Fated Magic (The Wolf Pack) (9 page)

Trevlon Wolf was rarely shocked by the actions of people around him because he was usually excellent at reading a situation and understanding exactly what was headed his way.  But his mate had just completely blindsided him and from the sharp intake of breath he heard from his twin, Jameson hadn’t fared any better.  The wooden paddle Jameson had been holding clattered to the floor and when Trev looked up the look of devastation in his brother’s eyes was haunting.  People did shock Jameson on occasion because Jameson was busier with pack business, but they rarely surprised Trev the way Kit just had.  Jameson didn’t have the luxury of sitting to the side watching people’s reactions and responses when they didn’t know they were being observed the way Trev did.  And Trev had always considered his ability to feed Jameson that kind of information one of his greatest contributions to their co-Alpha status.

And now Trev felt as if he’d let his brother down in a way he’d have never even considered possible.  How had this gotten so far out of control?  Kit’s softly whispered, “Please” snapped them both into action and they had her released and standing in seconds.  Trev tried to pull her into his arms
but when she flinched and instinctively stepped back, his heart dropped into his stomach.  Jameson had stepped over to grab the black silk robe they’d purchased for her months earlier.  When he approached her, Trev watched as Kit seemed to shrink into herself as she wrapped the robe around her like a protective barrier. 

‘
We’ll give her a bit to settle but then we have to talk to her and fix this.  I’ll die if she leaves us,’
Jameson’s haunted voice filled Trev’s mind.

‘
She isn’t going to leave.’

‘
Brother, there are many ways to leave and they aren’t all physical.’ 

Trev knew Jameson was right, but even thinking that they might lose Kit was more than h
e could even begin to process.  They slowly walked Kit back to their suite of rooms and the silence that had surrounded them had been almost deafening in its significance.  When they entered their suite Kit quickly disappeared into the master suite’s bathroom.  Trev had followed her to the door and turned to walk away to give her a little privacy when he heard the water start.  But just as he started to step away, he heard soft sobs that stole his breath.  Jameson was at his side in an instant, obviously he’d heard Kit as well.  Trev opened the door and stepped in to find her curled in the corner of the shower.  Shedding his own clothing quickly, he stepped in and pulled her up and into his arms and just held her.  He’d noted the nipple clamps on the counter and the realization that she’d removed them herself without crying out, but had folded from heartache, was tearing him apart. 

“Shhh, baby.  You are going to make yourself sick.”  Tracing rune protection symbols over her slender back as he slowly moved them both under one of the large rain showerheads, he whispered against her ear
, “Remember our first night together when I traced those symbols on you?”  When she nodded, he continued, “I was so impressed when you recognized them.  I felt like my mom had sent me a special nod of approval from the other side.  That it was a message from her telling me ‘yes…you’ve finally found her. This is
the one
’.  It was one of those moments in your life that you never forget…one of those rare ones that only becomes sweeter and more poignant over time.”

Kit pulled back just enough for him to look down into her red-rimmed eyes.  Their emerald depths were filled with apprehension and for just a moment he realized she was floundering.  He had always believed the worst thing a Dom could do to a sub was ignore them because by nature most are driven to please
others so being ignored doesn’t give them anything solid to hold on to.  It was that moment of clarity that told him that was exactly what they’d
done,
but it didn’t tell him how to repair the damage. 

‘
I think we need to delay the discussion we had planned, brother.  Let’s get her settled and then I’m calling Marcus.’ 
Trev just gave a short nod and they finished their showers quickly and then settled Kit into bed.  They knew Kit had already made arrangements for the babies to spend the night with their nannies, and Trev was grateful when he saw how quickly she had fallen deeply asleep. 

