Jason Dolley as Cal Yorke

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"This is not good, this is not good at all," Ravens whispers.

"What is he doing here?" Roland asks as they all look through Esme's window from outside the store.

"What are you doing?" Serena asks.

"Calling Lord Klyne." Roland informs the two.

"What can he do, he's an hour away."

"You forget that he's a vampire."

"Hello Lord Klyne, I think Cal's in trouble. Alpha Darric is here, and it doesn't look good, sir. Okay."

"What did he say?" asks Serena.

"He'll be here in five minutes."

"Esme's in there so he's good for now."

"What? How? We rejected each other, remember?"

"But neither of us accepted the rejection so we're still mates."

Just when I think the Moon Goddess can't do her worst, she pulls this stunt?

"That can be fixed, all I need to do is accept your rejection, right? I Callum Yorke..."

"Cal wait, please!"

"What!"

"Please before you accept, can we talk?"

I have never seen Darric look or hear him sound so forlorn in my life. And he's here alone? Is this a new trick?

"So, talk!"

"Okay. Goddess this is hard. Esme help me here?"

"You're on your own, all I had to do is to get him here, the rest is up to you. Grow some balls, man!"

"You brought him here, Esme? You know what he did, and you brought him?"

"Look, Cal, I know you are still his mate, and that needs to be resolved before you can move on with your other mate. Whatever you decide, I've got your back. You're still mates with Darric so I thought I'll help you meet so you can make a final decision."

"Well you thought wrong, and we'll talk about this later!" I snap at her.

"Cal?"

"WHAT?" I yell as I turn back to Darric.

"I'm sorry for all that I did to you. You know it, I am an egomaniac who gets off on being an Alpha. I was brought up to believe that anything or anyone I wanted I can get no matter what or who. Honestly, I never expected you to be my mate. I never thought my mate will be a man. I never gave us a chance. I am so sorry, I can't change the past, but I hope you'll give me another chance."

"And you think that excuses what you put me through?"

"No, no, it doesn't it. But I am hoping you will give me a chance to show you that I have changed. Or at least, I'm trying to change."

"Alpha Darric, I have a mate, he's better than you. He treats me like a mate should. He's never hit me. He has never belittled me. He listens to me and values my opinion. And you think I will give all that up for you?"

"Call me Darric. And no, I wouldn't ask you to give that up. A chance is all that I...."

Something fast flies in breaking the window, lifts Darric up and throws him against the wall, all in a blink of an eye. The wall is shattered. The flying object stands up and it's my other mate, Rafe!

"If you so much as touch or hurt him, I will not hesitate to finish you," Rafe sneers at Darric.

Darric gets up, roars and charges at Rafe grabs him and throws him against the opposite wall, shattering that one too.

Rafe changes and for the first time I see the 'vampire' that is my mate in all his majesty. His teeth are elongated, his eyes are blood red, his face and neck are as white as snow. His fingers are elongated and look like razor blades from a distance. He looks taller and he's flying.

He flies straight at Darric and hits him, hits him again and throws him through Esme's window onto the street. The force of the throw breaks the other window and part of this wall with it. Rafe follows him.

They are now in the street. My three friends who are outside the store run back into the store for cover.

Esme and I rush out, several werewolves gather around, growling at my mate Rafe. My wolf Sköll is itching to come out and defend Rafe against all of them. They will not mess with my mate.

"Esme, don't let these wolves touch him, understand?"

"Got it. He can handle them you know; he is a High Lord."

"I don't care, watch them."

"I promised my mate, I will thrash you when I meet you, and I intend to keep that promise Alpha Darric," drawls Rafe, who jumps on top of Darric and grabs his head and slams it on the pavement. Darric in return kicks Rafe in the stomach, hard enough to fling Rafe in the air.

No Goddess no, they're going to kill each other. Can't they feel it? They're mates too, for goddess sake.

"No one is trashing me tonight, definitely not you. All of you stay back!" Darric orders his wolves, they bow, change and step back.

Thank Goddess.

