.” I don’t have a response for that. As great as it would be to have a friend right now, I know she can’t be her.

“Adela-” I feel her heat rough up against my back. I notice her legs come into view right on the sides of mine. Her arms encircle me, and she buries her head in my back as she embraces me. She starts to stroke my arms from my elbows to my shoulders and down again.

“Shhhh. Just lean back and let me help you. You can talk, vent, cry, whatever you need. Let me be here for you.” I can feel myself leaning back, scooting my bottom out to get comfortable against her chest. I’m almost settled against her; her heartbeat gets stronger the closer I get. I’m almost laying against her………

~Lincoln~

I know Landon is pissed; I get that. I try to explain through our link, but he blocks me. I guess I understand that. I know I surprised him because usually, I would be the one to be quick to judge and call for punishment. I can’t explain it, and maybe it’s just the mate bond, but something is telling me to get all the information first.

Landon storms out with Neal in tow, and I get a mindlink from the driver that he is taking the car the girls arrived in. That leaves me to drive everyone back. Doc and Lynn don’t really know exactly what’s going on, and I don’t make a move to fill them in. Tia is extremely quiet, and I can see they did make some purchases. They have three garment bags and another two big bags with them. Everyone piles into the car; Doc and Lynn get in the back, and Tia reluctantly gets in the front seat. I guess she didn’t want to make things awkward by sitting in the back.

The ride back to the packhouse is silent. I keep catching the eyes from the back, looking at Tia and me, and I’m sure they are wondering why we seem to have an ocean between us. Tia is making sure she spends the ride looking out of the passenger window, and I’m careful not to make it obvious that I’m sneaking glances at her. I have no idea what’s going on in her mind or what really happened in that dressing room. I’m not even sure that Landon was wrong in wanting to end them all right then and there. I just know something inside of me is begging me to let her talk.

When we return to the pack, I’m informed that Landon has returned, and Neal is in the cells. I knew he would beat us back, and I guess he needed the time to himself. I wait for the ladies to get out of the car before I get out myself. Doc looks at Tia and me, seeming confused about what to do. “I….uh….I think Lynn and I will go put these things away and get some lunch.” I say nothing but watch them move toward Tia. They whisper something to her and head into the house.

I really don’t know what to do at this point. I want to say so much, but I should say nothing at all. I’m not the one that was caught in a compromising position, and I’m not the one who needs to explain. Tia looks at the house as if all the answers are there somewhere. I clear my throat. “We need to replace Landon so we can talk.” Tia slowly turns to look at me, and I swear I see the heartbreak in her eyes.

“I…..I can’t reach him through the link.” I nod. He has me blocked as well, and only he can undo it. Just as I’m about to mindlink Mark to see if he’s seen him, I get interrupted by Brutus.

You need to replace Landon now! Goliath says he is about to do something he shouldn’t.

Well, what the hell does that mean? And how am I supposed to just replace him? He has me blocked.

I don’t have all the answers! Just do it and do it now. Goliath says time is running out. I have no idea what these wolves are talking about! I start to send mind links to warriors to see if anyone has seen my brother when I get interrupted again.

NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! It’s so loud that I grab my ears in pain and drop to a knee. I notice Tia’s feet come closer to me, but she hesitates and doesn’t touch me. I place both hands on the ground and give my head a slight shake. That was the strangest thing. That was Goliath, and he, somehow connected to me through Brutus. I don’t know what got him going, but whatever it is, it can’t be good.

I get to my feet and take a few deep breaths to steady myself. Tia is looking at me with concern all over her face. I understand why she fell short of helping me. We are in this weird limbo and can’t come out of it until we talk.

Linc…… Landon sounds shaken and out of breath. I hope everything is okay. Where are you?

I’m in front of the packhouse with Tia. What’s going on? What’s wrong with Goliath? Are you okay?

You heard that? Landon sighs in the link. Nevermind. We all need to talk, so let’s talk in our room. He isn’t filling me in, but I will give him time to do so on his own.

We will meet you there. I start to walk toward the front door, and I notice that Tia isn’t moving. “Landon is meeting us in the room.” She nods and starts to walk. I step to the side so she can walk ahead of me. I stop at the door and take a deep breath, closing the door behind us.