Finding Strength Page 2

  Jasmine considered what Kaylene was saying before agreeing. “That would be nice. I haven’t been able to do any of that since I found out I was pregnant. It would be nice to have something positive in this pregnancy at some point.”

  “Who else is pregnant around here?” A new, feminine voice asked from the other side of the restaurant by the door.

  “Jesse’s sister, Jasmine, is. That makes three of us!” Kaylene called back to the stranger.

  Jasmine looked over and saw a small woman with short black hair walking next to a tall, blond haired man. They were followed through the door by an older woman with long silver hair who couldn’t possibly be older than her mid to late forties, by human standards. Jasmine knew better. Shifter genetics meant they aged slower. She knew she’d be damn lucky to look half as good as that woman at her age, however old she was.

  “Jesse’s sister? Jesse, shame on you for not telling me your sister was coming,” the older woman admonished as she skirted around the couple in front of her and bee-lined it for Jasmine’s side.

  Jasmine leaned away from the woman and cast a bewildered glance at Jesse, who was simply chuckling at her discomfort.

  The woman wrapped her arms around Jasmine in a big bear hug and then broke the embrace to check Jasmine over. “Well, you certainly don’t look like Jesse. But I’m not one to turn away family. What’s your name, darlin’? Mine’s Ally and I’m Brady’s mama, but everyone around here is to call me Mama Ally, got it?”

  “Mama,” everyone said in unison.

  “Oh, y’all just hush now. This girl needs some food and some TLC, if those bags under her eyes are anything to go off of. Unfortunately, we don’t have any extra employee cabins, so you’ll have to stay in the lodge…” Mama Ally prattled on.

  “Actually, the cabin I’m staying in has two bedrooms, Mama. Jasmine can stay with me,” Tyson offered shyly.

  Jasmine looked from Mama Ally to Jesse to Tyson then back to Mama Ally. She felt the world tilt on its access again and she steadied herself by grabbing the table. Closing her eyes, she took a nice deep breath and focused on just breathing for a moment before slowly opening them again. Looking over at Tyson, Jasmine took in the man that the Fates had chosen for her. He was definitely capable of taking care of her and protecting her, but that was the least of her worries. As badly as Jasmine wanted a mate, now was most certainly not the time. This cub was coming, and soon, so the last thing she needed to worry about was grooming a new mating while trying to care for a newborn. But being near him may be better for her health than trying to stay in the lodge. Besides, he had a spare room. She could just stay in there.

  “I’ll stay with Tyson so I can be closer to Jesse if I need him,” Jasmine said gently, avoiding the look of confusion on Jesse’s face.

  “If you say so, sweet cheeks.” Mama Ally shrugged as she plopped down in the seat next to her.

  The rest of dinner went by in a blur. It had been so long since Jasmine sat down to a meal with other people, it was a welcome change of pace. She sat back in her seat as she listened to the buzz around the table. Stella was quickly becoming her favorite of the mates. She was sassy, bold, and didn’t tolerate any of the guys’ nonsense. She would do well with shifter babies for sure, even for a human.

  Once dinner was finished, Liz and Jesse started gathering all of the dirty dishes. Jasmine pushed herself from her seat and reached for her dishes to follow them.

  “You go with Kaylene, sis. You need to make sure your cub is okay,” Jesse sternly instructed.

  Opening her mouth to protest, she thought better of arguing with her brother and decided to do as he suggested. Turning to Kaylene, she watched as the woman reached up on her toes to kiss her mate. Jasmine smiled to herself, the feeling of bittersweet envy coursing through her veins. Her eyes flickered to Tyson for just a moment before Kaylene walked over to where she was standing and gestured for her to follow.

  Walking through the door, Kaylene turned and waited for Jasmine to catch up to her before speaking. “So you got dizzy during dinner tonight. Does that happen often?”

  “More often than I care to admit,” Jasmine acknowledged, knowing better than to hide anything from a medical professional when they only wanted to help.

  “How long has that been happening?” Kaylene frowned as they walked toward the golf cart together.