Moving downstairs, he nor Jameson talked about what had happened.  By unspoken agreement
, they’d kept to their own thoughts while they set up the video call with Marcus’s personal assistant at The Dark Knights Club.  Marcus Hines was the owner of New York’s most exclusive sex club, he was also their friend and mentor.  Marcus had trained he and Jameson as Doms and they’d often sought out his help and guidance both in and out of the bedroom.  Marcus had been in a twenty-four/seven Master-slave relationship with Reagan for over almost ten years and Trev knew that they had experienced more than one rough patch in the beginning.  Reagan had been a fiercely independent career woman who had nearly worked herself to death trying to fill the void in her life she hadn’t understood wasn’t career related. 

Marcus had told them that when he’d seen the petite beauty walk through the doors of the main room during one of the club’s invitation only meet and greet nights
, he’d felt as if he’d been struck by lightning.  She had actually come in using a friend’s invitation and the comedy of errors that followed had almost doused the spark they’d both felt when they’d been introduced.  Both Trev and Jameson had been at Dark Knights that evening and had watched as the man they respected and had seen exhibit remarkable control in even the most difficult situations almost fold when he’d been forced to punish the little party crasher.  But remarkably it hadn’t frightened her away, she’d told them all later it had been like a veil had lifted and for the first time in years she had felt whole.

Trev knew that calling Marcus meant they’d be getting Reagan’s input as well, because they were rarely separated for longer than a few hours at a time
and at this time of day, she would most definitely be within a few feet of her Master.  She wouldn’t answer any questions or contribute until Marcus gave her the go ahead, but then she’d speak openly and honestly.  Reagan had worked part time for several years, but as soon as her Master noticed even the slightest symptom of burn out, he reined her in.  Over the years she’d cut back so now she worked just enough to keep her credentials as a child psychologist current.  The last Trev had heard the book Reagan had written was scheduled for publication sometime this coming summer.  Now, Trev found himself sitting on the edge of his seat hoping like hell their friends would be able to give them some kind of guidance because he could almost feel the life he’d thought they had been building slipping through his fingers. 

Jameson sat in front of the screen and explained everything to Marcus and Reagan giving them every detail he could remember.  Trev had filled in a lot of blanks and when they’d finished Marcus hadn’t said anything for several long seconds.  His friend was sitting in his office but was using the new conferencing equipment he’d recently installed so he could conduct meetings without Reagan being forced to kneel behind his desk. 
As usual, she was naked at his feet but she wasn’t really kneeling in her usual slave pose, which was highly unusual. 

Marcus Hines was not only one of the best Dominants and Dom trainers Jameson had ever met, he was also a gifted empath and psychic.  When Jameson realized he’d been staring at Reagan as he puzzled over her unusual posture he quickly returned his eyes to his friend.  Marcus chuckled at what Jameson was sure
was his guilt-ridden expression.  “You know I never mind you or Trevlon looking at my pet.  She is beautiful and I’m very proud of her.  But in answer to your questions, yes she is in a much different pose and for a very good reason.”  Marcus turned his attention to Reagan, “Stand up, pet, it is time to show off a bit.”  Even through the camera her blush was a lovely deep pink. 

They watched as Marcus did something they had rarely seen him do before, he stood and gently pulled his petite slave to her feet.  It was instantly obvious that Reagan was pregnant
, although Jameson had no idea how far along she might be.  “Congratulations to you both.  You’re going to be wonderful parents.  When is she due, Marcus?” Trev asked. 

Marcus pulled her on to his lap and she curled into him like the well
-satisfied pet she was.  “Just two months to go.  She has been working very hard to stay in shape and I’m very proud of her efforts, but she’ll be cutting back on those workouts now that I’ve found out just how intense they have been.  As you’ll notice,” suddenly the camera was lowering and zooming in on Reagan’s very red ass, “she has been given quite a paddling for not taking care of herself.  But I do believe she sees it differently now, don’t you, pet?”  Trev and Jameson laughed at her quietly spoken agreement. 