Darric changes into his wolf, Titan. Titan stands up all seven feet tall on hind legs, black, also with blood red eyes, growling loud enough to deafen the ears. Titan jumps at Rafe, digs his claws into Rafe's side drawing blood. Rafe yanks Titan's claws out of him slashes him across the chest and throws him into the building across from Esme's. Titan emerges, charges at Rafe, hitting him several times across the face drawing blood, Rafe grabs the paw, and the other one, flips Titan over his shoulders onto the ground and sits on him, raise his hand to slash him and Titan kicks him off him. Titan jumps up and meets Rafe head-on in the air. Rafe grabs Titan's head and he is about to sink his teeth into his neck, and I scream as I have never screamed before in my life.

"STOPPPPPPPPPPP!"

And then everything and everyone freezes! The werewolves, my friends peeking from Esme's store, the leaves on the trees, everything is frozen. The silence is eerie.

What the hell? I look around and my mates are frozen too, with Rafe's mouth frozen above Titan's neck in midair.

Everyone, even my root. Esme pulls out of the freeze a few seconds later. Everyone else is still frozen.

"Oh, my Sun God! You have the power to freeze time? Has this happened before? How did you freeze us? Even your mates are frozen. Why don't I have that power, I am the witch after all," she pouts.

"Esme, everyone is still, everything is still, my mates are frozen," I whisper, looking around me in fear.

Esme flies up to my mates and pokes Rafe then Darric. I stand there in shock; hugging myself. I couldn't have done this, no, not me. How did this happen? What is happening to me?

"Esme are you sure you didn't do this? I won't be angry if it's you, really, I won't," I plead and hoping this new power is Esme's not mine.

"Seriously I wish it was me, I so want this power," she replies still looking around her in awe.

My mates are really frozen except for their eyes. Their eyes are following me around like those eyes in dolls that move around when you shake them. Their eyes follow me, watching me in my nervous state. Esme pokes them again for confirmation.

"Of course! You must have gotten this power from your father, but why is it manifesting now?" Esme flies back down and walks over to me.

"My father? Beta Yorke? What powers? He doesn't have any powers; I've never seen him use any powers."

"Cal don't freak out. There's something I found out and had planned to tell you before your mates' fighting got in the way. Cal," she turns me to face her, "Beta Yorke is not your father, your father is an Elder, Elder Sorenson."

"WHHATTTTTTTTTTTT!" I yell.

They fall down. My mates fall down together, and the ground shakes as they hit the pavement hard.

"Oh, look you unfreeze your mates, goody."

"Esme explain, please. I am about to go crazy here." I ignore my mates who both run up to us.

"What just happened, I couldn't move. But I could see everything," Rafe says.

"Same here," Darric adds.

"Everyone else's still frozen." Rafe says.

I look around and Rafe's right. I am losing it. I start to shake and cry softly.

I hear Esme murmur, "Please I need you now," and does a chant.

A man appears immediately.

"You've never called me for help in all your years, Esme? What's wrong?"

"El Dargon sir. You always pop in unannounced, so I never had a need to call you before," Esme replies politely, too polite even for Esme.

"El Dargon," Esme, Rafe and Darric all greet, and bow to this man. He is medium built, about my height and exudes immense power. El? an Elemental? A member of the ruling council, oh shit, I'm in deep trouble. Scared out of my wits, I bow as well.

"Rise," he tells all of us. He looks around at the rukus, turns and looks at me.

"You look just like him."

"Who?"

"Sorenson. And by the looks of things, you inherited one of his powers."

"Sir, I don't know what's going on but how do I unfreeze my friends. My mates were frozen and they're okay now. Why's everyone else still frozen?"

"You unconsciously willed your mates to unfreeze." He turns to Esme and asks, "Esme is any part of your house still standing? Any part Cal and I can talk in private?" He asks.

"The upper rooms sir."

"Esme, what are you thinking, calling an Elemental for help? You know when members of the ruling council get involved, it rarely ever ends well," I yell at Esme.

"Look around you: people, nature everything frozen, what other options do we have?"

"But El Dargon? How well do you know him?" asks Darric.