  Getting in the golf cart, Jasmine thought back over her pregnancy. “It’s been going on the entire time but not nearly as frequently. At first it was maybe once every couple of weeks or so. As time has gone on, they’ve become more sporadic. Most recently, they’ve been happening a few times a day.”

  “Hmm, okay. How was your first trimester? Any morning sickness?” Kaylene asked as she eased the golf cart around the bend in the road by the lodge that led to the staff cabins.

  “Yeah, quite a bit of it really. I honestly thought someone was drugging my drinks at the club I used to sing at, and my bear was trying to burn off the poison inside of me. But as the symptoms got worse, after about a month of that nonsense, I finally took the bartender’s advice and went to get a pregnancy test,” Jasmine recalled, watching Kaylene’s face for any sign of judgement or reaction. She was impressed when she didn’t see Kaylene’s expression change. The girl was a pro at the poker face. It was refreshing.

  “Do you know about when you would’ve conceived?” Kaylene asked, her voice sounding distant as though she was deep in thought as they pulled to a stop in front of what must be the clinic cabin.

  Getting out of the cart and following Kaylene up the steps of the cabin, Jasmine shook her head. “That’s the problem. I was trying to tell Jesse earlier—I don’t know. I don’t remember. It’s like there’s this entire night that’s a blip in my mind. I mean, being a singer in a successful club in a big city like New Orleans can bring a girl lots of attention, but I never slept with any of the patrons that frequented where I worked. The last time I remember having sex with someone, I was twenty and just started working there.”

  “So what do you think happened?” Kaylene asked.

  “I have two theories. I either lost control of my normal limit of drinks and got blackout drunk or I got drugged by someone. I’m leaning more towards the second one.” Jasmine nestled down onto the exam table in the back room of the cabin as she spoke.

  “Why do you think that is?” Kaylene raised an eyebrow at her as she rolled the ultrasound machine over to the side of the table.

  “Because not only can I not remember that night, but I feel like someone is watching me all the time. Shortly after confirming I was pregnant, packages started showing up at my apartment with notes that said, For my cub or I can’t wait to meet them. At first, I thought it was just one of my coworkers from the club playing a trick on me, but when I confronted everyone about it, they seemed genuinely shocked.”

  Kaylene squirted the ultrasound jelly on Jasmine’s belly after rolling up Jasmine’s shirt, still holding true to her poker face. “So what changed?”

  “Between the dizzy spells getting worse and this baby coming soon, I’m getting more paranoid that someone is watching me. The final straw that sent me packing was the last package that arrived in the mail.”

  “What was it?”

  “A set of tungsten handcuffs and a picture of my bed with a note that said, I’m coming for what’s mine and taking it back. With force, if necessary.”

  “That’s fucking terrifying,” Kaylene said, her eyebrows raising in shock finally.

  “I know. So now I’m up here hoping whatever trouble found me in New Orleans will stay far, far away. I came to find Jesse and ask for his help protecting me. Poor Jesse, being the big brother. Every time I managed to get in trouble as a teenager, he was the one to come bail me out. He probably thinks I had this coming.” Jasmine frowned, looking over at the wall instead of at Kaylene after her revelation.

  Kaylene turned Jasmine’s face back toward her, looking her in the eyes. “No, I don’t think Jesse thinks that at all. Eve
ryone has their own path to walk in this life. Shit happens. You can’t go around feeling sorry for yourself anymore, got it? You’ve gotta be strong. This little cub is going to need you to be strong for it and for yourself.”

  Jasmine smiled a sadly. “I like you. You’re a no bullshit kind of gal.”

  “It comes with the job title. Sometimes clients need a little tough love. Now are you ready to see what’s lurking in your tummy?” Kaylene smiled back at her.

  Nodding, Jasmine said, “Yes please.”

  Pressing the probe of the ultrasound machine gently to Jasmine’s swollen stomach, she guided it over her belly to get a good look around. As the probe slid across Jasmine’s belly, strong drumming sounds filled the room, but something wasn’t quite right. Jasmine could hear a steady heartbeat, but it was almost as if it was alternating too quickly. Looking to Kaylene, who had her eyes fixed on the screen, Jasmine leaned forward just enough on the exam table to stare at the screen with her.

