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Chapter 4
Miguel
My heart constricted when Niko admitted that Molly and Amelia were missing. That little girl had me and the rest of the pride wrapped around her finger. I’d be wrapped around any finger Amelia wanted if she would just let me. My panther knew the moment she came through those gates that she was ours. Pride in her grew each day she was here, opening up and fighting her demons. She and Molly have a special connection that’s unbreakable, and with the way she was with DJ and Kymber’s little ones, I knew motherhood would come naturally to her. I had imagined all the possible scenarios, but they all had the same family. Amelia, myself, and Niko with two or three kids. We would all move into Niko’s house because it was the biggest, or we could always request to build a new one. It has been a hard year of patience, though connecting with Niko on a different level about six months ago had helped.
None of my dreams could come true if we didn’t find Amelia first. Then, I could start working on both of them. Being mated to two shifters wasn’t unheard of. It was just rare. I’d always felt this soul-deep connection with Niko but didn’t realize it was just the ground floor of what was to come. When Amelia joined our pride, I knew instantly that she would complete us. I’d watched how she and Niko interacted. My heart swelled every time I saw them together. I knew Niko felt it, but I didn’t think he recognized what it was. Amelia had shut herself off from everyone except Molly. She talked and smiled and joked with the pride but hadn’t developed any deeper bonds of friendship or love.
Now, she was gone. Missing. And I could only imagine the fear she was feeling out in a jungle she was not familiar with. Along with the fact that her tracking skills were subpar at best.
“Hey, earth to Miguel.” Niko waved his hand in front of my face. “Where were you just now?” His eyebrows were drawn together in concern. “We need all focus on Amelia and Molly and finding them.”
“I’m here. I was just thinking about where Molly might have wanted to explore. That little one has no fear.” Molly would be the key to finding them. I had tried connecting to her through the pride bond, but she was too far away. At eight years old, her tether within the mental web was thin and had a limited range. Sort of like a walkie-talkie, one of the cheaper ones that only reached a block or two.
“I don’t know if that matters at this point. They’ve both been gone long enough to get themselves good and truly lost. The jungle around us spreads for over five hundred acres. That’s a lot of land to cover.”
I placed my hand on Niko’s forearm. I squeezed as I sent him all the love, I had for him through the pride bond. I opened so he could feel how much I trusted him and my confidence that he’d find them and bring them home.
His shoulders relaxed, and he focused on my face. He placed his hand over mine, and my heart leaped. Hope that he was finally going to acknowledge what was between us outside of the club had my body primed for more. My heartbeat kicked up a notch, and my breathing became shallow in anticipation. He patted my hand and then gently removed it.
“Thanks, but Amelia and Molly are our focus. All our attention needs to be on them.” He walked away, showing no emotion.
“Mick, give him time.” Jonah’s hand settling on my shoulder startled me. “He’ll come around on his own and in his own time. Just support and love him until then.”
“How…” I stuttered, “When....did I?”
Jonah laughed. “You didn’t do anything. Once you find your mate, it’s easier to recognize when others find theirs and when said shifters also rebel against their feelings.” With a wink, he walked past me to the others.
“Miguel, are you ready?” Niko barked at me.
“Yeah, but I have another question. Can I have a word in private?” I was not going to let him take his frustration and anger out on the pride, and especially not out on me. I had been working at the conference table in the business building, but I pulled him into DJ’s general security room off to the side. It housed a wall of monitor screens, along with three different computers linked to the entire security system on the compound. There was another room like this in the club, as well as in Leo’s home at the back of the compound.
“What is it?” Niko huffed.
I leaned against the desk in the center of the room. “First off, calm yourself down. Snapping at everyone and stomping around like a Neanderthal is not a good look on you, and not how a leader should act.” I crossed my arms. “If you need an outlet for all the frustration, then when we find Amelia and Molly, you and I can secure one of the private rooms at the club, and I’ll help you relieve that pressure in a safe and secure environment.”
Niko’s eyes bugged out. “You want to scene with me? Alone?”
“If that’s what you need, then yes. How is that hard to comprehend? We have done multiple scenes together.”
Niko moved toward me, invading my bubble of personal space, and ran his hands down my biceps, resting them there. “Yes, but all those times we were with a third and in the safe yet public setting of the club. You know how I am, what I need to get to that plane of relief. I’ve never had you as my sole focus.”
“If you would just open your eyes.” I leaned my forehead against his, thankful he didn’t immediately pull away. “You would see that I’ve always been here for you. Now, I’m here for you, Amelia, and Molly. So, if you need that release, to give pain until that contentment falls over you, I’m there for it.”
“I don’t know if your threshold is high enough for what I need.” Niko pulled back. “Are you not concerned about what others will say?”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You think we will be judged? You’re a fucking idiot if you believe that would happen. How many of our regulars do you see dominate both sexes in a one-on-one scene?” I uncrossed my arms and pushed off the desk I rested against. “Let’s find the girls first, then we can negotiate after. The rest of the search party is waiting.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking.” Hunger flared in Niko’s eyes for a split second before he shuttered all emotions.
“Yes, I do. It’s you who doesn’t know what he’s missing. What bliss and happiness await you if you would simply melt that fucking wall around your heart?” I turned and walked out, leaving him to mull over my words.
I decided to try and reach the girls again through the bond. I still found that rock-solid mental wall where Amelia’s thread ended. I tried Molly again. She and I had been practicing a lot over the last few weeks to help her strengthen the connection to the pride. With her age, the distance was short, but as we practiced, I had hoped that would not only solidify her thread but allow her to stretch it, if need be, but she was still too far away. I gently knocked on Amelia’s wall and felt a rush of relief when she let me in.
“Amelia, baby, where are you?”
“Miguel, is that you?”
“Yes, darling. Where are you?”
