Ch. 1
Jess POV
Growing up, life wasn't exactly easy. Being one of the few hereditary female werewolves was one of those reasons. At least growing up with both my parents and my four brothers, who were also werewolves, made it just slightly easier. All except my brother Jacob. Jacob had developed some unprovoked vendetta against me, resulting in him attempting to either physically hurt, mentally hurt, or kill me. All of this only amplified when our mother passed away from breast cancer. It tore my father apart. The woman that was his mate and wife was gone. Dad lost his spark of life after that. It was on one fateful day when my brother Jacob had attacked my father and I while we were out on the horses checking on the cattle. This resulted in Jacob murdering him. I was able to escape. Over the next few months, Jacob continued to try to attack me which ended up with one of the other wolves that lived with us being killed in the process. After that, I had packed what I could in the living quarters of the horse trailer, loaded my two horses that competed on, whatever was truly necessary to take with, and my Australian Shepherd, Ginger and I left everything I knew. My brothers, the ranch, my friends, everything. Over the months, I remained on the run, essentially like a mutt. Even though we were part of the North American Pack. Jacob continued to find me, almost fulfilling his life mission of murdering me. Finally, after a near-fatal miss with Jacob in Arizona and after he succeeded in killing my dog, Ginger, I had to call him. I had to call Antonio Sorrentino. I needed protection and I needed it fast. Dad made me put his number in my phone if something like this happened. I dialed the number. Antonio answered after four rings.
"This is Antonio." Stated Antonio.
"Antonio, this is Jess Eastin. Martin Eastin's daughter. If you've already heard, Jacob killed Dad. I've been on the run and thought I could keep him at bay but he's amping it up. He almost succeeded today." I spoke, almost frantic but calm enough so he could understand me.
"Hold on a second. Let me put you on video chat. I think Jeremy should hear this. I'm here at Stonehaven with him right now. Okay Jeremy is here now. So, what happened that started this?" questioned Antonio.
I told the entire story in detail. Seeing both men listen intently to the story and seeing the look of horror on both their faces brought a small comfort but made it clear that it wasn't a good situation at all.
"I tried. I tried and I'm tired. I can't keep running anymore. I've hardly slept in the last six months due to him. With your permission, Jeremy, may I come to Stonehaven? All I have is with me in this truck and trailer. I only have the two horses, but I have stuff with me that I can use to pen them up once I get there. I haven't changed in two months because of the stress and risk of Jacob being close by. I need protection whether it's from the pack or only from you two." I said, breaking down in front of the screen. Both men looked at me with concern and sadness, then looked at each other.
"You are always welcome here, Jess. You will be safe. How long will it take you to get from Arizona to Bear Valley, New York?" asked Jeremy.
"The GPS says it'll take me a day and a half. I'm in Tucson. I only plan to stop long enough for fuel." I said.
"Turn on your location for us so we can keep track of you. That way if something would happen, we can find you easier." Said Antonio.
"Done. I'll call you guys in the morning with an update." I stated.
"Good. We look forward to hearing from you in the morning." Smiled Jeremy.
I hung up and plugged in the address in my phone. After fueling, I started for Stonehaven. I called Antonio and Jeremy just as I promised to let them know I was just passing through Illinois and that I should arrive there super late. They said that they would wait up for me to arrive and help me at least settle in the horses and get me something to eat before I go rest finally.
It was three in the morning when I finally hit the gates of Stonehaven. The amount of relief I felt was astonishing. I was so exhausted and drained that it hit me hard. I pulled up by the front and seen both Antonio and Jeremy standing outside waiting for me. I stopped and jumped out. I couldn't hold back the tears of relief. Antonio hugged me and told me it was going to be okay and that I was finally safe. After Antonio finished hugging me, Jeremy came up to me. I heard of the Alpha and seen photos of him and always thought of him as a terrifying man, but instead, I seen the man that is my Alpha and felt a new wave a calm as he approached me and embraced me. As he embraced me, his scent and touch sent a pang through my chest. It was different. I hadn't ever felt something like this before. As Jeremy pulled back from embracing me, I looked him in the eyes. He looked just as confused as I was but neither of us showed it. They helped me unload and settle in the horses, grab my night bag that had my essentials in it, and brought me inside. Antonio had made sure that I had a good portion of the supper that they had that night and both Jeremy and Antonio sat with me as I ate. We all talked about what the plan was for the next day. After I had finished eating, they showed me my room upstairs, said good night, and had left me to get ready for bed and sleep finally. Sleep came quickly.