  “What’s wrong? Why does the heartbeat sound so funny?” Jasmine asked, trying to keep herself from panicking. If something was wrong with her baby, she wasn’t sure she would be able to live with herself. She’d obviously done something wrong during her pregnancy to cause any issues this baby could have.

  “Nothing’s wrong, just... more than what I think we were expecting,” Kaylene said, casting a sideways glance at Jasmine, freezing the frame she was looking at. Kaylene stepped away slightly and pointed at the two black ovular shapes on the screen. “You’re having twins.”

  “I’m what?” Jasmine asked, eyes growing wide.

  “Yeah, you’re having twins,” Kaylene murmured, rubbing her own stomach absentmindedly.

  “That can’t be right.” Jasmine scooted down the table, tapping on the glass of the monitor like it could change what she was looking at.

  “Aren’t you a twin?” Kaylene asked.

  “Well, yeah. But twins aren’t common, right?” Jasmine asked, not taking her eyes off of the two little blips on the screen.

  “If you’re a twin, your odds of having twins are typically closer to one in seven. So this was completely possible. Do you want to know the genders? Or do you want to wait until later when this has sunk in a little?” Kaylene asked thoughtfully.

  “I’m just not ready yet. This is a lot of information to absorb and I want to be in the right state of mind so I can be excited about this,” Jasmine said, continuing to stare at the image on the screen, her mind racing with so many questions that she didn’t have the answer to. How could this happen? This was so surreal. She kept waiting to wake up because surely all of this was a dream. She’d found her Intended, and now she was expecting twins? How the hell was she going to do all of this on her own? How? How?

  The world around Jasmine began to spin again, and she leaned back against the exam table, staring up at the ceiling. “How the hell am I going to take care of not one but two cubs?”

  “I’m not going to sugar coat it for you. It’s going to be hard as hell. But you had the right idea to come up here. We’re a family here. It takes a village to raise a child, and you just found yours. Stella and I are both expecting, so it’s not like your cubs won’t have someone to play with when they get older. We can all help you. You just have to be willing to accept the help.” Kaylene placed a comforting hand on Jasmine’s shoulder.

  “I don’t want to be a burden on anyone. I’ve been a disappointment my entire life, so I don’t need to have anyone else do me any favors. I just need Jesse’s protection until the babies come so that whoever has been watching me can be dealt with. Then I can get out of everyone’s hair,” Jasmine said, struggling to keep control of her emotions.

  “It’s your decision to make. I know you’ll do what’s best for you and these little ones. This is all I’m going to say on the matter. But I really do think you’re better off up here with those cubs. Between the mountains, your brother, and the rest of the guys, you’re well protected here. Just think about it, okay?”

  Jasmine nodded as she sat up off of the table. “Okay.”

  Chapter 5

  Tyson sat on the front porch of his cabin, trying to sort out his thoughts and emotions while he waited for Jasmine to finish her impromptu appointment with Kaylene.

  Mate. Mine. His wolf scratched at the back of his mind. The wolf didn’t care about the situation—it wanted to be near his mate. He wanted to claim her. He needed her to carry his scent. But Tyson knew it wasn’t going to be that simple. Some shifters had it easy when their mates showed up. More often than not though, shifters were trying to make sense of their situations before moving forward with a mating. But the need, that constant pull to be near each other, was always there, and right now that was what he was struggling with.

  Standing up from the chair he was sitting on, he walked inside of the cabin. Shortly after helping Brady arrange for WiFi in the lodge, he made arrangements for WiFi to be installed in his cabin. He didn’t tell the guys because they would just use it for something stupid like playing video games or watching videos on the internet, and they could do that in the lodge if they wanted. He needed the internet to run his business. Tyson owned a small IT business that helped keep Vixen Security Systems online. VSS had come to him a few years ago asking for help because he used to have his hand in coding and hacking. He was good at what he did, but this was something completely different.

