Changing Fates: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 3) (4 page)

Brushing a hand over her hair to make sure she didn’t look like something the cat had dragged him, Ash turned to shut the door to the room behind her. One thing that she loved about being at the academy and surrounded by the boys was that she didn’t have to care how she looked. She didn’t have to constantly make an effort to look good and make an impression. They were all here to work towards the same goal and no one gave a shit what she looked like.

It hadn’t been like that in the beginning. Being the only female warrior mean that all eyes had been on her. It was like living in a fish bowl when she first came here, eyes on her everywhere she went. Luckily, the combat and training side of things had come quick naturally to her and the progress she had made with her fighting skills had shown them that she was more than just a piece of ass playing at being warrior. She’d worked hard and they’d accepted her as one of their own.

Then, in walked the supermodel twins. It had been quite a knock for Aisline’s self-esteem. She had gotten used to scraping her hair back, throwing on some old clothes and working her fingers to the bone. With Rhian and Cala walking in and looking like they’d just stepped out of a salon, it made Aisline think about the lack of care she’d been showing herself.

Not that she had time for any of that crap and not that she had been interested in appearances before setting foot in the academy, but seeing those two gorgeous creatures walking in and stealing all the limelight, it made Ash think a little more about those things.

It was actually quite a surprise to Aisline how different Cala was to her sister. They may be identical in appearance, but Cala was nothing like Rhian. She was quiet and seemed quite nice on the occasions that they’d had time to speak. It wasn’t easy to get Cala by herself. Rhian rarely let her out of her shadow, keeping her under wraps. It felt kind of cruel because Cala seemed to want to make friends at the academy.

Ash couldn’t help but think about how different things could have been if Kayleigh had been there to mentor the two new girls. They clearly needed a little guidance on how to get on in this environment. Rhian was strutting around the place like she was the goddamn queen, Cala was like a scared mouse and Kayleigh wouldn’t have put up with that kind of behaviour from any of them.

Plus, Kayleigh had the soothing motherly quality that could have helped to bring Cala out of her shell. As it was, her sister ruled the roost and Cala was consistently getting overlooked. It was completely intentional on Rhian’s part. It was obvious that she was an attention whore and there was no way she was letting go of any of the limelight, not even for her twin sister.

Aisline made her way down the grand staircase and to the dining hall. The noise hit her way before she even got near the double wooden doors. The delicious smell of cooked food hit her soon after, the aroma had her mouth watering and got her feet moving faster. Even though she hadn’t spent the morning working up a sweat, she was still starving.

Luckily, Jackson waved over to her and pointed to the empty seat next to him. There was a plate of steaming hot roast beef in the place he’d saved for her. Ash grinned at his thoughtfulness and rushed over, stomach rumbling.

“You are a life saver.”

Jackson chuckled. “The queues are horrendous today. I knew you wouldn’t want to wait for it.”

Ash smiled over at him gratefully as she tucked into the beautifully roasted potatoes, beef and vegetables that were piled high on her plate.

Lana, her best friend, always said that she was so jealous of the fact that Aisline could eat as much as any man and still not put any weight on. It sure had its benefits when it came to her obsession with strawberry milkshakes and lemon cheesecakes! She’d always been lucky in that way, but now that she was putting her body through the punishing training program, it felt like she never stopped eating and was always hungry. Her metabolic rate was through the roof. Poor Lana only had to look at food and she put weight on.

After the first few satisfying mouthfuls, Ash turned to glance at Caleb who was sitting on the other side of her. She had got used to him being friendly with the other guys in their group, laughing along with them through their mealtimes. Now, looking at him, he looked like he had when he’d first arrived at the academy several months previously. He looked sullen and had his earphones in, obviously refusing to communicate and converse with the others, hiding in his own world. Ash could hear Bring Me the Horizon coming from his earphones at full blast.

“He’s been like that ever since Kelton had a go at him this morning.” Dylan whispered from the other side of Jackson with a concerned glance at Caleb.

Ash didn’t know what to do. Obviously, the shifter didn’t want to speak to anyone and unfortunately, there wasn’t much that any of them could do when Caleb turned in on himself like that. All they could do was wait for him to pull himself out of his funk. They’d learnt that much about him over the last few months. If he Caleb didn’t want to do something, no amount of forcing would work. He was stubborn to the core.

“Get off me.”

Ash flicked her eyes when she heard Caleb’s low growl. Rhian was standing behind him with a smirk on her face.