Marcus looked at them both thoughtfully before speaking.  “As to you
r problem with Kathleen, I’m actually quite disappointed in the both of you.  I know for a fact I trained you better than this.  Think back on the time between her mental admission, which you really didn’t have a right even to know, and the moment she used her safe word.  Did you at any time talk with her about why she had thought faking a release was the right thing to do?  Had she previously been told that it was against the rules?  Because as I recall she was a total BDSM novice when you married and collared her and with everything that has happened…are you certain you have really
trained her as a sub
?  Or perhaps you just assumed you could waver from play to vanilla without some sort of signal to let her know when or why you are changing the game plan? Because even long term D/s couples have those signals firmly in place.”

Jameson thought back and groaned when he started
tallying up all the mistakes they’d made.  Marcus’s amused voice sounded over their speakers, “Aww, you’re seeing the mistakes you made, aren’t you?  And let’s consider how many of those were made because your pride had been wounded?”  Jameson didn’t even want to admit that Marcus’s words were true even when it was blatantly obvious they were. 

“
And Trevlon, where were you when this was going down like the Titanic?  You are the
watcher,
I strongly suspect it’s a natural tendency and a role you have filled since childhood.  But this time, it appears that all you did was throw gas on the fire.”  Marcus paused and shook his head like a teacher who was being forced to deal with students who hadn’t properly prepared for an exam—which wasn’t all that far off the mark. 

“I
f you are going to have a successful ménage relationship, you do indeed have to work as a team so your submissive doesn’t play you against one another.  But that being said, either one of you should always be ready to step in when ego and pride are driving a scene.  If
anything
other than meeting the needs of the submissive is the impetus of what you are doing, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons.  And I assure you, from what I’m hearing, meeting Kathleen’s needs was not at all what was driving that scene.  And did you say that you left an untrained sub blindfolded during a punishment scene?” 

When both he and Trevlon nodded numbly, Marcus continued
, “So you couldn’t really properly monitor the situation because you couldn’t see into your subs eyes, what you know is
always
your best line of assessment.  And unfortunately, Trevlon, you didn’t step in until this whole thing was so far gone it was irrecoverable.”  The silence that followed was crushing and Jameson knew Marcus was just letting them consider all the wrong turns they’d taken before he helped them—at least Jameson hoped like hell they’d be able to fix the problem. 

Jameson watched as Reagan twinged and then shifted ever so slightly in Marcus’s lap. 
That break in position was something he’d never seen her do before and he knew the muscle spasm must have been extremely painful for her to show any outward sign of discomfort.  “Excuse me for just a moment, gentlemen, my pet needs my attention for a bit.”  Marcus stood smoothly and Jameson admired how easily he handled her despite what appeared to be at least a fifteen-year age difference.  Most people wouldn’t ever guess how old Marcus was because he’d always kept himself physically fit, and Jameson knew his friend had intensified his workouts after turning fifty last year.  Even though he’d seemed good-natured about his inner circle’s teasing about the milestone, Jameson had known it was a bigger issue for him than Marcus had been willing to admit. 

Marcus walked back into view escorting Reagan who was now wearing one of Marcus’s dress shirts that dwarfed her.  “I forget that Reagan’s muscles don’t like being in one position for too long.  Now, I’d like to include her in our conversation if you don’t mind.  As you know she usually works with kids but I’m sure some of the information will cross over and her experience as a newbie thrust into the deep-end of the lifestyle will be valuable.”

“Absolutely.  Reagan, we’d be interested in knowing what you think.  Any suggestions as to how to repair the damage we’ve done?”  Trev had moved in closer so Reagan would be able to see him as well as hear him speak.  They had both enjoyed the conversations they’d had with her, and knew how witty and insightful she was.  Reagan and Marcus had a very intense relationship, and it was far more structured around the lifestyle than Jameson or Trev were interested in living, but it seemed to work for them. 

“You have already been over the missteps so I won’t review those.”  She smiled at them warmly and added, “Besides
, I’m sure you are more interested in solutions than rehashing all of those points.  But I want you to remember, if you are still
there
in your mind, you won’t be
here.
And that, my friends, will make all the difference between your success and failure in any attempt at reparation, so keep that point in mind.”