  The guys knew he was smart, but they always respected his privacy, so they didn’t know what he did for a living outside of Blacktop Beasts. He had plenty of money put away for all of them, and most of it was put into high interest savings accounts. It wasn’t a secret that he had money, but the guys just assumed he made some smart investments as a young adult, and now he was reaping the benefits.

  Tyson quickly made his way into the office and sat at his computer. Logging in, he pulled up the video calling application he used to call home and clicked on his mother’s contact icon. Letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, Tyson initiated the call and pretended to smile when Ma’s face showed up on the screen, waving at him.

  “Tyson! How’s my favorite boy?” Ma said with glee.

  “Hi Ma,” Tyson replied.

  Ma frowned at him. “What’s wrong with you? You don’t seem yourself.”

  There was no hiding anything from his mother. She knew her children like the back of her hand.

  “I met her, Ma,” Tyson murmured.

  “You met who?” Ma’s brow furrowed in confusion.

  “I met her, Ma. The one. My one.”

  “Ohhhhhh! That’s so exciting Ty-Ty. I’m so happy for you. Where is she? Let me meet my new daughter.” Ma chattered on until Tyson interrupted her.

  “Ma, it’s not that simple. I met her. But I don’t think she heard the call, and if she did, she’s ignoring it,” Tyson explained.

  “What? What did you do? Tyson Levi White. Why would your mate ignore the call?” Ma demanded.

  Running his hands through his hair, Tyson sighed. “I didn’t do anything Ma. I’ve been the perfect gentleman. Her situation is just... complicated.”

  “Oh, pish, nothing is too complicated that it would cause someone to ignore their mating call. You must have done something.”

  “Ma, she’s pregnant. Very pregnant from the looks of it, and the baby isn’t mine,” Tyson rushed out.

  There was an awkward silence that drifted between them as Ma registered what Tyson was saying. “She’s pregnant?”

  Tyson nodded. “She’s pregnant.” .

  “And the baby isn’t yours?” Ma canted her head in confusion, the gold of her wolf’s eyes flickering behind her irises.

  “No, the baby isn’t mine. I would have told you if that were the case. She just showed up here today, pregnant and looking to her brother for help.”

  “This is all so peculiar,” Ma muttered, looking deep in thought as she considered his words.

  “What do I do, Ma? How do I convince her that I can help her? She doesn�
��t seem to want my help.”

  Ma’s eyes locked with his again, her face growing very stern like she was about to give him the lecture of a lifetime. “You are gonna be the best damn friend and cheerleader she could ask for. You will not push your needs or your animal’s on her. You are going to be there to support her. Do what you can to help take care of her—I don’t care about what that is. She doesn’t realize it yet but she is going to need your help more than she needs anything else. You support her. Be kind to her. Do everything I taught you to do. And above all, you love her.”

  “What if—”

  “No what if’s. You were raised right. You go take care of that girl the way I taught you, and call me if you need me. Got it?”

  “Yes, Ma.”

  “Good, now I’ve gotta go. Jolene is bringing her pups over for a stay with their GiGi so she and Max can go out,” Ma said.

  “Give the pups hugs for me. I love you, Ma.”

  “I love you too, Ty-Ty,” Ma said before ending the call.

  Tyson stared at the computer for a moment after it went blank. He knew his mother was right, as she always was, but how was he going to be Jasmine’s friend if she wouldn’t let him help her?

  Chapter 6

  Jasmine pulled her car up in front of the cabin that Kaylene pointed out as Tyson’s and turned it off. Staring at the cabin, she wasn’t sure what she should do from here. What exactly was the protocol in a situation like this? Did she knock? Did she let herself in? Did she try to move her suitcase from the trunk by herself or did she have Tyson help her?

  Heaving a sigh, she decided to just go with the flow and get out of the car. Moving around the hood, she walked up the steps and heard a pair of voices on the other side of the door. She could recognize Tyson’s, but there was a feminine voice as well. Knowing she shouldn’t eavesdrop, Jasmine turned to walk back towards her car, but then she picked up something from the conversation that made her stop in her tracks.