“What’s the matter with you? Teacher’s pet fallen out of favour?” she sneered. Rhian loved messing with Caleb. He was such an easy target.

When she’d first set eyes on him, it was obvious that he wasn’t like the rest of them. There had been a subtle difference about him that she couldn’t figure out at first. Once she found out that he was a shifter, it made it all the more easier. They were well known for their short fuses and whenever Rhian wanted to relieve the monotony of life at the academy, she pulled Caleb’s strings. It was funny to watch him unravel so easily.

Caleb turned back to the table and cranked up the volume on his iPod even further, using his fork to move the food around on his plate without actually eating anything.

Rhian stood for a moment, smirking as she moved to stand behind Jackson. Caleb was fun, but Jackson was her main target. Running her fingers over his shoulder, she smiled sweetly. “You wouldn’t speak to me like that, would you?”

Jackson cleared his throat. “Caleb’s not himself at the moment.”

Rhian laughed before moving away to sit at a table with Cala. Ash glanced over at Caleb, but she didn’t bother to ask him if he was okay. She didn’t need to. It was obvious that his dark mood had deepened, thanks to Rhian. What a bitch! She turned back to Jackson, “What was that all about?”

“What do you mean?”

“Putting her hands all over you.” Ash frowned.

Jackson laughed awkwardly. “She didn’t have her hands all over me.”

Ash shook her head at him. It had been pretty obvious from the moment that Rhian had walked into the academy that she’d had a thing for Jackson. At first, Ash thought that she was imagining things, but Rhian went out of her way to talk to him and touch him. Just like she did with Caleb, but in a totally different way. With Caleb, she did all she could to rile him up and get him in a mood. Maybe she had a thing against shifters? Who knew? Rhian wasn’t exactly a likeable person. She didn’t seem to get on any better with the vampires, either. Well except for Jackson.

She wasn’t a total bitch and had hoped that she’d have a couple of new friends when the girls had landed on their door, but no such luck. So, she had to content herself with relishing the training and seeing the girls struggle with the routine. Despite the warrior mark, it was clear that they didn’t have any aptitude for physical activity and combat training. Neither of the girls had any fighting grace, style or aggression. At least Cala made some effort to try and get things right and Ash respected her for that, even if she did fail miserably most of the time. At least she tried, though. Cala was someone that Ash could get on with, if they were given the chance. Rhian wouldn’t even try to do the training after the first couple of attempts, opting to sit out and paint her nails while the rest of the guys worked up a sweat.

In the beginning, Kelton had tried to make Rhian join in with the cardiovascular work outs, as whether a trainee or not, he demanded fitness from all at the academy. But, Rhian wouldn’t even give it a go. After a while, he let it go. What else could he do? He spent all of his time trying to talk her into training while the rest of them stood around doing nothing. At least Cala was willing to give it all a go, even if she found it brutally difficult.

Aisline wished that things were different. Kelton had come to the decision to split the twins up, putting one in each of the training groups. They’d been stuck with Rhian. Ash wished that it had been Cala. She was a sweet girl and Ash would have liked to have had the chance to get to know her without her bitch of a sister getting in the way.

One of the things that Aisline could never understand was how easily Rhian managed to avoid the combat training so completely. She knew from personal experience how strong the call of the warrior mark was and Rhian didn’t seem to find it a problem in the least.  Even Caleb and his little brother Rees couldn’t fight the lure and had to move away from their shifter pack and family and come to live at the academy.  Rhian simply acted like being at the Sons was an inconvenience. Everyone else was there out of necessity and need. They needed to fulfil the urge to fight and protect. Rhian seemed to find it easy to ignore and just sat around looking bored most of the time.

She glanced over to see Denver sidling up to Rhian. They made the perfect pair in Aisline’s opinion. She couldn’t stand either of them and they were both as annoying as hell. Good luck to the pair of them.

“I can see what you’re doing.” Denver whispered, smiling slyly.

Rhian glanced over at him. Funnily enough, she hadn’t taken much notice of him before, but he was actually extraordinarily good looking. “And you are?”

“Denver. I’m in your training class?”

He looked insulted that she didn’t even know his name, but Rhian didn’t care. She tried her best to ignore every single person in this place, well except for the people she wanted to mess with. Hey, a girl had to have a hobby.

“What do you want, Denver?” Rhian was already bored with this conversation.

“I see what you’re doing. With Jackson and Aisline.” He whispered again, a glint in his eyes.

Rhian frowned at him slightly. “What do you mean?”