"He's been popping in and out of my life without invitation as long as I can remember."

"I see."

"What?" Esme asks me.

"Nothing."

"I wonder what's going on up there." I wonder aloud.

"I still need to talk to our mate," Darric tells me.

"And if our mate doesn't want to talk to you?"

"He was talking to me when you barged in, mate!"

"And I will not let you hurt him again, even if I have to end you, mate!"

"You will do that to me? Can't you sense it, feel it, that we're mates too?"

"Maybe, but I've known and loved him longer, so be warned. Mess with him and I will wreck you! Got it?"

In the blink of an eye, we are in Esme's living room and El Dargon sits down and motions for me to sit opposite to him.

"So, you can freeze time?"

"Yes, sir but I don't know how to unfreeze it."

"Simple, just relax your mind and think 'unfreeze',"

"That's it, that's the magic 'antidote'?"

"It isn't rocket science you know. The secret my boy is that all powers start from the mind. Once you control your mind, you control your delivery, you control the outcome, you control when and how you use it. You control whom you use it on and when to release them."

"Unh, unh," I nod several times, not understanding a word he's saying.

"I think I may have lost you. Okay, you like herbs. Think of your herbs. Picture their leaves free and blowing in the wind. Relax your mind and the rest will follow. Try it. Take a deep breath. Now, think unfreeze."

I take a deep breath, picture all the herbs I touch and smell. I see their leaves swaying in the wind and I murmur 'unfreeze'.

"Good job, you're a fast learner. All it takes is practice."

"It's done?"

"Can't you feel it? Feel the change?"

He's right I hear my friends talking. I hear the wolves growling and my mates arguing. Thank Goddess.

"You said you know my father, Elder Sorenson? Can you tell me about him? Can I meet him?"

"I'm sorry but he died, a few months before your birth."

"He's dead? Why was this kept from me?"

"That's a question for Beta Yorke."

"It explains a lot of things now. Why he never liked or loved me. I always felt like a burden to him."

"I know someone who's always loved you?"

"Esme."

"Yes, Esme and thank you for always being there for her too.

"Me? Help Esme? No, she's always helped me."

"We both know differently, don't we? The troubled times at the coven, the decision to stay in this place, you were always there to listen and help her. You stabilize her and help her make wise decisions; you are her Root after all?"

"How did you know?"

He smiles, "Thank you, I must leave now. Tell Esme, I'll pop in again sometime."

"Yes sir," I bow in respect, look up and he's vanished.

I go back downstairs to my mates and friends. Esme's store is in complete shambles. I hope she has very good insurance. She's going to need it. Come to think of it, the business does have commercial insurance coverage for the building so she's good.

"Are you guys okay," I stop to make sure Raven, Roland, and Serena are no worse for wear.

"We're good, glad the fight is over."

"Is that all you remember?"

"Sure, did something else happen? We saw everything from the smashed wall."

"Nothing, nothing." I guess the freeze did stop time for them.

"Get ready to leave with Rafe, okay?"

"What about you?" I didn't answer and continue my walk towards my two loves and the pain.

"I need to talk with Alpha Darric," I tell Rafe when I reach him. He is where I left all three of them.

"Why? Are you sure? I don't want him anywhere near you."

"That's a strange request since you two are also mates. I felt it; you know?"

"Well, that's debatable."

I touch Rafe's face, and whisper to him, "Rafe, do you trust me?"

"More than I trust myself."

"Do you love me?"

"More than you love yourself."

"Then give me a day and we'll meet back here at Esme's tomorrow, okay?" I pull his head down and kiss him deeply.

"Okay, not a day longer." Rafe turns to Darric, whom he has been intentionally ignoring for several minutes now, "I swear on the Sun god's name, if one hair is harmed on my mate's head, I will burn you and your pack down."

"Our mate will not be harmed; I swear it on the Moon Goddess."

I turn to Darric, "ready? Let's go."

I walk over to his car, I get inside, and we drive off. I will not look back at my two loves, if I do, I will ask to be let out of this car.

We've met El Dargon before. Remember where?

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