Their expressions must have given away their confusion because Marcus barked out his laughter.  “Pet, you better rein in the doctor-speak a bit.”  Then directing his comments to them, he added
, “She is telling you to stop beating yourselves up over it.  You can’t keep thinking about all the ways you’ve managed to fuck this up—despite the fact it’s actually a fairly impressive number.” 

Reagan smiled gently even as she
started to roll her eyes before catching herself and grinning.  “What my Master is not saying very tactfully is correct.  Your focus needs to be on Kit.  She is lovely and really wants to do well, but she is very new to the lifestyle despite the fact you have been mated for over a year.  During that time, you haven’t followed D/s rules per se and she hasn’t spent much time at all with other submissives so she hasn’t even had the chance to observe.”

She
paused for several seconds to let her words sink in, and Jameson smiled as he returned his attention to her and saw her smiling indulgently.  The patient, observant doctor persona was present, but her eyes were alight with friendship as well and Jameson found it oddly comforting. 

“The key to all of this is listening to her.  So many people ask the
right questions, but then they don’t actually listen to the answers.  And I also encourage you to use the active listening skills I know you have learned as Dominants.  Reflect the answers back to her to ensure you are
hearing
what she actually intended to convey.  And the conversation should really take place on neutral ground.”  When he started to speak she held up her hand, “I know that is difficult because of the threats she has gotten in the past, perhaps just having neutral people present might help.  So how about this?  What if Master Marcus and I came out to visit?  I haven’t seen the babies for too long and maybe Kit would benefit from some girl time.” 

Jameson was equally touched and relieved by her suggestion and they’d quickly made arrangements for the Hines to join them the next evening for dinner.  After disconnecting the call
, Jameson leaned back into his chair and looked over at his brother.  Trev seemed lost in thought and Jameson knew his brother was feeling guilty for his part in everything that had happened earlier with Kit.  Ordinarily Trev was the more sensitive of the two of them and the fact he hadn’t tuned in to their mate was going to be difficult for him to overcome.  “Reagan is right you know.  We can’t wallow in the mistakes we’ve made—and God knows there have been plenty!  And they started the first night we met her.” 

Jameson would never forget seeing Kit for the first time.  She’d been standing in line to get into their club and his eyes had been drawn to her, first by her long flowing red hair, but then it had been something else.  Try as he had, he’d never been able to put his finger exactly on what
had kept him from being able to look away from her.  When he’d seen she was ready to enter the club, he’d found himself walking down the stairs into the open bar and dance area, and his fate had been sealed in an instant. 

While on the stairs
, he’d been hit with the scent of his mate and had become single-minded in his quest of conquer and claim.  And now, looking back it was embarrassing to admit just how little finesse had been involved.  He and Trev had traveled all over the world looking for their mate, and after their third overseas trip they had finally decided they had little choice but to let the fates provide when they were ready.  So when Kathleen Harris had walked onto their life’s stage just a few short weeks later, the Alpha pack leader in him had clawed its way front and center.  

Shaking his head as if that action alone
could clear his distracted thinking, Jameson turned to Trev.  “We’ll eat outside tomorrow night.  The ambiance will be good for both little subs and it looked like Reagan could use a bit of pampering as well so we’ll make sure there are soft pillows for the chairs.” 

Trev chuckled, “Yeah, those handprints on her ass were pretty well defined.  Pretty easy to see that Marcus was none too happy about her workouts.  Hell
’s fire, his workouts rivals the training of most Olympic athletes so I have to wonder what on earth she’d been doing to prompt that reaction.”  Jameson laughed at his brother’s observation because it was so accurate. 

Shoving to his feet
, Jameson started for the door.  “Let’s go take care of our mate.  I believe we need to start from the beginning in more ways than one and I’ll try to hold my bruised ego in check this time.” 
Never in my wildest imagination could I have imagined making so many mistakes with someone so important.