“I know. You’re messing with them.”

Rhian let a laughter tinkle out. She was a little unnerved that someone had already figured out what she was up to. Taking his arm, she carefully led him out of the dining room where no one would overhear them. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

It was Denver’s turn to laugh. “Don’t worry. I don’t think anyone else is clued in on it, but I am. I know what you’re doing. And I want in.”

“Excuse me?”

“Whatever it is you’ve got planned, count on my support.”

Rhian narrowed her eyes at him. There was no way she was going to trust this guy, but there was something about him that she liked. “And why would you do that?”

“That little bitch has made my life hell here. I can’t stand her. She’s done everything he could to make me look bad and I think that it’s about time for payback. I want in.”

They stood in silence for a moment, weighing one another up. For some reason, she believed in. Rhian could see a kindred spirit in Denver, but she still wasn’t willing to trust him on this. This was his show. If he wanted to get his own back, he’d have to do it on his own time. This was her entertainment, to get her through the boredom of her time here.

“Well, why don’t you do something about it yourself?”

“I thought we could come up with something a little bigger and better if we worked together.” Denver puffed his chest out a bit, as if showing her his strength would sway her opinion of him.

Rhian slowly smiled.
She may not want
him in on the action, but maybe Denver could be some entertainment all on his own. “I’ll let you know if I come up with any ideas.”

“That’s all I can ask.” Denver winked winningly and strutted off, knowing that Rhian was watching him walk away.

Rhian laughed to herself. All the boys here were so easy. Sure, they were focused on their training, but they were just like guys all around the world. All she had to do was flutter her eyelashes and they were putty in her hands. Denver sure looked like he could be some fun and might be a welcome distraction while she put her plan together.

The room fell silent as Kelton skulked into the dining hall. Ash risked a glance at him, but the dangerous scowl on his face had her turning back to her plate in double quick time.

He was getting increasingly difficult to be around. Although Ash still loved her time at the academy and relished in her progression in the training aspect of it all, she missed Kayleigh being there. Kayleigh had been a reassuring presence for her and she wished that things could go back to the way they’d been before. And, not just for her. Kelton was clearly suffering from her absence and the sooner she came back, the better life would be for all of them.

Chapter Three

Every part of her body and mind was calling to her to go back to the academy, back to Kelton so that they could talk this through and make sense of the mess that they were in, but her heart prevented her from going. He’d shattered it too badly with the web of lies he’d kept from her.

It was hard being away from him. Kayleigh needed this time and space to get her head together. She already knew that at some point in the future, he would find her. That was part of the reason she hadn’t fled too far. It wasn’t like she wanted to disappear from his life entirely, she just needed some breathing space.

Staying at her friend’s house was perfect, for the time being at least. It was slightly cramped with the two of them living there, but seeing as she was out most of the time, Kayleigh more or less had the run of the place.

Staring out of the window at the cold winter night, Kayleigh felt another pang of homesickness creeping over her. She knew that it wasn’t morning sickness. Luckily, she’d hadn’t suffered with that so far and was hoping to escape it. The pregnancy was going as well as could be expected. She knew she was going to have to see a doctor at some point, but she couldn’t bring herself to go just yet. Without Kelton, she wanted to hide from the world and heal her wounds.

That was another thing that scared the living daylights out of her. The child. The baby. Until the birth, they wouldn’t know what the baby was going to be. It was a constant worry. If the child wasn’t born Lamia Matris, her secret would be out and that could ruin Kelton’s career.

There were too many things on her mind, too many things to worry about with regards to their future. She was drowning under the doubt and for now, she couldn’t see a way out of it.

Which was why she was sitting alone in the window, looking out into the stormy night with worry in her heart as she missed the man she loved.

Kelton was stood by the long floor to ceiling window on the second floor, looking out at the stormy night. He was a solitary figure, standing there in a world of his own.

This was a ritual that he had done every single night since Kayleigh had walked out of the door and out of his life. When he wasn’t fulfilling his duties as a warrior and trainer, he was out searching every corner of the city for the love of his life. He wouldn’t stop until he found her. However, when situations wouldn’t allow him to leave the academy so he could actively search her out, he could be found by the window, solemnly waiting for her to come home to him. He lived for the moment when she would walk back into his life.

Doctor Marion Phillippe hated to see him like this. He was like a tortured soul. She didn’t know what had happened between the two of them that could have been so bad that it had sent Kayleigh running, but seeing Kelton becoming a broken man broke her heart. She and Kayleigh had been close friends for many years and Marion felt helpless. She didn’t know what to do for the best. While Kayleigh was still missing, all she could do was be there for Kelton and wait for her to come back.

Pausing for a moment, she was unsure whether to disturb him. He stood there alone every evening he was at the academy, unapproachable. Alone. It was like he had built a wall around him that none of them could penetrate. Marion hated to see the pain he was in. There was nothing she could prescribe for him. Only time would heal him. Only Kayleigh returning would heal him.

She knew that he wasn’t speaking to any of his friends or colleagues about what was going on with him. He was in this by himself. He couldn’t keep bottling it up like he was. It wasn’t healthy for him. Marion knew that she had to try and help him in some way. If he would let her, that is.

“Kelton.” She said softly.

Kelton didn’t reply. She hadn’t expected him to. He stood there frozen to the spot, unmoving, unspeaking and unseeing. Marion was half tempted to leave him to it. It was clear that he wanted to be left alone. But, she couldn’t do that. Marion was close to Kayleigh, but Kelton was also a friend as well as a work colleague. As a doctor, she couldn’t see him suffer like this and as a friend, she had to try to help him.

“Kelton?” She tried to get his attention once more.

“What is it?” His voice was raspy and he didn’t turn from the window.

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

Kelton didn’t reply.

“Please, talk to me. Tell me what happened. I might be able to help you.” She pleaded gently.

“No one can help. I’ve ruined everything.”

Marion paused for a moment. It might not seem like much to some people, but this was the most she had got out of him since Kayleigh had left. At least he was conversing now. “What do you mean? I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.” She asked.

Kelton fell silent once again, cutting the conversation off before it had even started. Marion couldn’t just leave him there like that, all alone and torturing himself over whatever it was. He needed help.

But, it was more than that. She was torn. She held an important piece of information that Kelton wasn’t aware of. She had kept the details to herself for this long because she hoped that Kayleigh would return quickly, but she hadn’t. Marion couldn’t keep the details of Kayleigh’s pregnancy to herself any longer. Whether it was going to help him or make matters worse, she didn’t know, but it was a risk she had to take.

This was one of the most difficult situations she had ever found herself in. As a doctor, she had to respect the oath she had taken with regards to patient confidentiality, but it was eating her up inside to keep this from Kelton. She didn’t want to break Kayleigh’s trust. She didn’t know what to do.

But, honestly, what good would it do to tell him about the baby? Would it help him at all? Or would it make a bad situation intolerably worse for him? If he knew, would it help him in his search for her? Marion felt sick at the thought of going behind Kayleigh’s back, but what else could she do? She couldn’t keep this from Kelton any longer.

Taking in a deep breath of courage, Marion stepped forward to stand next to Kelton. He was a huge, strapping male and she felt dwarfed in comparison. To anyone that didn’t know him, all they would see was the lethal warrior ready to battle the enemy. To her, she could see how tortured he was, the five o’clock shadow was evident and the bags under his eyes were deep and heavy.

“Kelton, I really need to talk to you about something.”

“I’m busy.”

“I can see that.” Marion resisted rolling her eyes. “But, it’s important.”

“It’s not the best time.” He didn’t take his eyes off the window in front of him, scanning the landscape.

“It’s the only time.” She insisted.

Kelton sighed loudly. “What is it?”

“Can we go somewhere a little more private?”

Kelton nodded reluctantly and turned from the window. Marion followed him in tense silence as he led the way back down the grand staircase and into his office.

The normally organised space was looking untidy, with papers strewn across the desk, piles of books littering the floor and an overflowing bin full of crumpled paper. Kayleigh was usually the one to help Kelton keep things organised and in their place. Despite the cleaners that tried their best to keep the academy looking spick and span, Kayleigh’s missing presence was obvious in this room.

“Take a seat.” Kelton waved over to the chair that sat on the opposite side of the desk. Marion had to move a stack of receipts, putting them on the corner of the desk before she sat down.

Kelton sat down heavily in his leather chair, looking like the weight of the world was laying on his broad shoulders. Marion had known him for more years than she could remember and not once could she recall his emotions being so clearly on display for the world to see. He was usually a typical warrior, brooding and focused, keeping his personal life detached from his professional. She was glad now that she was here that she’d insisted on speaking to him.  She had made the decision on the spur of the moment, but she knew that it was the right thing to do. It was the only thing she could do. Kelton had to know this.

“So? What’s so important?” Kelton asked, sounding tired.

Marion took in a deep breath. This was going to be hard for her to say, but there was no backing out of it now, even if she wanted to. “If you need to have it in writing, I can do that, but I need to hand in my notice of resignation.”

That got his attention. Kelton’s eyes suddenly focused on her. “What? Why the hell would you want to do that?”

“Kelton, listen…”

“Don’t you think that I’ve got enough on my plate at the moment? You’re the best physician we’ve ever had. You’ve been here for years. Why now?”

“Kelton, this is difficult for me to explain.”

“I’ve got difficult. I’m drowning in difficult at the moment.”

“Which is the reason I have to do this.” Marion replied, solemnly.

“What can I do to make you stay? You can’t leave. Tell me what the problem is and I’ll do what I can to make things better. I thought you were happy here?”

“I am happy here!” Marion insisted.

“So why the hell do you want to leave, then? I don’t understand.”

Marion ran a hand through her immaculately styled hair. “Because I have to break patient confidentiality. I can’t stay here after that.”

“What do you mean?” Kelton frowned. “Is it one of the warriors? Or the trainees?” He knew that he had taken his eye off the ball lately, but he couldn’t think of anything so serious that would cause Marion to want to leave.

“It’s nothing to do with the warriors or the trainees.”

“So, what it is then?” Kelton was starting to sound impatient.

“It’s to do with Kayleigh.”

Kelton’s eyes widened. “What about Kayleigh? Have you heard from her?” He sat forward in his chair, hoping that this could be the breakthrough that he needed to find her. That was all he wanted, to find her and make things right between them again. His life was incomplete without her. An essential piece of his heart had left him and he needed her back.

“No. I’m sorry. I haven’t heard from her. This is about something that happened before she left.”

Kelton sagged in his chair slightly, that spark of hope within him burning out again. “Do I really need to know?” He wasn’t entirely sure that he actually cared. All he could concentrate on was getting her back. He had caused this goddamn mess that they were in. At this moment in time, he wasn’t rightly sure that it mattered what happened before she left. He’d caused this. Kayleigh wasn’t to blame in any way.

“Yes. You do.” Marion wrung her hands in her lap nervously. “She came to me the day she left.”

Kelton frowned, worry flooding his mind. Of course it mattered. If it didn’t, Marion wouldn’t be here. “Was she sick? What was wrong with her?”

Marion shook her head. “I feel terrible betraying her trust like this, but you have to know.”

“Just tell me.”

“Kayleigh’s pregnant.”

Kelton looked like he had been physically slapped across the face with the revelation. That had been the very last thing he had ever expected to hear. They had never discussed having children. They weren’t even sure that it was possible for them. Evidently, it was.

“I don’t know what to say.” Kelton’s eyes clouded over with tears as he scrubbed a hand over his shaven head.

“I can’t really tell you any more than that. We only did the original pregnancy test and were planning on scheduling another appointment to date the pregnancy.”

“I can’t believe it.” Kelton was truly shell shocked.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t come to you with this before. I didn’t know what to do for the best. I now wish that I’d told you about this sooner, but I didn’t know what to say or how to approach the subject. I thought that she would have come back by now and would have been able to tell you herself.”

Kelton looked at Marion and smiled sadly. “You don’t have to apologise for anything. This was a hard call for you to make. And, you don’t need to resign over this.”

“But I do.”

“I refuse to accept your resignation. I don’t need to deal with the shit of finding a replacement for you. Especially now.” Kelton held up a hand to stop her protests. “I’m not taking no for an answer. This wasn’t a professional call and it doesn’t reflect on your position as a doctor whatsoever. It was a personal call and you’ve done the right thing in telling me.” The urge to find Kayleigh buzzed through his veins stronger now than ever before. She was carrying his child. There were now two important pieces of his heart to find out there.

“I’m so sorry, Kelton.”

Kelton waved a hand at her absentmindedly. “So, you have no idea how far along she is?”

“I’ve no idea at all, I’m afraid.”

“Do you have any idea where she could have gone?” He’d asked her that question before, but things were different now.

“I’ve no clue. Why would she run off like that? It doesn’t make any sense. She was concerned about the pregnancy, but she seemed overjoyed.” Marion asked, looking puzzled.

Kelton shook his head sadly, feeling deflated again as he was reminded of his role. It was all his fault. Now that he knew that she was pregnant, the guilt weighed even heavier on him. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through, the kind of thoughts and emotions that must be going through her mind.